“I’ve called off the engagement with Gabrielle,” his voice nearly shook with practiced control, and I lost my smile, clenching my fists at my sides.
“She didn’t take it well,” I said softly, reading his expression.
“As planned, we’ll announce our betrothal and wedding this evening. I have several matters to discuss with you, both before and… after the ceremony.”
His curt voice was disheartening. “Are you mad at me?”
He crossed the room, and I lifted my face to his. Silent for an endless minute, he bent, placing each of his flattened hands on my hips. My breath hitched in my throat as he ran his hands down both of my legs, crouching and leaning back on his heels to adjust the tangled mess of fabric at my feet.
“I’m not angry with you, Eva,” he spoke to the floor, finally evening out the yards of silk. On his way back to his feet, he caught my face in his hands, locking his eyes with mine. “Beautiful. You belong in fine gowns and jewels.”
He’s going to kiss me. I closed my eyes, trying to steady my rapid-fire heartbeat.
Do I want him to kiss me? I barely know him…
But I’ve dreamt of him all of my life.
Pleasing warmth began in my head and swept into my stomach. He commanded the air between us.
When I felt his lips brush my forehead, my lids fluttered open in annoyance.
“I’ll see to it that your gown is hemmed before you take the stairs.”
As he turned for the door, I scrubbed at the touch of his lips on my forehead with my fingertips and stalked back to the vanity with a scowl.
Chapter Six
Five minutes into the feast, I wanted to run.
Homesickness settled in, and the bizarre drama of the strange land and people around me suddenly became very real. I began preparing to tell Will that I was going home.
Tell him before he announces the wedding… before you cause him any more heartache. Gabrielle was nowhere in sight, and Will sat confidently next to me, smiling cordially at his people. After dinner was served, I stared at my plate, wondering how an open appendectomy was less unsettling than missing my mother.
“You haven’t eaten since this morning.” He gestured to my plate, I nodded, picking up a heavy, golden fork.
“Mmm. Everything looks so delicious.”
“Eva.”
“I miss my family.”
Without moving his eyes from the tables of elegantly dressed men and women, he smiled, lifting the goblet of wine to his lips.
“And you will see them in one week. I’ve already prepared a visit for us next weekend.”
“That’s really nice of you… but I mean, I want to call this all off. Go home.”
His fingers slid over mine, on the tabletop. “You have two homes now, Eva. As long as the trips are brief, you are free to go between worlds at any time- with my escort, and that is only for your safety. You are not a prisoner here. You are here by choice,” he added.
“I need some water,” I cleared my throat, trying to think through his comforting words. Two homes… I can go if I choose- as long as I return.
He held his hand up, and a servant appeared instantly. “Water, please,” he nodded to me, and the man bowed once. Will motioned to the goblet by my plate. “That is white wine… there is no drinking age in this land.”
I thought of my fake ID and the countless times Emma and I had gotten wasted in the club, biting my lip to hide my amused grin.
“So… children can drink whenever they want?” My mind flashed to my elementary school lunch room, imagining my peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich, an apple, and a portable box of red Chablis.
“Eva, as you have pointed out several times… you are not a child.”
I turned to him, and he gestured to the goblet, nodding. Giving him a liberated look, I rolled my shoulders back and reached for the glass. Amused, he watched as I tilted the goblet back, downing the wine in one long gulp.
“Mmmm. Yummy.” I licked at my lips, and he shook his head, attempting to hide his smirk.
“You’ll find yourself in a sorry state in the morning if you do that again.”
The wine tinted my cheeks and renewed my confidence- slightly. “What happens after dinner?”
He nodded at Eric as the soldier appeared at his side, speaking quietly. After a pause, he turned his attention back to me. “After dinner, I will show you the castle. If you’re able to walk on your own two feet, that is,” he added, pointing to my plate. “Eat.”
“Yes, my lord,” I agreed, my stomach responding eagerly to the smell of the lamb. “Did you hear that? Sounded almost natural,” I teased, slicing at the tender meat.
“Almost,” Will agreed, watching me intently. A servant appeared with more wine, filling my goblet.
We ate, and I downed a third glass of wine but nursed the fourth more responsibly throughout my meal. Live music began near the back of the great hall, and I smiled, recognizing the classical piece. He held his finger up at the servant trying to refill my glass, shaking his head.
“You have music here, from my world?”
“This is Ludwig van Beethoven. Ode to Joy.”
“I know.”
He leaned toward me, and I widened my eyes. “What is your favorite music, Eva?”
I exhaled sharply. “Well… I like a lot of music. My dad gave me a deep appreciation for the nineties, but I love many different genres… it depends on my mood, and what I’m doing to the music.”
“Doing ‘to’ the music?” He repeated, lifting one eyebrow as he placed his glass down on the table.
“Yeah, you know… whether I’m drawing, or dancing… or making out.”
He eyed me firmly. “You are quite an artist.”
Irritated that he ignored my attempt to get a rise out of him, I shrugged. “It’s how I… escape.”
“I’m going to make the announcement now. You’ll stand beside me and smile, no matter the reaction of the crowd. Do you understand, Eva?”
Caught off-guard, I nodded, my heartbeat doubling.
“My people,” Will stood, and I climbed to my feet next to him, allowing him to take my left hand in his right. The music came to an end, and tables of heads turned our way. “I would like to publically welcome Princess Eva to our kingdom. Her return has been long awaited.”
“Here, here!” Shouted one man, and to my surprise, the men and women cheered, clapping and calling out their welcome.
Glowing, I felt the stain of embarrassment creep over my skin. The rush of blood to my chest and neck overheated me, even in the air conditioned hall.
Too much wine.
“Warmly, I welcome the princess back to Icepond. Tomorrow eve, at sundown, I will marry Eva, and she shall be your queen.”
The crowd erupted into a fevered roar, and my eyes darted nervously from table to table. Some women smiled, others frowned and looked down at the floor, and many men exchanged frenzied words with neighbors. Indignant, and fueled by too much alcohol, I cleared my throat.
“I don’t think they like this,” I turned to Will, gripping his hand. “Let me say something, please?”
“No-…,”
“Please, if you’ll allow me to speak,” I shouted, and the uproar settled into silence within seconds. Their immediate obedience gave me the courage to continue. “I know that… I come from another place, and I speak differently. You don’t trust me,” I added, wishing the room would stop tilting on an axis. “But I promise to get to know all of you, and earn your loyalty and trust.”
Proud that my voice remained even through my entire speech, I turned to Will. He watched me with an admiring smile, nodding in encouragement.
He lifted my hand to his lips lovingly, a gesture that I knew was meant only for the people. As he did, I noted his holstered side arm as his coat lifted. Beretta M9.
“You are all cordially invited to celebrate our wedding tomorrow evening. In her highness’s honor, you are excused from your place of employment for the next two
days. Celebrate your future queen,” he added, taking a step closer. Cheers sounded, replacing the hushed commentary from only minutes before.
He is going to kiss me… really kiss me, in front of all of these people. I held my breath, my eyes shifting nervously to the crowd. From the corner of my eye, I watched as a man stood alone near the back of the hall, at the doorway. He was dressed differently from the servants and musicians, and yet took no part in the desserts that were being distributed to each grand table.
His eyes focused on me. As his left arm tucked inside his dark cloak, near his hip, I reached for Will, slipping my hand inside his coat.
“Get down,” I shouted, going for his hip and removing the Beretta from the holster. Will tried to still my movement, but I already held the pistol securely in my hands, aiming for the man. I worked the slide, racking the round into the chamber before the cloaked man had time to make his decision.
“Eva!” Will’s voice did not startle me; focused on the man, I watched Eric follow the path of my eyes, calling orders to his men.
“Stop him!” I aimed at his knee, knowing that the intruder had decided to run.
He came to kill me… or Christopher…
Or Will.
I knew I could be accurate, but I wasn’t sure if my target was warranted. Squeezing the trigger and fully prepared for the jolt, I kept my hand steady. My decision to fire, fueled by over-indulgence and surreal self-confidence, sent the people in the hall into screams and unreserved panic.
Will grabbed me from behind, pulling me down behind the table. His hand covered mine as a return gunshot shattered a strange, icicle-like chandelier and dropped it to the floor.
“Stay down,” he pried the semi-automatic pistol from my hands, and I lowered my eyelids slowly.
“I don’t think… I can get up,” I admitted with a giggle, holding my head. “Will, I think I got him… he had a gun, didn’t he?”
“Your majesty,” Eric hovered near us, his rifle aimed at the back of the hall as we remained crouched behind the table. “He is disarmed and secured. I’m moving you both to your chambers.”
“He was armed?”
“Yes, Will.” His dark eyes scanned my face in disbelief. “She shot him in the knee. From more than one hundred feet.”
Will turned to me, anger darkening his glare. I shrugged, my eyelids fluttering.
“Sorry… my lord.”
“Eva!” he burst heatedly, lifting me into his arms. Eric led us from the hall, and I looped my arms around Will’s neck, resting my head on his chest.
“He had a gun. He was going to shoot me… or you. I have… to have situational awareness. At all times.”
“Situational…,” he kicked the door open, cursing as he stormed to the bed and dropped me unceremoniously to the thick mound of pillows. “Who taught you to shoot like that?”
“My dad,” I lifted my right slippered foot into the air, kicking at the heel with the toes of my left. “These shoes hurt.”
“We’re going to question him, below. You’ll stay with her?” Eric’s voice from the door made little sense to my inebriated mind.
“Of course. She’s in no state to be left alone.”
“I’m perfect… perfectly fine… to be alone,” I murmured, grunting at the struggle with my shoes. Finally freeing my foot from the silver slipper, I kicked the obnoxious thing across the room. Eric watched it hit the wall, smirking.
“Your majesty, if I may,” he gestured to me, and I waved at him with a lopsided grin. “As… spirited… as she may be, she may have saved one- or both- of your lives tonight. Be gentle with her.”
Will shrugged off his jacked, nodding tersely. “You will see to your own affairs,” he snapped.
Eric bowed before leaving the room.
I turned my head, narrowing my eyes. “Where are we?”
“My private chambers.”
“Are we going to take a castle tour?” I asked, sitting up excitedly. As the blood rushed from my head, I fell back against the pillows, pinching the bridge of my nose.
Stop. Spinning.
“Eva, you detected a threat from more than one hundred feet before any of my men did, disarmed me, and took a potential assassin down in less than thirty seconds. Intoxicated.”
“Hey, I’m so not intox… intoxi… drunk,” I argued, running my hand over the cool, luxurious bedding. “This feels so expensive.”
He moved to the bed, and I scooted to the side, patting the edge.
“Are you asking me to sit?”
I nodded with a mischievous grin, dropping my arms behind my head to the pillow and into my mass of curls.
Reaching for his shirt, I used the fabric to pull myself up to a sitting position. His hand clamped over mine, and he followed be back down to the pillows.
“Maybe it will be easier… this way,” he hushed, his lips lingering just over mine. I waited, inhaling the warm, inviting scent of his breath. “I have questions for you.”
“What questions,” I reached for his hair, eager to feel the thick, dark silk beneath my fingertips. “Wait… it’s too quiet in here,” I lifted my hand in the air, drawing a slow circle.
Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get it On cast an impatient shadow over his face, and he caught my hand in the air as I leered at him, winking obnoxiously.
“Off. Now.”
I scowled, reversing the circle and returning the room to silence.
“You must be honest, Eva,” he touched the tip of my chin, tracing slowly down the center of my neck.
His hand, so unexpected, stole my breath. Moaning softly, I closed my eyes, disappearing into his beckoning trance. My body moved beneath his slightest touch, and I tried desperately to still my rapid breathing.
“Yes,” I could feel my heart pounding in my ears as his fingers stopped, just over my breast.
“Yes, what?”
Keep touching me! “Yes, my lord,” I cried, digging my fingernails into the back of his neck.
“Do you have another motive for being here?”
“Motive?” I repeated, squirming wantonly. Jesus. He’s only touching my neck and I’m melting.
“For wanting to be queen?”
“Wanting to be queen…? I just want to protect my brother,” I opened my eyes, blinking away stunned, impassioned tears. “And… be mortal,” I added, soaring on the honesty of more than half a bottle of wine. “And… you. I really like you,” I admitted.
His fingertip continued downward, skipping over the bodice of my gown and sliding along the side of my breast. I closed my eyes again and ground my teeth, flattening my palms against the bedspread.
“And you have no intention of crossing me,” he added, curving his hand beneath my back and tugging my waist to his chest.
“Crossing you…? You’ve kept me alive… for all of these years. Me and Christopher,” I added, reaching for his shoulders. His hand slid against my side again, and the up and down motion of his touch over the fabric of my gown stealing my breath.
He sensed my need, finally stopping at my waist. As his thumb began stroking lightly, over and over my stomach, I gasped, lifting my eyes. His face, so close to mine, drank me in, heavy-lidded, and his other hand gently cupped my breast.
Aroused beyond any state I’d ever known, I vanished into his touch, all hope for sobering thoughts replaced by adamant urges. Oh my God… please just kiss me… He teased me with his hovering mouth, driving me to near madness as I waited for him.
“You have perfect lips,” he said, his deep voice rumbling against my chest as he pressed against me, his fingers working over my gown again and creating a friction that left me nearly panting. “And… I believe you.”
His deep voice detonated my need for him.
I tore at his shirt, pressing my body into his. “Wait… wait, little one. Not like this,” he caught my hands, dragging them to his lips.
“Don’t go,” I begged, disappointment overwhelming as he tugged the blanket over me. “I thought you were goin
g to… kiss me.”
“I’ll be here when you wake. Close your eyes.”
I remembered his hand in mine, and then nothing else.
Chapter Seven
The irritating thud continued in my ears.
I tried to stuff the pillow over my head, but the pounding only increased. As the last remnants of my dream escaped me, I realized that the pummeling noise in my head was…
My head.
“Help,” I croaked beneath a dried tongue, rolling over to my back. The light in the room assaulted my stomach, and I covered my eyes with my palms, moaning.
“I swear to you, it will pass.”
His voice was amplified through a bullhorn. I covered my ears, crying out in protest.
“Why are you shouting?”
“I am not shouting, Eva.”
I forced my eyes open, finally focusing on the man lying next to me. Fully clothed, he stared at me, and I tried to gather enough strength to smack the amused smirk off of his face.
“Do you think this is funny? You’d be arrested for this, in my world,” I coughed, which only added to the throbbing in my head.
“Arrested…?”
“Underage… drinking and… sex.”
I could feel him stiffen on the bed. “I slept here with you, Eva. That is all.”
“Will… I think I’m dying.” I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the bright light that would surely come at any moment.
He chuckled. “I assure you, you shall live. First, you must drink.”
“I’m so thirsty.”
“This is vegetable juice,” he tried to put a straw to my lips, but I turned my head in disgust.
“Gross.”
“Just drink.”
“Water!”
“Eva,” he lifted my body up, propping me against the pillows, and I dared to open my eyes again. Slapping my hands over my chest, I realized that I was completely naked beneath the sheet.
“Where are my clothes?!”
“The maids undressed you… However, I dismissed them when you refused to put on the sleeping gown.”
“Was I really mean?” I cringed. Great. More apologies.
“You threatened their lives.”
Rule (Roam Series, Book Five) Page 6