Assassin's Past (The Assassin and her Dragon Princes Book 2)

by Ivy Clyde

  “I’m so sorry, Your Highness,” I gasped, stepping away immediately.

  Seeing me flustered made him happier as he leaned into me, his nose skimming the side of my neck. He took a long whiff and exhaled loudly.

  “What is your name, pretty flower?” he asked, drawing me against him.

  “Darla,” I lied.

  “Have a taste of this wine,” he said, tipping his goblet at my lips.

  From the corner of my eye, I looked for Adal. He’d disappeared. All I wanted to do was twist Zane’s arm around and pull it off the socket. Instead, I took a sip of the offered drink.

  “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Putting a finger under my chin, he lifted my face. His pale gray eyes, so similar to his brother’s, glowed with lust as he stared at me. It made me sick but I kept my features wiped clean of any emotion.

  “You are so submissive, Darla,” he whispered in a throaty voice. One thick finger traced a line from my throat to the middle of my chest. I grit my teeth, enduring his touch. “I think I’ll like you very much indeed.”

  “Your Highness, may I show you something?” I said, deciding to go with Adal’s plan of luring him away from the crowd and then getting rid of him. There was no way I could let him continue and end up getting groped by him everywhere.

  “Of course, pretty Darla,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. A cold shudder ran through me at his touch. He took it to be desire, tightening his hold on me. He walked with me, waving away the nobles who came forward to greet him. His attention was on me completely.

  “Your Highness, are you feeling all right?” I asked.

  “Hmm?”

  “I saw you passed out earlier. You gave us such a fright this morning.”

  “It was probably the Baledonian heat,” he said. “It’s the only thing I loathe about Baledonia. You see, in Drakhaven, the weather is milder. Would you like to go with me to see the castle there?”

  I nodded. So, no one told the prince about the needle sticking out of his neck? The royal physician must have taken it out and kept silent. He had to be an intelligent man to keep it to himself. If word got out someone shot a poisoned needle at the prince of Drakhaven, there would be punishment for all. The clever man excused the whole thing by blaming the weather. I almost chuckled.

  “Darla.” His voice was rough as he pressed me to his side. “Answer me.”

  “Of course, Your Highness. It would be an honor. However, I was sold to Prince Adal and would not be free to do as I please. It’s an insignificant slave’s life.”

  We were finally away from the crowded garden. It was a secluded corner of the grounds with no one around. It was the perfect chance to get rid of him.

  “I will free you and take you away,” boasted Zane, caressing my cheek with rough fingers. “Everything in Baledonia belongs to me. Heck! Everything in the four kingdoms belongs to me.” He leaned so close to my face I could smell his wine-soaked breath. “I take what I like.” He lowered his head, intent on kissing me. The needle was ready between my fingers, just waiting for him to focus on me completely.

  “You there!” a stern female voice called out from behind me.

  Zane started, turning around at the interruption. I hid away the needle immediately. A middle-aged woman in luxurious robes strode forward, her angry gaze fixed on me.

  “How dare you slack off and leave me behind?” she shouted, wrenching me out of Zane’s hold. “You are so daring to seduce the prince of Drakhaven.” The woman bowed low before Zane. “Forgive me, Your Highness. This shameless harlot needs a lesson in obeying her masters.”

  I stared at the woman, utterly baffled by her rage and fierceness. She was a complete stranger. “Come along! See, if I don’t skin you alive today.” Before Zane could say a word, she tugged on my arm, dragging me across the lawn. While it made absolutely no sense, I let her do it. At least, this way I could escape Zane without employing the same trick twice.

  The woman dragged me with her until we were inside the palace. She pushed me inside a room and shut the door behind her. My mouth fell open at the sight of Adal. He stood there with a mischievous smile on his face.

  “Daria,” he said, stepping up to me. “I see you’ve met my mother.”

  13

  My mouth parted as I turned around to look at the woman who’d dragged me away from Zane, promising a lifetime of punishment and torture. Initially, I thought her to be a madwoman. But as my gaze fell on the gently smiling lady, I realized she was intelligent and clever. And breathtakingly beautiful under the light of the chandelier overhead.

  “Forgive me for all the pushing and pulling,” said Adal’s mother. “I was trying to act convincing.”

  I shook my head, smiling. “You were very convincing, Your Highness.”

  Adal came to stand beside his mother, draping an arm over her slender shoulders. Seeing them together, I could see the close resemblance. Adal got most of his beauty from her. They shared the same sapphire blue eyes, pointed nose, and luscious full lips. Even the sunlight-gold of their hair was of the same shade. It became even more apparent that Adal was born of a different mother than Prince Kurozeru who had the common dark hair and eyes of most Baledonians.

  “Let us go back to my quarters,” said Adal’s mother, glancing up at him. “We don’t want any prying eyes on us.” She walked forward and took my arm. “Come, Daria. Oh!” she said with a start. “Please call me Jifa.” This time, she was gentle as she led me out of the room and down the corridor.

  I was astonished by her candid nature. By rank, she was second to the queen. Strangely, it felt like she already knew me.

  Concubine Jifa’s quarters were larger than Adal’s, evident from the spacious parlor room. The furniture was more luxurious, the paintings more elaborate and the vases of solid gold around the place gave it an air of absolute regality.

  “Someone is looking forward to seeing you,” she said, moving away to reach a doorway on the other side of the room. I smiled, thinking she meant Cain.

  “Does your mother know who I am?” I asked.

  “She knows you’re a companion in the mission against Ivan. More than that, I didn’t tell her. She hasn’t asked either, in case, they try to get the information out of her. Even if they kill her, it will be useless.”

  “Thank you for saving me from Zane’s clutches. The man wanted to take me away with him to Drakhaven.”

  “As if I’ll ever allow that,” he said, grinding his teeth. He grasped my hand tightly, pulling me against his chest.

  I pushed at him. “Not here, Adal!” I hissed. “Your mother can come back anytime.”

  He grinned mischievously before letting me go. Taking my hand, he led me to a plush sofa placed in the corner of the room. Seating me down, he poured me a cup of wine from the ornate jar. “How many children does Prince Kurzeru have?” I asked, thinking of the prince who was acting like a servant for Zane.

  “He has three daughters. His two younger brothers have seven children between them. My sisters married outside the palace but they have their own children.” A grim look came upon his beautiful face. “It’s hard not to think of them before acting against Drakhaven. If calamity befell our clan, the children won’t be spared.”

  No matter how disgusting it was, I suppose family was more important than pride. Cain, Adal, and Norvin had told me about the way Ivan commanded over them, snatching away their powers so that the ruling families were reduced to mere servants. They couldn’t do a thing to help their families. They could do even less for the people of their kingdoms.

  “Adal. Daria.” Concubine Jifa’s voice rang out in the silent room. There was another woman behind her. They both walked forward, their eyes fixed on me.

  “What do you think Kora?” asked Jifa, turning towards the woman beside her.

  Kora was much older than her, her skin wrinkled at the mouth and corner of her eyes. Her clothes were simpler than Jifa’s. She seemed to be a handmaiden herself. Her pale blue eyes rake
d all over me. To my surprise, they were soon brimming with tears.

  “My Lady, she looks exactly like her,” said Kora in a trembling voice. She brought up the sleeve of her dress to dab at her eyes.

  I stared between them, feeling confused.

  “What are you talking about, Kora?” asked Adal. “Who does she remind you of?”

  Kora looked towards Jifa. “Where do I begin to explain, My Lady?”

  Jifa held up her hand. “You can’t explain it in a day, Kora. The first thing you should ask her is whether she remembers you.”

  I looked back at Kora. No matter how hard I tried, I could not remember seeing her in Linmoor Valley. Kora’s gaze fell on me. “Do you remember me, My Lady?”

  I shook my head. “I was quite young when I came to Linmoor Valley. Maybe I was too young to remember you?”

  “So you grew up there after all…” A sad look came over Kora as she looked away from me.

  “Kora.” Concubine Jifa’s voice was full of warning. “Don’t even think about running from her!”

  I looked towards Adal who looked just as stunned as me.

  “What are you two talking about?” asked Adal. “Daria is from a place which is impossible for normal people to visit.”

  “I never stepped foot in Linmoor,” said Kora, her voice trembling. She was suddenly hyperventilating. The poor woman was doubled up and gasping for air. Jifa patted her back and rubbed it until she could breathe properly again.

  “Perhaps, you should go rest, Kora,” said Jifa.

  “Thank you, My Lady.”

  Jifa exhaled a long sigh after Kora left. She gave me a sympathetic glance and then smiled gently. “I am sure you’re very confused, Daria.”

  “I am.”

  “There’s something I would like to show you,” she said, gesturing me to come forward.

  I got to my feet and moved towards her. Adal walked beside me and took my hand in his. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by his mother but she made no comment. She swept away towards another doorway, leading us down a narrow passageway. Unlike the brightly lit parlor room, this area was hidden in shadows.

  “This is a storage space,” said Jifa in a nonchalant voice. “People rarely come here because one of the previous queens took her life in a room here. They say her spirit still haunts these quarters. The ladies of the royal family were happy to give it up to the king’s concubine.”

  She led us inside a small room which felt claustrophobic at the presence of just three people.

  “I am not an idiot though,” continued Jifa. “While they thought they got away with giving the concubine the worst quarters possible in the palace, I discovered the secret compartments installed during the previous queen’s reign. They have been extremely useful. And her ghost doesn’t bother me at all.”

  She pushed a particular exposed brick in the wall. It slid in easily and suddenly a chasm opened up before us. A dark chamber lay beyond it.

  Picking up a lantern, Jifa walked inside.

  Exchanging a glance with Adal, I followed after her.

  There were several items littering the vast room but my gaze went to the large painting set against the furthest wall. Jifa came to a stop, placing the lantern on the floor. Stepping to the side, she gestured me to move forward.

  I obeyed, eager to look at the painting. Reaching close, I stared into a portrait of a regal couple holding a tiny baby between them. The man was close to his early forties. He wore royal robes of red velvet and pure white ermine. His eyes shimmered in the dim light of the lantern and looked lifelike. However, it was when my gaze fell on the woman beside him that my mouth fell open.

  “She looks like me,” I whispered, pointing a finger at the beautiful woman. She wore a matching gown of red velvet with her long, dark hair falling past her shoulders in light waves. The only difference was in our eyes. While hers were almond-shaped with blue irises, mine were green.

  I looked back at the man. His eyes matched mine perfectly. They were as green as mine.

  “Who are they?” I asked, turning to look at Jifa.

  “They are the late king and queen of Drakhaven,” she revealed.

  “Why does the queen resemble Daria, Mother?” asked Adal, coming to stand close to me. “And why have you saved this painting here? If anyone were to find it…”

  Jifa raised a hand, cutting him off.

  “I just wanted you to see this, Daria, and look in your memory. If you find Kora there, come to me and I’ll tell you what I know.”

  “But I don’t remember her!”

  Jifa bent down to pick up the lantern. “Come away now.”

  Without a word, she led us back to the brightly lit parlor room. I struggled to find the memory Jifa and Kora insisted I had. If Kora met me before I was five years old, then I would never know. The memories of my life before then were completely lost.

  “Is Daria related to the late Drakhaven queen?” asked Adal.

  Jifa shook her head. “Don’t ask me things. It all depends on Daria now. If she can remember, I’ll tell her the rest.” She glanced at me. “Try to remember, Daria.”

  I nodded, knowing it wouldn’t help. My mind was filled with questions but it was the memory with Kora that would unlock all the answers.

  I was so wrapped in my thoughts I didn’t even realize the way Adal led me after we’d come out of his mother’s quarters. The sudden strong winds startled me. Looking around, I saw we were on top of an open tower. Everything was dark around us. Only the moonlight lit up the space around us. Bizarre instruments stood crowding us, some taller than me while the smaller ones covered a low, flat table in the corner.

  “Where are we?” I asked, stepping onto the railed boundary of the tower. Down below, the palace grounds stretched for miles. Beyond it, lay the woods.

  “This is the astronomy tower,” said Adal.

  “These are the instruments you use for stargazing?” I asked, remembering the things Adal told me about his favorite hobby.

  “They are.” He bent down to get a long tubular piece and held it to his eye. Squinting through it, he pointed at the moon. His hand adjusted the narrow barrels of the cylinder.

  “Come take a look,” said Adal, without moving. As I shifted close, he kept his hand steady and allowed me to squint through it. At first, it seemed like I was staring at a gray land full of giant craters.

  Then, I gasped. “Is that what the surface of the moon looks like?” I asked, my voice filled with wonder.

  “Yes.”

  I looked away from the bizarre sight. “What kind of magic is it?” I asked curiously.

  He grinned. “It’s not magic, Daria. It is science. A combination of special crystals is able to bring forward a distant object into full view.” His voice got more excited as he explained about light rays and how they interacted with crystals. Most of it sounded fascinating but as he went on explaining more complex laws of nature, my mind strayed over to the painting I’d seen earlier.

  Cain had asked if I was somehow related to the Fire Clan. It was one of the theories that could explain why Cain shifted into his true form after mating with me. Why hadn’t it happened with Adal yet? I’d already been with him twice and yet, he showed none of the signs that followed Cain’s transformation.

  “Daria.” Adal had set aside his instrument and was looking at me closely. Taking my hand, he led me to a thick mattress set on the floor. Several pillows adorned it. He seated me on it and came to sit beside me. His fingers intertwined with mine as he gazed up towards the sky. “I’ve never brought anyone up here.”

  My heart pounded in my chest, suddenly aware of the closeness between us and the heat rising in my core. Even though the night was cool, I could feel a trickle of perspiration roll down the curve of my lower back, making me shiver.

  “Are you cold, Daria?” whispered Adal, slipping his arm around my waist without waiting for a reply.

  I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. A part of me wanted to step away, break f
rom his touch and search for the memory that would give me the answer as to why I resembled the murdered queen of Drakhaven. However, as a cool breeze blew by, I let out an exhausted sigh.

  “How can I remember things I’ve long forgotten?” I asked, ignoring the way my body was begging for Adal’s touch.

  “You need to relax, Daria,” he whispered as his hands slid down my sides, his touch firm on my hips as he cupped my bottom. “Answers come to a calm mind,” he whispered breathily in my ear, lightly nipping the lobe and sending shivers shooting through my body.

  He pulled me against him and at once, I felt his member hardening through the layers of clothes between us. “Relax, Daria,” he coaxed, leaving soft, fluttery kisses on the side of my neck. His hand slowly raised the hem of my dress and I felt powerless to stop him, too eager to feel his heated touch as it slid up my thighs, coaxing out the first hint of my secret wetness. Soon, all thought vanished from my head and I opened up to him completely.

  He kissed me, his warm lips gently enveloping mine, his hot tongue delicately teasing its way inside my mouth.

  “Adal,” I whispered as he kissed me again with the most delicate sort of urgency. The world outside us melted away as Adal’s fingers teased my wet folds, making my body ignite in flames of desire.

  Soon, our clothes fell away, leaving us completely bare to each other. A gentle breeze blew against my naked skin, but next moment, Adal was on top of me, covering me entirely with the mass of his body.

  He began his kisses at my feet, moving up to caress and kiss the length of my legs, the softness of my inner thighs, his tongue cheekily brushing over my swollen clit.

  “Adal,” I moaned, my hips jerking upward on their own accord.

  His fingers slid inside my wet folds tenderly as I moaned and trembled. He was taking his time with me now, unlike the heated urgency of that morning.

  Adal’s breath was hot against my sex as he whispered my name and slowly pushed his tongue inside me. My body clenched and then suddenly let go. As I trembled with the onslaught of the orgasm, Adal’s hand pushed my body down into the mattress, his hot tongue curling inside me. My back arched as my fingers clawed at his soft, golden curls.