Chapter 67: Lines
Ryophlira POV
I was finally trying to close my eyes, buried deep under the heavy, tangled sheets of our bed, when a sharp, knock rattled the wood.
"It’s time to get up, Ry," Ari’s voice called out from the hallway before she casually swung the door open.
"No, not yet," I groaned, my voice a raspy, exhausted whisper. I winced heavily, bracing myself up on one elbow as every muscle in my lower body protested the sudden movement.
"I want to sleep some more, please... I didn’t get a single lick of sleep last night."
Ari paused, looking over at me before bursting into an amused laugh. I knew exactly what I looked like without even needing to look in a mirror a complete, mess, my hair completely wild and my skin covered in unmistakable marks.
"Turn around, Ari," a deep, gravelly voice commanded from beside me.
Yue-Senn woke with the effortless grace of a predator. Ari immediately spun on her heel to face the door as he leaned over, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to the crown of my head. He slid out of bed, casually bending down to retrieve the low-slung towel from last night off the floor and wrapping it securely around his hips.
He walked past Ari toward his private bathroom, but right before he crossed through the door, he stopped. He turned back, flashing me a devastating smile and a deliberate, playful wink.
I instantly threw myself back onto the mattress, pulling the thick blankets completely over my face to hide the burning blush exploding across my cheeks.
Hearing the heavy thud of the door finally closing behind him, I peeked out from beneath the edge of the blanket. Ari was standing there, smiling from ear to ear with an incredibly smug expression.
"It seems you had quite a wild night," she teased.
"More like entirely sleepless," I sighed, letting out a long, dramatic breath. "How is that even humanly possible? Or am I just doing something wrong?"
Ari giggled softly. "No, of course not, honey. Some men are just built entirely different, that’s all."
She didn’t let me linger, quickly pulling me out of the bed and pushing my exhausted, aching body toward the steaming bathroom.
An hour was spent scrubbing away the sticky remnants of last night, washing out my tangles heavy hair.
As Ari reached for another bottle of oil, I gently caught her wrist. "Stop. I need you to go find some large containers. Something the size of wine jars."
Ari blinked in confusion. "What for?"
"My blood." Her eyes widened in horror.
"Are you completely insane?!"
"It’s a necessary part of the plan," I told her, my voice turning dead serious.
"Ry, you need to be exceptionally careful," she pleaded, her voice dropping.
"I know. But with my blood, I need you to create a protective barrier around the East."
"Ry... a barrier of that scale requires an immense, dangerous amount of blood."
"Ari, I don’t mean the whole damn country," I clarified, giving her a reassuring look.
"Just a few key spots. Think of it like home, where there are safe zone for the common people to retreat to whenever there is an attack."
Ari frowned, leaning against the marble tub. "Why do you want to do something so monumental for the East when they haven’t even officially agreed to meet with us or sign a single treaty?"
I looked up at her, a confident smirk touching my lips. "Do you truly have so little faith in me?"
Ari sighed, shaking her head with a small smile. "Fine. Finish up your bath, and I will go gather the jars."
As she slipped out to fulfill the request, I quickly finished rinsing off, wrapped a thick pink towel tightly around my body, and stepped back into the main bedchamber.
Leaning casually against the scratched surface of the desk was Yue-Senn. Standing rigidly near the entrance was Ki-ri, his head completely bowed toward the floor, keeping his eyes strictly fixed on the rug so as not to look at my exposed skin.
"Get out," Yue-Senn directed coldly toward Ki-ri. He immediately bowed, turned on his heel, and walked out without a word.
The moment the door clicked shut, Yue-Senn’s eyes raked up and down my towel his intense gaze darkening as though he were staring at a meal he was actively starving for.
"No. Absolutely not," I said quickly, throwing my hand up to halt his advance.
He stood up from the desk anyway, a lazy, dangerous smile spreading across his lips.
"It isn’t my fault you keep turning me on so effortlessly, Ry."
"I am already incredibly sore and completely exhausted from last night into this morning," I complained, backing up a step.
"I need a serious break."
"And I need to eat my breakfast before I head out into town," he murmured, his eyes dropping deliberately toward my pelvis as he began to walk slowly toward me.
Before he could close the distance, the doors swung open. Ari walked in holding several large wine jars, followed closely by my brother Riegthar and two other maids carrying even more heavy pottery.
Yue-Senn’s demeanor flipped instantly he stepped directly in front of my body, using his massive frame to shield me completely from their sight.
"You have got to be kidding me," Riegthar muttered, setting six heavy jars onto the floor with a loud thud. He looked between Yue-Senn and me, his expression twisting into deep disgust.
"You two make me physically sick."
Ari sharply slapped his shoulder.
"I will be waiting downstairs, Ry."
"She might be a while," Yue-Senn called out over his shoulder, looking down at me with a gleam.
"No, I won’t," I countered immediately.
Yue-Senn’s lower lip jutted out slightly, his face settling into a ridiculous pout. This man cannot be serious right now.
Riegthar muttered another string of complaints under his breath and marched out of the room, the two maids following quickly in his steps. Ari gathered all the heavy jars into a single spot near the center chair.
"Let’s start bleeding you before you put your dress on," she said, preparing her tools.
Yue-Senn’s eyes flashed with a bright, sudden green light at the mention of my blood. He stepped closer, placing his hand under my chin to lift my face up to his.
"What exactly are you planning here, Ry?"
"A surprise," I smiled wickedly. I reached up, smacking his hand away from my chin before giving his chest a slight push so I could move past him. I walked over to the center of the room and sat firmly in the chair.
Ari pulled a sleek, silver blade from the sheath hidden against her thigh. Yue-Senn turned to face me fully, the dominance in his posture completely melting into a deep, heavy concern as he watched the weapon. I ignored his look and held my bare hand out to Ari.
With practiced gentleness, Ari sliced a clean line across my palm, holding the open mouth of the first wine jar underneath it. She squeezed my hand quickly, forcing the thick, dark crimson liquid to pour out rapidly before my body began healing.
"Ry, this is going to take a considerable amount of time and a lot of individual cuts," Ari warned, her brow furrowing as she watched the skin already trying to knit itself back together.
"Because you heal entirely too fast."
"That’s perfectly fine. I am ready."
As Ari worked methodically, Yue-Senn’s eyes never left my face. The absolute weight of his stare was heavy.
"I will be perfectly fine," I told him quietly, offering him a soft smile to try and soothe the deep concern etching lines into his forehead.
He let out a slow breath, walking back over to the desk. He picked up a small, polished light blue box before walking back to stand directly over my chair. Slowly, deliberately, he opened the lid to reveal the rare plant I had asked for last night *Never Fear*.
My eyes lit up. "Thank you! See? I knew you could do it. You are absolutely the best."
"You should show me your true appreciation," he murmured, his voice dropping into a low rumble.
"I was literally attacked by a horde of the ravenous dead trying to harvest this plant for you. It is exceptionally rare."
I caught Ari looking up at us, her mouth forming a silent, teasing *kiss him* shape. I cleared my throat loudly. Ari quickly pulled back the blade, giving us a moment of privacy. I stood up from the chair, blinking up at him.
"For someone who boldly claims to be a wolf and the supreme ruler of both the dead and the undead, I didn’t think a little greenery would have caused you so much trouble," I teased, rolling my eyes with a dramatic sigh.
"But... since you were so remarkably strong and brave, I suppose I have to reward you properly."
Tipping up high on my toes, I reached up and grabbed him firmly by his tie, pulling his head down hard. I pressed a firm, lingering kiss straight against his cheek. As I pulled back, I could visibly see the tips of his ears turning a bright, unmistakable red.
"That is nowhere near enough," he whispered softly.
Before I could retreat, his hand braced firmly against my bare back, pulling my towel body flush against his chest as he bent down and captured my lips. The kiss was soft, unhurried, and deeply passionate. He tasted faintly like honey so very sweet.
He pulled back slowly, a smile breaking across his lips before he placed the silver box securely in my hand and turned, walking out the bedroom door.
The moment the door latched, Ari let out a loud squeal, playfully hitting my shoulder. I blushed furiously, hitting her back in embarrassment before sinking back into the chair to resume the grueling process.
After what felt like an absolute eternity, thousands of individual cuts, and my brother Riegthar repeatedly yelling through the door for us to hurry the hell up, all the jars were finally filled to the brim with my blood.
Ari thoroughly cleaned my hands one last time, letting the skin heal completely before helping me get dressed in a magnificent gown.
The dress was a stunning, form-fitting masterpiece of pale mint and silver embroidery, featuring a high lace collar and dramatic, sweeping drapes of translucent lavender silk that cascaded from my shoulders like regal wings. Ari styled my hair into an elegant half-up, half-down look.
Because of the low, sheer cut of the shoulders, every single mark from last night was on full display the old bruises, the dark purple hickeys, and the distinct, fading handprint of his fingers wrapped around my throat.
"We seriously need to go into town to shop and get you entirely new clothes with higher collars," Ari murmured, trying to adjust the silk.
"Or he could just learn how to stop," I grumbled, wincing as she brushed near a particularly fresh mark.
Ari burst into a loud laugh. "Oh, Ry, you clearly don’t get it yet. Once a man tastes the absolute sweetness between your legs, he will never stop. He is only going to get hungrier from here on out."
I looked at her with wide, completely horrified eyes. She had to be joking. Right?
Shaking her head at my reaction, Ari used a heavy layer of cosmetic cream to completely cover all the dark marks along my skin. Once the canvas was clear, she helped me slip into my shoes.
Dazzling, crystal-encrusted silver stiletto heels adorned with delicate, shimmering butterfly wings extending from the heels and intricate crystal teardrop chains draping around the ankles. I picked up the box containing the poison, holding it tightly against my chest.
"What exactly is in the box?" Ari asked quietly.
"A weapon."
Ari nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation immediately. She opened the doors, helping me walk carefully down the stairs to meet my brother, while she went to instruct the other maids to carefully bring down the heavy jars of my blood.
Riegthar was leaning against a pillar, looking up as I approached. "Well, you actually look decent for once," he said, lightly elbowing me in the side.
"And you look like a pile of trash that hasn’t been taken out for weeks," I retorted smoothly.
"That is so incredibly sweet of you, little sis," he said, a half-smile plastering onto his face while his left eye twitched with annoyance.
"I only have two teleportation crystals left that I originally managed to bring with me from home."
"Hopefully, that is all we will end up needing today."
"Where is your so-called husband anyway?" he asked, looking around the empty courtyard.
"He went into town to personally check on the progress of the greenhouses, the food distribution, and the incoming supply lines," I explained, my voice dropping.
"As well as to quietly investigate if we have a rat leaking information to the South." Riegthar nodded grimly, his teasing demeanor vanishing.
Once the maids had successfully brought down all the sealed wine jars, Ari gave my brother a sharp nod. Riegthar pulled one of the crystals from his cloak and crushed it ruthlessly in his palm. A swirling, shimmering vortex of magical light tore open the air before us.
He held his arm out like a proper gentleman, and I looped my arm securely through his. With Ari and the maids carrying the lifelines of my blood close behind us, we stepped through the portal into the unknown. This alliance would either ensure our ultimate victory, or cement our absolute ruin.