The Prince of Evernight tricked me.
“Are you saying I bound myself to kiss you once a day for no reason?”
“You seemed so determined to get your hands on me. I could hardly demur.”
“You son of a bitch!” I punch him in pure indignation.
“Ouch.” He claps a hand to his shoulder as if the blow made an impact. But he doesn’t stop laughing.
And it’s ruining me.
His sinfully dark looks I can handle. The smoldering smiles and wicked glint in his eyes are deliciously tempting, but ultimately a hurdle I can resist.
But that hint of vulnerability, the small glimpses of a completely different man beneath the dangerous exterior are virtually irresistible.
His laughter slowly dies as he sees the look in my eyes. “My wife would never have wanted me to be alone forever. She would not deny me a kiss, a moment of happiness.”
I think about that.
There’s no jealousy in this kind of love. I can’t help thinking that if I had ever found it—and if I were lost to my lover—then I would never want to see them spend an eternity in loneliness.
No, there’s no jealousy in his wife’s terms, and yet I feel the smolder of it deep in my own chest.
Because I’ve never felt that kind of love and I yearn for it.
Thiago captures my chin with one hand, holding me there just long enough for there to be no mistake about his intentions. “And speaking of kisses, you owe me. Two, if I’m counting correctly.”
The thought is gone, my moment of jealousy shattered. “It’s not my fault you were unconscious. And how do you know I didn’t claim a kiss while you were?”
“I’d know.” His voice roughens as he leans closer, the heat of his breath stirring over my lips. “I’d know, Princess.”
A mere second exists in which I could turn my face away, deny him the taste of my lips. Until now, he’s been content to let me set the pace. I owe him a kiss, but I know what he intends is no mere brush of the lips. He has that look in his eyes—a conquering warlord, set upon claiming as much as he can take.
And yet…
I don’t turn away.
Maybe it’s that earlier thought still lingering like a ghost. I can’t have what he speaks of, and yet I can taste this mockery of it. Just for a few seconds I can pretend.
A dangerous smile softens his mouth, and then he swoops down and captures a soft gasp on my lips. Steel fingers brand my chin, locking me in place, and his other hand slides through my hair, cupping the base of my skull in a proprietary claim. But it’s the hot lash of his tongue that melts me inside.
Dangerous.
This is far too dangerous.
And yet, I could no more resist him, than I could pluck the moon from the sky with my fingers.
This time there’s no denying there’s more to this moment than an oath I made. I want him to kiss me, purely for myself and no other reason.
And as my fingers curl through his hair, I stop resisting. There is no Asturian princess in this moment. There is no Prince of Evernight. We’re just two desperate bodies, yearning for each other.
I break away with gasp, my heart hammering in my chest. “That was worth at least two kisses.”
The prince’s fingers stroke lightly over my wet lips. “As you wish, Your Highness.”
But his smile is sleek and knowing.
He doesn’t need to demand another one, for he knows I finally gave in.
There’s no coming back from this.
And I need to.
Loud bootheels echo on the veranda to the hunting lodge.
My heart kicks right up into my ribs, and I lunge for my knife as the door slams open, a pair of broad shoulders filling it. The man who enters wears battle-scarred hunting leathers, a ruff of heavy fur guarding his throat.
My knife doesn’t waver. He looks far too pretty to be Unseelie, but that doesn’t mean he’s an ally. I certainly don’t recognize him.
“Who are you?” I demand.
The stranger’s eyes slide over me curiously, and then his lips quirk and he glances over my shoulder at Thiago. “I expected to find you in dire straits, judging by the amount of blood you’d lost between here and Mistmere, but here you are, lolling about in bed with a handsome wench.”
“Wench?”
They both ignore me.
“Took you long enough to find us,” Thiago says, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “Did you take the scenic route?”
“Oh, you know me.” The stranger’s grin widens. “Ran across a few remaining banes and took care of them. Had a slight sweat up, so had to cool off.” He shakes his tousled hair. “Looking this good doesn’t just happen, my prince.”
“Alas,” Thiago replies dryly.
“I take it you two know each other.” Some warning would have been nice before I made a fool of myself.
Thiago pushes to his feet, clad in only his leather breeches. Those swirling black tattoos across his chest can’t hide the creep of iron poisoning that lingers like darkened bruises. “I have that misfortune, yes.”
“Misfortune,” the stranger snorts. He winks at me and bows. “Finn Archellion, Your Most Beautiful Highness. Slayer of giants. Rescuer of damsels—or in this case, princes—in distress. And hunter unparalleled—”
“Master of Arrogance,” Thiago drawls.
“Perhaps he’s been spending too much time with you?” I point out sweetly.
“Careful, love. Or I might just tell him how naked I was when I woke up.”
Finn’s eyebrows shoot up. “Don’t stop. I’d love to hear the story.”
I smile at the prince through my teeth. Breathe one word of it, and I’ll punch you in the balls.
He winks. “I’m afraid that’s between the princess and myself.”
Finn sighs. Thick dark hair brushes against his shoulders, and his eyes are as blue as an alpine lake. I don’t know what they’re putting in the water around here, but if there’s one thing the Kingdom of Evernight has, it’s an abundance of beautiful men.
“What happened?” he asks. “Apart from waking up naked? Eris told me you were heading for Mistmere and that was half a week ago. She’s been… upset.”
“How upset?” Thiago demands.
Finn coughs into his hand. “Drastic measures were required. Hence why I’m here and there’s not a slaughtered trail of Unseelie leading to your door.”
There’s something they’re not saying about Eris.
She’s no friend of mine, but I’m not quite certain what her relationship with the prince is, precisely.
While I’m fairly sure she’d drop me off the nearest cliff if she got the chance, I don’t think it’s entirely jealousy. She doesn’t look at Thiago as if she wants to eat him all up.
And unless you’re blind, it’s the only way to look at him.
The two men clasp hands as Thiago swiftly explains, and Finn’s smile fades abruptly. The pair of them share a look that clearly says they’ll discuss it later before Thiago turns back to me with a faint smile. “Luckily for me, the princess decided to have mercy on me and dragged me up here.”
“You can’t have annoyed her too much then.”