To Love a Prince (Knights of Valor Book 1)

by Elizabeth Drake

  The prince had no compunction about lying to other people, but he never lied to himself. That was foolish.

  Frustration burrowed into him. Eli didn’t understand why he hadn’t sent her away, or why he hadn’t forced her to share a room with the rest of his staff.

  That bothered him more than anything else.

  Staring down at the notes in his hands, the prince growled. Enough foolish thoughts of slave girls. He had a mission to complete.

  When Prince Eli finally tucked away his papers and stretched, the sun was pinking the sky. The room had turned chill during the night, and he understood the thick rugs and warm throws despite the afternoon heat.

  The prince drew the curtains over the windows. He needed to sleep before the negotiations started, and the rising sun would make that impossible.

  Dragging himself to his bed, Eli found Auburn curled up with the blankets wrapped around her.

  Her rich copper-red hair cascaded across the pillows, and before he could stop himself, Eli reached out and stroked it. He cursed as he snatched his hand back.

  This had already been a difficult, if not impossible, assignment.

  The Dragon Church opposed slavery and demanded its abolition before it would countenance relations with Qumaref. Slavery or not, the merchants’ guilds were eager to open trade. The nobility was ambivalent, though many of the elite households had developed a taste for the rich spices and fragrances that they could only purchase from Qumaref.

  This mission had to be a test from his father, but Eli didn’t know what the king wanted. Had King Garrett sent Eli to Qumaref to appease the merchants, knowing nothing could come of it?

  No, that wasn’t like his father. The king expected something, and it would take all of Prince Eli’s considerable negotiating skills to reach an agreement. After two months on the ocean to get to the desert kingdom, Eli would be damned if he went home with nothing.

  Auburn made the situation more difficult, especially for him. A part of him wondered if his father had conspired with the sultan, but King Garrett would never countenance slavery.

  Eli gazed down at her. Temptation wrapped in silk, and he was not used to resisting temptation.

  He was also not sleeping on the floor.

  Kicking off his boots, the prince left his shirt and trousers on as he slid into bed. While he was careful not to touch her, she scooted closer to him, her eyes never opening as her chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of sleep. Eli growled several expletives, but he didn’t want to move and was too tired to do anything but sleep.

  He draped an arm over her, and she nuzzled closer, the heat of her chasing away the desert cold. She felt good in his arms, soft and right. Exhaustion didn’t allow him to question it, and he laid his cheek against her copper hair as sleep took him.

  Chapter 5

  When Auburn awoke, Eli was still asleep. Not surprising given how late he’d worked. She studied his face, hard and handsome even as he rested. So odd, Auburn thought. Any Qumarefi would have already stripped her of her virginity, taking her and using her for their pleasure. But not this dark, forbidding foreigner.

  Disappointment warred with relief. He was handsome, and while he wasn’t kind, he wasn’t cruel either. She suspected he would be a demanding lover, and the idea of him focused on her like that warmed her insides and flushed her cheeks.

  She bit her lip. It was foolish to want his attention. So much easier and less dangerous to pass unnoticed, especially as he’d already promised to take her to Tamryn.

  A shiver stole through her as she remembered the heat in his kiss and the way it had left her wanting more. Auburn hadn’t known a kiss could do that, hadn’t known her body could respond to his as it had. Hadn’t imagined she’d want anyone to kiss her again, or that she’d want to touch a man’s bare skin and feel the muscles of his chest tighten under her fingers.

  Heat slid through her veins, and she pressed closer to the prince.

  He felt good beside her. Not safe, she would never call Prince Eli safe, but protected. It was a strange feeling, as strange as his clothes, his words, and his mannerisms.

  Yet familiar.

  She’d seen him in her visions, waking dreams that both warned and guided her. Time had taught her to believe in the visions and to act on them. While images of Prince Eli were more recent, she’d seen the dragon crest he wore in her visions for as long as she could remember.

  Her fingers trembled as she stroked the gold buttons on his jacket, each etched with that dragon crest. The symbol of Tamryn.

  This was the first time she’d seen the crest in person, the first time she could touch it. The gold dragon was a symbol of Dracor. God of justice. Righteousness. Integrity.

  Tamryn worshipped the Dragon God and embraced His ways. While books had taught Auburn about Dracor and his role in the Holy Trinity, most people in Qumaref did not pay homage to Him.

  Auburn suspected that had much to do with Rashalee’s influence. The goddess of envy, lust, and greed had a strong foothold in the desert kingdom. While most would say they worshipped Thalia, little of Her mercy or compassion illuminated Qumaref.

  Whispers among the sultan’s court said the Dragon God was unforgiving, and those who worshiped Him were even more unyielding. It’s why Tamryn hadn’t been their first choice of trading partners.

  But her visions had never been wrong, no matter how unlikely they seemed. They’d shown her over and over that her only chance at freedom, her only opportunity to have a family and a child of her own, was if she followed Dracor’s path.

  The vision of a boy dressed in a red tabard bearing Tamryn’s gold dragon flashed through her memory, and her chest tightened. The child’s face was alight with youthful enthusiasm. He was so happy, so proud, and he called her momma. She squeezed a pillow to her as she yearned to hug him.

  Tears filled her eyes. A family, a home, a child who loved her. A child who was free, and who’d never know slavery. That’s why she’d made sure the sultan had picked her to dance. Why she’d risked her life to see the Tamarian delegation. Why she would do whatever it took to please the foreigner beside her.

  She wanted to bring the boy from her visions into the world.

  Eli brushed away an escaped tear.

  Pressing a hand to her chest, Auburn stifled a gasp. “I’m sorry, master. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “I’m a light sleeper. One of my many bad habits. And don’t call me master.”

  “What would you have me call you?”

  “Eli’s fine.”

  “Eli, do you want me to help you get back to sleep?”

  “How would you do that?”

  “We were taught...” Her cheeks colored. “Taught that after pleasure, men like to sleep.”

  Eli caught her hands before she could do anything with them. “Taught you that, did they?”

  Auburn glanced up at him, and her breath caught in her throat. By the gods, he was handsome, especially with his hair tousled from sleep. Handsome, motivated, and unforgiving. A whisper of desire tempered by apprehension skittered down her spine. “A good slave allows you to sleep, waiting quietly for you to awake so we can serve you again.”

  “Do you believe that nonsense? Or do you speak it because you were taught that would please me?”

  Auburn paused, unsure the answer he wanted.

  The prince thumbed over her lips. “I prefer partners who are willing. Eager. Demanding.”

  Confusion knit her brows. “Of course I’m willing. You’re my master.”

  “You recite the words they taught you, but you don’t mean them.” She opened her mouth to speak, and he touched a finger to her lips. “If you believed them, you wouldn’t want to escape to Tamryn.”

  Auburn turned away from his penetrating blue stare. It didn’t matter what she believed. Her visions had shown her the only future worth having was in Tamryn.

  He brushed away another tear. “What else did they teach you?”

  “I’m fully trained as
a consort to serve my master and bring him happiness. I can sing, dance-”

  “I saw that last night.” Eli brought her fingers to his lips.

  Excitement mingled with fear and both slid along her nerves. “I can play several instruments. Speak, read and write your language as well as Qumarefi, Elven, and Dwarven.”

  “Very useful,” Eli said. “Few have such language mastery.”

  Color warmed her cheeks. “I’m glad that pleases you.”

  “The truth, for once.”

  She stared down at her hands. “I was also given instructions on how to touch my master, how to use my hands and mouth, how to offer myself to him.”

  “Instruction? No practice?”

  “I’m chaste. For the sultan to give you anything less as a gift would be an insult.”

  Eli let go of her hands and pulled back from her. Desire and something else, something that almost looked like fear, teased across his face before he locked all emotion behind his expressionless mask.

  He was distancing himself, erecting a wall between them. She reached for him, but decided against it and folded her hands in her lap. “You can teach me. I learn quickly.”

  “I’ve seen your tears.”

  “They weren’t about you.”

  Eli stroked her cheek. “Don’t bothering lying. I was born doing it.”

  “I didn’t think Dracor allowed Tamarians to lie.”

  “Royal courts are much the same all over the world. Tamryn is different in some ways, and very much the same in others.”

  He was withdrawing, pulling back more than just physically. She didn’t want him to leave her, to distance himself and retreat under the icy façade he wore.

  Her pulse raced as she closed her eyes and touched her lips to his. Heat bloomed as his lips move against hers, the warmth sliding through her and erasing everything that wasn’t him. Madness, perhaps, but it was intoxicating and left her wanting more.

  His hand tangled in her hair as he returned the kiss. His mouth was hot and hard on hers, taking all she offered as he plundered her soft lips. Parting her, his tongue surged inside, claiming her as he held her against him.

  He tasted dark, exciting, and wholly male. The hard planes of his body pressed against her soft curves, sending sparks of desire skittering along her nerves. Yielding to him, her body softened as heat teased through her and settled into a molten ball at her core.

  His hand slid under her bodice and cupped a full breast. His fingers were hard and lightly calloused, a sensual contrast compared to the silk of her skin.

  A soft whimper escaped from her as his thumb teased over her ruched peak and sent jolts of pleasure searing through her and adding to her growing need.

  Eli cursed and let go of her. He sat up, swung his legs off the bed, and reached for his boots.

  Auburn gasped as the cool air replaced the warmth of him. She swallowed and forced her voice to stay even. “You should come back to bed. You went to sleep late, and that was after a very long day.”

  Eli yanked on a boot. “Don’t know why the gods are tempting me. They already know I’ll give in.”

  “But you’re from Tamryn. You’d never ‘give in’ to something.” Auburn watched him pull on his other boot. “The books say you must follow your code.”

  “Don’t mistake me for a Knight of Valor.”

  “What’s a Knight of Valor?”

  “A thorn in my side,” Eli said.

  A frown puckered her brow.

  He glanced back at her. “You really don’t know?”

  “You overestimate how much Qumaref knows about Tamryn.”

  “Knights of Valor are men and women in service to the Dragon God. They are a powerful force in Tamryn politics.”

  “Servants of the Dragon God?”

  “People who’ve sworn to uphold Dracor’s ideals. They take an oath and follow a special code. They’re some of our most powerful soldiers and healers, and they’re what most people imagine when they think of Tamryn.”

  “Have you ever met one?”

  “Too many. Their code may serve their god, but they’re dogmatic, and it’s difficult to get them to compromise. You’ve lived in a royal court. You know how important compromise is.”

  “Did any come to Qumaref with you?”

  Eli stilled, and she’d have thought jealousy flashed across his impassive face if it wasn’t such an absurd notion. “No. They’d have made negotiations impossible. As a matter of fact, they were against this entire meeting.”

  “But you’re here anyway.”

  “They answer to the Crown and their god. Only under extreme circumstances would they disobey the king. A diplomatic mission to Qumaref is not an extreme circumstance.”

  She considered the vision of her yet-to-be-conceived son wearing a dragon tabard. “When we get to Tamryn, would you introduce me to a Knight of Valor? I’d like to learn more about them.”

  “Perhaps,” Eli said.

  Auburn recognized the unsaid “no” in his tone, but she didn’t understand why he wouldn’t want her to meet a Knight of Valor. Perhaps he was at odds with them. He had come to Qumaref against their wishes.

  Pushing the idea away, she slipped on her dainty cerulean-blue slippers and padded over to the window. “It’ll be some time until the sultan wakes.”

  Eli frowned and glanced at the clock. “Meetings are supposed to begin shortly.”

  “The sultan won’t be there, and he’s the only one with the power to agree to anything. He won’t trust his retainers, so anything you discuss you’ll need to be repeat when he arrives.”

  “I’d rather not waste my time.”

  Auburn nodded as she gazed at the rising sun and tried to hide the strange sense of confusion and disappointment filling her. “I recommend you send someone to sit in your place.”

  “He can’t negotiate anything.”

  “Neither can the Qumarefis. When the sultan arrives, have one of your men come get you so the real discussions can begin. Keeps your standing at the same level as the sultan.”

  Eli cursed under his breath. “Is Qumaref serious about negotiations?”

  “Yes, but they need whatever advantages they can get.”

  “Which means they want something they don’t think I’ll give them.”

  “Any trade agreement with Tamryn will be difficult. The sultan knows that.”

  Eli walked to the door, called to Sligo, and made the arrangements.

  “Now will you come back to bed?” Auburn asked.

  The prince sucked in a breath.

  “I’ll take care of things while you rest.”

  “What things?”

  “Arranging meals to the tastes of you and your men, having my clothes brought over, and informing the housekeeping staff of your schedule.”

  “You’re not a slave anymore.”

  “I am under Qumarefi law, but that’s not what this is about. I’m a member of your retinue, and I want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

  “Do what you must.” Eli shook his head and lay back down on the bed.

  Chapter 6

  Eli couldn’t sleep as he watched Auburn tidy the already neat room. Her grace and poise made the mundane task seem sensual, and he enjoyed the domesticity.

  Strange emotions flooded him, as unusual as they were dangerous. He needed to distance himself from Auburn until this insanity passed.

  But he didn’t want to, and he wasn’t used to doing things he didn’t want to do.

  What in the seven hells was wrong with him? How had he let himself sleep beside a woman he barely knew? A woman he shouldn’t trust? Fatigue only explained part of it.

  Lust was clouding his judgment. Dangerous enough for most men, but lethal for a prince.

  And why had he been honest with her about the Knights’ and their relationship with the Crown? It wasn’t a secret, but there was no need to tip his hand to the Qumarefis if they hadn’t done their research.

  Prudence dictated he treat her a
s if she were a spy and reporting everything she learned back to the sultan. Eli should use that to his advantage and feed her misinformation. Even if he she wasn’t a spy, he could find no downside to lying to her.

  But he didn’t want to lie to Auburn. Didn’t want what was between them to be built on half-truths and political machinations.

  He caught himself. There was nothing between them, and there never could be.

  He watched Auburn pause before a mirror, and Eli almost expected a Medusa’s reflection or none at all. At least it would explain why he felt bewitched.

  No such luck.

  Auburn tucked an errant strand of copper-colored hair behind her ear then slipped out of his room.

  The moment she closed the door, Eli searched his suite for Sligo. He found his bodyguard concealed in the shadows of his dressing room.

  “Follow Auburn and make sure she gets back here without incident.”

  Sligo pursed his lips but nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

  “I’ll be reviewing my notes from last night. Minimal risk, but it would be an embarrassment to me and the entire delegation if something happened to the sultan’s gift.”

  “I’ll post a few more guards. Palace security is lax and corrupt.”

  Eli nodded, and Sligo disappeared after Auburn.

  Sucking in a steadying breath, the prince told himself Sligo would protect her. She was safe with his bodyguard. His pulse quieted, and Eli sat back in one of the overstuffed chairs. Closing his eyes, he tried to formulate a compromise between the Dragon Church’s restrictions and Qumaref’s needs.

  His focus kept slipping towards the woman with cornflower-blue eyes.

  Opening his briefs, Prince Eli read them, but he already knew what he’d written, and images of Auburn kept intruding.

  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up beside someone. He’d had plenty of paramours, but they didn’t want him there in the morning any more than he wanted the gossips to discover with whom he’d been.

  Auburn was different.