Page 27 of Heart of Fire (Royal Ice Dragons #3)

HANNA

As we prepared for our voyage, I tried to make small talk with Ginelle. She didn’t seem to like me very much.

Maybe she was just shy.

Or maybe it was because Dare and I were trying to wrestle the corpses into two enormous trunks.

Rigor mortis had already begun to set in, and I know spells for disassembling people, but that wouldn’t be helpful for the reanimation later. So, Dare and I were trying to be creative.

I almost got the trunk closed and sat on it. Dare raised his brows at me. “I don’t think your weight is going to have much effect.”

“That’s not what you said back in the mine.”

“Are you ever going to get over that?”

“Perhaps. Have you tried groveling?”

“I already groveled!”

“You apologized.”

“What makes an apology and a grovel different?”

“Why don’t you just try, and I’ll tell you when you get there?”

Dare threw up his hands in exasperation before he joined me in sitting on top of the trunk. Together, we got it closed. There was a snapping sound as we got the corpse stuffed in there all the way, and we both reached over to close the clasps on the trunk.

“We’ll definitely be locking that in multiple ways,” Dare muttered.

Ginelle stared at us, stunned and sickened by our banter over the body. I had the feeling Ginelle and I were not going to be best friends.

We took the trunks to the ship on a hired horse and cart.

As the ship was being loaded for travel, the luggage master looked at our tickets, and then at the trunks, and shook his head. “You were put down for light luggage. That’s not light luggage. I don’t have space for it.”

“You’ll make space for it.” It did not take much for me to switch into the imperious princess act, although I could feel Dare’s radiating amusement. “I can’t go to the Isle without appropriate garments. Do you know what the shopping is like there?”

Dare rubbed his face with his hand and gave an apologetic look to the man. “How much extra is it going to cost us?”

After he had finally bartered, he told me, “You are way too good at the spoiled bitch act.”

I smiled sweetly back at him. “And you are surprisingly good at the whipped husband routine. I’m actually rather pleased.”

We boarded the ship. Ginelle quickly excused herself, looking sick, though I wasn’t sure if it was the sea or the fact that she had to travel with the two of us while we were smuggling corpses.

At any rate, Dare and I were happy to adjourn to our own room.

* * *

Wrapped in the warm glow of the stateroom, which was no larger than my childhood reading nook in our family library, I sat across from Dare on plush velvet cushions. Despite how small it was, it felt opulent, with walls paneled in dark mahogany and golden sconces that cast dancing shadows.

“Are you trying to keep our enemies off balance? This is very different from the brothel.”

He scoffed. “I don’t fear our enemies. Kaelan’s always had a dozen people daydreaming about killing him and happy to step over my body on the way. I’m trying to keep you off balance. You’re the one who scares me.”

I laid my hand over my heart. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said.”

There was a knock, and Dare rose and opened the door. His hand was on his dagger, his magic sparking against the doorknob in case he needed it. But it was just the steward with our meal.

“Your meal, my lady, sir,” the steward announced, bowing his head as he set out the feast before us.

The air filled with the rich aromas of roasted duck and spiced pears, mingling with the subtle scent of the sea that snuck in through the porthole. On the small table, fine porcelain met gleaming silverware, a stark contrast to the ruggedness of the ocean outside.

Dare flicked a coin toward the servant, the gold piece catching the light before disappearing into the man’s grasp. The man flashed him a delighted grin at the exorbitant tip as Dare told him, “Thank you for your trouble.”

“Someone’s in high spirits tonight,” I teased, watching the door click shut behind the retreating figure.

“Well.” Dare waved his hand over the food, raising a spell to test it for poison. “We’ve successfully smuggled a few corpses onboard, and dessert looks incredible. I’m in a better mood now that we’re on our way back to the Isle, and I didn’t even have to knock you unconscious.”

“Are you sure you aren’t disappointed?”

“I can find other excuses to tie you up again.” He poured us each a glass of spiced red wine, and we toasted to the journey ahead.

As we delved into the meal, the conversation ebbed and flowed like the tides carrying me back home to the Isle. The duck was succulent, falling off the bone as I stabbed it from the platter between us, and the spiced poached pears burst in my mouth.

“I might just become the spoiled princess you always accuse me of being,” I mused as I leaned back in my chair, full and content.

The corners of Dare’s mouth quirked up, and he raised his glass to me once more. “To being free and safe…to be the spoiled princess.”

I wanted to toast him back in the same way, but I didn’t know what Dare was, really. I wouldn’t tease him by calling him a peasant anymore. He was no lord, although those who served Kaelan often referred to him by a title as if he were one; that was because of Kaelan’s shadow, though, and not because he had anything of his own.

I might not know what Dare was or would be now, but I knew he was mine.

The soft glow of the cabin lanterns cast a golden hue over the hard, beautiful planes of his features.

“You really must be softening,” I said with teasing in my tone. “You didn’t point out that my everyday life is lived as a spoiled princess .”

The words hung between us, playful yet pointed.

Dare met my gaze, amusement lingering in his eyes. “I figured I didn’t have to. You seem to know all my lines.”

The air seemed thick with an unspoken challenge, one that had been building since we’d set sail.

“Remember that time you tied me up trying to get me back home safely?” I mused, twirling a loose strand of hair around my finger. “You really liked feeding me. Is that a thing for you?”

He paused, considering my words, then reached across the table, his hand warm as it encircled my throat gently, but with a promise of something more. “I like taking care of you, and I like being in control of you.”

“Are you ever in control of me, really?” I whispered.

“Maybe I just like pretending.”

We were already moving toward each other. Our kiss felt inevitable. I could feel the strength that lay beneath his touch as his hand cupped the back of my neck, his lips claiming mine hungrily.

As I thought about turning the tables on him, I caught the subtle shift in his aura; the way he leaned forward, the warmth of his magic reflecting off my own. It was as if he knew what I was going to do, and now it was a race.

I whispered an incantation and the air shimmered with the energy of my spell.

Before Dare could fully raise his own magic, my enchanted silken ropes unfurled from where I’d hidden them. They writhed through the air like snakes for a split-second—Dare gaping at me in shock—before they wrapped around his wrists.

I swept the chair legs out from underneath him as I rose in one smooth motion, pitching him backward onto the bed. The chair slammed into the ground as I jumped over it, my magic anchoring him firmly to the bedposts as I slipped through his own sudden bonds of golden magic.

A look of surprise crossed his features, quickly replaced as he tested the strength of my enchantment.

“Looks like you’ve bested me,” he conceded, the corner of his mouth quirking up in amusement.

I straddled him, feeling the heat of his body through the thin fabric of my dress. With deliberate slowness, I reached for the rich mousse brought in for dessert and scooped up a generous amount on my finger. “Let’s see if feeding you is as fun for me as you seem to find it.”

He sucked the mousse off my fingers, his eyes never leaving mine. His tongue teased my palm and felt more decadent than I had realized it would.

I bent to kiss his lips, tasting the sweetness on his mouth as I set about undressing him. My fingers danced over the clasps and buttons of his shirt, peeling away layers until his chest was bare, the muscles defined and inviting under my touch. The tattoos across his chest and his neck intrigued me, and I traced them with one fingernail.

He watched me with desire and curiosity. When I ran my fingernail around his nipple, his hips bucked, his jaw tightening as if the movement had been against his will.

How often did I lead in bed when it came to these men? Not often enough, I was realizing. This was delicious .

I pressed kisses along his collarbone, down the planes of his chest, delighting in the hitch of his breath and the subtle tensing of his abdomen. His skin was warm, the taste of salt lingering from the sea air, and I indulged in the exploration, trailing my lips over every inch I could reach without breaking the bindings I had set with my magic.

His arousal pressed insistently against the confines of his trousers, teasing against my thighs as I moved over him. I allowed my hand to brush tantalizingly close but never quite touched where he wanted me most, eliciting a low growl of frustration from him.

“Tease,” he accused, though the grin tugging at his lips betrayed his enjoyment.

“It only seems fair,” I said, before leaning down to capture his mouth in a kiss.

He strained against his restraints, his muscles rippling as he tried to rise and follow my lips when I pulled away. But it was unintentional, driven by his need to be closer to me.

Tonight, Dare didn’t seem to mind being the one to submit.

Descending to the taut line of his hips, I paused, hovering over his cock. His breathing was ragged; the power I wielded in this moment was intoxicating.

I ran my fingernails over the fabric of his crotch, tracing the heated erection, and he let out a little groan that made me smile. Finally, I freed him, drawing out his enormous cock.

“Finally.” He smirked, even as his eyes burned with need.

“Patience has its rewards,” I murmured against his skin, delighting in the shiver that ran through him at the touch of my breath.

I took him into my mouth, relishing the way his breath hitched. The taste of him was heady, salty, and musky, and somehow an elixir of power and pleasure that fueled my own arousal. With each careful movement, I explored his length, learning what drew the most fervent reactions—a flick of my tongue, a gentle suckle, the teasing graze of teeth. It didn’t surprise me that Dare liked a tease of pain along with his pleasure.

As I worked, I felt him surrendering to the sensations, the tension in his body giving way to the undulations of ecstasy. His hands fisted in the sheets, straining against the ties that held him captive to my whims. Each sound he made, every curse and plea, made me smile around his cock.

No wonder Kaelan loved to dominate. This was fucking delightful.

I loved having them try to control me, but now I was realizing I also wanted my moments where I made them crawl.

His hips lifted in a silent beg for release, and I gave myself fully to the task, determined to draw out every last thread of pleasure.

When he finally reached the brink, his body tensed like a bowstring, and the sight of him coming undone sent a thrill through my core. I ground against the leg I straddled, my own body growing hungry and desperate.

“Hanna…” he gasped, his voice threaded with reverence.

His orgasm was a thing of beauty, a moment of pure vulnerability as he threw back his head. Even as he thrashed in unbridled release, he was graceful. I watched, feeling my power over him through my body, a gift to us both. His expression settled into blissful abandon.

I crawled up his body, pressing a kiss to his lips. His breath was warm against my cheek, his heart racing beneath my palm.

“I hate you,” he breathed out, the words carrying no malice, but instead a fondness that only we understood. Then a wry smile touched his lips as he added, “But I’m also very proud of your knot tying.”

“Good,” I whispered back, smiling into the kiss. “Because I’m quite pleased with it myself. I intend to keep you trapped with me, Dare.”