Dragons Among Them (Kingdoms of Fire and Ice) (22 page)

At last, he rolled them back so he was above her once more. Without a word, he stood and stripped the clothes from his body, and Addie raked her gaze across his bare skin. In the sunlight, the battle scars zigzagging across his arms, legs, and smooth, broad chest appeared less pronounced, yet there was no denying the strength and power of the warrior prince. Desire surged within her at the sight, and she squirmed in the clover, aching with want.

The movement wasn’t lost on Zayne, who lowered himself to the ground and resumed exploring her body with his mouth. He drove her mad with kisses, with his touch. And when both finally arrived at the V between her legs, Addie bit back a startled cry. His tongue was warm, oh so warm, as it lapped over her most sensitive place, and she arched with need to find release. His pace increased as the fingers of one hand slid inside her. That simple addition was all it took to drive her over the edge. She cried out his name as she shattered, the climax coming hard and swift.

Addie sank back to the ground and lifted her head to find Zayne peeking up at her from between her legs. If this was how life in Edana would be every day, with him bringing her to the edge of heaven and back, she never wanted to leave.

Ever.

“That…was…you…were…”

He silenced her with one last lick and watched with a look of satisfaction upon his face as a shiver rippled throughout her body. “You taste of the sweetest honeys.”

“Can I tell you how glad I am to hear that?” She laughed, her breathing still ragged.

“I shall say it any time you wish.” He rose to his knees as he swiped a hand across his damp chin. “So long as you first allow me a taste.”

“Deal,” she breathed, letting her eyes drift shut.

He rolled her onto her knees, then eased inside from behind. Addie felt a purr rattle from somewhere deep inside her. God, he felt so good. He drew back and drove into her again, eliciting another involuntary coo of pleasure from her. The sound spurred him on, and his pace quickly picked up tempo. He thrust into her over and over, his hands digging into the skin of her hips to the point it nearly hurt. As Zayne’s climax arrived, his thrusts stuttered and slowed. He drove into her one last time, and a satisfied roar escaped him.

The prince withdrew and lay beside her, cradling Addie in his arms as the aftershocks of his orgasm subsided. “
Baile
,” he whispered then pressed his lips to the top of her hair.

“What does it mean?”

“
Baile
.” Zayne let his head fall back onto the blanket of clover beneath them. “Home.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Emeline hurried into the front room at the return of the prince and his mistress—which, to her chagrin, was exactly what their guest had become. Their cheeks were rosy and smiles broad, and the way they held each other to steal one last kiss… Oh, would his father be enraged by the sight!

“Your Highness,” she called, then saw with satisfaction that her outburst had indeed prevented their lips from connecting. “Your Highness, a scroll arrived for you from the castle several hours ago.”

Her royal ward lifted one brow in amusement. “A lone scroll? I’m surprised my father has not sent a chest full of them by now.”

“Sire.” Emeline drew to a halt before him with the scroll in hand. “The stamp. ’Tis black.”

His face paled.

“What?” asked Addie. “Is black bad?”

“It indicates urgency.” He took the scroll from Emeline’s hands. “Or death.”

“Oh.”

Emeline held her breath as the prince carefully tore the seal free and unrolled his scroll. Had war broken out? She threw an accusatory look at Miss Adelaide. Before she arrived, their lands were on the verge of peace. Now—

“My father has fallen gravely ill.” Zayne looked stunned by the news. “And my mother is ill as well. She has asked I return to rule in my father’s place until he is well once more.”

“I shall prepare a quick meal for you to eat before the long journey home.” Emeline turned to address his mistress. “You shall remain here. The castle is no place for”—she waved her hands between them—“whatever this is.”

Addie’s cheeks pinkened, but Zayne ignored her disapproving tone. “I fear I must concur with Emeline. Allow me to fly and assess the situation. When my mother is well enough for introductions, I shall return for you.”

He raised a hand to brush a thumb across her cheek with such tenderness that Emeline felt her own cheeks grow warm at witnessing this intimate moment between the two young lovers. She turned and hurried off to the kitchen, her thoughts suddenly scattered. Never had she seen her ward lay a touch so gentle upon another, which could mean but one thing: somehow the two had grown into more than lovers these past few days.

They had fallen in love.

Her wild, fearless, rule-breaking prince had finally fallen in love. Emeline’s lips tugged into a grin as her vision began to blur. She prayed the Lord Almighty might spare them all from the firestorm such an act was about to cause.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Though it pained him to leave Adelaide behind, Zayne believed Emeline when she said it was best he did. If his parents were as ill as the scroll suggested, news of his intentions to break the engagement with Rosalind might cause their weakened hearts to fail. And if that were to happen, he’d be orphaned and left with no choice but to assume the throne, a responsibility he wasn’t yet ready to undertake.

Not when he planned to spend as much time as possible savoring the woman who had so recently awakened his heart.

His mother would understand, he knew. Admittedly or not, the woman was a hopeless romantic. He’d seen the look upon her face the day King Robert strutted into their dining chamber to announce the arranged marriage between Zayne and Rosalind. It lasted but a moment, a medley of emotions swirling about her beautiful features: surprise, anger, sadness—the same emotions that had raged within himself. But the arrangement promised to bring peace between the war-ravaged lands, and neither Zayne nor his mother could argue against such a golden opportunity. The people of Edana deserved as much. They still did.

His hands clenched into fists as he made his way through the castle to his mother’s chambers. He’d find a way to make his father understand and a way to bring their people peace, even if it meant hunting down every dragon beyond Forath’s walls and killing them himself. He would do anything to get out of his arranged marriage while preserving the peace.

Anything.

The guards posted outside the queen’s door bowed at his approach, then moved to allow him access to her chambers. With relief he found her awake, seated at a chair beside the fire. But his relief returned to worry as he took in her ashen cheeks and sunken shoulders. At the sound of his approach, she turned, and a weary smile stretched across her face.

“My Zayne.”

His steps quickened as he hurried to kneel before her. “Mother.” He gently lifted one of her weakened hands into his own. “Thomasina claims you are quite ill.”

“Tired is all,” she whispered, stroking his hair. “’Tis so good to see you, my son. Tell me, where is the girl?”

“Your health, Mother. ’Tis what matters most this moment. You should be resting. Shall I help you back to your bed?”

Zayne looked in its direction and was surprised to see his father in the queen’s bed. Never could he remember seeing the king in the queen’s chambers. And why had his father not stirred upon his arrival? He swallowed hard and shifted his gaze back to the queen.

“Father? Is he…?”

“Sleeping, my son.” Her hand fell back to her lap. “To give you time.”

“Time? For what?”

“Where is the girl, Zayne? I long to see you with her, to know if she has truly claimed your heart.”

Zayne stared at this mother in disbelief. How? How could she possibly know what had been developing between him and Addie? The few scrolls he’d sent to the castle spoke of pursuing his engagement, not breaking it.

Emeline, he realized with a scowl. She had sent word to the castle.

“I do not know what lies have been told, but—”

“I have been told nothing.” Her voice was weak but firm. A glimmer of mischief suddenly flashed in her eyes. “It was I, Zayne. I went to Berinon and asked that he bring her to you.”

“Who?”

His mother’s smile widened. “Your one true love.”

And there it was—the answer to the question he’d been asking himself since the day Addie appeared. She hadn’t been sent as a reward from the heavens above, but as a result of black magic triggered by his own mother. And Berinon had been in on it the entire time. But why had the crazy wizard not said as much when he and Addie paid him a visit? Why had he insisted they remain hidden for three more days?

Zayne’s eyes widened. Three days. Had Berinon meant three days to the hour or by way of calendar?

“Mother, you must tell me—when exactly did you send your scroll?”

Confusion clouded her face. “What scroll, my son?”

“The scroll.” He rose to his feet as panic began to weave its claws around his chest. “The scroll telling me to return to the castle because you were both ill.”

His mother shook her head slowly. “I requested no such scroll be sent.”

The door to the queen’s chambers rattled as its heavy exterior latch fell solidly into place. Zayne felt the blood rush from his face.

“Addie,” he breathed, realizing all too late this had been nothing more than another trap.

The queen’s hand reached out to touch his. “Do you love her, my son?”

“Yes.” The answer came without hesitation. He turned his gaze from the door to meet his mother’s. “With all my heart.”

“Then fly and bring her to me.” His mother pointed toward a giant tapestry on the room’s far wall. A tapestry that Zayne had forgotten until now shielded a hidden staircase—one she’d shown him when he was but a lad. “So that I may see what true love looks like.”

“But your health? And Father—”

“A sleeping potion, nothing more. My strength returns by the hour, and your father should awaken in two days’ time. Now go. Make haste, my son.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Zayne bent to offer his mother a hurried kiss, then dashed across the room, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. Someone had set a trap, one he’d blindly walked into. How could he have been so foolish as to leave Addie behind, unguarded?

No. Not unguarded. Brom and his men were there. They would defend the manor with their lives in case of attack. But what if it wasn’t an attack to be waged but a simple kidnapping, one no one would see coming but him?

Fury turned his vision red as his feet hammered down the secret corridor and into the maze of caverns beneath the castle—caverns he’d memorized as a child. The prince had returned to his castle this night, intent on finding a way to fulfill the promise of peace. But if a single hair had been harmed on his sweet Adelaide’s head, he’d rain hell upon this earth and all those involved. For to steal her from Zayne would mean war, and there lived neither man nor beast in either kingdom that could stop him.

* * * * *

Addie stepped out into the courtyard after dinner and drew in a long, cleansing breath. Zayne wanted her to stay. Said he needed her, that she completed him. How much more romantic could the guy get?

So why hadn’t she been able to say yes?

She ran a hand through her hair and wished the answer was an easier one to make, one that didn’t involve vastly different worlds. Why did she have to be the one to give up everything she knew? But the reward, she knew in her heart, would be greater than anything she could fathom. A reward which, she still believed, was more than she deserved.

In her defense, he hadn’t played fair asking her when he did. Touching her, kissing her. Lord knew she couldn’t think straight when she was near him, let alone in his arms. But now that Zayne was miles away, she had more than enough space from him to think his proposal through.

Addie turned toward the stables, which were a short walk away, and stopped at Will’s stall. The stallion’s ears pricked at her approach, and he moved forward to greet her with a nibble at her cheek.

“You’d miss me too, if I left, wouldn’t you?” She held up a carrot she’d snuck from the kitchen after dinner.

Will’s lips sought the morsel, and Addie chuckled.

“Perhaps you’d just miss the treats. Though I can only imagine Zayne spoils you.”

The horse bobbed his head as if in agreement, and Addie sighed.

“Would he spoil me too?” she whispered, stroking the stallion’s long nose. “Or would he eventually come to realize he’d traded his magic beans for some silly cow?”

That’s how it had been in her past relationships. She’d been enamored of the idea of dating, of finding her happily ever after, but newness and excitement were quickly replaced with boredom and oftentimes regret. She couldn’t imagine regret filling her heart after her time with Zayne, though. They’d shared more than just time these past few days, experienced so much.

And fallen in love.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat. No matter how hard she’d tried not to drag her heart into the mix, it refused to be left out of the equation. Addie knew with unwavering certainty she would never find another man who made her feel the way he did. Could touch her the way he did, either physically or emotionally. But could she really leave everything she’d ever known behind? Turn away from her own time, her own dimension? To never have another hot shower? Drive a car? Eat the foods she loved?