Tempted by a Rogue Prince (38 page)

“Rosalind, what is it?” He drew her closer, wrapping one arm around her waist and palming the back of her head with the other, holding it to his chest. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, breathed her in, and closed his eyes, savouring the feel of her against him and how she sought comfort from him.

Her arms looped around his waist and her hands pressed into his upper back, clutching at him, as if she feared he would let her go. Never.

They would be together forever.

She drew back, her hands trembling against him. The tears lining her eyes tore at his heart and he released her head and captured one with his fingertip. The diamond drop glittered at him.

“Little Wild Rose, speak to me,” he whispered and she swallowed hard.

Her eyebrows furrowed and her lips parted.

“Vail… there’s something I have to tell you…”

A shudder went through the forest and through Vail.

He stilled, every muscle tensing and bone locking as a shadow swept over the land and nature receded.

The blossoms in the trees faded, their light dying, and the glowing insects stuttered and disappeared.

Rosalind looked around them as the forest plunged into darkness and pressed closer to him. “Vail, what’s happening?”

Her magic rose, brushing over his skin, pushing at his control. He ground his teeth and held it together, refusing to succumb to the darkness and the despicable things it whispered to him. She was afraid, not out to harm him. Her power meant to protect her, not control him.

He meant to protect her too.

“We must move. Demons have entered the forest.” He grabbed her hand and began running with her, crashing through the shrubs with her stumbling along behind him.

She found her stride and kept up with him, her magic rising still. She muttered beneath her breath and it grew stronger. A bright light burst into life off to his left, where she was, and he flinched away from it as it dampened his vision. The glowing blue orb shot ahead of them, lighting their path. Vail growled at the spell and forced himself to keep running in that direction as every instinct he possessed said to turn around and head the other way, away from the magic.

“It won’t harm you. I won’t harm you, Vail,” Rosalind said, out of breath already. He could sense the strain in her as they sprinted, a reminder that she was close to a mortal in speed and stamina. “I don’t want to upset you, but if those demons catch up, then I will use my magic to protect you. I’m not letting anything happen to you. Not on my watch.”

He growled, swept her into his arms and teleported, landing just short of the blue orb that raced ahead of them, illuminating the way.

“Vail, no. You’ll weaken yourself teleporting me with—”

He cut her off by teleporting again, reappearing further along the path. A tree loomed directly ahead and he barely managed to avoid it, teleporting again to a clearing. His knees wobbled on landing.

“Vail. Put me down. I can run… we can run. You need your strength.” She pushed at his chest and he didn’t have any choice but to comply with her demands because he didn’t have the strength to keep hold of her.

His muscles ached, body trembling as it struggled to heal the effects of teleporting with her. He silently cursed her for being so powerful.

“Can you use a spell to transport yourself?” He fought to catch his breath.

She nodded.

“Then do so.”

Her eyes widened and she grabbed his shoulders. “No. You won’t know where I’ve gone. We’ll be separated. I’m not leaving you. We can fight together.”

Stubborn, defiant, brave little ki’ara.

He shook his head and met her gaze, holding it and wishing he could agree to those demands.

“I will not let you fight.” He reached out and brushed his knuckles across her cheek.

“I told you, I won’t harm you with my magic. I swear, Vail.” She clutched his hand and held it to her face, her blue eyes begging him to listen to her.

He smiled. “Your magic is not the reason I will not let you fight, Rosalind. I will not let you fight because I do not want you to go through that grief and guilt again. I want to spare you that pain… so I will fight for you.”

A slight smile tugged at her rosy lips. “Thank you… but if it comes down to it, I will fight, whether you like it or not. At least let me help in the ways that I can.”

She held both of her hands out in front of her and he felt her magic rising again, growing even stronger as it came to the fore. He nodded and she pressed her palms to his chest, her hands warming his black armour where they connected. Her magic crawled over him and he didn’t fight it. He allowed it to seep into his flesh and down to his bones, healing him and gifting him with strength.

Rosalind whispered words he didn’t understand and withdrew her hands. She took a few steps backwards, placing distance between them, and closed her eyes. Her blonde hair fluttered around her shoulders and her lips moved silently, forming words. She turned her hands palms upwards and lowered her head. Twin pinpricks of light glittered into existence above her palms and grew. They split into two and each of those into two again, and then two again, their brightness chasing back the darkness and stinging his eyes.

She lifted her head and opened her eyes, staring straight at him. Silver sparkled in the blue of her irises, illuminating them.

She mouthed another word.

The bright purple orbs shot off in all directions, three of them whizzing around him.

Darkness descended again.

Rosalind wavered on her feet and he caught her before she collapsed, tucking her against his side.

“What spell was that?” He slowly became aware of the fact that she had used high-level magic around him and he hadn’t felt the darkness pushing at him. He had felt only awe at her power and the beauty of it.

“Trackers,” she murmured and sagged against him. “Scanning the forest.”

She felt weak in his arms, frail and vulnerable, and every male instinct he possessed demanded that he protect her and take her somewhere safe, where the demons would never find her.

“These trackers are linked to you?”

She nodded.

“Got to control them.” She stiffened against him and then swiftly turned in his arms and clutched his shoulders, her sparkling blue-silver eyes locking with his and her fear shooting through him. “Too many demons, Vail. Coming from all directions. We must go. Now. I will slow them down.”

“No!” he barked.

Bright purple light blazed in the distance, massive orbs of it exploding from the trees and shaking the earth.

Nature bared her fangs at Vail.

Rosalind cried out and he covered her mouth, silencing her scream of agony.

He growled. “Sever the spell, Rosalind, and do it now.”

She slumped in his arms, out cold. Vail could smell the demon blood pervading the forest, could feel nature’s wrath over the destruction of her beauty. Rosalind had failed to tell him the truth of her spell. The orbs had been more than trackers. They had been missiles.

He cursed her, lifted her into his arms and ran with her through the forest, his senses on high alert.

They were closing in on the edge of the forest. Once there, he could keep teleporting vast distances until they hit the edge of the Fifth Realm. Hopefully, they could walk through the border, but if they couldn’t, Rosalind might be able to use her magic to reverse the spell. He looked down at her in his arms. If she woke.

He clutched her closer and broke out of the woods and onto the black plain stretching for miles around it, and skidded to a halt.

They formed a line four warriors deep and one hundred warriors wide before him, blocking his path.

Too many for him to handle alone.

Too many for him to fight while Rosalind lay unconscious and vulnerable.

Bruan stepped forwards, his green helmet rising like a thorny crown atop his head, and sneered at him, flashing fangs. He hefted his broadsword onto his thickly-muscled bare shoulder and growled.

“Surrender, Prince Vail, and I will consider sparing the witch.”

Vail hissed, baring his fangs, his pointed ears extending and flattening against the sides of his head. He mentally commanded his black armour to complete itself, forming his spiked helmet. The black scales thickened and smoothed as they crawled up his neck and across his head, coming to a point over his nose and flaring back into several dragon-like horns.

He clutched Rosalind to him with one arm and threw his other one forwards, sending a dozen demons flying through the air. The rest roared and broke rank, barrelling towards him and knocking their king in the process. Bruan’s black leathery wings erupted from his back and he unleashed a furious snarl as he began to grow in size, his painted white horns curling around and flaring forwards beside his temples.

Vail teleported.

He landed in the middle of the glade near the lake and set Rosalind down against the gentle slope of a tree trunk.

“Wake up, Little Wild Rose,” he whispered and she murmured. He gently caressed her cheek, his focus split between her and the woods around them, scouring it for a sign the demons were coming.

They were still in the forest. He could sense the disturbance in nature they caused and the trees still refused to bloom and light the woods.

Rosalind’s eyelids fluttered and he breathed a sigh as she lifted them and looked up at him. The haze in them quickly evaporated, replaced by sharpness and a glimmer of horror.

“Breathe, Little Wild Rose.” Vail rubbed her shoulders, monitoring her colliding emotions and her rocketing heartbeat. “You did what was necessary to protect us but now you will allow me to do what I feel is necessary… you will not fight. You will only use your power to protect yourself. Do you understand?”

She began to nod.

“How sweet.” The deep male voice rumbled through the woods and Vail looked over his shoulder at Bruan where he stood flanked by four large warriors and growled. “Perhaps I will seize the witch and use her as I had intended… to control you and have you take the elf kingdom for me.”

Vail shot to his feet, turning at the same time to face Bruan. “Never. I will never allow you to harm my people.”

“
Your
people?” Bruan laughed. “You already harmed them more than I ever could, Mad Elf Prince.”

Vail snarled at him and called his twin black blades into his hands.

“You are weak. I will defeat you here, seize your whore mate, and you will follow my orders if you want her to live. You will take your kingdom.” Bruan twisted his broadsword, clutched it in both hands, and pointed it at Vail. “You will kill your brother.”

Rosalind clambered to her feet behind him. “Don’t listen to him, Vail. You’re strong. We can defeat him and we will be free.”

No one controlled him.

He was free.

He was master.

He would defeat this wretched demon and send him back to the Devil.

V
ail teleported and dropped out of the air behind King Bruan, landing silently on the soft short grass. He immediately kicked off, taking on the largest of the demon warriors escorting the king. The enormous dark-haired male snarled, his green eyes flashing fire, and swung his immense broadsword at Vail.

Light traced over Vail’s body and he disappeared again, reappearing behind the male. He swept his twin black blades down the demon’s back. The demon arched forwards, roaring as blood burst from the deep wounds and he stumbled into his comrade. Vail growled in satisfaction and attacked again, not giving the male a chance to recover. Their size and strength made them formidable foes at the best of times, and Vail was still weak from teleporting Rosalind a great distance. He couldn’t afford to give them a chance to attack him.

He thrust forwards with one blade. The second demon struck it with his broadsword, knocking it upwards, the force of the blow ringing through Vail’s sword and numbing his hand through his armour.

Vail lashed out with his other black blade, plunging it deep into the first male’s back and straight out of his stomach. He yanked it sideways, splitting the male open, and teleported just as the second demon struck again.

Vail reappeared a short distance away in time to see the male’s broadsword strike the grass where he had been standing, a blow that would have taken him down, giving the demons the opportunity to capture him. He snarled and the slats on his helmet came forwards, covering the lower half of his face.

His armour was strong against their weapons, but they could still knock him unconscious. He needed to be more careful.

For Rosalind’s sake.

She stood with her back pressed against a tree, muttering a spell that formed a shimmering bubble around her, protecting her from the other two demons heading her way.

Vail growled, sent his blades away and rushed the one nearest him, tackling the male to the ground and teleporting with him. He reappeared high above the forest, pressed his feet to the demon’s stomach, and used every ounce of his strength in a kick that propelled the male back to earth at a staggering speed. A portal formed beneath the demon but not soon enough. He crashed into a tree, sending leaves bursting into the air.

The world came rushing up towards Vail. He fell backwards through the air, his focus on Rosalind, and teleported at the last minute, appearing between her and the other demon. He kicked off and called his blades to his hands. The male blocked his first strike with the black leather and metal vambrace protecting his right forearm and launched a fist at him. Vail ducked beneath it and grunted when the male’s unseen uppercut connected hard with his stomach, launching him into the air and knocking the wind from him.

“Vail!” Rosalind broke cover and shot a spell at the demon who had struck him, sending the male spinning through the air and into the trees.

Vail teleported and appeared in the male’s path. He slashed with both blades as the demon reached him, slicing straight through his neck and sending his head toppling across the grass.

King Bruan roared.

Rosalind screamed.

Vail’s heart stopped.

He snarled and teleported back to the glade. Rosalind fought hard, blasting spell after spell at the three demon males and clutching her side. Blood dripped from between her fingers.