Page 111 of The Prince and His Stolen Throne
The compliments boosted the lord’s confidence. He straightened and nodded along with me. “Yes, of course. Conquering them would have been much easier with hostages, but they are weak, pathetic fools who have relied on the Good Wizards for too long. I’ll strike hard and fast, before they’ve even realized their defenses have failed.”
Pointing at me, he ordered, “In the meantime, you will not leave the lair. We will keep your true identity hidden from the world for as long as possible toencourageBane’s cooperation.” He didn’t wait for me to respond before sweeping his cloak around him and disappearing in a whirl of black fabric.
Wilde approached me, hands raised so I could watch him reach for me. Delicate fingers traced the lump on my head. “Which one of them hit you?”
An image of the half-destroyed library flashed through my mind. I didn’t want the minions to face the same wrath. “They were doing their job.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“I’m fine.”
He threaded his fingers through my curls. “You’re too docile. I’m afraid they knocked all defiance out of your head.”
I smirked and pulled him closer, wrapping one arm around his waist and caressing a line toward the curve of his ass. “You want to test that theory?”
Wilde was the one thing I hadn’t lost yet. I’d hold onto him for as long as I could.
Chapter Thirty
I would have happily walked from the throne room to somewhere more private, but Wilde was too impatient. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled us backwards. As he did, the shape of the room warped, first expanding, then shrinking into itself. The stark black melted around us, revealing hints of blues and reds that swirled together like water down a drain. Pressure encased me like I was submerged in the deepest waters. Breath escaped my lungs in a stolen gasp. A rushing sound filled my ears, deafening me to everything else.
My knees buckled and the only thing holding me up was Wilde’s arm around my waist.
“Easy,” he murmured. “It’ll pass soon.”
“How do you do that all the time?” I panted.
He snorted. “It’s easier with practice.”
“You must have gotten a lot of practice recently, popping in and out to pester me all those times.”
A faint smile touched his lips as he admitted, “I didn’t teleport within the Desolated Lands. I worried the Kingdom Defense Spell could kick me out while I was between destinations.”
No wonder he’d tripped over himself so often when we’d first met—he wasn’t used towalkingeverywhere.
Once the dizziness and pressure on my skin faded, I looked around the room to see where he’d brought me. Someone had converted a few of the old offices into one huge bedroom suite. Three separate windows lined the wall, all covered with black-out curtains to keep the forest out. The bedwas probably the one I’d seen during our mirror conversations, with dark silk sheets and a wrought iron headboard. On the other side of the room was a sitting area and a small kitchenette, and beyond that a door leading to a bathroom. It’d be easy to live here and forget it was part of an evil lair.
“So, is this your apartment or mine?” I asked as I plopped down on the couch.
Wilde watched me for a moment, eyelashes lowered. “We’ll share it for now.”
I glanced at the bed, thinking of the nights we could spend challenging and teasing each other. Softer moments after, where we could simply bask in each other’s warmth and drift to sleep together. A future I could have if this was where the story ended. If I stayed with Wilde. But to do that, I’d have to fully embrace being the Lord of Grimnight’s son and let go of Treasure Banes.
Wilde sensed the shift in mood. “Do you regret revealing the truth to them?”
I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head against the couch back. “They had to find out eventually.” Whether he knew it or not, he’d helped me out. Even this close to the end, the old man’s geas would have had me spilling my own secrets rather than his. This was the only way for them to learn who I really was. “At least I’m not stuck in the dungeons. Now that this whole stupid mission is over, I’ll …”
Soft footsteps approached. A hand grabbed the couch’s arm, fingers barely brushing me. The center of the cushion dipped as Wilde pressed his knee between my legs. “You’ll what?” he whispered as he loomed over me.
Although I was sitting down, I felt suddenly adrift. I grabbed his waist with both hands to steady myself and stared into his dark eyes. How would he react once he knew my intentions? Would he stop me? Or let me go? “I’ll leave.”
I refused to stay here, with the Lord of Grimnight and his evil plans, but I didn’t know where else to go. My heart ached to return to Bane, the only place that felt like home. But it wouldn’t be the same once the defense spell fell and an evil mage invaded. Even if I wanted to help the Desolated Lands fight the Lord of Grimnight, no one would trust me. Once my fathers found out I wasn’t even their son … I wouldn’t be a prince; I would only be a traitor.
Wilde lowered his head, inching closer. “What if I order you to stay?” he whispered, breath hot against my lips.
“You know I don’t like orders,” I replied, keeping my voice steady even as my heart pounded in my chest.
“What if I ask?”
