Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ALINA
The girl with two braids watched my door from time to time, especially when my brooding guard was summoned to training, or had other duties sentries were obligated to fulfill.
There was something about her that made me think that I knew her, and that we used to be friends.
She called herself Samantha, but I was certain that it was not her real name.
The girl did not seem to have any scruples about letting me know how she felt about her duties.
She made so many snide remarks about the palace, and the people in it, that I was either in shock, or on the verge of bursting with laughter most of the time.
She had two friends in the palace. One of them was a younger man of slender build, his ashy blond hair spiked up at the ends, as if he just woke up.
The second one was a tall and broad, dark skinned male with a closely shaven head, and an unreadable expression on his face.
They called him Roy, and he had never opened his mouth in my presence.
From what I could discern, Kent and the other three knew each other intimately, but for some reason they were hiding that fact.
I sighed and picked up a blooming sprig of lavender, rotating it between my fingers.
Earlier that day, I had peeked my head out of my room, hoping to see my guard, but the girl was stationed by my door.
I could not think of anything better to say than to ask her to take me outside.
A fresh, minty scent filled the air around me, and I glanced back at the girl.
“Are you a friend of Mr. Kent?” I asked.
“Mr. Kent? Oh. Yeah.” The girl hesitated as if uncertain about sharing with someone like me. “We grew up together.”
“Are you a couple?” I bit my lip.
“What? Of course not. Gross! That would be like dating my brother.” She shook her shoulders.
“I see.”
We continued walking in silence. I could feel Samantha’s eyes on me.
“Are you seriously thinking about marrying any of the clan leaders?” the girl asked at last.
She surely did not hold back. I looked at her, unsure how to answer something I have not had a chance to think through.
“I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you supposed to pick someone you’re in love with?”
“It’s not that easy. There are a lot of people who depend on me. I have responsibilities.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong. You were forced to be here, since they took you from your own home – right – and drugged you to keep you compliant.
Then they presented you with a bunch of misfit losers and demanded that you choose one.
Now you’re claiming that you have to take it because you are somehow responsible for all the people in Talman? ”
“How do you . . . know all that?”
“I know that because I have eyes and I know T . . . Kent very well.”
“I suppose it does sound silly.”
“Silly is one way to describe it. Although, I would say stupid.”
“So, what would you do?”
“I can’t tell you what to do. What do you want to do?”
I glanced at the girl. Her large, blue eyes appeared to be without even a shadow of a doubt, like she knew everything.
I found a low bench, secluded by overgrown branches and took a seat.
My fingertips traced the polished stone and the carvings on the surface.
When I looked up at Samantha, I still did not know what to say.
“I don’t know anymore. I’m so confused. I want to go home, and I want to be free, but I also don’t want to turn away from all the pain and suffering that I may be able to ease.”
“That’s not your business. Not your duty. Don’t tell me that all the lies about being a descendant of the first dragon has gone to your head.”
She was unafraid to use harsh words, and I turned my gaze back to the palace, trying to quiet all the voices that sounded in my head.
Later in the day, Corliss came to my room and started preparing me for yet another date with Lord Dayton.
I sat patiently, while she braided my hair and decorated my locks with fake flowers.
I felt the silk petals brush against the strands of my hair and thought about real flowers, and a misty fog that slowly crawled across the ground, making me feel so free and unapologetically in love.
The image shifted, showing the silhouette of a man wearing a black leather suit, his dark, chestnut-colored hair covering his face. Then he turned, and I saw him.
“I said. This is your last week.”
My ears perked up.
“Last week?”
“Yes. The time for you to make a choice is growing near.”
Last week? Only one more week left?
A surge of panic hit me unexpectedly.
“I’m so glad that Mr. Payton adjusted your medicine, because it was so difficult to talk to you before.” Corliss picked up a cheek cream and patted the skin on my face.
I lowered my eyes, enduring her unwelcomed touches.
My time was running out. I needed a new plan.
During my horseback ride with Lord Dayton, I could not shake the feeling that he, too, sensed the urgency looming over me, as his attention grew more insistent. His hand briefly returned to my back but did not linger, probably because Kent’s dark, dangerous eyes were fixed on us.
“You must know that the time for you to make a decision is coming.” Lord Dayton started, not in the least subtle about his intentions.
“Yes.”
“I hope you will consider me as your future husband.”
My attention immediately shifted to Kent who moved closer to us and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked so handsome in his dark blue uniform. It almost seemed unfair to the other man with no notable features, and terribly out of shape.
I bit my lip, noticing how Kent’s nostrils flared as he gave a distinctly unfriendly glance to my unfortunate companion.
What would Lord Dayton do if Kent were to lean over me and take my lips right now at this very moment?
I wanted Kent to touch me like he did before, pressing me back against the tree.
The vivid picture that I had in front of my eyes, made my knees weak.
My head started to spin and blood rushed to my face.
In the silence that followed, I could feel both men looking at me expectedly.
“Yes?” I said, just to say something.
I could clearly distinguish a triumphant look on Lord Dayton’s face aimed at my guard. Kent’s eyes burnt through me as if there was no one else around.
What just happened? Did I say something wrong? I had not been paying attention to the conversation. What did I agree to?
I was about to ask Lord Dayton to repeat his question, but he hurried off toward the stables, saying something about his horses.
That left only Kent and me. Without saying a word to me, Kent marched back to the palace so quickly that I almost had to run to keep up with him.
“Wait.” I called, but he would not listen.
I must have said something that pushed him over the edge, but I had no way of knowing what it was unless he told me. Anger, jealousy, frustration, and even something darker that I could not quite comprehend, was slipping through his every move, every gesture.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, but he said nothing. “What did I say that was wrong?” I tried again, without any success.
We took the stairs and entered the long gallery with hundreds of windows on both sides.
“Kent?” I called him, but he did not even turn his head.
When we entered the private wing of the building, I could not contain myself any longer, and placed my hand on his arm.
Apparently that was a mistake, because he reacted by spinning me around and dragging me to a plain looking door, which turned out to be a storage room.
The space was filled with cleaning supplies, buckets and brooms. The darkness was barely compensated by one tiny window that was close to the ceiling.
His hard chest pressed against mine, his hands landed on the shelving behind me, on either side of my face. I could sense his warm, confident power. His eyes locked on mine, but I did not see any sensuality in them. He was mad.
I should have been scared, intimidated, but instead flames licked my insides, consuming me whole, making me want things: sweet, dark, forbidden things. Nothing reasonable or important came to mind. My gaze shifted to his lips, silently begging him to kiss me.
If I could think straight, I would probably be terrified. Yet, I wanted him to take all my choices away, make me feel like I had none.
What was this feeling? And why did I crave it so desperately, as if it was a part of me that I had been missing all along?
Suddenly, everything seemed so simple and easy.
There was no Lady Corliss with her constant demands.
No Rutherford pushing me to fulfill my imaginary duties, or suffering the ridiculousness of the Dayton brothers and their dad.
There was no Red Queen, or looming engagement.
No prophecies or any expectations of others to mold me into something they wanted me to be.
All the pressure and worry just fell away, none of it mattered, only being in the moment was important.
I just looked at the male who leaned even closer to me, not even a little bit intimidated by him. On the contrary, my blood was nearly aflame with pure, blinding need.
“Why?”
His hot breath scorched the tender skin of my neck. Kent moved closer to my jaw and his lips just grazed the corner of my ear.
The shockwave of my body’s response was nothing I was prepared for. Involuntarily, my hands landed on his forearms. Waves of something smoldering and obscure expanded until there was no space left for anything else. The situation was dangerous for both of us, and yet I could not move.
“What?” My eyes landed on his mouth.
The shape of his lips was sin itself, beautifully drawn with a slightly fuller lower lip, I was dying to tug on it with my teeth.
Gods!
“I told you princess, no one is allowed to touch you.”
His voice was raspy and low, and I suspected that he could make me find my release just by whispering lustful words into my ear.
The vivid image of me not being able to control my treacherous body and climaxing while he watched was a terrifying reminder that it was so easy to surrender to the feeling, to him.
And maybe that was exactly what I craved.
I tasted his name on my lips, but it did not sound right, so I did not say it out loud.
His lips brushed the edge of my jaw and my hands found the strands of his silky, smooth hair.
The feeling was so familiar, and after I concentrated hard enough, I knew it.
I had touched him like this before. I knew that he loved it when I lightly tugged on his locks.
I knew the warm, spicy scent of his skin and how I could drive him mad with just a few simple touches.
His body pressed into mine even harder and some of the items on the shelves fell to the ground.
He pulled me forward, and we stumbled. Then I found myself on his lap, not fully aware how that was possible.
I could not deny myself any longer and the change of the position only made me more desperate to get what I wanted.
His face was so close to mine, but he would not shorten the final distance between us and I grew more desperate by the moment. With one hand, I adjusted my skirt, and moved it out of the way so I could feel him better through the thin silk of my undergarments.
He whispered something unintelligible and it only made me more wild. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and positioned myself just right. My mouth was so close to his, but I wanted him to surrender first, and I would not make it any easier for him. He had to be the one to lose control first.
The world faded away as time slowed. I reached out and caressed the back of his neck, while my hips slowly moved back and forth.
I could not look away from his face, drinking every ounce of desire that I saw in his dark umber eyes.
He would not look away. His hands roamed my body with hungry desperation, but his gaze stayed locked on mine.
This was more intimate than anything I have ever done.
The connection between us that I felt before had transformed into something new and unbreakable.
It was as if he had reached out and pulled my soul out of my body.
“Say it,” he whispered.
I could hardly comprehend the meaning of his words. I shook my head, unwilling to stop.
“Say my name, Alina, and I swear I will make you come for hours straight.” He leaned forward without breaking eye contact.
A blazing hot wave rose up from within and I exhaled, unable to hide the reaction of my body. I was completely bare in front of him, he could see the way my body came to life under his stare and there was nothing I could do to conceal it.
“Gods . . . I don’t . . . know.”
And it was over. He pulled me off him and got up. My heart was beating like a drum and my chest was rising up and down like mad, but he seemed unnaturally still.
“Wait,” I whispered, trying to stop the inevitable.
He only shook his head and adjusted his clothes.
“What do you want from me?” I stood up.
“I don’t know,” he growled. “I don’t. Fucking. Know.”
We just watched one another, while the mountain of the unknown, an unrecognizable divide, rose between us.
“Maybe this is for the best then. Maybe we should stay away from each other.” I said, not fully controlling the frustration oozing through every word I spoke. “Maybe I should accept one of them as my husband.” That was low. I purposely hurt him, and I had the satisfaction of seeing him flinch.
His jaw clenched, he moved to the door and almost tore it off the hinges when he threw it open.