Page 25 of Of Blood & Bone: The Young Queen

I blink in shock at his suggestion and manage to croak out, “Wha..aat?”

“You heard me,” he replies, “the only solution is for us to share it. That way we both stay warm and have the added benefitof combined body heat. I see your Khaleeni are familiar with the concept.”

I remain seated, my mouth agape in shock and watch as he comes closer. I put out my hand and exclaim, “Stop!”

He stops and gives me a quizzical look. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem? You can ask me what the problem is, especially in light of what we just spoke about?”

A frown darkens his face. “Oh no, don’t tell me we’re back to the whole ‘proper’ thing again?”

I look at him in disbelief. “Of course we’re back to the whole ‘proper’ thing again! I thought I was clear. You may not share my bed until such a time as your seed has been proven to be good and you need to procreate with me, as my husband. I am the Queen of Ardvalla, and if your seed proves to be poor then I must seek another and I can’t be seen as sullied by having shared a bed with you.”

His expression darkens at my use of the word, “sullied” and I watch as his knuckles whiten even further as he clutches the blanket tighter. “There is no bed here, Queen, and we are surrounded by others. I think your concerns for your honour and what is proper are somewhat overplayed, but be that as it may, have no fear, I shall not sully thee tonight.”

With that he turns and lies with his back to me and not even the thick layer of Ardvallan wool that covers it can hide its muscular form. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to blank out the vision in my mind’s eye of my fingertips clutching at those muscles as the prince sullies me to within an inch of my life. It’s some time before I manage to banish the vision altogether, but finally I succumb to a restless sleep.

The night falls and, despite the Khaleeni on night watch tending to the fire, at some point I am aware the night becomes bitterly cold. In my half awake state I shuffle closer towards theflames and the extra warmth they bring is enough to entice me back to sleep. However, soon I feel another heat at my back and this heat moves along the length of my body. It's different to that of the fire, softer and more diffuse, yet its source seems hard like stone. I find it comforting and wriggle my body closer against it, hungry for its soothing embrace, and soon fall into a deep sleep.

All too soon I feel dawn’s early light troubling my eyelids and I start my reluctant rise to consciousness. However, before I am fully awake I become aware of an unfamiliar weight upon my body. I open my eyes and see a silver frost has settled upon the ground, but I feel strangely warm. I move my hand along the length of this unfamiliar weight, at least the part that is lying across my ribs and to the front of my stomach. And then it hits me. I realise exactly what this weight is!

Oh no, he didn’t… but as my fingers find the roughened hand of the prince wrapped tight around my waist, I am forced to acknowledge the truth. He did! He shared his blanket and his body heat with me despite my protestations, but I have to admit, instead of being flush with anger towards him I find myself smiling. He may be gruff and overly forthright, but there is a kindness in him too that I find most appealing. Also, he doesn’t seem to care much for convention, and the prospect of how that could rub some of the powers that be up the wrong way back in Valensia causes me to smile even more.

“Good morning, Queen,” his deep voice rumbles into my ear. “I trust you slept well.”

“Good morning, Prince,” I reply in a low voice, “the night wasn’t without its challenges, but I am well rested, thank you.”

The sound of a low chuckle vibrates through my shoulder. “Oh, Queen, I think we’re going to have some fun, you and I. But for now, I shall roll away before too many more of your Khaleeni see us lying together. I wouldn’t want them to think of you as sullied.”

I roll my eyes as he rolls away. I have a feeling he's never going to let me forget my use of the word sullied. The imprint of his heat upon my body lasts for a few seconds more but then starts to fade and I find myself already longing for the time when he will lie with me again. I've never hoped a man's seed proves good as much as I’m hoping Prince Ronan’s seed will.

Chapter Ten

We ride hard through Montague's province, thankfully without incident, and by early nightfall we are within sight of Valensia. We continue to ride for another few hours and enter the outskirts of the royal city just after midnight. The Khaleeni camp is situated not too far from the castle on a small forested island on Lake Masca. An ancient fortress had lain abandoned there for centuries, but the Khaleeni have repaired it and made it their own. Unknown to anyone but me and the Khaleeni, there is a secret tunnel running between the fortress and my chamber. This is how Kes and other members of the Khaleeni are able to enter and leave the castle unnoticed.

We make our way directly to the camp and immediately make Aaran and Barra comfortable in two separate beds. Aaran opens his eyes and smiles as his body is laid upon the fresh sheets and a barely audible sigh of what sounds like relief escapes Barra’s lips. I’m taking the latter as a promising sign and infer from the hopeful expression on the prince’s face that he is too.

Cara, one of the Khaleeni who stayed at the camp, has been dispatched to fetch Myreena. The rest are in the dining hall, where those who have returned are availing of the ale and fresh food. I invite the prince to accompany me as I join them. We sit at the two seats that have been reserved for us at the end of the long table, beside the fire, and soon a jug of ale and platter of food is put in front of us. The hour is late and I’m tired, but it is Khaleeni tradition to celebrate each time they have completed a successful mission.

I am looking forward to the comfort of my bed, but before I depart there is something I need to agree with the prince.

“My best healer has been sent for and she will arrive here soon,” I say to him as he drinks heartily from his mug. “She’s going to have questions as to why you and your men are here.”

He nods. “I imagine she will, but I’m sure you’ve got an explanation all worked out.”

“As a matter of fact, I have, and I’m hoping you’re amenable to it.”

He half-smiles. “You mean more so than being taken against my will and brought here?”

I look quickly into my ale. “Erm… yes. I thought we might leave that part out.”

He takes a swig of his ale and I can feel his gaze boring into the top of my head. “Proceed, Queen, and tell me what’s coming next in your crazy scheme.”

I pick a piece of bread up off the platter and pretend to busy myself with it before I speak. I’m not sure how he’s going to take what I have to say next. “It’s my intention to inform Myreena that you are an emissary of the Prince of Ellerban, and you and your men were travelling to Ardvalla to discuss the possibility of an alliance when you were set upon by bandits and viciously attacked. I happened to be out riding with the Khaleeni and we came to your aid.”

“Isn’t she one of your master healers? Won’t she know Aaran and Barra’s injuries are a few days old?”

I look up from the piece of bread I’m tinkering with and am surprised to see a questioning expression on the prince’s face. It seems he is not only prepared to go along with my story, but also to help me with the finer points.

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