What use would he have for her if he found out? What would he think? Would he laugh at her like he had about the deflowering with Asla? Would he consider her a freak?
Their one night together wasn’t enough to chance losing him now. She wanted more, needed more…time. No, Kitrina couldn’t tell Zander.
She didn’t yet know how she would do it, but she knew Zander must never find out. At least, not until the situation with the Dragon Heart Opal was done and their time together over. It was her secret, and she would keep it. Still, she felt a twinge of guilt for the deception.
Zander threw the door open and yelled at his friend. “Talon, where did Kitrina go?”
She couldn’t see the barbarian guard from where she stood behind Zander’s legs, but she had no problem whatsoever hearing his response.
“What are you talking about, Zander? Did the beating I gave you last eve affect your brain? No one has entered or left this room. Do you think me incompetent?”
What was she going to do?
Hurriedly, she glanced around, desperate for something, anything, to help her cause. She spotted the small bathing alcove and darted behind it. Quickly, she shifted back into her human form.
Holding the paper-thin curtain to her body, she stuck just her head out. “Zander, what are you doing? Close the door, I’m trying to bathe.”
He shut the door and turned. “Where were you, and how did you get past me? Don’t try to tell me you were in this room when I awoke the dropping of a few grains of sand ago. Only that black cat of yours was. By the way, how did it get here?”
She chuckled. “Remind me to make your next healing and sleeping potion not quite so strong, my lord. I’ve been right here, silly. As far as Cat,” she shrugged, “she’s here? That’s just like Cat. Comes and goes as she pleases. There’s no telling when or where you’ll see her next.”
Zander glanced around the room. “She was right here a moment ago.”
Once more, she shrugged. “She probably darted out when you opened the door. Don’t worry about Cat, she can take care of herself.”
“You call your cat, Cat?”
Kitrina laughed. “Of course. That’s what she is.”
Chapter Five
Kitrina yawned and stretched the stiff muscles of her neck. Six straight turns of the hourglass in the dusty library, and she hadn’t found much to help her cause. As a matter of fact, what she had found would’ve made even her believe the Dragon Heart Opal and the Stone of Anthion were one and the same if she didn’t know better.
There were two books lying open before her, The History of Human-Dragon Relations, and Great Warriors of Albrath. Both were open to the description of the stones in question, and Kitrina had marked a particular section in each.
To make sure she hadn’t been mistaken in what she’d read the first time, she reread the two identical paragraphs again.
“Usually described as a drop of rain suspended in time or the tear of a magical creature, plucked from its cheek and allowed to harden, the stone is forever captured in jewel form.
“Bluish-white in color, but at the same time, almost completely translucent, the gem has ribbons of all the shades of fire dancing within it. It pulsates with a heat of its own, as if almost alive.”
In the next paragraph, there was no more than a slight variation in wording. In the book of human-dragon relations it stated “The Dragon Heart Opal, gifted by a dying dragon, has been passed down from the leaders of the Paladins of Albrath to their heirs.”
Whereas, in the book of Albrath’s great warriors, the next sentence read, “The Stone of Anthion, gifted by the great warrior Anthion himself to the man who defeated him, has been passed down to heirs.”
The man who’d bested the barbarian warrior Anthion those many years before had been none other than a human paladin. No wonder, Bugger the ogre, Wizzit the dwarf, and Marquart the troll thought the two stones were one and the same. And it was no wonder all three would soon come looking for her.
Kitrina gazed at her companion and grimaced at the look on his face. Zander couldn’t have appeared more uncomfortable if he were sitting in a flower arranging class.
“I’m sorry, Zander. You really didn’t need to accompany me. It isn’t necessary for you to sit here in pain. I’m a rogue, you know. I can take care of myself. Anyway, it’s still a week before classes start.” She flung out her arms encompassing the room. “Look around, there’s no one here but us.”
The stubborn barbarian simply shook his head. “Gave my word. You will never be without protection.”
“You could have sent Talon in your place.”
Zander scowled. “I would trust Talon with my very life any day of the week. I would even trust him with the safety of my mother…most days. There are even certain circumstances where I would trust him for short periods of time with my sister. But you, after the way he was looking at you last night, I won’t soon trust that barbarian at any time where you are concerned.”
Kitrina shrugged. “Want to help me with research then? I’d like to get through at least two or three more books before we call it a day. It’ll make the time go by faster.”
Zander’s reply was short and to the point. “I’d rather be slowly eaten by dragons, my lady, than be forced to read human history.”
He leaned his chair against the wall, closed his eyes, and folded his arms across his bare chest.
“Dragons don’t eat people. At least not barbarians. They consider them tough and chewy.”
A “humph” was Zander’s only response.
For a moment, she was tempted to shift into Cat and sneak from the room just to frustrate the arrogant barbarian, but something told her that, although Zander’s eyes appeared to be tightly closed, an awareness of every nuance surrounded him.
Her suspicions were confirmed a moment later when he opened one eye and spoke. “Don’t do it, Pierced. I’m warning you. If you do, I’ll flay you upon the edge of my broadsword like the little peckerhead you are.”
Pierced and Steve stepped out from behind a nearby bookshelf, and Kitrina gasped.
“Why’d ya go and do that, Zander? We only wanted ta surprise Kitrina and make her smile. Ya know, take her mind off things.”
The barbarian shook his head but didn’t say anything else. Kitrina, on the other hand, couldn’t help but grin.
There they stood, both totally naked, but Steve was balancing Pierced on the very tip of his dark blue, rock-hard cock like a bizarre version of tight-rope walking. Or spring board diving. She wasn’t sure which.
“I’m afraid to ask, but what are you guys doing?”
Pierced chuckled. “What’s it look like? Strength training, of course. Ya can never have a cock ta stiff or be able ta stay that way for ta long, if’n ya ask me.”
Steve vigorously nodded.
Pierced leaned in a little closer to Kitrina but pointed toward Zander, cupped his hands around his mouth, and whispered, “What happened ta him? He’s got bruises on his bruises. Did ya go all rogue on him last night, Kitrina? Not that I’d blame ya, if’n ya did. I like it rough myself once in a while. All’s fair in love and sex games, I always say. Ya might wanna take it just a tad easier on the poor little barbarian next time, though. It’s hard ta perform if’n ya willy’s been whacked ta many times in a row. Trust me, I know.”
Kitrina laughed, but Zander answered, “No one whacked my willy, and there weren’t any sex games. Go away and let Kitrina finish what she needs to do.”
Pierced shook his head. “All those bruises, and ya didn’t even get laid? How sad is that?” He reached back and poked Steve in the belly with a finger. The dark elf waved, turned, and they walked away.
Kitrina closed the book before her. Zander really did look like death warmed over, and he hadn’t uttered a single word of complaint all day even though there was no doubt his last pain and healing potion had long ago worn off.
She dusted her hands against the soft fabric of her tunic as Zander eyed her. She
smiled at the barbarian prince and held out a hand. “I think that’s enough research for one day. You look more than ready for another potion. Anyway…” Kitrina yawned. “I didn’t get much sleep last night for some odd reason.” She grinned. “I do believe I could use a…nap myself.”
Zander’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he stood and extended a hand toward her. “Another potion would be appreciated, but sleep is for sissies. An afternoon spent napping with you beneath the sheets of our bed, however, sounds like a mighty fine idea, my lady.”
Our bed. That phrase had such a nice ring to it. Heat wicked up Kitrina’s cheeks and cascaded downward to land square between her thighs. She boldly took hold of Zander’s hand and led the way.
Yes, a nap was certainly in order.
Before they even turned the corner of the hallway leading back to their room, Zander knew there would be no nap in his and Kitrina’s immediate future. He sighed. No doubt in his mind as to who owned the distinctive voices booming off The Academy walls.
“I’m not taking the inside, you take it. I took the inside last year. It’s your turn. Anyway, you fart all night, and they smell just like gouda. It’s disgusting.”
“You take that back! I do not fart, and if I did, they wouldn’t smell like gouda, they’d smell like a fine, aged Limburger. I’m firstborn, remember. I call dibs on bed sides, and I choose the outer.”
“You can’t use the I’m firstborn card with everything we do. That’s not fair. Being born a minute before me doesn’t give you privilege in absolutely everything. It just makes you the heir. Even Mother says it’s not right for you to get first choice all the time.”
“She did not!”
“She did, too!”
Zander pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping to stem the ache his head would soon be filled with. He thought he’d have more time before being forced to deal with them. At least a few more days. That wasn’t to be, however. His cousins Ten and Levin had obviously arrived.
He’d thought they wouldn’t come until next week or later this week at the very earliest. Silently, he cursed the fact he was part of a very extensive family.
Not that he didn’t like his relatives, for he did, even Ten and Levin. There were just so many cousins, and they were always underfoot at the most inopportune times. It was as if his family could sense the worse possible moment to show up, and at that very turn of the hourglass they would be there. Especially these two.
There was no way around it. When this was over and he had his cousins settled in, Zander was going to have Kitrina make his next potion a double shot.
“Is that Ten and Levin I hear? They’re the cousins you were saying would be in the room directly across from us? For the entire semester? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zander didn’t even glance her way. He simply grimaced and nodded. Kitrina, though, she laughed and tugged Zander forward.
****
How long had it been since Kitrina had last set eyes on Ten and Levin Limburger? It had to be at least eight years if it were a day. As children they’d been closer, but distance and growing responsibilities had prevented many opportunities for their families to visit after a while.
How she had enjoyed Ten and Levin’s halfling father Sherman and his stories. She could have listened to him all night. And she’d adored the cooking and ceaseless chatter of their identical twin barbarian mothers, Ally and Audrey, who were sisters to Zander’s father King Adan.
Even though they weren’t blood relatives to her, it felt like they were, and some of her fondest childhood memories were of sitting around her father’s great table, listening to Sherman Bobert Limburger the Ninth tell tales of cheese making and dragon fighting while nibbling on hot, sweet tarts fresh from the ovens.
Then, she, Ten, and Levin would sneak away and play until the wee hours of the morning. It had been a magical time.
Kitrina rounded the corner and stood gaping in awe. Eight years had changed many things, and some not at all.
Sherman Bobert Limburger the Tenth, or Ten to his friends, really wasn’t that much different as far as height from the last time she had seen him. He was still just a few inches taller than his father who stood just a hair over five feet. But his width, oh, my God Draka, his incredible chest had grown as broad as any of his barbarian ancestors, and his arms looked near to popping with all the bulging muscles they possessed. His hair was a crown of golden blond ringlets, his eyes a warm chocolate brown, and the handsomeness of his features rivaled even Zander’s.
And then there was Levin. Or Sherman Bobert Limburger the Eleventh to be precise. Even though he’d been born one minute after his brother, and from which mother no one precisely remembered, Levin certainly hadn’t wasted any time outgrowing Ten.
Levin was just as tall as any other barbarian Kitrina had ever seen. Seven feet if he was an inch. That’s where any resemblance to his mother’s people ended, however. He had the same mud brown hair, bulbous nose, and bushy eyebrows as his halfling father.
They were a sight for sore eyes, and Kitrina rushed forward to embrace them both. They wrapped their arms about her and squeezed so hard she could barely breathe. Zander came to her rescue and pried her from his cousins’ grasps.
“Awe, why’d you go and do that, Zan? We were just hugging baby girl here hello.”
Kitrina smiled up at Levin, but Zander didn’t look the least bit happy.
“What are you guys doing here already? I didn’t expect you until the end of the week or even the beginning of next.”
Ten puffed out his chest. “Your da sent a missive to our da saying Kitrina might be in danger and you were here at The Academy already trying to protect her. He wanted to come himself, but our mothers put a kibosh on that. They told him it’s time for the younger generation to step up. So we came as quick as we could. What can we do to help?”
Kitrina’s throat tightened. The thought that all these people, who weren’t related by blood but were family by heart, would put themselves in danger for her was humbling.
She wanted to speak. She wanted to properly thank them, but she couldn’t think of words strong enough to relay how deeply grateful she felt.
Zander, however, didn’t seem to be lacking in communication skills at all. He straightened his spine, and his chiseled face became all that was serious. “You’re right. We can use all the men we can get. Kitrina must be guarded at all times. With classes starting next week, we should make a schedule. I, Graydon, Gareth, Leeky, Pierced, my friend Talon, and you two can take turns being at her side. It must be done without calling undue attention, though. We need to keep the element of surprise on our side.”
“Surprise?” Ten asked.
Zander nodded. “Yes, surprise. Get settled, and later I’ll fill you in on the details.”
Ten and Levin slipped into their room and closed the door.
Zander nuzzled her neck. “Now, how about that nap we were talking about before my cousins arrived?”
Kitrina gulped and nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak. She was afraid if she did, she would say something that would drive Zander away, and she wasn’t ready to let him go yet.
Guilt filled her, and her heart ached with it. It wasn’t as if she didn’t understand he could never be hers. That he truly was destined to be the next king of the barbarians and someone else’s husband. But until she’d witnessed with her own eyes and heard with her own ears him giving orders to Ten and Levin, like the king he would someday be, the finality of it had never sunk in.
She should put a stop to this attraction between them while her heart was still mostly whole. She should encourage him to seek out other women to lie with. Women more suitable to his station. Barbarian women, strong and tall, dark blonde like himself, beautiful like he was. Women with blood pure enough to claim a prince and hold a throne. And most importantly of all, a woman worthy of producing an acceptable heir. A woman like the horrid Lady Asla.
Not a dull, drab human like herself whose greatest claim
to fame was the ability to throw a dagger in a straight line and shift into a stupid alley cat.
A single tear made its way down her cheek, and she quickly swiped the evidence of it away. Even though the hallway wasn’t the least bit drafty, she shivered.
Zander mistook the reason behind her sudden chill. “You are cold, my lady. Allow me to escort you into our room and warm you properly.” He tilted her chin, and his lips captured hers. Sparks of excitement skittered along her spine and exploded deep in her belly.
Kitrina sighed and smiled against Zander’s lips. How could a girl be expected to resist a temptation like that? Later, she would worry about her heart, his kingdom, and the threats they were facing, but for now, the idea of just how warm Zander Hammerstrike could make her was the only thing on her mind.
****
Zander pulled Kitrina into his arms and held her tightly against his heart the moment the door closed. After a long afternoon of strange but pleasant companionship, what had just happened? What had caused that sudden look of pain to fill Kitrina’s beautiful eyes a heartbeat before his lips sought the sensitive spot upon her neck he knew drove her wild? Why had she shivered? Why had her kiss tasted of tears?
He wanted to ask her. He wanted to insist she answer. But at the same time, he couldn’t. There was much between them better left unsaid, mutually forbidden by their fragile truce to even discuss. Kitrina had been right when she’d told him she was as bound by the demands of the Dragon Heart Opal as he was by the barbarian throne. He needed to leave it alone.
She sighed against the bare skin of his chest, and for a moment, Zander’s heart forgot to beat. If all they were destined to have was the here and now, he wasn’t going to waste another single grain of sand dropping through the hourglass of the time he had left. He would show her with his touch what he couldn’t say out loud, what he could never promise but wished he could. He tilted her chin until she had no choice but look him in the eye, then he kissed her, lightly, teasingly, then drew back.
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