by AJ Nuest
God, she was dumb. As if the anguish in his voice and the set of his jaw weren’t more than enough to take care of her doubts. “I believe you, Caedmon. Just tell me what we need to do and I’ll do it.”
He clenched his teeth so hard, she half-expected him to exhale a cloud of powdered enamel. Spinning away, he paced the room. She tracked each of his long-legged strides but, like a complete loser, didn’t have any idea what she was supposed to say.
He finally stopped near the fireplace, shoulders high and tight. Anxiety lifted the hair on her arms but, rather than looking at her, he kept his focus aimed at the ground.
“Our legends speak of a golden key which unlocks a chest of undue riches, a blinding light by which the future will be foretold. Whoever holds both key and chest shall rule with a terrifying power, an otherworldly knowledge of things yet to pass.”
He lifted his head and her pulse skittered in about eight billion directions at the misery etched across his brow. “Our neighboring kingdom to the north has, for many generations, possessed such a chest. Secreted away under heavy guard as an uneasy entente has existed between us.
“Yet, this peace only remains because prophecy also speaks of a warrior prince from Austiere’s realm. A Rescinder of purest heart who will suffer a time of Gleaning. He will spend three days with an enchanting sorceress who clasps to her breast the only key and, if he remains true, at the end of three days she will deem whether or not he is worthy to receive the key.”
Holy shit. She swallowed at the thick lump in her throat. “What happens if she judges him worthy?”
“He will ride out on the fastest steed and herald his victory, and the balance of power between the two nations will be maintained.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“That is why our enemy is at the gate, awaiting the setting bell. If, by the third day, the Rescinder has failed…” He dropped his chin to his chest and sighed. “If I have failed, they will set upon us with their siege engines, and though we may choose to ride out and meet them in battle, the dishonor of my failure will mar our nation’s history henceforth.”
She didn’t hesitate. Not for him. Not while she held everything in his world in the palm of her hand.
“Here.” Snagging the key from the top of her nightgown, she swept the chain from around her neck. “I’ve heard enough. Whether this key saves your country or you ride out to certain death… if the veil shatters and I never see you again, at least I can say I did the right thing. You are more than worthy, Caedmon. Take it, the key is yours.”
Twining the chain through her fingers, she leaned toward the glass. Her fist connected with the surface and a metallic gong vibrated the bones of her arm.
What the hell? Sitting back on her heels, she stared at the key in her palm. “Okay, what just happened? Why couldn’t I get through?”
Caedmon closed his eyes and a small breath parted his lips. “The key cannot be handed through the veil, my lady. Such a thing is forbidden. A failsafe to guard against deceit. You must wear the key, close to your heart, and deliver it to me. ʼTis only through the surrender of selfless love such a thing can be achieved.”
Right. So, that’s why the mirror had finally opened. And she had to admit, in a bizarre fairy-tale way, those rules kinda did make sense. Just like a kiss waking a sleeping princess or the perfect fit of a lost glass slipper, falling in love with him came with its own special brand of magic.
It was beautiful. It was powerful…
She jerked her chin up. And why in the hell hadn’t he told her that in the first place? All the time they’d wasted. A whole night she could’ve spent with him in his bed. Good God, even the thought of what she could’ve done to him had her humming and raring to go.
“Okay, so…” She resettled the chain around her neck. “I just dive straight through?”
The smile that tipped his lips was so damn sad, the joy fled her system quicker than air blurted from a spiraling, out-of-control balloon. “I could never ask such a thing of you, my heart. The risk is too great.”
Aw, damn. Now what?
“Once the veil is crossed, no guarantee ensures the pathway will remain open. You may find yourself imprisoned in my world.”
Shit. She frowned. “You mean, like, forever?”
“I know not, my heart.”
But at least they’d finally gotten down to the nitty-gritty. All this mirror business was about her making a choice.
Give up everything or doom Caedmon to failure. And, quite possibly, a horrible death.
Choosing the latter was definitely out of the question, but…Ollie. Violet, the shop, the hours and hours of back-breaking work Rowena had put into building her business.
Turning away from everything she’d achieved in the aftermath of her parents’ death was no simple task either.
She met the tender light in Caedmon’s brown eyes and her chest constricted. But if she loved him. If she really loved him, wasn’t making the ultimate sacrifice the best way to show him how much? “If I do this for you. If I step through the mirror. Will you catch me if I fall?”
He didn’t move. Didn’t blink or take a breath.
A shiny crescent built along his lower lashes, and as a single tear tumbled onto his cheek, she was done.
The guy could have anything he wanted. Any time or place, she would go if only for the chance to be his.
He approached the armoire and reached over her head. An internal whirring sounded and, a moment later, his hand reappeared, his mother’s ruby ring hooked on the end of his index finger. “Give me your hand.”
Her breath caught. No, no, she didn’t want to force him to do anything. “Caedmon, you can’t—”
“I can and I shall. This ring is mine to do with as I please. Now give me…your hand.”
She searched his face and, in that moment, she knew. Regardless of his reasons for asking, she couldn’t say no. Hell, she’d probably never turn him down about anything ever again.
With the ease of parting water, her fingers broke through the veil. Warmth pulsed around her wrist. Up her arm. Shimmering light prickled her skin as she leaned forward and stretched for her prince.
He grasped her wrist and slid the ring onto the third finger of her left hand. “My heart is yours, sweet Rowena. As surely as it beats in my chest, you own it. Now and forever, I pledge my love to you should you choose to join me or not.”
Tears made her vision blur. She threaded her fingers through his and squeezed.
He loved her.
Her head fell back on her shoulders, and she laughed. Well, of course he did. The kiss never worked unless the prince loved the princess right back. The glass slipper didn’t just fit any old foot.
And her love wasn’t the only one that had opened the mirror. It had taken both their hearts to unlock the veil.
“I love you, too, Caedmon. And I’m happy to get trapped with you, regardless of where or when that might be.”
He grinned and tugged her hand. She shivered and scooted closer to the mirror. Eager for their first hug, their first kiss. Knowing it would be a memory she would carry with her into forever.
Her only regret was that she wouldn’t be able to tell Oliver everything that had happened.
“Oops.” She drew up short and then paused. “Hold on. I totally forgot.”
“Goddesses’ tits, woman.” Caedmon’s shoulders fell a solid inch. “You have already perfected the art of keeping me perched my toes.”
“Sorry.” She chuckled and wiggled her fingers. “Here, take the ring off for a second. If I don’t leave a note for Ollie, he’ll be worried sick.”
Caedmon slipped the jewel from her hand and she scampered off the bed to rifle the drawer of her nightstand. A notepad and pen at the ready, and she ransacked her brain before deciding short and sweet was probably best.
My dearest Oliver,
I may or may not be back.
The store is yours.
Love,
Ro
&
nbsp; She balanced the notepad against her bedside lamp and reclaimed her spot on the bed. Combing her fingers through her hair, she straightened her shoulders and exhaled. “Okay, I’m ready.”
Caedmon cocked a brow. “You are certain?”
She skimmed his body. Up his leather-clad legs, past the corded muscles in his ribcage and over the smooth expanse of his chest. Oh, she was more than ready. She locked onto the devotion in his gaze. “Count on it, dude.”
Her hand broke through the veil, and Caedmon returned the ring to her finger, and for the first time, she realized that heavy piece of hardware wasn’t messing around.
The ruby was so big it spanned the entire space between her second to her third knuckles. Princess-cut diamonds circled the gold setting, sparkling along the red facets as if a million tiny flames surrounded the stone.
Stepping in, Caedmon gripped her elbow, his other arm open and waiting. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The sensation of a warm liquid pulsed around her face. The light distorted and stretched behind her eyelids. Loud rushing filled her ears.
Thundering hooves. The constant whirr of well-oiled gears. Steam and metal, leather and exotic spices filled her senses. Ashes and the sweat of a thousand men.
Floating. No gravity as she hung suspended.
Fumbling around, she reached for the other side at the same time Caedmon tightened his grip and yanked.
She tumbled straight into his arms and he brought her flush to his chest. Unleashing a torrential downpour of kisses, he met her lips and cheeks, her neck and back to her lips, over and over until she was breathless and dizzy and it was all she could do to keep her legs.
Dang, he smelled good. A squeak left her throat, and she held onto his neck as he cinched her waist and spun her in a tight circle. Like fresh air. A cool breeze that drifted in off the high mountains. A hint of leather and green earth all mixed with the heady musk of his skin.
Feet firmly planted on the cold stone floor, she smiled into a pair of brown eyes so deep she could’ve easily gotten lost inside them. He was a lot taller than she’d expected, but the way he towered over her seemed right. As if she’d finally come home. Found her safe haven. “Am I really here? Is this really you?”
“We are together at last, my love. And for as long as you will have me, I remain steadfast by your side.”
Unnngh… The guy made her melt every time he opened his totally lickable mouth.
Rising on her toes, she went in for a kiss and…
Something was off. She glanced down and clamped her arm across her breasts. Stepped away from him and slapped her hand between her legs.
“What the…?” Her clothes. That’s what the hell was off. “I’m naked? Caedmon, why didn’t you tell me I’d be naked?”
“Do not leave me.” He scowled and grasped her upper arms, pulling her back to his chest.
Shackling her wrists in his fingers, he returned her arms to the tops of his shoulders. Her nipples hardened against the heat of his skin, and she lifted a brow as a clever smirk teased his lips. “Nothing of your world may pass through the veil. Only you and the key are given entry.”
Yeah, nice. “All those fancy words and suddenly you forget to mention the most important part?”
He tipped his head to the side. “ʼTis a matter I plan to debate with you at length.”
“Sounds like quite the heated discussion to me.”
“You shall soon find out.” A slight bend, and he scooped her legs into the crook of his elbow, his other arm an immovable brace across her back.
His muscles shifted, long legs destroying the distance to the bed. He tossed her to the middle of the blankets as if she weighed no more than a bag filled with air and she laughed.
Grasping her ankles, he placed one knee on the mattress, pinned her with a heated stare and jerked her closer to the edge. Excitement sparked along her nerve endings. Her breath grew thin.
God, he was beautiful. Her half-blood gypsy prince. With a heart made for love and a body for sin.
A purr rumbled in his chest as he slid his hands up her legs, splayed fingers a honeyed caramel against her white skin. She squirmed as the rasp of his palms tickled the sensitive spot behind her knees.
Higher… She needed him to go higher. His fingers tightened and cool air rushed her throat as he roughly widened her legs.
Inching forward, he kept her centered in his sights, walking his arms across the bed on either side of her torso. The dark waves of his hair hung down as he hovered over her, one hand outside her hip and the other above her left shoulder. “Too long, my tongue has been greedy for the taste of you.”
Her insides liquefied. Sweet Jesus, she was never going to last. Not with the way her body throbbed. Clit pulsing a steady beat. Core aching and slick with need.
She scraped her nails up his straining arms and hunger flared in his eyes. His pupils dilated. Along his broad shoulders, down the defined ridges in his chest, she marked each delectable inch until her fingers trailed through the velvety line of hair below his bellybutton.
The tendons in his stomach contracted, and he hissed. Rock hard under her hands. A web of little blue veins popped in his abdomen, and she licked her lips at how they disappeared past the low waistband of his leather pants.
Swallowing, she prodded the dense muscle on either side of his hips. A twirl of her fingers through the laces, and she yanked, loosening the final restriction denying her access to every part of his body.
He cupped her cheek and her heart pounded. Dragged the pad of his thumb across her mouth and chuckled as she nipped the calloused tip. She snaked her hands inside the back of his breeches and he squinted as she dug her fingers into his ass.
Smooth skin covered dense muscle, flexing against her palms. He lowered his hips and she arched off the bed as he drove against her. Grinding his hips, he moaned into her hair and swayed.
Tingles raced down her inner thighs. She was wound tighter as he latched onto her neck and pumped. The motion eased the gloved fit of his leathers. She urged his pants to his thighs and he crushed his lips to hers as his distended cock sprang free.
His lips were so soft. The perfect contrast to all that dark scruff rasping her cheeks. The tip of his tongue flicked against hers and he gripped her chin, angling her head to nip the fleshy curve of her lower lip.
“I knew you would be sweet.” His breath mingled with hers. He shoved his arm under her back, palmed her bottom and squeezed. “No man could ever get enough.”
His hips jerked as she stroked him, thumb and index finger a firm band circling his shaft. She reached the thick hair at the base and he muttered a curse as she kneaded the raised veins up to the bulbous tip.
A sweep of her thumb along the weeping slit and his eyelids slammed shut. He shook his head and blew a slow, measured breath. Another slow stroke, and he rocked forward. She writhed to get just the right pressure as the head prodded her clit.
A shudder curled her toes. She fisted his silky waves as he dragged his cock through the moisture coating her folds. Legs shuffling, he worked his pants past his ankles and they crumpled to the floor.
Any concept of patience vanished the second he fell on top of her. He buried his fingers in her hair and feasted. Tongue sweeping the roof of her mouth, tangling with hers. Thumb directing her chin to control their kiss.
Clasping his biceps, she met him stroke for stroke, diving deep, sipping as much of him as she could. His hand left her throat and his warm fingers tightened around her ribcage, trapping her in place as his tongue marked a path to her breast. Nudging the key aside with his nose, he latched onto her nipple. She raked his scalp as he sucked and teased the tight peak.
His tongue swirled. The graze of his teeth arrowed straight into clit. Lips pursed, he blew a steady stream across her damp skin and her nipple stiffened to the point of pleasure-pain. His fingers skimmed down to between her legs, and she writhed on the brink. His thumb tapped. A small circle, and he coaxed her higher
. She filled her lungs and tried to hang on.
Seizing his shoulders, she urged him back to her lips, wrapped her arms around his neck and crossed her ankles in the small of his back. Body, heart and soul, everything she was belonged to him. “Caedmon, I can’t…please, I need…”
He captured her wrists and pinned them on either side of her head. “Do not beg me.” The supple sweep of his full bottom lip brushed hers. “I will take you as often as you wish.” A nip to the edge of her chin and his tongue soothed the slight sting. “In whatever way you wish.” He released her wrists and ran his palms down her forearms, along the sides of her breasts to her waist. “Until Helios no longer reigns in the sky.”
Gripping her hips, he angled her off the bed and rammed home.
Her spine bowed. A heady pulse throbbed even as the tight fit brought her a moment of sweet pain. She rolled her head to the side and bit back a moan as he withdrew.
No. She needed more of him. All of him.
“Look at me,” he breathed.
She stayed locked on his eyes as he drove forward a second time. Deeper, stretching her. A groan built in his chest as he nudged that beautiful spot high inside.
She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and bucked, fisting the blankets, seeking pressure where she needed it most.
Slow, slow…too slow. God, he was making her crazy.
He slipped a hand between their bodies, rubbing and tapping. Her skin heated. A spasm rippled, and he rolled his hips, caressing her inner walls.
A predatory growl rasped from his throat, and his control finally snapped. Crawling to his knees, he wrenched her onto his thighs and drove into her, lifting her by the hips.
God, the scent of his skin. The smooth, slippery friction. The hard ridges massaging every part had her so damn close.