“Shush.” I drew away and pressed my finger against his lips. “We’re together now and that’s all that matters.”
His lips moved against mine, confident and possessive, more so than before, and a thrill of excitement darted through me now I knew what to expect and how Keane could make me feel. “I think I know how to calm your nerves,” he said.
“Yes, please.” I yielded to him, arching my neck, offering myself to him as he pressed his kisses there. I felt a desperate urge to be connected to him, to have him soothe away all my worries. He nipped me gently with his teeth and stroked me with his tongue, and heat sparked under my skin at his careful control. He reached around me and slowly unfastened my ties, each of his movements slow and filling me with anticipation. I held my breath, waiting for his touch.
But he surprised me, pressing me to lie on the table as he drew my bodice low, my breasts spilling from its confines. His hands were on them immediately, his thumbs stroking across my nipples until they hardened under his touch. I gasped and he grinned, suddenly a little wicked.
“At your service, Your Majesty…” he whispered, and I moaned at how deliciously forbidden those words sounded now.
Just when I thought he might kiss my lips, he surprised me by bending over the table and pushing my skirts up around my waist. Instinctively, I pressed my thighs together. Confusion spiraled adrenaline though me, and my breaths came in spurts. What was he doing down there?
“Relax,” Keane said. He skimmed a hand up my leg, starting at my ankle, and goosebumps broke out over me at his soft touch. His lips touched the inside of my knee and I drew in a breath. Then a little higher, and higher still, and I stopped breathing altogether, holding all the air inside my chest as I waited.
But Keane drew the moment out, tormenting me as I lay there. His lips were hovering above my skin. I could feel his presence and my core heated as a rush of desire flooded me.
His fingers probed against my center, and I realized I’d relaxed without even meaning to. Then he urged my legs to part further before he continued his trail of kisses and my hart pounded fiercely in my chest as his tongue flicked out, grazing across my heated skin.
I gasped and pushed my hands into my skirts, bunching the fabric in my fists. Keane sucked in a ragged breath as he pressed closer to my body, running his tongue between my folds and dipping it inside me. I writhed against him as he coaxed the fire in my core. I didn’t know what I wanted. I just wanted more.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered as I reached beyond my skirts, to his head, and threaded my fingers into his hair. I closed my eyes, letting his tongue dictate everything I felt. My hips moved of their own accord and my muscles trembled softly.
As he did the most incredible things with his tongue, I covered my mouth with my hand, fighting to keep my pleasure quiet. It became too much, and I moaned with every new exhale until I could only hear my pleasure and feel Keane’s mouth on my skin. It was exquisite torment as time sped up, racing me to the moment of release, and then everything stopped and my center convulsed, my body tightening and releasing in wave after wave.
I let my arms relax and drop to my sides and a slow smile spread across my face. “I didn’t imagine…” I started. “I thought everything was…”
“There’s always more.” Keane’s voice startled me, and when I saw him, the bulge of his arousal evident in his trousers, my mouth dried afresh and I craved him.
I opened my arms to him, wanting him inside me as he’d been before. “Please, Keane,” I implored him, and his eyes burned with fresh desire.
He unfastened his trousers and took hold of his hard length in his hand. I moaned at the sight and heat rushed to my center again. I’d never felt such wanton need before.
He remained standing, dragging me down the table so my legs hung off it, then wrapped them around his hips. This table was the perfect height to align our bodies together, and as he hovered over me he looked every inch the dangerous captain of my guard.
I met his clear blue-eyed gaze. When he didn’t move any farther forward, I rocked against him a little, making him gasp as the motion pressed the tip of him into me. I tightened my legs around him, until he groaned and thrust against me, sinking himself inside me. I gasped at the sudden invasion stretching me wide, and horror filled his gaze.
“Lily? Are you hurt?”
I shook my head as the sensation eased, becoming one of deep satisfaction. “No. You feel good there. Don’t stop.”
He pushed into me again, and gripped my hips as he thrust into me. With each moan, he went harder and faster, realizing I could take it. I wasn’t weak. Not when he was beside me. Together we were so much stronger.
It didn’t take long for his rhythm to spiral me to fresh heights. My body fluttered fresh waves around him, drawing a deep groan from him as he froze above me, his eyes shut tight in what looked part like pain, part like pleasure.
He dropped his weight to his elbows and kissed me softly on my lips. “Queen of my heart.”
A different kind of pleasure claimed me at his words, and I held him against me, luxuriating in the man I hadn’t dared to love…yet couldn’t imagine ever giving up.
Thirty-One
Lily
I stood outside the castle, on the cracked flagstones with my suitors, my coach and the horses as Keane instructed the remaining servants on how to best secure the summer palace in our absence. Once he was satisfied, he closed the big oak door and hurried to his horse.
“Aren’t you riding with me?” I asked, as disappointment drew tension through me. Our private moment alone had invigorated me and calmed my nerves, but now that it was time to depart, I grew more and more worried over what Riala was doing.
“No, but I will be close at all times, I swear it,” Keane said, before squeezing my fingers gently.
Then darkness gathered like dark clouds on the other side of the courtyard, and Keane leapt in front of me, already drawing his sword. The lords moved equally as quickly, fanning out into a defensive half-circle with me in the center, completely protected.
But it wasn’t Riala who arrived—but Rose, her face paler than normal and her hair askew. King Raith stood beside her, tall and severe, with black hair, gray eyes, and a commanding, powerful presence. I barely noticed him though.
“Rose!” Relief colored my cry and I dodged past Keane as I ran to my sister.
“Lily!” Keane took hold of my arm and held me back. “It could be an illusion!”
“It’s not an illusion,” Raith called from my sister’s side. “We’re truly here.”
“Prove it,” Keane said, brandishing his weapon.
Rose began to speak, though her voice was weak. “When I was six years old, I knocked over a pale blue vase in one of the sitting rooms. Lily lied and said she’d done it to protect me from Father’s wrath.”
“Yes, that’s her.” Not even our other sisters knew I’d taken the blame for that incident. And many others like it. I pulled my sister into a hug, and she weakly embraced me back. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, yes. Just tired.”
Raith wrapped a protective arm around her. He tipped her chin so she met his gaze in the growing dusk. “You’re not fine. You barely got away, foolish, brave woman.”
I clutched my neck, glancing between the two of them. “Barely got away? What happened?”
“Riala has taken over Winton Castle,” Rose said. “She’s holding herself a coronation tonight to declare herself the true Queen of Talador.”
Fear flittered through me, quickly chased out by rage. “She will never be the true queen.” I fought to keep my voice steady in the force of my sudden anger. “She was simply Father’s wife. I am his heir.”
Rose nodded, approval gleaming in her eyes. “She’s holding Jasmine, Violet, and Camellia captive, but I managed to escape with my magic. I went straight to Raith because he can help get you to Winton Castle quickly. It’s your birthright, Lily. You need to save it.”
“
What of Iris?” I asked. “Is she well?”
“Yes, she’s fine, although Riala has her surrounded by guards loyal to her.” As she spoke, she slumped against Raith like she could barely hold herself up.
I reached out to her. “You’re exhausted, Rose. Look at you.”
“It’s hard to fight evil and create new life, it seems.” Her familiar grin appeared, but quickly faded away.
Raith took her hand. “You must return to Ilidan immediately and rest.”
Rose furrowed her brow but straightened up. “I’ll do no such thing. You know our magic is stronger when we cast together. I’ll be fine.”
“You have to go back, Rose,” Raith’s voice grew commanding and a little exasperated.
“But this is my family.” The curl of Rose’s lip was familiar. The protest in her tone, too. I’d missed watching Rose’s stubborn streak—and at least it wasn’t directed toward me.
“This is my family too now,” he said, as he placed a hand on her stomach, and then glanced at me. “Our two lines are tied together through blood, and I won’t let anyone take your sister’s throne.”
My heart warmed at his words, even as I was surprised by his sentiment. The cold, aloof Raith had definitely warmed thanks to my sister’s influence. Even so, Rose looked like she might continue to argue.
“Rose, may I speak with you?” I asked.
Keane touched Raith’s shoulder. “Let’s give them some privacy. See if Lily can work some magic of her own.”
Raith nodded and the two of them moved away, while Rose scowled after them. Then she planted her hands on her hips in a position I knew so well. “Are you going to tell me to return home as well?”
“Yes. I agree with Raith.” I took her hands in mine. “You’ve already done a lot to help us, but you can only come so far on this journey with me.” Sun and Moon. Just when I needed to hold it together, my voice cracked on the last word. I shook my head and cleared my throat before forcing a grin that belied my blurry vision. “Besides, I can’t focus on saving my kingdom from Riala’s clutches if I’m worried about my future niece or nephew, can I?”
Rose pressed her lips into a tight line, but then nodded. “Very well. For you and for my loving husband I will go home, but only because the pair of you have really given me no choice. I do expect an update as soon as you’ve defeated Riala and saved our sisters.”
I could only hope it all went so smoothly, but I appreciated her confidence in me. “I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
A wash of emotion ran through me as she flung herself at me, pulling me into her arms. “Stay safe, sister. And go get your crown.”
“I will,” I mumbled into her hair.
I released her to Raith, who said his own tender goodbye. Then we all watched as she called shadows to surround her and she disappeared back through the Shadow Lands to Ilidan.
Raith gave me a nod of thanks, and then turned to face everyone. “This is the plan. I shall teleport you in small groups to the forest just outside Winton Castle. You may experience some…discomfort when we arrive, due to the nature of traveling through the Shadow Lands, but it should pass quickly.”
I nodded, even as the plan made my stomach twist. There were so many horrible stories about the Shadow Lands, and about people going missing there and never returning, but this was the only way to get to the castle in time to stop Riala.
“I’ll start with the guards,” Raith said. He and Keane divided the soldiers into groups, so they could position themselves outside Winton Castle and protect the rest of us arriving. Then Raith disappeared in shadow several times as he teleported them over.
Keane turned me away from the others, giving us a discreet moment. “We have to go through separately. I need to be in position to ensure everyone’s loyalty to the rightful queen.”
“I understand. I’ll see you soon.”
He pressed a quick kiss to my lips and walked over to Raith, who had finished with the guards, and now had some of my suitors with him. Keane took hands with Raith, and shadows curled around them. Then they vanished.
Raith repeated the process until only he and I stood in front of the summer palace, and he took my hands. “Are you ready for this?”
I squared my shoulders and took a breath to steel myself. “Yes. I’m ready.”
“I’m sorry I can’t see it through with you, but Riala is my cousin, and she’s also cousin to the Archwizard. I can’t afford to start a war between Ilidan and Korelan.”
“I understand.” Ilidan and Talador had only just ended their long war with the marriage of Raith and Rose. I didn’t want to immediately plunge him into a war with a different kingdom. “Thank you for doing as much as you are.”
Shadows began to swirl around us, and then everything went black.
Thirty-Two
Keane
Winton Castle stood before us, a pale ghost in the burgeoning dusk. Darkness seemed to swirl around it, bringing a malevolence I’d never encountered from the old stone walls. Shadowy figures lurked along the perimeter—both Riala’s illusions and any of Malren’s guards still loyal to her. Malren, of course, would not be joining them in the fight.
I gathered my guards and the lords into a huddle far enough away from the castle that we wouldn’t be seen while we waited for Raith to arrive with Lily. Frost crackled quietly on nearby branches, and our breath puffed in white clouds from our mouths.
“Do you think it’s warded?” Danzin asked.
“Likely,” Covack said, and for once he wasn’t suppressing a yawn.
“There were originally wards against magic on the palace, left by Queen Fellina many years ago, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Riala has removed them,” I said.
“There’s definitely something at work,” Theund said, his voice gruff as he clutched his weapon. “The tops of the walls look like a mass of wriggling serpents. Like snakes waiting to sink their fangs into anyone attempting to sneak their way into the castle, and I can’t see a front gate at all.”
I turned to where I knew the gate existed, but Theund was right. The castle wall continued unblemished over where the main entrance usually stood, and the top of the wall moved and coiled constantly.
“They’re only illusions.” I offered the reassurance to myself as much as to anyone else. “Simple illusions, most likely created and controlled by Riala to prevent any sort of challenge to her coronation. She knows she is crowning herself Talador’s queen with no authority at all.”
Shadows began to curl nearby and I tightened my grip on my sword, ready to brandish it and protect our group, but then Raith appeared, holding Lily against him.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that mode of transport,” she said, as she stepped away and took a long breath. “But thank you, King Raith. If we’d travelled by road, we wouldn’t have returned in time to save Talador.”
Raith glanced toward Winton Castle. “She has powerful wards in place, different from the ones here before.”
“There are illusions, too,” Theund said.
“I can help with the wards.” Raith paused and seemed to think about something. “But if I dismantle the illusions, Riala will know her magic is being tampered with and she’ll be forewarned of your interference in her plan.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “We’ll deal with the illusions.”
Raith stared at the castle for some time, and then nodded. “It’s done. The wards are gone.”
Lily studied him closely. “Rose said you didn’t draw your runes in the air, but I’m not sure I believed her until now.”
He focused on her with his serious gray eyes. “With more training, you could do the same.”
“I’d like that,” she said, in a low voice.
He glanced around at the gathered crowd. “Unfortunately, this is where I must leave you. Good luck…Queen Lily.”
“Thank you for your help,” she said, sounding regal.
She drew away from her brother-in-law as he disappeared into
the shadows for the final time. Raith had done all he could, and now we were alone, without his powerful magic to aid us. I gripped Lily’s hand, and strength and determination surged through me. We could do this. For Lily, I would do anything.
I signaled to my men before I drew everyone deeper into the forest. “There are some very old tunnels that run beneath Winton Castle. They exit out into the forest right around here. I think they’re our best chance at sneaking into the castle undetected.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “Of course. Dahlia’s tunnels.”
Very few people knew about these tunnels, used by Dahlia and Garon for their spy work, but as Captain of the Guard, I’d been given a master key. I led everyone around an outcrop of rocks and slid alongside a large piece of stone that jutted out an awkward angle. The keys jangled as I slid them from my pocket, and I selected the oldest one on there. It was long and thin and made from a dense black stone that shimmered in the twilight. I inserted it into a hole in the rock and twisted. Although I opened this door every month, I rarely ventured far inside, I simply checked the tunnels were safely locked and secure. Adrenaline rushed inside knowing we would use them to ensure Lily reached her castle, even when Riala thought she’d covered all entrances.
The stone door slid open, and dank, pitch black darkness awaited us. No one moved forward.
“I’ll go first.” Theund wielded his hatchet and pushed past me as he spoke. Then he glanced over his shoulder. “You should stay at Princess Lily’s side, Captain Keane.”
“I’m not entirely helpless, you know,” Lily said, and to prove her point, she drew a rune in the air and lighted a nearby torch. I nearly jumped at the sudden burst of flame and light, before one of the men grabbed the torch.
“When did you learn to do that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I’ve been practicing the basic runes from my mother’s spellbook. It seems about time I learned these things.”
Pride made my chest swell at how far she’d come, from hiding and denying her magic, to openly using it in front of others. We’d likely need that magic now if we were going to stop Riala.
Kiss Of Snow (Royal Hearts Book 2) Page 16
