by K.N. Lee
“Wow,” she said in a breathy whisper.
The intense pleasure filled her completely.
There were times when she was sure she would explode, and as if he could read her body, he would slow down and prolong the pleasure that verged on the brink of being torture.
He withdrew from inside of her and knelt onto the floor between her legs. He worshiped her dripping wet core, licking the slick slit with a tenderness and lust that had her squirming beneath his tongue.
She pulled herself up to her elbows and looked down at him, her brows furrowed. She was dying for release.
She fell back onto the bed and whimpered. He returned to sucking her clit, his fingers dipping inside of her.
He pulled her closer by her thighs and she lost it. Her body convulsed as she came on his tongue as it continued circling her gushing core. The sensitivity of it was maddening and she cried out.
She sucked in a breath as he pulled her to her feet and turned her around. Her legs were wet with her own juices, and he pushed them apart from behind.
Conall bent her over, and to her surprise, he rubbed her clit, waking her up again, and slid into her from behind. Her lips parted as he rocked inside of her at a slow and tender pace.
He held her by her waist and kept the pace that was maddening. It was better than any moment she’d shared with Byron.
“Allyn,” he said, filling her with his hard, thick manhood.
“Yes?”
He pulled her hair back, making her arch her back. “You know you’re mine now, don’t you?”
Allyn couldn’t help the grin that came to her face. “I do,” she said as each thrust sent her further and further into oblivion.
She gasped as he withdrew, spun her around to face him, and picked her up, spearing her with his manhood. She held onto his neck as he held her up. “Oh god,” she whispered, risking a look into his ethereal blue eyes, and together they climaxed.
This cursed creature was more beautiful than anything she’d ever seen. No man could compare, and for a few moments, he was all hers. That’s all she wanted.
That thought exhilarated her as she realized something.
He was just as vulnerable as she was. With that thought, she leaned down and kissed him, sucking his lip and nibbling it between her teeth.
Conall wrapped his arms around her and held her close as he set her onto the bed and lied beside her.
“Promise me that this isn’t a dream,” he whispered to her. “I don’t think I’d be able to take waking up and not having you here.”
Those words reverberated through her soul. She traced her name on his chest, over his heart. “If it is a dream, at least we’re in it together.”
TWO DAYS PASSED as Conall and Allyn locked themselves in his loft and explored each other’s bodies and minds. In bed, they’d watched their favorite movies and ordered delivery from the kitchens.
The sun began to set on the third day and Prince Conall took Allyn by the hand.
She dreaded what she knew he was about to say. They’d just finished dinner and the wind howled outside.
“I should probably get you home before the storm gets worse.”
Disappointed, Allyn’s shoulders slumped. “Why?”
“I’ve already stayed longer than I should. I have to leave for the season.”
She nodded, chewing her bottom lip. “I guess.” She didn’t want to go back. Couldn’t she just wait out the season with him? She shook her head and harrumphed at her stupid ideas. No one wanted her freeloading.
But, a girl could hope.
“You don’t look too happy about that,” he said from across the table. He leaned onto his elbows, the tips of his black hair brushing his long, dark lashes.
She glanced at him to see an amused look on his face. His eyes were narrowed and there was a slight curve to his lips as he watched her.
She shrugged, blinking. “There isn’t much to be happy about. But, that’s life. Isn’t it.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” he said, softly. He brushed his thumb across his lips and Allyn wanted nothing more than to climb across the table and kiss his full, supple lips.
Swallowing, she forced herself to look away from his lips. The urge to kiss him was far too intense. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe when the season is over we can get together again.”
A ray of hope pierced through her heart, lighting the darkness. She perked up. “Yes,” she blurted. “Why must we wait, though?”
“I go away every winter season,” he said. “But, I’ll be back in the spring, and I will come for you.”
“Do you promise?”
He smiled and reached for her hand. Once hers were secure in his hand, he looked her in the eyes. “I always keep my promises.”
“I believe you,” she said, searching his eyes and only seeing truth.
“Something tells me we were supposed to meet. I can’t explain it, but I believe in fate. Don’t you?”
“I do,” Allyn said. She kept the hundreds of questions she had for him within. She didn’t want to ruin his promise. “Okay. We will meet again in the spring,” she said, a smile taking over her face. She hadn’t been so excited since she was told she could leave the convent on her eighteenth birthday.
“It’s settled. I will come for you when the winter ends,” he said, and Allyn realized that she finally had something good to look forward to.
CHAPTER 8
CONALL RODE WITH Allyn back to Aude and Khia’s building, and she couldn’t have been more grateful. She wanted to prolong their time together for as long as possible. She saw within him a soul just as lost as she was. When he held her hand, she was at peace.
She smiled at him from her spot in the back seat of his car as the driver drove down the empty streets of the city. She was sure that she was dreaming and prayed that it would never end. She just needed to get through the winter without a hitch, and they could build on the bond they’d forged over the past few days.
They’d started something beautiful and wonderful.
What could go wrong?
“Conall,” Allyn called.
“Yes?”
“Do you remember kissing me in your tree house?”
He smiled at her and nodded. “Who could forget their first kiss?”
Allyn sat up, surprised. “Really? I was your first kiss?”
Chuckling, he shrugged. “We were ten. Had you kissed anyone before me?”
“No. I didn’t kiss anyone else until I met Byron. How sad is that? I was twenty-two,” she said with a laugh.
“It's not sad. It just goes to show how different you are from other women.”
“I am different,” Allyn whispered. “But it hasn’t won me any medals so far.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Conall said, reaching for her hand. “You have me now.”
Allyn held onto his hand, afraid that if she let go, he’d vanish.
Once the car parked before the Aude and Khia’ building, Conall stepped out of the car and into the snow storm.
“I’ve got it,” he said to the driver.
Allyn watched him walk around the front, unaffected by the torrents of snow. It was as if he didn’t even notice that the world was raging around him. He opened the door for her. She stepped out and together they went into the building. The doorman bowed, his eyes wide when he noticed that the imperial prince stood before him.
Wiping snow from her face and hair, Allyn looked to Conall who stood there with his hands in his pockets. She could tell that he didn’t want to leave her.
Why did he have to go? Why couldn’t he just take her back to his castle?
She bit her tongue and kept her questions to herself.
“Thank you for walking me in,” she said, and before she could say anything more, Conall wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.
His kiss was soft, sweet, but there was a desperation there that broke her heart.
“Don’t go,” she whispered
before she could stop herself.
Conall pulled away, his face flushed. Her heart raced as he stared at her, such conflict in his eyes that it scared her.
“I have to,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Allyn. Wait for me.”
With that, he left.
Despite the heat inside the building, Allyn felt cold.
Alone.
She ran to the glass walls and pressed her hands to the glass as she watched the car pull away.
Why did she always lose whatever good came into her life? She remembered being disappointed when she and her father left the palace years ago.
This was worst. Her stomach muscles were clenched with anxiety for watching him leave.
“I’ll wait,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I promise.”
CONALL WASN’T SURE why leaving her was so difficult, but a pain in his heart nagged him the entire ride back to his castle. Thoughts of her sweet smile and even sweeter kiss haunted him as they drove through the woods with trees that stretched high into the gray sky.
Conall needed something good in his life, and seeing the girl he’d met as a child was a beacon of hope that things might get better.
He just had to make it through winter.
He hadn’t planned on actually connecting with a woman right after breaking up with Hannah, but that’s exactly what happened with Allyn. There was something about her that made him comfortable around her to the point where he knew that if they spent more time together, he’d actually open up.
That was scary, but that’s what he’d been searching for his entire life. For as long as Conall could remember, he’d been a private person. He never revealed his true feelings to anyone, except his mother. When she died, so did his hope to find another woman to love him.
Edan called and Conall answered via his implanted device. “Are the preparations made?”
“Yes,” Edan said. “Everything is set up. I made sure that the guards are prepared to look over the castle once you leave.”
“Good,” Conall said with a sigh. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay, your highness. How did it go with the young lady?”
Conall closed his eyes, clinging to the memory of her green eyes, and the adoration she shone upon him. Hannah never looked at him that way. How could a few days together have such an impact?
“She’s perfect,” Conall said. “It went well. Too well. I almost let her stay too long.”
“That isn’t your fault, your highness.”
“I know,” Conall said with a sigh. “Thank you for your help, Edan.”
“Anytime. You know that my family and I owe you ours lives. I’m happy to help.”
“You don’t owe me anything but your friendship.”
“We do, though.”
Conall shook his head. He hated to hear Edan speak that way. It was his duty to look after good people.
“Edan,” Conall called.
“Yes?”
“Look after her while I’m away. Just check on her from time to time and make sure she has what she needs. She mentioned being in between homes. I fear she might be in financial trouble.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure she makes it through the winter, comfortably.”
“Do your best to keep Lennox from her, will you?”
There was a brief silence. “I will try.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Conall ended the call and sighed. At least he had someone to check on her for him. He glanced at the sky. The moon was visible in the daytime just before the Winter Winds came to ravage his kingdom. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain in his chest.
Like an itch that he couldn’t scratch, the pain tormented him, and it was stronger than ever now that winter was settling in.
He ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes against tears once he looked down to see clumps of his thick black hair laced between his fingers.
It had already begun. His sickness was manifesting, and there was nothing he could do.
Conall balled his hand into a fist. At least Allyn didn’t have to see him like this.
He’d never felt such an intense spark with any other woman. Why did he have to feel it now?
With her.
Timing was never on his side, and winter was his least favorite season.
Winter was when the curse did its most dastardly deeds.
CHAPTER 9
TWO WEEKS PASSED, and Allyn hadn’t heard a word from Prince Conall. She just clung to the promise he’d made her. Their time together kept entering her mind and making her smile. She wasn’t sure why he couldn’t be with her during the winter season, but she forced herself to stay busy.
She sat on the couch, reading a book while Aude and Khia curled up together and watched a movie. A ringing of the doorbell startled her. She looked up but relaxed when she remembered that she no longer had to worry about the debtors. They’d already taken everything from her. She had nothing left to give.
There was an odd solace to that.
Khia frowned. “Who could that be? Are you expecting anyone, babe?”
“No,” Aude said, shaking her head as Khia crossed the room, her black heels clicking along the dark wooden floor.
Conall? Hope sprouted forth and Allyn perked up, closing her book. She sat on her knees and watched Khia go to the door. Her heart was in her throat as the anticipation flooded her body. Please. Please.
When she opened the door, Allyn gasped. The color drained from her face.
No.
A tall, thin man with shaggy brown hair stood there, his once dreamy brown eyes red-rimmed as they looked Allyn’s way.
“Baby,” Byron called, stepping inside the door, barely acknowledging Khia who was the same height as him.
Khia put her hands on her hips and glared at his back. “Excuse me,” she said. “But no one told you that you could come in.”
He held a hand out to her. “Just give me a minute. I’ve come for Allyn.”
The nerve. How dare he come back after weeks with no word?
Allyn stood from the couch as he approached. She shook her head, backing away. “Taking me where? We have no home. You made sure that I ended up with nothing.”
“Darling,” he said, smiling.
Allyn pursed her lips as she looked at him.
“I am not your darling anymore.” It hurt to say that after giving him her body, heart, and all of her money. Tears stung her eyes but she willed them away. “God, I’m tired of crying over you, Byron. You can’t just come back and act as if nothing happened.”
“I know, baby. Come here.” He approached her, his arms wide. “I’ve missed your pretty face.”
“Where have you been?”
He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring her question as his hands smoothed her back “You smell delicious,” he said, kissing her neck.
“Don’t touch me.” Allyn pushed him away, her brows knitting. “Are you high?”
Byron shook his head, though she could smell it on him. “Of course not. I’m good.”
“Then what the hell are you smiling about. The landlord evicted us and the debtors came and took all of our stuff...the stuff I worked my ass off to pay for.”
“Hey,” he said, reaching for her. “I am smiling because I have good news. I have a job waiting for me in New Prussia. We are set. It pays enough that you won’t have to work two jobs anymore. I can finally pay off all of my debts, and take care of you.”
“Bullshit,” Aude said, her brows knitted. “No one believes your lies anymore, Byron.”
“Shut up,” he said, his smile morphing into a scowl. He shot a look at Allyn. “I told you that you should stay away from these girls. Look at them, trying to turn you into a lesbian.”
“God, you are stupid,” Aude said, her cheeks reddening.
“Byron. I’m going to ask you to leave one more time,” Khia said. Her voice was surprisingly calm considering how he’d insulted her and her
girlfriend. But, the look in her eyes betrayed her words.
“Just give me a minute,” he shot back at her. He reached a hand out toward Allyn. “Come on, Allyn.” His voice turned harsh.
That’s the Byron she didn’t miss.
“Get your stuff and let’s go.”
“Don’t you dare go with him,” Aude hissed.
Allyn’s heart raced. She had no desire to patch things up with Byron, not after connecting with Prince Conall.
“No,” she said, surprising herself. For once she was prepared to stand up for herself.
Byron looked shocked. “What?”
“I’m not going with you. Please, just leave.”
Byron shook his head with a sigh. “While I had hopes that you wanted to come with me to New Prussia, I found out something that I thought you should know. I just didn’t want to have to tell you in front of your friends, but your father is sick.”
“What?” Panic filled Allyn’s veins at the mention of her father. She grabbed Byron’s forearm. “Tell me what’s happened.”
“I went to your old village to tie up some loose ends at the night club I used to play at. I heard that your dad hadn’t been to the school in weeks. He has some kind of brain tumor.”
“Damn it,” Allyn said, covering her mouth with her hands. She looked to Aude and Khia. “I have to go. There is no way around it.”
Aude hurried over to hug her. She squeezed Allyn tightly. “I know, honey. You don’t have to explain anything to us. You go take care of your father.”
Khia hugged her as well, wrapping her arms around the both of them. “Take care of yourself, Allyn. You’re always welcome here.”
Allyn fought tears. “Thank you.”
“Get your things,” Byron said.
Glaring at him, Allyn walked to the door and opened it. “I don’t have anything left. Let’s just go.”
With a smug look on his face, he followed her outside.
As she left their studio apartment, her heart thumped in her chest. She hoped there was enough time to make it to her father before the Winter Winds reached their peak speed and ferocity.
She cursed under her breath as she watched blankets of thick snow fall from the sky. She couldn’t believe how Byron made his way into the city.
