ARIA POV
“What happened?” I asked.
He turned his head and kissed the inside of my wrist, the touch far too soft for all that rage still vibrating through him.
“Another shitshow,” he said.
I smiled despite myself. “Specific.”
His eyes opened. “Council matter.”
“Again?”
“Always.”
“Can it wait?”
“No.”
I sighed. “Can it wait ten minutes?”
His mouth twitched, barely. “Always for you, Kotionek.”
“Good. Then tell me while you rub my feet.”
His gaze dropped, and the look on his face would have been funny if my ankles did not currently resemble overfilled pastries.
“Your feet are worse.”
“Yes, thank you, beloved mate. Exactly what a woman wishes to hear at one hundred months pregnant.”
His eyes snapped back to mine. “You know what I mean.”
“I do. I am choosing offense for entertain
