"G-Galian," I said, laughing in spite of myself. "I've been here for hours. Why didn't you just..."
He glanced down. A wolf tentatively stepped forward and sniffed the stick. A piece of ember fell off and burned him, sending him yelping back to the rest of the pack. Even though it was dark, I could still make out fifteen bodies.
"How are we going to get rid of them?" I asked, leaning into the trunk of the tree.
"With this." Out of his pocket, he pulled a dark object: our flare gun. The only thing we had to signal we were alive on this island.
"Galian, you can't use that!" I gasped. "That's... We can't... What if we see another plane? We need to—"
"Theo, they aren't coming for us," he said. "Not after your ship blew up, and the lab and all this time. You know that as well as I do."
I was surprised, not because of his resolution, but because of how happy he sounded about it.
"Are you feeling all right?" I asked, leaning forward to press my hand against his head. To my heart-stopping shock, he took my hand gently and pressed a kiss to the palm.
"Yup."
I swallowed hard, now very much convinced he'd suffered serious head trauma, especially as he pulled me toward him.
The limb cracked beneath us and I looked into his wide eyes. Before either of us could react, it gave way and we crashed to the ground.
Galian
We tumbled to the ground, falling in a heap of human and tree limbs. The initial sound had scared off the wolves for a moment, but once the dust settled, they crept closer.
Theo wrapped her fingers around mine and whispered, "Galian, where is the gun?"
I fumbled for it, but it had disappeared in our fall. "I—I don't know..."
"Galian." She whimpered, sliding closer to me.
I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close. "It's okay," I said, wondering when I became the strong one.
"I know."
In one fluid movement, Theo's arm flew by my face and a deafening crack echoed in the clearing.
I cried out and covered my ears, which were ringing. But when I lifted my head, the clearing was empty.
Theo trembled next to me, her hand still raised in the air with the now-useless flare gun in her hand and her eyes staring ahead like she'd just done something horrible.
"You okay?" I asked, rubbing my ears.
She nodded, but more out of habit than because she was listening. I gently took the flare gun and tossed it into the bushes, covering her cold, clammy hands with mine.
"What is it?"
"That was our last flare."
I cocked my head to the side. "Yeah. I know. What about it?"
"How are you going to get home?" she blurted and I was surprised that her first thought after nearly being wolf-food was getting me home. "How are you going to get back and make a difference in your country?"
"I... what?" It was rare to see her this affected.
"You have to go back," she said, glancing around and on the verge of tears. She was obviously still in shock, but there was something else. "You can't stay here forever. You need to go home, to live a good, long, happy life..."
I stood in front of her now, amused and in love with all that she was in this moment. "What if I'm happy living here with you?"
Her eyes flashed, and she retracted as if I'd struck her. For a brief moment I was afraid I had crossed the line, that she was going to turn and run away from me as fast as she could.
But I knew if I didn't kiss her right then, I'd regret it for the rest of my life.
FIFTEEN
Theo
Galian kissed me.
Right where we'd nearly been dinner for fifteen hungry wolves.
It was full lipped and glorious, and proof that he was every bit as experienced in wooing women as I'd read. Then it was more than a kiss, it was heaven that took my breath away.
He grasped the side of my face, holding me close to him, and gently opened my mouth with his tongue. He was definitely better at this than I was, and I let him take charge, ferociously, hungrily, mesmerizingly kissing me and I never wanted him to stop.
But he did, pulling away and staring into my eyes so desperately that I thought I might melt.
"What?" I whispered.
"I'm waiting for you to slap me."
Laughter burst from me. "Why would I slap you?"
It was his turn to look bewildered. "Because you... I..."
I grabbed his face and pressed my lips to his, not nearly as passionately as he'd assaulted mine, but enough to show him how I felt. He moaned softly and pulled me closer, tasting and teasing me with his tongue before stopping suddenly.
"We should probably head back to camp." He grinned. "You know, in case the wolves come back."
"Good idea." I had no thoughts of my own in that moment, still reeling from our kiss.
"Shall I carry you?" he asked, that impish smile returning. "Seems like you liked it a lot."
My mouth fell open, and I was grateful for the darkness to hide my blushing face.
He leaned forward and kissed me again, whispering, "I plan to make you make that sound again."
I swallowed, but a giddy smile broke out on my face. I hopped onto his back and he nearly sprinted back to the cave. I licked my lips, tasting his kiss and daydreaming about what he planned to do once we returned there.
Our fire was low when we arrived home, with me still on his back, Galian tossed three branches into the center. He nearly tossed me onto the mattress, before crawling on top of me and pressing my hands into the mattress as he covered my mouth. I moaned in response as his hand moved to my chest, slowly and deliciously unzipping my jumpsuit.
He suddenly stopped.
"What am I doing? I've seen you naked before." He nearly ripped off the zipper of my jumpsuit, then took his off with equal ferocity, his eyes traveling the length of my naked body the whole time. My mind returned to me and I tensed, realizing what we were about to do.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing my nerves and immediately looking to my broken leg. "Did I hurt you or—"
"No, it's just...I don't know," I said, unable to look at him. "I just... My legs are...hairy..." I actually didn't care, but I didn't want to tell him I'd never done this before. For all my talk about not caring about nudity, I was actually quite nervous.
"Well, there's such an abundance of razors and showers on this island, I'll never forgive you for not shaving," he teased me, before running his fingers down my thighs and then back up, and then disappearing between my legs.
Immediately, I forgot about my nerves as new and exhilarating sensations rolled up from where he touched me. His mouth covered mine as I clutched at him, writhing as he toyed with me, then slipped inside. Every inch of me was on fire, until the moment I couldn't take anymore. I closed my eyes and cried out, the waves of pleasures making me dizzy as I sank back down to the cold ground. I grinned at him; the son of a bitch looked so smug.
"Proud of yourself, are you?" I asked, unable to keep the breathlessness out of my voice.
"I thought you'd be harder to get off, to be honest. That was easy."
"Oh?" I said, remembering that he was an expert and, other than some private moments in my bunk, I was not.
He ran his hands down my hips, across my breasts, exploring my body while I came back down. He was gentle now, patient, placing kisses on my skin as I considered if I should tell him that I was a virgin. I was terrified of his response. He was the playboy prince, he'd been with tons of women, and what was he going to think of me?
"Wow," he said, his hand sliding back between my legs. "You feel amazing." My nervousness grew as he joined me on the floor. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, now fully erect, he was a lot to take in.
"Wait..." I whispered, stopping him before he entered me.
"What?"
"I've never...done this before." I looked away from him.
He took me by the chin and stared into my eyes. "Do you want to stop?" The tone in
his voice eased my nerves. He hovered above me, tense and hesitant. And I knew that if I had asked him to stop, he would have. Because he was Galian, and that was why I loved him.
I shook my head with a small smile, less afraid than I had been. "I just wanted you to know."
He kissed me sweetly, his entire demeanor changing. His hands slid through mine and he slowly, deliberately, carefully entered me with a tenderness that overwhelmed me. It was tight and a little painful, and I'd hoped that my discomfort didn't show on my face.
"Okay?" he whispered in my ear. I pressed my lips to his in answer. "We'll go slow," he said, before adding with a playful nip of my shoulder. "For now."
We moved together, Galian taking his time until I felt more comfortable, and I simply enjoyed the new sensations. He'd said that it was better than flying, and I confess, the feeling of us joined together was incredible.
I looked up at him, and he kissed me again, something I swore I would never grow tired of.
"Are you all right?" he asked, pausing.
"Yes," I said.
"Are you sure?" he pressed, sliding deeper into me as if to prove a point. I couldn't help the moan that burst forth. He grinned and repeated the motion, and I tried my hardest to glare at him. But all I could do was smile like a moron. His deep thrusts grew quicker and more frenzied. He moaned as I had, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, pulling him closer as he squeezed my hands harder.
He came with a guttural sound that was very un-prince-like and quite possibly the sexiest thing I'd ever heard. He hung his head for a moment, collecting himself as he took gulping breaths. He shook his head and rolled off me, lying on his back.
"G—" Before I could say anything, he grabbed my arm and tucked me under his shoulder, pressing me tight to him and kissing my forehead. I felt safe there, and laid my head on his chest, amused by the rapid heartbeat under my cheek.
Galian
I could feel her heart pounding against my bare chest, and I held her tight to me. It felt right to have her there; she was perfect, exactly as she was. I wanted her again, but at that moment, it was all I could do just to hold her. I couldn't remember the last time I'd had sex, and the release after so much tension was... indescribable.
"Was that okay?" she asked me.
I looked at the top of the cave and tried to understand her words in my still addled brain. "Okay?"
"I mean..." she said, trying to get up, but I held her tight to me.
I placed another reassuring kiss on her forehead. "It was amazing," I said, and she relaxed in my arms. "You were amazing."
She settled her cheek against me and ran her finger down the center of my chest, sending chills down my spine. I turned my head to watch her, and noticed the concern still on her face.
"Theo," I said, rubbing her back. "It was amazing—"
"What are we going to do?" she whispered, cutting me off.
"About what?"
"Galian." My name on her tongue still made my heart race, especially when she lifted her eyes to look at me. "This...won't ever work."
"I think it worked just fine."
She gave me the tired look that I'd become so used to. God, I was so in love with this woman. "You know what I mean. If we ever get rescued—"
"Unlikely."
She snorted. "In the unlikely event that we get rescued, you're the prince."
"I'm also a human being. Not everything I do is dictated by someone else. Isn't that what you said?"
"Galian..." She hung her head.
"Look at me," I said, sitting up and cupping her cheek in my hand. "When the Kylaen forces come for us—for us," I emphasized, before she could respond, "you're coming back with me."
"But—"
"I love you, Theo," I replied and I watched her eyes widen. "I love you and I want you to come home with me."
She stared back at me with those beautiful dark eyes. In them, I could see the years of abuse, of fear, of living every day as if it were her last. She was Raven by birth, but they'd never loved her the way a country should love its child. They'd put her to work, enslaved her to a fighting force caught in a losing battle.
I wanted to show her what a country could be, how well she could be treated. I wanted to give her every opportunity that damn country never gave her. I wanted to protect her in the giant walls of Norose, where no harm could ever come to her.
And both our countries could just deal with it.
I kissed her fingers, realizing she hadn't answered. "So how about it? If we get rescued, will you come with me?"
Theo
He was nervous, and that made his question that much more honest. This man, this Kylaen royal—no, the man who'd saved my life time and time again, who had become my closest friend—he loved me. I could see it in his eyes, too. He had fallen for me as deeply and fully as I had for him.
He wanted me to come live with him in the glittering palace at Norose. He believed everything would work out for the best—as he always did. And I wanted to believe he was right. I wanted to believe it with every fiber of my being.
But if by some miracle we were rescued and they didn't kill me on the spot, there was no way we could ever be together. The idea was laughable.
I allowed myself to hope we'd never be found, but I dismissed it quickly. I wanted Galian to go home. I wanted it more than I wanted to be with him. Because he was a good person who deserved to live a long, full life of helping people. And I knew he could make a difference in his country if he believed he could. But he wouldn't leave without me.
I looked up into his eyes, those Kylaen eyes I'd somehow begun to love, just as I'd somehow begun to love the man who owned them. We'd beaten the odds and survived this long on an island that was determined to kill us. And we wouldn't have gotten this far if we weren't meant for something greater.
So I let myself believe.
"Yes," I whispered, closing my eyes to the sensation of the word already on the tip of my tongue. "I will go with you, amichai."
His face exploded in a grin as he pushed me down, ready to show me again just how much he loved me.
Galian
I was smiling before I even woke up. I felt her breath on my neck, her fingers resting on my chest, the warm body underneath the blanket with me. I ran my fingers down her bare back, all the way to her shapely, if not thin, butt and back up (and then down again, just for one final squeeze). I had known her body before, but now I was intimately familiar with it. I wanted to learn more, but hunger pains had awoken me.
I gently pushed Theo's hands off my chest and covered her in the blanket before I dressed myself. I wasn't quite finished with her yet, but I was hungry and I wanted to surprise her with some breakfast.
Preferably fish. No, I hadn't forgotten about that.
I leaned down to kiss her underneath her ear. "Morning."
She moaned softly, fluttering her eyes.
"I'll be back in a bit, okay?"
"Mmkay amichai," she whispered, rolling over and going back to sleep.
I climbed out of our cave and found my fishing pole. Carrying it to the beach, I flung the end of the pole into the water and waited for a moment. But Theo had been right; there weren't that many fish this far in. I decided to head back to the original camp, as there was more twine I could add to my line and maybe try to get the line out farther.
After an hour's walk back to camp, memories of the night before entertaining me, Theo's mangled ship greeted me. I had to laugh at how far she and I had come from that first day. She was a distrustful and severely injured feral cat, and me a helpless and naive princeling. Now, she was my Theo and I was her amichai.
I poked around the camp, thinking about the sound of the foreign word on her tongue. She had said the word was to be used only when felt deeply, like an involuntary response. Based on the number of times she used it the night before (I grinned stupidly), I'd have to agree.
"Ay-mi-kay," I tried. If I felt the way she did, could I pull off the pronunciation? It
still sounded clumsy to me, so I kept practicing it.
"Ay-may-kay."
"No, aaaaaah-may-chai? No, that's not it."
"Ah-meh-chai."
"Ah—"
My voice died in my throat and my jaw fell open in shock.
"Your Highness!"
SIXTEEN
Theo
Galian was gone when I woke, but he'd left the blanket wrapped around me. Without him next to me, I was quite chilled, so I pulled on my jumpsuit, wondering how long I was going to be wearing it before Galian had it off again.
I giggled and it echoed off the walls of the cave, the same way our moans and frantic breathing had. I had to give him credit; sex was as good, if not better, than flying. But it wasn't just the way his fingers moved or his lips tasted, it was the way he looked at me. The way he smiled. I finally knew what it was to be loved by someone, and it was pretty damned incredible.
I wondered where he'd run off to, my princeling—no, my amichai. The word, even in my mind, was warm and comforting, and I sighed, reveling in the moment and this feeling. But even in my euphoria, I knew that once we got off this island, everything would disappear in an instant. Still, we'd been there for weeks, and there had been no sign of anyone. So perhaps what we were meant for was to live out our days on our island. Dashing away from wolves and making love by the fire.
I stretched, and a small squeak escaped my lips. That sounded like a pretty decent life to me.
I glanced at the cave ceiling, considering the problems that would arise if we continued to have unprotected sex. But like showers and razors, prophylactics weren't readily available. Yet another problem I could consider another day.
For the moment, I relived the long night together with a smile on my face. Now that this barrier was broken between us, now that everything was out in the open, this island was paradise. We could be together. We could love each other freely.
The Complete Madion War Trilogy Page 15