Page 99 of The Hunt of Night

He shakes his head, but his grip on me only tightens as he lifts me up and down on his cock, working his own release into my body before he collapses back against the headboard.

Gaping at him, I struggle to remain seated as his hold loosens and I slump against his chest. I tilt my head back, trying to meet his gaze, and watch as he blinks, the movement repeating a few times before he finally peers down at me with jet-black eyes again.

“What was that?” I whisper, and his chest rumbles.

“It was me, Princess. All of me, and no matter what life throws at us now, Adrianna, I’ll be right at your side every step of the way.”

39

ADRIANNA

My limbs ache in the best possible way as I stretch out, starfishing across the sheets that are still warm beside me. Turning with a huff, it quickly seeps into a sigh as I pull the covers tighter against me.

“Princess Adrianna.”

“Ah,” I yelp, eyes widening as I blink at the man standing beside the bed.

I’ve never seen him before. He’s dressed in what I can only describe as a black dinner suit, with a bow tie fitted perfectly over his shirt and the tail of his blazer hanging low beneath his knees. His silver peppered hair is swept back off his face, and his beady blue eyes feel intrusive as he peers down his long nose at me.

Holding the sheets even tighter, I clear my throat. “Addi is just fine,” I rattle, and his lips purse. I can’t quite decipher the look on his face, but it’s something between irritation and disappointment, so either way isn’t looking good for me.

“Princess, your presence is expected for breakfast,” he states, ignoring my request, but I let it slide since I’m in no position to argue with this guy, with only the thin sheet shielding me from him.

“Of course,” I murmur, rubbing my lips together nervously as I try to find the right thing to say to excuse him without being too rude.

Anywhere else, and I would be as blunt as ever, but this isn’t just anywhere; it is Kryll’s home.

“Gerald, do we really need to be so formal?” Kryll grumbles, suddenly waltzing into the room. He doesn’t look at the man beside the bed, though; his attention is locked on his cell phone.

A fucking cell phone in a place like this. It shouldn’t exist.

“Always, Prince Kryll.”

I balk, sitting upright as I tug the sheets tighter around my chest. “Wait, prince?” The words barely make it past my lips from the lump lodged in my throat.

Kryll’s gaze snaps to mine as he presses his lips together, and I sense the sheepish look in his eyes immediately. “Hi,” he breathes, taking a step toward me with his lips tipping up in a small smile.

“Hi…prince?” The word feels strange on my tongue, but what concerns me more is that he doesn’t correct me, just like he didn’t correct Gerald.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously as his cheeks turn pink. “I guess you’re not the only one with a royal secret.”

What the fuck?

“You’re…a prince?” I say the words slowly, hoping to make them make sense in my brain, but I’m coming up short.

“You’re freaking out,” he states with a nod as Gerald continues to flick his gaze between the two of us.

“Of course I’m freaking out. Why did he call me princess?” I point an accusing finger at Gerald, who doesn’t falter under my narrowed eyes, and Kryll rubs his lips together, another wave of nerves drifting from him. “Kryll,” his name is on my tongue, and I can’t decide if it’s a warning or a plea, but he sighs, almost defeated, as he turns to Gerald.

“We’ll be down in a few minutes. Please insist my mother starts without us. We won’t be long,” he murmurs, waving the man off, and he exits the room without a backward glance as Kryll walks around to my side of the bed.

He doesn’t meet my gaze until his fingers are laced with mine, and I’m certain he can feel my racing pulse.

“Do you want to have this conversation now, or?—”

“Now seems like the most suitable time, Kryll,” I interject, jaw growing tight with anticipation as he nods in understanding.

Clearing his throat, his gaze softens on mine as he breathes out the next words so softly, I barely hear them. “Because you are a princess.”

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