novelraw Chapter 361: Damar should be home tomorrow
Chapter 361: Damar should be home tomorrow
From then, the days bled into each other. The palace went from a skeleton to a masterpiece. We used a mix of polished limestone for the floors and ironwood for the vaulted ceilings.
I’d even managed to get Oryn to help me design a primitive ’ventilation system’ using hollowed-out logs in the walls so the rooms stayed cool during the approaching summer heat. And we could always cover it up during the winter as well.
And then, just like that, it was the day.
The palace was finished. The walls had already found their foundation, ready to be overseen by Oryn and the rest.
My job is literally done.
I’ll watch from the side as they work, and I’ll visit from time to time to make sure there’s nothing wrong. Especially with the inverted spikes aspect. That needed to be solid.
At sunset, I stood in front of the wall construction, the silence finally returning as the workers headed home for a well-earned rest, only to start again tomorrow.
Ah, tomorrow.
Tomorrow was the day Damar was supposed to return with the rabbits. It was the eve of summer, and the valley was lush, green, and—strangely enough—completely quiet.
The scouts hadn’t seen a single red-scale track in ten days. No cold scents, no rustling in the tall grass. It was as if that woman had been a fever dream, and the tracks we found then were a nightmare sent to haunt us.
"He’ll be back tomorrow," Noah said, walking up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder, his black hair tickling my cheek. "He should be at the Whispering Valley by tonight."
The whispering valley... Ah, I hope the little rabbits don’t start arguing and hitting each other once their secrets start pouring out.
"I hope he’s okay, Noah," I whispered, leaning back into his shoulder. "I keep thinking about those tracks heading toward the Eastern pass. That’s the way he’s coming from."
"Damar is a silver-scale, little tiger," Noah reminded me, his grip tightening protectively. "And he’s got the rabbits. Nobody knows those paths better than he does when it comes to senses. He’ll be fine."
I looked at the massive ironwood doors of the Hall. I’d built the strongest cage in the world, and yet, the one person I wanted inside it was still out there in the mist.
"I’m going to wait at the ridge tomorrow morning," I said, my voice firm.
"We’ll all wait," Fenric’s voice came from the shadows by the hearth. He stepped out, his red eyes soft but alert. "We need to make sure there are enough ferrymen to cross them through the silt river."
I smiled, my heart feeling full despite the nerves.
"First thing tomorrow, we’ll check on the boats and wait for them at the Silt River," Noah said. "We’ll bring him home for you," he said, kissing my cheek, and I nodded.
The night air was thick with the scent of blooming summer jasmine and the cool, damp breath of the river.
Inside our tent, the silence was heavy, but not peaceful. I was tossing and turning, my mind a chaotic slideshow of Damar’s face, the Whispering Valley, and the foundation of the new walls.
There were so many ’what-ifs’ on my mind that I couldn’t shut my eyes for five seconds without tossing.
"If you keep pacing in your head like that, you’ll have a permanent groove in your brain by dawn, little tiger." Noah’s voice rumbled through the dark.
He shifted his body, his arm finding my waist and pulling me back against his chest.
"I can’t help it," I whispered, staring at the ceiling. "What if they’re late? What if the Silt River is too high? What if—"
"What if you let us help you stop thinking?" Fenric’s voice came from my other side.
He sat up, his red eyes glowing faintly. He reached out, his large, warm hand cupping my cheek, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw with a slow, deliberate pressure.
"You’re vibrating like a trapped bird, Arinya. You need to be exhausted so you can sleep, right? We’ll help you."
I looked at him, then at Noah, who was already nipping at the sensitive skin of my shoulder. My heart gave a different kind of thud, and I twisted my lips.
By getting me exhausted, I already knew exactly what they wanted.
We haven’t exactly moved into the palace, and the big bed frame was still in construction.
I breathed, my voice hitching as Noah’s hand slid lower. "I... I’ll take any help you can give, but Thalor is right there. You don’t plan to leave him out of this, do you?"
In the corner of the tent, Thalor shifted. He wasn’t asleep; he was sitting up, his violet eyes wide and a little uncertain.
Since I started getting super busy, we’ve never exactly had a threesome or foursome session, and the dynamic had kept things strictly platonic, so he’s never been part of this side of our circle.
Noah let out a low, predatory chuckle.
"Well, the Prince has been a very good nanny, so I guess it’s high time he learns how we do things on land. Don’t you think, Little Tiger?"
Noah didn’t wait for an answer. He pulled me into the center of the furs, and the air in the tent suddenly felt ten degrees hotter. Fenric moved behind me, his chest a wall of solid heat, while Noah took point.
"Watch closely, Fish," Noah murmured, his voice dropping into that deep, commanding tone that always made my knees weak.
He guided my hand to the tie of my tunic, his eyes locked on Thalor’s.
"I’m only going to show you where she likes it best once. You’ve got a lot of catching up to do if you want to make her scream your name."
Thalor’s face was slightly flushed, but he nodded like a student ready to learn.
Seriously, were they going to treat me like a test subject now?
"What’s wrong, Little tiger? You’re already trembling," Noah whispered in my ear, his hand guiding my trembling fingers past my thighs and towards my hot entrance.
Why was he using my fingers?
When he pressed my hand against my own slick entrance, I let out a sharp, broken gasp.
"N-Noah... use your fingers instead?"