His eyes turned murderous. “Leonardo will never touch you.”
But how long and far could we run? “What if Leonardo realizes we’re going to the temple?”
“Liam has taken that into account.”
That surprised me, but then it didn’t. Liam tried to think of everything.
He kissed me again. “I’m going to clean up. Try to go to sleep. Liam wants to leave early tomorrow.”
He got out of bed, and I watched the candlelight illuminate his hard body, rippling with muscles. When he realized I was watching him, he grinned.
“Do you think me wanton, Dax?” I asked.
Worry filled his eyes. “Is that what you think?” He grabbed a cloth from the table and swiped at his chest as he sat next to me on the bed. “Do you still think badly of yourself?”
“How can I not?” I asked in disbelief. “You say you love me. How are you okay with . . . sharing me?”
He finished wiping himself, then softly wiped my stomach. “I’ve been with them over half my life, eleven of my twenty-one years. We share everything, Elena. It’s not so difficult for us to share you.”
“Still, it’s not . . . normal.”
“And what’s normal about you wanting five men? It is what it is.” He paused and looked hesitant to continue.
“Go on,” I prodded. “I want to know what you’re thinking. Don’t hold back.”
“I think this is our fate. I could fight it like Finn, or I could accept it like Matthew. We love you, Elena. We’ve devoted our lives to you. We risked execution by stealing you away to protect you. This is one more facet of that.” When I started to protest, he grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Matthew and I do this freely, Elena. Eagerly. You are a gift that we cherish with our lives. If we must share you to have you, then we are eager to comply with the terms.”
“And Finn?”
“He is more reluctant.” He squeezed my hand. “Not because he doesn’t love you. I suspect he’s loved you the longest.”
“He doesn’t want to share me?”
“No. That’s not even it.” Dax shifted and brushed hair away from my face. “Finn likes to be in charge of his own life. I know it seems contradictory—he’s in the royal guard, taking orders, but he joined of his own free will. He didn’t sign up for this, and he certainly doesn’t believe in magic.”
“He will not be forced to pleasure me,” I said, my embarrassment creeping back in.
“You still misunderstand, Elena,” he said, climbing under the covers and pulling me to his side. “He wants to—trust me on this. He just doesn’t want to do it because he’s forced to.”
I wrapped my arm around Dax’s naked back. “I understand. I felt the same way. Even two hours ago.”
He leaned back. “You only did this out of obligation?” The pain in his voice was unmistakable.
I lifted my hand to his face, reaching up to kiss him. “No. All it took was you lifting me from my horse and I knew I wanted you, magic or not.” I paused. “So what happens when I’ve been with all of you? Can I ever touch you again? And you me?”
He laughed and gave me a passionate kiss. “You want more?”
“Turns out I’m greedy.”
He laughed again and slid his hand between my legs. “Your wish is my command, Your Royal Highness.”
12
I was warm and comfortable and deeply asleep when I heard a rapping at the door, but it was Dax who woke me, leaping out of bed.
I sat up, pulling the covers to my chest as he opened the door, and Tobias entered, fully dressed and carrying a gas lantern.
“We have to go. Now.”
Dax was stark naked and reaching for his pants on the floor. “What happened?”
“Finn says Leonardo’s men are searching the village for Elena.”
I gasped, and Tobias turned me and stiffened when he saw me in bed with naked shoulders.
“Elena needs to dress. It will take some time.”
“Turn around,” I said, and both men stared at me like I’d lost my mind. Maybe I had. “Tobias, you heard me. You can see me later, but not now.”
He turned, looking both embarrassed and confused.
I climbed out of bed, then sucked in a breath as the cold air hit my naked skin.
“Is anyone in the tavern?” Dax asked, pulling his shirt over his head.
“A few drunk men. They’re villagers.”
I’d found my shift and pulled it over my head and was reaching for my breeches when Dax handed them to me.
“Tobias,” he said. “Get her dress.”
He hesitated, but I said, “You can look. This doesn’t fully cover me, but at least I’m no longer naked.”
I stepped into the breeches and tugged them up as Tobias held out my dress. After I fastened my pants, I lifted my arms and Tobias pulled the dress over my arms and head, letting the skirt fall, while Dax was already working on the lacings on the side.
“Why is this so complicated?” Dax asked as Tobias took over, and he started to gather our few things.
“My own dresses are even more complicated, so stop complaining,” I said, my voice tight with fear. I was scared, not only for myself but for my guards. I knew the risks they would take to keep me safe. “The lacings are down the back where I can’t reach them, and I have another underdress and several more pieces.”
Dax pushed me backward so I sat on the bed, then grabbed my foot and started pulling on my sock while Tobias finished tying my lacings and then worked on the other foot.
“Christa doesn’t even put my shoes and socks on.” I knew I was babbling, but I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin.
They both stuffed my feet into my boots; then Dax slipped the knife inside of my boot. He stared up at me. “Use this if you must, Elena.”
I nodded.
Then he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, my chest hitting his. He leaned down and kissed me hard. “If we tell you to run, run.”
It went against everything in me, but I understood why they might request it. “I will.”
Tobias watched me, and I realized he’d seen me kiss Dax. I felt terrible, but he seemed more concerned about getting us out of the room. He tugged my hat over my head and handed me my mittens while Dax settled my cloak on my shoulders.
“I’ll lead the way,” Tobias whispered. “We’ll head out the back. Matthew is waiting for us with the horses.”
Dax fastened his sword at his waist, then whispered, “Tobias. Wait.”
He paused, then pulled my sword out of my bag as well as a belt I hadn’t seen before. He threaded the scabbard onto the belt and cinched it onto my hips. “Use this too if you must.”
I glanced back at Tobias, and he nodded sharply, then walked out the door. I followed and Dax took up the rear, closing the door softly behind him. The floor had a few creaks, so we carefully picked our way across to the narrow staircase.
When we reached the bottom, I heard men’s voices babbling like drunken men. Tobias rounded a corner, then motioned for me to follow. Dax was close behind, close enough to grab hold of my upper arm and press his chest into my back.
Tobias opened a door and stepped out into the darkness. The cold stole by breath, and I realized it was snowing.
Matthew stood next to the horses, talking softly to keep them calm, and he looked relieved to see us.
“How close are they?” Dax asked, lifting me by the waist to help me mount my horse. When I was seated, he tossed a fur throw over my lap.
“They’ve searched the other two inns and are headed here next.”
“Did they find Finn or Liam?” I asked.
Matthew gave me an amused grin and said nothing.
Dax and Tobias climbed onto their horses, and Matthew led the way down an alley, away from the town entrance.
We walked the horses for several blocks, sticking to alleys, until we reached a wall that surrounded the city. Matthew followed the wall until we came to a small gate. Tobias jumped down and
opened the door, then motioned for me to guide my horse through.
I ducked my head, startled when I saw two men on horseback, then realized it was Liam and Finn.
Liam trotted his horse over to mine. Then he grabbed my reins and headed toward the road without waiting for the others. When we reached the road, Liam released his hold on my horse and kicked his own horse into action. He took off at a trot down the mountain with the rest of us following behind him.
After a half mile or so, the road curved and Liam came to an abrupt halt, drawing his sword.
Dax and Finn flanked me on both sides while Tobias moved up toward Liam and Matthew took the rear. All five men had their swords drawn, and I soon realized why—eight horses with armed riders blocked the road.
“Rats always scurry at night,” the rider in front said, and I recognized his voice—he was one of the men we’d heard by the river. Now that I could see him, I could place the name—he was one of Leonardo’s men. He saw me and a wicked grin spread across his face. “Princess, your betrothed will be pleased to hear that you are safe. He was quite concerned when he heard about your kidnapping.”
He was Trevor, the head of Leonardo’s guard. “I was not kidnapped, Captain. My guard was escorting me to my grandmother’s.”
“Your grandmother lives in Pottershedge. How did you end up further east in the Blue Top Mountains?”
“We encountered some marauders and changed our course.”
“Luckily for you, Prince Leonardo’s guard is here to take over. And given the circumstances, I think it’s best you return to the castle.” His eyes narrowed at Liam. “Captain, you may stand down. We’ll take it from here.”
Liam didn’t move. “We took vows to guard our princess, and that will be our job until she releases us. We will not be taking orders from a man who is not from our kingdom.”
Trevor edged his horse a few steps closer. “Once the princess is married to Prince Leonardo, you will be taking orders from me, and you will regret your insubordination.”
“It’s only insubordination if I’m dealing with a superior,” Liam said in a cold tone. “And I definitely am not. Stand aside.”
Trevor put his hand on his sword. “Our orders are to bring the princess to our prince.”
“Perhaps you should ask me what I want,” I said, pulling out my royal bitch voice. “And what I want is none of your concern, Captain. When I am married to Prince Leonardo, then perhaps you will have a say, but at this moment, you have none.”
A sneer twisted his lips. “And that’s where you’re wrong, Princess. I have orders from my prince to bring you back, and I always follow orders.”
My other four guards drew their swords, and Liam said, “Then you’ll have to get through us.”
Trevor lifted his hand and motioned forward, and his men pulled out their swords and rushed toward us.
My men formed a line in front of me, and I slid my sword out of its sheath and held it at the ready. I would kill them before I let them take me alive.
Leonardo’s men met mine with the clash of metal. His men were fighting on orders, while mine were fighting for loyalty and love.
Matthew brought down the first man, his sword piercing the man’s chest. He jerked his sword free and turned to the next man.
Liam unseated another man, striking the blade from his hand and then giving him a fatal blow.
Trevor shouted something at his men, something I couldn’t understand, and they all shouted in unison, charging with more energy and surrounding the guards. With all the noise and confusion, I hadn’t noticed that Trevor had gone around the line until he was ten feet from me.
“Princess, if you come with me now, I’ll call off my men and tell them to let yours live.”
I held the sword in my right hand and the reins in my left, swinging my horse around to the left a few paces. “Looks like your men should be the ones who are worried, Captain.”
He scowled at that and moved his horse a few steps closer. “What do you plan to do with that sword, Princess Elena? Looks like there’s truth to what Prince Leonardo heard about you.”
“Oh?” I asked with a haughty air. “What did he hear? That I’m intelligent?”
“That you’re a handful . . . not what he originally expected.”
“Sorry to disappoint.” I almost added that it didn’t matter anyway since I wouldn’t be marrying his prince, but now didn’t seem to be the time to announce that—although Trevor seemed to be putting it together.
Trevor grinned, but it was more of a leer. “Oh, no disappointment at all, Princess. Leonardo is looking forward to breaking you.”
My guards were still in the thick of fighting, each one engaged with one of Trevor’s men. Matthew and Liam looked like they were trying to reach me, but Trevor’s men were blocking them. In fact, it appeared that they were merely blocking my guards’ blows, not attacking.
“What is your game here?” I demanded. “You mean to take me back to Leonardo, but our wedding’s not for another week.”
“Leonardo is anxious for your safety, Princess.”
I tilted my head toward my men. “As you can see, my guards protect me with their lives.”
“Aww . . . but their reason for doing so has Leonardo worried.”
I tried to hide my reaction. Liam had been right. Leonardo was worried that they would claim me before he could.
Dax made a charge for his opponent and impaled him with his sword, then charged toward Trevor with his raised sword. The two fought in earnest for several seconds before Liam dispatched his own opponent.
Liam headed for me, inserting himself between me and Trevor and Dax. Without a word, Liam grabbed my reins, then headed to the side of the road, skirting the skirmish, then climbing back onto the road once we’d cleared them.
“I can lead my own horse, Liam,” I said, taking my reins back when we were a good twenty feet away, and came to a halt. “I’m not the foolish eight-year-old girl you met years ago.”
“Agreed, but I still need to keep you safe. Put your sword away. You won’t be needing that now.”
I almost argued that I might but instead did as he requested.
Liam glanced back at his men, then said, “Let’s go.”
His horse started down the hill, but I stayed in place, turning back to look at the fighting. “You’re leaving them?”
He stopped his horse and glared at me. “Our first priority is to protect you at all costs, Elena, and we’ve already wasted precious seconds.”
My voice broke. “I can’t just leave them.”
“You can and you will, if it means I have to throw you over my horse.”
My magic sprang to life and a shiver shot down my spine. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned putting me on your horse with you,” I said in a sultry tone. “What if I want to be there?”
His eyes widened with shock, and he wasn’t the only one who was surprised by my statement. I wanted to blame it on the magic, but if I were honest, the words I’d just spoken had come from me.
Liam came to his senses and said in a growl that sounded only half-angry, “Now is not the time nor the place, but if you want to straddle me on my horse, we can see to it later.”
It was my turn to be surprised, but he gave me no chance to respond, moving toward me, most likely to take my reins again.
“Stop,” I said, holding up my hand. “Let me try something.”
His eyes narrowed. “What?”
“A hunch.” If I’d been right about acquiring the use of another element of magic, maybe I could use it now to help my guards. But what could I do? When I’d used earth, I’d only wished to fall into the earth. It hadn’t been purposeful. And if Dax’s theory was right, there was a chance I’d only received half his power. Did I try to open the earth and swallow them up? Or did I try to use Dax’s element, which I suspected was fire?
“Elena.”
“I want to try magic.”
His eyebrows rose, and he looked in
trigued. “Can you do that?”
“I don’t know, but I want to try.”
He nodded his approval, and I looked for someone to test my theory out on. Finn was slightly separated from the others with his opponent’s back toward the trees. I could try something on him. But what?
I focused on the energy in my chest and tried to imagine it in a tight ball of energy in my hand.
“Elena . . .”
I looked down at my open palm, shocked to see a glowing orb. I turned to look at Liam. He nodded, and I hurled it toward the man Finn was fighting. His clothes caught fire, and his screams filled air.
Trevor’s men were startled by what had happened to their friend, and my men took advantage of the distraction. Matthew struck down his man, then joined the battle between Tobias and his opponent, and between the two of them, they brought him down in seconds.
When Trevor realized he was alone, he turned his horse and bolted toward the village.
Dax started to follow, but Liam called out, “Leave him. We need to move Elena.”
None of my guards looked happy—even Liam—but no one argued. As they joined us, Liam gave me a worried glance. “How are you feeling? Weak? Ill?”
I took a second to assess myself. “I’m a little tired but otherwise okay, I think.”
“What was that?” Dax asked.
“Elena used magic,” Liam said.
Finn looked furious, but the others looked shocked.
“How did you know you could do that?” Tobias asked.
“I didn’t,” I said. “I just looked for one of Trevor’s men who was isolated enough not to hurt any of you and thought about Dax’s magical element. That orb appeared in my hand, and I threw it at him.”
“You know Dax’s magical element?” Liam asked.
“I thought it might be fire. I guessed from when we were . . . connected.”
No one said anything.
I was mortified at where their thoughts were leading them. Time to change the subject. “How did Trevor know to find us here?”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “I take it you know him.”
Heiress of Light: Magic Reborn (Reverse Harem) Page 16