I could go right to Giles Aaron, kick down his door and murder him. His guards would kill me, but I doubted they could do it quickly enough to stop me. The problem, of course, was that I’d be leaving Iris all alone. I may not give a fuck about my life up to this point, but now I had something to protect at all costs.
Patara might look after her on my behalf, if she was monarch, but I still believed what Giles had said, despite his betrayal: if she was on the throne, she would have difficulty enough just protecting herself.
There was no option I could see that ended with me and Iris happy, except for us to flee Ironhaven Castle, flee Aramoor and flee the fucking country. We could do it. I had money stashed away from the allowance I’d been given. I barely spent a penny of it, and while it was small by most royal standards, a commoner would have called it a fortune. But living out my life, knowing that bastard Giles was still alive and well, would damned near kill me.
With a sigh of frustration, I slipped from the room and into the shadows I knew so well, heading not for my enemy but for the kitchens.
By the time Iris awoke, the full spread was ready for her. There was a silver cart with four trays of food at the end of the bed, and one more tray on the comforter, with a bouquet of irises. There were coconut-rolled dates, fresh apricots with dew still on the outside, eggs, coffee and tea.
As soon as she opened her eyes, I held out a bunch of grapes to her.
“Eat,” I told her.
She rolled over, still looking fuck-dazed and satisfied, and smiled up at me with her cheek on the pillow. She did that cute thing with the sheet again, pulling it up to her throat. There was something innocent about it, almost wholesome. That was all the hotter knowing I’d ravaged her into total unwholesomeness the night before. And was about to again.
“Good morning.” I leaned in and kissed the top of her head.
I fed her a few grapes and then got her tea squared away. I made sure she ate well, especially the eggs and milk. She needed her strength, whether she knew it yet or not. I wanted to enjoy her before we made whatever move came next.
Once I was satisfied that she’d had enough to eat, I took the food away and then turned to her across the bedroom. She was still tangled up in the sheets; too much fabric and not nearly enough skin.
“Let me see you. All of you.”
She sensed my change in tone and obeyed without question. Hooking the sheet with her toes, she slid her feet down the bed, until she lay naked in front of me. She looked fucking delicious there. Part of me wanted to take her exactly like she was. But it was time to get back to serious business. The things I wanted to do to her the most were way too filthy to do in a featherbed. To work on her properly, I needed restraints.
I leaned over her, pressing my forehead to hers, caging her in with my arms. We were so close that she had to press her chin into her neck to look me in the eye. With cool fingertips, she traced where my hair met the back of my neck.
“What are you going to do to me?” she whispered.
I liked that, that she sensed I had something in store. But there was a lesson here and she needed to learn it. I ran my thumb softly over her cheek so that she could feel how I adored her, being sure to comfort her as I corrected her behavior.
“From now on, I’m going to do exactly what I want to you. That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I understand, Sir.”
I rolled her nipple between my thumb and forefinger to reward her. She arched her back in pleasure, offering me her throat. I kissed her on the spot where I’d left the love bite, thinking all the time: That title. Sir. It bothered me. Generic as fuck. She probably used it for half the assholes that came to buy dairy from her farm. I sucked a deep, long pull of her throat, drawing a gasp and a moan, then let her go as I released her nipple.
“I want you to use a word to address me that you use for nobody else.”
“Ummm…” she said, searching my eyes.
“Don’t fucking answer yet,” I told her, scooping her up in my arms, her head over my shoulder and her ass by my chest. With one hand on her left ass cheek, and with my fingers just touching the bud of her anus, I hauled her out of the bedroom and took her into the dungeon, laying her on her back on the fuck table. This time, I secured her thighs and upper arms so that she was spread-eagle and helpless.