Page 76 of Somber Prince

Playing with a loose strand of my hair, he ran his gaze over my face. There was no longer any unease in his expression when our eyes met, just warmth and tenderness that sent tingles of pleasure through me.

“When it comes to humans, nothing is ‘common,’” he said. “Your kind is so new to our world. There are no traditions yet.”

There were only forty-two of us here. The first group arrived just over a month ago?—

Suddenly, a realization hit me.

“Rha,” I breathed out, afraid to hope again. “If crossing the River of Mists to our world affects time, does it also work the same when coming here? When two different portals are used? I mean, could the people that came here last month have been taken thirteen years before my group was?”

“Yes.” That one simple word said in his quiet, even voice sounded like an explosion between my ears.

Ciana could be here, after all. She could’ve been here, in Alveari Kingdom, all this time.

I leaped to my feet. My sandals slid in the sand on the marble patio tiles, almost sending me back onto his lap.

“What is it, Dawn?” Rha got up too.

“Oh my God, Rha…” I tried to pace, but attached to him by his tendrils, I didn’t make it far, spinning to face him again. “Do you know what that means?”

He spread his arms aside with a faint smile. “No, my treasure, I do not.”

“My cousin was taken thirteen years ago from the very same place where the shadows came for us. I asked about that. But was told that the last and only known portal was opened just a month ago. You see? I asked the wrong question.” I groaned, slapping my forehead with my hand. “I didn’t know about the time warp thing then.” I grabbed his forearms, digging my fingers into his skin. “Rha, do you know if one of your mother’s Joy Vessels is named Ciana? She’d be… Gosh, she’d be younger than me now, because of that time thing. A beautiful woman, with a most gorgeous smile. She had thin, long, pink braids the day she was taken. And her skin is dark, but not like yours. It’s brown, not black…” Hope rushed over me, strong like a current. I could barely breathe, panting. “Please tell me she’s here.”

Could that be true? Was Ciana here in Nerifir? Was it possible, after all the losses in my life, to get my cousin back?

Unfortunately, Rha shook his head.

“I left Kalmena more than eight years ago, Dawn, and haven’t been back since. I know the queen received the first group of Joy Vessels from your world, but I never met them and don’t know their names.”

“Is there a way to find out? Can I ask Princess Alzali, maybe?”

A muscle in his jaw ticked at my mentioning of his cousin’s name.

“I’d rather you don’t speak to her.”

“Why not?”

“Alzali has a way to pry out more information than she gives, even when she’s not the one asking questions. I’ll tell you what.” He wrapped his arms around me. “I’ll speak to her myself. I’ll be able to get what you need from her faster and hopefully with less damage to us.”

“Thank you…” I pressed both hands to my chest, my heart racing in a wild gallop. “Oh, Rha, what if it’s true? What if my cousin is really here?”

“I wish for it to be true.” He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “And if your cousin is really one of the queen’s Joy Vessels, I’ll find a way for you to see her. Even if I have to beg my mother for an audience in Kalmena.”

I took his face between my hands. “You’ll do it? For me?”

My heart overflowed with gratitude. My chest expanded with too many emotions twirling in a twister. I didn’t stop to analyze them all before pulling him down for a kiss.

He obliged, eagerly meeting my lips with a gentle caress. His arms tightened around me. He inhaled deeply, breathing me in. His hand cupped my breast. The pad of his thumb circled my nipple, making it instantly hard. Desire pulsed through my body.

“Fascinating.” The look in his eyes turned heavy with lust—my lust. “It’ll never cease to amaze me how my touching your body brings such tantalizing sensations in you.”

With increased confidence, he slid my robe and my sleeping gown off my shoulders, baring my breasts. The sun had set. The cooling air of the night brushed against my skin, pebbling my nipples.

The window to the sitting room suddenly opened wider. Two servants with brooms paused in the window frame, staring at us in hesitation. With a gasp, I threw my arms over my chest, my face flushing with mortification.

“Leave,” Rha snapped at them, grinding his teeth. “Don’t you dare come back here again.”

Bowing their heads, the servants slipped away silently, taking their brooms with them.

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