“Oh?”
“Well, I don’t mind watching you while you get dressed.”
I chuckle. “The audacity.”
“Hasn’t anyone ever told you that you’re very pleasing to the eye, Your Highness?”
There’s that burning arrow sensation again. “Not really.” Well, Kaithar does, but that’s just stupid banter; my commander swings strongly in the other direction.
“Well, I’m sure there are many that have thought it, but considering who you are, I can see why nobody would dare.”
“And yet, you have no reservations about objectifying my naked form.” I’m surprised at how much I’m enjoying this lighthearted back-and-forth.
“Well, I am betrothed to you, and now we’re lovers, so I should think this sort of thing is entirely appropriate.”
“As you wish, my lady.” With a resigned sigh, I caress her cheek and roll out of bed.
She props herself up on one elbow and gives me a heated look. I feel her eyes burning into me as I turn and retrieve my clothes. Glancing over my shoulder, I snort softly and quickly get dressed.
I’ve never been so blatantly ogled by a woman before.
“You have a magnificent ass, Corvan.”
I pull up my trousers and fasten them, before slipping my belt through the loops.
I smile, baring my fangs. “A schedule, then.”
She holds up her wrist, where I’ve marked her. “For this, yes. As for the other thing…”
I silence her with a look. “That will never be scheduled. It will be spontaneous and frequent. Initiated by either party. And always freely given, never forced. Do you agree?”
A fleeting look of surprise crosses her face, quickly hidden. “Yes…” She tips her head; a little deferent now. Her lips curve ever so slightly. “Your Highness.”
“The only time I would ever want you to call me that is in bed,” I tease as I don my shirt and fasten the buttons.
The fact that I can tease her like this… it pleases me immensely. For although I’ve become monstrous, she treats me as if I were still human.
She isn’t afraid of me. She invites me into her bed as if I were a comely lad she’s decided to have a quick fling with.
I put on my jacket, keenly aware of the way she watches me.
“Well, if that is what you please,” she says quietly, giving me a demure little look. I can’t tell whether she’s being serious or not. It drives me a little crazy.
I’m starting to get aroused again. As I bend down and retrieve my boots, I allow my gaze to linger. “We’ll continue this discussion later, Finley. I’ll wait for you in the antechamber.”
32
FINLEY
We leave Tyron Castle on foot, discreetly exiting through a side gate with not a single soul to bid us farewell.
It isn’t the departure I’d expected for a Prince of the Empire, but Corvan is unexpected in so many ways.
It’s midday. The sky is clear and brilliantly blue—a rarity in the middle of winter. The bright sunshine reflects off the snow, turning it incandescent. As we step outside the castle walls, I shield my eyes with my gloved hand.
“Here.” Corvan reaches into his pocket and retrieves two pairs of gold-framed glasses with dark lenses. He hands me a pair and dons the other, concealing his crimson eyes. “For the glare. I had these specially made for my light-sensitivity, but they’re also useful to ordinary folks.”
I put the glasses on. Suddenly, my world is tinted a darker shade of grey, as if clouds have fallen across the sun. The snow-glare no longer bothers me. “This… sensitivity is because of your condition?”
“The sun and I are no longer friends,” he sighs, a resigned look crossing his handsome features. “I used to tan and never burn. Now, the sun makes me blister and peel immediately. Although your blood seems to temper the effects completely—for a certain amount of time, anyway. It doesn’t happen with the others. Only you.” A strange note enters his voice; as if he’s aware of some terrible secret about me.
My suspicion rises. “And you wouldn’t happen to know why that might be the case?”
“Perhaps. We’ll speak of it when we reach Niize.” His tone becomes stern and resolute. I recognize it now. Corvan won’t be swayed on this. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he’s the ruler and master of everything within these borders. “Now, do you wish to walk a little before we make the journey proper?”
“Is this it? We’re not going to have an armed escort, or horses, or woodsmen to accompany us? It’s just you and I?” I stare at him in disbelief. He’s armed now, having stopped by his office to retrieve his weapons on the way out. A wicked-looking dagger hangs from a sheath attached to his belt. There’s a broadsword, too; long and wide and quietly threatening. The hilt is wrapped with leather bindings and well worn, as is the leather scabbard.
It’s a tool of war; frequently used.
With his weapons and dark glasses and his shorn hair—which has quickly grown long-ish and tousled—he looks rakish and terribly dangerous.
“Finley.” His voice turns quiet and cold. “There isn’t anything or anyone amongst my people that could afford you better protection than I alone. And an escort would just slow us down.”
Oh. I can hardly believe my own audacity. What possessed me when I invited this man into my bed?
Ever since I left Ruen and entered this wild, wintry land, I’ve felt strangely free.
Sometimes, I forget that I’m completely powerless here. I sigh and look toward the forest. “Let’s walk a little.”
“Delighted, my lady.” Corvan flashes me a charming fangy smile. He bows slightly and offers me his arm.
I slip my arm through his and we walk away from the hulking stone monolith that is Tyron Castle. We traverse a stone road until we reach the edge of a dense wood. Some of the trees are skeletal, having shed their canopy entirely, but there are evergreens too, treating us to glimpses of green from beneath their snowy blankets.
The woods bring an incredible sense of peace. I feel safer here than I ever have before, even though the memory of night-time monsters lingers in the back of my mind. And once again, I get a sense that the soaring trees are watching us; that they’re ancient and wise in ways we could never fathom.
They don’t feel hostile. There’s a benevolence about them that fills me with peace.
Even when my companion is inexplicable; a magical creature that unashamedly craves the taste of my blood.
In the calm embrace of the woods, I’m filled with a false sense of security.
I turn to him. “Is it true that you were first in line to take the throne?”
A shadow crosses Corvan’s face. For a moment, I fear I’ve strayed into forbidden territory, but then he lets out a soft sigh of resignation. “I was bred for that role, Finley. All my training was for the sole purpose of becoming emperor. My father wanted to shape me in his image; to ensure I carry on his legacy when he dies.”
“And what is that, exactly… his legacy?”
“Strength. Military supremacy. Power at all costs.” Corvan looks up to the skies above, the dappled light floating across his pale features. “He made sure that I grew up living, breathing, and sleeping all things military, because he seemed to think that I needed a certain toughness in order to hold the throne. Before the Northern War, I simply accepted it as my fate. But that campaign was a foolhardy one. Father overstepped his bounds and nearly led the empire into ruins. Most people have no idea how close we came to disaster. And it backfired spectacularly, didn’t it?”