Page 63 of Obsidian Prince

He snorted a laugh, muscles bunching, then grabbed at her hand.

She evaded. She managed to squeeze once more, eliciting another laugh that she joined in with, even as he caught her wrists.

He put both wrists in one hand and pushed them over her head so he could find all her ticklish spots with the other.

She squirmed and squealed.

They both laughed until they were breathless and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter16

To Save A Prince

Liliana lay awakesome hours later, snuggled in the strong arms of her prince. His warm breath against the top of her head puffed steady and deep with sleep. His long body spooned around her made her feel very small and oddly, very safe.

But it wasn't her life that was endangered. It was his. In a matter of days, an assassin would come to end his life.

Talking about her parents at dinner brought up old feelings that she had all but forgotten. Himmler, the son of a seelie princess and a human, with the aid of the red wolves of Germany, had all but destroyed the spider seer race. Her first mother, her father, two of her brothers, their children, and so many of the friends of her youth. What few had known was that Himmler sought a sword. In the hands of a Sidhe, that sword could amplify Fae power to godlike levels.

Now, a killer came for Alexander, her beautiful prince whose heart beat faster when she touched him. The enemy believed Alexander had the sword. Fraegarthach would make him a god, and it would destroy him. Liliana would never let that sword anywhere near her prince.

Up until he defeated the Wolfhounds, Pete needed the sword to survive, but now, it was a liability. Fraegarthach needed to leave. As long as it was in Fayetteville, it threatened her prince's life and his deepest self.

But that was a fear for another day.

Something had fundamentally changed in Alexander’s future. She no longer saw him dying from a single gunshot to the head in his own kitchen as his most probable future. That possibility was gone. A far more certain vision now took it’s place. Alexander sat bound to a chair. He was being beaten in a place she didn’t recognize. It was somewhere with a high window with no glass. His path had changed, but it still led to his death. Now, instead of fighting someone she had a high probability of defeating, she would face a different opponent. She still could not see her opponent’s face, but she did see him killing her in some of her visions. She might not be able to beat this new murderer.

As she saw big fists and hairy human forearms crash into her prince’s face, she at least knew the gender of her new opponent. A man. A big man.

This killer didn’t just seek Alexander’s death, though. He thought her prince had the sword. The killer would hurt him to try to force him to tell where it was. The probability that she would win that fight was even less than when she fought Tray Bradley. This was a far more formidable enemy than the slender person who killed Alexander in his kitchen in her previous vision. Plus, her left arm would still be weak from the bad break. Her best chance lay in finding a way to stop him without fighting him directly.

The possibility of dying while fighting for Alexander’s life was not what kept her awake long into the night, though.

In all her visions now, whether she lived or died, whether she fought or stopped the killer another way, she always saw Alexander’s body bloody on the floor. Sergeant Giovanni put two fingers to his throat to check for his pulse, shook her head, and said, "He's dead."

She could no longer see a future where her prince survived.

Just a day ago, there had been a good probability that he would live. She must have done something that changed the possible futures. It must have happened today. She didn't know what she had done wrong. Something she’d done that day was a mistake.

Alexander would pay the price.

She blinked tears. There had to be something she missed. There must be a path where he could be saved.

"Hey," Alexander mumbled softly. "What's wrong? Did you see something?"

"It is something I do not see that worries me." Liliana held his big hand close against her chest, rubbing his fingers for comfort. His other arm was under her head. His bicep was her pillow.

"What don't you see?"

"You. I see myself fighting for you. Sometimes I win and survive, but I do not see you alive after that, even if I defeat your attacker."

"I don't like the idea of you fighting for me if you're not sure you can win.”

He always seemed to ignore the danger to himself. It was as if he didn't care, but he said he believed her. Maybe he was just so used to his life being in danger that it didn't perturb him.

"I decided to fight for you when you had only kissed me once."

"And now?" His thumb stroked between her breasts, over her heart.

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