by A. K. Koonce
“And where are you from, Rime?” Linden takes a sip of wine as he looks up at the man who hasn’t said a single word the entire dinner.
I hate that they press him. Just let him be. He’s happy in his silence.
Rime’s frosty gaze lifts to the Prince. He looks like he’s brooding with hate. Why on earth would Linden think he’s the one to make small talk with? Why would he think this man is approachable? Resting Beast Face is a real thing for Rime.
“I’m originally from the Attikan Kingdom.” His fork clicks quietly as he lowers it to his plate, pulling his attention away from the Prince the moment he’s fulfilled the question he was asked.
“Attika? Really?” Shit, Linden’s interested. “I’ve never met anyone from Attika. Not even the royals live that far north.”
“Well they’re all boarder dwellers really. They’ll get as close to Minden as they can, while saying they have a flourishing city with an empire of ice.” The King’s beady eyes roll as he shakes his head.
Linden smiles. It’s a tense and unamused look of happiness. It’s a look that reflects my feelings toward his father completely.
King Barren motions a careless hand at the empty plates lining the table and Marg bursts into action to clear the remaining dishes. Not that Barren notices her efforts. She may as well be invisible really.
Linden thanks her when she brushes against him to take his utensils. And then the Prince’s curious gaze is right back on Rime.
“The three of us travel a lot now,” Kain interjects before Linden can ask Rime another question.
I also note how vague his words are. He doesn’t mention his family or where they’re from. He leaves them out of the discussion altogether.
My heart warms as I realize how incredibly thought out and intelligent Kain is.
I bet nothing surprises him.
“Where are you from?” Linden turns to Kain and I, too, am hanging on his words to see how he might deflect the question. He’s not going to tell them where he’s from because that would mean telling someone where his mother is. And I know he’ll never risk her safety.
A smile creases around Kain’s pretty eyes, white teeth gleam with forced politeness. It’s a handsome but false look of pleasant happiness. I don’t know what he’s about to say but he’s putting real effort into not using aggression to avoid Linden’s question.
Luckily, he doesn’t have to.
“Where’s the Queen of Minden?” Rime cuts off whatever it was his friend was about to say with the worst question he possibly could have asked.
King Barren’s gaze turns cold as he looks to the man at his side.
Why would he ask that?
Why?
“The Queen, Goddess rest her soul, died decades ago.”
“I hear she was beautiful, the Solstice Queen.” Rime has that eerie sense to him right now. That cruel tone that cuts right through the room. “She was Attikan, was she not? Her hair as pure as frost. Her eyes the color of Spring. An alluring mixture of the two kingdoms.” He keeps his attention pinned on the King as his low humming words fall from his lips. “Her beauty still haunts this land.”
“She haunts a lot of things, boy.” King Barren stands, his height towering over the long table as he stares down on his most disobedient guest. “Do not taint the memory of my belated wife with your ice myths.” The round curve of his jaw is set tight and he passes his hard glare over the table once more before pushing back his chair. “I do hope you have safe travels early tomorrow morning.”
He storms away from us.
And that is how we’re dismissed from the man who hates me most in all the land. And now Rime is on that shit list too.
Lucky him.
Linden stands with more grace than his father. He’s all stiff formality all the time. His words feel as heavy as his gaze upon my face.
“Don’t leave without telling me goodbye.” There’s this questioning look in his eyes, this romantic, sappy and hopeless look. It’s hard to stare into.
“Of course.” A small smile pulls at my lips but doesn’t quite fall into place. It seems to set him at ease though as he slowly walks down the hall. With a swoosh of her dress, Marg trails after him. She whispers something to him, her hand skimming against the sleeve of his navy jacket. The echo of their footsteps recede and my attention lingers on the sound of it for several moments.
I wonder if he’ll ever realize how much she does for him. If I were really a friend, would I tell him how the pretty woman looks at him like he’s the most amazing thing she’s ever set eyes on? Is that what friends do?
The Prince and I are friends. I guess we truly are. I’m just terrible at being someone’s friend. So terrible, I didn’t realize our friendship was real until he asked for that goodbye.
The breath that leaves Kain’s lungs sounds unending. His hands push through his thick hair and for a moment he just stares up at the dark beams slashing across the ceiling.
“This has been the longest three days of my entire life. The bird had better be here in the morning.”
The bird … No one said Minue was a bird. Minue isn’t exactly a bird, but I’m not going to ruin Kain’s already fantastic mood right now.
“I’m calling it a night.” He stands, stretching out his long limbs for several seconds. It’s just long enough to pull my gaze to the way his shirt rides up against his hard stomach.
Rime’s attention lowers there briefly before he looks carelessly away.
“I literally do not give a fuck if you tell him goodbye or not. The minute the bird’s here, we need to leave.” Kain’s serious tone holds a hint of exhaustion. This royal life is exhausting us all.
But he doesn’t have to take it out on me.
“Kreedence has my friend, you don’t have to lecture me, Kain.” My chin tilts defiantly high as I stare up at him. He cocks a brow at me and it just makes me want to piss him off even more. “How long could princely-missionary-goodbye-sex possibly take, anyway? Three and a half minutes at the most.” I shrug, trying hard to keep the smirk from my lips when his jaw locks in place.
Rime tilts his head at me, his calculating gaze boring into the side of my head. Sometimes it astounds me how much the ice shifter is able to hold inside. Some day all that ice is going to shatter. It might not ever thaw, but it’ll shatter in a chaotic display of pent up emotions.
On stalking steps, Kain walks around the table until he’s right in front of me. Strength pours off his tensely held shoulders. His forearms graze mine as he grips the sides of the chair. The deep green of his glaring eyes is so close to mine our lips nearly touch when he speaks in a rumbling tone.
“That’s never going to happen, I promise you. If you really want goodbye sex, just let me know.” Tingling energy builds low in my stomach. “It’ll be an introduction like you’ve never felt, and it’ll happen over and over and over again.” His gaze slips to my lips and I arch up to meet him.
But he pulls away.
“If I ever figure out how to say goodbye to you, that is.” He pushes off from the chair, leaving me breathless and thoughtless as I watch him walk away.
Seconds pass as my attention holds on his broad shoulders. The echo of his boots against tile tics the time away as a pressing silence passes.
“Would you two just fuck already, Arlow?” The hint of humor is barely in his voice but it’s deep within his eyes. There’s subtlety in everything Rime does. It’s the rumbling of his voice that holds his amusement even if his lips refuse to smile. It’s the way his eyes shine when he looks at me.
It’s the way he makes me feel when his tone lowers to say my name. He so rarely ever says it. I’m always his tamer or other teasing names. I don’t know why I like the way my name sounds against his lips.
“Kain and I aren’t like that, actually.” The way he kissed me last night slams through my mind, but I keep my features as blank as the shifter’s across from me.
“Really?” His pale brow arches. “The dirty thoughts withi
n his head tell me otherwise.”
My lips part and I almost ask him what Kain’s been thinking but a different question forces its way out.
“Why did you ask about the Solstice Queen?”
The sparkling color of his eyes lowers to the hardwood table. Streams of moonlight streak across the glossy tabletop and all his focus lays there.
“We don’t talk about our families. We love them and we protect the people we love.” The shining blue color of his eyes meets mine and I shift beneath his attention. “I asked the one thing I knew would distract the room.” His long fingers strum against the surface. “They never even say her fucking name. Like whispering her memory too loudly might resurrect her. Queen Ellise.” Her name is a breath of a sound and it skims against the room, shivering over my skin. “She’s always been a touchy subject. Attikan’s say the King of Minden stole the pretty Princess away.”
I can’t help but lean into the table that separates us as his tale starts to weave together.
“Did he?”
He lifts his hand slightly in a non-committal gesture.
“No more than any other king throughout history. I think they used one another. Attika needed allies, they needed an army to make up for their small numbers.”
My brows pull low as I start to consider the history I’ve never been told.
“And what did Minden need?”
She saved Minden. Everyone always says she saved us. But how?
Once more his eyes lift to me, settling anxious energy all through me just from the weight of his gaze.
“They say he just wanted a pretty wife.”
I lean into him even closer, pressing my arms against the table and holding myself there to better hear his quiet words.
“What did he really want?”
“Magic, of course.”
Seventeen
Come Crashing Down
My lips part with an astounded gasp and I’m still staring wide eyed at him as words start to hum through my thoughts.
You two aren’t very good at following orders from the King.
Rime looks toward the door as Chaos saunters in.
“The King has a formal invitation to suck my dragon dick if he thinks he’s going to censor my ‘ice myths.’” Rime’s even tone matches his bored expression but his words make Chaos smile.
It’s that small amusement in Chaos that makes Rime’s features soften.
“No need to be throwing around the dragon dick. It’s a little unclassy, don’t you think?” Chaos folds his big arms over his chest as he leans against the edge of the table near Rime.
“A man who ran away from the royal dinner table with his cock hard is telling me what’s classy now?” Rime asks with a tilt of his head. A smile pulls across my lips as Chaos peers at me from the corner of his eye. Rime’s gaze narrows on my smile. “What were you two doing while the King was droning on?”
“Nothing,” I mutter quickly but the way the men are now locking eyes tells me Chaos is filling him in without speaking.
Fuck.
Rime’s brows rise high and slowly he turns his attention to little old innocent me.
“Come here, My Tamer.” The simple demanding sound of Rime’s words causes energy to spark to life deep within me.
My shoulders square and I force confidence into my steps even if I don’t feel it. They make me feel weak. Their attention against my body gives a reckless weakness to my emotions that I can’t explain.
But I love it.
When I’m near enough, his hands clasp around my hips. I gasp when he lifts me, positioning me on the table just like Chaos promised me he would. He stands in front of me, his palms pushing up my thighs slowly. The thin dress bunches against my skin as he pushes higher and higher.
The dominant and confident way he touches me is enough to make me tremble with anticipation. His palms rest high on my legs, his thumbs drifting a slow pace back and forth between the apex of my thighs. The dress shifts beneath his touch, teasing me to the point of breaking.
His nose trails slowly up the curve of my neck. My head tilts back for him.
“You smell so fucking good when you’re turned on.” His growling words rumble against my skin, but he never seals the space between his mouth and my flesh. He lets heated words fan against my skin. “It makes me want drag out your torture.” A heavy breath has my chest heaving against his.
He pulls back just slightly to look at Chaos. The simple way they lock eyes feels sensual.
“Come here.” The two words have Chaos closing the small space between them.
My lids lower as I watch every small move they make. Chaos is bolder than I am. He isn’t going to wait for life to happen. Not tonight. Not anymore.
Chaos’ fingertips are gentle against Rime’s stomach as he presses his palm lower and lower down the tense muscle beneath his shirt. Rime keeps one hand on my hip while his other runs up and down along the strong veins of Chaos’ forearm. Rime leans closer. A small amount of space lingers between their lips while their eyes lock with hooded, challenging gazes. Their bodies have this subtle push and pull to them, like animals testing one another to see who will strike first.
It’s Chaos.
The button of Rime’s jeans is pushed aside. The zipper lowers without sound. The material covering him is pushed aside, and Chaos brushes his big palm down the hard length of Rime’s cock. Another stalking step brings Chaos’ body flush with Rime’s as he rolls his wrist so slowly it makes his friend’s lashes flutter. Through lowered lashes eyes, Rime watches the stroking way Chaos touches him. The stoic features that are always lined with anger soften as Rime relaxes with every fluid move of Chaos’ hand.
The gentle way Rime was caressing Chaos shifts as his palm lowers and he grips the man’s hip with a possessive claim. Everything about them feels new and exciting but also … terrifying.
I see it in the way Chaos studies Rime. It’s like he’s never pushed their bounds this far and he’s terrified of what the consequences will be.
That fear doesn’t stop him from doing it though.
I watch them intently with energy coiling low in my sex. Every move they make causes my breath to become shallower. Rime tilts his head and his lips tease Chaos’, just a brush of their mouths, as his hand dips low against me, cupping my sex from over my dress. His hand presses hard against me as he shifts up and down. The move of his hand reflects the slow way he kisses Chaos. Their tongues meet, flicking and teasing in a sensuous display that makes me want them more and more with each passing second.
Chaos pulls back from Rime, his hand slowing between them. The two turn to me and the look in their eyes alone makes my heart pound so hard I can feel every single pulse. Chaos leans into me fully, his palm sneaking up my dress, his fingers rough against my skin.
“I love that you like to watch.” His whispered words pause as he seems to think through his words. “I love that you … don’t try to change me.” His words confuse me slightly, but his hands on my body doesn’t allow time for thought. Higher, his fingers roam. His lips press to the side of my jaw as he lowers his head to rake his teeth against my neck. Rime’s hand along my core shifts, just enough to make room for Chaos’ fingers to sink slowly into me. I gasp against the feel of it as he stretches me deeply. “I want you so bad it hurts.” His words hum against my skin.
Rime’s grip on my hip tightens as Chaos’ pace quickens, pulling my orgasm to the brink as he massages me just right. Chaos’ teeth drag against my neck, making my lashes flutter as he kisses lower and lower.
From over my shirt, his teeth nip at my breast. His fingers slip from me, making me ache without the feel of him. Big hands push up against the thin material of my dress. He shoves it all the way up and then tears my underwear down. I kick them off for him. Just as my lips part from the feel of Chaos’ tongue swirling over my shirt against my nipple, warmth presses to my thigh. A slow, chaste kiss seals slightly higher. My lashes barely open to see Rime kneeling between my legs. W
hen his mouth presses over my sex, my eyes close hard. His tongue strokes slowly up my folds. My fingers fist into Chaos’ hair. Their mouths taste every part of me until I’m gasping. Slow, lapping strokes of their tongues caress my body.
Rime’s tongue swirls harder against my clit. His nails sink into my thighs as he spreads me wider, fucking me deeper with his mouth. My orgasm builds to an almost trembling feeling just as Rime steps back, pulling Chaos away with him.
A pitiful whimper hums against my lips as I try to catch my breath.
I need them. I need them both right now.
“You just have to wait a little longer, My Tamer.” There’s a gleaming look in Rime’s eyes as studies the way my chest shudders with uneven breaths like he enjoys controlling my pleasure.
Moonlight washes out my coloring, brightening their features as they stare down on me. Rime’s gaze trails down my body slowly as his hand settles on my hip, and suddenly I wish I was naked for them.
An idea trickles in fast. With a wave of my hand, my clothes disappear.
Growls emit from all around me. The sound of their approval hums through the room and I feel that rumbling sound against every exposed inch of my skin. I push against the soft cotton of Rime’s shirt and he grips the collar behind him and pulls it off for me. Shadows of hard lines and smooth muscle carves his body.
My breath catches and I realize we’re both nearly naked for each other. All the pushing and pulling of our personalities doesn’t change the fact that our emotions drag us right back to one another. Always.
Chaos’ palm is smooth against my abdomen, the skimming feel of his hands sends a tingling sensation straight to my core as he pushes his palm slowly over my bare breasts. I gasp as his fingers pinch lightly and his palm works against my skin.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he whispers before his tongue rolls against the side of my neck. The wafting feel of his shirt against my arm draws my attention.
“Take your shirt off.” It’s a rasping demand but he complies in an instant. The shirt falls to the ground.
