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His expression soured. “That will never happen.”
“What sort of revenge do you expect to inflict on me?”
“I think I’ll keep you in suspense.”
That didn’t bode well for her. Her time as Rathmort’s prisoner had been grueling. How much more could she endure? She tried to imagine Khalstorm in Rathmort’s place and couldn’t. “I think you have no idea what you plan. You’ve never been a cruel man.”
He shot to his feet and crossed the room to grip her by the arm. “That was before I lost my family, my kingdom, and Lizbet to you and your wretched schemes.”
She flinched at the venom in his voice. “Khalstorm, if you’ll let me explain—”
“Attempt to deny it again and your punishment begins now.” Looming over her, his grip tightened on her arm. He was so much larger than her, his massive body backed with power. With her magic, she could have flicked him across the room with a thought. As it was, she was completely helpless.
Frustrated and a little fearful of what he might do, she clamped her lips shut. How could she make him believe the truth when he was so attached to the lie?
He eyed her up and down with disdain. “You’re filthy. Wash yourself.” He shoved her toward the shower.
She stumbled to a stop and faced him indignantly. “I’mfilthy? Have you looked in a mirror? When I first saw you I thought you’d been used as a dragon’s chew toy?”
He frowned and scraped his hand down his shaggy beard. Then he set his jaw and crossed his arms.
She glanced at the open shower longingly. Ocean water had dried on her scalp and skin, making her itchy. A quick rinse sounded ideal, but . . . “I’m not going to wash with you standing there staring like a perv.”
“Am I to believe you’ve developed a sense of modesty over the years? There was a time when you would have marched down the castle halls nude if you thought it would amuse you.”
“Ha! Maybe in your fantasies.”
He made a rough noise in the back of his throat. The sound went straight to her core and forced her to remember another time he’d made such a tempting sound.
Stealing a quiet moment away from the castle, Celeste strayed from the forest path to find her little hidden alcove that overlooked the crystal blue water of White Forest Lake. She’d found this place several months ago when she had been overwhelmed by the gossip and prying eyes of dragon court society. She’d been in desperate need of solitude—even from her mother who seemed to blend in with higher society in a way Celeste had yet to master, laughing and preening and engaging in stimulating conversation. Almost as if she belonged.
Celeste had yet to shrug off the feeling that she most certainly did not belong. Because she didn’t. She’d been raised to believe it was unnatural for dragons and witches to intermingle. That no good could come of it. So why had her mother brought her to live in a dragon kingdom? Attending soirees and balls and dining with the royal family . . . to the very obvious dismay of the queen, who seemed unable to do anything about it but glare at the two interlopers whenever she sipped her wine.
At times, even prince Khalstorm seemed disturbed by their continued presence, though he was more polite about it, always looking away if Celeste caught him staring at her.
“Get close to him,” her mother had instructed. “Make him want you.”
“But why?” she had replied, inwardly shivering at the prospect. She had never attempted to entice a male before, and Khalstorm was wildly attractive, which made the notion of her turning his head all the more ridiculous.
He was physically more robust and brawnier than any of the males she’d grown up with, filled with a natural charm and swagger that made her want to blush any time she encountered him. Dragons were not supposed to be so handsome, yet this one was.
He both terrified and fascinated her.
Whenever she questioned her mother’s motives, Elora’s eyes would flash dangerously. “Because I said so. Everything we do here is for the coven.” That made Celeste wonder if they were attempting to foster a relationship between the coven and this dragon kingdom. Perhaps Rathmort hoped to garner peace and open up trade between them—she’d heard of another coven who did the same in the kingdom of Windguard and were now thriving. Perhaps he wished to settle in the White Forest and that would require the blessing of the king.
Her mother continued. “For a girl gifted with beauty like yours, beguiling Khalstorm should be easy.” There was a sour edge to her mother’s words, almost as if she harbored some kind of jealousy toward her daughter, but that couldn’t be. Elora was a renowned beauty with her dark eyes and midnight hair. Even many of the dragons had been overheard begrudgingly admitting so.
Lost in thought, Celeste sighed and looked out over the sparkling water. She didn’t think anyone knew about this heavenly place, so it felt like hers alone, completely isolated, so she had no qualms about stripping down and taking a quick dip. The lake was warm this time of year.
She carefully removed and folded her illustrious gown—a castoff from the many remarkable outfits gifted to Elora by the king—and laid it over a large stone before wading into the tepid water.
Rainbow-colored fish darted out of her path as she made her way farther out to where the lake was slightly deeper. She dove under to see if she could find a rare shell among the bedrock before running out of breath and returning to the surface. Diving again, she stayed under longer. She enjoyed testing herself to see how long she could stay submerged, sometimes simply resting on the lake floor and taking in the crystal-clear view until she needed to rocket to the surface for air.
When she finally breached the surface, she was startled by the sight of a figure on the shore. It was Khalstorm, standing at the edge of the water. He appeared anxious and tense, but as soon as she met his gaze, his whole body relaxed.
“What are you doing here?” she squeaked, covering her breasts, unsure if he could see that she was nude under the water. Then she registered the absurdity of her question. This was his kingdom, his lake. The better question was what she was doing here.
A little indignant, he replied “You witches seem to be taking over every inch of my kingdom lately.”
