Dragons Among Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice) (18 page)

But the beast within him refused to be delayed for long. All too soon, he lost control once more and was driving into her, faster and harder until his climax pushed him over the edge. Biting back a cry of his own, he shattered as his release came. Mercifully spent, he dropped onto the bed beside her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For the distraction.”

“Always at your service, my lady.” He reached for her and drew her up and onto his chest so he could better see her face. Addie chewed at her lower lip and refused to meet his gaze. “What is it, sweet Adelaide?”

Her face flushed scarlet in the moonlight. “What I did to you earlier, on my knees? Did you…like it?”

“Aye,” he said, eyes wide to emphasize the point. “Dear Lord, yes. Could you not tell?”

She grinned sheepishly up at him. “Maybe.” The grin dimmed as her brows drew into a small upside down V. “It’s just…you’ve been so good to me. With everything.”

“Do not confuse me for a saint. My selfish ways rob you of your sleep even now.” He traced a thumb along her delicate cheek. “You were crying when I found you. Why?”

With a sigh, Addie laid her cheek upon his chest. “It’s stupid, really.”

“I doubt that.” He brushed her golden waves back from her face. She remained silent for a long moment, but he refused to let this go. If something had brought his bold, strong lass to tears, Zayne would do all he could to make sure it never happened again. “Did it have to do with the wizard’s words, Adelaide?”

Her shoulders sagged, and she nodded in silence.

The prince wrapped his arms protectively around her naked body. “Tell me.”

“I just didn’t have the greatest childhood, you know? And that stunt Berinon pulled earlier, taking me back to some supposedly pivotal day of my life, brought a lot of memories to the surface, memories I’ve worked for so long to bury.” She raised her head up to meet his gaze. “Could you see any of it?”

“No,” he said.

She nodded and burst into a yawn. “But you heard it all. And yet, here you are.”

“Aye, though without your vision, it made little sense to me.” He frowned then. “What did you mean, and yet here I am?”

Addie lowered her cheek onto his chest once more. “I don’t know. I guess I thought if you saw what a mess I was as a kid and how vastly different my upbringing was compared to yours, you might think less of me. Everyone else who knew me then did.”

“Again, I say, do not mistake me for a saint. Regardless, neither of us chose to be born into our families or their unique circumstances. For me to judge you over something of which you had no control would be quite unfair indeed.”

“If only the kids back home had been half as noble as you.” She sighed.

“Would you like me to hunt them down and make them pay for their unkindness toward you?”

“No,” she said with a giggle. “Though it would have been funny to sic a dragon on them back in the day. Man, why couldn’t our paths have crossed back then?”

Zayne kissed the top of her head. “’Tis probably best they did not. Sadly, my actions were not always so noble. Though, I would have gladly transformed to try to impress you even then.”

She yawned again as her eyelids dropped lower. “Is that why you transformed in the woods my first day here? To impress me?”

“No,” he whispered. “I changed to save you.”

Addie mumbled something in response, too low for the prince to hear. He knew she’d slept little the night before and endured a great deal with both her body and mind today as well. He drew in a deep breath, memorizing her clean, lavender scent, then placed a gentle kiss upon her forehead and carefully shifted her from his chest onto the bed.

“Rest now, sweet Adelaide.”

Her eyes opened to meet his gaze. “Please, don’t go.”

Zayne’s heart swelled at her pleading look. His presence brought her comfort, just as hers did to him. What had he done to deserve the gift of an angel? “If that is what you wish.”

“Aye.”

He smiled at her use of his people’s language. And as they lay together, her small body perfectly curled against his as though it had been created to do precisely that, a new thought entered Zayne’s mind. He loved everything about this woman, from her curious nature to her giving, free spirit, and couldn’t bear the thought of life without her. There was no denying Berinon’s words, merely acceptance of them. Which was why instead of merely savoring their time together the next three days, he would use that time to convince her to stay.

Chapter Twenty-One

Helena watched as Robert stepped into her royal suite, glassy-eyed and with a goblet of wine in his hands.

“Welcome back, my queen.”

He closed and latched the door. She prayed for courage. And his cooperation.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” She yawned.

“Are you well rested after your journey?”

To anyone else, the tone of his voice may have sounded light, curious. But Helena knew better—his visits were never on a whim. He crossed the room, sat his goblet at her bedside, and began to undress. After being married to the man for over twenty years, she knew well that look in his eyes. The king was after two things: answers and pleasure, in that order. A shudder rippled down her spine.

“Yes, my king.”

He removed the last of his clothing and slid into bed beside her. One of his rough hands reached to fondle her left breast. “And?”

She swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. There had been a time when she’d wanted to love him, to please him. That time, however, had long since passed. Robert had grown fond of but one thing: power. All else came in a distant second, including her. Still, she had a role to play. Zayne’s future depended upon it. Berinon’s words ghosted to her mind.

“Do whatever it takes to make him drink the potion…”

“Your son was attacked at the wall. His actions were noble.”

The king paused for a moment as though considering her words. Then he rolled on top of her, tugged her nightgown up, and pushed inside her without further preparation. Helena bit back a cry of pain.

“You spoke to him?”

“No, my king. I sought him at the high wizard’s cottage, but he had yet to arrive. Berinon told me—”

“Berinon would tell you anything. I have seen the way he looks at you.”

Heat rose to her cheeks, but Helena worked to feign indifference. “I went to him for answers, nothing more.”

He thrust into her again, harder this time. She grimaced with discomfort.

“Still, I have no doubt that your arrival was a delight to him. Pray tell, did he say where Zayne was?”

She shook her head then braced herself for his reaction. “No, my lord. Merely that our son would return to the castle by week’s end.”

To her surprise, Robert laughed. “Excellent. I shall ready the dungeon.”

“Please, sire. Have mercy on our son. The attack on his men was unprovoked!”

“Silence, woman,” Robert hissed as he increased his tempo. “His actions jeopardized the peace of our lands. His punishment is for me to decide.”

Helena closed her eyes and waited for it to be over. There wouldn’t be a climax for her, as she’d become a mere afterthought to the king in so many ways. Today, that played to her advantage. Her husband would soon be spent and thirsty. She’d anticipated the king’s actions and hidden the vial within reach.

Eventually, the beast above her shuddered to a stop. Robert rolled to her side, chest heaving from exertion, and demanded his drink.

Helena gladly shifted away. “Yes, my king.”

In one smooth motion, she reached for the vial, drew back its stopper, and added its contents to the wine. A sleeping potion, nothing more, but it would silence his rants for the next three days. By then, if Berinon spoke the truth, the unrest in their lands would be over, and Forath happy once more. Silently she set the vial behind the other items on her nightstand then rolled back to hand the drink to her husband. His gaze locked with hers as he took the goblet from her hand.

“You seem tense, my dear.”

She blinked twice, surprised to find he’d paid her such close attention. Fighting back panic, she offered him a coy smile. “Merely aroused, my king.”

His right brow arched as he sipped from the cup. “It seems I have not lost my touch.”

“No, Your Majesty,” she offered in her most sultry voice. Again the bile rose in her throat. Again she bit it back.

The king raised his cup between them. “Help me to finish my drink, then I will help to finish you.”

She hesitated, and the spark of something she hadn’t expected to see flashed through his eyes: suspicion. The king’s brow crept higher.

Whatever it takes…

Helena took the cup and raised it to her own lips. “Yes, my king.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zayne stood at the bottom of the stairs, nervous as a young lad preparing to embark on his first hunt. But it wasn’t a hunt he faced this morning, it was the first day he would earnestly seek to capture Addie’s heart. If he succeeded, she’d have no reason to return to her world. And with her at his side, he’d find the strength to one day become a stern but well-loved king.

His fair maiden came bounding down the steps a moment later, those strange purple slippers peeking out from beneath the hem of a new pale-green dress. Another article of clothing intended for Rosalind, he thought with a grimace, but this one had been hemmed to the correct length as well as taken in at the shoulders and waist. Whichever servant Emeline had given the task to must have been up well into the night to finish. Zayne couldn’t help but smile at both the vision of beauty and the joy on Addie’s face as she pranced to a stop before him—and made a quick mental note not to destroy this dress if the opportunity for intimacy arose, out of courtesy to their resident seamstress.

“Good morning, my lady.” He offered a sweeping bow. “You look radiant this fine day.”

“Why thank you, my lord. And you look dashing as ever.” She blushed and presented him with an actual curtsey.

Zayne nodded in surprise then glanced toward Emeline, who was still making her way down the steps.

“Well, someone had to teach the girl manners,” the old woman grumbled.

“I have manners,” Addie said through clenched teeth and kept her gaze focused on him. “They just apparently don’t count here.”

With a laugh, he offered her his arm. “Today we shall better acquaint you with ‘here’ to make your stay more enjoyable.”

“You mean to help pass the time.”

“Something like that.” Zayne bit back a smirk. “Have you eaten, then?”

“Yep. Eaten, washed up, tried to brush my teeth. Man”—she shook her head—“your toothpaste is awful.”

Toothpaste?
What was such a thing? Zayne looked toward Emeline—who rolled her eyes—and back to Addie. “Our deepest apologies, my lady. I shall see what we can do to remedy that upon our return.”

“Why not ask Berinon to get me some?” she whispered as she took his arm. “Since we already know how good he is at stealing my stuff.”

Zayne resisted the urge to shush her in front of Emeline. Addie had spoken low enough that he alone could hear her. Still, he trusted no one with the knowledge they’d received the day prior.

“Come, Adelaide. Someone is waiting to see you again.”

Confusion drew down her brows. “They are?”

“With bated breath.”

They headed outside and left a scowling Emeline behind. Clearly the manor’s head servant did not approve of him offering such undivided attention to Addie. But the elder woman would come around eventually. They all would.

Zayne led Addie toward the stables, his slow, easy pace contrary to his anxious, racing heart. Could he truly win her love in three days’ time? Would he be able to entice her to stay, to sacrifice all she had to be with him?

“What are you up to?”

His gaze flashed to hers, which was narrowed and fixed upon him. “I beg your pardon?”

“You, you’re up to something. I can tell.”

Had the woman become a mind reader now too? “How so?”

“You’ve got the same distracted smile on your face as you did yesterday right before you took off to steal our disguises.”

“You mean before you insisted I
not
steal them.”

She smirked. “Exactly.”

“Well, I plan on neither stealing nor buying anything today,” he lied, as he fully intended to steal the woman’s heart. “Merely to, how did you put it a moment ago? Pass the time?”

“Uh-huh. Don’t think I’m not watching you, buddy.” Her gaze shifted to the stables. “You have a promise to keep.”

“Indeed.” Guilt pricked his heart. Surely, she would someday forgive him for this one small failure.

Zayne led her into the building and was greeted by the familiar smells of hay and clover. He’d spent countless hours here as a child, learning to care for the horses that would one day take good care of him in battle. Here the prince had found reprieve from his father’s constant badgering, a freedom not granted him within the castle. He led her to the first stall and saw her eyes brighten with recognition.