He was going to have to prove to his people that I was their queen, not just his breeder.

He wanted to lick our combined release off the insides of my thighs, where he could see the slickness.

I dozed a little with the flow of his thoughts as a quiet companion. I was tired enough that my own mind was nearly silent, but his was the opposite. He seemed… energized.

Excited, almost.

And that made me feel good.

When we reached his room in the castle, we found Rayna and Wesson waiting outside.

Rayna looked wary. “People aren’t happy about you deciding that Aria will be their queen, Triton.”

He opened the door and stepped inside. “They’re the ones who brought it to a vote. She’s my mate—she comes before them now, in every way.”

“You can’t just make that decision, Triton. The merrae are used to being their ruler’s sole focus.”

“Who, exactly, is suggesting that I haven’t given this kingdom enough of myself?” Triton asked, his voice lowering and his eyes narrowing.

The man was furious.

His thoughts gave it away much more than his expression did.

“People are talking,” Rayna explained, lifting her hands. “I⁠—”

“If they want to gossip, let them. If they genuinely have a problem with the centuries I dedicated to them while abstaining from any kind of pleasure for myself, they can speak to me on their own and we can work out a way for them to sacrifice as much as I have before their next complaint.”

Rayna sighed.

“Goodnight. Spread the word that the next person who insults my queen will be the first merrae I’ve ever killed,” Triton bit out, closing the door before his sister could say anything else.

Wordlessly, he strode across the room and dove through the pool. He altered the water tunnel with his magic, and deposited us both in the library, completely dry.

The slickness of our releases was still on the insides of my thighs, so he must’ve left it there on purpose.

“I did.” His voice was still low as he took me to our bed and did exactly what he’d promised.

He licked me until I was clean, then pinned me to the mattress and fucked me again, getting me off much faster this time.

After we were done, he tucked me into bed on my side and got comfortable behind me. My bare body was cradled against his, and it felt ridiculously good.

As I dozed off, I mumbled, “What would you have voted, if they let you have a say?”

Triton gave me a soft chuckle. His lips brushed my ear. “I wasn’t going to leave it up to a vote. I rigged the outcome instead.”

My eyes widened, and I blinked in sleepy surprise. “You can do that?”