AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Still very naked, Rhoan shrugged.
Tal groaned, approached Rhoan, and slapped a hand to the man’s chest. A hunter’s garb unfurled from Tal’s palm and wrapped Rhoan in a soft tunic, well-worn breeches, and leather boots all in shades of black and purple.
Rhoan cocked a sly grin. “Couldn’t handle taking in all that I have to offer? I understand how you could get jealous after a while.”
Tal slapped the same hand over Rhoan’s mouth. “You might be the new King of Nightmares, but that will not stop me from sewing your gods-forsaken mouth shut if you say another word about your body.”
I sighed and pushed deeper into the castle. It was a sight to behold now that it mirrored Rhoan, but there was still a feeling of doom that sat in the back of my mind. He stepped further into the hunting castle and put his hands on his hips. When Tal cast the glamour to clothe him, our ally had included Rhoan’s signature braids and tied them together in the back to keep those black tresses out of Rhoan’s face.
Tal touched my forearm. “I’m going to head back to the castle. Do keep in mind that it’s still falling apart without you there. You’ve been gone too long. I know that you and Rhoan will have…otherthings on your minds right now, but don’t take too long. We need you to come home as soon as you can.”
I’d almost forgotten how long I’d been away from the Seelie castle. Ness had pulled me away to go find the missing shifters, and then everything had kind of snowballed from there. Even though duty called, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at Rhoan again.
My heart thumped in anticipation. I craved the feeling of his lips against mine again, of his hands on my waist, of his fingers inside me. My face warmed. I ducked my head to hide the rising blush.
So, that’s what Tal meant when he said he knew we had other things on our minds.
“I’ll come home when I can,” I said.
“I know.” Tal turned and stepped in-between without another word.
He didn’t stay to lecture me. He didn’t try to guilt me into going back to the castle. Instead, he trusted that I would do what I needed to do. The gesture lifted a weight off my shoulders. I sucked in a fresh breath of air and lifted my head.
When I looked up, Rhoan was watching me. Heat filled his eyes. I bit my lip. Hunger and need made me ravenous for him, but I couldn’t get my feet to move. I willed them to bring me to Rhoan, but I just…stood thereand gaped at my long-lost lover.
Okay, so we hadn’t really been separated for that long. Rhoan had been right beside me most of the time, albeit in his beast form. I’d known that whole time just how lost my love had been, though. Faust had trapped the man I loved inside the beast’s body.
Now that Faust was gone and the potion had taken effect, Rhoan and the beast were one in the same. Right?
“How do you feel?” I asked to break the silence.
A broad smile broke over his face. I’d never seen him so happy. His joy practically glowed beneath his skin like the morning sun breaching the horizon once more. When we first met, he’d been dismal and drowning his emotions in the bottom of a whiskey bottle. This wasn’t the same man.
There was no way that I was looking into the eyes of the same man.
Rhoan crossed the room and closed the space between us. He snaked an arm around my lower back and cupped my cheek with his free hand. When he felt the heat of my face, he said nothing but smiled wide all the same.
He ducked close when he said, “I feel better than I’ve ever felt.”
His lips nearly brushed mine when he spoke. I tilted my head back so that he could kiss me like I wanted so badly. But he hesitated. I gripped the front of his tunic and held him close so he couldn’t get away.
Still, Rhoan waited.
My love was easy to read, even when he remained silent. That made it easy to ask, “Are you worried about your vow of knighthood?”
He groaned. “How could you tell?”
I ran my hands up his chest and savored the feeling of the broad planes beneath my palms. In turn, Rhoan purred. The deep sound resonated beneath my hands and made my heart skip a beat. He lowered his head and nuzzled the crook of my neck. I gasped when he nipped me.
“You want me,” I said. “I can feel it in the way you’re holding me, but there has to be something holding you back from taking me right here and now. It’s not like you need a signal from me, so it has to be something else. The only other thing in the way that I can think of is your vow.”
Rhoan had explained that his vow of knighthood meant that he couldn’t take lovers, for they would interfere with his duty towards the crown. He was no longer a simple knight, though. In defeating Faust, Rhoan had taken on a crown of his own.
King of Nightmares was a pretty title, but he wasn’t actually a king. I think he stood somewhere in the ranking as a lord now, and that was enough to lift him out of knighthood. His vow meant nothing, though I wasn’t going to say it. I had the feeling that if I told him that, he would have a crisis.
So, I touched his cheek and said, “If you wish to uphold your vow as a knight in service to your future queen, then I order you to show me exactly how much you love me.”
Rhoan’s smile took my breath away. The light of it reached his eyes and pressed dimples into his cheeks that I’d never noticed before. Had he never smiled so widely? I couldn’t help but stare at him as he lowered us both to the floor. The castle made sure that we were comfortable by conjuring pillows and cushions before we could reach the threadbare carpet.
