Killian chuckled. “Yes.” He took her hands in his. “Will you come back to Haven?”
Pain screwed up her face, and she frowned. “Killian, you know why that’s difficult.”
“For today, lie to me. Lie and tell me that everything is going to work out, and we will find a way to be together, for however long our lives last.”
“We will find a way to be together, and we will spend the rest of our days together, facing whatever challenges come our way,” she finished with a frown.
“What is it?”
“There’s one challenge we must face immediately.”
“Another one?” He sighed. “Can we have a few hours without a challenge?”
“I thought we had several of those last night and again this morning,” Serena teased.
“Why, I do believe you have a point, my lady.” Killian reached up and pulled her down on top of him. She shifted position, so she was lying on the blanket beside him. He drew her close for a lingering kiss.
When the embrace ended, Serena shook her head and stood, offering Killian her hand.
He accepted her help in standing. “What is it?”
“We have got to do something about this, my prince.” She ran her fingers over the short stubbly beard gracing his jaw line. “It is scratchy and makes for less pleasant kisses.”
Killian shook his head. “I’m sorry, love, there are no mirrors. I cannot shave without one.”
She took his hand and led him back to their cozy hideaway. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Enough to let me near your neck with a blade?” Serena asked as he opened the door and stepped aside, waiting until she walked in before him.
Killian caught her around the waist, pushed the door closed and held her tight against him. “Enough to trust you to give me a shave without a nick.” He brushed a light, scratchy kiss on her lips before stepping back and stripping off his shirt. “I am at your mercy, my princess.”
Serena smiled. “Hmm, you at my mercy. I like the sound of that.” She ran her hands up his torso and up to his shoulders. “Where is your kit?”
“In my saddle bags.”
“Sit.” She pointed to one of the chairs around the table and went to the small wardrobe to retrieve the necessary tools.
Killian sat, and she started to work. First checking the edge of his blade. Finding it wanting, she retrieved the whetstone from her own saddlebags and placed it on the table beside the blade.
As Serena went through the motions of preparation, Killian studied her as though he’d never seen her before. She moved with the careful, controlled grace of a born fighter. He took note of changes so small that only someone who knew her well would notice. Missing the sound of her voice and curious to know more about the family she had found, he asked, “What was your family like?”
She paused in her sharpening of his blade, checked the edge again, choosing to remain silent, her thumb scraping the edge of the blade a few too many times.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to or don’t remember. It’s just you sounded as if you wanted to share when you talked about them earlier.”
She continued her task, staying silent for a few more seconds. “My mother, Ellesandra, had beautiful red hair, the color of dark blood rubies, and eyes like mine. She was a diplomat, a peacemaker, and sang the most soothing lullabies.” Serena finished sharpening the blade and focused on the soap, using a stiff bristled, round brush to work up a thick lather in the small earthenware bowl.
“My father was Rafe.” She glanced back at Killian and smiled. “You have similar features. Black hair like a raven’s wing in the sun. Blue eyes, brighter than yours. He was a warrior. The best among the Dragon Fey. Caring for his children and those of the clan. Fair with his men. He started teaching his four-year-old daughter how to use a short sword because she cried when her youngest brother told her it wasn’t proper for little princesses.” Serena paused while pulling the kettle of hot water from the fire and pouring it into a large metal basin, a linen towel sitting on the bottom.
“Dalton was the first born. Under human and fey tradition, he would have been king.” She picked up the towel and squeezed the water out of it before wrapping it around Killian’s face. “However, by Dragon Fey tradition, he would only inherit if no daughter was born. He was a young man of twenty-six when I came along. He loved helping me get into trouble. Gave me an old pair of his trousers and a shirt because I hated dresses. He was father’s second in command.” She paused and got a faraway look in her eyes. “I remember a girl he was sweet on and she on him. There was talk of a mating ceremony, but I don’t know what happened to her after his death.” She pulled the cooling towel from his face and set is back in the bowl.
“The twins, Baylenn and Sloane, were two peas in the pod. Mother always said that from the moment of their birth they wouldn’t be separated. Both of them took after father, for the most part. Though, each had one green and one blue eye, that were opposite each other. Bay’s green on the left and Sloane’s on the right. They were twenty-four and my guards on the night of the attack.” She picked up the mug of shaving lather and started working it over his face with the brush.
Killian scrutinized her expression as she spoke, her eyes roving over his face as she focused on the task at hand, not what she was saying. He rested his hand on the swell of her hip, wanting some physical connection with her as she explained more of her past.
She paused, the brush moving away from his face. “They died protecting me. They all did…” Serena paused again. “All of them except for Kirin, my youngest brother.”
“He’s still alive?”
“No.” She set the lather aside and fiddled with a couple of the other items on the table, ones she didn’t need anymore.
“Do you want to stop?”
“No.”
Killian reached out and touched her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She picked up the blade, testing the edge one last time. “Kirin was twenty-two, he also took after our father with dark hair and blue eyes. He was a fighter but preferred to strike from the shadows rather than face his enemies head on. He wasn’t like my other brothers.” She pulled Killian’s skin tight, laid the blade against his cheek and dragged it down to his chin. “They were kind and playful. Kirin was greedy and could be cruel but managed to hide his nature from everyone until it was too late.” She fell silent, continuing to scrape away the stubble he’d grown during the ride from Haven.
Killian let Serena continue her work, waiting for her to finish the story, but she’d become silent. She completed another stroke, cleaned the blade and was about to start another one when Killian caught her wrist. “Serena please, continue.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed deeply before reopening them and continuing his shave. “The night they died, I woke to find Kirin standing over my bed. He had a dagger in his hand. At the time, I couldn’t understand why. I don’t really remember what happened after that. The spell my parents cast has lifted, but I still have holes in my memories. I do remember Kirin fighting with Bay and Sloane.” She finished the last stroke and set the blade and linen aside, then picked up a small bottle of warm, woodsy scented oils and poured a few drops into her hand.
“Serena, love?” He made sure her eyes met his. “They sacrificed themselves because they loved you.”
“I know. I wish I could remember more because I don’t have many memories of them before that night. Why just the bad times? All my recollections are vague details and that night.” She rubbed her hands together and patted his clean-shaven face.
When she was done, Killian slid forward on his chair and caught her hands in his. “I don’t know, love. I wish I did. Try to focus on the good things. That they loved you and wanted you to live.” He pressed his lips to hers and stroked her cheek. “You have grown into a strong, smart, caring, beautiful woman. Wherever they are, I am certain they are proud of you.”
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“You’re biased,” she answered with a slight laugh.
“And I forgot, you captured the heart of a prince,” he said, caressing her cheek, thumb stroking it, “the prince they thought you should marry.”
“You were just a baby when they met you.”
“I must have been a very charming child.”
“Well,” Serena answered while standing, offering him her hands, “if you had those big blue eyes, I can imagine that would be the case.”
“My mother said I’ve always had them.” Killian wrapped his arms around Serena and pulled her close. “Would you care to check on the quality of the shave you’ve given me?”
She reached up and caressed his cheeks and jaw. “It feels good.”
“I’m not certain that inspection was sufficient,” he growled a moment before capturing her lips in a fierce kiss and pulling her toward the bed. He wanted to lose himself in her. To drown both their fears. To memorize the way she looked. To remember the feel of her skin under his touch and the sound of her whispers in the dark, her cries of passion and the hundreds of ways his name fell from her lips. He needed to fill his memory with her so he could find peace when he returned to Haven… when she disappeared back into the wilderness.
Katia slipped into Killian’s chambers, her heart beating out a frantic staccato in her ears as she closed the door and leaned against it taking a deep breath. Her husband was away for several days, a vulgar hunting trip, no doubt arranged by the guard captain he’d befriended. She pushed away from the door and studied the room. Though the prince wouldn’t return for at least another day, the embers in the fireplace were not permitted to die. Getting the room warm again took too long if that happened. A few dimmed lamps cast weak pools of amber light leading into the suite’s other rooms, including the one that, by all rights, she should call her own.
Steeling her resolve, she drew herself up to her full height and glided into her husband’s study as if she had every right to be there, and she did. The room was empty since Thomas was taking advantage of Killian’s absence to take a day for himself or perhaps, seeing to the prince’s affairs while he was away.
Katia frowned. If palace gossip was to be believed, a short time after the letter confirming that Serena lived had arrived, the prince received a missive from her. Whatever was in the note caused him to burn every letter and memento he had. If it’s true, that makes this more difficult. I need something from the whelp. Something personal, something she touched, something… Her thought drifted as her gaze fell on something about the size of her palm sitting near the small portrait of Killian’s mother. She reached out and brushed her fingers over the surface of the dragon scale. It was red, dusted with gold, and she knew it would shimmer in the sunlight, just as the mother’s had. This is exactly what I need. The surface was smooth, still retaining some of the creature’s warmth, a jolt of energy shot up her arm numbing her fingers.
Katia swore, shaking out her hand, as she glared at the scale. I can’t take the whole scale, though the things I could do with it. A smile curled her lips as the possibilities swirled through her mind. No, my husband would notice and become suspicious. She glanced around and saw a pair of his gloves tossed on a nearby table. “Perfect,” she said under her breath.
A minute later, she held the dragon scale in the palm of her hand, now protected by Killian’s leather glove. Katia turned the scale over and using the tiny dagger from the sheath sewn into her bodice she scraped away some of the leathery flesh, watching as it fell onto the handkerchief she had spread on her husband’s desk.
A short time later, Katia strolled through the halls, a self-satisfied smile curling her lips, her hands clasped over her stomach as daydreams of the child she would soon bear gamboled through her mind.
Late the next morning, Killian finished tying the laces on Serena’s bodice, his hands skating along her sides. He took a deep, shaky breath and held her tight, not wanting to let go even though he knew he had to. It’s too soon. We haven’t had enough time. I don’t want to part again. When we’re separated, everything descends into madness. We need to be together to work things out. “I don’t want to leave.”
“We can’t stay. Both of us have duties we must attend to,” she said and began working the laces on the front of his shirt.
Killian sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers. “I know.”
Serena understood he didn’t want to part. She didn’t want to either, and if there was a way to stay together, she would have done it. However, they didn’t live in a fantasy world where a simple wish would make everything right. “It shouldn’t be for long, and you have to start searching your mother’s papers for those documents,” she said, hoping to offer them both some comfort.
“I know.” He caught her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
“I will come to Haven as soon as possible.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I have my own court to navigate and try to balance now.”
“My Serena, a princess. Soon to be a queen.” He sighed and shook his head, a silly smirk crossing his face.
“Does that bother you, my prince?”
“No, not at all. I’m still trying to work out exactly what it means.”
“I know some things will change between us, but I hope it doesn’t alter what we mean to one another.”
“Of course not.” Killian placed his right hand over Serena’s heart. “I will love you until I draw my last breath.”
“And I will love you until I draw mine.” She matched his action, placing her hand over his heart and flexing her fingers, so the tips pressed into his flesh. Rising onto the balls of her feet, she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Only you. Always.”
Killian took a deep breath and closed his eyes, knowing if they continued to walk the path they were on, Ryan and Bronwynn would enter the room and see something he wanted to remain private. He swallowed hard and asked. “How do I get messages to you in… wherever you are?” Good gods, I don’t even know where she’s living. It can’t be Lakeshire. The secret would have gotten out by now.
Serena smiled, a certain satisfaction in her eyes and expression. “Through my regular messengers to Lakeshire. It will be a few extra days before I receive it. However, thus far it has proven to be the safest way to deliver missives.”
“They can be trusted with private ones?” His fingers drifted up to skate along the markings around her eyes, lightly brushing the delicate scales. She trembled under his touch, no less intoxicating than the first time his fingers had brushed up against them.
“Of course, they can be trusted with any messages.”
“Good. Use our signal so I know the letters are genuine.”
Serena’s arms drifted around his waist. “Always, my love, always.”
“It was the only way I knew the letter from Dennsmore was filled with lies.”
“I hated writing that letter,” she said, stepping closer to him, tightening her hold on his waist. “I was so afraid you were going to think those were my words and not his.”
“I think I knew. When I saw you hadn’t added the flourish… I had what proof I needed.”
She laid her head on his shoulder, wanting to stay close as long as possible. “I have a feeling our jailers, turned matchmakers, will be arriving soon.”
Killian stroked her hair. “I’m not certain whether or not to be angry with them.”
“I don’t think we should be. After all, it turned out rather well, don’t you think?”
“I do indeed, my lady,” Killian whispered and dipped his head to capture her lips for a lingering kiss. He poured all of his love and hope for their future into it… and his sorrow at their parting, hoping the memory would help sustain both of them until they could be together again.
He eased back when a knock on the front door startled him. “Do you think they’ll notice if we slip out the back?” he asked, their lips still almost touching.
“I think they will, and we have no
escape plan,” Serena countered.
“Maybe we should have spent some time formulating one.”
She kissed him with an all too short embrace that only left Killian wanting much more. “My prince, you and I both have our duties.”
He closed his eyes and groaned. To the hells with duty. “I know.”
“I promise to make my way to Haven as soon as possible.”
A second, more insistent knock came from the door, and Serena stepped back, her right hand skating down his arm. She caught his hand in hers and pulled him with her toward the door. Killian stepped up behind her and rested his chin on her shoulder as Serena opened the door to reveal Bronwynn and Ryan standing on the other side.
“Is there anything I can do to convince you to come back at a much later date?” Killian asked, then kissed the side of Serena’s throat. “I can offer wealth, lands, titles?”
“Killian.” Serena chuckled.
“They brought us here. They should leave us here.”
“I am sorry, Highness, but none of us need to hear the rumors at court if you do not return from your hunting trip as planned,” Ryan said.
“And even more gossip since I will be returning without game. Seeing as how I sincerely doubt Serena will allow me to truss her up and throw her over my saddle. Though she would be a lovely addition to my chambers.”
“Until she gets free and kills you,” Serena interjected in a good-natured grumble.
“But what fun it would be to watch her wriggle free,” he whispered against her neck, loud enough so only she could hear.
“I’m starting to think this was an ill-conceived plan,” Bronwynn muttered.
“What makes you say that?” Ryan asked trying to hide the laughter and failing.
“We forgot to plan how to part them.”
“Perhaps a sleeping draft in their tea might have worked.”
“What if they didn’t have tea this morning?”
“A reminder of impending royal duties?”
Serena listened to the rapid-fire back and forth between her two friends before she shook her head and mused. “I think they are mocking us, my prince.”
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