by Lisa Daneils
Leaning forward, she held on tightly to Liam. “Thank you, Liam. Thank you so much.” Tears ran down her face as she cried into his neck.
When they landed, Bridget slid off his back. Before her feet could touch the ground, warm arms wrapped around her. “It’s okay. I’ve got you now. You will be alright.”
A voice she didn’t recognize came from somewhere nearby. “Master Liam, you are hurt.”
“I am fine. It is my wife who needs immediate attention.”
“Wife?!” There was a mix of disbelief and confusion in the word, but the speaker quickly recovered. “Understood. Bryan, we need a healer. And a human expert.” The last part was said as more of an afterthought.
“Why did you do that? Why?” Liam’s voice was close to her ear, the murmurs almost like a mantra as he carried her.
Bridget didn’t care what state she was in—she barely noticed the pain now that she felt Liam’s arms around her. Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pulled herself against him as much as possible.
“It’s okay. We will get you warmed up and patched up as quickly as possible. I won’t leave your side until you are healed.”
Mumbling into his neck, Bridget said, “I will be fine in a bit. Just stay with me for a while, then I can let you get back to what is important.”
“Right now, there is nothing more important than you.”
The words were low and heartfelt. Bridget burst into tears, crying into Liam’s neck.
Chapter 10
A More Appealing Path
Bridget slipped in and out of consciousness for the rest of the night, the blood loss causing those tending to her to fear that she was going to die. Whenever her eyes flitted open, she felt something warm on her and heard a familiar whisper in her ear, “It’s alright. You will be better soon.”
She nodded at the voice in the early morning. “I know. I can’t die because he promised to protect me.” A warmth wrapped around her, causing her a little pain as it squeezed her carefully. No words accompanied the warmth.
When she finally woke, Bridget found herself in a completely unfamiliar place. Trying to sit up, she was reminded of recent events. Groaning, she sank back on the bed.
“What do you need?” A hand wrapped around hers.
“Water, please.”
Her body was carefully lifted off the bed and a small flask placed against her lips. Pulling in a deep drink, the princess let out a sigh of happiness. “That is much better than the usual water. It’s so clean.”
“Yes. That is how we know that the land is healing.”
Opening her eyes, Bridget noticed that the world was out of focus. “What does that mean?”
A large hand brushed her bangs out of her face. “It means that with your help, I’ve begun to build a new kingdom.”
“Oh good. That is good, right?” She leaned forward and pressed her face into the chest near her.
It rumbled under her, a pleasant laugh echoing around the room. “I’ll have to let you decide that when you are better. For now, it is best if you rest more.”
She could feel her body being placed on the bed. Reaching out, Bridget grabbed onto the form. “Please stay with me.”
Seconds later, the bed shifted as additional weight was placed on it. A warmth moved against her. Smiling, Bridget pushed her body against it, rubbing her face against the broad form in front of her. She began to drift into sleep as a hand stroked her head. The last thing she remembered was the feel of something soft and warm against her head.
Several days passed, and Bridget began to recall her experience. Liam sat and listened to her tale as soon as she was ready, stopping her when the princess began to get too emotional. He changed the subject, telling her about how things were going back in her kingdom. How he was able to use the information they had collected to help her brother take out two new encampments.
“It sounds like you managed to keep busy while I was out of it.”
“I didn’t do much because I couldn’t leave your side.”
“Then how did you manage to help my family?”
Liam rubbed her back. “Is that important right now?”
“Of course it is! I… I...” Bridget found it impossible to say what she was thinking; she wanted to know everything that had happened to Liam. Admitting that would make it that much more difficult when he let her go. Instead, she muttered, “I just want to know.”
Resting his forehead against hers, he smiled sweetly. “It might upset you.”
Bridget frowned, but found she had no desire to pull away from her husband. “I don’t know how you could possible upset me.”
He pushed her bangs out of the way and kissed her forehead. “Apparently, by marrying you in your kingdom, or more likely because we consummated the marriage in your kingdom, I, um, connected with it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I only barely understand it myself. Usually, it is a long process that can drive a shifter insane, or kill them. It is not supposed to happen unknowingly, but that appears to be exactly what happened. Because of that, I can communicate with your family. They don’t know it is me, of course. At the moment, they think it is divine intervention in their time of need, something I am going to have to dispel once I know you are alright. The problem is I don’t know how they will feel about that.”
“So, basically, you are the king of my father’s kingdom?”
“I would never remove your family from power, as long as they continue as they have. Good, caring people who are trying their best to do what is right.”
“Then don’t tell them differently.” She leaned against him. “As far as I can tell, you are divine intervention for my family. I know that you won’t abuse the power, and I doubt that they would mind if they knew. Perhaps they may be a little stubborn at first, but that’s why we will let them learn to trust you first.”
“That is incredibly dishonest and—”
Bridget turned and kissed Liam before he could continue to argue with her. She pulled back and looked at him. “Let it be for now. Besides, I don’t think you have time to set them straight at the moment. You have to establish your own kingdom here.”
“It can wait.” He leaned forward and kissed her gently.
“But what about your home kingdom? I thought that there were problems that—”
“Not now.” His hand moved along the side of her face. “Since I have connected to other lands, my brother now has no other choice. The land is no longer struggling under the tension that was there. There is nothing more I can do, so there is no longer a rush for me to try to connect with the lands to the south.”
“Does that mean… what does that mean?”
“It means that I can focus on other important tasks. Get my own life in order before trying to take care of others.”
“Oh, that should be... healthier for you. Does that mean that…” Bridget found it very difficult to ask the question she wanted to ask.
“It means that for a while, I can spend more time with my wife. I think she has more than earned my undivided attention for as long as she is interested in it.”
“Really?” She pulled back a little, unable to believe what he was saying.
His brow creased, “Is that not something you would want?’”
Bridget was about to tell him that she wanted nothing more than his time, but then she remembered their agreement. “I don’t want you to spend time with me just for a while.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… I don’t want you just for a little while. I don’t… I don’t want to find a new husband. I don’t want to leave you.”
He smiled at her, “Is that all? I’m not asking you to leave me. I’m asking you how long you would like to remain by my side. Obviously I’m not doing a very—”
Before he could finish, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Climbing in his lap, she straddled Liam. The surprise at her eagerness quickly gave way as he began to hold her against him. Slowly, he lay
her on the bed and began to remove her clothing. Unlike the first time, he did not hesitate to undress her and explore her body. The only time he paused was when his hand moved over the scars on one of her shoulders. “Are you sure you are alright to be doing this?”
Bridget pulled him down against her. “I don’t care. I want you too badly to wait.”
Slowly, he stroked her breasts, his lips moving down her neck and to her shoulder. With each kiss, he slid a little further into her, gently making love to her until he finally peaked.
They lay together, talking about a different future. When the topic turned to children, Liam pulled himself up on his arm. “I don’t know if we can have children. And if it is possible, I don’t know what it will do to your body. As far as I know, there is no record of humans and shifters conceiving a child together. Staying with me may not give you the future you want.”
Too tired to sit up, Bridget moved her body flush up against Liam. Kissing his neck, she replied, “A future is what I want. We can figure out the rest as we go.”
He looked down at her, his hand moving along her face. Bridget closed her eyes and kissed the palm of his hand. “I just want to make sure you understand one thing, though.”
Bridget looked up into his unique eyes. “What is that?”
Liam leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “I cannot consider anyone else impregnating you. That isn’t something that I can even consider.”
Bridget laughed, “I would never suggest that any more than suggesting you impregnate someone else.”
“I don’t have an interest in being with any other woman.”
“Are you telling me that you want to forget all women before me? That’s how much you love me?” She tried to tease him, finding the mix of emotions he was showing her both touching and adorable.
“Not at all.” He kissed the side of her face.
“Then what are you trying to say?” She placed a hand on his face and gave him a gentle push away.
This did not deter him at all. Wrapping an arm around her, Liam pinned her under his body. “I’m not going to tell the woman what I mean when she is only going to use it to tease me.”
Bridget was about to respond when she felt his hips move ever so lightly against her thigh. Closing her eyes, she moaned, enjoying the feel of him against her for a moment before breathing out, “Who is teasing who?”
“It’s only fair. I don’t know how to tease with words, though I will likely learn quickly enough,” his mouth was next to her ear. Giving it a quick pull with his lips, Liam said, “But learning how to tease you with my body, that is much easier to learn.”
Another moan escaped her lips as his hand slid between her thighs and brushed against her lips, opening them a little. “That is so un-un-un—ah!” Her body arched as he toyed with her. Her weariness receded as she gave in and wrapped her legs around him. “Divines, but I want you so badly.”
“When?” He smiled down at her, a smirk on his face.
“Now! Always. I always want you.” As soon as she finished, he moved inside of her. Bridget let out a gasp and tried to force him fully inside of her. As soon as he thrust all the way into her, she let out a scream and her body arched against him, unable to deny what he obviously wanted from her.
When she finally began to relax, his mouth was near her ear, whispering things he wanted to try with her. As her body began to heat up once more, she was on the verge of peaking again when he murmured, “What I was trying to tell you is that you are my first everything, and I’ve no interest in finding a second.”
Her eyes opened wide at this. The gentle smile on his face was in stark contrast to what he had been saying only moments ago, and it definitely did not match what his body was doing. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they both experienced the heights of their passion.
Exhausted, Bridget pressed against him, almost as if she were afraid he would disappear as she slept. A gentle voice in her ear said, “I am willing to do whatever it takes to give you the future you want.”
She smiled. Unable to open her eyes, she muttered into his neck, “We can try together. As long as it takes. It can be our contribution to posterity. I expect it will take many hours of work, but it is something I am willing to practice until we get it right. Even if it takes years of constant trying.”
He laughed a little, “I thought you were going to sleep.”
“I am asleep. You are just having more dirty thoughts.”
Laughing, Liam pulled her close and crooned until she finally fell asleep.
Nissa’s Royal Rescue
Northern Realm Royal Dragons
Book 2
By: Lisa Daniels
Prologue
An Unwilling Expedition
Ethan smiled as he looked around at the other princes. It had been a while since all four of them had come together, mostly because they had all been contending with their own problems—or in one case, avoiding some very serious problems. Liam was the youngest prince, but easily the most responsible of the four friends. With the way his older brother shirked his responsibilities, there were definitely problems bubbling under the surface, so there was some morbid curiosity on Ethan’s part about what would happen to the oldest established dragon shifter kingdom, and how Liam was planning on extracting himself from the obvious issues already visible in the land. There was no way the kingdom would be able to continue for another decade with Liam acting more like the heir than Grayson.
Ethan had known before arriving at the princes’ home what this was about, and it had as much to do with him and Prince Aiden as it did with the brothers. He had been trying desperately to postpone having to think about his father’s demand for the better part of six months. While his father had been silent on it, Ethan suspected that the three kings of the dragon shifter realms had involved Liam to do the unsavory task of persuading the other princes to act so that the kings didn’t have to do it.
Placing his chin on the palm of his hand, Ethan ignored the way his chestnut braid fell over his shoulder and gently tapped on the table. He was interested in seeing just what kind of justification Liam could give for going through with marrying a human. It wasn’t like he was in line to take over his father’s throne—no matter how much better suited to the task he would be than his older brother. The kingdom had bonded to Grayson long before Liam was born, so there was no chance of shifting the connection without potentially destroying everything. And until recently, it had seemed impossible for their father to consider passing the lands to someone else. The Golden Kingdom had been bonded to Grayson and Liam’s family for almost as long as it had existed, and changing that would likely be catastrophic.
Yet, that was exactly what their father proposed if Grayson didn’t marry a human. Why Liam was also marrying into the base species was unclear. And Ethan knew that information was not coming out tonight.
Liam looked around at the other three princes, his usual pleasant smile punctuating his words, “I’ve decided to select a bride, and my search begins tomorrow.”
To Ethan’s left there was a low chuckle as Aiden leaned back, his black hair moving rhythmically as he shook his head. “I’m not sure if you are trying to show us up, make us feel guilty, or just convince us to get moving—and I expect very strongly it is mostly the last one—but it’s a mistake.”
Ethan kept his eyes trained on Liam. “You are the youngest of us. This really isn’t your burden, and at the risk of sounding old, I don’t think that you should be doing this.”
Liam’s smile faltered, and Ethan knew he had hit a nerve. But the young prince quickly recovered, “Yeah, I know you all feel that way. But as the mature one of us, I feel that I should set a good example, if only to get you guys to move. The three of you are more like boulders at the top of a hill. If this is the push you need to start rolling instead of gathering moss, I’m alright with it.”
Aiden sighed heavily, then spoke up again, “Yeah, we know you feel it is your job, but hone
stly, my friend, it is unnecessary, and potentially fatal for someone like you. You’ll actually try to do the right thing, and if a human has the chance, she’s going to ask you to do something stupid and reckless that will get you killed. You aren’t going to turn her down, and her primitive brain won’t be capable of understanding what she is asking, let alone caring what happens to you. It’s a mistake that I for one must protest in the strongest possible terms.”
Liam put down his glass. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” his words hid no sarcasm as he looked around at his friend, “but I will be alright. I’m just the first one going in where we will all go eventually. Might as well get it over with and see just what they have in mind. There has to be a good explanation for why they agreed to this.”
He ran a hand through his strawberry-blond hair, and Ethan could tell that the optimism he had dared to harbor had been squashed by his three closest friends. Ethan felt a tinge of guilt just before a wave of regret washed over him. It wasn’t uncommon for Liam to sacrifice himself, but he never should have been involved in this. Ethan began to wonder if, by having moved sooner, he could have spared his friend from having to make this terrible mistake. Consumed by his own uncertainty, Ethan wasn’t sure what to say.
Aiden soon came back into view as he rested his face on his hand. Again, his black hair swayed gently, almost hypnotically. One look at him and Ethan knew he couldn’t just accept Liam’s decision. Aiden’s intentions were clear, but he was leaving the words to Ethan to speak—tact wasn’t exactly Aiden’s strong suit. Standing up, Ethan walked over to his far too kind friend. “Liam, you really don’t have to be doing this yet. We still have time, you know. I mean, a year is still a pretty long time, and you deserve your freedom for a bit longer.” To emphasize this, he gave Liam a firm slap on the back, causing the young prince to stumble forward a little. “I don’t even understand why you agreed to this. It’s not like you have any reason to marry one of them.” Ethan desperately hoped to be the voice of reason, but knew that such openly honest emotions would be unwelcome. The best thing he could do was to keep the atmosphere as light as possible.
