“My plan is simple; I am demanding Klyn back. Period,” she said confidently, daring me to tell her that it would notwork.
“We will need to plan better than that,” Imurmured.
I left it at that for now. We would discuss this again when I had a better idea of how to get Klyn back. I knew Derwin had special arrows that could kill vampires, but he would not have extra bows. We could outfit the boys with the bows in Wester Lea. Just at the mere thought of the boys, an overwhelming amount of concern came over me. I did not want them in the way ofdanger.
“Who is your father, River?” Octavia asked me out ofnowhere.
“Lochlaan,” I shamefully blurted out. I sighed, “Lochlaan Mortas is myfather.”
Octavia came to a halt and glared atme.
“Your father is the man responsible for the lives lost in my town. My family!” sheyelled.
“I know, Octavia. And for that, I am very sorry,” I whole-heartedlyapologized.
She began walking again, but this time it was with more gust. Almost like she was mad at me and trying to walk as fast as she could to get away fromme.
As I caught up to her, she mumbled under her breath, “How on this earth did I fall in love with aMortas?”
“Because I am not him! I am different!” Ispat.
Octavia stopped walking and looked me in the eye. She adjusted her weight from one foot to another and folded her arms across her chest. I took a step closer to her to close the gap of space between us. Our chests rose and fell rapidly as our eyes searched oneanother’s.
“Do you love me, Octavia?” Igrilled.
She opened her mouth and her tongue glided along her bottom lip. She looked as though she were contemplating her response. She was not contemplating whether or not she loved me; she was trying to decide if she wanted to tell me. She tried to play coy with me for amoment.
“In case you have not noticed, I do not have a heart, River. I lost my heart the night your father and his thugs decided to wipe out my town,” she saidcoldly.
“I have heard you claim not to have a heart, but I know that is false. So do not try to pull the wool over my eyes,” Icautioned.
“How so, River?” she chided, daring me tocontinue.
“I see the way you are with yourgentlemen—”
“I am terrible to them sometimes,” shebarked.
“You care about them. You ensure they are fed and caredfor.”
“You are trying to speak of something that you do not know anything about,” sheresisted.
“Fine,” I threw my arms up and walked around in a circle. “If you truly did not have a heart, then what are we doing out here in the woods? Explain to me what we are doing walking unarmed into Stonewald? If you did not care or have a heart, why are we risking ourlives?”
And why had I agreed to alter the bodies and lives of four young, loyalmen?
Octavia looked away for a moment, but then her ice gaze had settled on mineagain.
“I fell very hard for you, River. Perhaps even before I selected you,” she angrilyadmitted.
I moved toward her and took her face between my hands and kissed her hard. I held her head still while my tongue roamed the inside of her mouth. Her head was still, but her balled up fists pounded on my upper arms. I backed her up so that her back was against a tree trunk. Her hands stopped thumping on my arms and began grasping and clutching at me, pulling mecloser.
When I realized that she was content with the kiss and was not going to move, my hands gravitated to her breasts. I squeezed the mounds firmly and pressed my groin against her. Octavia tilted her head back as my lips trailed from hers down to her neck. I ran my tongue over the hollow of her neck several times and smiled as she took a handful of my hair in her grip. I knew what she was doing; trying to take control even though her body hummed and begged for me to take control. I stood upright and pressed my mouth against hersagain.
“I know what you are doing, my Queen,” I wrestled my mouth free from hers long enough to whisper. “You are trying to take control, when really, all that you want to do is be taken controlof.”
She tried to move her head away from mine so that she could speak. I gave her a little room but took hold of her hands as they began to punch my armsagain.
“In my kingdom, Iamin control!” Octaviadeclared.
