Chapter Fourteen Lore #2
That was not at all how I’d pictured things going.
The diabolical prince hadn’t moved from his sprawled position at all. He watched me through slitted lids the way a cat watched prey.
I had the distinct impression he was about to toy with me before going in for the kill. There was a reason he and his brothers were known as the Wicked.
I should have expected that he wouldn’t play nice.
I braced myself, wondering if I could picture more stones—or better yet, dozens of knives—to throw at him.
As if sensing the violent twist of my thoughts, the next time he tried to enter my mind, his approach changed.
The soft tingle of his power was more seductive, more tangible.
It rolled up and down my back, like it was erasing all the tension and worry from my body, before slowly traveling higher, massaging my neck, then my head.
I almost groaned from how good it felt and began relaxing into it.
A moment or two passed before his power paused, then shifted.
Now it was just beyond my shield, an apparition flickering between physical form and its ghostly essence, and it felt like he was slowly stroking a finger along that stone wall, testing it.
Each pass of that mental finger grew more tangible, becoming more solid, more substantial.
It didn’t feel like an invasion.
It felt like an invitation that promised all kinds of wonderful delights.
All I had to do was welcome him in.
My tenuous hold over my emotions slipped further.
I no longer had the urge to force him out of my mind. I couldn’t remember why he needed to remain on the other side of that wall.
To my horror, I felt myself doing the mental equivalent of arching my back into his strokes. I wanted to experience more of that delicious magic of his rubbing against mine, rife with promises of removing each of my fears from me.
The second my thoughts faltered, the instant I craved more, my wall vanished, and I felt him everywhere.
I was his and his alone.
It was a simple fact: the sky was blue, the grass was green, and I was bound to this male for eternity. The thought and finality of it should have been terrifying, but it… wasn’t. I was at total peace with the absurdity of the claim.
He would protect me until every star and moon in every universe ceased to burn, and even then he would stand guard over my soul.
And in return I would become the darkness itself if anyone dared to harm him.
Mine.
The single word had been whispered in my mind in his voice.
It was the purest form of domination I’d ever experienced. Every cell in my body became electrified. Magic suffused me.
There was no fighting back against the sheer might of him. No one existed before him, and no one would come after.
I could accept it or fight the will of the stars themselves. Dramatic, perhaps, but I’d never been one to run from the idea of destiny.
Acceptance rolled through me and my magic gave in.
He might have entered my mind and laid claim to it, but he was now mine.
Something rushed below the surface, some thread, twisting and tugging…
Just as suddenly as he’d overpowered me, his presence in my mind was gone. I heaved myself over the lip of the tub, panting from exertion.
Cool water dripped onto the floor.
I focused on the patter, counting each drop as I tried to collect myself.
Holy gods. That was intense.
It felt like I’d run for my life for hours when in reality his magic had only held me in its grasp for mere seconds.
To say he was powerful was an understatement.
He was power.
I had a newfound appreciation for how much control he wielded to keep it in check.
No wonder he was so serious and reserved—he could probably break worlds if he had a bad day. That was a lot of pressure for anyone.
The fact that he hadn’t torn this realm apart made me think he might be more caged here than I’d thought.
Movement brought my attention up.
I lifted my head and stared, unblinking, as the prince shoved himself into a sitting position. I noticed his own chest rising and falling rapidly as he leaned against the headboard. I had never seen him out of breath before.
Not even when he’d fought those giant spiders. Something had rattled him. Badly.
My attention finally reached his face, and I shivered.
His glare was as cold and fierce as an arctic tundra. Gone was any hint of the teasing prince from before. Whatever happened… he despised it.
“The first rule in protecting yourself is to never invite other magic in, no matter how good it makes you feel. With one caress, I owned you. Body and soul.”
Wonderful. That wasn’t embarrassing at all.
“How silly of me to not shield against magic, tingly fingers. Don’t villains bash into walls, not try to make love to them?”
If he was amused, it didn’t show.
Faster than I’d ever seen someone move, he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, planted both feet on the floor, and clasped his hands loosely in front of himself.
Probably so he wouldn’t be tempted to strangle me.
With his sleeves pushed back, I noticed a vertical tattoo that extended from his left wrist to his elbow. Libri Ante Vir.
I scrambled through my limited Latin and settled on Books before man. Cute.
He leaned in, invading my space like his magic had just invaded my mind.
“Enemies don’t always come pounding at our doors, Lore. They don’t hold daggers to our throats or threaten bodily harm. The cleverest use our own emotions and desires. Slipping past mental defenses is easier when you want someone to.”
His penetrating gaze pinned me in place.
“Most seek to please those they hunger for, not fight or question them. And seduction is often the most effective means of accomplishing that.”
He leaned in even closer and delicately traced a small circle on my chest.
His fingertip glided over my bare skin with precision, never straying from the area right above my heart.
An area that was now pounding with an intensity that felt almost explosive.
His touch was as soft as a whisper, but it managed to unleash a cascade of electric sensations that rippled through every nerve in my body.
Heat pooled low in my belly, and a fire slowly ignited in my veins. I hoped he somehow couldn’t tell how much a simple caress was affecting me.
“Guard your heart as well as your mind, Lore. Or it will be the undoing of us all.”
He withdrew his hand, and I instantly felt colder.
I shook myself out of the daze.
Basically, he was saying my mental shield was as much of a hussy as the rest of my cursed brain.
I blamed it on the fact that I hadn’t courted anyone in a while.
And maybe it had a little to do with all the aforementioned romance novels I consumed.
A ruthless alpha starts dominating my brain, I start panting like a beta in heat. Smutty shifter fiction truly would be my downfall.
Prince Sloth observed me intently, his expression an enigmatic mask that revealed nothing.
His blue eyes were like deep, bottomless pools, giving away no hint of the thoughts swirling beneath their surface.
I longed to pry open the vault of his mind and decipher every secret hidden within its depths.
I suspected that would be an effort in futility unless he chose to grant me access, like a locked diary that only opens with its owner’s consent.
And that would never happen.
I tugged myself from the vortex of his gaze and glanced around the room, pausing on a linen towel and change of clothing folded neatly beside the bathtub.
For one frantic moment, I thought he’d misplaced the phoenix tear. Then I saw he’d laid it on top of the new dress, just as I’d placed it on my dirty one.
He must have sent for the clothes while I was lost in make-believe.
Something warm and fuzzy took up residence in my chest.
I snatched the towel and wrapped it around myself like a prim and proper noble lady as I stood, flashing him in the process only a little.
The prince offered a hand to help me out of the tub and I graciously accepted it as I climbed out then plopped onto the bed next to him.
I glanced down at myself, frowning as I wriggled my fingers.
“How am I not pruned? I must have been in that water for hours.”
“I spelled the water to keep you comfortable.”
I jerked my attention to his.
He lifted a shoulder and dropped it.
No big deal. We were facing an enemy of epic proportions, and he’d simply used some magic to ensure my bath remained perfect while I trained.
It was… kind, thoughtful.
And absolutely could not happen again.
He wanted me to guard my heart, but whether he realized it or not, he was starting to become the biggest threat to it.
He was inadvertently channeling some serious main love interest energy.
Unlike the heroes I swooned over in my books, he was all too real.
And I knew that based on previous experiences, if I allowed myself to feel anything, it would be unrequited.
We needed to draw clear lines—we would work together to stop the dark book from giving Nyantha her power back. Save the realms. And I’d go back home to my family, my life, and with my heart intact. End of story.
“Thank you, but please don’t trouble yourself again. I can take care of myself.”
His mouth opened, but before he could object, I clapped my hands once.
“Okay! Let’s try again.”
My towel slipped and I paused to secure it in a tight knot. Best to keep my bits and pieces to myself in light of our new boundaries.
“I bet I can shield against your mental massage now. Hit me with your worst, Mr. Magic Fingers.”
The new look he leveled me with made my pulse race for much different reasons. His unwavering gaze held mine, forcing me to meet it or forfeit this match. I wasn’t a quitter but wished I was.
His expression said he’d happily accept the mental challenge I’d thrown down between us.
The air thrummed with the tension of it, taut as a drawn bowstring.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Game on.”
I pretended I didn’t instantly regret my words and prepared for the complete and utter reckoning his smile promised.