by Leslie Chase
The other guard was wrestling with her father in the doorway, the two men struggling for control of the smoking shotgun her father held. And the bully was slumped against the wall, clutching the bloody mess of his stomach. His pistol lay on the floor beside him, unfired. I'm alive! I'm not even hurt.
It was hard to believe. Sophie hadn't expected to live through that second, and it took a moment for her to react. Moving felt slow and difficult, as though she was crawling through molasses, but she knew she had to do something. Her father had used up the moment of surprise to shoot one guard, but he was old and the other man was young. The result of their struggle was obvious and inevitable.
Sophie's mother hung from one of the attacker's arms with a fierce look of determination on her face, slowing him down. Even so his strength and training won out. As Sophie scrambled for the fallen pistol, the man pulled free of her mother's grip and punched her father in the gut, doubling him over. The shotgun fell from his hands as he collapsed, and the soldier snatched it up.
The pistol felt heavy in her hands, far heavier than she'd expected. It seemed to take forever to bring it up to point at her enemy. He, on the other hand, seemed to move like lighting, spinning to bring the shotgun to bear on her faster than she could have imagined. The barrel looked big enough to drive a train down.
A sick feeling rose in Sophie's gut as she squeezed the trigger. She knew as soon as she fired that she'd pulled too soon, that the bullet wasn't going to find its mark. The kick of the gun in her hands shocked her, drove her backward, and she saw the door frame behind her target splinter as the bullet struck it. He flinched at the near miss, but she saw that it wasn't enough to stop him. His finger was already tightening on the shotgun's trigger.
And then the window exploded inward as a lion leaped through it.
Glass rained through the kitchen, and Sophie saw the deep gouges it left torn into the lion's flesh, but that didn't slow him and his leap was true. The guard's reflexes were fast enough that he started to turn before the lion struck him, but that didn't matter. The full weight of the beast smashed him down onto the kitchen floor with a sickening crunch and the lion's head followed to bite down on his head. Sophie looked away, not wanting to watch.
"Your Highness," Sophie's father gasped, slowly struggling to his feet. Her mother hurried to his side and helped him stand. They were both staring at the lion with awe but no fear.
With the strange sound of air rushing in to fill a suddenly empty space, Mattias shifted and stood, hurrying to Sophie's side. He was covered in blood, his own as well as others', and his skin was torn in a dozen places by his leap through the window. And still, Sophie had never seen a more welcome sight.
"I thought I was too late," he said, voice hushed and full of emotion as he looked at her. "I thought— I thought they'd shot you."
His eyes flicked over her, a quick but thorough examination that made her blush, and then he reached down to carefully take the gun from her hand and put on the safety. The brush of his fingers on hers sent an electric jolt through her, snapping her out of her fugue and she felt the emotions of the last few minutes catch up with her. With a sob, she threw herself at Mattias, embracing him with no care at all for the blood he was covered in.
"I thought I was going to die," she whispered. "I thought I was never going to see you again."
"I'll never let that happen," he said fiercely, his strong arms holding her tight. She felt safe in his embrace, secure and protected. "And everyone who threatened you is going to pay for it, I promise."
The simple, angry certainty of that promise was impossible to doubt, and she clung to Mattias hard, pressing herself to him and taking the protection he offered her. She realized that she was shaking, her body weak from the stress of the attack, but Mattias lifted her effortlessly and held her to him. She never, ever wanted to let go of him again.
With a delicate cough, her father interrupted their reunion. "Your Highness," he said awkwardly. "We are of course in your debt for saving us, but nonetheless, would it be too much to ask you to put on some pants?"
Sophie stifled a laugh. If she started, she didn't think that she'd be able to stop. Mattias chuckled, though, and loosened his grip on her, turning to face her parents. His nakedness didn't seem to faze him at all.
"You're right," he said without a trace of embarrassment. "I should get cleaned up and then we all need to leave. Praetor won't be long in tracking us down."
He looked down at the surviving guard, who was still whimpering and clutching his wound. "And we'll need to work out what to do with this."
"Sophie, you show His Highness to the bathroom," her father said, looking a little unwell as he saw the injury he'd inflicted. But his determination never left his voice, and he lifted his gun to cover the prisoner. "We'll sort something out here."
Sophie was only too glad to lead Mattias out of the bloody mess that was the kitchen and leave the sights and sounds away. The bathroom was fortunately modern — that had been something her mother had insisted upon when they'd moved out to the countryside.
Once they were away from the sights of the fighting, she started to tremble again, and Mattias held her tight. The closeness of his body made her very aware of his nakedness all of a sudden, and the powerful pull of him made her breath catch. It seemed inappropriate, but she couldn't keep her mind off him. I guess there's something about surviving sudden death that makes me want to feel alive, she thought, tracing a hand across his chest before pulling back, blushing.
Mattias chuckled, a deep powerful sound that echoed off the bathroom tiles. A glance downward showed her that he was feeling the same as her — his manhood stirred as she watched. Feeling her cheeks heat, she turned away to switch on the shower.
"You need to wash up too," he said firmly as the water rushed in and steam filled the room. "Let's get you out of those clothes."
A look at herself told her that he was right. There was blood all over her clothes, and in any case she'd been wearing them for more than twenty-four hours. Well, apart from the bit last night when neither of us were wearing anything, her mind helpfully supplied. The delicious memory of his touch made her shiver.
"But we don't have time," she protested weakly. Mattias stepped under the steaming water and grinned at her, giving her a look that would have melted her at her most controlled. Now, with her blood pounding and emotions running hot, it filled her with a need for him that dwarfed anything she'd felt before.
"If we shower together we're saving time," he said, his voice that low sexy irresistible growl that she liked so much. "And anyway, you have to get out of those soaked clothes."
Before she could protest that her clothes were dry, he angled the shower head at her, sending a wave of hot water cascading across her, making her jump. Sophie clapped her hands to her mouth, barely holding in a shriek. The very last thing she wanted right now was to bring her parents running in.
"You asshole," she objected with a grin she couldn't keep off her face. Now that he'd taken the choice from her, it was easy to slip out of her clothes, abandoning them on the bathroom floor and stepping under the water with him. "That wasn't fair."
"I'm a prince," he told her as he swept her against his bare body. "I don't have to play fair."
She tried to answer, but no words came. The sheer, powerful presence of him buried all thoughts of anything else, and she wrapped herself around him as though he were her only anchor in a storm. Lifting her, Mattias brought her lips to his, and the touch of his kiss sent a spark through her that shook her to her core.
The tiles were cold against her back as he pressed her to the wall, his body against hers, the water washing over both of them. The contrast was delicious, wonderfully sensual, and the pressure of his body held her up as she wrapped her legs around him. Mattias's tongue pressed against hers, urgently invading her mouth, claiming her as he held her up. How long they stayed like that, Sophie couldn't tell. It wasn't, couldn't be, long enough — she wanted to stay there
forever.
But they both wanted something else as well, and eventually they broke apart, Mattias gently putting her down. Both of them were breathing heavily, and Sophie could feel how weak her legs were as she tried to keep her balance. Mattias looked at her hungrily, and she shivered with need for him.
Reaching out, he snatched some shower gel from the shelf on the wall, squirting it across both of them before lathering it across her body. She returned the favor, feeling his strong chest as she ran soapy hands over him, stroking lower and lower until her hands closed on his cock. He shuddered, his hands freezing for a moment as she stroked him, and then he continued, his powerful hands gentle on her body, brushing over her breasts and teasing her nipples with his fingers. His hands stroked over her, exploring as she caressed him, until he cupped her ass in his hands and squeezed.
Sophie moaned, unable to stay silent any longer, and he grinned. In her hands he felt so big, even bigger than he'd felt the night before, and she couldn't wait to feel him inside her. And neither, apparently, could he. Lifting her again, Mattias pulled her up to him, their soap-slick bodies rubbing together as he positioned her over his erect shaft. Sophie groaned eagerly, pulling him to her, locking eyes with him. She could see the need, the lust, the powerful love for her that filled him, a reflection of the feelings that filled her heart.
For a long sweet moment of anticipation, they were motionless. The quiet before the storm. And then he growled, showing teeth as he lowered her onto himself, pulling her down and impaling her. Sophie bit her lip, resisting the urge to cry out as he filled her completely. But she couldn't control her breathing, which came in ragged gasps.
Mattias held her still, lowering his mouth to her neck and kissing her powerfully. His teeth scraped her skin and she whimpered, her whole body tensing around him.
And then he began to move.
Slowly, with careful control, he lifted her and then drove himself home again. Pressing her against the tiles under the flow of water, he thrust again, quicker. Deeper. Harder.
Sophie shuddered, her fingers digging into him, holding him, scratching as he moved faster and faster. She lost control of her breathing, lost control of her body, shaking and gasping as he pounded her harder and harder under the rushing hot water.
"Come for me, Sophie," Mattias said, his voice low and intense, demanding and encouraging. "Come now."
She couldn't have resisted even if she'd wanted to. With a strangled cry she couldn't keep in, Sophie surrendered to the sensations he sent flooding through her, and let herself go. Her teeth sank into his neck as she lost herself in the lightning-strike of her orgasm. It shot through her, filling her and driving out everything else, leaving her shaking and tightening around him.
That was enough to drive him over the edge too. She felt him let go, filling her as his legs weakened and the two of them sank down onto the floor of the shower. He held her to him, his hands squeezing her against him.
"Oh Sophie, oh my god," he whispered when she was able to make out words again. "You're amazing."
She giggled. She couldn't help it. "I didn't do much, Mattias," she said. "That was all you."
"No," he told her, voice firm, his hands stroking across her tenderly. "It takes two people. You're amazing, and don't let yourself think otherwise."
He flashed her a grin, utterly free of any false modesty. "We both are."
Sophie smiled back, running a hand across his chest, feeling his breathing, his heartbeat.
"Okay. We're both amazing," she said, loving the feel of his wet skin. Then she sighed, the happy fog of their love-making receding and reality seeping back in. "But we have to get up now, amazing or not. There's too much to do."
"You're right, of course." Mattias lifted her casually as he stood, and the display of strength made Sophie's heart flutter again. But there was no time to indulge themselves. She grabbed a big fluffy towel as he switched off the water, and set to drying them.
It was a distracting experience, running the towel over every inch of his body, and it took an effort to keep herself focused and working quickly rather than enjoying the experience. The look on Mattias's face when he took a towel and dried her showed that he had the same temptation, and Sophie couldn't help looking forward to a time when they could savor the experience. Is that bad? I should be thinking about how we're going to survive the next few hours, not planning our next shower. But it was impossible to keep her mind off it, and if she couldn't be sure she'd live to experience it, she’d be damned if she wasn't at least going to enjoy the thought.
Mattias couldn't help feeling guilty as the pair of them emerged from the bathroom wearing bathrobes. That distraction had cost them time, and time was something they had in short supply. But he knew better than to think that he could have resisted it — aside from anything else, he was far from sure that they would all make it out of this mess.
If he was going to die, it wouldn't be without giving Sophie as much joy as he was able to.
Returning to the kitchen, they saw that Sophie's parents had been busy. The two soldiers' weapons were in a neat pile on the table, and the body of the dead one had been dragged away, though a bloody mark remained on the floor. The living prisoner was bound and gagged, his wound bandaged thoroughly, and Sophie's mother was just putting the first aid kit away as they returned.
"All cleaned up, I see," she said brightly, and Sophie turned an endearing shade of pink at the sparkle in her eye. "Your father is just getting some clothes for you both — though where he thinks we'll have clothes to fit a man your size, Your Highness, I don't know."
"Please call me Mattias, Mrs. Havener," Mattias said. "And I have my own clothes, I just abandoned them up the hill. I'll go and retrieve them once we have a second."
"Good," Mr. Havener said from the doorway, entering with a small pile of clothes. "Because my wife is right as usual. I don't have a thing that will fit you here, aside from the bathrobe you're already wearing."
His good humor was obviously a little forced, and Mrs. Havener's smile was shaky. Mattias wasn't surprised — the real surprise was how well they were dealing with the situation in the first place. That shouldn't be a shock, though, he thought. Anyone who can raise a daughter as amazing as Sophie must be pretty awesome themselves.
The four of them stood in silence for a moment, and then Sophie took the bundle of clothes her father had found for her and vanished to get dressed. Mattias looked outside, through the broken window he'd jumped through, and tried to think about what to do next. So far he'd been thinking one step at a time, but now the next step wasn't obvious.
"I'm sorry I dragged your daughter into this," he said quietly.
"So you should be," Mrs. Havener said, and then sighed. "No, that's not fair. You didn't bring her into this, fate did."
"And Captain Praetor," Mr. Havener added. "He's the one who's threatening our daughter, not you. And if there's any more blame to go around, we're not entirely clear of it. I shouldn't have retired like that and left her in the capital all alone."
The three of them stood silently for a moment, watching the clouds pass in the afternoon sky.
"I've got to get you out of the country," Mattias said eventually. "But the obvious routes will be watched and blocked."
"Sir," Mr. Havener started, clearly not comfortable using first names with a prince. "If you'll excuse me, that's not your priority at all."
Mattias turned to look at him, frowning.
"Oh, we'll run if you want us to, sir, but I dedicated my life to this country, and so has Sophie. Damned if I'm going to let that jumped up thug Praetor take over and ruin it. It's pretty obvious how you feel about my daughter, and trust me, sir, we're going to have a talk about that if we both live long enough, but right now you need to remember that you have a duty to the country as well."
"I'm not going to let Praetor get his hooks into the kingdom," Mattias promised. "You and your family leave and then I can deal with him without having to worry about your da
ughter's safety."
Mrs. Havener put her hand on his shoulder and sighed. "I'm sure we all appreciate the thought, Mattias, but that's not how things are going to work and you ought to know that. There's no sure way for us to get out of the country, is there? Not with the Security Service watching for us. Why, I wouldn't be confident that we'd get back to the capital, let alone out of Leotania."
Mattias grimaced, but he had to admit that they had a point. The question was, what else could they do? He shook his head.
"I admit that my plan was a little hasty," he said. "I'd thought as far as rescuing Sophie and yourselves from here, and that was that. But you're right, of course. I can't just save the people I know. I have a country to think about too."
He turned and looked down at their prisoner. "On the other hand, Praetor's got to be feeling pretty desperate too. He hasn't heard back from his attack squad, and he knows I'm here. If we do get loose, he's pretty much lost as soon as we get the word out about what's happening."
He crouched over the prisoner, removing the improvised gag. The man glared up at him.
"I won't tell you anything," he spat.
"You don't have to. Just listen," Mattias said coldly. "You've attacked and threatened my mate, you've tried to usurp my family's throne, and you broke your oath to serve your country. I wouldn't trust anything you said."
Was that a shadow of shame that crossed the man's face? Mattias couldn't tell. Whatever it was, it was hidden under the mask of bravado the soldier used to hide his fear. It didn't matter anyway. It was too late for the man to change his mind.
"I'm going to let you go now. Maybe you can make your way to a hospital, maybe not — that's not my problem. But whatever happens, this is the last mercy any member of Praetor's squad is getting from me. You tell him that, understand? When I catch up with him, he's going to regret the day he walked into a recruiting office."
With that, he hauled the man to his feet. The soldier winced as he tried to support himself, but Mattias didn't give him a chance to speak. He simply pulled the man to the door, snapped the bonds on his wrists with a casual show of strength, and shoved the man towards his car. What the man did from there was his own problem, as far as Mattias was concerned.
