by Rachel Jonas
“As in, they were smuggled here? On cargo ships perhaps?” That stunned look returned when I asked.
“Pays to know low people in high places, I suppose.” It was smart and safe not to confirm.
My heart hammered inside my chest and I breathed deep as a new perception of Glenn began to emerge. “I suppose it does.”
I knew a little something about that myself. Had it not been for our connections with Ianites who held little regard for their own laws—like our harbor connect, Spencer—our rescue missions wouldn’t have gotten very far. We, too, relied on cargo ships. Only, our cargo was far more precious than books and contraband.
“It’s Corina, isn’t it?”
I nodded, but didn’t speak.
“And how was it that you came to know my grandson?”
“Your daughter didn’t tell you much during her visit, I guess.” I smiled a bit after giving the half-answer.
His expression softened, motioning for me to sit in one of the few chairs not yet buried beneath the clutter. I took him up on that offer, curious what else he might share.
“Laura and I have an agreement,” he explained. “She doesn’t try to run my life, and I don’t bother interfering in hers. As I’m sure you can imagine, that’s altered the state of our relationship greatly. In other words, she shares little about the affairs of her life as a monarch, and I share little about mine out here in my little slice of paradise.”
A wide grin eased a bit more of the tension between us.
“We do have our common ground, though,” he added. “It just doesn’t extend within the gates of her estate.”
I took that to mean that the empress hadn’t shared Julian’s woes—the media frenzy, the threat of legal trouble.
Me.
“I’m your grandson’s … Doll.” That word still stung when I spoke it in regard to myself.
Glenn’s brow quirked and there was no mistaking the surprise my admission brought him. When he continued to study me with that look set on his face, I accidentally laughed.
“Did I say something wrong?”
The question made the expression evaporate. “No, it’s just that … you’re not exactly ‘Doll material’,” he observed. “Pardon me for saying so. I hope I haven’t caused you offense.”
“By stating that I’m not like the rest of them?” I teased. “Umm … I think I’ll survive the disappointment.”
Another laugh slipped from his mouth, easier this time when he took note of my sarcasm.
“So, I’m inclined to ask why my grandson’s Doll showed up at my door with another man tonight. Levi, no less,” he added. “I know the lad’s charming, and has a silver tongue that could talk a snake out its skin, but … is Julian aware that the two of you are together?”
My face warmed and I wasn’t sure how to explain things. However, I was certain Glenn had gotten enough of being handled with kid gloves.
“I, technically, belong to Levi, too. And the other princes as well,” I shared.
Glenn frowned. “How on Earth did you let that happen?”
I laughed again. Couldn’t help it. “You know, I ask myself that question every day.”
He studied me a moment longer, concluding with a shrug and a sigh. “I’ll never understand the things you kids do these days, but I’m sure that if the royals are doing it, it’ll be all the rage soon enough.”
He was harmless, just like Levi said. Plus, with the amount of contraband on hand, I was certain he was different than any other Ianite I’d ever met.
“You were inquiring about the books?” he asked, circling back.
“I—yes,” I stammered. “I’m just curious who—”
“Easy there, Glenn,” Levi cut in, joking from the doorway, a towel riding low on his waist as he dried his hair with another. “I can’t have you boring her to sleep just yet.”
Glenn flashed me an oddly stoic glance before shifting toward Levi, greeting him with a smile that, to me, seemed out of place. It was as if he’d lowered a veil to hide his true self now that someone else had entered the room.
Was that it?
Was his true self a man who harbored illegal books and didn’t trust the government? He’d admitted that much himself. And now, just as we were getting back to discussing his collection, Levi had unknowingly interrupted.
“Well, maybe I should try saying everything in that fancy accent of yours, and see if that makes me more interesting,” Glenn joked, but it felt like the laugh that followed was merely a smokescreen.
Levi came into the room fully. His gaze wandered the length of my bare legs so heavily, I swear I felt him.
“Anything I can do for you kids before I head out? I patrol most evenings, in case strays like yourselves make their way onto my property.”
A boyish grin made Levi more handsome than he already was. How that was possible, I wasn’t sure.
“Actually, would it be too much trouble to notify your grandson that we’re here?” When Levi spoke, Glenn’s gaze narrowed. “I’d reach out to him myself, but if I remember correctly, you head into town each night before your patrol. Is that still your routine?”
Levi hadn’t said as much, but I assumed we were of the same mind. It was best not to risk being spotted in public so soon after our escape. Not if it could be helped. And while I wondered why he hadn’t shared much about where we’d been, or what we’d been through with Glenn, I had to assume it had to do with his opinion of the man’s overactive imagination. The last thing he probably needed was to be aware of Aaric’s operation that carried on a couple hours walk from here.
“If you’re able, would you mind?” Levi pressed.
“I’ll do my best. Anything else?”
“No, we’re all set,” he assured Glenn, letting his eyes flit toward me again. “I think I have everything I need.”
There was softness behind Levi’s gaze, and I understood the sweet meaning hidden within the words.
“Then, I must bid you adieu, but I’ll see you both bright and early,” Glenn promised.
“Goodnight and thank you for everything.” I hoped he knew how truly grateful I was that he opened his home to us—to me, a stranger.
Removing the cap from his head, Glenn offered a shallow bow. “The pleasure was all mine, young lady. We’ll have to arrange a time to finish our chat.”
His kind words brought a smile out of me, and I nodded.
He flashed a glance toward Levi next, who seemed to have forgotten we weren’t alone in the room. That same loaded stare that left me feeling vulnerable and bare every time it landed on me, had returned and intensified.
I wasn’t sure if Glenn had taken notice, but he confirmed as much when, on his way out, he slapped his palm to Levi’s chest.
“I’ll be a few miles out from the house. Too far to hear anyone scream,” he added with a suggestive chuckle as he shuffled down the hallway. “Just … don’t break my stuff. That bed has served my guests well for more than fifty years. I’d hate to have to put it out of its misery after you finish with it, Levi.”
My face was red, I was sure of it, but peering up at Levi, he showed no signs of embarrassment as he smirked at Glenn’s antics. Our host made his way out the backdoor, audibly cocking his shotgun before locking Levi and I inside.
So much tension had mounted between us, having been locked away together all that time. This was the closest we’d gotten to being settled, comfortable. We had both fought our urges so fiercely, I wondered how things would play out now that our lives had quieted for the time being.
“You need to unwind,” Levi offered with a smile I could only describe as warm, sweet. “Let me get you to bed.”
Chapter Six
Corina
There was a chill in the air, but beneath the blanket Levi and I shared, I felt myself on the verge of perspiring.
With my gaze trained on the ceiling, I decided it would be a terrible idea to look at him—powerful, beautiful him. Inheriting the ravenous portion of his
nature had put my willpower to the test on so many occasions. Only now, the excuses I relied on to resist his allure no longer existed.
As if I weren’t already struggling enough, he’d come to bed wearing the plaid pants that matched my shirt, a set Glenn had graciously loaned us to share during our stay. Watching as he sauntered toward the bed with them riding low on his hips did me in even further. The waistband settled at the base of his toned pelvis, and the defined divots that drew my eye every time.
The room went dark when he breathed on a candle that burned in a mounted sconce near the headboard. Right after, he climbed into bed, and my body shifted with the mattress. Levi’s heavy gaze settled directly on me, causing the heat that had already been too much to intensify even more.
Since sharing a bed—or cot—had become the norm for us since Blackthorn, there was no awkward period of warming up to one another, no energy wasted trying to decide whether we ought to give one another space. That was one thing neither of us needed.
He’d been on guard for weeks, listening out while I slept, but now he’d get to rest, too. Even if that only meant his mind no longer had to race a mile a minute, trying to stay one step ahead in case someone tried to sneak into our cell in the middle of the night.
He brought me to him by the curve of my waist, keeping his stare locked on mine.
“You’re always so warm. I don’t think I realized how much I enjoyed that until the first time I held you.”
I blinked sleepily when he made me smile.
“Yeah, that’s kind of a perk of being human, ya know?” He’d gotten used to my sarcasm by now, so I didn’t apologize for it. Not that I would have anyway. “Did you ever wonder?” I asked.
Beneath the moonlight that streamed through the window, his brow quirked. “Wonder what?”
“About being with a human woman?” I clarified, smiling again.
Wetting his lips, Levi chuckled. “That depends.”
“On?”
“Which answer would make you think less of me?”
A laugh slipped out of me. “Neither. This is a no-judgment zone. I’m just curious.” My legs intertwined with his beneath the blanket.
For a moment, he became thoughtful. “Well, first, a disclaimer. It goes without saying that being attracted to a human is somewhat of a taboo among my people.”
“Blah, blah, blah. Spit it out,” I urged playfully, rolling my eyes.
“I’m just making it clear that, for that reason only, I’ve been a closeted admirer as opposed to sharing my fascination outright,” Levi admitted. “So, to answer your question, yes. I’ve wondered.”
“Interesting,” was my initial response, which was followed by another smile when he offered one first.
“Is that hard to believe?”
Pulling the blanket further up my shoulder, I shrugged. “Only because … well, you all tend to have a bit of a … superiority complex.” It should have been hard sharing this opinion, but it wasn’t.
“I think you may have mentioned that once or twice,” he joked. We both knew it had been more than a few.
“Only because it’s true. However, I’m woman enough to admit I’ve discovered a few good apples in the bunch.” Several weeks ago, I would have never guessed this to be true, but it was.
“So, what about you? Ever been with someone like me?” Levi pushed a few stray strands away from my cheek when he asked.
“No, not anyone like you.”
He bounced his eyebrows suggestively. “But there has been someone.”
Of course he read between the lines.
“Not sure how things work in your world, Mr. Buchanan, but in mine, a girl never kisses and tells,” I teased.
His gaze lowered to my lips and he wet his own. “Well, I always thought that was kind of a lame rule. So, in the future, if you’re ever unsure, you have my permission to do whatever you want to me, and I don’t care if you tell the whole world.”
“Cute.” Secretly wanting to explore all those options he hinted toward, I shoved his shoulder playfully.
“Fine,” he sighed. “At least tell me what happened to the guy. Did he break your heart?”
My brow shot up. “Do I look like a girl who could get her heart broken?”
When he flashed a broad smile, I knew he understood I was joking. I’m pretty sure we both knew that, regardless of how brave and impenetrable I seemed on the outside, I was as vulnerable as anyone else.
“My apologies, Mistress,” he teased. “For a moment, I forgot I was talking to the woman with nerves of steel. Actually, with such a cold heart, are you even sure you’re capable of love?”
He leaned in, and a gentle kiss was placed on my shoulder.
“I didn’t realize that you, the king of ‘love them and leave them’, was so concerned with my heart’s emotional capacity?”
A spell of silence passed between us, stalling our lighthearted conversation. It was in that instant, in that moment where one of us should have said something, that the mood shifted. And now I saw the change in Levi’s expression, too.
“Being honest, it’s something I’ve pondered,” he admitted. Spoken casually, of course, like a true bachelor.
“Oh, really? And what conclusion did you reach?”
“That I can see us falling deeper,” he blurted. “I can see us falling in love.”
The silence returned, only more stifling this time. These feelings of mine that sat in the pit of my stomach like a ton of bricks, they were all-consuming. The most raw, powerful thing I’d ever felt.
It sounded to me like, one day, Levi hoped everything we held in would come spilling out of us.
At the feel of a cool hand gently tugging my chin until our eyes locked, I acknowledged there were other reasons I no longer felt like the princes held me against my will.
I … wanted to be with them.
Maybe not permanently, and definitely not at the cost of my mission, but … the desire to stay with them was as real as anything else.
Levi’s lips grazed the rim of my ear. “You can let go now, Corina. You’re free.”
The statement held two meanings, but he was right on both accounts. I was free, and it felt amazing.
Yes, being away from Blackthorn was a relief, but so was lying here beside him. Without the constant threat of danger looming over us.
That hand still hadn’t left my chin, and I made no moves to wriggle out of his grasp. Being touched by him felt necessary tonight, critical, like taking my next breath. We sought one another in the darkness, and for the first time in ages, it didn’t feel like I was supposed to be someplace else—not on a mission, not out saving the world.
Just here with Levi.
It was strange how spending time with him—someone I thought I had all figured out—completely changed my perspective. Like most, I once believed that the outer shell defined the man, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Not when it came to Levi.
His fleshy lips trailed my jaw, from my ear until they grazed the corner of my mouth. I didn’t miss how he lingered there, hesitating as the course this night would take became clear to us both. Before, when I tried to imagine it, I thought I knew how a moment such as this would unravel. With his arrogance and unending confidence, I believed he’d approach like an unruly storm. But again, he surprised me. My eyes fluttered closed as I accepted how my body longed to submit to his, and also how being near him made me impatient.
Finally, a gentle kiss pressed to my bottom lip and I breathed him in deep, only exhaling when he drew the tender flesh between his own. Every touch sent electricity scurrying through my limbs, one surge overlapping another. With one powerful tug, he brought us chest-to-chest.
Levi was a man who’d taken on many forms. A man I now considered to be among the most beautiful I’d ever seen. Yet, he was more than just appealing to the eye; my heart and my soul were also drawn to him.
His hand wandered to my thigh, warming it beneath his touch. The scar there was
far more sensitive than the rest of my skin, and even more so when his fingertips traced it tenderly. As his palm slipped higher, his hunger for me became evident.
The curve of my hip was grasped. Eager to explore me further, that same hand made its way beneath the borrowed shirt I wore, and he only found bare flesh, nothing to hinder his pursuit. The discovery incited a primal moan that vibrated against the hollow of my throat where his mouth had settled.
I couldn’t really say how we ended up here—two who would have once been mortal enemies—but ‘here’ was exactly where fate had brought us.
A silver flicker in his irises caught the moonlight when he peered up. There was something about his stare that pierced soul-deep every time. Even then, as lust and the rawness of our needs swirled through the room like a cyclone, the look brought an inexplicable stillness that commanded my attention.
Bringing his hand to my cheek again, his thumb brushed my damp lips when his gaze settled there.
“There’s something you need to know, something I’d like to say out loud so there’s never any question,” he breathed, pausing to steal another kiss.
“What is it?” The words were far from lucid, but I managed to speak them.
“You’re it for me, Love. Forever,” he confessed. His stare felt heavier now.
He hadn’t said many words, hadn’t written some elaborate poem or letter to express himself, but I heard him loud and clear.
Leaving him for only a moment, I sat up slowly. His eyes were trained on me in the moonlight, staring as I worked my fingers to undo the buttons of my shirt. When I was done, I pulled it down my shoulders, exposing myself to him completely.
Our bond had already roped us into one another’s worlds, and now, tonight, the last drop of distance that existed between us would be decimated.
The second I laid back and brought him on top of me, I frantically pushed his waistband down those toned hips I’d only gawked at before now. He warmed even more when clasped between my thighs, and then blazed hot as I let him enter, pulling him in hard and deep.
