by Kyra Jacobs
“Well, for one, we’re out in the middle of a field, for crying out loud. Somebody could, um, walk up on us.”
“There’s no one for miles and miles,” he murmured, refusing to lift his lips from her delicious skin. “And the lone way to arrive here is by wing.”
“Convenient. But then there’s the whole…”
Her voice wavered, and now he did raise his head to seek her crystalline gaze. There was a sorrow there, so sharp and unexpected that he would have done anything to relieve her of the pain. “What is it, Adelaide?”
“Well,” she said, the word barely a rough whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. “It’s just that I’ll be going home soon. And if we keep doing this, it’s going to make leaving you hurt that much more.”
Hope filled his chest so swiftly that he nearly burst. In all the time they’d spent together, this was the first she’d spoken of her feelings toward him. Until now, only her actions had betrayed the song of her heart. “There’s a simple solution to that.”
Her brows drew down in that adorable V of hers. “Which is?”
“Remain here.”
Addie blinked. Blinked twice more. “What?”
“Do not return to your lands.” Zayne cast a fiery gaze upon her and wished it alone could sway her. But this was Adelaide, and he knew better. He brushed a thumb across her beautiful cheek. “Have you not on several occasions commented about the beauty of my kingdom?”
She frowned. “Well, yeah. I said England was pretty too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to pack up and move there any time soon. I have a life back in the States, Zayne. And a job. And, and appliances! Do you have any idea how much I miss my appliances?” She blew out a frustrated breath. “No, of course you don’t, because you don’t have them here.”
“Whatever your heart desires, I shall bring it to you. Whatever you ask, ’tis yours.”
She barked a laugh. “Spoken like a true royal.”
“Whatever is that to mean?” he asked, leaning back to sit on his heels.
“It means you think you can go around fixing everything by a wave of your hand or a flick of your money. I can’t be bought, Zayne. I’m not some cow at the market.” Tears welled up in her eyes. She pushed him away and rose to her feet. “Besides, a cow would be worth more.”
“Your words make no sense, my lady.” Zayne stood as well and took a step toward her, but she held a hand out to ward him off. He growled in frustration.
“Don’t you see?” she cried. “I’m not a lady. I’m just some girl, some dumb girl from Indiana with a screwed-up life because of a screwed-up childhood.”
Addie spun as a sob bubbled out from her lips. Against her wishes, he closed the distance between them, grabbed her by the arms, and turned her to face him. Like a stubborn child she kept her face turned from his, her eyes clamped shut as tears trickled down her soft cheeks.
“Addie. Adelaide. Look at me.” He softened his voice. “Please.”
Her lids fluttered open, but still her gaze refused to meet his.
“I know not of your upbringing, nor the life you lead in this other world, merely of the kindness and exuberance you display here, with me.”
He released her arms and lifted one of her hands to place it over his heart. “No one in all my years has touched me here the way you do. No man, no woman, and certainly no cattle.”
That elicited a soft laugh from her, though her gaze remained on the ground.
“I desire no other, Addie. ’Tis you who has claimed my heart and soul. Only you.”
“But you deserve better.” She extracted her hand from his chest. “So just drop it, okay?”
Zayne stared at his woodland nymph in disbelief. He’d just professed his love to her, and still she would turn him away? What would it take to prove to this woman how deeply his feelings for her ran?
“No.” Growling, he snagged her waist and pulled Addie into his chest. She let out a surprised breath as her eyes widened. Before she could order him away, his mouth claimed hers, his fury driving him nearly to madness. He had to make her believe him, had to make her want to stay.
The kiss deepened, and the hand she’d thrust out to push him away faltered. He drove his free hand up into her hair and tugged her head back, exposing the delicate flesh of her neck once more. He kissed and nipped at her skin, his mouth trailing from her chin to the swell of her breasts.
“No, Zayne—”
He brought his mouth to hers and silenced her again, kissing her until they were both left gasping for air. Then, in one swift motion, he had her below him on the ground once more, his body stretched carefully above hers. He returned to kissing her neck, her shoulder.
One of her cool hands came to rest against his fiery cheek. “Zayne,” she whispered.
He froze. If she told him to stop, he would, though it might nearly kill him to do so. Reluctantly, he raised his head and met her gaze. But the anger from before was gone, replaced by a weary uncertainty. “How can you possibly want this? Want me? I’m nothing in your world.”
“You’re everything in my world,” he confessed as much to himself as to her. “Everything.”
Her perfect pink lips parted in surprise, and he pressed his own to them. Addie’s fingers laced into his hair, pulling him tighter against her. Zayne opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and she readily complied. Her tongue was sweet from this morning’s tea, yet cool against his own. He ran his arms around her body, wanting to be closer to her, needing to be. But the summer dress that Emeline had insisted Addie wear was keeping her from him, and that simply wouldn’t do. With a growl, he pulled back, untied its laces, and tugged the infernal fabric up and over her shoulders. But still he couldn’t see all of her, as his clever servant had thought to dress Addie in frilly undergarments this day as well.
A wasted effort, Zayne thought with a grin as he summoned a single talon and carefully ripped the fabric from top to bottom in one swift movement. The linens fell aside, revealing the object of his desire in all her full glory. He drank in the view, letting his gaze trail from her head to her painted pink toes and back up again. She was perfect in every way, and in that moment, all pretense was gone. Honesty welled up inside of him, nearly taking his breath away as the realization rose to his lips. “Never has another made me feel so complete. I need you, Addie. I…need you.”
* * * * *
“I need you.”
Addie stared up at Zayne and saw the raw emotion on his face. These weren’t simply words; they were a window to his very soul. Whatever experiences he’d had in his princely reign with the women before her clearly had never been anything more than superficial flings. And never in Addie’s prior experiences had a man looked at her the way Zayne did now and say he needed her.
He needed her.
The air in her lungs escaped in a slow whoosh as the gravity of his words sank in. How could she deny him something he clearly wanted—he needed—so badly, when she wanted the same thing? In all her time in Edana, he’d been nothing but protective and giving. How many times had he risked his life to save her? He could have easily cast her out that first night, abandoned her. But he hadn’t. In all things, Zayne had put her needs above his own, a type of treatment Addie had never experienced.
His golden eyes took on a pleading look, and the last wall around her fragile heart crumbled. She had nothing waiting for her back home but a pseudo-vagabond life and a so-so career. It wasn’t modern appliances she truly desired. It was to be loved.
To be loved like no one had loved her before.
“Show me,” she whispered.
He regarded her in silence, his eyes uncertain. She raised one brow at his hesitancy—an act so unlike him. Slowly his mouth lowered to hers, the kiss at first sweet and gentle, but soon growing in intensity. He rolled to his back, pulling her atop him as he went, and Addie drew in a sharp breath as her naked body came to settle upon the erection bulging from within his pants. But still his mouth refused to release hers. His
hands went in motion, weaving through her hair, tracing up and down her back, grasping her butt, the movements growing more and more fevered with each passing moment.
At last, he rolled them back so he was above her once more. Without a word, he stood and stripped the clothes from his body, and Addie raked her gaze across his bare skin. In the sunlight, the battle scars zigzagging across his arms, legs, and smooth, broad chest appeared less pronounced, yet there was no denying the strength and power of the warrior prince. Desire surged within her at the sight, and she squirmed in the clover, aching with want.
The movement wasn’t lost on Zayne, who lowered himself to the ground and resumed exploring her body with his mouth. He drove her mad with kisses, with his touch. And when both finally arrived at the V between her legs, Addie bit back a startled cry. His tongue was warm, oh so warm, as it lapped over her most sensitive place, and she arched with need to find release. His pace increased as the fingers of one hand slid inside her. That simple addition was all it took to drive her over the edge. She cried out his name as she shattered, the climax coming hard and swift.
Addie sank back to the ground and lifted her head to find Zayne peeking up at her from between her legs. If this was how life in Edana would be every day, with him bringing her to the edge of heaven and back, she never wanted to leave.
Ever.
“That…was…you…were…”
He silenced her with one last lick and watched with a look of satisfaction upon his face as a shiver rippled throughout her body. “You taste of the sweetest honeys.”
“Can I tell you how glad I am to hear that?” She laughed, her breathing still ragged.
“I shall say it any time you wish.” He rose to his knees as he swiped a hand across his damp chin. “So long as you first allow me a taste.”
“Deal,” she breathed, letting her eyes drift shut.
He rolled her onto her knees, then eased inside from behind. Addie felt a purr rattle from somewhere deep inside her. God, he felt so good. He drew back and drove into her again, eliciting another involuntary coo of pleasure from her. The sound spurred him on, and his pace quickly picked up tempo. He thrust into her over and over, his hands digging into the skin of her hips to the point it nearly hurt. As Zayne’s climax arrived, his thrusts stuttered and slowed. He drove into her one last time, and a satisfied roar escaped him.
The prince withdrew and lay beside her, cradling Addie in his arms as the aftershocks of his orgasm subsided. “Baile,” he whispered then pressed his lips to the top of her hair.
“What does it mean?”
“Baile.” Zayne let his head fall back onto the blanket of clover beneath them. “Home.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Emeline hurried into the front room at the return of the prince and his mistress—which, to her chagrin, was exactly what their guest had become. Their cheeks were rosy and smiles broad, and the way they held each other to steal one last kiss… Oh, would his father be enraged by the sight!
“Your Highness,” she called, then saw with satisfaction that her outburst had indeed prevented their lips from connecting. “Your Highness, a scroll arrived for you from the castle several hours ago.”
Her royal ward lifted one brow in amusement. “A lone scroll? I’m surprised my father has not sent a chest full of them by now.”
“Sire.” Emeline drew to a halt before him with the scroll in hand. “The stamp. ’Tis black.”
His face paled.
“What?” asked Addie. “Is black bad?”
“It indicates urgency.” He took the scroll from Emeline’s hands. “Or death.”
“Oh.”
Emeline held her breath as the prince carefully tore the seal free and unrolled his scroll. Had war broken out? She threw an accusatory look at Miss Adelaide. Before she arrived, their lands were on the verge of peace. Now—
“My father has fallen gravely ill.” Zayne looked stunned by the news. “And my mother is ill as well. She has asked I return to rule in my father’s place until he is well once more.”
“I shall prepare a quick meal for you to eat before the long journey home.” Emeline turned to address his mistress. “You shall remain here. The castle is no place for”—she waved her hands between them—“whatever this is.”
Addie’s cheeks pinkened, but Zayne ignored her disapproving tone. “I fear I must concur with Emeline. Allow me to fly and assess the situation. When my mother is well enough for introductions, I shall return for you.”
He raised a hand to brush a thumb across her cheek with such tenderness that Emeline felt her own cheeks grow warm at witnessing this intimate moment between the two young lovers. She turned and hurried off to the kitchen, her thoughts suddenly scattered. Never had she seen her ward lay a touch so gentle upon another, which could mean but one thing: somehow the two had grown into more than lovers these past few days.
They had fallen in love.
Her wild, fearless, rule-breaking prince had finally fallen in love. Emeline’s lips tugged into a grin as her vision began to blur. She prayed the Lord Almighty might spare them all from the firestorm such an act was about to cause.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Though it pained him to leave Adelaide behind, Zayne believed Emeline when she said it was best he did. If his parents were as ill as the scroll suggested, news of his intentions to break the engagement with Rosalind might cause their weakened hearts to fail. And if that were to happen, he’d be orphaned and left with no choice but to assume the throne, a responsibility he wasn’t yet ready to undertake.
Not when he planned to spend as much time as possible savoring the woman who had so recently awakened his heart.
His mother would understand, he knew. Admittedly or not, the woman was a hopeless romantic. He’d seen the look upon her face the day King Robert strutted into their dining chamber to announce the arranged marriage between Zayne and Rosalind. It lasted but a moment, a medley of emotions swirling about her beautiful features: surprise, anger, sadness—the same emotions that had raged within himself. But the arrangement promised to bring peace between the war-ravaged lands, and neither Zayne nor his mother could argue against such a golden opportunity. The people of Edana deserved as much. They still did.
His hands clenched into fists as he made his way through the castle to his mother’s chambers. He’d find a way to make his father understand and a way to bring their people peace, even if it meant hunting down every dragon beyond Forath’s walls and killing them himself. He would do anything to get out of his arranged marriage while preserving the peace.
Anything.
The guards posted outside the queen’s door bowed at his approach, then moved to allow him access to her chambers. With relief he found her awake, seated at a chair beside the fire. But his relief returned to worry as he took in her ashen cheeks and sunken shoulders. At the sound of his approach, she turned, and a weary smile stretched across her face.
“My Zayne.”
His steps quickened as he hurried to kneel before her. “Mother.” He gently lifted one of her weakened hands into his own. “Thomasina claims you are quite ill.”
“Tired is all,” she whispered, stroking his hair. “’Tis so good to see you, my son. Tell me, where is the girl?”
“Your health, Mother. ’Tis what matters most this moment. You should be resting. Shall I help you back to your bed?”
Zayne looked in its direction and was surprised to see his father in the queen’s bed. Never could he remember seeing the king in the queen’s chambers. And why had his father not stirred upon his arrival? He swallowed hard and shifted his gaze back to the queen.
“Father? Is he…?”
“Sleeping, my son.” Her hand fell back to her lap. “To give you time.”
“Time? For what?”
“Where is the girl, Zayne? I long to see you with her, to know if she has truly claimed your heart.”
Zayne stared at this mother in disbelief. How? How could she possibly kno
w what had been developing between him and Addie? The few scrolls he’d sent to the castle spoke of pursuing his engagement, not breaking it.
Emeline, he realized with a scowl. She had sent word to the castle.
“I do not know what lies have been told, but—”
“I have been told nothing.” Her voice was weak but firm. A glimmer of mischief suddenly flashed in her eyes. “It was I, Zayne. I went to Berinon and asked that he bring her to you.”
“Who?”
His mother’s smile widened. “Your one true love.”
And there it was—the answer to the question he’d been asking himself since the day Addie appeared. She hadn’t been sent as a reward from the heavens above, but as a result of black magic triggered by his own mother. And Berinon had been in on it the entire time. But why had the crazy wizard not said as much when he and Addie paid him a visit? Why had he insisted they remain hidden for three more days?
Zayne’s eyes widened. Three days. Had Berinon meant three days to the hour or by way of calendar?
“Mother, you must tell me—when exactly did you send your scroll?”
Confusion clouded her face. “What scroll, my son?”
“The scroll.” He rose to his feet as panic began to weave its claws around his chest. “The scroll telling me to return to the castle because you were both ill.”
His mother shook her head slowly. “I requested no such scroll be sent.”
The door to the queen’s chambers rattled as its heavy exterior latch fell solidly into place. Zayne felt the blood rush from his face.
“Addie,” he breathed, realizing all too late this had been nothing more than another trap.
The queen’s hand reached out to touch his. “Do you love her, my son?”
“Yes.” The answer came without hesitation. He turned his gaze from the door to meet his mother’s. “With all my heart.”
“Then fly and bring her to me.” His mother pointed toward a giant tapestry on the room’s far wall. A tapestry that Zayne had forgotten until now shielded a hidden staircase—one she’d shown him when he was but a lad. “So that I may see what true love looks like.”