“And how do we get them to join, Father? Can we give them some sort of incentive? A reward maybe—money?” Matthias mused.
The king stopped eating and eyed his son. “Why would I give my subjects’ money to do something that benefits them?”
Matthias shrugged his shoulders. “You have plenty of it, or if you don’t want to do that, maybe you could throw them all a big party. Just a thought.”
His father pondered on his words for a moment before returning to his meal.
As Matthias sat amongst the creatures before him, he longed for the quiet dinners he’d shared with Adalia, Shiloh, and, yes, Nikolas, too, even though he could be an overprotective ass at times. The laughter around that table had always been genuine. There’d been deep, connecting conversations between them all. Soft breezes would dance across their skin and the whispers in the trees told of stories yet to be had.
Adalia’s cooking was nothing like he’d ever tasted before. She was gifted with the way she mixed flavours together. It was all so authentic, not like this food or company before him.
Could he stay away another night?
Maybe under the cover of darkness he could winnow into her home and see her. He’d never winnowed thatfar before, so he wasn’t even sure that he could. And then there was the issue of just randomly turning up inside her home, where not only one, but two majors lived. Maybe he could winnow to The Grey and walk through to Lucius, would the guards at the gate let him pass?
The thought of being there reminded him of how badly he wanted to escape. He longed for the fingers that had run through his hair, sending tiny bumps across his body in a flood of sensitivity. He longed for the taste of her lips upon his own and the way her body fit perfectly with his, but most of all, he longed for her mind.
Never in his lifetime had he met someone with the intricate mind she carried. Matthias wanted . . . no, needed more time with her so he could pick it apart and find out just how it worked. He wanted to have conversations with her until the early hours of the morning, learning everything there was to know about her.
That need wasn’t his to have, though . . .shewasn’t his to have.
The only way this turned out well for everyone was to stay put for now—as hard as that was for him.
The loudness of the room grew and Matthis knew that the evening would carry on well into the night at this rate, so he excused himself and told his father he was tired.
In the few days after his return, the king had paid extra attention to his whereabouts, often sending a Thorn to accompany him wherever he went. As the days wore on and Matthias proved himself the ever loyal son, thehand-holdingbecame less and less.
Turning to face the room as he reached the doorway, he paused to see if his father would look at him with some sort of care, but the king was so engrossed in Jes sitting on his lap that no one else existed in the room.
For a split second, Matthias contemplated slipping through the Veil and venturing into Lucius. If he could just get a note to Blue to pass onto her, it would put his heart at ease.
His eyes shifted to the king again. He wouldn’t risk it . . . not tonight. He couldn’t let his father ever lay his hands on Adalia again.
Moving, he headed back to his room, where the call of a bed and his canine companion awaited.
Warm lips caressed his sculptured stomach as they made their journey to the lower regions of his body. Matthias sucked in his breath and raked his hands through the long, silken hair of the woman who lay on top of him. He placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her up to his. The woman lowered her head, claiming his lips with her own. Her taste was sweet like honey, and Matthias groaned into her mouth as he circled her waist with his arms, drawing her closer. The kiss deepened, and Matthias went with it. She’d finally come to him. The wait was over and it was more than he dreamed it would be.
“Adalia,” he whispered to her soft lips.
“I can be whoever you want me to be, my prince. Yours to suck, kiss or—”
The second her voice touched his ears, Matthias’s eyes shot open, and he swiftly moved, flipping the body above him to underneath. With a ragged breath, he stared at the woman beneath him. This wasn’t Ada.
No.
It was his father’s lover.
“How dare you enter my chambers and touch me without my permission? Do you think so little of your hands . . . your mouth?” Matthias hissed.
Jes smirked at him. “But you looked so lonely tonight at dinner. I thought you could use the company. I’m very good at touching . . . biting—whatever you fancy. I thought you’d be pleased?”
Matthias’s ears roared. She’d gone too far.
He sat up, his strong legs still straddling her hips. Leaning over the side of the bed, he reached for the belt he’d dropped on the floor the night before and tied one of Jes’s hands to his bedpost.
“Now, this is interesting. Are you finally giving in to those desires I know your body is craving?” Jes taunted.
Matthias remained silent as he went about his task. He stood from the bed and moved to the other side, grabbing another beltfrom his cupboard, and walked back to Jes. Who willingly placed her other hand on the bedpost—Matthias secured it.
