“The information I have could be wrong. We found it in an ancient book.”
He’s trying so hard not to tell me. I step out of his arms and glare at him. “Isiah, just tell me what you know. Whether or not it’s correct, I need some idea of what I may have to do.”
He straightens and gives a quick shake of his head. “I won’t let that happen. The ritual the book describes is what the king and queen did to create the borders and blood magic. It may be different to break it.” He still doesn’t answer the question, and I’m ready to throttle him. Running a hand through his hair, he lets out a resigned sigh. “They had to cut out their hearts to complete the ritual. The magic cost them their lives.”
I sway, and Isiah instantly has his hands under my arms, supporting me.
That’s why Niethal didn’t mention what the ritual involved. Nothing major, just potentially ending my life.
Isiah’s jaw tenses. “You won’t sacrifice yourself so Niethal can invade Esmarae. I’ll kill him before that happens.”
I want to believe him, and part of me does. He would fight Niethal. I don’t doubt that, but I’m not sure who would win, and I can’t lose Isiah, not when I just found him. The other part of me sees the bigger picture, which chills me to my core.
“Niethal will never let me go, and if I escape, he will come for me. I’ll always be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life. My parents will never be safe. Isiah,wewill never be safe, not so long as he needs inside the vault.” There is no escaping him. We run or… “What if we get the relics before him?”
Isiah doesn’t insult me by instantly shutting down the idea.
It’s an idiotic idea. It would mean potentially doing the same ritual that took the lives of those who performed it. But what’s the alternative? Run forever? Never know peace? I won’t have that for my parents, myself, or Isiah.
“It’s too risky,” he says. “What if the ritual kills you? I certainly can’t live with that. So unless you plan to cut my heart out first, that idea is out.”
I grin at him, at his caring for me, and take his hand in mine, threading our fingers. “Well, performing the ritual and dying would only serve Niethal’s purpose, so if it involves that, I won’t do it. But if I can do it without ending my life, I think it’s worth a shot.”
“What would we do with the relics once we got them? He won’t stop just because they’re no longer in the city.”
“Maybe there’s a way to destroy them? Or perhaps we can hide them again in a place that doesn’t involve me.”
He squeezes my hand and tugs me back into his embrace, my cheek flat against his chest. “It’s a start. My brothers might have ideas too. Even if I kept this from them, they’d figure it out eventually and follow. I’ve never been able to keep anything from them.”
I glance up at him. “You have brothers? Wait, why are your brothers guards?”
He laughs and shakes his head, grinning from ear to ear. “They aren’t brothers by blood. I’m an only child. But I have known them most of my life. They’re my family as much as my mother and father are, and they’re incredibly interested in meeting you.” The same fondness I felt through the bond when he spoke of them is back. When I brush it, he squeezes his arms around my back. “I thought we weren’t listening without permission.” His tone is playful, so he isn’t truly upset.
“Apologies, Prince Thorne. It won’t happen again.”
He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. “Now, I didn’t say that. I want you to know how I’m feeling. I enjoy having you in my mind.”
This time I caress the bond, asking permission.“Surely the kiss on my head was a mistake. You missed my lips.”
He skims a fingertip along my jawline, tipping my face toward his. “Oh, I didn’t miss. I am only getting started.” He leans forward and kisses me softly. It’s tender and heartfelt, as if we have all the time in the world to kiss exactly like this, and I revel in it.“We will have more time, Grace.”
I nip his bottom lip. “Permission, huh?”
A roguish smile curves his lips as his fingers trail the column of my neck, gliding toward my chest. “I think I will ask permission now for everything I want to do with you tonight. Is that agreeable?”
Wetting my lips, I nod, waiting to hear what he has planned.
His fingertips drift over the exposed swell of my breast, and my heart pounds beneath the touch. “I want you to ride me, so I can watch those beautiful breasts bounce with your every rise and fall.” The caress moves lower, sweeping my sides until his palm curls around my hip and squeezes. “Then I want to bend you over the couch and make you come while fucking you from behind. I may even give you rest at some point. Is all this permissible?”
I glance up at him from under my lashes and smirk. “Yes, but you forgot the part where I taste you.”
A wide, eager grin spreads across his face. “A complete oversight on my part. Yes, let’s not forget that.”
Without warning, he throws me over his shoulder, carries me toward the bed, and tosses me on it. I laugh as I bounce, but then I look up at him, and there are no more playful smiles. “Try not to moan too loudly. I wouldn’t want your guard hearing the noises you make when you come. Those sounds are mine.”Black shadows swirl inside his irises; my own must burn with gold. “They’re a molten-gold ocean I long to swim in. Now, take off that dress.”
I don’t think twice about him hearing my thoughts. I kneel on the bed and take my time, edging the straps over my shoulders. Once the second strap falls, the top pools around my waist, exposing my breasts.
His nostrils flare as his gaze roams. Though his hand twitches by his side, the rest of his body remains still at the foot of the bed. That I have this power over him is as intoxicating now as it was at dinner. Feeling bold, I cup my breast and pinch my nipple. And the groan that comes from him sends heat pooling in my core. “Do that again, and I’ll rip the gown off myself.”