by A. K. Koonce
Big hands grip the space between the back of my thigh and the low curve of my ass before his palms squeeze, teasing my sex with the tips of his fingers and making me shift against his palms. Slowly his hands skim higher toward my lower back, pushing at my thin gown as he goes until he meets the curve of my ass. He squeezes firmly and pushes me against the hardness beneath his jeans.
He pulls away just long enough for a desperate gasp to fall from my lips before he nips along my jaw and kisses lower and lower, sucking and stroking and rolling his tongue over every sensitive part of my neck.
My head tips to the side with a shaking moan that trembles all through me as I start to rock my hips against his. He meets my thrusts, grinding just right against me until I’m moaning once more. Our bodies push and pull against one another like we’ve done this a hundred times.
The knock against my door is so quiet, I don’t hear it the first time. The tension that jars through Rime’s shoulders is the only sign of it. When a louder knock raps against that door that separates this bedroom from the Prince’s, Rime pulls back. His jaw locks together hard as he looks up at me with a condescending look. An ‘I told you so’ look.
For a moment we just linger there, breathing each other in on shaking breaths. His hooded gaze holds on mine as we try to understand the monumental shift of our emotions for one another.
Until he speaks.
“You going to get the door, My Tamer?”
I stare at him for a completely different reason now.
Asshole.
On unsteady legs, I stand, hating how cold I feel without his body against mine. My throat aches when I swallow, and I have to force myself to take normal breaths as I walk toward the door.
“Arlow, are you awake?” Linden’s voice hums against the shining wooden door.
I take a step closer, unsure if I should answer him or not.
Before I can even make up my mind, Rime slips past me. His fingers grip the door knob and just before his wrist turns to open it, I shove him away. My body hits hard against his until we both tumble to the floor. Once again, I’m straddling him, looking down on him as he lies flat on his back.
“Are you afraid of what might happen if I open that door?” he whispers in a malicious voice, his palms skimming against my thighs just like he did before.
I’m fucking terrified of what might happen if he opens that door. Either, one: Rime’s going to rip Linden apart for trying to be more than friends with me, or two: Linden will refuse to help me find Agatha because I’m more than friends with Rime …
Or I would be if the Prince didn’t have such shit timing.
“Please don’t.” It’s a genuine plea, one that he seems to feel the moment I speak it. His eyes soften, no longer holding that cruel taunting.
“Arlow?” Linden whispers once more.
Rime shifts beneath me before finally standing. I kneel there and wait with wide eyes for whatever he’s about to do. Seconds beat by with the pounding of my heart.
He lowers his hand.
“Come to bed with me.” His quiet words are soft and sweet and slide right into me. He nods to the massive bed against the far wall.
He’s choosing me over his anger …
I take his hand and he pulls me up, brushing my chest against his before he turns and leads me through the dark room as if it’s his own. His steps are slow and unhurried. He isn’t rushed even as another quiet knock skims against the door.
I pull the heavy blanket back and they’re cool against my thighs as I slip beneath them. The feel of his fingers against my hip sends a shiver through me, reminding me of the way he touched me before. Rime wraps his arms around me, his body pressing firmly against my back as all the anxiety of the past few days slips away.
The Prince doesn’t knock again. The rest of the night passes in uninterrupted, peaceful silence. I feel that peace deep within me for the first time in so long.
Because of Rime.
Thirteen
The Shift of Shame
Warm sunlight falls across my face. The heat of the light isn’t enough to warm my skin though, as a shiver slides down my spine. Confusion circles my mind just as frost kissed air meets my lungs. It’s so cold, it burns within my chest.
My eyes fly open to find that the man that I was curled around last night is no longer there, and an enormous white dragon now lies in his place. By in his place I mean the shambles of what once was his place. Half the bed is broken, split down the middle by his weight, and I lie half on the mattress half on the hard scales of the peaceful sleeping dragon beneath me.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
I can’t believe he did this.
Frost drifts from his snout with each breath he takes. It clings to every crevice of the room. The sunlight warms a spot along the wall, letting the water of his frost drip down the wallpaper in streams. His long tail shifts slightly, bumping the dresser on the opposite side of the room so hard that the thing starts to teeter. The yellow flowers in the pretty vase atop of it slide gradually forward. My lips part as the drawers open with dramatic slowness. The clothing inside topples out as one by one. The drawers open completely before the dresser comes down as well. The vase clatters and shatters glass all across the carpet. With a loud thud the whole thing hits the ground and still Rime rests like a newborn baby. A hatchling, if you will.
Splinters of the wooden bedframe are all around the room, frost warps the wallpaper, glass from the vase shines in the sunlight with pretty flowers scattered throughout, and I stare at each new mess with slow appraisal, mentally counting the damage he’s done parchel by parchel.
“R—Rime…” My fingers touch lightly against the back of his wing, but I can’t seem to find words to speak.
How am I going to fix this? How—how is this building so structurally sound that it’s holding up the weight of a dragon right now? How? The King clearly needs to be paying his architect more because this place is a fucking fortress.
While I’m still staring opened mouthed at the destruction of the room and trying to figure out if I could possibly sneak out of the kingdom before Linden wakes up, a soft knock raps against the door. My eyes widen but before I can speak the door opens.
Innocent, wide blue eyes match my expression perfectly as Marg slowly looks around the room. When her gaze settles on the dragon she takes a step back into the hall.
“Marg, I can explain.” I sit up higher against the mattress and against Rime’s back. At the sound of my voice, Rime lifts his massive head and swings it back to look at the small woman. The pale color of his eyes shifts over the scene as if it’s nothing of importance to him. Just another boring day for this one.
“Breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes.” Her words clip out as she holds Rime’s gaze and with a quick move, she grabs the door handle and slams the door in place between her and the rest of this fucking disaster that is my life.
“Fuck,” I whisper, shoving my hands over my face. What a completely terrible way to start the day.
White smoke drifts along the frosty air like slow moving fog and in seconds the scales, the tail, and the beautiful dragon before me shifts into a beautiful man. Without the support of the beast, I slide down the mattress and into the floor next to him. He pulls at the pastel pink sheet until it covers his hips. All his modesty does is draw my attention to the veering lines of his abdomen and the naked strength of his thighs. My heart flutters and I realize the anxiety falls away just because Rime got naked in front of me.
Goddess pray for my priorities.
In silence he watches my attention as it shifts over him and slowly he leans back on his hands in a lazy way.
It’s as if he isn’t aware of the mess of the room at all.
When I finally meet his eyes, he tilts his head at me in an almost animalistic way. Like an uncertain puppy.
“Morning.” His tone is rasping and so sexy it almost makes up for everything else.
That’s a lust infused lie that my ovaries are
telling my rational mind. It does not make up for any of this. Not at all.
“That’s all you have to say for yourself?” The chill in the air causes goosebumps to rise along my arms and I pull at the blanket and wrap it over my shoulders.
He looks around slowly, taking in the room in parts and pieces. When he’s done an inventory of every single broken item he brings his gaze back to me.
“That happens sometimes.”
My lips part with outrage because of his ridiculous shit excuse. That happens sometimes. Anger rises in me and just when I’m about to scream at him he speaks again.
“Sometimes I have dreams; Chaos says they’re night terrors.” He shrugs, and my irritation diffuses just from the quiet sound of his voice. “I never remember the dreams but the dragon part of me shifts. It’s a defensive thing, I guess. Maybe I’m just used to being in that form or maybe he thinks he’ll protect me from my nightmares, I don’t know.”
He looks away from me, his long fingers drifting over the melting frost on the carpet and I wonder if he really does remember the dreams. I can’t help but instantly feel bad for him.
“I should have warned you. I’m sorry.” He peers up at me and my heart sinks even more for him. “I try not sleep too much. I try to stay in control.” The dampness of his fingertips skim against my thigh as his palm settles there. His lips part to speak again but I don’t allow it.
“It’s okay, Rime.” My hand brushes against the back of his. He watches that small touch closely with his brows pulled low.
I put thought into the tinging magic within myself. I pull at it until it drifts out in gentle waves. Slivers of dark wood and shards of glass twirl through the air and he follows their journey as they start to piece themselves back together again. The clothes slip back into the drawers and with a sweeping move, the dresser rises and sets right back into place against the wall. The sunlight glitters against the broken glass as it whirls around the room, searching for its missing pieces. The damp frost covering the walls dries and slips away as if it never really existed.
With wide eyes he watches it all.
And I watch him.
The mattress beneath me becomes more solid and a heaping breath falls from Rime’s lips as I rise above him. The shining bedframe becomes whole and not one single spec of wood is left on the floor. It’s perfect once again.
“Shit.” From the floor he stares up at me with a look of awe that makes my heart pound faster. “My Tamer’s a fucking badass.”
My lips part slightly with a growing smile. I don’t know why his simple approval sends a hurricane of spreading warmth through my chest.
Because I only have a little time left before breakfast and because I’m feeling slightly like a show off, I stand in front of him and, with a wave of my hand, the pretty yellow skirt falls into place against my legs. The shirt ties against my neck with ease. I push my hair back from my face letting it skim over my back as I raise my head with confidence.
“Can you do me?” He stands, holding the thin sheet in place over his dick.
Can I do him ... Hmmm.
A smile pulls harder at my lips as I envision an outfit for him. He waits with perfect posture and I give a dramatic wave of my hand.
He looks down as the clothes snap loudly and tightly into place against his hard body. Snug swimming briefs shimmer over his bulge. The color matches my skirt perfectly and his fingers touch hesitantly at the glittering gold suspenders that lead from the briefs and over his shoulders. The shining dust drifts to the floor and lingers on his hand as he pulls it away like he’s been fatally shot.
Slowly he looks to me and my beaming smile.
“Are you shitting me right now?”
“What? It’s cute. It shows off all your best assets.” I keep my features impossibly straight as he glares hard at the tight briefs.
“What the hell are the suspenders even for? It makes no sense. I look like I’m about to throw some fucking pixie dust in the air and flutter off to a faraway kingdom.”
“Well we are in Minden, my Attikan friend.”
His lips purse as he glares at me.
The door opens swiftly, and I turn to meet Chaos’ manic smile. His attention trails slowly down his friend’s bare chest, hips, and over the impressive outline below. Kain’s brows raise high as the two of them stride into the room.
“Rime, if I had realized you were entertaining, I would have knocked.” Chaos pauses near the bed, eating up every inch of the scene before him.
Rime unclenches his jaw and takes a step closer to me. His glittering briefs skim against my stomach and leave a trail of his every glimmering move against my skin.
“If you change my clothes for me,” His voice is low and warm against my neck as he whispers only to me. “I’ll wear this again for you the next time we’re alone.” His head tilts until his lips nearly brush my cheek. Seconds pass as we stare at one another in close, heated silence.
I lean in, my fingers meeting his smooth skin as I steady myself against his chest. “I’d rather you be naked.” I press a kiss to his strong jawline and, with a small push of my magic, I lift my fingertips to allow a shirt to settle into place against his chest and jeans to fit against his hips.
His palm pushes down his abdomen as if to make sure the fabric is real. He’s a smart man because I did consider making it an edible material just to piss him off.
“Thank you, My Tamer.” His lips press to my cheek and before the sarcastic reply can leave my lips, his mouth covers mine in a possessive way.
Every snarky thought tumbles from my mind as his fingers thread through my hair and his tongue strokes lightly along mine. His fingers grip my locks tightly, but his mouth is gentle. His kiss is a caressing, sweet feeling that I never could have anticipated. My breath fans between us when he pulls away. The demanding pound of my heart fills my ears when I stare up into his icy eyes. The emptiness and the coldness are nowhere to be seen. An odd look of sated affection is in his pretty gaze.
“I’d love to watch you paw all over Arrie all morning but that woman is coming back upstairs as we speak.” Sinister crosses one ankle over the other as he leans against the door frame. Smoke wafts up from his boots and he watches me intently as I pull back from Rime.
A feeling of uncertainty claws through me. Sin was the first person I ever truly cared about. I loved him.
I think.
What does he think of me now? I kissed Rime openly after avoiding affection for so many years. Because of Sinister. He doesn’t look jealous though. He looks as smug and dangerous as he always does.
I hate that I don’t know what he’s thinking.
Rime steps away from me and slowly starts to walk toward the door. Chaos bumps his arm into his friends, smiling like an idiot as he whispers something too quiet for me to hear. Kain strides after them.
Chaos once told me he and Kain grew up together. They’ve been friends their entire lives and yet, the bond Chaos has with Rime is different than the bond he has with Kain.
It’s … closer in a way. Less brotherly but an intense connection all the same.
Sinister straightens to his full height when I walk toward him. He’s so tall I have to tilt my head up to him when we’re just a foot apart. Do I have that brotherly feeling with Sinister? Were my emotions just confused when we kissed all those years ago? I stare up into his sharp and handsome features.
He was the only person I trusted back then. The only person who could make me laugh. The only person who kissed me with sparking attraction.
His fingers skim along the inside of my wrist and a shiver traces up the path of his touch. He leans forward until the warmth of his breath tickles my neck.
“I have no problem waiting for you to figure life out, love.” The feel of his words against my skin makes my lashes flutter, my fingers flexing at my side to touch him. He’s always known just what I’m thinking. Now is no different. “I waited five years to be here with you. I’ll wait five more for you to be with
me.” When his lips press to my shoulder, my head tilts for him to kiss further.
His hand slips away from me. With one defiant step back, he puts too much space between us. A sinful smile carves his lips in a taunting and teasing look. The way my heart is thundering in my chest makes realization hit hard.
I definitely don’t think of Sinister as a brother.
Fourteen
The Fifth Floor
The Prince is blissfully absent at breakfast. Marg informed us that he’d had some Princely duties to attend to.
What a shame.
My elbow rests on the tabletop as I prop my head against my hand and look over at the beast eating next to me. Chaos makes a layered sort of sandwich out of five strips of bacon and I watch him with a pinched brow as he lays the last piece on top, makes another layer, and then starts to eat. He meets my tense gaze, peers down at the bacon sandwich, and meets my eyes once more.
Slowly he steals a single grape out of the bowl at the center of the table and adds it to his plate full of meat. He nods to the little purple grape as if he’s pleased with himself and his good choices in life.
I cock a brow at him before I give up on any false hope I have for his health and look across the table at Kain. Kain’s fingers clasp together as he rests his elbows against the tabletop.
“Minue will be here tomorrow?” He meets my gaze, the morning sunlight streaming his eyes with color.
“That’s what Linden thinks.”
“And then we can find Kreedence.” Sinister’s jaw spasms as he says his brother’s name, and it’s the most aggression I’ve ever seen in him.
“And Agatha,” Chaos adds.
“And Bobble,” I say in a quiet voice.
“Who?” Rime’s brows lower as he looks down the table at me. He’s seated in Linden’s chair. The back of it arches up above his pale hair, showing the insignia of an M with shield etching around it. I trail my attention down to the way his new and shining boots are kicked up in front of him, and the careless position alone makes me more annoyed by his questions.
