by Lila Jean
Flynn pointed at Zane. “You might want to put your guard up, bud.”
“No need.”
Killian shrugged. “Your funeral.”
Flynn lowered his head to whisper something to Killian, who nodded. They no doubt were placing wagers on how quickly Zane would lose. Normally, Zane would have played his cards close to his chest to hide his true abilities, but the contest had changed everything.
The other princes needed to fully understand the strategic mind they were up against.
Draven circled, his feet dancing effortlessly over the mat. Zane pivoted, always the center of the circle, his eyes locked on the dragon shifter’s shoulder for the first sign of real movement.
The first blow came fast as lightning, but Zane saw it coming. He dodged, the blow missing by inches.
Along the edges of the arena, the three princes paused in their mumbled conversations to watch a bit more closely.
Draven struck again, this time to grab Zane’s collar and throw him to the ground. Zane effortlessly sidestepped the attack. The dragon prince frowned, and Zane couldn’t resist a cocky smirk. The dragons were renowned fighters, famed for the body counts they left behind on battlefields, and yet here one of their best was being shown up by a cat shifter who couldn’t fight.
Delicious.
Blow after blow sailed by, predictable nine times out of ten. Zane still managed to dodge the rare surprise attack with his enhanced shifter reflexes, and he effortlessly regained his balance even when he jumped awkwardly out of reach.
The longer they fought, the more Draven fumed. His punches became more erratic the more frustrated he got, and he was perfectly primed for the final phase of Zane’s plan. The easiest way to throw off a dragon shifter was to insult his fighting ability, and now it would be all too easy to get under Draven’s skin.
“Right jab,” Zane called out seconds before Draven threw the blow. The dragon prince faltered, the shock on his face almost too perfect.
As the sparring match continued, Zane called out every blow before Draven could launch it. Right roundhouse. Jab-cross combo. Elbow hook.
Draven paused, hands on his knees as he heaved. The dragon shifter stared at Zane in disbelief. “How are you doing that?”
Zane grinned. “Doing what?”
Draven sighed with frustration but, to his credit, offered a sweaty hand. “Fine, you’ve made your point. I misjudged you, cat. I won’t do it again.”
“Wise move.” Zane shook his hand, the match a clear draw.
“I’m impressed,” Anthony said from his place on the wall.
None of the others had realized Zane was so attuned to his environment, and it was clear he had earned their respect. He returned to the wall and crossed his arms as Draven wiped a towel over his sweaty face and neck. Flynn and Killian took the mat next.
With his point made, Zane had to admit he rather enjoyed their company. It was a shame they would all hate each other again once Tina made her choice.
25
Killian
The next morning, Killian fumed in his bedroom as he re-read the urgent letter from his father. Overnight, an eagle emissary to the dragons had gone missing. As with all the other missing dignitaries, only traces of the shifter’s blood had been left behind. No leads. No evidence.
Seething over the news, Killian had half a mind to confront Draven about what the prince knew on the matter, but he resisted the impulse. That sex-obsessed dragon probably didn’t pay attention in his father’s war room meetings.
He groaned in frustration, torn between his own interests and that of his people. He had wanted to speak privately with Tina from the moment he had seen her in her bedroom window, but he had resisted out of propriety. He had to wait his turn, after all. It was the respectful thing to do. Today was his first chance to spend any real time with her, and the letter’s timing couldn’t have been worse.
The grandfather clock in the corner chimed ten, and a jolt of surprise shook him as he realized he was late to meet with Tina.
Damn it all.
Preoccupied with the news, he hurried to her room and knocked on the door, mind still racing with worry and doubts.
She answered seconds later wearing a stunning white gown with golden detail along the sleeves and bodice. The colors reminded him of home, of the elegant spires of his father’s palace. Her dark curls cascaded over her shoulders, and she smiled warmly as he caught her eye.
For a moment, Killian’s mind went blank. The worry and doubt faded as he drank her in, happily distracted by the beautiful woman before him. Deep in his core, his eagle preened. It fluffed its feathers, scratching at him with its beak as it urged him to get closer. It wanted to observe her, to study and understand her better.
How odd. His eagle was usually calm and obedient, not one to make itself known outside of a life-or-death situation. But around Tina, it was awake and lively.
“You look stunning,” Killian said to the goddess.
Tina’s smile broadened. “Thank you, Killian. Have you eaten breakfast yet? One of the priestesses just brought me food enough for four people. Not sure what she thinks I’m doing in here to need that much bacon.”
“Hey, you can never have enough bacon. It’s basically meat candy.”
She chuckled and gestured into the room. “Help yourself.”
He crossed the threshold, surprised and honored that she would let him into her bedroom. She led him into one of the back chambers and sat at a table with a large platter set on its surface, the tray brimming with at least three pounds of bacon, ham, sausage, toast, and eggs. Piles of grapes and oranges lay on a second platter nearby.
“That is an obscene amount of food,” he admitted.
“Told you.” She bit into a strip of bacon.
He joined her and helped himself, confident he couldn’t possibly eat enough to so much as make a dent in the pile.
Even though her stunning face and the plunging neckline on her dress distracted him, he found himself staring out the window more than once as they ate in a comfortable silence. He tried to make small talk, but his gut told him something was truly wrong outside the temple walls. This was the sixth dignitary to go missing and the second eagle.
“Killian, what’s the matter?” Tina asked.
Her voice snapped him out of his daze, and he sighed with frustration. He ran his hands through his hair in defeat. “Tina, I’m sorry. I’ve just gotten terrible news, and I’m having trouble letting go.”
“Then don’t. What happened?”
He hesitated, searching her face as she waited patiently for him to speak. “I don’t want to ruin our day together.”
She waved her hand to dismiss the thought. “Nonsense. You seem genuinely worried. Get it off your chest.”
He relaxed, amazed she would care. He figured a powerful goddess wouldn’t bother herself with his problems, but Tina waited calmly for him to speak.
“Very important people in my kingdom are going missing,” he said.
Her brow wrinkled with concern. “Do you know who’s behind it?”
“No idea. It’s a global problem. Dignitaries from the shifter and demigod kingdoms alike have been slowly disappearing for months. Do you know anything about this?”
She shook her head. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“It began back in January when a dragon emissary disappeared while visiting the cat shifter kingdom Cimarron. It caused quite an uproar. He’s been missing ever since, and the only clue was a blood-drenched room.”
“That’s horrible,” she said softly.
Killian nodded, leaning his elbows on the table as he ignored the food in front of them. “A cat dignitary went missing next, this time from my home in Aurous.”
Tina interjected. “And some think the dragons are responsible for the cat shifter’s disappearance but are trying to frame the eagles?”
“Exactly. The dragons deny everything, of course, but few believe them. It’s snowballed since then
. Now every kingdom has lost someone. Everyone blames each other, certain it’s a petty bid for revenge over any number of minor infractions we’ve caused against each other.”
She frowned. “Is that why everyone was at each other’s throats when the kings were here?”
Killian leaned back in his chair and propped his foot on his knee. “It’s part of it, sure, but the kingdoms have always hated each other. I think each sees the others as a threat. We live in fear of each other. While humans have greater numbers, they don’t have our power. The other paranormals are our only real equals in terms of ability.”
“Hmm, interesting.” She tapped her finger on her red lips as she lost herself in thought.
Despite the situation, Killian smiled as he watched her. The women back home didn’t usually care about politics. Even his older sister, who had grown up with a place of honor in their father’s war rooms, had bowed out of it the moment she was married, sending her husband in her place.
Yet Tina seemed genuinely interested. It seemed like she understood the stresses of a politically charged environment and how fear could make good men do terrible things. Like his father’s threat against Tina’s life. Killian’s smile fell.
“Hold on, wait,” she muttered to herself. Her chair scraped along the floor as she stood and disappeared into another room. She reappeared seconds later with a pen and a sheet of paper.
Killian tried to peek at the page as she wrote. “What are you doing?”
“Brain dump of ideas. Tell me more about who’s missing. Let’s see if we can find a pattern.”
For a moment, he didn’t answer. Instead, he simply observed her, smitten by her intelligence and heart.
When he didn’t say anything, she looked up expectantly. “Do you not want my help?”
That snapped him out of his daze. “Of course, I do. Let’s relocate to my office. I have all of my notes there.”
She grinned. “You’re just trying to get me into your bedroom, aren’t you?”
He lifted his hands in gentle surrender, all honor and pride. “Absolutely not. I apologize if that was too forward. I won’t—”
“Relax, I’m kidding,” she said, standing once more. She gestured to the door. “Lead the way.”
With a relieved smile that she understood his intentions were pure, he set his hand on the small of her back and gently led her down the hallway.
Much to Killian’s surprise, they spent their entire day poring over his notes. The conversation only slowed when they both reclined on separate sofas to read through pages and letters, looking for new clues he might have missed before. From time to time, they took a break to eat and share stories from their childhoods. He described the snowy mountains he called home and the reverent way his mother had spoken about the gods.
It almost scared him how easily he shared his fondest memories with her. Nothing seemed too sensitive to share, and she listened to it all with a relaxed smile on her face.
No scrutiny. No manipulation. No expectations. She simply listened and enjoyed his company.
As the final light of the day began to fade, Killian stretched in his chair by the door. He rubbed his eyes, absolutely sick of reading through his notes. Thus far, they hadn’t discovered anything of significance, but it had helped significantly to get his worries off his chest.
Across from him, Tina sat at his desk with her arms curled around a book and her eyes closed, an ink smudge on her cheek. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically. Enamored, Killian smiled as she slept.
Any number of other men would have taken advantage of a sleeping goddess, but she willingly let her guard down around Killian. Inwardly, his eagle fluffed its feathers with pride. He ran a hand through her hair, grateful she trusted him enough to sleep in his presence.
Her eyes fluttered open at his touch, and she rubbed one eye as she woke. “What time is it?”
“Late. Should we relocate to your room?”
She laughed. “Killian, I never expected you to be so forward.”
He froze, horrified at what he had just said. “Wait, no, that came out wrong.”
“I’m just messing with you.” She playfully kissed him on the cheek.
Instead of pulling away, she lingered near his mouth. She examined his face with those hazel eyes, daring him to do what she must have known he desperately wanted to do.
So be it.
He cupped her head with his hands and kissed her, loving the sweet taste of her lips on his. His eagle preened with victory, egging him on, but he silenced it as he ended the kiss.
“Thank you for your help today,” he said.
Tina shrugged. “I’m not sure I was much help, but you’re welcome nonetheless. After a day of books and study, though, I think it’s time we get some sleep. Separately, of course.” She winked.
He grinned and held the door open for her, determined to walk her to her room even if it was only a short trip. He ran his hand through his hair as they wandered the hallways, surprised a woman could get to him like this. He was usually the cool, charming one, but she had effortlessly ruffled his feathers.
And strangest of all, he liked it.
26
Tina
As the end of the first week of the contest neared, Tina jumped out of bed an hour early and paused at the window to stare out at the forests beyond the temple, mulling over Zane’s offer to give her whatever resources she needed to evade an attack. Deep down, her goddess told her he was a man of his word, even if she didn’t choose him.
Inwardly, a coil of desire curled in her abdomen as her goddess toyed again with the idea of having them all. Damara had become like a best friend to Tina, but good gracious was she horny. The goddess was used to having whatever men she pleased after all, and the idea of choosing just one didn’t seem to appeal to her in the least. True, these were princes, the men slated to rule, but why couldn’t she have them all?
Tina chuckled and playfully rolled her eyes at her goddess. “I don’t think that’s how kings and succession work, Damara.”
With lust and desire swimming through her body, Tina wondered what she and Zane would do today. She tapped her finger on her lips, a devious little idea forming in her mind. If she knew Zane, he would find a way to bend the rules, though never break them outright, and she wanted to be ready for their day together. She grabbed a piece of paper and wrote Zane a note before hopping in the shower.
Perhaps it was time to see how far her tiger shifter liked to bend the rules.
27
Zane
Zane had the perfect reason to be early for his date with Tina: a new book about Damara’s past. Though he hadn’t found much more about how Tina could control her new magic, he had gotten ahold of a rare book that had gone out of print decades ago.
When Zane approached Tina’s room, the door sat slightly ajar with a note taped above the handle. Inside, the patter of water against a tile floor caught his attention. He plucked the post-it from the door and quickly scanned it.
Zane—
Come on in. I’ll be ready soon and will meet you in the lounge area to the left of the bedroom.
—Tina
He smiled, wondering what she had up her sleeve today. As far as he could tell from the gentle humming and shuffling in her suite, Tina was alone. He still didn’t like the idea of her leaving the door open, though, and he wanted to be certain she was safe. Even in her own temple, he had begun to uncover the first lingering hints of danger and untrustworthy priestesses.
Senses on high alert, he sniffed at the air, prepared for a fight in case someone had slipped into her room after she got in the shower. Lingering hints of Tina’s sweet floral perfume rolled into the hallway. While a few of the other princes’ scents lingered in the bedroom, none had been here recently.
The blurred spice of arousal and sex mingled in the air strongest of all, interrupting his protective streak with a flood of desire. It turned him on to think of her naked with her legs spread apart. He was far beyond jeal
ous at this point, too eager for her to feel anything other than need anymore.
Silent as a ghost, Zane slipped into the room and gently shut the door behind him. Steam rolled from the open bathroom door like a fog, and a single silhouette hummed to herself in the shower. The seven-foot glass doors of her massive shower fogged so much he could barely see her. Along the walls, gold flecks in the bathroom’s red tile shimmered in the light.
Zane tensed, mesmerized as she twisted in the shower, scrubbing her body with a loofah while steam swirled around her. Zane might have been a nerd, but he had read more about the sexual arts than even Draven. He was ready for this.
In a few swift motions, Zane tugged off his shirt and pants. This was as clear an invitation as any, and he wasn’t going to miss his chance.
The door rattled a bit as he slid it open, and Tina gasped quietly when he appeared through the warm mist. Water streamed down her stunning body, accentuating every curve on its way to the drain. A few foamy suds clung to her shoulder.
“Zane, I didn’t think you’d actually join me.” Tina paused her scrubbing and shot him a naughty little smile. “I figured I would waltz out in a towel and get to play with you a bit.”
“It’s okay.” He stepped under the massive showerhead, planting a kiss on her forehead as he shared the waterfall with her. “I like being teased.”
“I said you could come into the room, not the shower.” She trailed her finger over his chest as the warm water fell against his head. “You’re dangerously close to breaking my rules, professor.”
Her touch flipped a switch in his brain. It soothed his racing mind, and he could simply be with her. He closed the gap between them, his cock hardening at the delicious curves on her body. He paused to take her in, admiring the view. She grinned, all curves and grace.
