“I can handle everything you’ve got.” She had him up against the opposite wall now. If she took things even one step further, there would be no turning back. She would be starting something stupid, immature, and totally out of character. And, she reminded herself, she’d be starting something fun.
“I don’t understand,” said the prince. “This whole time you’ve been yelling at me for making moves on you, now suddenly you’re making them on me. Don’t get me wrong, this whole dungeon, prisoner and guard situation is very hot, but I have to wonder if I’m not about to walk into some sort of trap.”
Megan laughed. “See, that’s the difference between me and you. I don’t set traps… I don’t play games. And I sure as hell don’t do role play. When I want something, I make it clear, in a straightforward, respectful way. Like this.” She leaned in and planted her mouth on his.
At first, he seemed surprised, his mouth was still and he gave her nothing. Then he was present. His massive arms wrapped around her waist and he picked her up. His tongue pushed passed her lips and teeth, and tasted her, hungrily. They made out like two teenagers who just snuck into a broom closet, their mouths parting for only enough time for them to catch a desperate, sensual breath.
His hands were sliding down her back side and hers were unbuckling his belt. She reached inside his pants and started to rub his hard, throbbing member. He pulled his mouth away from hers and kissed her neck. She squeezed him and ran her hands up and down. He pulled her shirt off and pawed at her chest.
“Get on the mattress,” she said to him. He frowned. “What? Not used to being the one taking orders? I said,” she dropped her apprehensive tone and picked up a more domineering one. “Get on the mattress.”
Rokkan slipped the rest of the way out of his clothes and laid down on the mattress, aroused and eager. Megan took off her pants and underwear and straddled him. “Touch me,” she said. He did as he was told. He started first with her breasts, running his hands over them gently, much less aggressive than he’d been before. Then one hand found its way between her legs, where she was dripping with anticipation. He fingered her, sometimes penetrating her, and she let out a few loud, breathy moans.
He sat up, still exploring her, and brought his mouth to her nipples. He sucked madly, like he was trying to drink her in. She climaxed once, but he didn’t stop. He changed his tactics, using three fingers now and rubbing her clitoris until she was nearly yelling from the pleasure. She was close to climaxing a second time, but she wanted to stretch this one out.
She reached down and guided him inside her. He went back to kissing her mouth. She arched her back and wiggled her hips. He was breathing heavily now.
She slid herself up and down, slow at first then faster and faster as the two of them inched closer and closer to climax. They came, together.
Rokkan fell back onto the mattress and Megan fell on top of him. They laid like that, sweaty and panting, for a long time. Rokkan’s eyes began to flutter closed, and she wondered if the prince was going to sleep there.
Instead, he cleared his throat and asked, somewhat stiffly, if she could get off him. She did, grabbing the blanket and pulling it up to her shoulders. “I better go,” he said. He pulled his pants on and found his shoes where he’d kicked them off. He opened the door and hesitated before leaving. “You are officially reinstated in your position as a chef,” he said. “And you are, uh, free to leave this cell, er, uh… yeah. That’s all. Bye.” And he was gone.
* * *
Even though she knew there was no possible way anyone could be aware of what she and the prince had done, Megan still felt like everyone’s eyes were on her as she walked through the castle back to her room. It was early morning and the staff was getting everything prepared for the day. She would be expected in the kitchen in fifteen minutes, dressed and ready to work.
The bathroom door was closed when she got inside the room and she heard the shower running. “Shoot,” Megan said to herself. She was hoping she’d be able to sneak a quick rinse in before going to work. “Oh well.” She found her tunic and apron where she’d discarded them the evening before and put them on. She checked the clock, saw that she had a few minutes to spare and laid down on her still perfectly made bed. Soon after, the shower shut off and Amara stepped out of the bathroom, completely naked sans the towel wrapped around her head. She looked up and, upon seeing Megan, screamed and scrambled for something to cover herself with.
“What are you doing?” she yelled, finding her own tunic and pulling it on. “You scared the hell out of me!”
“Sorry,” said Megan, holding back laughter. “I didn’t mean to. I just got in.”
Amara let out a heavy sigh and sat down on her bed, careful to keep her bare legs crossed. “That’s okay, I probably should have worn a towel or something just in case. Where’ve you been?”
Megan rolled her eyes. “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later.”
Amara shrugged. “Alright. Fine by me.” She sniffed the air curiously. “What’s that smell?”
Megan tucked her nose inside her own shirt and inhaled. “I think,” she said with an apologetic expression. “It might be me. Sorry. I haven’t had a chance to shower.”
“Hey,” said Amara. “Don’t apologize to me. It’s your mentee I feel bad for.” She got up and finished getting dressed. “You know, if you want, I could cover for you downstairs while you take a quick shower?”
Megan stood up, not giving Amara a chance to take back the offer. “That would be amazing. Thank you. I’ll be downstairs in no time, I promise.” She headed for the bathroom. “Just tell them I’m having ‘lady troubles’, that always worked when I would be late for a shift on cleaning crew.”
It took her a few tries and turns to figure out how the shower worked, it was totally different from the one she had at home. The whole bathroom was different; different meaning much, much nicer. The toilet was larger than she was used to, and the bowl didn’t have any stains. The water from the sink was clear, as opposed to what came out of the sinks in her family’s apartment, which was always yellowish. Against the wall opposite the toilet sat a massive, round porcelain tub that Megan guessed could hold three of her. The shower next to it, and had a sliding glass door and two different shower heads.
She turned the water as hot as it could go, just out of curiosity. The water in her shower, at its hottest, was only ever luke-warm. This water, however, quickly got too hot for Megan to even stand. She jumped out from under it’s spray and hurriedly twisted the cold water handle. The temperature regulated.
Standing under the water, running her soapy hands down her body, Megan couldn’t help but remember what Rokkan’s hands felt like. She remembered how he caressed her, softly, and brought her to climax twice. Realizing what she was doing, Megan forced herself to snap out of it and focus on the day ahead. There was no time to fantasize, especially about something that shouldn’t have even happened in the first place. It was a momentary lapse of judgement that Megan swore, silently, would never happen again.
All I have to do, she thought as she was drying herself off. Is avoid any and all contact with him ever again. Easy as pie.
* * *
Four days passed without any word from Prince Rokkan. He didn’t call for Megan specifically, in fact, he didn’t call for anyone at all. There came down the pipeline no requests for breakfast in bed or special dishes to be made. Megan figured he had to be eating somewhere, at some point, but she never saw him in the dining room. A few times she spotted Rekk coming and going from Rokkan’s room, but never the prince himself.
Megan started to lose interest. She was too excited about her day off, which was fast approaching, and the prospect of being able to see her family again. Amara, on the other hand, was utterly and completely fascinated with everything Prince Rokkan did, or rather, everything he did not do. Ever since Megan told her about the night she and Rokkan shared, Amara could talk about nothing else but the two of them.
&nbs
p; “Maybe he’s hiding out because he’s in love with you and he’s scared of his feelings,” she said the night to Megan the night before their day off. “I’ll betchu that’s it. He can’t stop thinking about you, but he knows your love would be forbidden––”
“Why would it be forbidden?” asked Megan. They were both sitting on her bed, cross legged, gossiping into the night like school girls.
“Because he’s the prince of the draaks and you’re just some human servant,” said Amara. “No offense.” She took a sip from a bottle of tequila that she and Megan had pooled some of their money to buy.
“He has relationships with a ton of human women,” Megan argued, reaching for the bottle. “Trust me. I’ve seen it.”
“Yeah, but that’s just sex. What I’m talking about it love. Forbidden love. He’s a prince for god sakes, he’s next in line to inherit an entire empire! You think his dad is going to let him marry some human who used to bring him his coffee?”
Megan nearly coughed up her swig of tequila. “Woah, woah, hang on a minute,” she said after choking down the alcohol. “Who said anything about marriage? We slept together once, and it was totally random, and not to mention, a huge mistake.”
“You said the sex was great.”
“It was… but that doesn't mean I’m in love with the guy.” Megan took another, even larger sip. “Look, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
Amara was staring at something behind Megan. She blinked a few times, frowning, and rubbed her eyes. “Either I’m drunker than I thought or... “ She pointed to the back wall. “That piece of paper just appeared on that wall?”
“Wha––” Megan turned around and saw a note, with her name on it, tapped to the wall. She grabbed it and started to read. “It’s from my friend, Lou.”
“But how… I don’t…” Amara started multiple sentences without finishing them while Megan read aloud.
“Dear Megan, It took me a while to feel you out, but I’m pretty sure I found your location. Anyway, I know it’s risky to send something like this, who knows if you’ll even be there when it arrives, but I needed to warn you about something.” Megan looked up at Amara, who was now quietly listening. She went on. “I got your letter and I think you should quit your job working for the prince. A lot of the wolves that the draaks displaced, from both District One and Four, have ended up here, in Three, and they are talking about starting an uprising. If they do, there’s a good chance they will try to hit the castle first. Staying there could be dangerous.”
“An uprising?” Amara interrupted. “They wouldn’t actually try to fight the draaks, would they? They’d lose for sure.”
Megan shrugged. “I don’t know.” She read the rest of the note silently. It ended with a plea for her to go home and a promise from Lou that she’d write the second she heard any other news. Megan threw it on the bed. “Who knows about any of it anymore?”
“How does your friend know so much?” Amara asked. “And how did she get that note here… it just like… appeared out of thin air.”
“If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone.” Megan sat back down on the bed, this time closer to Amara. “Like, for real.”
Amara laughed. “Who am I going to tell? The only person I talk to is my sister, and she’s only ever interested in talking about work and money.”
“Lou is a friend of mine from childhood,” Megan explained. “She used to live here, in District One, but she was sent away once her parents found out she was a mage. She lives in three now and she is part of the mage’s council out there, the ones who run the district. She’s a very powerful figure there and it would be very, very bad if someone were to find out she was sending letters, revealing sensitive political knowledge, to someone in another district.”
Amara nodded. “Understood.” She looked down at her hands and twiddled her thumbs. “So, you have a friend who’s a mage. That’s cool. My mom used to brag that she dated a mage once, before she died that is, but I was never sure whether or not she was telling the truth. Either way, I won’t tell anyone about her. I’m like a steel trap. You can trust me, because… we’re friends… right?”
The way she asked it reminded Megan of the way a child might ask her mother whether or not everything was going to be okay. Amara was scared, Megan could see that now. “Yes, of course we’re friends.” She was obviously more affected by the news from Lou than Megan was, possibly because unlike her, Amara didn’t have much to go home to. “Why don’t you come with me tomorrow to visit my parents? It could be fun.”
Amara nodded. “Yeah, okay. That sounds nice.” She was crying a little. “I can’t leave this job, Megan, I just can’t. The money is too good to pass up, and I’m sure your friend knows what she’s talking about, and I’m sure she did hear some kind of rumor about the wolves but I can’t pack up and leave because of a rumor.”
“I know,” said Megan. “I don’t blame you.”
“Are you going to quit?”
Megan frowned. “I’m not sure. I’ll decide later, after my day off maybe.”
“Are you going to tell the prince?” Amara brought her gaze up from her lap. “Do you think he knows?”
The prince and what knowledge he did or did not possess had not occurred to Megan. Once Amara said it, however, she realized that this information did involve him, quite personally. Here she was worrying about losing out on a great paycheck and wondering what life might be like under another wolf regime, but the fact that a regime turnover would be the direct result of Rokkan’s death. Her stomach seemed to twist itself into a knot at the thought of Rokkan’s death and she forced it from her mind.
“Maybe,” said Megan. “If he ever decides he wants to see me again, then I guess I’ll tell him. In the meantime, let’s just try to forget about all this and enjoy the rest of this great tequila.” She handed the bottle to Amara.“Cheers,” she said.
Amara smiled. “Long live Prince Rokkan,” she said, and drank.
Chapter Nine
No Big Deal
It was clear, after the scene in the dining room, that Rokkan was officially avoiding Megan. It was early in the morning, before the breakfast rush, and Megan and Amara were already downstairs hoping to get a bite to eat before meeting up with Megan’s parents. The kitchen staff was there, but they hadn’t fired up any of the equipment or even started prepping for breakfast, so the girls grabbed some fresh fruit from a large communal bowl in the break room and decided they’d eat on the way.
Megan, arms full with two apples and a banana, used her back to push open the swinging door the dining room, and ran directly into the prince himself. The fruit spilled to floor and Rokkan bent to pick it up, apologizing profusely. Megan watched, as he collected her breakfast and straightened back up, finally making eye contact and realizing who he’d run into.
“Uh, oh, hi.” His face contorted into a weird, unsure smile. “Here’s your fruit.” He handed it all to her and walked passed her into the kitchen. “Sorry. Bye.” He called behind him, not looking back.
“That was awkward,” said Amara on the walk out of the castle. “Did you see how flushed his face got?”
“How can you tell he was flushed?” said Megan. “His skin is green.”
“I could just tell. His cheeks suddenly darkened to a forest green instead of his usual light green.”
“Yeah, well, I think he was being more rude than awkward,” said Megan. “I mean, so what, we had sex. Get over it.” This was how she’d been rationalizing what had happened between them, silently, to herself… over and over again since it occured. She hoped if she referred to it casually and shrugged it off as no big deal, that’s exactly what it would become; no big deal.
“Looks like he just can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Get over you.”
* * *
Amara and Cal were like two peas in a pod. They hit it off, almost immediately upon meeting, and spent the entir
e afternoon chatting up a storm. The rest of the Zandles didn’t seem to mind. Iris was actually relieved, or so she informed Megan, to not have to listen to another one of Cal’s farm stories. He had been talking Iris’s ear off none-stop for the past week, relaying everything that happened to him on each of his shifts. Apparently, he’d already named all of the farm animals and he talked about them as if they were his children. It drove Iris nuts.
“How are you liking the new job?” Megan asked her mother, while they walked arm and arm through the courtyard. Ollie was due to meet up with them for a late lunch after his shift ended. Cal and Amara were walking ahead. “Are you working with the animals, too?”
“No, thank god,” said Iris. Megan laughed and raised her eyebrows. “Don’t get me wrong, I like animals, but I don’t like animal waste, and basically all your dad does on his shift is clean up shit. I work with the botanists actually. It’s very interesting. They are trying to cultivate new methods of farming and new crops that lead to less soil degradation. I assist them in the lab and they talk to me as they work –– tell me about the experiments they are doing.”
“That sounds very interesting,” said Megan. “I’m jealous.”
“Well, it’s can’t be nearly as exciting as working inside the leader’s quarters. What’s the castle like, anyway? I’ve always wondered.”
“It’s beautiful,” said Megan. I’ll see if I can get you past the gate sometime so you can see it. It will take your breath away.”
Cal and Amara had stopped and waited for them. “I’m pretty sure this is the place Ollie said he wanted us to meet him at.” He pointed at the kitchen station just up ahead, where a line was already forming and from which delicious smells were emanating. “We better get in line. I’m sure he’ll be here soon and then the dinner rush will really pick up.”
Lord Rokkan’s Private Toy Page 8