He would do that now. Unless Emerald said otherwise.
He could feel a collective breath of the room catch as they saw her. Could feel the impact of her beauty, not just on him. She was ethereal, a creature from another world. Except he had held her body in his hands. Had touched her everywhere. Had experienced the glory of just how earthy she was.
It would haunt him for the rest of his life.
But he would rather be haunted by the memory than by what could’ve been.
He watched as she floated from person to person, a bee pollinating flowers, leaving sweetness wherever she went. He watched, and felt as if his heart was walking outside his body.
He had never loved anything in this world, anything but her.
The housekeeper was right. The party wasn’t fun, but that could be because it felt like engaging in torture.
What a way to die.
He would give himself over to her protection now. To her mission. He would not compromise them, not ever again.
He repeated that mantra the entire evening. And when it finished, it was up to him to accompany Emerald out of the ballroom, down the hall and to her bedroom door.
“Good night, Princess,” he said.
He turned away from her. “Andrei,” she said.
He turned back to her. “Yes?”
“Is this how it’s going to be? You… You’re not going to speak to me anymore?”
“There is nothing to say.”
“I think that you should leave.”
Rage poured through his veins. It was like she had stabbed him through his chest with the sword. And yet he could see the wisdom of it. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t look upon her every day, and yet he didn’t trust anyone else to protect her. There could be no one else but him.
“You’re a fool,” he said.
“It’s right. And you know it.”
“Then I will speak to your brother after the wedding tomorrow.”
“Good night.”
“If it pleases Your Royal Highness. After all, next to you, I am nothing.” With that, he bowed with no respect at all, and left her there, along with a piece of his soul.
Chapter Eight
SHE WENT INTOher room and closed the door firmly behind her. He went into his own, pacing, reaching. He wanted to tear the place apart, brick by brick. He wanted…
He wanted.
Tomorrow she would marry another man. Tomorrow, she would give her body to that prick. Without thinking, he jerked the door open that separated the rooms, the first time it had been opened since they had come here. She gasped, turning around, her hand on her heart.
“If I am to go, then I will leave you with a parting gift,” he growled. He crossed the space and pulled her into his arms, kissing her savagely. There was nothing tender about it, it was none of the expression of tender feelings that had happened that night on the yacht. Where they had lived out so many fantasies in a short space of time, where he had devoted himself to the worship of her. No. This was about him claiming one more night. About him branding her one more time, so that she had to go to Lucian’s bed with bruises from his hands on her hips.
It was cruel of him, and he knew it, but he would not allow it.
He would not allow her to go so easily. He would not let her be rid of him so easily.
He turned her away from him, so that she was facing the mirror, her back to him, and he began to lower the zipper on her dress slowly. Her breath hitched, her eyes closing. “Your body belongs to me,” he said. “Don’t you forget that.”
