Page 25 of Forbidden Royal Vows

Because he was there, right where she’d told him to be.

Better yet, he was lounging against the wall of the tunnel that wound down for a mile or two and came out in an abandoned tomb in the nearby village. And even here, in the faint light from that single far-off bulb, Caius looked...

Perfect, Mila thought.

Rakish and beautiful and his gaze met hers, bright and hot, and warmed through with that particular spell work that was only his.

That same gleaming dragon deep within her stirred, and its tail seemed to snake through her, sending sensation spinning into every last cell.

“I feel like a spy,” he told her, with that grin that suggested he quite liked that idea.

“You are now in possession of state secrets,” she told him. “Use your power wisely.”

“I think you know I always do.”

And they were both smiling too much, Mila thought. She actually felt giddy and that could only be dangerous, because she couldn’t pretend it was something to do with the pent-up air down here.

It was her. It was him.

It was the fact that he had suggested he join her here and she had immediately figured out how he could.

And here he was.

Giddy barely covered it.

Mila tried to cover up her reaction by motioning for him to come in. He did, with his usual nonchalance and nothing but a bag slung over one shoulder. She started fussing around with the bolts and the locks again, before she realized that all she’d done was leave them both crowded on top of each other.

At the bottom of a spiral stone stair.

With only the faintest little bit of light.

She cleared her throat. “The tunnels were built a very long time ago,” she told him as if this was a tour of the September House that he had signed up for, the way tourists could do at the palace. “They have been used in any number of wars and minor skirmishes, as you can imagine. It is never a bad idea be difficult to find when people are calling for your head, or for a revolution, or are looking for simple and effective way to occupy a country.”

“I always thought of the kingdom as somehow above the whims of war or invading armies,” Caius said.

“We would like to be,” she replied. “The tunnels help. So do the mountains.”

And she was afraid, suddenly, that he would be able to hear her heart pounding in her chest if she stayed still any longer. Mila turned abruptly, as if she had never had a lesson in comportment in her life, headed back up the stairs. Sprinted back the stairs, more like.

She cautioned herself to slow down, but she felt as if she was some kind of mythological creature, granted a wish. All she had to do was lead Caius up from the underworld.

Mila wanted to glance back, but she didn’t dare. Everyone knew what happened if she did.

Back in the main part of the house, she found herself buffeted by the strangest feelings. And it took her some while to realize that she felt...out of place. As if she didn’t quite know what to do with herself.

The moment she identified that sensation, she very nearly laughed. Because she couldn’t recall feeling like that in a long, long time.

And the last time she had, she had been setting out on the adventure that would lead her to him.

“Well,” she said, all formal and stiff after she’d led him on a small sort of tour. And felt as if her skin was seven sizes too small on her body while he seemed only to become more boneless with every step. “I don’t know what your intention was when you suggested this—”

“Yes, you did,” Caius replied.

They had made it to the low-slung, relaxed living area, all soft, aged leather and a fireplace stocked with wood, ready to light.

He tossed his bag on one of the sofas, and then turned toward her with a look of intent.

And everything in her flashed into a white-hot coil of need. Desire.

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