Making a spur-of-the-moment—and probably extremely idiotic—decision, I stepped away from Nicolette, calling, “Brentley!”
Brentley paused in surprise as if I were crazy for interrupting him in the middle of his death sentence—which I had to agree, I was.
“I’m a bit busy at the moment,” he bit out.
“I know.” I bowed slightly, cringing at him. “Apologies for interrupting, Your Majesty.” Shit, I’d even called him Brentley, not Your Majesty, just a moment earlier, hadn’t I? That probably wouldn’t help matters for me. “But if I may… I need that one prisoner. Right there.”
Brentley blinked. “You...need him?”
I gulped. “Yes.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“I, uh…” I shrugged. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to…to question him for a bit.”
The king stared at me as if I’d lost my mind. I didn’t have another excuse to give, so I just lifted my eyebrows and shrugged, waiting to see if he’d comply with my wishes or not.
He sighed in exasperation but then nodded, waving a few fingers my way and granting me my request.
As a guard unchained the brown-headed prisoner at the end of the line, I glanced behind me, peering questionably at Nicolette. She nodded, letting me know I had the right guy.
So I turned back and thanked the guard who had separated the kid from the rest of the prisoners as he handed control of the chains over to me. With no idea how much the stranger might resist or fight now that he was free of the others and had a better chance of escape, I held on tight to his chains and marched him from the room, using another exit than the one Nicolette was waiting at.
I wanted a moment alone with him to determine if he was worthy of her or not before she arrived. But as soon as we entered the corridor, I didn’t get a chance to ask him shit. He reared his head back, cracking me in the face, which immediately made blood stream from my nose.
“Fuck!” Seeing stars, I wasn’t as prepared as I otherwise would’ve been when he whirled around to confront me, attacking with the chains that banded his wrists together.
Growling out a curse, I fought him off, kicking his knee until he buckled. Then I spun him away from me and shoved him face-first into the wall, pinning him there with my body.
“Behave,” I growled. “I’m not going to kill you.”
He shoved back, almost freeing himself, but I gritted my teeth and more aggressively pressed him forward, which caused him to smack his face into the stone wall, leaving him momentarily dazed.
“Now,” I panted out of breath. “We’re going to have a little chat.”
But Nicolette had already found us, dammit.
“Urban?” her worried voice came from behind me.
Shaking my head, I glanced at her and grinned through my bloody, fat lip and busted nose. “I believe you found yourself a handful with this one, kiddo.”
She darted forward, her eyes wide with fear. “What’re you going to do with him?”
“I’m not going to do anything.” Digging into my pocket, I came up with the key the guard had given me to unlock all the chains. Then, with a wink, I tossed it to Nicolette. “You said he was yours, right? You deal with him.”
She scrambled to catch the key. When she had it securely in hand, I stepped back, releasing my hold on the prisoner, even as I inconspicuously pulled my sword from its scabbard, ready for anything.
The boy whirled, instantly crouching into a fighter’s stance, his eyes full of anger and fear but the tenacity to keep fighting.
When blood trickled from the cut he’d gotten on his forehead after I’d cracked his face into the wall, Nicolette gasped in outrage and rushed forward. “He’s bleeding! You made him bleed, you big brute.”
I shrugged, unrepentant, and leaned back against a wall to fold my arms over my chest as I watched her deal with him.
When she reached for his cut, he hissed out a warning breath and shifted his face away from her seeking fingers.
She clucked her tongue soothingly. “No, it’s okay. I swear.” Murmuring softly, she reached out with more hesitation. “I won’t let anyone else hurt you.”
When the prisoner glanced skeptically toward me, she scowled my way and added, “Not even him.”
I sniffed my amusement, but said nothing.
Nicolette gently pressed her fingertips against the cut, and the boy’s gaze went weary, but he at least let her touch him this time.
“Oh, you poor thing,” she murmured. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
The prisoner only blinked at her.
She glanced at me. “Does he understand me? Which language do they speak in Far Shore?”
I grinned, highly entertained. “Oh, he understands you just fine.”
“Good.” She turned back to the boy. “Are you okay?”
The kid shook his head slowly before saying, “Who are you?”
“My name’s Nicolette,” she said, smiling widely as if trying to charm him. “I’m the king’s sister, and I’m not going to let him kill you. Okay? I’ll get you out of here. You’ll be just fine. I swear it.”
“Princess,” I growled in a warning voice. “Are you sure you want to tell him all that just yet?”
She hissed a scowl my way. “What do you think he’s going to do? Hurt me?” With a disbelieving snort, she turned back to the boy. “Ridiculous. He would never hurt me.”
I sighed. “He and his buddies just attacked us, kidnapped Anniston, and tried to overtake our kingdom. You have no idea what he’s capable of, what he might do to you if I weren’t standing here right now.”
Her gaze turned dark. “He’s my one true love,” she growled from between clenched teeth.
“He doesn’t know that,” I reminded her softly. “He doesn't have the mark. He’s not feeling what you feel. He is experiencing no loyalty to you whatsoever. So I guarantee you, if he had half the chance right now, he’d slit your idiot little throat open and mine too before going after Brentley, and then freeing all his friends back there.”
Nicolette drew herself up taut, glaring at me before huffing out her anger. Then she muttered, “I don’t care.” And turned back to her one true love to start unlocking his chains. “I’ll have you free in a moment and show you the safest way to escape without getting caught.”
The prisoner gaped wildly between me and Nicolette as she rushed to free him. I could tell he didn’t trust this, he thought we were somehow trying to trap him. When I caught his gaze, I sighed. “Your mate is quite an impetuous little thing,” I informed him.
The prisoner just blinked. “My… My what?”
Nicolette released the last lock, and the chains fell to the prisoner’s feet like limp, abandoned rags. For the longest moment, he just stood there, gaping at her, before he glanced down at the chains on the floor and shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
Nicolette smiled warmly and touched his face, making him jump but otherwise remain still under her tender regard. “You don’t have to understand. Just know that I love you with every breath of air in my lungs, and I’ll do everything within my power to make sure you live this night.”
While the prisoner merely blinked at her with his mouth fallen open, Nicolette clasped his face between both hands and rose up onto her tiptoes to press her mouth to his.
“Oh, brother,” I muttered, glancing toward the ceiling.
When I checked on the kids again, they were still kissing. Nicolette’s one true love was so stupefied by the action, he just stood there and let her do as she wished without a fight.
“By the way,” she said when she pulled back. “What’s your name?”
“F-Farrow,” he uttered in a daze, still blinking from the thrall she’d put him in.
Her face bloomed with pleasure. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Farrow. Now, let’s save your life before my brother tries to have you beheaded, shall we?”
He glanced back in the direction of the Throne Room. “What about the others? My friends
…”
“I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head, her eyes filling with true regret. “I can’t help them.”
“But—”
“Come on.” She tugged on his arm, leading him away. “Most of them kneeled; they’ll be fine. But you didn’t, so we have to hurry before they catch you.”
As she dragged him down a hall, I moved in behind them to follow, but she paused, scowling back at me. “You don’t have to tag along.”
I snorted. “Oh, I think I do. Don’t worry, Nicolette,” I assured her, lifting a hand in surrender when she scowled, all the while, deliberately hiding my other hand—which held my sword—behind my back. “I won’t hurt your man.”
“You already made him bleed,” she growled, tossing me a vulgar gesture.
I chuckled, amused by her protective instinct. “That was a freebie. He’ll have to work for the next one.”
“There won’t be a next one.” Scowling at me, she tugged on Farrow’s hand and led him away.
“I’m following, whether you like it or not,” I said, moving in behind them. “So just lead on.”
And she did. I planned to trail behind silently, so the two kids could have a few last moments alone together, but then I realized where Nicolette was taking him.
“Wait. You know the secret way out of the castle?” I spoke up in alarm.
Vienne’s secret exit.
“Of course,” she started. “Vienne showed it to me once. It’s the fastest, safest way to—”
“No,” I growled. “You’re not showing a Far Shore enemy the secret way into and out of this castle and then just letting him go free.”
“But—”
“I said no!” It would put Vienne and everyone else in the castle in danger.
She scowled mutinously. “Then how the hell are we supposed to safely help him escape?”
Setting my hands on my hips, I cursed liberally at the ceiling before scowling at both kids. “Fine,” I muttered. “But we’re blindfolding him so he can’t find his way back in.”
Chapter 43
Urban
Dawn was approaching, and the sun had nearly crested over the horizon, when I finished for the night and started for my room. As I neared it, however, I felt Vienne’s presence grow stronger with every step I took, causing a smile of realization to spread across my face.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw the lump on my bed under the covers where she lay.
I immediately started toward her but a whimper from the corner of the room waylaid me. I turned to blink in surprise, not realizing a crib had been stationed there until the baby inside it started to stir. Shaking my head, I smiled before changing my course to check on the babe.
Anniston had kicked off her blanket and lay on her back windmilling her legs with a speed that made me chuckle, while she gurgled, blowing bubbles from her mouth.
“Well, hello there.” I picked her up, grinning softly. “It’s nice to see you in such good spirits. Happy to be home again with your mother, I presume?” Then I nodded and shifted her up against my shoulder so she could rest her cheek against me. “Yes, I would be too.”
But as soon as I went to pat her back, I felt wetness against my fingers. Ah, damn. She’d pissed through her clothes. Again.
“Now I see what woke you.” I winced through a knowing nod. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, covered in my own urine either. Let’s see what we can do about that.”
I’d never changed a nappy before, but Anniston didn’t seem to mind my fumbling attempts. She quite enjoyed the added freedom to kick even more when I peeled away all the wet material cloaking her. It made me feel bad about having to wrap her up again. But she didn’t seem to mind that either. I laughed and shook my head, sure she was going to be either a swimmer or a runner, what with those legs of hers.
But then I checked out the nappy I’d just fastened into place and groaned. It looked quite crooked and out of sorts.
How the hell did Vienne always make them look so neat on this squirming kid?
Oh, well. Anniston didn’t seem to mind. I swear the babe actually grinned up at me, happy to simply be alive.
My heart melted. I blinked a few times, refusing to cry over changing a simple, damn nappy. But she was such a cute little thing. And she was alive. Mere hours ago, I had feared I’d never see her again.
“Well, then,” I said, clearing my throat and picking her up so I could stroke her head and kiss her soft cheek. “We bumbled our way through that mess, now didn’t we?”
“I think you did splendidly,” a voice answered from the bed.
I glanced over, lifting one eyebrow to find Vienne still lying under the covers but perched upright on one elbow with her chin resting in the palm of one hand. She smiled a smile that melted me all over again.
Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.
“My lady,” I said, my cock perking to immediate attention. “I believe you’ve wandered your way into the wrong bed.”
“Did I?” she asked, glancing around as if noticing for the first time that she was indeed in another bedchamber than her own. “Hmm. I could’ve sworn this room was yours.”
My smile was slow and predatory. “It is.”
Her gaze returned to me, the light in her eyes warm and inviting. “Then I’m exactly where I want to be.”
I drew in a sharp breath. “Are you sure? You haven’t even been a widow a full day yet.”
She flipped the sheets off her to reveal nothing but bare woman underneath, the curve in her hips dipping down to her waist only to flare back up toward full, proud breasts. My gaze slid up her long shapely legs, and a moan worked its way from my throat. I felt suddenly very awkward about holding a small infant in my arms while in a state of full arousal.
But, damn…
“I like that answer.”
She nodded. “I rather thought you might.” Then she glanced at her child and lowered her voice. “She’s fallen back to sleep if you want to lay her in her crib and join me.”
Did I ever?
I almost woke the kid up again in my haste to return her to her bed. Behind me, a honey-blonde vixen laughed softly at my fumbling attempts, and it was the sweetest sound in the entire realm.
But I still paused a moment after laying the babe down to watch her shift onto her side in a more comfortable position and open her mouth as she fell into a deeper sleep.
Glad she’d been returned to us, I reached down to set my hand on her warm head before pulling away to turn my interest to her mother.
“Now,” I said, prowling toward the bed and frowning when I saw she’d recovered herself with the sheet. “Where were we?”
“I believe you were just about to join me in here so you could finally get a spot of rest after a long night’s work.” She lifted the sheet just enough to invite me under it with her but kept her naked body covered.
“Rest?” I snorted and shook my head, thinking she’d quite lost her mind. As I stripped off my own clothes, leaving a pile at my feet, I grinned and shook my head. “I finally have my one true love in my bed, alive and in person, and you think I can even think of sleep at a time like this?”
I gripped the covers, lifting them more, and crawled onto the mattress with her. Then I kept going until I was all the way on top of her, our legs twining, stomachs snuggled and chests kissing. Though she must feel my erection grinding right up against the cleft between her legs, she frowned in concern, gently wiping a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You must be exhausted.”
I pressed my cock more insistently against her womanhood. “I think I’m getting a second wind.”
But my suggestive smile died when I took in the dark gouges under her eyes that revealed her own fatigue. I brushed her hair across her cheek as well with the backs of my fingers and found a bruise on her jaw. My stomach tied into knots.
“What about you?” I murmured in worry, kissing the bruise lightly. “You’ve experienced more firsts and traumas than I did t
oday… Or can we safely put it all in the past and call it yesterday yet?”
She gave a half shrug and even vaguer smile. “I’m doing okay.”
“Vienne,” I said, clearly knowing better. “You lost your child for a while, then found out you’ve been betrayed by your sister and husband, and…”
I winced and shook my head, wondering if mentioning more would make it worse for her. I decided not to even bring up the Far Shore prince she’d killed or any of the stuff Allera had filled me in about her parents and school. Her sister had fucked her over royally. There was no way she could be fine after that.
But she merely looked at me with affection and a lucidity that told me she wasn’t out of her mind with grief. She was dealing with it, processing, and moving along.
Clasping my face between her hands, she said, “I find that I would like very much for someone to distract me from all that right now.”
“Mmm,” I said. “I think you have a volunteer.” Leaning in, I brushed the end of my nose along her jaw. “Yes, you definitely came to the right place for some proper distraction.”
“Good.” Opening her legs under me, she invited me in with a smile, only to pause in concern. “Wait. Is that a bruise growing under your eye? And your nose. It looks swollen. Your nose wasn’t swollen the last time I saw you.”
I groaned, thinking about Nicolette’s head-butting one true love.
“I’ll tell you all about that later. But first… This.” I entered her, slow and steady and with enough pressure to make sure she felt every inch.
Her breath caught and eyes widened. “Oh, dear.”
“Too much?” I asked, slowing to a stop while I left her half impaled.
“No!” she grit out, digging her nails into my shoulders and shimmying her hips to take more of me. “God, Urban! Don’t stop now. Don’t—”
My grin teased rakishly.
Then I pushed the rest of the way inside her, and she gasped, her body convulsing reflexively around mine.
Our dreams had been powerful, but they could never be this. Here and now… This was the real thing, potent and amazing. My cock pulsed within her, making her gaze flare with more surprise as I set my hands on her knees, holding her open and forcing her to feel it all without a ribbon of restraint.