by Alice Wade
“I don’t think so, Princess.” His eyes spoke mischief and a wickedness that sent a thrill throbbing between her legs, earning a groan.
“Gareth.”
His lips halted any more conversation while he kissed her into submission and within moments she was rolling towards her captor while he slowly slid the sheet down her body, revealing her naked form inch by inch. She moaned in denial, but didn’t stop him from uncovering her for his hands to have free access to her curves.
In one of the moments he broke the kiss, Crysin touched his cheek, caressing gently. “How could this side of you do the horrible things you’ve done?”
Gareth darkened immediately and rolled away onto his back to brood. “You had to go there.”
Her body followed his like a magnet and she crawled up his body to rest her head on his chest. She resisted a smile when he didn’t push her off, instead he ran his fingers through her hair in an act of endearment. “I find this all to be very confusing, Gareth. I want to understand.”
“That is for me to discuss with Tillian,” he growled.
“Gareth, you’ve convinced me there is something good still inside you, so do the right thing and let me go, let me ride away without anyone stopping me.” Crysin held her breath while he didn’t move or even breathe.
“No.”
“You are not your Father,” Crysin whispered but found herself being shoved off while Gareth sat up and wouldn’t look at her.
“I almost forgot, almost lived away from the guilt, but you had to drag me back.” His words seared with anger while he snarled at her.
“Ah, welcome back,” Crysin sighed and gathered the blanket again while laying flat on her back. Gareth snapped and she found her throat being held in a painful grip that had her gasping for air within seconds.
“Careful,” he mocked, giving her another squeeze while she clawed at his hand desperately.
Finally he released her and left the bed and got dressed. When he found his inner calm again, but not his lust, he turned to her. “Don’t forget who and what I am. I am no longer the man I once was. That person died the day I followed my Father’s order to harm my sister. Don’t tempt me to show you more of what I can do, for I’m sure there are many men just outside this tent that would love to experience the joys your body can deliver.”
“Oh, I won’t. I think you’re wrong, though. You are a Prince of Folkyn. You are more than a monster, and all you have to do is forgive yourself first.”
“I only care about whether Tillian can forgive me,” he sneered.
“Well—” She took a chance and leaned forward. “She’ll never do that unless you forgive yourself first.”
Gareth unleashed his anger as if he were being held back and pinned her to the cot painfully while he covered her with his entire body. “I said stop.”
“Then make me,” she challenged.
And he did, by kissing her so painfully that she whimpered under his caress while he plundered her mouth and practically ripped open his breeches while not removing his lips.
When he was naked, he snaked his hand down her side and hip then straight across, spreading her legs and forcefully thrusting into her body, spearing her on his fingers. “Is this what you want?” He accentuated his words with a rough stroke. “This side of me?”
“No, I want—” She gasped while he stroked her harder. “I want you, the real you, the man I know you can be.” Gareth had her on the brink in seconds regardless of his less than amorous attentions and Crysin shattered violently on his hand.
Without missing a beat, Gareth moved between her legs and pushed deep inside with a driving force and heard Crysin cry out. He smothered her cry in another kiss that swallowed her sound.
His hips moved with a momentum that had the cot rocking against the dirt floor and he didn’t stop until he felt the flutter of pleasure through his groin that radiated down to his toes.
“Be yourself, Gareth,” she moaned. “I know you’re in there.”
“Crsyin,” he cried and released all this guilt in a wave. He felt it flee his body in powerful bursts when he emptied everything he had. Gareth collapsed on her chest and cried. He felt her arms tightened around him while he fought the forgiveness he wouldn’t allow himself ever to feel.
After a moment he spoke. “I don’t exist anymore. I died and now this is all that is left,” he whispered into the crook of her neck. “Please don’t force me face it, please don’t.”
Embracing him, Crysin hugged him to her chest while he finally drifted off to sleep for awhile. Hopefully he’d be able to run from his guilt and anger while he dreamed of who knew what. She hoped he’d be free for a while at least.
In that moment, Crysin accepted she’d developed an affection for this tortured man and laid a small kiss on his forehead, earning a murmur in reply.
“All right, just sleep.”
* * * *
Just as Crysin drifted off to sleep, the sound of a galloping horse thundered into the camp. When it skidded to a stop, Crysin heard a woman screaming Gareth’s name at the top of her lungs. The urgency was unmistakable. Crysin sat up and caught a glimpse of her captor when he sprang forward cinching up his pants and sprinted from the pavilion into the night before she could stop him.
Crysin quickly dressed, crawling to the wall of the tent to listen. She couldn’t make out words but the voices were strained and the conversation was broken and emotional. One name filtered through to her though and it caused her to hold her breath in shock. Tillian.
She strained harder to listen for her brother because if his wife was here, he wasn’t far behind. Crysin heard only one horse and one voice which spoke to Gareth. Which meant Ryan wasn’t here. Which meant Tillian had come on her own.
Crysin’s eyes darted around the tent nervously while she tried to figure out what this meant. If Tillian were here without Ryan’s approval, then chaos was about to break loose and she would be caught in the crossfire of her brother’s blazing anger.
The sound of the tent flap opening drew her attention, sending her jumping back. In walked the handsome pair. Side by side they were a stunning sight. Brother and sister shared a common bloodline and appearance, but Tillian displayed her exotic appearance more dramatically than her brother. Where she was stunning, painfully so, he was merely handsome.
“Ah, Princess Crysin, you’ve heard.” He noted she’d dressed and allowed his eyes to roam from head to toe.
This was the wicked Gareth, the one who adored cruelty and instantly she knew he’d retreated behind the façade created to hide from his guilt. She watched him and tried to catch his gaze but he refused to let his eyes linger longer than a fleeting glance before they darted away. It was as if he knew he’d crumble if he looked at her.
“I have to say I’m a bit disappointed that my sister arrived. It robs me of one more day of your company. It appears Tillian has a conscience and didn’t want you to suffer like she had, and is going against her good husband’s wishes and turning herself in to save you.” Gareth turned to look at Tillian then added, “He still owes the money though. Father won’t have it any other way. How shall we address that? Shall we send another note, maybe written in your elegant hand?”
Crysin knew what his coldness was costing him, because the only person who could absolve him of his guilt was the woman standing two steps from him. Yet he continued to be callous and she knew instantly he wouldn’t get what he wanted. He made sure of that.
“What’s happened to you, Gareth?” Tillian asked in a pained voice.
“That’s not important,” he said, his voice heavy with torment. He turned to face Crysin straight on for the first time. “Crysin, you can go.” He watched his sister stand just inside the tent, watching him with a judging stare. She didn’t try to hide the disgust she obviously felt.
Crysin didn’t move. She stared into his angry eyes and saw a glimpse of something. It was a gut-wrenching pull at her heart. She suddenly wasn’t sure she wanted to leave at
all. Gareth needed help and Crysin was sure she’d be able to get him through this. The longer Tillian glared at him, the stiffer he became. It was a matter of time before he cracked. When she pleaded with her eyes, he barked, “Go!”
She flinched at his harshness but still didn’t move. He wilted, dropping his shoulders in defeat. “Please, just go.” His whispered words finally broke through and she stepped forward, only to stop when Tillian finally spoke.
“I’d like a word with her alone.”
Crysin knew instantly why Ryan had fallen for her. She was elegant and strong, but there was a weakness in her, a softness that her brother would find irresistible.
Gareth turned back to his sister and shrugged. “Why not?” He left.
Tillian rushed to her the moment the flap dropped and clutched at her tightly. “I know we’ve not met but I couldn’t leave you here. The thought of what could be done to you by who knows how many men...it made me sick with dread. I know Ryan will explode when he finds me gone, but Crysin, I just couldn’t leave you here one more day.”
“Ryan doesn’t know about this, does he?” Crysin whispered and knew instantly the wrath of anger that was coming.
“He probably does by now. The guard was suspicious and I’m sure he sounded the alarm.”
“Tillian, do you know what you’re doing?”
“Not really, but there is no other option. I know my family better than Ryan and he was being stubborn. I also know the despair of waiting for someone to rescue you from this torment. My brother didn’t come for me, so...here I am. It’s the best I can do.”
“There’s a difference, Tillian. I know my brother will come. You didn’t.”
The statement rocked Tillian and found she couldn’t speak for a moment until she swallowed. “I hoped,” she finally whispered. “But he never came.”
“It’s up to you whether you forgive him, but the brother you knew is still there somewhere. I saw it briefly, but he’s shattered by what he did.”
“He should be and I’m not sure I can easily forgive, but maybe in time. I don’t trust him, though. Once I get home, I’m sure I’ll be right back to where I was, don’t you see? He’ll leave again, only this time, I’ll expect it.”
“Oh no, Tillian, you can’t go back!” Crysin cried and pulled back to look up into her exotic face. “What about Ryan? Think what this will do to him.”
“I know he’s racing right behind and won’t be far away. Please remind him of my love. Please? I need him to know I didn’t run out because I didn’t love him and will miss him for the rest of my life.” Tillian finally cracked and a huge sob broke free. All the regret of leaving her sleeping husband and the love he gave her came crashing down. The pain tore at her soul with gut-wrenching swipes, stealing her breath. She knew she’d not remain alive much longer once Gareth learned the Flame Thrower was about to arrive.
Crysin hugged her again. “Oh Tillian, Ryan is going to go insane.”
Tillian ignored her. “I have a horse outside, so ride hard and get away from this place. As I said before, you will encounter Ryan quickly. You will be safe, Crysin. Go.”
“I’ve seen something good in Gareth, Tillian.” She paused to look into Tillian’s green eyes holding her attention. “Listen to him and hopefully you can find a way to trust him again and maybe, just maybe he’ll protect you this time.” Crysin hugged Tillian again before she rushed out the entrance.
Gareth met her outside and was holding the horse when she approached. He said nothing at first but when she was close enough, he collected her into an embrace that vibrated with coiled tension ready to break free. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“You could have hurt me and you didn’t,” she whispered back, fighting the tears that wanted to race down her face. “You could have given me to the men. A truly evil man would have, so find yourself again, Gareth.”
“The man I used to be is gone. This is all that is left. Please ride fast and I’m sorry. I deserve whatever King Ryan brings, for I should have done the same to those bastards who hurt Tillie. I didn’t, and that makes me less of a man. Now go, ride hard and don’t look back.” With that he kissed her tenderly and watched as she mounted the horse. Before she kicked the beast to depart, she looked down and finally lost her battle with her tears.
“You could have hurt me and you didn’t,” she said again, and kicked the horse hard, jumping into a gallop into the night.
He watched her go and couldn’t move. The one person he wanted to talk to the most stood in that tent feet away. Sighing, he accepted she was also the one person he feared most. His sister.
Gareth cautiously entered and wouldn’t make eye contact with her, having lost some of his biting anger and bitterness from before. Crysin seemed to melt it away and now he was raw and vulnerable before his younger sibling.
Tillian watched him when he entered to go fidget with a rope in the corner. When he didn’t speak for a long stretch of time, she finally broke the silence. “How could you leave me, Gareth?”
Gareth flinched as if she’d struck him but didn’t turn. “He threatened to strip me of my title and exile me, Tillie. I was pressured into doing it.” He paused a moment before he asked the next question in a tortured whisper. “Did they hurt you badly?”
“Yes.” Part of her wanted him to be tormented by the guilt and she knew she would get him there by giving him a blow by blow account of their actions, but decided against it. Crysin was right, his guilt was already doing the punishment for her. “Yes,” she repeated instead.
He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath, trying to control his emotions. “I’m so sorry. I know what I did can never be completely absolved, but can you find a way to forgive me?”
Tillian was tempted, so very tempted for the man before he was her sweet, loving brother. She remember his eyes the night he left her; cold uncaring and absolutely devoid of any emotion. “No,” she said very firmly.
Gareth opened his wet eyes to stare at her. How he wished he could be the bastard who shut people out and not feel the blasting hurt that one word caused. “I had no choice.”
“We all have choices,” she snapped cruelly. “I waited for you!” Tillian finally shouted. “For days and days I waited for you!” Now her own emotions broke free and the tears that lined her face matched his as brother and sister faced off in a challenge. One begging for forgiveness and the other wanting an answer. “Why?”
“I told you, he was going to strip me of my title, throw me out and exile me. What would you have done?”
Tillian didn’t miss a breath. “Accepted exile and waited for you to come and find me. I would have found you. I would have found a way.”
Gareth was gutted. Tillian would have done just that and in that moment, he felt, really felt the crime he’d done to her. “Oh, Tillie,” he sobbed. “Please, I’m so sorry.” Hers was the only forgiveness he wanted out of all the people affected by their Father’s dirty scheme. Frankly, he would do just about anything to get her to utter the words.
“Ryan is right behind me, Gareth. We’d best leave if you want to escape with your life. He’ll be distracted by finding Crysin on the road, and we can ride now to get far enough away that we’ll both keep our lives.”
Gareth wasn’t listening. “Tillie? What can I do?” He took a step forward. “What can I do to make this right?”
“You can let me go. Please Gareth, let me return to a man who loves me, really loves me. Let me live a normal life. If you take me back, what’s in store for me?” she challenged.
“What do you think?” A look of regret crinkled his face. “He’s going to beat you. Badly too. He is really incensed that you did this to him and especially with the Flame Thrower. I would not be surprised if he already had men lined up to welcome you home in his own sick fashion.” Gareth actually looked remorseful when he divulged the details.
Tillian just nodded. “I see. You’d do nothing.” She looked at her brother again and felt pity for the tormented look
he returned. “Let me go, Gareth. Say this didn’t work and let me go.”
Gareth trembled with regret. “He’ll start a war. He’s that crazed.”
Hearing his voice crack hit her hard. That was enough to finally break whatever control held her together. She fell apart in a shower of tears that forced Gareth to rush to collect her into his embrace.
“H-he’s going t-t-o kill me, isn’t he?” she asked through her sobbing.
“Probably, yes,” he replied. Knowing this fact was one thing, saying it out loud was another.
“Oh please...please, just let me go.” All her confidence in this plan melted quickly when she realized this was a mistake. Ryan would still come and still fight her brother, and all she’d hoped to avoid would still come to fruition. At least Crysin was gone and that really was the main goal, wasn’t it? She wasn’t anything anymore, a useless shell her Father had created. Did it really matter if he finally killed her and ended her torment? She wouldn’t miss Ryan if she were dead.
“As much as it is going to destroy me for the rest of my life, Tillie, I can’t. I have to return you.”
A very masculine voice spoke from the door and the intent was very clear. “Oh, I think not, Prince Gareth.”
Tillian desperately looked and found her husband materializing out of thin air and looking every bit out of legend. He had hastily dressed in no more than leather breeches, boots and wool fitted shirt. On his hip he had strapped his sword, which he now had drawn and the flaming blade was pointed at Gareth’s back. What was disconcerting were his eyes. They were dilated in the low light which gave them the appearance of glowing embers. They matched the aggression radiating off his stiff posture in waves. She knew something horrible was about to happen.
Within his embrace, Tillian felt Gareth cringe, but he stood his ground. He didn’t release her from the hug. “You have no legal claim on her in Folkyn, King Ryan. You married her illegally by our standards, therefore the wedding is nullified.”
“Funny, because in Yorath it is quite legal. I suggest you move away from my wife.” He held out his arm for Tillian to come to him.