Prince of Shadows (19 page)

Kendra knelt on the tiled floor of the bathroom, clutching her crushed cell phone in a panic. Silas was on his way, and she couldn’t intercept him. She needed more time. Time to heal the wounds between her past and Cale’s House. Time to mend the tenuous trust she’d broken with her failure to recognize where her desires led. Time to make a stand for the startling truths she’d recognized in the past few hours.

She was mated to the heir of the beast who’d destroyed her family. Despite the confusions and conflicts that made the situation less than ideal, she was
exactly
where she wanted to be. Hurt feelings and disappointed hopes had no place next to that revelation. They needed to be quickly addressed so she could concentrate upon the one thing that mattered: building a future with her prince. But that future wouldn’t stand if things escalated to war between hearts and households.

There was no more time for reflection. Only time to act.

After washing up quickly at the sink, Kendra pushed through her wardrobe, impatient with the drab and nondescript that no longer suited someone who’d been taken on her hands and knees in the woods, and had delighted in the wildness of it. She found a deep crimson dress with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt that would sweep the top of her lace-up boots. The gravity of the moment required jewelry, so she pulled down her case.

And was ready to claim her prince.

“Where is he?”

Tony straightened away from the side of the Escalade where he was leaning. “Up at the lodge.”

Kendra rushed by him, raising her hand when he started to speak. “Don’t try to stop me. Keep up if you’re coming along.”

“Princess, he’s in a meeting with his family. You can’t interrupt them.” He fell in beside her, making no attempt to slow her down. Was he trying to hide a smile?

“I’m the topic of their discussion. Trust me, Tony. I need to be there. He needs me to be there.” Before disaster struck.

She refused to be waylaid outside the great hall by Bram’s mammoth bodyguard. While Tony ran interference for her, Kendra slipped through and had started across the vast open space when Bull’s meaty hand clamped her elbow, pulling her up sharply.

“Take your hand off her, or I will remove it permanently.”

Cale’s command boomed like thunder through the cavernous room. He moved to his father’s side but didn’t need that position to give weight to his words. He was all bristling hostility wrapped in a dangerously compressed package.

Bull looked to the Terriot leader and, at his faint nod, released her.

Kendra continued to where Cale stood at the far side of the room, aware of the disapproving stares that followed her. Females had no place in their business dealings, and her presence was as unwanted as it was unprecedented. She paid no attention to their glowers. Her focus was on Cale.

He betrayed nothing of his thoughts, his posture tense. His greeting was cool. “This is no place for you. What are you doing here?”

Kendra sank to her knees at his feet, his hand clutched between hers. She spoke softly, but her words were clear enough to be heard by those close by.

“Forgive me, my prince. I couldn’t let you think I’d purposefully deceived you, not with so much in the balance. I spoke to my cousin Brigit. Perhaps I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t try to hide it.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “That’s true.”

“I didn’t know Silas was trying to contact me. I haven’t spoken to him. I promised you I wouldn’t, and I haven’t. I would never disrespect you that way. I’ve chosen you. I’m yours, my prince, now and forever.” She pressed his hand to her cheek, intending a gesture of faithfulness until his scent and heat shivered through her in an unexpected rush. Her grip tightened. Her lips moved against his palm, tongue restlessly stroking.

Cale pulled her to her feet with a harsh “Don’t do that. I will not have you on your knees unless the purpose suits us both. You shouldn’t have come here.” His stare grew dark and stormy. “What’s between us, stays between us.”

She corrected him softly. “Not when it endangers our future. If I wasn’t clear before, let me say it again. I’ve made my choice. I stand with you.”

Kendra stroked her hair back, and he simply stared at the diamond in her ear. For an instant, his eyes were just as brilliant before he lowered his head, resting his brow upon her shoulder. “You emasculate me in front of my brothers,” he murmured gruffly as her breath blew lightly against his ear.

“I think they all wish they were you, my prince.” She touched his hair and didn’t want to stop. All that pent-up longing roughened her voice as she repeated, “I am yours.”

His hands settled at her hips, briefly kneading the fabric of her dress before going very still. His words were quiet but concentrated. “Well played, Princess.”

He didn’t believe her.

He stepped back, his expression cautious once more.

Seeing that there was nothing she could do in this public venue to convince him of her sincerity, Kendra turned to sink down at Bram’s feet. With her head lowered so he wouldn’t see how difficult it was for her to make that humbling move, she murmured, “I beg your forgiveness, too, my king. I shouldn’t have trespassed, but I was concerned my actions might have been seen as disloyalty.”

“A very pretty apology, my dear. You honor us in your acceptance of my son. But you’re not yet bonded. What’s to keep your cousin from demanding your return?”

She lifted her head, meeting his suspicion with unblinking directness. “I’ve given my word and pledged my allegiance. That’s always meant something . . . in my family.”

He put out his hand, giving her no choice but to place hers within it. His fingers were cold and closed with cruel pressure about hers.

“You’d do well to listen to Cale and obey him. You could be a great asset to our House or become a liability, as members of your family have before you. Would you fail to serve your king, as they did, and force Cale to deal with you as I did them?”

The very thought made her pale, but her voice was steady. “I serve my prince in all things.”

Bram’s stare widened. He glanced at Cale, then back to her. “Where did you get that diamond?”

“Cale gave it to me. I wear it as his mate.”

“
When
did he give it to you?”

“A long time ago, my king. I had no reason to wear it until now.” She looked quickly at Cale, who was watching them with an uneasy frown. The painful squeeze to her fingers returned her attention to his father. She struggled not to betray a discomfort that would cause Cale to intercede and put them both in greater danger than her words obviously had.

“Embrace me, child, as my daughter.”

Kendra obeyed, suffocated by the smell of sickness, of both body and soul, as his arms banded uncomfortably tight.

“Give me the diamond,” Bram demanded against her ear, his breath as hot as his temper. “Now.”

“No. Respectfully, my king.” She lowered her voice humbly. “He’s my prince. I could only return it to him if he asked.”

“And if I were to order my man to bring your cousin’s head to me on a plate, would you answer differently?”

Her reply rumbled with intensity. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Seething at her rebellious tone, Bram leaned closer to growl, “And what would stop me, little girl?”

“Your rightful heir. I’m not afraid of you, but you’d be wise to fear the truth. If Cale learns of it, it’ll be your head on that plate. Now let go of me and never threaten to harm me or my family or my prince again.”

A dangerously silent Bram released her.

Kendra rose to her feet and inclined her head graciously to her king. She went up on her toes to rub her cheek against her mate’s. Her whisper brushed his ear. “I love you, Cale.”

His footing wobbled. A quick swallow jerked along his throat, but otherwise, his expression didn’t change as she stepped back and quickly left the assembly.

Hurrying along the walk, Kendra nearly staggered with disbelief. What had possessed her to speak to Bram Terriot that way? To confront him, to defy him, to
dare
him right in front of his sons? She’d never experienced such insuppressible fury. She’d actually felt hairs rise on the back of her neck.

Was it because of her mating with Cale? Had that aggressive fervor been passed between them the way her heightened awareness of him had been?

Whatever the reason, she’d just poked a deadly beast with a sharp stick and would have to be prepared for his bite. What if those teeth went snapping after Cale? After Silas? She’d have to warn them before one of their heads was tacked up on his dining room wall the way her family’s had been.

nineteen

Kendra’s appearance had effectively ended their meeting. Cale couldn’t have been more grateful. His concentration was gone. Higher brain function had ceased with four little words.

I love you, Cale.

What did that mean? The same as when he’d said it to her? That head-over-heels, gone-baby-gone, happily-ever-after, sex-every-night-and-breakfast-every-morning-for-the-rest-of-our-lives-together love? Or was it “Sure, baby, love you, too, while I’m packing to sneak off with someone else when your back is turned”? He had no idea.

He suspected their notions about love were very different. To him it meant straightforward things:
I would die for you. I would give anything, do anything, to make you happy. I’m nothing without you
. What was behind her words?
Don’t hurt me, protect me, and I’ll tell you what you want to hear
?

He wasn’t a damned mind reader.
I love you, Cale,
and then walk away, leaving him standing there with his heart hanging out in front of his whole family? He didn’t appreciate the very public confusion.

And then there were his brothers to deal with. The sly looks. The jabs in the ribs. The explicit gestures.

He was about to slip out to demand an explanation from his new mate when Rico caught him in a headlock. “Out of the hunt, eh? Good. Opens up the field for the rest of us. This calls for a drinking lunch in town to celebrate. On me.”

The “on me” part caught the attention of the others, and soon they were arguing over who was going to drive. Cale tactfully wiggled out of Rico’s grasp with a mutter of “Give me an hour. I’ve got to clean up first.”

“Since when does it take that long to shower?” Rico leered. “If
I
had the smell of her all over me, I’d be wearing it like a designer cologne.”

Cale’s eyes went flat and black. “
You
don’t.”

His brother laughed. “We’ll pick you up. Knock first?”

“If you want to live.” Cale started for the door, eager to get home and, at the same time, apprehensive.

“Cale, a minute.”

He drew up, nerves chafing with irritation but expression carefully blank as he returned to his father’s side. “My king?”

“If you can’t control your female, I’ll have steps taken to see that she does nothing to endanger this family any further.”

Cale stiffened and said tightly, “I’ll see to my mate.”

“How is your mother?”

“My . . . ?” His pulse skipped a beat. “She’s doing well, sir.”

“It must please her to see so much of you lately.”

“She’s fond of Kendra and was a friend of her mother’s.”

“Did you think you were the only one watching over her?”

He was thinking about it now, which was his father’s intention. “Should I be worried about her safety?” His tone rolled like that approaching storm.

“Bad things happen, boy. You know that better than anyone.”

Cale’s posture squared. “If this is a threat, consider it very carefully. I’m no longer that boy who cowered when you spoke. Perhaps it’s time you started to fear me.” His voice lowered a notch. “Because if any harm comes to either one of them, you’ll have reason to.” He strode off without waiting for his father’s reaction.

The second he cleared the building, he was on the phone. “Up the watch on my mother. Tell them to be ready. Authorize any means necessary to keep her safe.”

“Yes, my prince.”

That firm guarantee didn’t make Cale feel any better. He needed to be there to take care of his own, but he couldn’t leave, with the MacCreedy business pending. He’d thrown down a challenge at his father’s feet and would have to wait for him to make that first move. And while he waited, he had the puzzle of his mate to decipher.

Cale stepped into their home warily, all senses alert, ready for any kind of emotional ambush. He moved toward the sound of water running in the other room, expecting anything but the sight of Kendra waiting for him with her pale golden hair pinned atop her head, her delectable body wrapped in a robe of brilliant blue silk. All the blinds were closed, darkening the room so that the scattering of lightly scented candles cast warm, flickering highlights over her gentle curves. Her gaze locked on his with mysterious intensity. “Your bath is almost ready.”

It took him a long beat to remember to breathe. “I’m not a tub-soaking kind of guy.”

She answered with a smile and the sexy touch of the tip of tongue to her lower lip. “Relax. You’ll like it.” She bent to turn off the faucet, giving him an unrestricted glimpse at the nothing she was wearing under the robe.

Before he could goad his suddenly overheated body into gear, Kendra circled around the huge sunken tub and approached him. There was something different in the way she moved. Something predatory. Her stare never left his, dark, unblinking, keeping him mesmerized like a beguiling serpent with its prey. Was her plan to seduce him or make a meal of him?

Or both.

She came as close to him as she could without touching, breaking that hypnotic hold as her head lowered, her face brushing against the soft knit of his sweater. He heard her breathe him in, a deep inhalation through the nose and a shivery exhale sighing through parted lips. A sound so suggestive that he feared he’d blow right then and there.

Her desire for him steamed up his nose like heat from the waiting bath. He didn’t move, afraid he’d be unable to control himself as her attention moved to the strained front of his jeans. The rasp of his zipper was inordinately loud.

She stepped back, telling him in a husky tone, “Take off your clothes.”

Cale kicked out of his boots and shucked off his sweater and jeans as Kendra disappeared into the living room. He heard glassware clinking as he went to the tub and stuck a toe in.“Oww! Are you planning to stew me for lunch?”

Lunch.
Shit!
He glanced around but didn’t see a clock. Apparently, time stood still in this sensual paradise, and at the moment, he wished that were true. An hour. Tick-tock.

Carrying two glasses, Kendra returned with the slippery stride that had his throat tight and his groin aching. He could hear the silk sighing across her thighs. Her laugh was as full-bodied as the red wine she brought to the edge of the tub.

“Ease in slow and careful,” she suggested. “It’s more comfortable if you have time to get used to it.”

Time he hadn’t given her out in the woods. He got that.

He stepped down and immersed himself in a single move, breath hissing in and out through his teeth as the hot water rose to midchest. He kept his focus on her, tipping his head back to track her as she walked behind him. He’d felt that same uneasiness when following behind his father as a child, uncertain whether he was being offered a second chance or a fitting end for his transgressions.

“What are you thinking, my prince?” she murmured softly as she set his glass on the tile beside him and continued around to the other end of the deep oval tub.

Cale took a quick drink to clear his throat. “I was remembering how you looked all damp and dripping that first time I saw you in your room, and how much I was hoping your towel would slip underneath that robe so I could see more of you.”

“You still thought of me as that skinny little girl, didn’t you?” She set down her glass, then straightened, directly across from him. She tugged on her sash and boldly let the robe drop from her shoulders, making his blood boil as hot as the bath water. “Is this what you pictured?”

He devoured her perfection, the graceful contours, the flawless fair skin, the dusky rose peaks begging attention from his lips, the alluring triangle of soft blond curls. He shook his head. “Never in a million years. Not even close.”

Her fingertips traced along the scratches he’d left on her arms, the fading pattern of bruises on her thighs. “All yours.”

His mate. To have yearned for her for so long and now have her baring herself to him, submitting to him. Too good to be true. Too good . . . to be true. “Are you? Is this real, Kendra? I keep waiting for that other shoe to kick me in the ass.”

“As real as it gets without your final mark.”

They studied each other for a long moment until Cale urged, “Come in. The water’s fine.”

“Is it?” she challenged quietly.

“I’m sorry about this morning,” Cale offered like an olive branch, then patted the surface temptingly.

Was he really? Kendra wondered as she stepped down into the tub, withholding her sigh of pleasure as the steeping water, made fragrant with green-tea bath salts, soothed aggrieved muscles. Her raw feelings weren’t so easily mollified. “Sorry for leaving me behind like a used condom?”

He blinked at her unflattering comparison and appeared chastened. “There’s that.”

She settled against the sloped side opposite him and allowed a hint of her displeasure to surface. “What else are you sorry for?”

“My premature timing.” His toes stroked lightly over the calf of her leg. “But that’s your fault.”

She pulled back, tucking her knees up so she was out of his reach. “How is it
my
fault?”

“You know I’m just an awkward adolescent in that form, and then you go off like that . . .” His voice trailed away, his eyes gleaming with a lambent glow. “I guess I’m not really all that sorry, but I
am
going to blame you.”

She took a sip of her wine. “What a prince.”

His grin had enough wattage to light up the room, making her treacherously close to caving as he patted the water beside him. “Come over here so I can tell you what else I’m sorry for.”

She hesitated, weakening. “I’m not interested in having makeup sex with you.”

Her warning only made his smile wider. He had a wonderfully wicked smile. It always melted her right down disgracefully. “Yes, you are. Come here.”

Yes, she was.

That was all Kendra had been thinking about since his uniquely enticing scent reached out to her in the main lodge. Her every pore seemed to prickle to life. Her skin itched for the texture of his against her. She craved the taste of him on her lips, on her tongue, in her mouth. Just the sight of him had her body humming with urgency.

And here he was, within reach, all sleek and naked and hard for her. Her brutally strong, fiercely proud, tantalizingly male Terriot prince. Apologizing.

Heat curled through her, desire stroking between her thighs the way he had the night before. And was not to be denied.

Take me, Cale. Love me, use me, fill me, please me.

Kendra slid to the other side of the tub into the curl of his embrace, nestling her head on his shoulder as her eyes closed. Trying not to clutch at him too desperately. “This feels nice. The water, I mean.”

A chuckle vibrated beneath her cheek. Then he got right to the humbling. “I’m sorry for the way things happened. I’d wanted to make it nice for you. I’m going to blame you for that, too.”

“Me?”

“Damn, woman, right out of the blue, you drop having sex in the woods on a man and don’t expect to stir up the animal in him? Definitely your fault.” His thumb rubbed over the cap of her shoulder in small sensual circles. “I’m sorry if I hurt you. I hope it wasn’t too unpleasant. I never meant it to be.”

She said nothing, letting him fret over that for a moment as she rode his heavy sigh.

“We’re mated now,” he murmured.

Kendra had expected that announcement to come with a good deal of possessive gloating, but his tone was brooding. She let her fingers graze along his ribs, feeling his skin tighten beneath her touch. “Did you like it this time?”

He made that unbearably sexy contented sound. “Like having heaven open and hearing angels call my name. You?”

“I wouldn’t call it a religious experience. More like having the ground tear apart and swallow me alive.”

“Oh.” He hesitated at her violent description. “I’d hoped it was something you’d remember fondly. Do I need to keep apologizing?”

Kendra considered letting him suffer a bit longer, then relented with a candid “No, my prince. It was earth-shattering, and I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”

The tension, the
relief
trembled out of him on his next breath. An arrogantly pleased noise rumbled through his chest, making her want to swat him. And then take him. Over and over.

“Does that make things different?” he ventured with more obnoxiously male confidence. “Does it make you hate me a little less? Like me even a little bit? Want to—”

“I want to have wild naughty sex with you.”

“Definitely a change for the better.”

“Cale? Would you kiss me?”

He didn’t respond for a second that seemed to stretch out to a lifetime. Then he notched a finger under her chin to tip up her head. There was still a shadow of caution in his eyes, making her heart break to know how badly she’d hurt him. But he bent to touch his mouth to hers. A very light, almost chaste brush before he leaned his head back against the lip of the tub and closed his eyes.

Nothing had changed. He was still holding back, not quite believing what he was seeing or hearing.

Time to step further outside her passive comfort zone to do some convincing. Time to stop being the reluctantly pursued and become the aggressive pursuer. To claim what she wanted before she lost him to distance and doubt.

Kendra slipped her leg across both his so she was straddling his hips, her nude body easing over his. The sensations, so new and exciting, the feel of her breasts flattening against his hard chest as the powerful length of him pushed along her belly, the silky water flowing over and around them, making her so aroused she could hardly stand it.

His hands slid up the backs of her thighs until they were dangerously, temptingly close to her aching center. He held her still when she tried to position herself above him. “It’s too soon,” he protested with difficulty, his hands kneading restlessly.

She nipped at his jaw, at his neck, letting her teeth sink into his shoulder until he groaned and shuddered, then licking the indentations away as she began an urgent rocking. “I want you, Cale. I want to be everything you need.”

“You are, baby,” he promised huskily. “But it’s only been a few hours since our mating. You’re going to need more time.”