by Katee Robert
His Forbidden Desire
The Island of Ys Series
Katee Robert
Copyright © 2019 by Katee Robert
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Oliviaprodesigns
Cover image by Illustrated Romance
Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5323-9800-1
Print ISBN: 978-1-5323-9802-5
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Also by Katee Robert
The Island of Ys
Book 1: His Forbidden Desire
* * *
The Thalanian Dynasty Series (MMF)
Book 1: Theirs for the Night
Book 2: Forever Theirs
Book 3: Theirs Ever After
Book 4: Their Second Chance
* * *
The Kings Series
Book 1: The Last King
Book 2: The Fearless King
* * *
The Hidden Sins Series
Book 1: The Devil’s Daughter
Book 2: The Hunting Grounds
Book 3: The Surviving Girls
* * *
The Make Me Series
Book 1: Make Me Want
Book 2: Make Me Crave
Book 3: Make Me Yours
Book 4: Make Me Need
* * *
The O’Malley Series
Book 1: The Marriage Contract
Book 2: The Wedding Pact
Book 3: An Indecent Proposal
Book 4: Forbidden Promises
Book 5: Undercover Attraction
Book 6: The Bastard’s Bargain
* * *
The Hot in Hollywood Series
Book 1: Ties that Bind
Book 2: Animal Attraction
* * *
The Foolproof Love Series
Book 1: A Foolproof Love
Book 2: Fool Me Once
Book 3: A Fool for You
* * *
Out of Uniform Series
Book 1: In Bed with Mr. Wrong
Book 1.5: His to Keep
Book 2: Falling for His Best Friend
Book 3: His Lover to Protect
Book 3.5: His to Take
* * *
Serve Series
Book 1: Mistaken by Fate
Book 2: Betting on Fate
Book 3: Protecting Fate
* * *
Come Undone Series
Book 1: Wrong Bed, Right Guy
Book 2: Chasing Mrs. Right
Book 3: Two Wrongs, One Right
Book 3.5: Seducing Mr. Right
* * *
Other Books
Seducing the Bridesmaid
Meeting His Match
Prom Queen
The Siren’s Curse
Contents
Trigger Warning
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Trigger Warning
This book contains characters with a history of childhood abuse (that is not described in graphic detail in the story), violence, and the threat of sexual assault.
* * *
It also contains jungle sex, really intense beach PDA, and a ridiculously overprotective crankypants hero.
1
Princess Camilla Fitzcharles stepped off the helicopter and lifted her hand to shield her eyes. Even with the sun glaring overhead and her stomach tied in knots, she couldn’t deny the truth.
She’d arrived in paradise.
The island stretched out before her in a gentle incline that rose to kiss the sky. Merry lights twinkled from a boardwalk that stretched the entire length of the bay she’d just landed in, creating a path from Pleasure to Pain, the two main entertainment facilities the Island of Ys offered. They promised to fulfill any fantasy a person could dream up.
Cami wasn’t here for either of them.
She had bigger game in mind.
A white woman walked up as the helicopter’s blades slowed to stillness, and even though she’d expected a welcome party, it was everything Cami could do not to stare. The blonde wore a fitted dress that showed off an athlete’s muscled body and full breasts, sheer black tights, and heels that had to be at least six inches. More than her clothing, the thing that caught Cami’s attention was the way she carried herself. This woman was beautiful and powerful and totally secure in that knowledge.
Cami envied her.
The woman stopped in front of her and gave her a shrewd look. “Princess Camilla Fitzcharles. If I had any honor left, I’d send you home with your tail between your legs. This is no place for little girls playing dress up.”
If Cami was a different person, she’d shrink down to nothing in the face of such a direct indication of how this woman found her lacking. How everyone found her lacking. She wasn’t a different person, though. She was a princess, and she’d been taught from birth to brazen her way through situations that made her uncomfortable. She raised her brows. “If you really believe that, then why was I invited?”
“Invited, little princess?” Her red lips quirked into something almost a smile, though the expression didn’t reach her amber eyes. “You weren’t invited. You bribed your way in here.” She propped a hand on her hip. “I still wouldn’t have let you in, no matter how expensive the price tag, but Death answers to no one. The rest of us just dance to the tune she sets.”
Death.
The woman behind the curtain.
Cami had only participated in one conversation with her, and it was more than enough. She was as cold as this one fiery, and she scared the hell out of Cami.
Not enough to make her back off, though.
Nothing would scare her enough for that.
She closed the distance between her and the blonde and lifted her chin. “If you’re not going to stop me, then get out of my way.”
The woman whistled under her breath. “Little princess has some claws. I like it.” She gave Cami another once-over, though this one felt completely different. Just like that, her bristling almost-anger was gone, replaced by merry cheer. She grinned, revealing straight white teeth. “In fact, you’re kind of cute in that whole untouched kind of way. Makes me want to do a whole lot of touching.”
Cami blinked. “Um, thanks?”
“I know. You’re dazzled by my beauty. Don’t worry. It happens to everyone.” She linked her arm through Cami’s and towed her down the steps from the landing pad to a paved walkway that led farther inland. “Welcome to the Island of Ys, where all your dreams and darkest fantasies are possible. For the right price, of course. Since you’re here for the Wild Hunt, I expect you’ll keep up with
the virtuous thing instead of playing with us. A shame.”
“When does it start?”
She gave a put-upon sigh. “You know what they say about all work and no play.” When Cami just stared, she finally relented. “Three days.”
Three days? She might expire from nerves in the meantime. “Why so long to wait?”
The woman laughed. “You have somewhere better to be?” She bumped her shoulder against Cami’s. “The island can be … disconcerting. We like to get everyone together and settled before the game begins.” She lowered her voice. “It also lets you get a good look at the competition, which is an asset.”
Ah. Of course. She should have thought of that, would have if she wasn’t so off balance. “I see.”
“There are only three women this year, including you. But I’m getting ahead of myself.” Another of those infectious laughs. “I’ll show you to your rooms, and you have free rein of the casino floor until dinner tonight. It’s an obligatory event, black tie required. All the Wild Hunt events will be held in Pleasure, though you’re more than welcome to meander down to Pain as it strikes your fancy.”
“I won’t be doing that.”
“Probably smart of you. Pain has a way of pulling you in.” She grinned, merry and bright, and as dangerous as a flame.
The rest of the walk passed in a blur of lights and colors and sounds. Even though they didn’t go into the casino called Pleasure itself, moving instead around the perimeter, the sight of it made Cami’s stomach sink. She’d heard about what went on in this place. It was one of the world’s best kept secrets … unless a person’s pockets were deep enough.
She’d drained a huge portion of her trust fund to get here. She couldn’t afford to screw this up.
Then the trees closed in around their path, blocking the casino from sight. They passed several branches in the walkway before the woman guided her down one. “Those all lead to private villas. I wouldn’t suggest you wander down them. While we do provide limited security on the island, if you’re too stupid to live, you’ll get what’s coming to you despite our best efforts.”
Cami shook her head. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The blonde pulled a key out—Cami had no idea where she’d kept it—and unlocked the front door. “We’ll go over all the rules tonight, but the only thing you need to know now is that you can’t touch any of the other players until the game begins. If you do, you’re immediately disqualified and Death will be displeased. Any rule-breakers will be punished.” She gave a mock shudder, though her eyes lit up at the idea of punishment.
“Good to know.” Cami stepped into the entryway and turned back. “My luggage?”
“Already delivered. You’ll find it in the main bedroom. Last door on the left.”
Cami hesitated. “I didn’t catch your name.”
“I didn’t offer it.” Another of those sunny grins. “I’m War.”
War.
Everyone knew the foursome who ruled the Island of Ys had taken the names of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. No one seemed to know why.
Really, the why mattered less than the reputation they’d created. Fierce and brutal and downright vicious to anyone who stood in their way. Cami hadn’t been able to find any information on what their ultimate aim was, but it could be as simple and complicated as building power. Either way, they’d created the Island of Ys and built it up to a place where the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world flocked to. They were said to be capable of things that should have been impossible.
She counted on it.
Cami managed to hold out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You’re such a liar, little princess.” War gave her hand a solid shake and stepped back. “Someone will come for you tonight to escort you to the party. Be ready.” She turned and strode away.
Cami stared after her, taking in the tights that had words written up the seam in the back. Fuck off. Over and over and over again, in pretty cursive. Cami shook her head and shut the door. If that was one fourth of the group who ruled this island, she wasn’t sure what to think of the other three. Or other two, since she’d already interacted with Death. That woman scared her. She’d have to be an idiot not to be scared of Death.
The other two, though? Pestilence and Famine?
She didn’t know much about Pestilence, other than that he existed. Famine had a long history with Thalania, even if he wasn’t inclined to admit it. It wasn’t her problem, though. She’d use the connection if she had to, but she wasn’t here for him.
She was here for herself and herself alone.
She’d meet them soon enough, it seemed. Cami flipped the lock on the door and moved deeper into the villa. She couldn’t afford to assume she had anything resembling privacy while on the island. This place promised to deal in fantasy but that couldn’t be where it ended. Why bother to fulfill someone’s darkest fantasy if you didn’t mean to use it against them later on?
Then again, would people really keep coming back if they thought they were in danger of being outed?
Cami didn’t know and, frankly, didn’t care. She wasn’t here to play out some fantasy, twisted or otherwise. She was here because, for the first time since the Wild Hunt started, Death was offering a special kind of prize to the winner.
A favor.
No caveats. No holds barred. No limits.
Rationally, she was only a woman, if a powerful one. But Cami had spent years researching the Horsemen, following in the footsteps of her mentor who’d devoted even more time and energy into finding out everything there was to know about them. If it was even reasonably possible, Death’s favor would cover it. The Horsemen held more power than some countries, hers included.
I want to be free in a way that doesn’t hurt the people I love. I want to be able to breathe again, to move freely, to not have the title Princess of Thalania and all its responsibilities dragging me down into the deep.
She meandered through the villa, taking in the second bedroom, the kitchen, the living area, before finally reaching her destination. The master bedroom was wonderful. It was shaped like an octagon, its vaulted ceiling like something out of a dream. Sheer white fabric swung down from a hook in the center of the vault, attaching at two spots over the top of the bed, giving the feeling of a canopy. The doorway opened into a tiled bathroom, complete with walk-in shower and massive tub.
Paradise.
As long as no one looked too closely beneath the surface.
Cami pulled her suitcases onto the bed. Someone would have already gone through them to ensure she hadn’t broken the rules—no weapons on the island. She started unpacking slowly, letting the rhythm of the familiar motion soothe her nerves. Five years working toward this goal, and here she was. The hardest part was yet to come, but she couldn’t shake the strange feeling like she should be doing more. Her body was so used to running that when she finally stopped, her legs kept trying to move on without her.
So much depended on her ability to succeed in this. She’d broken every rule about putting all her eggs in one basket. This was Cami’s one shot. Her only shot. If she failed … Her future stretched out before her in one unbroken line. Marriage to a perfectly pedigreed noble to secure Thalania’s internal power base. Children whose only purpose would be to marry more nobles. To look pretty, to pick a charity to support, to dance to the tune set by others. She closed her eyes and took several long breaths.
There was a time, right after her oldest brother returned from exile when she was sixteen, that she’d really believed she could be happy in the palace. Theo had found his happiness, albeit in an unconventional way. If he could do it, then she could, too.
Except one year slid into another and another and another. She hit eighteen and suddenly the responsibilities threatened to choke her, the cage they created tightening every time she took a breath. She’d woken up one morning and the truth crashed over her: the only reason Theo found his happiness was through a full break from
Thalania and his being heir to the throne. If he hadn’t been exiled, he never would have found Meg, and he and Galen never would have tried to carve out a triad that defied tradition.
As long as she walked along the path laid out for her, she’d never find her true purpose, her true happiness.
She needed that full break that her brother had managed, though Cami didn’t see it as a punishment. She just wanted to fly free. Her brother would never forgive her for doing this, for breaking rank and effectively going over his head.
She’d deal with the fallout after she had secured Death’s favor. Only then.
“I fucking hate the Wild Hunt.” Luca stood in the shadowed alcove and watched people filter into the room designed for tonight’s entertainment. Each contender was allowed three supporting staff to stay on the island, and they’d all brought the full amount. The men wore tuxes. The few women with them wore ball gowns in monochromatic colors, trending toward black.
“This year is important.” Ryu, his brother in everything but blood, passed over a bottle of beer. “All the work is paying off. One of his people will win, which means he’ll be here.”
Him. The Bookkeeper.
The first stage of their plan.
There were moments when Luca wished the sins of the past would stay dead and buried, that they could move on with their lives, their success, their power, without digging up this particular evil to exorcise.