Loving a Prince Charming (10 page)

He smirked then, circling her. She moved with
him, not allowing him access to her back. When they completed their
circle he said, “I see you became his whore.”

Rage beat against her skull at his words
penetrated. How dare he mark and soil the night that was everything
to her? What right did such a disgusting thing have to talk about
her love? “Shut your mouth. I don’t expect something like you to
know about people in love.”

He laughed, the high-pitch turning her
stomach to such a degree she feared she might vomit. “You might
have been in love, but was he?”

The insidious voice poked and prodded her
defenses, but she refused to allow it to penetrate. “I never
required him to be. Now get out of my way or I’ll force you to
move.”

“What can you do?” His smile was a repulsive
sight, vile and malignant, without a shred of warmth or human
feeling. “You are alone. No father or mother, manipulated since
birth by two pompous and prideful kings. Considering your
background, I’m not surprised you’d fuck another woman’s betrothed.
Did you want him to alter his course?”

Only Seth mattered. She would pay for her
sins however this life required of her, but she would not allow
Seth to suffer for her choice. She would not let this creature
manipulate her. He was nothing but an obstacle to be removed.

He stepped closer, his head tilting in a mock
semblance of empathy. “Of course you did, but didn’t you deserve
it, after all? After everything they’ve done to you, to him, don’t
you both deserve some happiness?”

So seductive. She could almost feel the words
petting against her, freeing her from her guilt.
Their fault,
their fault, not you, take what you deserve, make a life with
Seth.
“No one deserves anything in this life. Things happen.
Rosamund proves that.”

He dismissed that with a wave of his hand.
“One spoiled princess feels the bite of life. How does that compare
with what you’ve been through?”

She recalled Seth as he talked of Rosamund
that night, the pain he still felt when thinking on the princess.
“None of us deserve what she’s been through.”

“Then if no one deserves it, why go through
all this trouble to take it away from her?” He approached her, his
body displaying a slithery grace that had an almost hypnotic
quality. His eyes were a swirl of colors, never stopping on one
shade long enough that it was identifiable. “You don’t deserve the
misery either, do you? Does Prince Seth? Of course not, and I can
help. I can give the curse back to her if you work with me. Think
on it—the princess will be locked away, and Seth will be yours
forever.”

Against her will, his words worked themselves
into her skin.
Why not her? Rid of her, and Seth is yours.
“I can save Seth without you.”

He reclined against a large tree, crossing
his arms in front of him in acceptance of her challenge, his eyes
holding hers fast. “Maybe, but even if you do, all you’ll have done
is put him out of your reach forever. He will be married to her,
and you will live the rest of your miserable life
alone
. You
can’t tell me one night was enough for you.”

No, it never would be. Being in his arms
every night for the rest of their lives wouldn’t be enough. The
love and belonging she’d experienced last night was so complete, no
other time in her life ever came close. She could almost imagine
their hearts had beaten as one.

“Help me, Kira, and I’ll give you everything
you
desire
. I’ll give you a
life
with the man you
love. Why should you suffer? Why should you be denied?”

She was going to save Seth to watch him marry
another woman. A woman he would make love to, a woman who would
carry his children. Why should Kira suffer the rest of her life?
Why shouldn’t she get what she wanted for once – for
once
?
Seth loved her, didn’t he? He might be mad at first, but he would
come to understand. After all, he wanted to be with her as well.
Last night couldn’t have happened if he didn’t. And once they were
together, they could leave their fathers, and these kingdoms, and
Rosamund—

I made a promise, and I won’t fail
her
.

The echo of his words banged against her
head, almost painful in their intensity.

Yes, Seth did love her, and he wouldn’t
understand abandoning Rosamund. And she would not love him as well
as she did if he could.

Kira brought her sword up before her face and
gave a small salute before bringing the weapon to the ready. “If
you think I’m going to let Seth down because you like listening to
the sound of your own voice, you are sorely mistaken. Now, you can
move, or you can die.”

The smile faded, and his eyes narrowed as
they assessed her. After a long moment, the evil creature
disappeared.

Kira closed her eyes and stood there for long
moments, doing nothing except breathing in the clear air. She was
flayed from the inside out, the deep dark places of her own heart
and mind that she pretended didn’t exist lay before her in their
grotesqueness. She could never again pretend innocence of her own
baser nature.

Swords might not have clashed in this battle,
but there would be scars nonetheless.

A strange peace gradually settled in her, and
she glanced around to verify the fey was gone. He was.

It was time to finish her part in this
tale.

Her feet knew the path to take. There was no
hesitation over turns or steps. She ran into the castle and chose
the stairway that led to the tallest tower.

She pushed open the door and her eyes zeroed
in on the bed in the middle of the room. Seth lay on the small bed,
his long legs dangling off the edge. The only sign that this was
something other than a normal nap was that he was fully clothed
down to his boots and his normally darker skin had a pale
undertone.

A small, blond woman was sitting beside him,
holding his hand. At Kira’s entrance she leaped up and stepped away
from Seth, though she made no other sounds or movements.

Kira walked over to Seth, taking in every
detail of his beloved face. This would be the last time she would
be this close, and she wanted to savor it. His hair was mussed and
his lips were parted, very soft snores audible now that she was
closer. She kneeled beside him, twirled his hair between her
fingers, and then, with a final stroke, leaned down so her mouth
was inches from his. “You’d better not embarrass me and not wake
up. Do that, and I promise you a hurting when you do finally wake.
Understand me?”

The slight prick of his stubble rubbed her
fingers as she laid her trembling hands on his cheeks. She held him
as her mouth met his, his lips as soft and firm in sleep as she
remembered them being last night, his sleepy scent settling against
her.

Love you, love you so much—come back to
me. Even if you aren’t mine, I need to know you are somewhere on
this world
.

His mouth moved under hers, lips parted, and
his tongue swiped along the seam of her mouth demanding entrance,
cutting off the small sob that rose in her throat with a demand she
would never refuse.

One hand cradled the back of her head,
digging into her hair to keep her close, while the other grasped
her hip and pulled her body into the cradle of his, letting her
feel the hardness of his chest, his stomach, lower, igniting in her
the same desire.

An annoying noise sounded above her. She
reached out a hand to find something to throw but the noise kept
sounding, and it finally clicked in her addled mind. Rosamund.
Audience. They were not alone.

Kira pulled away, but Seth’s hand in her hair
would not let her go far, just enough that she could look down into
his clear blue eyes and to know, yes, he was awake. He was awake
and alive and the curse no longer had a hold over them. “Hello,
Sleeping Beauty.”

He smiled, the most beautiful sight in the
world. “Hope I didn’t worry you.”

She ran a finger down his nose and over his
lips, his chin, the firm line of his jaw. “Nah, I’m used to getting
you out of scrapes. That’s what we do.”

“Always.”

Always. And the word broke the magic that
held them together, because it was a lie, the second one Seth had
ever told her. They didn’t have always.

They were out of time.

Seth sensed her mood, or maybe he somehow
read her thoughts in that way he had. Either way, his hands dropped
from her body and she rose, turning to Seth’s fiancée.

Turning to Rosamund, and letting go, finally
letting go of the impossible dream.

Giving a small bow, she finally addressed the
waiting princess. “Hello, Princess Rosamund. I’m Kira. I’m a friend
of your…betrothed.”

It was only when he tasted blood that Seth
unclenched his teeth and quit abusing the inside of his cheek.

Kira gave him a disapproving look, her
almost-perfect mouth scrunched up. Desire, swift as a summer storm,
swept through him, and in his mind he walked to her, flipped her
around so she was leaning over the table so that perfect backside
was at the perfect height to rub against. He was hard and she would
be wet, and they wouldn’t need any preliminaries, not this time.
This time, no matter how quick he was, she would be quicker, the
sensations as she came around him driving him out of his mind and
the catalyst for his own orgasm.

Kira’s mouth lost the tightness and parted,
her chest rising and falling as she damn near panted, and he took
the first step toward her—

“Seth, have you heard a word I said?”

His father’s voice sliced through his
fantasy, and his teeth bit into his cheek again before remembering
the previous abuse. “I heard you.”

It had been two days since Kira had woken him
from his slumber, and they were preparing to sign the final
marriage contract. It surprised Seth this wasn’t done before—his
understanding his whole life was that the marriage was a done deal,
all contracts signed. It made even less sense now that his father
never broke their engagement and accepted another offer; there
wasn’t even a contract to break and no repercussions. Marriage
understandings were very different from the actual contracts.
Understandings were broken with enough regularity that his father
wouldn’t have suffered any ill effects.

But his father and Matthias had never hinted
in that direction, just ordered all documents to be prepared with
all haste. The wedding preparations were underway, and the wedding
would take place in three days’ time. The kingdom, finally free
from the pall under which the curse had placed it, was in full
celebration mode.

He took in Kira again, who was very diligent
in not looking at him. Her red hair was braided. It lay over her
shoulder, the trail it set leading to the curve of her breast. Even
under the loose clothing, Seth could easily make out the soft lines
and lovely slope of her breasts.

She had been avoiding him. When cornered, she
gave a sad smile and told him this was his chance to get to know
Rosamund before the marriage, then fled before he could offer any
protest.

Magic forgive him, but he didn’t want to
spend time with Rosamund. She was sweet and kind and he knew she
would always be a dear and beloved friend. But she wasn’t Kira. She
didn’t fire his blood or make him hard with a look. She didn’t
excite or challenge him. She wasn’t the woman he loved, and he
wanted to spend every moment he was still free with Kira, gorge
himself on her until honor demanded he give her up.

Except he couldn’t. He couldn’t give up
Kira.

The documents were near completion, the
advisors for both kingdoms going over them one final time.
Twenty-five years in the making and the desire of two powerful
monarchies, this marriage would mean nothing but good things for
both kingdoms.

But it would also mean living without his
heart, becoming a shell of a man who knew duty and nothing but. He
would become cold and calculating, one who talked about odds and
advantages and discounted feelings and magic. He would become
bitter, envious of anyone who had the good fortune to live their
lives with joy and happiness and who could balance duty and
desire.

He would become his father.

Scales slid from his eyes and the man before
him became simply that, a man. The king was gone, and so was his
father. Only the man remained. And the man was a good ruler who
cared about his kingdom, but he was hard always, even when soft
would be better. He was rigid with no give. He was never, ever
happy. He found no joy in the world around him and could not see
the joy in others.

It was a cold, hard existence, and Seth did
not want it.

He loved his people. He was proud to be their
prince, and he was prepared to offer sacrifices to be the best
leader possible, but he was not prepared to give up his heart.

He would not give up Kira.

He opened his mouth to tell his father.

“Father, I need to speak to you.” Rosamund’s
voice cut through the room, the shock at the normally quiet girl’s
very loud request stopping people in their tasks.

King Matthias rose. “Rosamund, what is the
meaning of this? That is no way to enter a room.”

“Father, I will not agree to this marriage. I
will not marry Prince Seth.”

Expressions on those around the room went
from shocked to dumbfounded. He looked to Kira, who was looking
back at him. Her expression mirrored the others, save the small
sliver of—hope?—that existed in hers.

“What nonsense is this?” Matthias’ voice went
deeper in his anger. “You do not dictate to me.”

“I’m not going to marry him.” The tone and
the volume were lower, but the resolution in Rosamund’s voice spoke
to her strength, the solid core that let her survive alone and with
the curse always hovering. “His heart is not mine, and after all he
has done for me, I will not condemn him to a loveless marriage. So
tear up those contracts.”