Page 49 of Prize for the King
I am so, so tired.
And I trust Khay, don’t I?
With a sigh, I give in and blow out the candle, finding my way to bed in the dark.
“So I can’t sleep alone?” I whisper, sliding under the cool sheets.
Khay is right. The bedisbig enough, and our bodies don’t even brush. If he lies still, I’ll forget he’s even here.
“No,” he murmurs, voice sleepy. “Either Magnar or one of us has to stay with you. Sometimes more than one. Sometimes all. Depending on what kind of queen you’ll be. There’s this huge bed at the keep in the queen’s rooms… Would be so nice…”
Thunder crashes just outside the window, so forceful, the panes shake. I gasp, flinching, and Khay makes a sleepy noise of curiosity.
“You scared of the storm?”
“N-not scared as such…” I begin, but stop when he murmurs and shuffles, his legs touching mine.
Khay puts his arm around me and tugs me into him until I’m warm and snug, my back to his front. A protest sits on the tip of my tongue, but more lightning paints the room white for a terrifying heartbeat, and I give in. He makes a satisfied noise and buries his face in my hair, his breath warming my scalp.
“See? I’m here to protect you from the big, bad storm. Now sleep.Goodnight.”
I sigh and get comfortable, falling asleep before the next thunder rolls outside.
When I wake up, gray predawn light seeps gloomily into the room. Khay’s arms are tight around me, and he grunts with pleasure, his hips rolling into me from behind. I freeze half-yawn, realizing what this is. He’s rutting into me.
His movements are rhythmic and eager, his embrace tight. My body fills part with heat, part shame, and I arrest a needy movement of my hips. They want to pressback, meet him head on, but I shouldn’t.
“Khay,” I whisper urgently to wake him, thinking he must be moving through his sleep.
“Mmm, you’re awake?” he murmurs, his voice scratchy with sleep. “Stay, little diamond. Just a little. You’re so soft. And you smell so nice. And I just need a moment, just a…”
His movements speed up, hardness stroking against my buttocks until he presses it into me with a deep groan, his organ flexing with powerful surges. My breathing is fast, shaky, as I lie wide awake, wondering what just happened.
“Shit,” Khay whispers, growing still against me. “Oh, fuck. Magnar will have kittens.”
Then, for an inexplicable reason, he snickers like it’s a joke.
“Oh no,” I close my eyes in horror. “He’ll be angry, won’t he? What did you do, Khay?”
“Came in my pants like a lad,” he says with a chuckle. “No, it’s not that bad. As long as I put nothing inside you, we’re fine. But he will be jealous. Maybe make us ride day and night to get to the keep sooner. Wouldn’t put it past him.”
“I-inside me?” I repeat, considering with horror-struck fascination that I might be filled not just by Magnar, but Khay, too.
“And I won’t,” Khay promises. “Not until it’s time and you let me. Well, rise and shine, little diamond. It’s a beautiful start to the new day. Well, for me. I’d love to return the favor, but the greedy bastard wants your first orgasm for himself. Let me change and get your clothes.”
I blink after him in the graying darkness, stupefied. When I realize I’m rocking my hips and trying to alleviate some of the throbbing between my legs, I flip onto my stomach and groan into the pillow.
Why do they all insist on distracting me? I still haven’t cried properly for my father. And… I gasp, lifting myself on my forearms until I stare at a faded tapestry depicting an ugly landscape.
Gods.Did my father have a funeral? A proper burial? Or was he thrown into a hole in the ground like so many other slaughtered soldiers? I don’t know because I never asked!
Horrible, horrible daughter.
Unencumbered by a hangover and shockingly well rested after sleeping in Khay’s arms, I jump out of bed and wash my face in the basin. When Khay comes with my clothes fully dressed, thank Lirande, my hair is already brushed. I command him tersely like I would a maid, determined not to let any more distractions happen today.
But as Khay braids my hair, and I see his miserable expression in the spotted mirror, I can’t ignore him. Whether I like it or not, I care for him quite a lot, and his misery causes me pain.
“What’s the matter?”
