“I very well may be a disgrace. But I’m still not sleeping with a despicable man who preys on women he thinks are weaker than him,” I glare up at him, reaching for my ring.
“Women are weaker than me,” He snarls in my face.
Quick as lightning he throws me up against a wall and my head cracks against it. Blinding pain echoes through my body. My magic flares out, trying to get free, but the way he’s pinning my arms, I can’t reach my ring. I feel my magic flowing into the hallway and all around me, but it’s useless to me.
“You don’t want to do this, Soldier.” I try to speak authoritatively through the pain.
“And why not, girly?”
“The last person to threaten me ended up with an arrow through his heart.”
“Well, lucky for me, you don’t have a bow with you. Or any sort of weapon. But, let me show you exactly what you have coming for you in the dungeons.”
I’ve been trained for an attack. I know what I should do next, how to get out of this situation. But as he pulls his arm back and slams it into my stomach all of my careful planning disappears. I cry out as the hit knocks my breath away.
“Are you sure you don’t want to do this the easy way?” He laughs down at me.
“She doesn’t do things the easy way,” A voice says from behind him. “And luckily, neither do I.”
The man is yanked away from me and thrown across the hall, slamming into the opposite wall.
“Princess, we’ve got to stop meeting like this,” the General passes a grim smile my way before advancing on the guard.
“Now what am I going to do with you, Captain? A formal reprimand just won’t do. I think it needs to be a lot more personal.” The man on the floor crawls backward, terrified of the viciousness in the General's voice.
This is more than the man at the pub, I have never seen the General this angry. He stalks towards the man like a predator towards his prey.
“I’m sorry, sir. General, Sir…” He stutters. “I didn’t know she was under your protection.”
“Well, you know now!” The General roars as he stands over the cowering man.
As much as I might want to see this horrible excuse for a man punished. I can’t handle any more violence, General. Please, not tonight.
He stiffens, refusing to look at me. His shoulders shake with anger and for a moment, he focuses his gaze back on the Captain. “I am feeling particularly cheerful tonight, so I won’t kill you. But, if you ever touch her again, I will slowly rip you into pieces until you beg for death. Then I'll encourage the princess to burn you alive. Do, you understand?”
The Captain gives a terrified nod.
“Dismissed,” the General barks the order and the man jumps off the floor and runs away.
“Are you alright, Princess?” He stalks up to me, takes off his jacket, and wraps it around my shoulders. Then he holds out a hand, refusing to meet my gaze.
I brush my hair out of my face and take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “I’m fine. I just need somewhere to freshen up. Do you know if there is a spare room available?”
He nods his understanding and I take his arm as he leads me down the hallway. I have no idea why I’m trusting him since he’s been after me this whole time, but he did just save me. Maybe there’s something good underneath the dark magic and devious smirks.
He leads me through hallways and down a flight of stairs to an area of the building I’ve never been to before. I watch as the rooms go from grand double doors to simple wooden doors. The walls are a utility beige and every hallway looks similar. The only difference between the rooms is the small number marking the doors.
I’ve never been down here before. I think to him as I look around curiously.
The General snorts a laugh as we stop at a door marked 104.
I’m not surprised at all. He opens the door and steps to the side to allow me to pass first.
Hmm… You’re showing me manners, General. Does that mean you're starting to like me after all? I wink at him as I walk past.
He throws his head back and a deep laughter shakes his chest. “Well, I guess you're feeling better.”
I feel like hell, but I won't let him know it. So, I dig down deep and find a confident, cocky version of myself, slipping into that persona.
I smile as I glance around the room, curious to see where he’s brought me. There are blankets neatly folded on the bed, a pair of military boots sitting against the wall, and I glimpse a Centralia uniform through an open wardrobe door.
“Did you bring me to your room, General?” I ask the question with a raised eyebrow.
“No, I broke into a random Guard's room, hoping we could try our luck and find one who's not a bastard.” He sarcastically rolls his eyes at me. “Take the jacket off and lay down while I find something for your head.”
I eye his bed suspiciously. This won’t end well.
He finds whatever it was he’d been looking for and walks over to me. Looking pointedly at the jacket he says, “Remove it.”
My back bristles at the order and I tilt my chin up to glare at him. “Make me,” I regret the words as soon as they’re out of my mouth.
He grins wickedly and with one flick of his wrist, has the jacket off my shoulders and falling to the ground. His eyes widen as he trails them down my dress and back up. He lets out a low whistle, “Princess, you didn't need to say a word on that stage. All you had to do was wear that dress and everyone would’ve begged you to be their High Queen.”
I blush at the rare compliment coming from him and try to dismiss it with a wave of my hand. “It’s what I get for asking Charis to bring me a dress,” I blurt out before I remember no one’s supposed to know she helped me.
He walks in a circle around me stopping to admire the ridiculously low back. He blows out a long breath and walks back in front of me, “Well, remind me to thank Charis. She should always pick out your wardrobe.” He nods at the bed, “Now lay down and let me look at you.”
“Excuse me?” My question comes out in a breathless squeak.
“Let me look at your head. You hit the wall hard,” He raises an eyebrow at me and smirks.
“Can’t you look at it while I’m standing up?” I ask, raising my chin stubbornly.
“It’s not like it’s the first time you’ve been in my bed, Princess.” He says suggestively.
“That was a pile of blankets in your tent, not a bed. And let’s not talk about that ever again. I’m still not even sure what THAT was,” I say, still refusing to sit down.
“I thought it was rather obvious. You saw me in bed and couldn’t resist the temptation to join me,” He grins wickedly. “What else could it have been?” He takes a step closer to me and I instinctively take a step backward.
“What about I saw you looking pathetically cold, and I took pity on you because I’m a nice person? Besides, you pulled me into your bed.”
He stalks closer, watching my every move with that devilish grin. “Nice people don’t break other people’s noses.”
I smirk at that. “You had that coming. But unless you want me to break it again, stop whatever you’re trying to do. I don’t want any part of it,” I take another step backward and the back of my knees hit the bed.
A small thrill runs unbidden through me and I try my hardest to squash it. My magic takes the opportunity to flair out around us twirling and spinning.
“Don’t you, Princess?” He leans in close until there is nothing separating us, “Your magic says differently.”
I try leaning back away from him, hoping some distance will cool my magic down when I fall right into his bed.
A triumphant smile flashes across his face, “See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?”
“All of that, so I would lay down?” I look up at him frustrated.
“Well, I did ask you to lay down first. Plus, I took it as an opportunity to prove that I could charm you if I wanted to.” He smiles as he sits down on the bed, leaning over me, he caref
ully places his hand on my head.
I wince as his hands prob a tender spot. “I don’t know how much you know about women, General. But I wasn’t charmed.”
His hands pause as he looks at me, his eyes a stormy gray. “Is that a challenge, Princess?” He whispers.
Staring up at him, I want nothing more than to say yes. To lose myself in this moment hidden away from all the prying eyes, from all my responsibilities. But I'm terrified that if I say yes, I’ll lose a lot more than a few stolen moments. This man could easily steal my heart, and I know if he did, he’d break it into a million pieces.
“No,” I whisper back at him.
He blinks at me for a moment before shaking his head.
“Good,” He says and goes back to inspecting my head. “The last thing I need is you breathless with a possible head injury,” He shares a small smile with me.
I chuckle and watch his face while he works. His eyebrows draw together as he gently brushes my hair aside. There's a nagging feeling that I’m forgetting something important, but every time I try to remember, it vanishes.
My attention is brought back to the General as he curses softly.
“You should have let me kill him,” He mumbles absently while he spreads some sort of a medicine on the tender spot. His hand massages my head in slow smooth circles as he rubs it on.
“No more killing. Not over me,” I mumble sleepily.
“Are you tired, Princess?”
“I haven’t slept well the past few days,” I mumble through a yawn.
“Before you fall asleep on me, I need to check your stomach.” His hands stop their soothing massage and I frown up at him.
“Do we have to?” I ask stubbornly.
“Well, you’ve been holding onto it since he hit you and I need to make sure nothing is broken.” He eyes my stomach, then looks at me warily. “Don’t punch me, but I need you to take your dress off.”
I throw my head back in laughter and instantly regret it. Pain sears throughout my body and I clutch my stomach, groaning softly.
“That wasn’t a joke,” He glares down at me.
I look up into his eyes and see the seriousness in them. “No, I will not take my dress off. Just because I’m in your bed, does not mean you get to see me without my clothes on.”
He sighs in obvious annoyance and stands up to walk over to his wardrobe. Opening a draw, he pulls out a pair of black pants and a dark gray shirt. Coming back to my side he holds out the clothes.
“I have no interest in seeing you without your clothes on, Princess. Well, not when you're hurt anyways,” He says with a shrug as he tosses the clothes on the bed and reaches a hand out to me.
Begrudgingly, I take his outstretched hand and he carefully pulls me up. He walks over to the fireplace and purposely turns his back to me.
I hesitate, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I’ve already warned you, Princess. I’m not a patient person. Get changed or I’ll come help you,” His threat lacks malice and sounds more like a wicked promise.
I quickly tug the purple dress of seduction off and slip his shirt on, wincing as I pull it over my head. Next, I pull the pants on and laugh at how big they are. They hang off my waist and are about a foot too long. I hear the General suck in a breath and glance up to find him staring at me.
“I know I look ridiculous,” I mutter.
“You’ve looked many things, Princess. Ridiculous was never one of them.” He strides over to me and gestures to the bed. “Will you please sit down?” He clenches his teeth as he speaks.
I can tell he's trying to be kind, so I'll try to be too.
“Of course. See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
He groans loudly at my choice in words. “Does everything have to be so difficult with you?” He asks as he helps me lay down on the bed.
“Well, my father always said he pitied any man who tried to date me. Apparently, I don’t have the sweetest temperament.” I smile innocently up at him and bat my eyes.
He chuckles darkly. “That’s an understatement.” Looking me in the eye, his expression turns serious. “I need to pull your shirt up to inspect your ribs, okay?” He talks slowly like he is afraid of spooking me. Or afraid of another broken nose.
I nod my acknowledgment, as he pulls my shirt up and places his hands carefully on my stomach. He presses down gently and I gasp as the pain shoots through my stomach causing spots in my vision. He glances up at my face then presses on another spot and I clench my teeth to muffle my scream.
“Sorry, almost finished,” He mumbles.
After a few more minutes of agony, he frowns up at me.
“That bastard broke your rib,” He growls.
“Well, that explains the stabbing pain,” I close my eyes, fighting back the tears.
“Sit up, you need to be wrapped.” He digs in what I assume is a small medical bag and pulls out a small wrap.
“Do we have to?” I whine, desperately wanting to go to sleep and forget about the pain.
“Yes, then you can rest,” He says kindly.
“Fine,” I grunt in pain as I push myself into a sitting position and pull my shirt up, exposing my stomach.
His hands are warm and sure as he places them on me. A shiver runs through me as he brushes his thumb against my naval and a warmth explodes in my stomach.
"Are you cold?" He frowns up at me and glances at the fire.
"A little bit," I pray he can't see through my breathless lie.
As he wraps the bandage and secures it, then he gently pats my stomach. “There, that feels much better, doesn’t it?”
He chuckles at my scowl.
Two can play this game. I raise an eyebrow at him and crawl under his blanket, snuggling into his bed.
“What are you doing?” He growls, suddenly suspicious of me.
“You promised I could rest now,” I mumble as I lay my head on his pillow.
“Yes, you can rest in your own room. Upstairs. With all the other princes and princesses. Not here in the guard’s quarters.” He flings his arms out and gestures at his room.
“Since when did you become such a prude? I thought you were all about seducing and charming me.” I take in a deep breath and his earthy scent surrounds me, comforting me. “Besides, I don’t have a room. Or a home. I don’t have anywhere else to go and you owe me.”
“I owe you? For what? I just saved you, remember?”
“Of course, I remember. I also saved you by not letting you freeze to death. Are you really going to kick me out?” I look up at him and pout my lip.
The sound of his angry muttering, has me chuckling. “If I’m hanged because I'm sleeping with the High Princess, I'm taking you down with me.”
I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Sleep claims me instantly.
I open my eyes to see dust particles dancing in the sunlight.
So, this is what it feels like to sleep the whole night without nightmares. It's a glorious feeling.
I stretch my leg out and freeze when I touch something warm. Panic shoots through me while I struggle to remember exactly what happened last night. I carefully tilt my head up and assess the situation. My head is on the General's bare chest and my arm is wrapped around his stomach.
I’m practically laying on top of him! I bite back a groan. I have to get out of here, he’ll never shut up if he sees me like this.
I slowly try to pull away, stopping only when I see his face. Just like the last time I saw him sleeping, I feel an urge to study him. His hair has fallen across his cheek making him look almost boyish in his sleep. Nothing like the stubborn man who's been harassing me.
I hate to admit it, but he really is handsome when he’s not scowling at me.
His arm curls around me and pulls me tight against him until I really am laying on top of him. Please don't let him wake up and find me like this.
His breathing hitches and I freeze. Desire rushes through me at the feeling of being pressed up against him an
d I try to shove it away. My head is telling me to run, but I'm not sure how to get out of this one.
I try once again to untangle myself with him, but his grip is surprisingly strong. This time when he threads his other arm around my waist, I lose my balance and fall onto him, barely catching myself before my face collides with his.
“Adeline?” He murmurs, slowly opening his eyes. He smiles such a brilliant smile, it takes my breath away. “You just couldn’t stay away, could you?”
“This isn’t what it looks like,” I can feel the blush spreading across my cheeks. Because it looks bad. Really bad. It looks like I’m suggestively sprawled on top of you while you're asleep with no shirt on.
He reaches a hand up and brushes a strand of hair out of my face. Resting his hand on my chin, he gazes into my eyes. We lay like that for a moment of pure bliss until his eyes suggestively drop to my mouth and I lean in, desperate for just one kiss. Slowly, his expression morphs into something that looks like a mixture of horror and disbelief.
He pushes me off him and onto my side of the bed where I land with an ungraceful flop. Pain has bright lights flashing at the corners of my vision and I let out an involuntary groan.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you,” He says as he jumps out of the bed.
I look up to see him tugging on his shirt and working on the buttons.
“You need to get up. We can find you some clothes and get you back to your own room. I’m sure the Centralia Suite was prepared for you after your surprise entrance last night.”
I shudder as I think about the suite I always shared with my parents. Memories swarm me, and the thought of going back there feels like a punch to my stomach. Standing up, I walk towards him. He helped me last night, maybe he’ll understand.
“I don’t want to stay there,” I say quietly.
“Well, you're not staying here.” He turns to me and his face has the same sneer he had after the wall of fire.
I’m stunned. Although I know I should have seen this coming, I don’t know what to do or say.
“General, did I do something wrong?” I ask as I gently lay a hand on his arm. He yanks it away like I’ve burned him.
Princess of Fire and Smoke (Forbidden Court Book 1) Page 18
