The Emerald Prince (13 page)

He straightened and looked directly at Elliot, his dark eyes challenging. He hadn’t changed at all, a fact that would have thrilled and amused Blaine under different circumstances.

Elliot managed to maintain his composure even though Arayo was obviously trying to provoke him. “Maybe we should continue this discussion in private.”

“That would probably be for the best,” Arayo said.

Elliot led Arayo into the keep with Blaine and the other soldiers following closely behind. Their quarters had been prepared the day before so Elliot took Arayo to the sitting room of his chambers.

Unfortunately, it was the same room Blaine had stayed in seven years earlier. Every inch of the room held memories of the time he and Arayo had spent together. To have Arayo once again in that room made him seem like a living ghost.

As Arayo took a seat, Elliot stopped all but Blaine from entering the room. “Sir Charles, you and your men may tend to your duties. Blaine and I will be fine.”

The commander didn’t look particularly convinced as the doors slammed shut in his face.

“Aren’t you afraid I might try to kill you, Savage Prince?” This wasn’t the Arayo Blaine had left behind, but it was one he remembered. All the hate his love had undone was back with a ferociousness and left to simmer and grow over time. Arayo was a man shaped by circumstance, but Blaine was just happy he got to grow into a man at all.

Blaine suddenly realized Arayo hadn’t shown any sign of recognition towards him. No look of surprise. No lovelorn stare.

Have I changed so much that he doesn’t even recognize me anymore?

The warrior’s focus remained squarely on Elliot who began the conversation with, “I thought you’d be a woman.”

“And give you another chance to defile that which is most sacred? Never. You may have no regard for your women, but they are creators of life. They speak for the Great Mother. They are meant to be honored and respected.”

Blaine’s shame deepened. From Arayo’s perspective, they may as well have been in this keep raping the High Priestess. Their actions were nothing less than damnable.

Elliot softly sighed. “You have no idea how sorry I am for the actions of my soldiers. That is part of the reason I wish to push for peace, so something like this never happens again.”

“The men that hurt Nan, are they dead?”

The prince remained silent.

“Not sorry enough then.”

“Are you here to negotiate or just to inform us why you’ll be attacking at the first available opportunity?”

“I belong to the Matriarch. I can negotiate on behalf of my people, but I know the weight your promises carry. I will not be swayed easily.” For the first time since his arrival, Arayo looked directly at Blaine.

The knight wanted to blurt out how he would have kept his promise. How he would have come back if only he’d known. But with Elliot already doubting his feelings, he didn’t want to think about the complications if Elliot knew about his past with Arayo.

“Belong to her? Do you mean you’re her slave?” Elliot asked.

“You would assume that.” Arayo pressed his lips together, refusing to say more on the subject.

Blaine couldn’t help but answer. He remember all the times Arayo looked at him with those piercing eyes and said, “I belong to you.”

“They don’t have marriage like we do. To love someone is to live in service to their happiness. He means he’s committed to her.”

Elliot glanced over his shoulder at Blaine and playfully teased. “Does that mean you belong to me then?”

Always.
Blaine gestured towards Arayo. “Focus on your negotiations.”

Elliot straightened in his chair as if he suddenly remembered where he was and what he was doing.

“The two of you? The two of you are married?” There was a slight edge to Arayo’s voice.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Elliot said.

“For how long?”

Arayo must have thought Blaine had been forced to marry Elliot and that’s why he never came back.

“A few weeks. Why?”

Blaine took a step forward. “I thought you were dead. My father told me he had all the workers killed and then sent me to Fezam.”

“After you left, I went home to see my parents. One of my cousins took my place in the stables. I wasn’t here for the massacre.”

“What massacre?” Elliot looked back and forth at them. “You two know each other?”

“I worked in the stables when Blaine was commander here.” Arayo’s answer was true, but measured.

“We were lovers,” Blaine added.

Elliot face twitched as he said, “Blaine, would you please excuse us.”

The knight wanted to protest, but the way the prince asked through gritted teeth made him realize his only option was to obey and quickly.

Blaine stood in the hallway, halfway between two floors, straining to hear.

At first, all he could make out was the steady murmur of conversation. Arayo must have said something upsetting because Elliot shouted, “That’s not fair!”

Blaine could just imagine Elliot’s unpracticed princely composure fading as they talked terms. Would he be able to make it through negotiations?

A few hours later, laughter grabbed Blaine’s attention. He imagined they were discussing him, a thought that made him shift uncomfortably.

Time slowly ticked away until Blaine heard the door opening.

Elliot came bounding down the stairs. “It’s done. See him safely out of the keep. I figured you wanted a chance to say goodbye in private.”

“We were together years ago, long before I even knew you.”

Elliot’s brow creased with confusion. “Wait. You think I’m angry because you have a past? I was busy having a past two days before we were married. So no, my anger didn’t stem from an irrational jealousy.”

“Then what did I do?”

“The moment you saw him, you should have told me you knew him. You made me look like a fool. Don’t ever do that again.”

Blaine swept Elliot up in his arms. The prince was just so sexy when he was demanding. He kissed Elliot on the lips. “I’m sorry. I promise next time we run into one of my ex-lovers, I’ll tell you immediately. Do you forgive me?”

Elliot gave Blaine a half smile as he caressed his cheek. “Yes. Now go see to Arayo. I’ll go update Sir Charles on what’s going on.”

Blaine headed upstairs, pausing at the door. That man. That room. Too much of his past jammed into one place.

With a deep breath, Blaine stepped inside the room. Arayo’s expression had softened. He even smiled as he asked, “How have you been?”

How have you been? As good a place to start as any, I guess.

“I’m well. And you?”

“Well, Azima, the Matriarch, has blessed me with two beautiful, healthy sons.”

Arayo was a father. Blaine couldn’t help but smile. His Arayo was so alive. A wife. Children. A legacy. Blaine had often fought the image of Arayo’s young body rotting away in a mass unmarked grave.

Now he imagined him teaching his sons how to hunt. “That’s wonderful. I’m very happy for you.”

“The prince, do you belong to him? I noticed you didn’t answer before.”

Arayo had been dismayed to learn Entians could marry without being in love. For Ghas, there was no other bond. If there was no love, there was no union.

“Yes, I belong to him. Every piece of me.”

“Then I am happy for you too.”

Blaine took a seat near Arayo and sighed. “I’m not sure the feeling will ever be mutual though.”

“You will win him. I can tell from the way he talks about you. He pretended not to care, but he was afraid I’d say something to hurt you.”

Blaine loved the thought of Elliot trying to protect him. “Did the two of you come to an agreement?”

“It’s quite radical, but we did. And it’ll work if he keeps his word.”

“He will,” Blaine said with confidence. “No matter how difficult, he’ll do it. That’s one of the things I love about him. While I see the world how it is, he sits in his tower and dreams of how it could be.”

“A horrible trait in a leader.”

Blaine shrugged. “Maybe. But it’s a wonderful trait in a man.”

After their conversation, Blaine took Arayo back to the top of the keep where they lowered him down the wall.

As Blaine watched Arayo vanish into the distance, he hoped Elliot’s plan worked and they’d once again have peace. He’d like to one day be able to meet Arayo’s family.

Chapter Twenty Five

Elliot sat at the table across from Blaine, pushing food around on his plate.

“Stop sulking. You’ve made your choice. Now you’re just going to have to live with it.”

“Living with it. That’s the problem. People with no head can’t
live
with anything.”

Blaine sighed. “Stop saying that. Your father isn’t going to kill you. Maybe if Victoria was a boy, but you’re his only son. He may throw you in the dungeon for a while, but don’t worry, I’ll bring you blankets and food.”

Elliot glared as Blaine tried not to smile. In his heart, Elliot knew he’d done the right thing when he promised Storm’s Edge and its neighboring lands to the Ghas. There was no reason the Ghas should be forced to live caged when there was plenty of good, unused land on the other side of the valley.

And Elliot did not let the land go easily. The Matriarch and the leader of each tribe would have to pledge their loyalty to the crown, becoming subjects of the kingdom. If anything should ever happen to Blaine or Elliot and the kingdom fell into civil war, the king would have a Ghas army in his service that had been personally wronged by the Ryndens.

It was a good trade. The only problem was, Elliot didn’t have the authority to promise what was effectively a lordship to the Matriarch, handing over a portion of the kingdom for her to govern. So instead, he was pulling the men from Storm’s Edge and turning around the approaching army. Giving the Ghas such a foothold, the king would be forced to agree to Elliot’s terms or risk his army breaking on his own keep.

An action that was unquestionably treasonous. Elliot picked up his goblet and drained it of wine. Beheading. It would be beheading. And not some sloppy job by an axeman. His father would hire a fine swordsman to make sure it was done cleanly. Blaine would cry, maybe even break things in his helpless rage. Victoria wouldn’t cry, at least not in public. She’d keep her chin up, only averting her eyes at the last minute to not see the death blow.

“You’re still imagining your death aren’t you?”

Elliot took the wine bottle and refilled his goblet. “No.”

“I can see it on your face. I’ve already told you. There is no point in worrying. You’ve already made the arrangements.” Blaine walked behind Elliot and began rubbing his shoulders. His firm, steady grip made Elliot want to melt in his hands.

“What are you doing?” Elliot stammered.

“I believe it’s called: Learning from the Master. Using sex to manipulate people and get what you want.”

“What is it that you want?”

Blaine leaned down and captured Elliot’s ear lobe between his lips, eliciting a groan from the prince before answering. “I want to know how you feel. How you really feel.”

That was easy, no secret there. “I feel like I’m soon to die.”

Blaine slipped his arm behind Elliot’s knees and lifted him from the chair, carrying him to the bed. “I meant about me. I want to know how you feel about me. And I’m going to tease every inch of you until you’re honest with me.”

Elliot rolled his eyes as he watched Blaine slowly unclasp his jacket. If the knight hoped to pull anything out of him this way, he had a hard lesson coming. There was nothing Blaine could do to make him submit. The knight might have been skilled with the sword, but this was Elliot’s battlefield.

Elliot reached up to cup Blaine’s face, pulling him close for a slow, sensual kiss. The knight pushed his hands away and continued to undress them both. He seemed determined to maintain control of the situation. But Elliot wasn’t having it.

After they were both naked, Elliot ran his fingers leisurely across Blaine’s hip, enjoying the feel of his hard bronze body. Blaine countered by running his tongue across Elliot’s chest, capturing a nipple between his lips and flicking his tongue over it.

Elliot bit his lip to keep from groaning as Blaine kissed his way down the prince’s chest. His erection already dripping with eager expectation. But Blaine ignored his hardness, instead focusing on his thighs, kissing and sucking between his legs. The knight’s wavy, dark hair pressed against the bottom of his aching length.

But Elliot wouldn’t give in, not so easily. The knight could tease him for eternity. He wouldn’t start blubbering on like a lovesick poet just to get a blow job. His body relaxed in the face of his resolve. Whatever the knight did, he wouldn’t win this, as Arayo would put it:

He belongs to me.

With little warning, Elliot found himself face down on the bed. Blaine flipped him over as if he weighed nothing and continued kissing and nibbling the flesh of his thighs. Something about being on his stomach made Elliot feel more vulnerable, more exposed. Maybe it was the shock of being flipped over without warning — or regard. Maybe it was because he could no longer see what Blaine was doing. Whatever the reason, his new position bothered him.

Not being able to see the knight made his every movement more intense, since the only sense he had left to go by was touch. Every flick of his tongue was amplified.

Elliot’s heart started racing as Blaine began working his way back up, lovingly kissing his butt, as his hands gripped his hips, holding him steady.

The prince froze as Blaine ran his tongue across his ass crack. But when the knight licked him deeper, all of Elliot’s resolve crumbled to dust. He gripped the pillows to his chest, trying to retain some modicum of control as Blaine’s ever-so-skilled tongue sent him reeling.

His member pulsated under him as he unconsciously humped the bed, attempting to find the slightest relief. He was completely lost when suddenly Blaine stopped.

Elliot snapped around, glaring at the knight who sat up and said, “I think we should talk about your feelings.”