“Good morning,” Lexi murmurs, his lips dragging up toward my ear. “Or, good evening, rather. Did you sleep well?”
“Mm-hm. You?”
“Best sleep of my life.”
“You’ve said the same thing every day this week.”
“Well, it’s true. I’m fairly certain you drugged me, you vixen.”
I can’t help my smile, even as Prince Salem hops off the bed to trot to the bathroom, as he does every time we get going. “Oh, yes. I’m a devious one. Mm.” Lexi’s lips are the best thing to wake up to, and he knows it. He sews lazy, sensual kisses down my neck and onto my shoulder, giving me chills that transfer onto Des, who turns onto his side to bury himself in a hug he creates by draping my arm over his hip and looping my leg overtop of his. It’s intimate, and even though there are parts of us that we keep secret from each other, our time spent coaxing each other out of bed bleeds into our waking hours. Lexi can’t hold me in public, so Des makes up for that gap, which knits me closer to my vampire husband.
There’s a term I never thought I’d be happy to say.
My vampire husband bought me a nightgown that fits, thank the clouds. Though the bosom is still low-cut and the thing is made of silk, I don’t feel as if I’m going to spill out of it if I sneeze.
Lexi slips the capped sleeve down my arm, replacing it with his lips. If I’m supposed to be demure and unaffected, I don’t have that capacity. My body arches, curving against Des, who moans as his hand finds my hip. He loves that spot on me, and holds me there often, as if he’s trying to keep my hips from bucking into his and making a real mess of things. Everything is tenuous, and exists best when we don’t look at the details too closely. Lexi kisses me in the darkened corners of the castle, stealing my breath and my composure dozens of times every day.
Des doesn’t kiss my lips, but his touch feels just as intimate. And apparently he has no qualms about kissing me just about everywhere else. My body feels more confident when Des is near, which he always is. Though his shoulder is nearly healed, we hover around each other, making sure the other is cared for in every way possible. Maybe that’s dysfunctional, but I can’t bring myself to care at this point. The stakes are too high for concepts like tough love.
Lexi’s voice is light with a tease to it as he taps my shoulder. “Have you kissed this spot here, Des? I think it’s my favorite.”
Des grins, showing off fangs he used to hide from me. He’s more himself now, which I like very much. “Really? I prefer this spot. Let’s see if she likes it.”
When Des’ lips toy with my neck, the spike of fear from having a vampire so close to an unguarded area only amps up my libido. Vampires don’t drink directly from a fairy; the blood has to go through a filtration system. Still, the danger of sharp fangs skating across unguarded parts of me acts like an aphrodisiac. He plays with my body, guiding my hips this way and that just to test how pliable I am. I bite down on my lower lip, worried about the guttural noises that might spill out if I’m not careful.
It’s when Lexi’s lips touch down on my shoulder at the same time Des is teasing my neck that my eyes roll back and all sorts of sounds slip between my teeth. I’m writhing in the ultra-soft lavender sheets, wondering how I ever lived without such overwhelming bliss. Though it’s turmoil in the rest of the castle, it’s poetry in this bed.
I never want to leave.
When Lexi’s hand grips my thigh and slowly slides the hem of my nightgown upward, I’m fairly certain I would say yes to anything.
The door bangs open, ripping a yelp from my lips. “What the…”
King Ronin strolls in, his chest broad and his shoulders back, as if he’s been invited in. “Well, well. What have we here? The fae prince seducing the vampire prince’s wife? I cannot believe my eyes.”
Though, judging by the composed way about him, it’s clear he already knew about our arrangement we still haven’t found the words to discuss, even in private.
Des sits up and throws the blanket over me and Lexi, standing from the bed to face his great-grandfather. His voice is far calmer than I feel. “Yes, I can’t imagine how I’ve allowed myself to be cuckolded. I’ve been so blind,” he drones, rolling his eyes to diffuse whatever scandal King Ronin believes he’s unearthing. “Not quite the story you were hoping for, I take it.”
“Quite the opposite. It’s the story that finally makes sense. Though, what you’re doing in bed with Prince Alexavier’s girlfriend is beyond me. This tale of your marriage holds no logic to me.”
I’m livid that this man assumes he can barge into our room, as if it’s acceptable to make yourself at home in a married couple’s bedroom. “Get out!” I shout, startling him and Des as I sit up, pressing the comforter to my chest. “Are you insane? What if I’d been changing? What sort of sick old man barges into a married woman’s room with such smugness? Go away!” Maybe Lexi’s seen my bare shoulder, and the guys have seen me in that skimpy nightgown during the first sleepover, but this crosses the line.
King Ronin grimaces, actually at a loss for words, which I’ve got to say, feels pretty good. His expensive charcoal suit with matching vest and light blue shirt are unruffled, but at my accusation, he backs away uncertainly, his hands raised. “Apologies. I only came in because I knew you couldn’t possibly be having relations with Destino.”
Prince Salem is a blur when he runs out of the bathroom, getting in King Ronin’s face without laying a hand on him. “Downstairs,” he growls. “You’ll wait for her to be dressed properly before ye speak to her.” When his fingers hover over the dagger on his hip sheath, I know I have to intervene. Salem’s got that crazy look in his eyes that he always got when one of the regulars grew handsy at the pub.
I tuck the sheet around me and make my way to Prince Salem’s side, placing my hand on his forearm. “It’s alright.” When his murderous gaze is still focused in on King Ronin, I reach up and touch his chin, turning it so he has to stare at me instead. Dang, he’s huge. I see so many things in his eyes that make perfect sense, and yet still confuse me. He wants to defend my honor and privacy, yet he doesn’t like me near him.
But for the past week, he’s been resting his head on my toes while we sleep. I thought it was an accident at first, but it’s happened too many nights for that to be true. Still, when I get near him while we’re awake, he usually backs away from me, like I’m contagious with the awful disease of being fae.
He lets me touch his chin now, though, which I don’t understand. I’m grateful for it, even though his fangs are bared and hackles are raised.
My thumb traces along the crest of his unshaven silver-lined jaw, giving in to my long-time desire to touch him however I please. Worry spikes in his slate eyes, so I tilt my head to the side with a gentle, “Hey, we’re all okay.”
There’s something palpable I’m certain everyone can feel. Attraction is radiating out from me, starting with the color in my cheeks and echoing down my body.
This is why I should never touch Prince Salem.
So powerful is the heat from our stare that King Ronin takes a step back, the ends of his loose bowtie fluttering along his chest. “I don’t understand. I thought I knew what was going on, but now I admit, I’m flummoxed. Are you Alexavier’s girlfriend, Salem’s mutt, or Destino’s whore?”
There’s no bite to his question, but that doesn’t matter to Prince Salem. His fist is massive, and doesn’t pause to think through the consequences when he winds up and wallops the King of Drexdenberg across the face.
There’s a breath of silent horror that stretches out across far too many seconds, stealing our sanity as carefully-handled political treaties rock in waves of uncertainty.
I can see fury boiling in the king. His face is red and his shoulders are moving too much with every inhale, puffing him up toward the edge of utter wrath. He’s not out of sorts anymore; control descends over him, tightening every muscle with a cool rage. He opens his mouth, so I dart between him and Prince Salem, putting a hand to bot
h their chests. My sheet pools at my feet, but my nightgown is hardly a scandal in light of Prince Salem’s fist. “Stop!”
I can’t tell if Prince Salem’s chest is heaving because he’s worried about what King Ronin might do, or if he’s vibrating with the urge to clock him again.
Once Prince Salem takes a step back from my touch, as he always does, my eyes lock in on King Ronin’s. “Give me a minute to get dressed, and I’ll go with you to answer all your questions about why I’m really here. No secrets this time. Just let Prince Salem go. There’s a lot you don’t know, so don’t do something now that could make it all worse.”
I’m scared, and I’m not sure I’m capable of hiding it.
King Ronin straightens, his hand on his no doubt throbbing cheek. “Very well. We don’t have to involve my guard. Benny would not stand down if he learned of this. Prince Salem, it’s time for you to leave Drexdenberg. If I see your face in my territory for the next week, I won’t hesitate to let Benny take your head and ask your brother for permission afterwards. If you don’t find my offer gracious, then you’re a fool. In one week’s time, I anticipate an apology that makes my treasury sparkle.”
Prince Salem mumbles a growl, but thankfully, that seems to be the worst of it.
King Ronin Karamathian’s eyes find mine again. “I look forward to our talk.” Then he strides out, banging the door behind him.
20
Punch and Punish
Salem
I can’t leave her. I just can’t do it. Though I know I don’t have a choice, since King Ronin pulls rank on me, my body can’t force itself out of Des’ bedroom. So I just stand here like a dolt, staring at the wall while Lily gets dressed in yet another outfit tha toys with every part of me.
Benny is waiting in the hallway, not knowing why he’s to escort me to the border. We have a decent understanding—King Ronin’s guard and I—tha I fear might crumble if he learns I punched his charge. We’re both military men. We both don’t need to talk unnecessarily. We’re both loyal to our respective territories.
Alex and Des are going back and forth about the best plan of action, but we all know I have to leave. Aside from it being the king’s orders, I actually do have a country to help run. I’ve been neglecting my duties because… because… because Lily’s toes get cold at night.
My forearm still tingles from her touch. I don’t feel the impact of my fist on King Ronin’s smug face, but her touch lingers, and I know from experience it’ll last a good hour more.
She touched my face. Granted, she was trying to talk me out of a fight, but still. She didn’t have to do tha. She could’ve just opened her mouth, and she’d have my full attention. I know she doesn’t like touching me, except for tha one time her mammy made her, and then again last week when I was a wolf and she had a bleeding heart for puppies. It hasn’t happened since, even though I’ve been a wolf every damned day for a week, in the rare chance she gets the urge to pet me again.
The guys are always pawing at her. I get it. She’s got a connection with Alex from her childhood, and he’s the only fae she’s seen in years. And it’s good tha she and Des like each other enough to make their marriage look real to outsiders.
There’s no reason for her to want me near, but I can’t shake my pathetic need for her. And now because I didn’t think anything through, I have to leave.
I have to leave her in a house with Harris and Melinda. Harris makes a face every time Lily talks, and Melinda mutters a nasty comment about something Lily’s wearing every single day. Of course, my Lily only smiles blandly at them, as if she derives pleasure from their insults. She’s classy, and I love seeing her stand tall while they do their best to cut her down.
“I don’t know how to get around it, man. One week isn’t terrible, though.” Alex claps me on the shoulder.
Aye, it is terrible. I’m a junkie for her. Now tha I’ve been filling my senses with her every day for a week and a half, to last this long without her is going to be a struggle.
But this is a good thing. My territory needs me. I should get my head out of the clouds. I have to let her go. She’ll be safe with Des and Alex, who are both clearly infatuated with her. Though Des hasn’t kissed her lips, I know it’ll happen soon enough. He told me it’s because he’s worried she’ll be afraid of his fangs. I know it’s coming, though. And as glad as I am for Des and Alex, I don’t want to watch anymore. I’m in their way. Lily was never mine to begin with, so letting go shouldn’t be this hard.
She practically floats out of the bathroom in a long-sleeved, knee-length dress tha’s silky and pink. It curves at her hips and cups her breasts, making everything about her look feminine and intoxicating. I can stare so much better when I’m a wolf. No one notices me gaping. Since I’m on two legs currently, I tear my eyes from the delicious sight of her, as if she has no hold over me. As if she can’t make me do her bidding with a simple smile.
Her voice is higher-pitched and tight with worry. “There’s really no way around this? I’m going to talk with the king right now. Maybe I can make him see reason.”
Des shakes his head as he picks up the dirty laundry we’ve left scattered on the floor. “No point, blue eyes. Going against King Ronin will only make things worse. It’s only a week.”
Her words always sound like she wants me around, but I know tha’s not the case. She doesn’t like the look of me, and I can’t say I blame her. I’ve never cared about what I looked like, but every time I trekked into her pub, I made sure to bathe in a river in Neutral Territory beforehand. Still, I’m not Alex, who’s all put together and shiny. I’m not Des, who cracks a stupid joke, and lasses for miles throw themselves at him. I’m me, and tha’s no one who should be around something as delicate as silk. My hands were built to punch kings in the face, apparently.
“It’ll be longer than a week,” I warn them. “Ye lads are good here?”
Des gets in my eyeline. “We can handle things here, but the announcement’s still coming. We’ve been playing it safe so Lily can get her bearings. But when we go public, it’s all going to get a bit rough.”
“Keep her in the castle, and she’ll be alright. I’ve got things to do in Jacoba. I’ll have a talk with Benny to make sure security’s what it needs to be. When’s the public wedding? I’ll come back then.”
Des’ eyes cut to Lily and then tether back to me. “A month?”
Lily finally speaks up. “I don’t want a wedding, Des. We’re already married. Making a show of it is just going to piss them off. They’re already going to hate this. I’m not sure what good rubbing their faces in it with a ceremony is going to do.”
Des pinches the bridge of his nose. “But if we don’t have a proper wedding, it’s going to look like I’m ashamed of my bride, which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do. You should have a traditional vampire wedding.”
She’s been silent during all the wedding planning talks, but finally she has an opinion she feels strongly enough to voice. Good. She’ll be okay. If she can talk, she’ll be fine. She can make anyone see reason.
Alex folds his arms and leans against the wall. “What do you suggest, Lily-girl?”
She shrugs. “Let’s just rip off the bandage already. Let’s make an announcement that we eloped, show them I’m clearly fae, and let it all break loose. All this strategy and planning is Harris and Melinda’s way of stalling. Let’s tell Drexdenberg tonight.”
Panic wells up in me. She’s going to do all of this when I’m not here. When I can’t get to her to offer protection. She thinks Melinda, Harris and King Ronin are the worst it gets. She’s from Neutral Territory, where bloodline battles aren’t all tha important. In the real world, things can get a lot more violent a whole lot quicker for far less reason. “No!” I blurt out. “Not tonight. Give it more time. Des is right.”
She huffs, her hands on her hips. “Oh, fine. But we should tell people the truth. We eloped, here we are, and you can feel free to be as angry as you like and throw tomatoes
at the bride, but what’s done is done. Sound good?”
It doesn’t sound good, but it also doesn’t sound worse, so I keep my mouth shut.
I know I have to leave, but my feet are glued to the spot. Des hugs me, then Alex, both pressing a kiss to my cheeks, as if tha’s going to bring feeling back into my body.
“Keep her indoors,” I warn. “Away from windows. When ye make the announcement, have a good exit plan. I’ve been working to tighten up security around your palace, but I haven’t done all I can in the west side of the estate. Make sure someone’s on tha.”
Des nods, standing in front of me with a solemn look about him. “Absolutely.”
“And this thing the three of ye have going? It’s going to come out sooner or later, and Lily’s going to pay for it, not the two of ye. King Ronin called her a whore to her face. Can ye imagine the seeds they’ll sew behind her back? So either end it, or come clean when ye make the announcement tha it’s the three of ye, not the two.”
Lily’s face is crimson, and the guys suddenly find spots on the floor that are too fascinating for words.
She clears her throat and lifts her chin, as if nothing has ever affected her a day in her life. It’s impressive, tha’s for sure. “I have to straighten things out with King Ronin. Prince Salem, will you be safe traveling back through Drexdenberg? I don’t want you attacked when we’re not there to help.”
She’s so selfless, I can’t stand it. “I’m fine. I know lots of ways through here. I only took the carriage because ye were in it.”
Tha was too much information. My eyes widen and my mouth clamps shut, though it doesn’t look like she caught on to my infatuation.
“Okay, then. Travel safe.” She makes a point of looking me in the eye, and I can tell she’s trying not to be afraid of me—the guy who punched a king in the face in front of a fair lass. Her arm extends, offering a handshake I can tell she doesn’t want.
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