Page 16 of Nightingale

“I’m going tofuckyou like Ihateyou.”

If she hadn’t been already soaking, that would have done it for her.

Rian, the Golden Prince of Carylim was on his knees before her, doing terribly wonderful things to her body as he suckled and licked and bit. His fingers began to untie her skirt, workingat the laces one by one as he continued to kiss a trail down her stomach.

“That’s funny,” A chilling voice crept into the otherwise empty chamber. “Because last I recalled, youdidhate her.”

A cold bucket of ice water doused her as her skirt came free, baring her to whomever stood there. Her skin pebbled and the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as she recognized the male by his resonance and his resonance alone.

The very last person she desired to see her naked.

“Brother,” Rian paused, letting the fabric slide away without any attempt to catch it. “How nice of you to join us. I was in the middle of something, so if you wouldn’t mind leaving, I’d greatly appreciate it.”

The darkness parted and Vrea blinked back the light to see the worst person in either Kingdom, save for their father, standing there.

Castil.

There was a frozen rage on his face that made her inhale sharply. Because it made him alluring, in a dangerous way. Her lungs turned to lead as she just stared at him, unable to move, unable to cover herself up.

Castil’s gaze, however, did not fall lower than her chin and she had to admit a small ounce of respect and self-restraint towards him for it.

“It was my night, not yours, Rian.” He turned his focus towards his brother, simply dismissing her in a second. “What are you doing?”

Rian stood, wiped the corners and underside of his mouth with his thumb and turned to face his sibling. With a casual shrug of his shoulders, he said, “It wasn’t likeyouwere going to use her properly.”

Hatred filled her chest at that.

White-hot hatred that felt as though the sun and moon hadcollided inside of her, exploding into something brand new and familiar at the exact same time.

Castil’s lip twitched but in anger or annoyance, she didn’t know. “Need I remind you that our King forbade any nighttime activities with her?”

“Please, you think he would have cared if I bedded her? I was showing her a good time. She needed it after being locked up for three years without a single soul to touch her! That’s a different sort of punishment, and evenyouknow it.”

Vrea closed her eyes and tried to wipe any remaining ember of lust away as she required her mind at the moment. “Take me back to my room. Now.” She demanded and shoved past Rian, who seemed to feel remorseful at the way he’d spoken about her as if she’d not been there beside him.

“I’ll take you.” He insisted but she just held up her hand in refusal. “We don’t need to let this interruption ruin it.”

“Go find someone else to warm your bed for the night, because it sure as hell won’t be me.” Vrea circled around to face him, uncaring that she was naked before two males. “And don’t even think about trying to escort me down to another absurd night to celebrate my capture, because I would rather throw myself off the balcony than allow you to try this shit again.”

A coat dropped over her shoulders and she turned to see that Castil had removed his and draped it over her instead, to cover her up from others. It would take far too long to re-lace the cords of her leather garment unless she wanted to be whisked away into an unfamiliar room and had to sit still for one of them to tie it back up.

The very last thing she wanted was for either of them to be touching her.

“I’ll take you.” Castil said quietly, aiming a sharpened look at his brother. “At least that way you won’t have to worry about the pressure of bedding me when we arrive at your door.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Rian snorted and tugged at his pants as he adjusted the obvious erection that strained the leather.

A light hand braced on her spine as he gave her no other option but to walk. She stiffened but didn’t object as she pulled the coat around her, covering everything up.

“I would.” He snapped in return and briskly sauntered down the hall behind her.

Eight

Rian was pissed beyond comparison, as well as hard as fuck. He was pissed at himself for letting his brother stoke his anger, pissed for saying the things he did in front of Vrea, and for letting her seep into his mind enough that now he couldn’t get the taste of her out of his mouth. That intoxicating taste of nutmeg and lilac had him wanting more, only to have her rip herself away from him at the last moment.

Her fury had been a seductive taunt, one that he contemplated chasing. If anyone was rage incarnate, it was her. And perhaps his boyish manners could use a lesson in violence, in confidence and assured wrath.

After the failed bedding, Rian wasn’t sure what to do with himself for the rest of the evening. It wasn’t like he planned on taking her, it just happened. He’d been tense after losing a sparring match with Brioc, one that Regulus relentlessly teased him about and it had set him in a pissy mood for the evening. Then Castil hadn’t shown up with the Princess in tow and their father grew annoyed with him, even if he’d been the one to give Castil the task that kept him away.

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