He moved like a predator in the night.
A tiger after his tigress. A seductive shifter prowling.
Carnal sparks took over my body as he placed one of his legs between mine, gradually leading me backward with slow steps and with every sway of our hips rolling together. His thigh pressed against my intimate heat with every motion, and the tips of his fingers curled against my hips, clutching me harder.
A mighty blush heated my cheeks. This was so improper.
The King of Shifters leaned his head down and rested his forehead against mine—the gold of his crown warm and soft—the other dancers deliberately getting closer. Our hips never stopped gyrating as one. We stared into each other’s eyes, our gazes not straying as we breathed each other’s air, as bodies closed in, skin touching skin all around, but solely linked to the one person with whom we danced. His hands roamed up to my back, bare from the outfit I wore, his massive body keeping me sheltered from others, perfectly performing the dance moves to the salacious beat.
Holy Fae above and below, I was damp between my legs.
My soul mate kept his forehead pressed to mine, not looking away for even a Fae blink. He didn’t falter one step—though raw, bodily hunger clawed sharply inside my Fae-spark from him.
I licked over my bottom lip and lowered my eyes.
I couldn’t hold his gaze as I should have.
I was in front of my people—albeit most probably couldn’t see me crushed in the center of this fervid group as I was. But it sent a dreadful shiver up my spine, knowing some were watching from above. What King Athon and I did illegally in private should stay fucking private. I did not enjoy an audience watching us, and this was too Fae damned close to the truth.
He was mine.
The King of Shifters growled softly under his breath.
I snapped my eyes up to his.
“Ignore them,” he hushed severely. “Focus.”
I tightened my jaw as the chords jarred.
We pulled our heads back from the other.
I raised my arms above my head, leisurely twirling to my left, he, whirling to his right, rotating with me. Five counts of three, we turned, only to face one another each time. The front of our bodies brushed, and our eyes locked with every pause. I popped my chest to the left while he followed, and his arms enfolded my body to his.
King Athon pushed down on my back, making me spin underneath his arm—and I closed my eyes on the other bodies an inch away from my face. He lifted me into the air, and I crossed my arms over my chest as he tossed me straight up in a tight, full spin, catching me easily with one arm as I fell back down through the air.
My eyes hastily opened as the tip of my nose brushed his by accident—shouldn’t have shut my eyes. I wrapped my arms back around his neck and held on as he, and the other men, started coiling around each other with their partners, each woman held with one arm against them. I lifted my legs and wrapped them around my Fae damned soul mate’s waist as the sultry harmony sprang forth from the musicians’ instruments.
King Athon forced his muscled chest to mine while we dipped and whirled, his hold absolute on my body, moving backward and forward.
More and more, faster and faster.
Breathless. I was fucking breathless.
He had managed to steal the very air from my lungs.
The desire that had been building ripped through my system like a deadly rushing flame while I stared into his solid black shifter eyes, our hair whipping around and between us. I squeezed his neck tighter, shoving myself closer to his warmth, attempting to catch my breath while the music quieted to a beautiful, simple beat.
King Athon gently lowered me back to the ground, my feet finally touching the floor. With his left hand, he raised my right hand, our fingertips pressed gently against each other’s—and we paused.
I used one finger to draw serene circles on his broad palm and reached up with my other hand to cup his cheek softly.
The shifter king turned his head slightly into the touch.
I stopped drawing on his palm and curled my fingers around his, bringing his hand toward me.
He held my cheek delicately.
My heart hammered as I tilted my head lightly into his grip.
On the last tender note of music, I smoothly stepped forward and pressed our bodies together, our gazes connected as one.
The music died off. Dead silence filled the room.
It was so Fae damned quiet…
My chest heaved with arousal and fear.
King Athon’s thumb brush against my cheek softly, hidden.
A firm, brutal clapping shook the stillness from above. That turned into robust cheers from my people, apparently approving of the fact I hadn’t backed down from the dance—an heir with a spine against the most brutal king in all the kingdoms.
My shoulders unbunched, the dread drying up in my veins.
Mayhap Uncle Marlon had been right.
I would never have guessed that. I had so much to learn.
It was time for a grand act on my part…
I stepped back and dipped my head, stating regally—clearly and loudly, “Your Royal Highness, you are a fine dancer.”
He lowered his head appropriately, responding calmly, “As are you, Your Highness.”
I smiled pleasantly, hiding all genuine emotion, and patiently waited to walk away when the other dancers did. In my harried state of mind, I almost bumped into Bishop, where he was downing an entire flute of wine—his honey-brown eyes as wide as saucers and steadfast on his diminishing drink. My destination didn’t change though, my course set as I slipped around him. I strolled casually through the crowd, my smile not wavering once.
Only at the back ballroom door did I crack. “I need air.”
Leaning his shoulder against the doorway, King Traevon sipped on a glass of whiskey. He swallowed down the alcohol, his emerald gaze firm on mine. Father quirked one red eyebrow. “I imagine you do after that debacle, my heir.” He tipped his head toward the hallway. “Go calm your nerves. But don’t take long. You will need to dance with others now.”
I snorted, hissing under my breath, “Screw dancing.”
“Precisely so. It looked like the elven heir and her people’s most dangerous enemy were screwing their fucking brains out right in front of them—particularly from the balcony where I was, unfortunately, standing with your mother,” King Traevon stated oh, so calmly. “That is why you must dance that fuck away with others—elves—so our guests will leave my castle with only fond thoughts of you in their mind. Leave no one room to question your loyalty, my heir.”
I blinked slowly. “That was rather crude, Father.”
“I said that as your king.” King Traevon smiled, flashing his fangs. “Now go bloody comport yourself, and try not to get yourself into any more scandalous situations tonight.”
“That was my plan,” I snarled, marching straight out of the ballroom. I didn’t look back as I added, “And I’ll take as long as I please, my king.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Vice of a princess:
Thoughts transform when you acknowledge and accept the reprehensible has actually occurred within you.
What was once too atrocious for me to consider, has morphed into a want—a need—and only grows stronger when I break down my own preconceptions. Having a crucial law pounded into my head from the day of my birth, it is eye-opening to challenge it, to understand the genuine reasons for its existence…and its flaws.
I now walk into the tempest with my eyes wide open.
I PEEKED AROUND a corner and watched a guest who had escaped the ballroom unnoticed—no sentries following in their wake. This individual most assuredly shouldn’t be sneaking about and should have been noticed leaving the heavily guarded festivities. This was a curiosity not to be ignored.
The tiger sauntered down the private hallways of my father’s castle. Its rear end faced me, its furry butt swaying in its casual trek as if it owned the elven space. To ad
d insult, the tiger’s tail was lifted high in the air, the tip of it twitching back and forth to the lively music that softly floated within the castle walls from the ballroom.
What in the Fae fuck was King Athon doing?
He sniffed at each door before turning another corner.
I silently raced down the hallway and placed my back to a wall, glancing around the edge carefully. The tiger had to know I was following him, his sense of smell too acute to miss my scent. This felt like a great game of chase—while he lorded the fact that he was meandering about where he shouldn’t.
My eyes narrowed on him when he stopped.
The tiger leaned his front quarters down, his tail still up in the air…and he shook his ass side-to-side to the feisty beat.
I choked and slammed my hand over my mouth, all of my previous anxieties and fears fleeing in a swift rush, promptly replaced with utter amusement and shock.
The tiger was Fae damned boogying in Father’s castle.
Mayhap he had drunk too much?
The wine was from the Shifter Kingdom.
But he had been sober ten minutes ago…
Knowing I was watching, he bopped his butt to the tune a few more times, putting on an entertaining show.
Was he playing with me?
The tiger stretched, and then he moseyed down the hallway farther, sticking his nose against another door. The door unlatched from the hard push and swung open. The snooping furball wandered into the dimly lit room without care, disappearing from my sight.
I lifted one eyebrow and tiptoed straight to the room, entering with ample caution. I stopped and stared at the shifter king. He had shifted back into his normal form, and he was currently occupying a large, wingback chair next to a beauty vanity. I shut the door quietly and questioned in exasperation, “What in the five kingdoms are you doing, shifter?”
King Athon smirked and leaned back on the chair. His legs spread wide in their black leather. In his coarse shifter tone, he rumbled darkly, “Tricking my target.”
My mouth snapped shut, and my blink was gradual, realization hitting like a Fae damned week-old brick of bread. I mumbled under my breath, “You lured me here.” It wasn’t a question, the truth evident now.
The King of Shifters chuckled softly, his smile curving up on one side his mouth—flashing his white teeth. “There’s more than one way to capture prey.”
I exhaled heavily through my nose, my gaze traveling around the room we were in. It was a small bedchamber in the private guest quarters.
My attention halted on the bed.
There was no way he would want to…
“Why did you bait me here?” I asked casually.
Simple, blunt words. “You know why.”
Fucking Fairy, he was alarmingly brave.
My eyes flew back to his. “That would be reckless. We’re under my father’s roof right now. There are people everywhere.”
“None are close by.” His white hair slipped over his left shoulder as he tipped his head, resting the side of his forehead on the wing of the tall chair—his posture relaxed and composed. The King of Shifters sniffed once, and his nose wrinkled. “Except for your dear friend. He’s stationed down the hallway. And while I allowed Caspian to eavesdrop on our argument in the bookstore, I will not abide him listening in on our intimacies. If he wishes to stay alive, it would be prudent for him to stay where he is.”
King Athon knew my cousin’s name.
Caspian knew the truth.
That was information I would need to think on.
Not taking my gaze off a shrewd set of shifter eyes, I stated as calmly as I could, “Cas only sneaks up on someone when he plans to kill them. If he knows the truth about us, then you are safe until I give orders otherwise.” My cousin would disobey our king, knowing the reality of my precarious situation.
A horrible growl erupted inside the room.
I jerked in place and glowered. “Hush. It is the truth.”
King Athon flashed his tiger fangs, a warning to tread carefully with any other threats to his person.
I ignored his surly ways and wiggled my nose. “I suppose we already smell like one another. Was that part of your reasoning?”
Reluctantly, the shifter king put his tiger fangs away. He answered bluntly, “We reek of each other. As long as a shifter doesn’t sniff between your legs, no one will be the wiser.”
I tapped my fingers on my right leg and finally allowed my attention to wander to my illegal soul mate’s chest, no longer making myself behave—no one else was here, I could do as I wished. A goodly portion of his muscles showed, his black vest opened wide, displaying his warm russet skin. I lowered my lashes over my eyes as I ogled his body, once again, startling desire roaring through my veins, astonishing and potent. My gaze slid down to his thighs where his leather pants hid nothing, his muscles flexing as he opened his legs even wider—arousal piercing in my Fae-spark from him. He really liked me looking at him.
I licked over my bottom lip.
Fuck it. I hadn’t been a good girl since I first smelled him.
I turned toward the door and lifted my right hand—but my courage unexpectedly wavered. The metal was cool under my fingers as I slowly twisted the lock. I waited long moments before pivoting back around to my illegal soul mate.
I peeked up at him under my lashes, my eyes caught on a view I never thought I’d enjoy this much. Unbidden heat pooled low in my gut.
It was astounding what could change with a different outlook and a few mind-blowing experiences from this shifter.
“I’ll give you one last chance to back out, elf.” King Athon leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, his penetrating gaze capturing mine. His brutal shifter tone was gruff and deep. “You know I can feel your anxiety, too.”
I straightened my shoulders and lifted my chin as a slow song drifted to my ears. “And as you bloody well know, I play with fire quite regularly. This is no different.”
“Cute, Princess. But it’s not the same.” King Athon’s nostrils flared as his eyes caught on the apex between my thighs. He ground his teeth together, gritting, “The reason I’m here right now is that I want to fuck you. I’m not here for titillation purposes to have sex in my enemy’s castle. If you don’t want the same, I’ll leave.”
King Athon wasn’t going anywhere.
It was a powerful thing to be wanted, his frank words restoring my nerve and strength of will.
“That wasn’t the fire I was referring to.” A brazen thought percolated inside my mind. It might work to keep him here. I shored up my courage once more, and put my idea into action. I began swaying my hips sensually to the slow beat in the air, asking quietly, “Are you backing out of your own plan?”
“I am not.” The King of Shifters’ massive form gradually sat back on the chair. His voice was calm and collected. “This will be interesting.”
I walked toward him, rotating my hips to the fluid beat, a throaty chuckle slipping past my lips. “Is it interesting so far?”
“It is a promising beginning.” King Athon cocked his head slightly. “I’ve never appreciated how an elf moved until tonight.”
My lips quirked up. “Do you like what you see?”
The King of Shifters’ eyes snapped up to mine so ferociously that I froze in place—caught by a more experienced hunter.
“Yes.” King Athon stood from the chair like the tiger he was, fluid and brutal. He prowled right at me, ordering sternly, “Don’t stop.”
I hesitated, but I gradually lifted my arms above my head and began rotating my hips again to the sensuous tune. I couldn’t look away from his hard gaze, rasping, “Like this?”
He hummed deep in his throat, hunger shining in his eyes.
The King of Shifters leisurely prowled around my body, stopping directly behind me. His warm hands gripped my bare sides and gradually slid over my skin to my stomach. He growled softly under his breath and pressed his hot body to mine, his hips dipping with my hips
to the beat, grinding in time with me.
I inhaled a shaky breath, my head falling back on his chest.
And I’d thought “Deliverance” was indecent.
What we were doing was Fae damned naughty.
I closed my eyes, just feeling everything. I quietly moaned as he stroked my skin with his hands down to my hips, holding my body tightly against his as we danced intimately.
King Athon dipped his head down and used his chin to pull my hair back over my shoulder. He kissed my neck with his lush lips, his tongue brushing against my heated skin, tasting me unhurriedly.
A succulent shiver rolled down my body.
I lowered my arms and held the back of his head with one of my hands. I wanted his lips to stay where they were, his light caresses on my neck enchanting.
“Open your eyes, Princess. Look at us.”
My brows puckered, and my eyes flew open.
I blinked twice in confusion…until I saw it. Us.
The mirror atop the beauty vanity.
Two people danced as one, sex personified.
One was pale, the other dark.
One was tiny, the other enormous.
Their eyes were unalike. Their teeth were not the same. Their hair and clothing were styled in the fashion of two different kingdoms. The way they moved was as diverse as their ears.
Nothing about them matched.
And yet…they did in the most bizarre way.
Their allure was undeniable. The way they watched each other was a heady aphrodisiac, their blatant desire for each other stimulating to spy on.
I sucked in a sharp breath, understanding what it looked like when we honestly wanted each other. I babbled, “I didn’t look at you like this out there, did I?”
The King of Shifters licked my neck softly again, hushing gently, “No, you hid it well.”
I shivered in relief. “Thank the Fae for that.”
The shifter king grunted and twisted me in his arms. I squealed when he lifted me right off the floor and sat my butt down on the beauty vanity—none too gently—the perfumes Mother left in each room tumbling and rolling on the flat surface and falling onto the rug with quiet thump-thumps. The King of Shifters grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back, holding it hostage.
Crypts and Crimes (Trixie Towers Book 3) Page 9