Page 31 of Princess of Draga

Guilt crashed over her and with a sigh she opened her mouth to apologize. Someone cleared their throat behind her and Adelina turned. Her face flushed with embarrassment and she dropped her eyes to the floor as Giselle studied her withamusement.

She could feel Prince Nash’s gaze on her and she looked up, and up until she finally met Prince Nash’s gorgeous green and yellow eyes. The sparkles of red had her staring for far too long before she realized her mistake, as the submissive she should have dropped her gaze long ago. The way he studied her – his eyes were sharp and intelligent. They did not allow her thoughts to reach her tongue so she could formwords.

Goddess, he lookedhaunted.

He simply watched her without saying a word and she had no idea what went through his head. Adelina wished she could help him, but there was nothing she could do to ease his pain. It marked his face and she could see it in the way he held himself, so stiff and formal. Even the muscles in his jaw weretight.

The silencestretched.

“Adelina, Prince Nash is ready for his tour.” Giselle bowed and left her alone with bothmales.

Adelina curtseyed appropriately, remembering he was now the crown prince and higher than her in rank. Alpha bowed, and Nash returned the niceties though he seemed annoyed by them. His silence made her anxious. Hopefully she wouldn’t be this tense once the tourstarted.

She turned to Alpha and hoped he wouldn’t make this difficult. “Thank you for escorting me here,” she said as politely as she could, knowing Nash had probably overheard their furiously whispered conversation. “I will be fine from here on with the Prince as my escort.” William’s assignment also ensured the guards would watch them despite the appearance ofprivacy.

Alpha’s face was blank, and if she didn’t know him so well she would never have known the look was a mask for his anger. The lines around his eyes and the clenched jaw told her exactly what he thought of her subtle orders. He couldn’t outright deny her with others present without breaking protocol and suffering punishment. He bowed first to her and then to Nash before exiting thelibrary.

She watched Alpha go with mixed feelings. Adelina didn’t like the friction between them. When she turned back to Nash she found him studying her closer than she would haveliked.

What should she say? Adelina clasped her hands in front of her and stared into his gorgeous eyes as she thought. She decided she could at least let him know he was not completely alone in the palace. Quickly she wrapped her arms around his waist before she could second guess herself and gave him a hug, a small bit of comfort. She squeezed tight, her head resting on his chest – he was so tall – and then she released him before he could react; before anyone saw hertransgression.

Adelina bowed her head slightly, noting the look of shock on his face. “My condolences Prince Nash, I remember your family with fondness from the few visits we’ve had over the cycles. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable here.” She straightened gracefully. When she met his eyes again there was a shimmer she pretended not tosee.

Still the lost prince said nothing. Adelina felt drawn to him. As if he was a planet and she the moon. The heat from his body settled in her stomach and she felt nervous. Flustered and embarrassed, Adelina turned to leave the library and lead him through the palace but the prince grasped her small hand in his large one. She turned back insurprise.

“I appreciate your kindness more than you know,” Prince Nash finally said. A dip of his head in deference to their rank and then he walked casually to the large doors of thelibrary.

She watched his strong back before remembering she was supposed to follow him. “This is the largest library in the Draga galaxy,” she said softly, trying not to draw the ire of the head librarian, wherever hewas.

Prince Nash was silent next to Adelina as they walked. She glanced sidelong at Nash and wondered if he even cared about the tour of the palace. He seemed preoccupied, lost in his own thoughts and she couldn’t blamehim.

Despite the heavy silence she showed him the rest of the third level, then the offices, and the art gallery. They went down and saw the separate ballroom, the state rooms, the kitchens, and she even took him to the undergroundlabs.

Most of the palace was busy in preparation for her coming-of-age party and she felt slightly guilty she wasn’t helping more. She sighed. Escorting the lost prince was more difficult than she hadanticipated.

Adelina took him up the lift once again to the fifth level and one of her favorite places. She ignored the offices and took him straight outside. The wraparound balcony on the fifth level gave magnificent views from every angle one could possibly wish tosee.

“The palace grounds cover half of the planet,” Adelina went on, gesturing to where the fields began. "The Obsidian Mountains--orNotte Ossidiana--protects the backside of the palace. Our forest is heavy with animals and the hunting games might be of interest to you over the next few weeks.” She trailed off when he didn’t even look up as they passed the gloriously darkmountains.

Perhaps if she could get him to open up to her they could find an activity he might like. “Is there anything else you would like to see?” she asked him, stopping in front of her favorite mountain peak. Adelina placed both hands on the balcony and leaned forward, breathing in the coolerair.

Nash dutifully stood next to her, staring, but not really seeing the mountain. “No, Princess. I appreciate it but I remember my way around from the last time my family and I visited the Draga Palace.” His soft words hurt her heart. It wasn’t long ago Nash and his brothers and sisters roamed the palace with them, playing games and enjoying each other’scompany.

Sweat dripped down Adelina’s back and the heat of the summer sun was oppressive. She wore the lightest spidersilk she could without the dress being sheer and it had a cut that allowed her to remain as cool as possible. The halter let the wind dry her back and multiple slits in her skirts helped her legsbreathe.

Nash didn’t seem affected by the heat at all. She studied him subtly and watched him tense. He knew she examined him and she blushed with embarrassment. “I apologize,” she said. “I was simply wondering what the climate was like right now on your homeworld, but I realized the question is in poor taste due to thecircumstances.”

He turned to her then and his large frame dwarfed her completely. Adelina flinched as he blocked the sun and she was lost in his shadow. His large muscles intrigued her, but she also knew how strong they made him. He could easily overpower her if he wished. She shivered at the idea, liking something about the power he held in his body alone. He didn’t need his title to get someone to bend to hiswill.

The traditional Kharan leather pants were nearly ridiculous in the Draga heat. He had to be sweltering but personally she liked how they accentuated his ass. Adelina shook her head a tiny bit to redirect her thoughts. He wore a light shirt that looked like a normal citizen’s if it wasn’t made from the most exquisite fabric she had seen other than spidersilk. It was light and airy, with a small ‘v’ in the front displaying a mark she suspected was part of a larger tattoo hidden fromview.

“It is not as warm as it is here, but as we are close to the Corinth sun it can get quite hot.” He ran his hand through his short blackhair.

Adelina felt so inadequate. She was supposed to keep Nash company and entertain him, but she had no idea how to do that with the knowledge of his fate on hershoulders.

He seemed bored and aggravated. “Would you like to see the spider farms?” sheasked.

Adelina was sure he had never seen the sacred spider farms before. Outsiders normally weren’t permitted, not even outside royalty. She could make an exception this one timethough.

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