She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her breath slowed, as did her heart rate, until all she could feel was the pull of magic that she concentrated in her mind.
Father.
Nothing.
Father.
Adora?
Her eyes snapped open. That wasn’t Father’s mental voice. That was…oh, crap.
She looked up to find the assassin right in front of her, his brow furrowed as he looked around. Apparently his senses weren’t as sharp as he’d thought.
He closed his eyes and his hands shimmered. The moment they opened again, his eyes were set on hers.
“Oh gods,” she muttered.
“That’s right. I can see you.” He held out his hand for her, his face serious. “I’m not going to hurt you. Neither is Kiel. Please, come back to the house and I’ll explain everything.”
Adora shook off her magical aura and stood, suddenly aware that she was completely naked. Her towel must have fallen off while she was running. She crossed her arms over her breasts and scowled at Randor.
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
His expression remained the same. “By now you know what we are to each other. After all, we can communicate telepathically.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to trust you,” she retorted. So what if he was her soul mate. That fact didn’t mean instant trust and love. If anything, it made her more wary of him. To be soul mates meant they had to be similar and Adora knew how shady of character she could be. What would Randor be like?
“You trust me enough to have sex with me, but not enough to come with me unrestrained.”
She just glared at him. “I fucked you. It doesn’t mean I trust you. It’s not the first time I’ve slept with someone to get what I wanted.”
That was true. But she hadn’t slept with Randor to get something. She did it because she was attracted to him, incredibly attracted to him.
Randor winced at her comment and his eyes narrowed a miniscule amount. She smiled at that. Getting a reaction proved he had some form of emotional attachment to her. She could use that against him.
“I’ll come with you, if you don’t restrain me. No cuffs, no magic. Nothing.”
He gave a curt nod. “Agreed. It’s not like you can escape anywhere anyway.”
Adora looked around her. Dunes, bushes, sand and the ocean. No sign of civilisation at all. Biting down on her lip, she looked back at him. “Can I at least have some clothing to cover myself in front of the elf.”
With a wave of Randor’s hand, clothing settled on her skin. She looked down to find herself in a small tank top and panties. He grinned at her scowl.
“I don’t want you to get too comfortable, Princess.”
“Let’s just go back to your house,” she grumbled.
When they arrived back at the house, Adora saw the elf standing in the living room, his body tense and defensive. He had dark hair, tanned skin and green eyes. He appeared human, or even Fae, but elves had the ability to morph their physical features to that of a faery. It’s one of the things that made them so dangerous—they had the ability to pose as Fae. Adora had been fooled by an elf once. He posed as a fellow soldier of the Seelie army before showing his true form and trying to take her life.
She wouldn’t make the mistake of trusting an elf again.
Randor ushered her to the lounge, gesturing for her to sit.
She shot him a cold look and crossed her arms. “I’d rather stand.”
With a small shrug, he brushed past her. “Suit yourself.” His hand brushed over her buttocks before he gave a quick squeeze. The action sent waves of pleasure straight to her pussy.
He sat on the arm of the lounge beside her, his perverted stare on her body.
Adora gave a frustrated groan and took a step back so she stood beside him. Her gaze returned to the elf and she kept it on him as she spoke. “So, explain yourself, Assassin.”
“When it comes to the war, Kiel and I are neutral. I made a deal with the late Unseelie king that allowed me to be allied with neither court. As a half-human I’m able to live in human realm, undetected by demons and Fae alike. It’s why I’m such a good assassin.”
She didn’t want to hear his boasting. “And the elf?” The word itself left a bitter taste in her mouth. She wanted to rinse it out.
“He’s also neutral. Half elf, half Unseelie Fae, he was raised by his aunt but was able to break his bindings to the Court when his aunt rose to the throne.”
Adora’s entire body stiffened. Magic buzzed at the surface of her skin and her senses came to high alert. “The throne? His aunt is the Unseelie queen?” Her voice came out slightly more panicked than she’d meant.
“I swear to you he’s not a threat. He hasn’t been allied with or even had contact with her in over two decades.”
“I promise you, Princess. I’m more likely to be loyal to you than her. My aunt was a cruel, malevolent being when raising me. The things she put me through.” The elf shook his head and shuddered slightly. “I’d die before helping her.”
“That’s all very touching,” she retorted sarcastically. “But I’m not a fool. Don’t take me for one.”
“I don’t take you for a fool, Princess.” He bowed his head slightly. “Please forgive me if I insulted you in any way.”
Adora narrowed her eyes and sneered at him. The elf was being far too false. His formal attitude was forced. That much was obvious to her. He not only irritated her but made her skin crawl. Something about the way he watched her…as if she were prey.
“I want him gone,” she said to Randor.
He looked at her in shock and stood from the lounge. “Excuse me?”
“If you get him out of the house, far, far away from me, I’ll trust you.” He stared at her, obviously waiting for an answer. “If you wanted to harm me, you already would have. You’ve had plenty of opportunity. But him,” she sneered at Kiel, “I don’t trust. At all.”
Randor hesitated for a moment before he wrapped a hand around her upper arm gently. “Follow me.”
She followed him through the living room down a long hall to a bedroom at the end. His eyes glowed fiercely as he leaned down, his lips millimetres from hers.
“Don’t make me regret trusting you, Princess.”
She matched his stare. “Likewise.”
Chapter Four
Randor left Adora in the bedroom while he went to speak to Kiel. He shouldn’t have to kick his friend out of the home they shared. But he also shouldn’t have brought Princess Adora back to his home. He knew that. And now he was kicking himself for it.
What the fuck was he thinking? The Unseelie queen was a force to be reckoned with. Her fury was unlike any other he’d ever seen. When she found out he’d disobeyed her order and taken the Princess to the human realm, she’d send her soldiers after him. He just hoped he had a bit more time to think before said soldiers found out where he lived.
He entered the living room and found Kiel opening a portal to the faery realm. His human exterior was gone and he appeared as his natural self again. Turning to face him, Kiel gave him a look Randor couldn’t quite describe. Something between contempt, disbelief, and disappointment.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Randor. Because this could end very badly. You know where to find me.” And with that he disappeared through the portal.
Randor frowned as he watched the portal close.
I hope I know what I’m doing too.
He felt Adora enter the room. A strange sensation that tickled the back of his mind told him she was there. He turned and found her in the singlet and underwear he’d put on her. A shiver shot down his spine and arousal pooled in his groin.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
I know that. Her voice appeared in his mind. And thank you.
“A little bit arrogant for a princess, aren’t you?” he said as he approached her.
“Well, I am a princess after all. Isn’t all royalty arrogant?”
; Adora rested her hands on the back of the lounge and leant against it. The position was incredibly alluring to Randor and pushed her chest and hips out in a seductive position.
“We have things to discuss.” He stood in front of her, inhaling deeply so her earthy scent filled his nose. “Like what I’m going to do with you.”
He gently ran his fingers up her bare arms, smiling when goose bumps erupted on her smooth skin.
“I can think of a few things you could do to me,” she teased. “But first”—she pressed her hands against his chest—“we need to talk.”
Randor agreed. They needed to talk. But his dick didn’t want him to talk. It wanted more action. Too bad it wasn’t in charge.
Adora removed her hands from him and crossed her arms. “So, tell me what your plan is.”
He raised his brows and regarded her. “Which plan are we talking about?”
There was the “let’s run as far away as we can from the Unseelie queen before she tries to kill us both’ plan”, the “how can I convince her Kiel is no threat” plan, and, of course, the “we’re soul mates so let’s just fuck all day instead of concentrating on the tasks at hand” plan.
“Are you going to turn me into the queen?”
He sighed, wishing there was a way to keep Adora safe, be with her, and stay alive. Unfortunately, something would have to give. “No. I’m not going to turn you in.”
“So the assassin isn’t going through with his orders?” She clicked her tongue at him. “What are we going to do?”
“We have to find a way to hide from the
Unseelie Court
and stay safe.”
“There’s always my kingdom. We’d be more than safe there,” she said, a smug smile on her face. “The castle is impenetrable.”
He let out a laugh and took a step back from her. Impenetrable? He’d managed to get inside with no problems at all. There wasn’t a single security guard on the back gate surrounding the castle. “Should I remind you of what happened last night?”
Adora scowled at him. “What’s your point?”
“My point is there’s nowhere completely safe to hide. As much as I don’t like it, we’ll have to find a way to stand up to the Unseelie queen without getting ourselves killed.”
The princess leaned her weight on her left leg in a casual stance and shrugged. “We could always just kill her.”
“No” was his immediate answer. “I do not kill royalty. Ever.”
“You were going to kill me,” she stated matter-of-factly.
His heart stuttered for a moment. She really thought he was going to kill her? “I kidnapped you. I never planned on killing you.” He could never kill such a perfect being. Kidnapping her was hard enough. Holding her in his home in the human realm was more than he could bear. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Randor wanted to see her calm and free, not tense and hostile as she was now.
A minute of awkward, tense silence followed before Adora stood up straight, pushing herself from the lounge. “I have the perfect place to hide while we figure things out.”
He frowned. “What’s wrong with staying here?”
“The elf knows where we are.”
“We can trust him.”
“No.” She stared at him coldly. “We can’t.” Stepping around him, Adora shook out her arms and sucked in a deep breath. “Can you open a portal?”
“Of course.”
Randor stood by her side and focused his magic, preparing to open the portal to the faery realm.
“Wait.” Adora interrupted him. “I want my sword.”
With a flick of his fingers and a little bit of concentration, her sword appeared in his hand. He passed it to her, returning her grateful smile. He concentrated on his magic once more, picturing the faery realm, and pointed his finger to a spot just above his head. The invisible fabric of space ripped and followed the path his finger took.
He put both hands inside the realm and opened the portal wide enough for the two of them to fit inside. When he turned to face Adora, there was a black aura shimmering around the two of them. He shot a questioning look at her. What had she done?
“We’re both invisible,” she explained. “And undetectable.”
Randor held his hand out for her before he stepped through the portal. When she hesitated, he asked what was wrong. She looked down at her clothing and shot him a look that basically said “give me some better attire or I’ll kick your ass.”
He used his magic to place more suitable clothing on her body. Unfortunately, she wasn’t particularly happy with the flowing red satin dress he had conjured up.
“Too bad, Princess. It’s that or the underwear.”
She scowled but remained silent. With a complacent expression, Randor took her hand and walked through the portal with her.
****
A string of curses were on the tip of Adora’s tongue. If she hadn’t been so eager to get back into the faery realm, she would have spat them at the assassin and started a fight. Unfortunately, she wanted to get as far away from where he resided as soon as she could.
She couldn’t believe he lived with an elf. No doubt he would try to convince her that Kiel wasn’t a threat, but she didn’t believe it for a second. Elves were sneakier than Fae—and they were damn sneaky.
As they stepped through the portal, a rush of cold air hit Adora’s bare skin. Immediately, chills rose and she looked down to realise Randor hadn’t given her any underwear. Her nipples were easily visible in the thin satin material.
“Stupid bastard,” she muttered.
Randor closed the portal behind them and released her hand, but stayed by her side, waiting.
“What was that?”
Narrowing her eyes, Adora ignored the want to smack the arrogant look off his face. She needed him. In more ways than one. Her heightened state of arousal was almost too much for her to take. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand—getting the two of them to her hide out—but her throbbing core begged for attention.
“Come on,” she mumbled and led him north.
Her hideout was about a ten-minute walk away through the dense forest that lined the boundaries of the Water Lands. She’d found the hideout when she was only seven and was out hunting with her mother. Mother was the one who taught her to fight, hunt, track, heal, and use her magic. Her mother had understood who Adora was. Who she would grow up to be. Father tried to mould her into a typical princess rather than the rogue she turned out to be.
I miss her.
“Who do you miss so much, Princess?”
Randor’s soft voice caught her attention and wiped away her sadness. “Nobody,” she snapped. She didn’t realise she’d shared that thought with him.
So much for being able to control telepathy with a soul mate.
She wasn’t about to share her thoughts, emotions, and all that crap with someone she didn’t know. Soul mate or not, he was a stranger.
His arm brushed hers as he stepped into stride with her, sending waves of heat rolling over her body. It reminded her of their…activities in the bathroom earlier.
“Where are we headed, Princess?”
She clenched her jaw and her steps became stomps when he used the term. Being called that in the castle was bad enough. She wouldn’t tolerate it from Randor. “I’ve asked you to stop calling me that.”
He cocked an eyebrow and regarded her calmly. “What would you prefer I call you?”
“I don’t give a shit. As long as it’s not Princess, I’m fine with it.”
Randor grinned at her, clearly about to make a remark, before something caught his eye. He looked over her shoulder and grabbed her arm, stopping both of them.
“What?” she whispered, following his eyeline but not finding a thing.
Not a second later, Adora heard the whoosh of an arrow slicing through the air. Reacting faster than she, Randor threw her down and pinned her body to the ground to protect her.
“Are we still invisible?”
The whisper in her ear sent shivers down her spine.
She nodded, hoping silently that her magic was still holding out. Sometimes, with her bad moods or stress, it failed, but she wasn’t about to admit that to anyone. Adrenalin rushed through her veins and the need to fight spread.
“How far to your hideout?”
“No more than one hundred paces.”
Randor nodded and rolled off her into a crouching position. His fierce eyes stared at hers. “Run.”
It was an order. One she obeyed without question.
As fast as she could, Adora got up and ran without looking back. The tone of Randor’s voice had her scared for her life. Someone was after them and he seemed to know whom. She made her way into the forest, holding her dress up with one hand so her legs wouldn’t tangle in it. Following the invisible path she’d memorised in her childhood, she ran past the large trunk of a long dead tree, through a sheet of green and purple leaves until she reached the river’s edge.
Turning right, she followed the riverbank, jumping over several dead logs, animal dens, and goblin traps. She could have done the trip with her eyes closed, but she kept her eyes open, staying alert. Every five steps, she checked over her shoulder to see if Randor was following. He wasn’t.
Within seconds, she’d reached what appeared to be the edge of a ravine.
“Three steps to the right and ten forward. You’ll step over the edge, but don’t be afraid. You’ll make it across safely.” Her mother’s words rang in her ears.
Three precise steps to the right and ten forward. Though she would survive the one-hundred-metre drop, she wouldn’t do so without many broken bones and a lot of bleeding. When she reached the other side, Adora brushed aside the leaves of an overgrown tree that hung across the ravine and placed her hand on the hidden cave’s wall.
Mother had warded the hideout with magic so that only she and Adora were able to enter. With a small inhalation, Adora called to her magic which tingled up her arm until her hand glowed and the wall opened with a groan.
The second she stepped in, the door shut. A feeling of safety and calm washed over her when the door closed. She was virtually untraceable in the hideout. The only other person who knew of its existence was Father and he didn’t know the exact location of it. This was the one secret that only she and her mother had.
Dark Waters Page 3
