by Ivy Clyde
My gaze went to the open window.
A sickle moon was visible in the darkening sky. Another day had passed while I was buried among all the reports. With a sigh, I got to my feet and stretched my arms.
Walking to the window, I looked out. There were no views of magnificent gardens. Only the edges of the woods that stood at the back of the palace were visible.
I took a deep breath, savoring the freedom coursing through my veins.
Lady Elga cut me away from Linmoor Valley, giving me back my independence. Of course, the condition of utmost secrecy was placed upon me. In the letter she sent through Tuto, she warned me about the spell she’d placed on me. Other than the three princes, I couldn’t speak of Linmoor Valley to anyone else.
As another gust of cold wind shifted the strands of my dark hair behind me, a new thought flashed in my mind. Now that I could fly, it would only take a few hours to reach Huadu from Fuvaros…
I glanced back at the pile of government reports on my desk.
Those can wait, I decided, climbing onto the ledge of the window.
I jumped down, letting my body fall through the air and then transforming into my dragon form mere feet from the ground. Beating my massive wings, I took to air, steadily making my way towards the southwestern horizon.
Being a black-scaled dragon was perfect for night time flying. If the moon wasn’t too bright, my form easily melted in the dark.
Cold air rushed past me, bringing me the ecstatic sensation of being absolutely free. I smiled inwardly as all my restraints fell away and I eagerly looked forward to reaching my destination.
The terrain began changing after an hour’s flying.
The tall mountains fell away, leaving vast plains in my view. The air turned warmer and I was sure Baledonia was closer than ever before.
Changing my direction to the west, I flew for another hour. Suddenly, my keen eyes spotted flickering pinpricks of light far below me. Flying lower, I recognized it to be flames from lit torches. Huadu was only minutes away.
Soon, the vast palace of Huadu came in view.
Gliding soundlessly around the grounds, I flew lower. It was astonishing how stealthy my dragon could be despite her vastness.
Having stayed at the palace for a few weeks, I’d learned about every corridor and passageway that led to Adal’s quarters. Shifting back to my human form, I dropped to my feet on a terrace garden. If my memory served me right, Adal’s chambers were located beyond the glass-fronted doors.
Excitement coursed through me.
Jogging forward, I pushed open the door. The pervading fragrances of lavender and lotus instantly reminded me of my stay there. Everything was silent in the corridors. Hoping Adal wasn’t in the astronomical tower (which was his favorite place), I tiptoed towards his study.
Before I could push open the door, a sharp voice stopped me.
“Who’s there?” Adal’s tight voice sounded through the gap.
“Me.”
Adal whirled around instantly. His beautiful blue eyes were widened in astonishment as he got to his feet and rushed to the door. Throwing it open, he simply stared at me.
“I have missed you,” I said in a gentle voice and placed my hand against his cheek.
His hand closed over mine. “Am I dreaming?”
A soft chuckle escaped me. “No. I’m really here.”
He pulled me into a tight hug, pressing me to his hard chest. He breathed in my scent deeply, burying his face in the side of my neck.
“It’s not a dream,” he said with a wild laugh. “You are really here. I can feel your warmth and smell your irresistible scent.”
Loosening his hold over me, he looked down at me with anxiety swirling in his sky-blue eyes. “Is everything all right?”
Before I could reassure him, he grabbed my wrist and led me towards the parlor room.
The familiarity of the place further helped to relax me. Adal cast a raking glance at me before pouring wine into two silver goblets. Handing me one, he took a sip from his cup.
The sweet, floral wine felt good against my dry throat. It warmed my belly, suffusing me with energy, instantly taking away the exhaustion from flying this far.
“Tell me what happened after we left Drakhaven,” he said, taking a seat on one of the plush sofas.
“Mekhi and Zane are dead. I gave out the order to banish Helena but for the moment, she is locked up in the dungeons. She’s refused to go anywhere.”
“You want to sentence her to death too.”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “It would hurt Ren deeply if I killed her. He knows not to ask me for mercy and he hasn’t, but I don’t want to hurt him like that. As for Helena, she’s lost all power and recognition. She is a kitten without claws.”
“I can understand how difficult it is to manage family matters.” He looked tired and crestfallen. “My nephews blame me for what happened to their fathers. They have refused to come back to live in the palace.”
“Where are they now?”
“They are staying with their mothers’ families.”
“What about Lady Jifa and Kora?”
A gentle smile rose on his lips. “They are absolutely fine. Mother and her maid escaped the palace on the night we left. They came back only after the news of my arrival reached them.”
A long breath exhaled out of me.
“That is good to know. I’ve been so worried about them.”
I sipped more wine, letting its warmth lull me. My back leaned against the plush couch as I watched my mate. It’d been so long since I felt this relaxed.
“How is the court handling matters to your accession to the throne?” I asked after a while.
“They have no choice but to accept me. I am the direct heir of the late king. Rightfully, the throne belongs to me now. The achievement of my true form further cemented my claim.”
“Have any of your nephews opposed you?”
He shook his head. “My eldest nephew is barely twelve years old. He might blame me for his father’s death but he has no wish to take up the throne. I think he and his mother want a quieter, peaceful life away from court and politics.”
“How have the nobles been treating you?”
Adal looked thoughtful for a moment. “Most of them seem to be glad. They believe the taxes will come down if they just have to pay to the crown of Baledonia alone.”
“The nobles in Baledonia pay taxes?” I asked, surprised.
“Of course. They had to pay to the crown and a large portion would go to Drakhaven.”
I drank more of the wine. Since Ivan made the other three kingdoms pay him taxes, the nobles in Drakhaven could easily go without paying any. Suddenly, I could see why the nobles were so resistant to my rule. As long as I was queen, I would be fair and not charge tithe from the other three kingdoms. It meant they would have to pay taxes to the crown which they hadn’t done in fifteen years.
“Why so glum, Daria?” Adal had come to sit next to me. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on the side of my neck, drawing a shiver out of me. All thoughts of conniving nobles left my mind. Adal’s warmth spread through the fabric of my clothes, heating up my skin.
Turning towards him, I looked into the depths of his eyes.
I’d been craving for such a moment. There was no threat looming over us now. We could afford to relax and enjoy each other’s warmth without fearing a thing in the world. I was no longer an assassin of Linmoor Valley but a princess of Drakhaven.
There was nothing separating us anymore.
Leaning in close, I brushed my lips with his.
“Daria,” he murmured against my lips. Next moment, he pressed his mouth to mine. One of his hands held my waist while the other twined in my hair.
I moaned into his mouth, losing myself to his touches.
We deepened our kiss, letting our tongues swirl around the other in a languid dance.
Heat coursed through my veins, bringing with it an insatiable throbbing ache between my l
egs.
Adal’s hand moved to rest on my belly. Parting from me, he looked at me with an intense look in his eyes. “Your stomach still feels so flat and soft.”
I giggled. “It will be another few months before you can notice a change. The life within me is still a little more than just a seed.”
“So, it would be all right for me to be inside you?” The blue of his irises darkened with that question.
“It would be fine.” To make my point clear, I grabbed the lapel of his tunic and pulled him close for another fiery kiss.
Soon, he’d pushed me against the backrest of the plush chair. His mouth devoured mine hungrily while his hands deftly loosened the ties of my satin gown. Within minutes, the dress was slipping off my shoulders.
“Let us go into my bedchambers,” he breathed. “We’ll be far more comfortable.”
I gave him a nod. Adal got to his feet and with a sudden movement, he hauled me in his arms. I gasped out, hurrying to hold onto his neck while my dress further slipped down my breasts. He carried me away in that state to his chambers.
The fragrance of blooming lotuses hung in the air as he laid me down on his bed. Closing the curtains of embroidered silk that hung around the bedposts, Adal moved into the enclosed space with me.
Lying down beside me, he turned me to face him. Capturing my lips once more in a hungry kiss, he rekindled the fire within me. Wanting to feel the searing heat of his skin against mine, I began pulling at the strings of his tunic.
Within minutes, we’d gotten rid of all our clothes.
Adal trailed kisses down the slope of my neck to reach my breasts. Shivers ignited throughout my body as he took a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard.
A moan escaped me as my fingers clutched at the soft strands of his hair.
His other hand slowly made its way down my stomach, reaching further down to close over my mound. My sex throbbed in response to his touch.
I moaned his name, urging him to take me. Delicious shivers ran through my body but I wanted more.
“You are making me lose my patience,” said Adal in a hoarse voice. His hardened manhood lay against my inner thigh. “I want to make it last the whole night.”
I chuckled softly.
“I’ll have to be back in Drakhaven by dawn,” I said. “No one knows I’m here.”
“All the more reason to keep you to myself,” he whispered, thrusting his tongue into my mouth to stop me from arguing. My mind was soon lost in the feel of his tongue on mine, the floral scent that enveloped me completely and the feel of his throbbing cock against the softness of my thigh.
Lifting his body over mine, he positioned the thick head of his shaft at my entrance.
“You’re always so ready for me, Daria,” he whispered, rubbing his head inside my slippery slit.
“Come inside me,” I pleaded. “Please, Adal. It’s been far too long since you’ve been inside me.”
“No more separation,” he whispered hoarsely and pushed inside me with a hard thrust.
The sudden breach of my tight channel made me gasp out. My nails dug into the skin of his shoulders as I was being stretched to my limit. He kissed the column of my throat, easily distracting me from any discomfort.
Pulling out, Adal thrust inside me once again, burying himself fully in my warmth.
“It feels amazing to be inside you,” he whispered against my ear.
I moaned in response and raised my hips to meet his slow, steady thrusts.
Adal was a gentle lover on most occasions but tonight, he wasn’t holding back. His strokes became long and hard. He closed his mouth over a nipple as he plunged inside me. My body burst into a hundred different sensations. Fire coursed through my veins and concentrated in my pulsing core.
My navel tightened, the throbbing pleasure in my sex becoming stronger than I could bear. Just as Adal’s lips pressed against the spot beneath my right ear, I felt my control crumble and wash away with an explosion of fiery pleasure.
My cries of ecstasy rang out in the quiet room.
Adal came to a halt but remained buried inside me. Pulling out, he helped me on my stomach. Before I knew it, he’d switched our positions.
Grabbing my thighs, he raised my hips towards him. Positioning the throbbing head of his cock at my entrance, he thrust in once again. I moaned out his name as he slipped inside my slick channel.
As another mountain of pleasure built inside me, I rose on my knees and pushed my hips backward, making his cock impale me deeper.
One of his hands squeezed my breast while the other palmed by sex. He was claiming my entire body as he thrust into me with hard strokes.
“I love you, Daria,” he said in a rough voice.
“Adal,” I moaned, leaning backward.
His hand squeezed my mounds while the hand over my sex rubbed over my clit. The heat inside me grew into a raging inferno, smoldering me from inside out.
Rough moans escaped me as Adal’s grunts grew louder.
The intensity of my pleasure rose higher than before, making my back arch against Adal’s chest as he continued to thrust inside me.
“I am close,” he gritted out.
His thrusts became harder and faster. I tried to hold onto my climax. My hands grabbed at the sheets beneath me as he plunged into me.
Our cries of pleasure mingled together as we reached our peaks simultaneously. Our joined bodies trembled with heat and ecstasy as we gasped for breath. Strands of dark hair stuck to my sweaty neck and back as my heart thundered in my chest.
Adal gently pulled out of me and lay me against the pillows.
I looked up at him, my body deliciously spent.
“You’re beautiful, Daria,” he said, his eyes hazed with love and lust.
“So, are you,” I said, resting my hand on his cheek.
Lowering his body next to me, he pulled me into a tight embrace.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he whispered in my ear.
“Sshh.” Closing my eyes, I let my head rest against his chest.
Adal covered both our bodies with a light sheet. In the balmy Baledonian night, even that was unnecessary.
As my heart slowed and my body cooled down, my eyes drooped closed. Sighing contentedly, I nestled closer to my mate and let slumber take over my senses.
14
Daria
My eyes slowly fluttered open.
Adal’s bedchamber was still dark, telling me I hadn’t slept longer than a few hours. His breathing sounded relaxed. I stayed pressed to his body for another moment before forcing myself to move out of his warm embrace.
He grunted, grabbing onto my wrist. In the darkness, I could see his eyes shining as he looked at me.
“I don’t want to let you go,” he said in a low voice. “Can’t you stay with me one more day?”
“I wish…”
Adal sat up as I tugged at my wrist. He loosened his hold, letting me pull my hand away.
“My court isn’t as peaceful as yours,” I confessed in a low voice. “The nobles don’t agree with me. They are grabbing onto their powers by sheer force. It won’t be long before they rebel against me.” A sigh escaped me. “They believe they speak for the people.”
“Is it safe for you there?” His hand came to close upon mine, holding it tightly once more.
“It doesn’t matter. As the one to sit on the throne, it is my responsible to rid my court of the corrupt and evil.”
“Still,” he insisted. “It makes me anxious to leave you all alone among those who would harm you and our baby.” His hand rested lightly on my belly. “I want both of you to be safe.”
“Don’t worry. My dragon is extremely protective of the baby.” My mind went back to the moment when Zane had marched forward to attack me. My dragon had taken over back then without my urging. Even if I was slow, she was fast enough to protect the life growing within us.
Strengthening my will, I moved out of Adal’s hold and picked up my clothes that lay scattered over
the large bed. In the dim light of a few lanterns, I hurriedly pulled on my gown and tightened the laces.
Adal watched me with a forlorn expression.
“It’s hard for me too, you know,” I said after a while.
He must have sensed the anguish in my voice because a moment later, he was off the bed and beside me. Bringing me into an embrace, he stroked the long length of my hair.
“Forgive me for being selfish,” he whispered. “It must be the effects of being a king. Before, nothing belonged to me and suddenly, everyone bows before my whims.”
I smiled up at him and pecked his lips. “It is exactly as it should be.”
He leaned down to capture my lips in a deeper kiss.
My body reacted to the searing touch of his lips on mine. Delicious shivers raced all over my body but I willed myself to suppress my desire. I had to get back to Drakhaven before dawn.
I stepped away from Adal, breaking the kiss suddenly.
“We’ll see each other soon,” I promised.
Donning his clothes, Adal led me back to the terrace garden.
The stars overhead told me dawn was approaching. I had to hurry back before anyone knew where I’d gone. It was imperative for my enemies to not know there were times when I was missing from the palace.
With one last kiss, I shifted into my dragon form and took flight.
Ren found me in my office chamber at midday.
“I need to talk to you about something,” he said, marching through the doors. He settled himself on a plush chair on the other side of my desk. The expression in his deep blue eyes was grim.
“Yes?”
“The bodies have been recovered,” he said. “We can cremate them today.”
I let out a breath of relief. Ren hadn’t suspected a thing about my escape last night. For now, I sat in my corner in a fresh gown of fuchsia silk with my hair neatly set in a simple but elegant bun at the base of my neck. No one would know of the sleepless night I’d spent.
“We can get done with that today,” I said with a nod.
