Princess Triumvirate (Pirate Princess, # 2)

by Catherine Banks

“On a trip,” he answered vaguely.

  “Tilia,” Aquinn said behind me.

  I gasped in shock and then growled. “Why does everyone enjoy scaring me?”

  He smirked and said, “Your face is rather amusing when you are scared.”

  “Wonderful. How can I help you?” I asked.

  “It is time,” he said vaguely.

  “Time for what?” I asked.

  “The binding,” he replied as though I should have known immediately.

  “Oh, right.”

  He set his hand on my shoulder and we appeared next to Finn in a grass field surrounded by trees.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Finn smiled at me, but there was tension in the corner of his eyes. I might not have noticed it if Favian had not talked to me.

  “Are you ready?” he asked me.

  I nodded and gripped his hands with mine. “Definitely.”

  Some of the tension left and his back straightened a bit. “Good.”

  “How does this work?” I asked Aquinn.

  “Just repeat the words after me and then you’ll be bound for the rest of your longer than usual lives.”

  “Will it hurt?” I asked softly. Finn squeezed my hands in reassurance.

  “No,” Aquinn said quickly. “Repeat these words: I bind thee to me, from now until my last breath. Joined as one, none will come between us.”

  We repeated the words and warmth filled me up. A golden thread flowed out of my chest and one out of Finn’s. They floated towards each other and then connected. Instantly, I was thrown into Finn’s mind and his memories flowed one after the next. I watched everything that had happened to him, right up until the moment we were bound. When the memories disappeared and my normal sight returned, Finn stared at me with shock and tears on his face.

  “It is done,” Aquinn said.

  Love. Jealousy. Sadness. I could feel all of these emotions swirling within Finn.

  “I will teleport you to your room and leave you to talk,” Aquinn said since neither of us had spoken yet.

  Once he left, I wiped my face on my sleeve and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

  “Many things,” he answered and wiped his own face.

  “Well, let’s talk about it,” I suggested. “I have nothing to hide from you.”

  “Cristoff kissed you again before he left,” he said and sat down on his bed.

  I sat beside him. “Yes.”

  “You…care about him,” he answered.

  Jealousy spiked in him.

  “I love him as a friend,” I clarified. “I have no romantic interest in him. You would be able to tell if I was lying right now.”

  He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.

  “What else?” I asked softly.

  “I wasn’t prepared for this,” he told me and clenched his hands into fists in his lap. “To feel what you felt when I told you that we were taking you home. To feel what you felt when I left. You walked in the rain to the castle.”

  That had been a very emotional time. “Yes.”

  “I can’t…it hurts me to know that I caused you so much pain,” he whispered.

  I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t want to placate him with a lie of “it wasn’t that bad”.

  “You were in pain as well,” I reminded him.

  He shook his head. “I should never have left you. I should have kept you by my side.”

  I scooted closer to him and leaned my head on his shoulder. “We’re together now and we can learn from our past mistakes.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. “I love you.”

  Love. Regret.

  “I love you too.”

  “How could you forgive me for all of that pain?” he asked in a whisper.

  “The same way that I forgave my father. I love you and I need you in my life. You bring me more joy and love than I expected to find in my life.”

  “You’re my greatest treasure,” he whispered and then kissed my jaw.

  “I would hope so. I saw the treasures that you owned,” I teased him.

  He nipped my neck and kissed around it.

  Love. Passion. Need.

  “Finn,” I whispered in shock. I hadn’t thought about feeling these emotions from him.

  He laid me down and kissed his way up my neck to my jaw and then my mouth while running his hand from my leg to my hip. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world,” he told me. “And I intend to show you just how much I think that.”

  It had been amazing before, but being able to feel everything that he was feeling and thinking was an overload of ecstasy. We lay in each other’s arms after and then fell asleep surrounded by our love.

  * * *

  “Wake up!” Marin yelled through our door.

  “No,” I called back and snuggled closer to Finn.

  “The seamstresses will be here soon,” she informed me.

  “Come get me when they’re here,” I yelled back.

  “Shh,” Finn ordered and wrapped his arms around me. “Sleepy time.”

  Marin didn’t talk again so I figured that I had won and began to drift off again.

  “Tilia,” Faxon said and then gasped.

  I started to jerk away, but Finn held me in place and tugged the blankets up a bit higher.

  “You shouldn’t teleport to someone’s room without knowing what they are doing,” Finn chastised him. He wasn’t mad, quite the opposite, he was very happy and smug. There was also a bit of jealousy which I didn’t understand. “What if she had been changing and was naked?” Finn asked him.

  “What are you two doing!” Faxon yelled. “Tilia get up now.”

  “I’m naked,” I informed him. “I am not getting out of bed with you here while I’m naked.”

  “You shouldn’t be naked in bed anyways,” he reprimanded me.

  “We are bound,” Finn told him. “That’s more official than a wedding ceremony.”

  “You’re bound!” Faxon yelled. He squinted his eyes and then they widened in disbelief. “What have you done?”

  “Faxon, what has gotten into you?” I asked him. “You knew that we were discussing being bound.”

  “I didn’t think you would be stupid enough to do it!” He yelled. Flames flickered along his hands and arms as his anger grew.

  “I would suggest that you calm down,” Finn told him.

  Anger. Fear.

  Finn climbed out of bed and I realized that he was wearing pants. When had he put them on?

  “You’ve lengthened your life, increased the time that you will be alive here and experiencing things. Then you bound yourself to someone that you have known only a short time. What happens if he leaves you? What happens when you realize that he isn’t good enough for you!” Faxon was still angry and the flames grew.

  Anger. Jealousy. Rage.

  “Faxon, you need to leave now,” I told him. I wished that I had gotten dressed so I could talk to him without being forced to lie on the bed.

  “You’ve poisoned her mind,” Faxon accused Finn. “She’s blind to what you truly look like.”

  “I think the only blind one here is you,” Finn told him. “You’re blinded by your own jealousy and love.”

  What? What was Finn talking about?

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Faxon told him and took a step closer to Finn.

  “I don’t? So, you aren’t jealous of our relationship? You’re not in love with Tilia?” Finn asked and took two steps towards Faxon.

  “Of course I love her! She is all I have. She is my single greatest accomplishment. She will be my Queen and she deserves better than you as her King!”

  “You mean she should have you as her King!” Finn yelled.

  Faxon blinked a few times and the flames sputtered in his shock. “What?”

  “You are in love with Tilia!” Finn yelled at him. “Admit it!”

  Rage. Jealousy.

  Faxon stared at Finn a moment and then burs
t into a fit of laughter.

  Finn’s anger grew and he grabbed his sword. “What is so funny, mage?”

  Faxon stopped laughing and shook his head. “You stupid boy, I’m not in love with her. She’s my apprentice and my protégé. I have no sexual interest in her.”

  “Then why are you so upset about her decision?” he asked.

  “Because I know what heartbreak feels like. I know what it feels like to be betrayed by the one who is supposed to love you forever. I saw her pain and felt it when you left her. I know that you will cause her more pain and more heartache and I only wish to find a way for her to escape unscathed.”

  Shock. Sadness.

  “I know what she felt then too,” Finn told him. “And I will never make her feel that way again.”

  “Your binding made you share memories and feelings?” Faxon asked.

  Finn nodded.

  “So, you saw everything that she experienced and felt it all?”

  “Yes,” Finn answered through a clenched jaw.

  “Good. Perhaps this will keep you from such cruelty in the future.”

  “Faxon,” I called to get his attention. “Why did you come here?”

  “To find out when you were coming home,” he said.

  “A few days,” I replied vaguely. “Now, leave.”

  “We will discuss this later,” he told me.

  “There is nothing left to discuss,” I told him angrily. “Finn and I are bound and will be for the rest of our lives.”

  “I will see you when you return,” he said and then disappeared. He wasn’t going to let the topic drop no matter what I said.

  Finn threw his sword at the wall and yelled his anger. The sword’s tip slid into the stone wall and the sword quivered as it stayed there.

  I climbed out of bed and walked to him. “Finn,” I whispered and slipped my hands around his shoulders and hugged him. “Take a deep breath.”

  He obeyed and turned around to face me. “I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to apologize for,” I told him sincerely. “Faxon was out of line.”

  “He is right,” he whispered and closed his eyes tightly. “I don’t deserve you.”

  “Maybe,” I said with mock seriousness.

  His eyes flew open. “What?”

  “All I know is that I deserve you and I want you to be happy. Are you happy with me?”

  He nodded.

  “Then that matter is settled,” I whispered and kissed his cheek.

  “Then I guess we have only one more matter to attend to,” he whispered as he slid his arms around my back and down.

  “Tilia! They’re here now!” Marin yelled. “So, get your butt up and get out here.”

  Finn groaned. “You think she will wait?” he asked and then kissed me.

  I pushed him back gently with my hands on his shoulders. “I think she is likely to bust our door down if I make her wait much longer.”

  He kissed me roughly and whispered, “Hurry back.”

  I got dressed in record time and followed Marin down the hallway. She repeatedly glanced at me with a smirk on her face.

  “What?” I finally asked after the tenth time.

  “How was it?”

  “How was what?” I asked.

  “Your first time after being bound?”

  I blushed. “Intense,” I whispered.

  She laughed loudly and bumped her shoulder into mine. “That is an understatement.”

  “I can’t think of any words adequate enough to express it,” I told her.

  “Why did he yell not that long ago?” Marin asked.

  “Faxon showed up and found us sleeping together, naked, and he sort of flipped out,” I told her.

  “Oh wow. Do you think he went back and told your Aunt and Uncle?”

  I stopped walking and paused. Had he? Would he? Oh no. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I hope not.”

  “That would be a fun conversation,” she said and laughed.

  “Have you had that conversation?” I asked as we started walking again.

  “No. They aren’t aware of that,” she informed me.

  We entered the room where the seamstresses were and they unveiled the wedding dresses.

  “They’re perfect,” I said as I examined mine.

  “More than perfect,” Marin said while lightly touching her dress.

  “Well, let’s get them on so we can make final adjustments,” one of the seamstresses said with a bright smile.

  It took longer than I expected to get into the dress, but once in we were able to get our weapons secured and then checked each other out to make sure they weren’t noticeable, aside from the swords that would be on our backs.

  “You seamstresses are magicians,” I told them.

  “We are glad that you are happy with your dresses.”

  “We will make our final alterations and have them back this evening.”

  We changed clothes again and then headed out of the room.

  “So, have you figured out the mind to mind communication?” Marin asked me.

  “What? I can’t hear his thoughts,” I told her.

  “You should be able to,” she said with a frown. “Unless you have a wall up.”

  I focused and giggled. “Subconscious wall,” I admitted. I took it down and immediately heard and felt Finn. “So weird,” I whispered out loud.

  “Tilia!” he yelled in my mind. “Finally! I thought something was wrong with our bond.”

  “Had a wall up,” I admitted.

  “You don’t have to say it out loud,” Marin told me.

  “Habit,” I whispered.

  “Well, I’m going to find Favian. We’re going to spar in a bit if you two want to join us?”

  “Okay. I’ll get Finn,” I told her.

  “Tell her we will be a bit late to the sparring,” Finn told me. Passion. Need. Desire.

  I blushed and was thankful that she was headed the other direction. “Stop that,” I ordered him.

  “Come here and make me.”

  “I’m going to put my wall back up,” I threatened him.

  “Tilia, hurry up!”

  At dinner we enjoyed a fun meal with lively conversation and delicious dessert. I promised to have Faxon teleport the rest of them the following morning. Finn had packed our bags and Marin and Favian were ready when we met them in the hallway.

  “Don’t throw up on me,” I ordered them.

  “Where are you going to teleport to?” Finn asked.

  “My room.”

  “Is there enough room for all of us?”

  “Well, I guess I could teleport us to the dining room. They should be done eating now,” I murmured.

  “Sounds good,” Finn said.

  I closed my eyes and then teleported the four of us into the dining room. We appeared to find it not empty and in fact they were still eating dinner.

  “Hello,” Esmeralda greeted us with a wide smile.

  “Oh man. You weren’t kidding about puking,” Marin said and bent over while drawing in deep breaths.

  “Sorry,” I apologized. “I can’t control it.”

  “It should pass quickly,” Faxon said coldly.

  “Where are your dresses?” Esmeralda asked.

  “Queen Amadis has them and when Faxon teleports them here, she will bring them,” I advised her with a smirk.

  “You really won’t let anyone see them before the wedding, will you?” she asked with a pout.

  “It will be a wonderful surprise,” I assured her.

  “Are you hungry?” Jared asked.

  “No, we just ate,” Finn replied.

  “Would you like a tour?” I asked Marin.

  She nodded and I realized that she was looking around at the dining room. “Yes.”

  “Well, this is the dining room,” I said and led them out to begin the tour.

  It took me longer than I thought it would to give them the full tour, but I saved the arena for last since I knew we were lik
ely to spend more time there.

  “This is very nice,” Favian praised as he slid his feet through the sand.

  “You know what it doesn’t have?” I asked Favian with a smirk.

  Finn’s head jerked towards me as he read my thought and he laughed loudly.

  “What’s that?” Favian asked.

  “This sand has never tasted an Elf’s blood.”

  He smirked back and said, “I’m afraid it never will either.”

  “Well, there is only one way to find out,” I said and drew my sword.

  Marin and Finn climbed up onto the wall and cheered for us.

  Favian drew his sword and bowed to me. “I hate to ruin your hospitality before we have even spent the night.”

  “The only way to ruin it is by refusing to spar,” I told him and then lunged forward.

  It was impossible to keep up with him and before I had even tried to strike him, I was on my back on the ground.

  “Now my feelings are hurt,” I said with a fake pout.

  “Why is that?” Favian asked with his sword at my throat.

  “You and Finn have been training together and now you are faster. I have no hopes of catching up. It is hardly fair.”

  “Life is not fair, Princess.”

  “I know that, Prince.”

  “Did you also know that the only reason you were moving slower is because you were thinking instead of reacting?” he asked me.

  “Fine, again.”

  He pulled me up by the arm and we squared off again.

  “Finn, help me out,” I asked silently.

  “Left. Right. Down. Forward. Back. Slash.”

  Finn gave me directions in our mind to mind communication and it surprisingly worked. I was able to dodge his attacks and almost landed one of my own.

  Favian was glaring at Finn when he finally pinned me again. “You were helping her.”

  “How could you tell?” I asked out of breath.

  “I tested it by trying to fake you, a move you fell for earlier, and you didn’t fall for it. Finn has learned my tells,” he said angrily.

  “I guess you will have to get better,” Marin told him.

  “Two weeks and I’ll pin you,” Favian told Finn.

  Finn smiled wide. “I hope so. I need some competition.”

  Finn dodged just in time to avoid the dagger aimed at his head and laughed as he walked towards me.