Chapter 531: From Pillow Forts to Patrol Routes
Warmth clung to the sheets and to the curve of soft limbs tangled around Lyan’s body. He blinked groggily, sunlight stabbing past the crimson curtains in narrow lances that painted molten stripes across bare shoulders, tousled hair, and the end-board strewn with last night’s discarded sashes. Somewhere close—far too close—Raine’s silver hair tickled his nose while Josephine’s unruly curls draped his collarbone like ivy. His chin rested on a decidedly soft pillow that turned out to be Belle’s thigh. A lazy breath escaped him, fogging over the mess of silky locks and perfumed skin.
For half a heartbeat he tried to remember where one woman ended and another began. Belle’s perfume—cinnamon and cream—blurred into Raine’s cool rain-moss, which bled into Josephine’s sweet wine and cherry blossom. Under all of that, the faint cedar scent of fresh-laundered sheets tried—and failed—to keep order.
A leg slid over his hip; fingers, warm and searching, traced the line of his spine. A hum of contentment throbbed through the pile. The hum became words.
" You’re late for work, my lord," Josephine crooned without opening her eyes, her voice husky from sleep yet already curling into mischief. Her lips brushed the side of his throat, each syllable punctuated by a lazy kiss. "I think it’s time we talk about your harem tax."
Somewhere beneath the mound of bedding, Alina giggled deliriously and muttered something about penalties accruing interest. Lyan didn’t dare look; he was wedged too perfectly between comfort and entrapment.
He groaned, shifting an inch, which only tightened Raine’s sleepy arm around his waist. "Let me guess," he rasped. "It’s backdated to include... all of last week?"
Josephine stretched an elegant arm across his chest, patting him with mock professionalism. "And interest. Compounded nightly," she declared. "According to the Law of Lustful Ledgers, clause three-point-two, paragraph four: you owe at least thirty kisses, six spine-tingling caresses, one shirtless apology, and a heartfelt confession by breakfast."
Cynthia’s voice fluttered through his thoughts, amused and musical. (Itemize each charge or they’ll tack on handling fees.)
Arturia harrumphed. (You are fortunate the kingdom does not list this as treason.)
Lilith purred, velvet and wicked. (But I approve of the way you embrace corruption.)
Alina popped her head up just long enough to add, "And a commemorative plaque!" then collapsed back onto the pillow fort.