Her body slammed into his, taking him down and his brain shut off, the pleasure of having her in his arms once more almost too much to bear. Almost.
Hearing the telltale slide of someone else coming down the embankment quickly, Rafael hauled Maribella up, whispering a quick “Missed you too” in her ear.
Rafael knew the next minutes would be pivotal in trying to make Maribella not hate him more than she probably already would. The guide finally reached them, and Rafael waved him off, but not before he uttered, “Sire.”
Rafael’s heart stuttered and his Dragon growled in his mind as Maribella pulled away from their embrace. This was it, the confrontation where Maribella would learn the truth. The darkened gray clouds above burst, rain coming down hard and thick. It soaked Maribella in an instant, the pieces of her wild, disheveled hair escaping the braid, plastered around her face. Her eye twitched in pain as she took another step back and Rafael glanced down quickly to see her favoring one of her ankles. His gaze flicked back up in an instant, jaw going tense.
“Rafael,” Maribella whispered, breath hitching. “Why did he call you Sire?”
Get her to the castle first, his Dragon whispered, and Rafael agreed. The rain was cold, and she was exhausted. He didn’t need his love to get sick, even if he was about to find out how much she hated him in a moment.
“Let’s go inside and talk about this, Maribella,” Rafael pleaded.
“No, I want to talk about this right now. Why did he call you Sire? Do you live in the castle?”
Gods above, his Maribella was persistent, and when she dug her heels into something, she wouldn’t budge. She would rather drown in this rain before allowing the conversation to lapse.
Rafael gritted his teeth. “You can say that.”
His Dragon prodded at his mind. Just get to the point.
Maribella’s nose flared, cheeks beginning to redden, “Explain right now, Rafael!”
His jaw tensed, emotions conflicting. He loved her temper and the way she said his name, but he needed to tell her now before she realized how much of a coward he was being.
“I’m the Prince of the Dragon Mountain Stronghold.”
Maribella’s face froze, turning a shade of white Rafael had never seen in his life. He was already reaching out, as Maribella’s eyes rolled back, and her body folded forward.
Rafael missed her by the barest of breaths, the mud surrounding them once ankle high, now deepened from the torrential icy downpour of the rain. Scooping Maribella up in his arms, Rafael and his Dragon merged, thoughts only on getting her to the castle and its healers. Man turned to Dragon, launching straight up, wings clipping the trees with Maribella’s limp form hanging gingerly in his claws. Slowing his descent, Rafael gently hovered in the courtyard, claws inches from the earth, wings straining from the effort as he gingerly laid his princess on the ground. In a flash of smoke, Rafael was once again a man, scooping Maribella up in his arms.
“Stop!” The female cry echoing from behind Rafael had him turning with unbridled anger to whomever dared stop him from helping Maribella. The snarl on his face fell to confusion as the maidens and two guides in Dragon form were standing mere feet behind him.
The maiden with light blond hair and big blue eyes rushed forward. “I’m a healer. Put her down, out of the rain, over there.”
She rushed past Rafael to the spot indicated, the walkway surrounding the courtyard with a three-foot overhang attached to the castle. The maiden motioned to him irritability to hurry. Doing as directed, he gently laid Maribella down, and the maiden put her fingers to the pulse point on Maribella’s neck. Relief softened the maidens face, and Rafael and his Dragon held their breath collectively, as the maiden put the back of her palm to Maribella’s forehead. She sat back on her heels, looking Rafael straight in his eyes, never flinching even though Rafael knew his eyes glowed amber.
“Her breathing is strong and even, but she is cold. Most likely caused by the rain. We should move her inside where it is warm and get her cleaned up.” The maiden took a step back, allowing Rafael to scoop Maribella up again.
“You heard her, Rafael.” The Queen’s voice rang out from somewhere to his left, and everyone jumped at her sudden appearance. Rushing past his mother, he whispered a quick “Thank you” before dashing through the door the guard was holding open. Before it fully shut, the younger maiden yelled, “If she dies, I’ll marry you.”
The low chuckle of the queen echoed down the hallway.
Chapter Eleven
I groaned, waking to someone prodding at my ankle. Cracking open my eyes, I was met with the back of Selene’s head, which was a pleasant surprise.
“Please tell me we are still on the trail heading toward the Mountain Dragon Stronghold,” I croaked.
Selene shook her head, frown cutting across her face. “No such luck.”
Groaning, I threw my arm over my face, which was still covered in dried mud. Lifting my arm up as the bed dipped, Selene shifted my legs over and sat next to me. I sat up with a groan and took in my new surroundings. The room was small, furnished only with a couch, which we were presently sitting on, a fireplace, a bed, and three doors. Closed, hanging curtains decorated the left side of the room, which were probably hiding a window, but that was a mystery for a later time.
“Rafael,” I growled.
His shoulders tensed before he turned and crossed his arms. “We need to talk, Princess.”
I had no idea why he looked so displeased; he was the one who deceived me, after all. He nodded to Selene, dismissing her from the room. My anger simmered at his blatant power play, and I opened my mouth to say so, but Selene shook her head and patted my leg before getting up.
“Don’t be stubborn,” she whispered.
Glaring at the door Selene slipped through, I didn’t want to look back at the Dragon man standing behind me. Anger and confusion churned in my chest, slowly building, feeding off each other. Finally, I looked over my shoulder. Rafael was still standing next to the curtains, maintaining his distance. That was smart of him.
Taking a breath, I readied my anger, preparing to unleash a vicious tongue lashing in Rafael’s direction. But instead, my voice shook with sadness, tears threatening to fall. “You lied to me.”
Rafael was beside me in two long strides, stopping inches from my face. He looked down at me, eyebrows knitting together. He seemed to mull over his words before answering me. “Yes, I did.”
I gaped at him in disbelief, anger flushing my cheeks and heart fracturing at the same time. Gripping the arm of the couch, I heaved myself up to a standing position, purposely ignoring Rafael’s outstretched hand. He shook his head slightly, and I carefully found my balance, avoiding any weight on my sore ankle. Stubbornness was a failing of mine and I refused to argue sitting down. Plus, Rafael had positioned himself perfectly in front of me to where if I continued to sit, his crotch would have been a foot away from my face. A failing on his part because if I had stayed sitting, I would have punched him in his precious jewels. Maybe I should have stayed sitting, unless that was what he wanted. I couldn’t be too sure anymore with Rafael’s motives. Learning that he was the prince meant everything we had for the last three years was a lie. Pushing back the hurt building up like a wave inside, I voiced that exact concern. “Everything was a lie, then?”
Rafael let out a hiss and closed the small space between us, gripping my shoulders and leaning in. His lips caressed my ear as he whispered, “I lied to you about my rank in the Stronghold.” Pulling me flush with his chest, hands sliding down my arms and forming a warm cage around my waist, he stared me dead in the eyes. “But I never lied to you about anything else.”
“You—” I stammered, my cheeks flushed.
Rafael covered my mouth with his, the kiss scorching my body all the way down to my toes. The moan tore from my throat, and I wrapped my arms around Rafael’s neck, trying to meld my body with his. That was when I realized I was still mad at him, and I did the only thing my encumbered
brain could think of. I shoved him away, falling backwards onto the couch in my haste. Rafael barely moved and a wicked half grin formed across his face. “Really Maribella?” Rafael’s voice dipped low, purring, “If that was getting too hot for you, all you had to do was tell me to stop.”
My stomach dipped, and I cursed inwardly when he stalked forward, putting both arms on either side of me. Rafael leaned in and was conveniently met with the pillow I put between our faces. Chuckling, Rafael moved to swipe the pillow away just as I angled a foot onto his hipbone readying a move to push him back. A swift knock resonated throughout the room and the door flew open, revealing a tall, imposing woman.
“Rafael Chaldek, get off the princess right now.”
We froze, staring at her before Rafael slowly sunk to his knees, plopping his face down into my lap with a sighing moan.
“Hey, Mom.” The sentence came out muffled, but I heard him loud and clear.
My entire body flushed hot with embarrassment, realizing I was facing the Queen of the Dragon Stronghold with her son’s head in my lap. I prayed for spontaneous combustion as Rafael rose his head from my lap, dust covering his face. I was still caked in drying mud.
“My Queen,” I blurted, hastily pushing Rafael out of my way before trying to stand. “Apologizes for my current state.”
The queen waved her hand dismissively in my general direction and addressed her son. “Out right now,” she commanded, pointing at the door. “The ceremony is in two days and the princess needs to get cleaned up and fitted still.”
My entire body froze at her words. “Wait...two days? As in...the day after tomorrow?” I shrieked, looking from Rafael to the queen.
Rafael threw me a sly grin as he slunk to the door and around the queen, making his getaway. I tried to go after him, but my hobbled state was too slow, and the queen swiftly grabbed my arm. She swung me toward one of the closed doors and let go, wiping dust off the sleeves of her dress.
“Bathing room. Now. Clean up, and I will have appropriate clothing for you to wear sent up. We have important details pertaining to the ceremony to discuss and a dress fitting.”
“I...I...I...” I stammered as she steered me into the bathing room and shut the door.
Two days. Two days was far too soon for me to be married. Sure, I would be marrying someone I thought I already knew and was in love with, but Rafael and I really needed to have a good long talk about what was going on. I was still concerned over how much of our past was him scheming or just an accident. Grumbling under my breath, anger sitting heavily in my chest, I hobbled over to the tub and turned on the water. Stripping down, I lowered myself into the rapidly filling tub. The tension in my back and shoulders slowly began to dissipate as I fully immersed myself into the steaming water. Closing my eyes, I took deep breaths in, then out. I would go about these revelations one-step at a time. I still had two days to get all my answers. Aching muscles relaxing more and more, I soon found myself slipping into a half-conscious state, fully relaxed for the first time in the past week.
I wiped the earth off my hands onto my shirt and looked up, eyes closed to the warmth of the sun. Taking in a deep breath, smells of the forest and sun-drenched dirt tickled my nose, bringing a smile to my face. Finally. It finally happened. I had my own land and cabin, along with guest quarters for travelers. Reaching back out, I buried my hands into the freshly dug up dirt. I was setting up my very own garden, and it felt good knowing that one day soon I would be able to support not just myself, but also any guests I would have in the future.
A high-pitched yell had me inwardly groaning, and I popped opened my eyes to the sounds of the two obnoxious teenagers occupying the meadow in front of me. No, not teenagers. Men. They had exclaimed as much when they set up their tents the day before in the meadow a stone’s throw away from my cabin. I’d offered them the guest quarters, as was my job, but as they explained after the offer, they were on a pilgrimage and could not bed at any lodging. They then went on about how I, as a woman alone, the woods could be dangerous for me. They spoke some more about their pilgrimage, but I tuned them out from the first chauvinistic thing that bubbled up out of their mouths. I knew the culture of the lowland wood elves and it was very, very male centric. So instead, I explained my presence as a Rover, what I could provide to them, and a few ground rules I had while staying in my territory.
Frowning, I pushed myself up and wiped the dirt from my hands. The two elves were standing in someone’s way, a traveler, and last time I checked, that was breaking one of my rules. The elven teenagers were oblivious to me striding up behind them, and I hit one with a swift sweep to the back of his legs, toppling him into the other elf. They flailed, and it laid them both out onto the ground in front of me and the traveler in a matter of seconds. The traveler let out a hearty laugh and my heart skipped a beat as they removed the hood of their jacket, showing off an extremely masculine face. My mouth went dry and quickly I diverted my attention back to the elves still laying on the ground.
“What were the rules?”
One of them grumbled, and I nudged him not so gently with my foot. “Don’t mess with the travelers.”
The other elf glared at me as he got up, dusting dirt off his back. “How are we supposed to know the Dragon is friendly and a traveler?” the elf sneered.
I clenched my jaw. That was right, Elves and Dragons almost never got along in these parts of the realm. Moreover, a Dragon was the last creature I wanted to meet out here, considering my past. Shaking my head, I took in a deep breath, hoping there was no way he would recognize me as anything other than a Rover.
I smiled. “Are you in need of a hot meal and a place to rest your head for the night?”
The Dragon man smiled back at me, and I felt my stomach flutter at the sight.
“If you would be so kind, I would very much appreciate it.”
I turned back to the elves, who were now standing. “See, all you had to do was ask. Also, I am adding the rule of no reading energies while in my territory. It’s rude.”
They grumbled but stepped aside as I ushered the Dragon toward my cabin.
A soft knock on the door shook me into full consciousness, and I rubbed my eyes, mumbling to whoever knocked that they could come in. Water splashed against the side of the tub as I turned to see Selene swiftly opening and closing the door.
She padded over to the tub and sat, dipping her fingers into now lukewarm water. “You have been in here for a while. The prince is worried.”
Sinking down lower into the milky bath water that smelt heavily of the rose scented bath salts I had dumped in, I grumbled. “I could care less what his royal highness is worried about at the moment.”
Selene scrunched her face and picked up the empty bath salt bottle from the floor. She tapped her finger against it in thought. “So, what you are saying is that you don’t care about yourself?”
I let out a hiccuped laugh and hauled myself out of the water. Selene handed me a dressing gown which I shrugged on and let her help me back into the main room.
Chapter Twelve
I sat on the bed, looking out the window to a training courtyard which ended abruptly at a cliff face. Someone had pushed back the curtains to the window while I was in the bath. Probably the same person who had hung up the variety of dresses in the standing wardrobe Selene was currently rooting around in. She was softly humming to herself, swaying to nonexistent music, and it brought a soft smile to my face. She pulled out a modest but warm looking gown, much like the one she was wearing, but in a dark blue. Holding it up, she looked at me expectantly.
“That one looks nice,” I managed to whisper before looking back to the window. I startled as the dress flew at me, landing on my head. I clawed it off and glared at Selene. “Really?”
She shrugged and walked over to the bed, kneeling next to me. “What’s going on inside your head, Maribella?”
I looked down at my shaking hands clutching the dress in my lap. “I’m getting married in two da
ys, Selene. I just...it’s just...Rafael. I just don’t know anymore.”
Selene sighed and got up, heading over to the window. She and I watched in silence as the guards moved around the courtyard, and we both took in a sharp breath as a Dragon landed. The Dragon changed quickly into its human form, walking off and out of our view.
Selene turned back to me with a smirk on her face. “Do you want to hear what happened after you fainted and we were all rushed up to the Stronghold?”
I let out a snort and wiped at my eyes. “Of course, I do.”
Selene raised her eyebrow and nodded at my dress. I sighed but got up anyway. She quickly turned, snapping the drapes closed as I stepped into the dress. The material was heavy, but it was warm and surprisingly smooth against my skin. I had half expected the material to be scratchy before remembering where I was. Pulling, the laces tight up front, I did a little shake to make sure everything was in place. Knowing the string of luck I was having, my boobs would fall out in front of the entire royal family. Not that Rafael would mind that. My cheeks warmed as I shook away that thought and stepped forward, giggling.
“What?” Selene looked at me puzzled.
I smiled then stuck my leg out. “This dress has slits.” Lunging dramatically to the side I showcased my right knee and full left leg up to my thigh.
“Ooh la la.” Selene giggled in response to my theatrics.
Sitting back on the bed, I patted the spot next to me, “Gossip now...Pleaseeeee?”
Selene tilted her head, tapping her index finger to her chin, and proceeded to sigh in a mocking manner before throwing her hands in the air. “I guess if Your Highness insists.”
I rolled my eyes, and Selene plopped down on the bed next to me.
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