Wet Willy

Traci’s POV

I rested my head against my hand as I stared at the stack of reports spread across the conference table.

Meeting after meeting. Report after report. Discussion after discussion. This had been my entire week. I understood why it was necessary. Becoming queen wasn’t just about wearing a crown or standing in front of a crowd while people cheered. It meant learning how the kingdoms functioned, listening to advisors, reviewing trade agreements, approving patrol routes, and making decisions that affected thousands of people. I knew all of that. It didn’t make any of it less boring.

A quiet sigh escaped me. At least earlier in the week I’d managed to escape all of this for a few hours. Training with our warriors had been a welcome break. We worked on new combinations and defensive techniques that could make the difference between life and death during an attack. I spent extra time with many of the younger women, showing them my favorite escape move whenever a larger opponent trapped them from behind. After demonstrating it a few times, I made each of them practice until they could perform it without thinking. That… Now that was productive.

Sitting around a table talking about supply routes and weapon storage? Not so much.

A warm hand settled on my thigh beneath the table. I didn’t even have to look. Zayden. He leaned closer, a grin already tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Wake up, Vixen.” His lips brushed softly against my cheek before he leaned back in his chair like he hadn’t done a thing.

Oh… He wanted to play. Fine. I slowly lifted one finger to my lips, making an exaggerated show of wetting it while pretending to pay attention to whatever Ryker was saying.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Raiden fighting a smile. He knew. Without warning, I reached over and shoved my finger straight into Zayden’s ear. “Wet Willy.” I burst into laughter.

Zayden jerked backward. “What the hell?”

The entire room erupted. Several warriors laughed so hard they doubled over in their chairs. One of the guards wiped tears from his eyes while another tried to regain enough composure to stand at attention again.

“You little shit,” Zayden laughed as he reached for me.

I squealed and launched myself onto Raiden’s lap. Without hesitation, Raiden wrapped both arms around my waist and shifted his chair just enough to block Zayden.

“My king,” I said dramatically, looking up at him with my best innocent expression. “My protector.”

Raiden looked down at me, amusement dancing in his hazel eyes. “I’ve got you.”

“I knew you would,”

Zayden pointed at both of us. “You’re encouraging her.”

Raiden shrugged his shoulders without a hint of guilt. “I absolutely am.”

Ryker pinched the bridge of his nose. “Really?” He looked around the room. “You two couldn’t wait until after the meeting?” He tried to keep a straight face. He lasted about three seconds before laughing with everyone else.

I pointed directly at Zayden. “He started it.” Then I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Oh, I’m the problem?” Zayden asked, pretending to sound offended.

“You kissed my cheek,” I pointed and waved my finger at him then made a dramatic show of wiping off my cheek.

“You looked half asleep,” he rolled his eyes dramatically.

“I was listening.”

Raiden snorted. “No, you weren’t.”

I gasped dramatically. “Betrayed.”

“You were thinking about training.”

“I was.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Because that’s a whole lot more exciting than discussing tax records.”

A few warriors nodded in agreement. Ryker cleared his throat. “I saw that.”

Every one of them immediately straightened. I looked around the table before letting out another sigh. “For real, though.” Everyone’s attention shifted back to me. “I’d rather be outside training.” I motioned toward the windows overlooking the training grounds. “We’ve got warriors recovering from the tournament and others wanting to improve after what happened at the arena. I’d rather spend my day helping them than sitting here.”

Zayden smiled knowingly. “I figured.” His hand settled back on my thigh. “I know this isn’t your favorite part of being queen.”

“I don’t mind leading.” I shrugged. “I just prefer doing something instead of talking about doing something.”

Raiden squeezed my waist. “That’s exactly why you’ll make a good queen.”

I looked up at him. “Because I’m impatient?”

A chuckle escaped him. “Because you care about your people more than your title.”

The room grew noticeably quieter. Even Ryker smiled. “He’s right.”

I felt my cheeks warm just enough to notice. “Don’t get all sentimental on me.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Raiden replied with a grin.

Ryker gathered the remaining reports into one neat stack before his expression became serious. “Now…” He looked around the table. “Back to business.”

The laughter gradually faded. Maps were spread across the table while several lead warriors stepped forward. One marked recent patrol routes while another listed packs that had requested additional guards following the tournament attack.

The conversation eventually returned to the two names none of us could ignore. Maddox. Ralph. A week had passed since the arena. Nothing. No attacks. No messages. No sightings. It should have been comforting. Instead… It bothered me.

“I don’t like it,” I admitted. Every head turned toward me. “They’re too quiet.”

Raiden nodded his head. “I’ve been thinking the same thing.”

“They’re planning,” Zayden added. “They’re not the type to disappear.”

Ryker unfolded another report. “We questioned every prisoner taken after the attack.” He looked around the table. “None of them gave us anything useful.”

“They probably couldn’t,” I said. “They only knew the part they were supposed to play.”

One of the warriors agreed. “Most organizations like theirs work in small cells. The lower ranks rarely know the overall plan.”

“Exactly.” Raiden rested his forearms on the table. “Maddox isn’t careless.”

“No,” I agreed quietly. “He’s patient.”

The room fell silent. That silence said more than words ever could. We had won the battle. None of us believed we’d won the war.

Somewhere beyond our borders, Maddox and Ralph were rebuilding. Planning. Waiting. And deep down… Every instinct I had told me they were about to make their next move.