Page 11
Story: His Forbidden Princess
"Take me home, Captain Vorex."
The formality stings, but I deserve it. I betrayed her trust and my duty in one moment of weakness. I'm lucky she's agreeing to return at all.
As we begin the long walk back to the palace, I keep a careful distance between us. But I can still taste her on my lips, still feel the imprint of her body against mine.
And I know, with soul-deep certainty, that this night has changed everything.
five
. . .
Lirien
We don't takethe direct route back to the palace. I realize this when Dain leads us away from the main thoroughfare, down winding side streets that grow narrower with each turn. The sky hasn't yet begun to lighten—we have time before dawn—but my curiosity outweighs my promised compliance. "Where are we going?" I ask, my voice still raspy from that kiss. The kiss I can't stop replaying in my mind, the kiss that ignited something dangerous and wonderful inside me.
"Somewhere safe." Dain doesn't look back, his broad shoulders tense beneath the black fabric of his shirt. "We need to make sure you weren't recognized before returning you to the palace."
I want to argue that I was careful, that no one would connect a plainly dressed young woman to the crown princess. But the words die on my lips as he stops before a nondescript door set into a stone building, produces a key from somewhere on his person, and unlocks it with practiced ease.
"What is this place?" I ask as he ushers me inside, checking the street before closing the door behind us.
"Safehouse." He moves around the small space, lighting candles that reveal a spartan but clean interior. "Royal intelligence maintains several throughout the city."
I take in the single room with its narrow bed, small table with two chairs, a fireplace with cooking implements, and a privacy screen that presumably hides a washing area. "You've been here before."
It's not a question, but he answers anyway. "Yes."
"Why?" I can't help the note of jealousy that creeps into my voice—an emotion I have no right to feel, yet cannot suppress.
Dain pauses in his methodical inspection of the space, shooting me a look that's part exasperation, part something darker. "For work, Princess. I don't bring women here for trysts, if that's what you're asking."
Heat floods my cheeks, but I lift my chin. "I wasn't."
"You were." He moves to the fireplace, stoking the banked embers into a small flame. "There's water in the pitcher if you want to wash."
The mundane suggestion feels surreal after the intensity of what passed between us in that alley. My lips still tingle from the pressure of his, my body still hums with an awareness I've never experienced before. And he's offering me water to wash, as if nothing has changed, as if he didn't just shatter every boundary between us with that kiss.
I remain standing near the door, watching him move with efficient grace around the small space. Without his guard's uniform, in these simple clothes, he looks different—more human, less the untouchable sentinel. The scar along his jaw catches the firelight, drawing my eye. I remember tracing it with my finger, the roughness of it beneath my touch, the way he shuddered before claiming my mouth.
"Why did you bring me here instead of the palace?" I finally ask, needing to break the charged silence.
He straightens from the fire, keeping the width of the room between us. "Dawn is still an hour away. You said you wanted one night of freedom. I'm giving you that."
"After you told me it was a dangerous fantasy," I remind him.
"It is." His eyes meet mine, hard and uncompromising. "But you've earned an hour of quiet before returning to reality."
"How generous of you." I can't keep the sarcasm from my tone. "And it has nothing to do with avoiding the palace guards who might question why you're returning the princess in commoner's clothes before dawn?"
A muscle ticks in his jaw—the telltale sign I've hit a nerve. "That too."
I move away from the door, emboldened by this small admission. "You could lose your position for this. For following me, for not reporting my absence immediately." I take another step toward him. "For kissing me."
"I'm aware of the consequences." His voice remains steady, but his eyes track my movement like a predator.
"Yet you did it anyway." Another step. "Why?"
"You know why."
The formality stings, but I deserve it. I betrayed her trust and my duty in one moment of weakness. I'm lucky she's agreeing to return at all.
As we begin the long walk back to the palace, I keep a careful distance between us. But I can still taste her on my lips, still feel the imprint of her body against mine.
And I know, with soul-deep certainty, that this night has changed everything.
five
. . .
Lirien
We don't takethe direct route back to the palace. I realize this when Dain leads us away from the main thoroughfare, down winding side streets that grow narrower with each turn. The sky hasn't yet begun to lighten—we have time before dawn—but my curiosity outweighs my promised compliance. "Where are we going?" I ask, my voice still raspy from that kiss. The kiss I can't stop replaying in my mind, the kiss that ignited something dangerous and wonderful inside me.
"Somewhere safe." Dain doesn't look back, his broad shoulders tense beneath the black fabric of his shirt. "We need to make sure you weren't recognized before returning you to the palace."
I want to argue that I was careful, that no one would connect a plainly dressed young woman to the crown princess. But the words die on my lips as he stops before a nondescript door set into a stone building, produces a key from somewhere on his person, and unlocks it with practiced ease.
"What is this place?" I ask as he ushers me inside, checking the street before closing the door behind us.
"Safehouse." He moves around the small space, lighting candles that reveal a spartan but clean interior. "Royal intelligence maintains several throughout the city."
I take in the single room with its narrow bed, small table with two chairs, a fireplace with cooking implements, and a privacy screen that presumably hides a washing area. "You've been here before."
It's not a question, but he answers anyway. "Yes."
"Why?" I can't help the note of jealousy that creeps into my voice—an emotion I have no right to feel, yet cannot suppress.
Dain pauses in his methodical inspection of the space, shooting me a look that's part exasperation, part something darker. "For work, Princess. I don't bring women here for trysts, if that's what you're asking."
Heat floods my cheeks, but I lift my chin. "I wasn't."
"You were." He moves to the fireplace, stoking the banked embers into a small flame. "There's water in the pitcher if you want to wash."
The mundane suggestion feels surreal after the intensity of what passed between us in that alley. My lips still tingle from the pressure of his, my body still hums with an awareness I've never experienced before. And he's offering me water to wash, as if nothing has changed, as if he didn't just shatter every boundary between us with that kiss.
I remain standing near the door, watching him move with efficient grace around the small space. Without his guard's uniform, in these simple clothes, he looks different—more human, less the untouchable sentinel. The scar along his jaw catches the firelight, drawing my eye. I remember tracing it with my finger, the roughness of it beneath my touch, the way he shuddered before claiming my mouth.
"Why did you bring me here instead of the palace?" I finally ask, needing to break the charged silence.
He straightens from the fire, keeping the width of the room between us. "Dawn is still an hour away. You said you wanted one night of freedom. I'm giving you that."
"After you told me it was a dangerous fantasy," I remind him.
"It is." His eyes meet mine, hard and uncompromising. "But you've earned an hour of quiet before returning to reality."
"How generous of you." I can't keep the sarcasm from my tone. "And it has nothing to do with avoiding the palace guards who might question why you're returning the princess in commoner's clothes before dawn?"
A muscle ticks in his jaw—the telltale sign I've hit a nerve. "That too."
I move away from the door, emboldened by this small admission. "You could lose your position for this. For following me, for not reporting my absence immediately." I take another step toward him. "For kissing me."
"I'm aware of the consequences." His voice remains steady, but his eyes track my movement like a predator.
"Yet you did it anyway." Another step. "Why?"
"You know why."