Damaged Royals

by Hazel Parker

  “You’re so big…” she said.

  A strangled chuckle came out of my throat, and I nodded. “Touch me. Show me how much you want to touch me.”

  She did. Her hands moved in a gentle caress at first before she moved it more confidently, stroking almost clumsily but firmly. She obviously wasn’t an expert, but it didn’t matter—my cock pulsed and came to life, anyway, aching for her and no one else. She set a rhythm that was both awkward and arousing, and her mouth boldly moved against mine and played with my tongue.

  When she bit my bottom lip, at the same time squeezed me, I knew I wasn’t going to last if I let this continue. I swatted her hand off, earning a gentle protest which I quieted with another dizzying kiss. Then it was my hand moving inside her pajama pants, sliding them down before I placed my fingers over her panties.

  She was already damp, and anticipation singed in my bones at the thought of her wetness inside. I made a rubbing motion and felt her body jump in shock, and I knew it was a shock of pleasure as she clung to me and pulled me closer. I urged her to relax, urged her body to loosen up for me as I kissed a path down her stomach, where I stayed for a while. Then I slid her panties down and slid my mouth lower, taking my time and letting her adjust to the sensation.

  I looked down and found her pink and glistening as suspected, and the sight had my cock going harder. Unable to wait any longer, I rubbed her slit with my fingers, a gentle, teasing movement.

  Then I slid my fingers in to feel her wetness inside.

  The first thrust had her body stiffening—an instant reaction that started from her knees and traveled up, which I felt against my own body. Then the small cry came, confusing me at first before I realized it wasn’t a cry of pleasure but a cry of pain.

  Her tight channel clenched against my fingers, as if to push me out. Horror filled me when I realized there was a barrier there—one that only signified one thing.

  “You’re a virgin?”

  Her cheeks turned pink, and she scrambled back. I was vaulting off her as if electrified, and my expression must have shown the shock I felt because she wrapped her blankets around her body to cover herself up.

  “Liz…”

  She looked up. “Yes. Yes, I am. Now you know. What are you going to do about it?”

  The question was bold, and I could detect the things she tried to hide—the expectation, the hope. The defeat. I didn’t want to do this because all my body wanted was to climb back in bed and finish having my way with her.

  But Liz didn’t deserve me. Not like this.

  Not when I would just destroy her future.

  So I schooled my expression and tried to appear unaffected. “Nothing.”

  Her face fell, but she looked down quickly enough.

  “I’m sorry, Liz.”

  “I don’t want to hear your apology.”

  I wanted to say it over and over because I was sorry. Goddammit. I was such a fool, rushing into my needs without thinking of her.

  And I must amend it before it was too late.

  “Fine. Then I’ll leave. Please be gone when I come back.”

  It was clear-cut and a tad bit harsh, but it was a must. I turned around before I could see her expression again. It was better this way.

  Then I left the room and closed the door, already looking for a place to find any sort of peace.

  Chapter 19

  LUCAS

  There was no peace in this palace, especially when the queen demanded your attention first thing in the morning before breakfast.

  The summons came from one of the maids, and I took my time going, needing to wait Liz out before going back to my room. She was gone by the time I slipped in, and a quick shower made me almost forget about what happened between us and how I fucked it all up.

  Almost.

  Then I was heading to see Laverna, who was sitting in her office and frowning as soon as I entered.

  “Any progress on Benjamin’s decision?”

  I shook my head. “We’ve eliminated the impostor. That’s the important thing.”

  “That was the important thing. The important thing now is that he finds a bride. I don’t see him picking a candidate yet. What’s the delay?”

  “I think he’s already chosen the finest among them. The one who would match his political needs.”

  “Then he’d best hurry up. I would talk to him personally, but you know your brother and I don’t want to drive him away.”

  “I’ll make sure he does.”

  She nodded in satisfaction. Laverna tilted her head, eyeing me closely.

  “You’ve been different lately. Is there something I need to know?”

  Laverna didn’t specify how different, and I didn’t want to assume. Benjamin and I had kept that little incident a secret, and Liz…she was inconsequential to the queen. I shook my head.

  “There’s nothing. You’ll have your good news before coronation. Trust me on this.”

  I stepped out as soon as I was dismissed. I wandered the halls, then slipped inside one of the smaller libraries, where I found Kyle sleeping on the couch with a book on his lap. The sight of him reminded me of his sister, and I slipped out of there before he could wake up.

  The day passed by in a blur, even while Liz was at the forefront of my mind. I did my best to forget, throwing myself into paperwork. I knew they were going to be riding horses today, and I knew she would be a part of it, considering she still needed to maintain her fake identity until this was all over.

  By late afternoon, rain fell and kept on until night time. When I was sure everyone would be in the dining hall having dinner, I wandered the halls and let the loud rain silence my footsteps. Alcohol would be good now, but I didn’t have a headache yet, and I didn’t want to end up waking with Liz taking care of me again. It was too much, and it would lead to something that I couldn’t stop this time.

  Maybe I could just stay in the west wing. But thunder suddenly boomed, and my mind went to the horses, some of which I knew were afraid of this particular force of nature. Before I knew it, my footsteps were taking me to the back of the palace, where I went past the gardens and trudged through the mud to get to the stables. I was soaking wet by the time I got there, but the relative silence inside the warm place sent me a surge of comfort that I hadn’t experienced the whole day.

  Footsteps sounded, a soft crack through the hay. I stiffened, thinking an intruder was around.

  One of the stall doors opened, and a figure stepped out carrying carrots.

  Liz stared at me, pausing her steps. She looked shocked to see me at first. Then she was eyeing me up and down, setting the carrots aside and taking some blankets from another stall box. She threw them at me before she went to attend the horses.

  “What is the matter with you? You’ll get sick if you keep doing things like this.”

  She kept muttering as she fed the horses, then cooed at Roast about how a good girl she was.

  “Did she give you any trouble today?”

  Liz smiled at Roast, switching from feeding to brushing the horse’s hair. “No. She was very behaved and made me look like a pro.”

  They eyed each other, the adoration clear.

  “I’ll go. Have a good night, Liz.”

  I made a step towards the stable entrance, ready to face the rain again. But her voice stopped me in my tracks.

  “Wait.”

  I turned around and saw her walking towards me, determination in her eyes. She didn’t quite look at my face yet, and I wondered if she was about to deliver some line about how despicable I was for what I’d done.

  Instead, what came out of her mouth was the last thing I expected.

  “You kissed me first.”

  “Yes.”

  “Twice.”

  “I think that’s been established.”

  Liz nodded. “Yes, it is. The thing is, I’ve always been about consent, and I gave it those two times.”

  “I never intended—”

  “I’m still t
alking.”

  The firm statement had me staring. I shut my mouth and let her talk, knowing she was still trying to drive her point.

  It would have been funny if I wasn’t aching for her so much.

  “So I gave it those two times, Lucas, which is why there’s no need to apologize. But that’s the thing. You started both of those kisses, and I was swept in the moment before I could really think about it.” She sighed. “And now, I’ve thought about.”

  Silence followed her statement, save for the loud rain.

  “I’ve thought about it, and I realized I never took what I wanted, only what I needed—never once in my life, in fact. And you know what? I’m sick of it, and the decision is clear as day for me now. Lucas?”

  “Liz?”

  She stopped right in front of me. Then she looked up and met my gaze.

  “I want to initiate it this time.”

  The words slid in through my jumbled mind, latching on before I realized what I was seeing in her darkened golden eyes. The hunger was stark, and so were the nerves and desire warring with each other. My belly somersaulted when she began unbuttoning her dress, then sliding it down. She wore only panties beneath, and the sight of her, with her curls framing her face and that heat in her eyes…how was any mortal man supposed to resist?

  My mind dictated me to leave her be, to let her go before I could do further damage.

  “You have to understand that I won’t be able to stop after this. You have to be sure.”

  Her lips parted, and her eyes shone. “I want you to be my first, Lucas.”

  Yes, I should have left.

  But my heart and my needs were selfish, and they were what catapulted me into striding forward until I caught her in my arms.

  One pull and I was hoisting and carrying her. Blinded by my need, I kissed her as I’d been wanting to since this morning, and the familiar taste searing in my blood made me crave for more. I was walking endlessly, and I didn’t realize that I was walking towards the empty stable box, where hay was abundant and I could lie her down on the soft surface.

  Hands flew. She tore at my wet shirt, touched my chest and arms, running her fingers all over it and clutching my neck to pull me closer. I slid my kisses down her throat, then further down as I lavished her breasts. I wanted to be slower, but the urgency that consumed us both didn’t allow for that, and soon my mouth was trailing lower, my tongue licking a path that had her moaning out a response.

  “Lucas…”

  “Shh…let me take care of you…” I rasped. “Let me make it good for you, Liz.”

  I slid her panties off, then urged her legs apart and waited until they did it on their own. The sight of her, pink and moist and glistening, had my mouth watering, and I let my thumb do a light, gentle caress before I leaned forward and licked her slit.

  Her body jumped up in shock, but I held it down and kept licking her, keeping my strokes light and unhurried. She tasted light on the outside, wonderful, and I let her adjust to the rhythm of my licking first before delving deeper with my finger. I slid one in as slowly as I could, feeling her stiffen against my touch. But I waited her out, feeling her loosen up bit by bit until that one finger was completely inside her.

  Slowly, I slid out of her, then slid back in. I kept the rhythm of the thrusts consistent, feeling her body relax slowly as she moved in time with it. I thrust my tongue inside her too, licking, before I found her clit and sucked.

  The reaction was instantaneous. She bucked from the hay, a cry escaping her lips as her body vibrated. It was an intense explosion, and I kept on sucking her juices as she kept exploding for me. Finally, her body slumped, and I gave her one last lick before I slid up again and gave her soft, intimate kisses.

  Liz’s hands moved to my trousers, and I knew what she wanted. I slid them off, let her play with me for a little bit. Then, when I was so hard that one more stroke would set me off, I removed her hand and positioned myself at her entrance, meeting her eyes.

  There were a thousand emotions there, and I absorbed each and every one of them. I kissed her some more, sliding my tip in, stopping every time I felt her freeze. She was so tight, and the feel of her made me want to just slide in one single push. I gritted my teeth against that urge and waited her out.

  It was a slow process, but we both worked together. Finally, I was in to the hilt, and the feel of her muscles clenching around me almost had me coming. I counted in my head, trying to think of innocent things so I wouldn’t pound into her like an animal. The waiting was excruciating, but it wasn’t long before I felt her muscles loosen up and stop driving me away. She placed her mouth near my ear, whispered a kiss before she said, “I’m ready.”

  I was unsure at first, not wanting to hurt her—but Liz remedied that by pushing her hips insistently, a move that had her mouth forming an O of surprise as the first flicker of pleasure came in her eyes. I took that as my signal and slid out her slowly, then slid back in, watching her expression change from wary to amazed, then to lost as she threw herself into the moment.

  Slow didn’t last long, and soon I was thrusting into her in fast, hard movements. I swallowed her cries and kept at it, never stopping even as I felt her muscles clench and her explode all around me. I stayed with her as she climaxed a second time, watched as her eyes blurred.

  Then I closed my eyes, pistoned my hips with abandon, and drove in one last time.

  I emptied myself inside her and let the pleasure take me.

  * * *

  I woke up to the sound of thunder booming outside the stable—and the clenching of my stomach as a familiar sensation hit me.

  It was hunger.

  It was as stark as when Benjamin had once found me, and the intensity of it caused me to crawl on my hands and feet, moving away from Liz’s sleeping form as silently as I could. She was buried under the blankets, sleeping soundly.

  I thought the sight of her would calm me down. Instead, the hunger raged, and I watched as my hands turned into sharp claws ready to strike.

  They reached out for her. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled back and grabbed my own arms instead, willing myself to calm down. But the wildness was building, and the beast was about to come out. It wanted the horses.

  It wanted Liz.

  I threw myself out the stable door, going back out in the rain and dragging my protesting body along.

  And I disobeyed my instincts to feast on Liz’s flesh.

  Chapter 20

  LIZ

  It was the loud boom of the thunder that woke me up, and the empty space beside me that kept me from sleeping again.

  Still tired, I took a few seconds to blink my eyes and adjust my bleary eyesight, looking around and taking the place in. The stable was quiet, and the horses were asleep, but I couldn’t spot Lucas anywhere.

  Memories of our lovemaking rushed in me, reminding me that I was sore. I sat up as slowly as I could, then stilled when I saw that the stable entrance door was open, letting in some of the wind and rain. Maybe that was part of what woke me up, too.

  I looked around again, wondering what on earth would make Lucas leave and—

  The thought froze in mind as I took in the dark stain on the ground.

  Blood.

  In an instant, I was standing up and trying to find my clothes, hurrying as I watched the trail lead from the hay to the door.

  Then, bringing a piece of wood with me, I was running out as fast I could.

  * * *

  I still couldn’t find Lucas, and the trail of blood stopped near the gardens, wiped out by the ongoing rain. Panic hit me until I spotted the trail of blood resume on the steps towards the palace, where one of the many secret doors was partially open. I almost pushed it in fully, then decided that panic was going to lead me nowhere and would just end up risking my own safety.

  There were no guards in this area, and I had no one to ask for help.

  So I took a deep breath. Then I slid in as quietly as I could.

  The blood was hard to
spot at first in the dim lighting, and I knew this area was dim because it was rarely used and was against one of the high walls, where no one could get in. It also led to the west wing, which my half-functioning mind was aware was still restricted. But I ignored all of that and kept following the trail, which grew thinner as I kept walking.

  I stopped on the second floor—the west wing itself—where even more darkness surrounded me. I gripped my piece of wood tight, suddenly feeling defenseless against the eerie silence. I stood against a wall and cocked my ears, waiting for any sound to come—footsteps, maybe, or something more alarming.

  There was nothing. Only the rain could be heard.

  I counted in my head, waiting for a bit more but not too long because I didn’t want to delay this any longer. Then I took a deep breath and kept moving, following whatever drop I could find until it disappeared inside one of the wing’s many doors. This certain door was closed, but I squinted and studied the knob, which was made of brass gold and glinting slightly.

  It was also streaked with blood.

  My body shook. I opened it, anyway, turning the knob and slipping inside, where I found…an empty room.

  Only it wasn’t really an empty room, because the marble tiles didn’t lead to a wall on all corners.

  They led to a garden.

  There were no windows that would have made this a conservatory, and no proper ventilation at all. There was even no bright light, but the garden entrance was filled with greenery—shrubs, bushes of flowers I didn’t recognize. I could still see pretty well, but now the panic was back, and all I wanted to do was turn back.

  But I couldn’t, not when my gut instinct was telling me something was wrong, and Lucas was connected.

  I stood still for a few seconds, gathering my courage. Then I walked over to the garden entrance and stepped in, wanting to just get this over with. Almost immediately, a cold sensation hit me, and electricity traveled through my body and had me closing my eyes in defense. When I opened them, my senses warred with my brain, and what I saw had me gaping and wondering if this was all just a dream.