by Tasha Black
The door to the infirmary slammed open behind her and she heard the sound of boots clattering into the room.
It was exactly what Willow had expected. She knew she couldn’t make a speech like that in front of the king and queen and then walk away scot free.
But when she had seen Heath’s condition, she knew they were in no shape to run.
And she refused to leave without him.
She braced herself, ready to be dragged away, wondering if a princess would get the same harsh treatment Heath had gotten.
At least she had made sure the whole court knew Heath had done nothing wrong. Word would surely get back to his own kingdom. He was safe now.
“Princess… Willow?” a deep male voice said.
She turned to see three tall, attractive men gazing at her with curiosity. They carried no chains, or weapons of any kind. She remembered them being seated near the king and queen earlier, and assumed that meant they were important.
“The Winter princes,” Heath said, confirming her suspicions.
“I’m Sterling, this is Torsten, and this is Duncan,” the man in the middle said with a gentle smile. “We are your brothers.”
Tears burned her eyes, though she didn’t know why. Something about the kindness in his voice caught her completely off guard. She’d been expecting anything but that.
“Don’t cry, sister,” the one called Torsten said, kneeling by her stool. “We are glad to meet you, and deeply sorry for all that you and your betrothed have been through.”
“That was very brave, what you did back there,” Sterling said. “It’s clear to us that you’re a Winter princess. You certainly have ice in your veins to pull off what you just did.”
Torsten laughed at his brother’s words and Willow found herself smiling too.
“Our parents have done a heinous thing,” Duncan said, his deep, serious voice sounding almost out of place in the light atmosphere of the room. “But they will pay for their crimes.”
“Yes, Willow,” Sterling said. “We were so stunned by what you shared that we did not think to look to them until you had finished speaking.”
“By then they had disappeared,” Torsten added. “But we already have soldiers out looking for them.”
“What about Ashe?” Willow asked. “Will someone find her? She is in the mortal realm.”
“We’ll see to that,” Sterling assured her. “But not until after the wedding this afternoon.”
Willow looked between their faces in horror.
“You can’t make me marry him,” she said. “I’m already betrothed.”
“Oh, no,” Torsten laughed, his eyes twinkling.
“Not Prince Harland,” Sterling assured her. “We mean Prince Heath, of course.”
“Harland took the news pretty well,” Torsten said thoughtfully.
“He’s a good man,” Sterling agreed. “At any rate, we’ve got a wedding already planned and catered. Someone’s got to get married before the flowers wilt. What do you think? With all that’s happened, a union of our kingdoms couldn’t come at a better time.”
“Yes,” Heath said, his rough voice playing on Willow’s senses. “Yes, we will marry. I can’t wait any longer.”
“But, you’re injured,” Willow protested.
“I’m fine,” Heath said, waving the doctor away and sitting up. “I just need a bath and a good meal. I have time for that, right?”
“Of course,” Sterling said. “We had planned the execution, then a feast, then the wedding this evening.”
Torsten winced.
“Er, I’m most glad we did not have the execution,” Sterling added quickly.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
Heath tilted his head back and roared with laughter.
Willow found herself laughing too, and her newfound brothers joined in.
“Why don’t we accompany you back to your rooms?” Sterling offered.
“The bath is a good idea,” the doctor said. “Keep those wounds clean, and they’ll heal faster.”
“I’ll see to it,” Willow promised.
Heath allowed Sterling to help him off the bed, but he walked on his own down the corridors by Willow’s side, his big hand at the small of her back.
At last, they reached his chambers.
“Sister, do the two of you need any help from here?” Torsten asked.
“Oh, I think I can handle him,” Willow said with a smile. “How much time do we have?”
“A few hours,” Sterling replied. “We’ll have the kitchen send up trays for you.”
“Tell them to leave them outside the door,” Heath suggested.
There was fire in his eyes as he looked down at Willow and she barely suppressed a shiver of lust.
Torsten laughed and Duncan elbowed him.
“We’ll see you at the ceremony,” Sterling said, his eyes twinkling as the three headed off.
“Wait,” Willow said.
They turned back to her.
“I-I am glad we met,” she said, suddenly at a loss. “I am glad you are my brothers. I hope we will get to know each other better.”
“You can count on it,” Sterling promised with a kind smile.
They disappeared down the hallway and Willow turned back to her betrothed, unable to believe that a day that had started with such hopelessness could end with such happiness.
“You like them,” Heath said, as he led her into his rooms.
“Very much,” she agreed. “I’ve got one brother back at home, and now three more. It’s… unreal. And they just accepted me so fast, like I really belong here.”
“Your family is growing by leaps and bounds,” Heath said quietly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, and placing his other hand across her belly. “How long have you known?”
“The midwife told me, back in her cottage,” Willow admitted.
“You didn’t tell me,” Heath said, hurt in his eyes.
Willow sighed. “I… was so uncertain.”
“How could you be uncertain?” he asked. “I was already your betrothed.”
“You did not mean to be betrothed to me,” she said, feeling an echo of sadness again. “You meant to be betrothed to Ashe, a woman you had met before, someone you planned to marry. And you thought I was her. I was afraid that maybe you would feel deceived and trapped. I was afraid you would be disappointed.”
“Willow,” his voice broke on her name. “I could never be disappointed with you. I only planned to marry Ashe to save our kingdoms. I have no tie to her personally. Truthfully, I’d never given her much thought before. I didn’t even notice the woman I took back with me wasn’t her, except for the fact that you made me feel a way that no person in any realm ever has.”
Relief flooded Willow’s veins.
“The only time I have felt love was in your eyes,” he told her, his voice rough with emotion. “The happiest I have ever been is in your arms.”
Tears ran down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, my Willow,” he said. “Please don’t ever cry.”
“I’m j-just so h-happy,” she wailed.
He smiled until his eyes crinkled and pulled her close.
“I will ever strive to make you happy, my beautiful princess,” he told her. “But first I need a bath. Would you care to join me?”
24
Heath
Heath watched from the bed as Willow bent over the tub and the steaming water began to fill it.
She poured in some scented soap and plunged her hand into the water to stir it in, releasing the sweet smell of honeysuckle.
He was hypnotized by every gentle movement.
She is my princess. She carries our child.
The idea brought tears of pure joy to his eyes. But they had cried enough today.
And Willow was loosening her gown, letting it fall on the floor at her feet. It was time for much better things.
He swallowed as she slowly worked out every hook and untied each stay.
It was as if she was bringing him back to himself with every inch of her delicious body she laid bare for him.
At last she stood before him, naked and lovely.
“Oh, Willow,” he breathed.
She moved toward him, reaching for his shirt.
He stayed her hands and pulled her close.
“You’re so beautiful, my love,” he murmured, loving the way she trembled at the words.
She tilted her chin up to be kissed and he pressed his lips to hers.
Waves of longing surged through him and he clenched a fist in her hair, pinning her in place so that he could kiss her thoroughly.
When he let go, she pulled back slightly to gaze up at him. He could see the hunger in her eyes, reflecting his own insistent need.
This time, when she moved to take his shirt off, he did not protest, but lifted his arms to help her.
She lifted it over his head and flung it to the floor, then worried the cord of his breeches.
He allowed her to struggle with it, loving the impatient pout of her soft lips and then her smile of victory when at last the leather cord gave way and she was able to loosen it.
She tugged the garment down and gasped when his cock sprang out, stiff and ready for her.
Watching her kneeling at his feet to remove his breeches, her sweet mouth just inches from his throbbing member, was too much. He clenched his jaw as she removed the rest of his clothing.
At last, he was as naked as she was.
She took his hand, and led him to the tub.
He watched her plump posterior jiggle seductively along the way.
“You first,” he suggested.
She let go of his hand and stepped in, lowering herself into the deep water.
“Ahh,” she sighed in contentment.
She stood to offer him her hand. Rivulets of bubbly water slid off her body, revealing her breasts, waist, hips to him all over again, glistening and perfect.
A bubble had formed on her hand. He watched as she blew on it, it began to float away, then turned to ice.
She laughed in delight, and he thought he would die with joy at the sound of her happiness, and the easy way she was embracing her own magic.
The bubble floated for another impossible instant and then fell to the tub where it melted instantly.
“Come,” she urged him.
He took her hand and stepped into the heavenly water.
“Sit,” she commanded.
He did as he was told, ducking under the water, and emerging again as she poured some soap onto a washcloth and worked it in her hands until it was creamy with bubbles.
“Stand,” she told him.
He stood and watched her have the same reaction to his naked form that he had just had to hers.
He tried to memorize her expression - lips slightly parted, cheeks warm, eyes hazy with lust.
She moved toward him slowly, and ran the soapy cloth from his right shoulder down his arm, then up again to his left shoulder and down the arm again.
He groaned and leaned in to her touch.
She moved to his back, making gentle circles against his shoulder blades and the tender flesh that had been abused by the jailor.
He knew the wounds would heal the next time he shifted into his bear, but he’d been afraid doing so would be seen as an act of aggression when everyone was still around. And now, he had other things to worry about.
There was pain, but mostly pleasure in her touch.
Heath closed his eyes as she massaged circles around his lower back and down further, all the way to his calves.
She moved around him until she was facing him again, teasing the cloth along his chest, down his abdomen, upper thighs and down to his calves again.
His poor cock throbbed, and she smiled and squeezed soapy water from the cloth so that it flowed over him in a tiny, bubbly waterfall.
He sucked in a breath as he felt her hands massaging him.
She took her hand away to cup water from the tub below and pour it over him to rinse the bubbles away.
Then she was moving her hands away and replacing them with her mouth.
“Gods, Willow,” he groaned, letting his head fall back as her plump lips closed around the tip of him, teasing with her velvet tongue.
She toyed with him for a long time, flicking her tongue along his length and then sucking him into her hot mouth until he could take no more.
“Stop,” he told her firmly.
She pulled away, and gazed up at him with her beautiful dark eyes.
“My turn,” he told her.
25
Willow
Willow felt his words to her core.
It was one thing to bathe him and tease him, but she wasn’t sure she could handle the same treatment at his hands.
She was already about to implode from sheer desire.
But the Prince of Autumn was not going to take no for an answer. It was clear from the look in his eyes.
She nodded and tried not to show her apprehension.
But he gave her a cocky half-smile that told her he already knew exactly what she was feeling.
Before she could speak, he took the cloth from her hand and ran it down her right arm and then her left.
The gentle pressure told her of his restraint, which only made her crave him more.
She tried to focus on breathing as he circled her breasts with the soapy cloth, rubbing his thumbs gently against her nipples as he passed downward across her belly.
Although they had already made love, something about this was so much more intimate.
She closed her eyes as he washed her back, her thighs, and then up to her sex where his fingers danced teasingly until she clenched her fists and forgot to breathe for a moment.
“Let’s rinse now,” he said, his voice low and teasing.
She followed him into the water, and he pulled her into his arms and held her there, both of them trembling with need.
“I was afraid I would never see you again,” she heard herself admit.
“You will never have to fear it again,” he promised. “I will not let you out of my sight. Not either of you.”
His possessive hand spread wide to span her abdomen.
Willow felt deep satisfaction in her heart, even as her body clawed and whined for him.
“We are clean enough,” Heath decided, standing with her in his arms.
She laughed in surprise as he carried her to their bed, throwing back the covers and placing her down so gently.
Willow lay back, soaking in the comfort of the soft bed and the incredible sight of her prince, musclebound and still dripping from the bath.
He crawled in, pinning her body to the bed with his.
She needed him, more than she had ever needed anything.
He pressed his forehead to hers.
“I love you, Willow,” he murmured. “You are everything to me.”
Flowers blossomed in her chest and she blinked up at him through tears. “I love you too.”
Then he was kissing her cheeks, her neck, her collarbone.
He cupped one breast in a reverent hand and lowered his face to nuzzle and tease her.
Willow arched her back, giving herself over to the yawning need, unashamed.
He licked her stiff nipple into his mouth, sucking gently as he massaged her other breast with his hand.
Her whole body felt like it was floating in the pleasure.
Heath moved lower, pressing his lips to her navel, rubbing his rough jaw against the tender skin, on his way down to nuzzle her thighs.
She let them fall apart for him, she was already so ready, so close.
He growled with satisfaction at the sight of her and fell on her sex, stroking her firmly with his clever tongue.
Willow’s hips lifted to meet his mouth. Need overpowered her and she could feel her desire pounding as if mimicking his heartbeat, rising up against the slow rhythm of his mouth.
“Please,” she whimpered.
/> Instantly, he gave her what she wanted, flicking his tongue to lash her throbbing pearl and sliding a finger inside to massage her most sensitive spot.
Willow cried out as the pleasure lifted her out of herself.
As it was dying down, he crawled up to her, his mouth glistening with the evidence of her desire.
She kissed him and wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing him close.
He groaned and surrendered, taking himself in his hand and guiding his rigid cock against her opening.
“Willow,” he growled, thrusting into her.
The pleasure was exhilarating.
He moved slowly at first, his jaw clenched as if he were restraining himself.
“Please,” she murmured, jogging her hips up to meet him.
He groaned and let go, thrusting harder and faster, his face so beautiful to her as he allowed himself to chase his pleasure.
She felt herself climbing inevitably toward another climax, her whole body shivering at the rightness of him.
“Yes, good girl,” he murmured, sliding a hand between them to coax her. “Come for me again.”
The words sent her flying over the edge.
She felt him go with her on his next thrust, swelling to fill her to bursting, throbbing out a wild pleasure as he cried out her name.
When it was over, he lay beside her and pulled her onto his chest.
“Gods, lass, you’ll be the death of me,” he murmured into her hair.
“We can’t go to sleep, you know that right?” she whispered back.
“Like hell we can’t,” he scoffed.
“We can’t miss our own wedding,” she reminded him.
“Oh, right,” he laughed. “And didn’t your brothers say something about food?”
She nodded.
“Wait here,” he told her. “Do not go outside to make snow animals or run away on me. Do you hear me?”
“Scout’s honor,” she replied, holding up her hand.
“Do I need to know what you’re talking about?” he asked.
“It’s a mortal thing,” she said. “It means that I promise.”
He nodded and wrapped a sheet around his waist before heading to the door of the suite.
He returned a moment later with a huge tray of food, which he placed at the center of the bed.