Page 29 of His Dark Delights

Lilly

For half an hour we laid on the rug by the fire, unspeaking with legs entangled.

Ren idly traced shapes over my body as though his fingers were a painter’s brush, and my bare flesh was his canvas.

He seemed perfectly content to lie in silence with me while admiring the curves of my skin, the plane of my stomach, the swells of my breasts.

His touches weren’t lewd. They were tender, explorative, and intimate. Each glide of his finger took me back to the days and nights on the farm with him. It forced me to remember the pleasure we shared and the feelings that burdened my soul.

Perhaps he needed that moment. A king who needed time to rest his weary head from the weight of his crown. He wanted me to be his peace and solitude in a place where the world rested on his shoulders. That was what I’d been on the farm, and that was why he summoned me.

Soren couldn’t truly love me for me, and he never would. I was a lovely respite from his problems, and nothing more.

He caught me by surprise when he curled a hand into my hair and pulled my face close to his. It made my heart backflip when he caught my lips in a swift, tender kiss—tender like a wound that would leave me bruised.

His Majesty rose from the floor, tucking himself back into his pants. The dark line of hair down his stomach held my attention the entire time. Only when he cleared his throat could I peel my eyes from the mouthwatering display of his body.

“You have free rein of the entire castle, Lilly. Go wherever you like. Though I have a surprise waiting for you in the garden. I figured you’d go there first, anyway.”

“A surprise in the garden?” My heart thrilled, and I mentally reprimanded myself. Don’t let him see any excitement. He’ll take it as a win.

“Yes, of course. I have business to attend to, but Mrs. Gibbons can show you the way after you’ve had breakfast.” Joy shone in his eyes. An echoing light gleamed through me in response.

“Right, breakfast.”

“I wish I could be there to see the look on your face—” he cut himself off with a sigh. Then he swooped down and placed a brief kiss on my lips. “I’ll see you later, Lilly.”

Half stunned and vibrating with excitement, I watched Ren dip beneath the tapestry, then vanish through the hidden door into the King’s room. As if his departure had summoned her, Mrs. Gibbons knocked on the door a few seconds later.

I shot to my feet before she swept into the room.

Her eyes widened at the state of me, but she tried to pretend as if she wasn’t scandalized.

Instead of focusing on my shredded nightgown on the floor, she bundled me in a robe, then sat me down with a tray of food.

She insisted I eat while she readied a hot bath.

While eating, my thoughts raced, wondering what surprise a king would have. What was in the garden? Where was the garden? How fast could I get there?

Giddiness tingled under my skin and sparked along my nerves, carrying me through a quick meal and an even faster bath.

Mrs. Gibbons noted my rush, moving in a hurry to lace up my pastel pink dress for the day.

I was so elated at the prospect of going outside, feeling the sun on my skin, seeing the palace garden, and finding a surprise, I didn’t stop to think about anything else.

Not Soren’s words or actions, or why he’d arranged any surprise for me at all.

The last time in my life someone had surprised me was when Mr. Tatum showed up with honey cake… the day I’d found the king nearly dead in the woods.

Mrs. Gibbons led me through the blue maze of palatial walls.

I didn’t stick out like a dirty peasant compared to my first day herded through the halls.

The tulle layers of my dress, flowing sleeves, and silk slippers allowed me to blend in with any of the court ladies tending to their duties or meandering around.

Through towering stained glass double doors, Mrs. Gibbons led me outside. Perfectly warm and breezy spring air ruffled the ends of my hair, and the glorious scent of blooming florals swept into my nose. I didn’t need a guide from there. The lush garden was a spectacle of serene beauty.

Rows upon rows of hedges walled in the garden.

Shrubs in outlandish shapes lined the path; leaping fish, standing horses, and swans with their heads bowed together.

Pastel wisteria hung from arches over the cobblestone paths.

Crimson roses clung to trellises two stories tall.

Gilded marigolds reflected the sunlight on their dewy petals.

Purple foxgloves hung in vertical columns at every turn.

For the first time in days, my world came alive with the song of nature. Flower petals rustled together in the wind. Bees buzzed in the distance. Roots twisted and churned in the soil, and an elaborate three-tiered fountain splashed at the heart of it all.

The flowers called to me, enchanting me, singing a song only I could hear.

And I followed, entranced by that pull. Without pause, I kicked off my slippers and bound through the endless twists and turns of the palace garden.

I surged into a sprint, running under golden rays of light, twisting through flowers, and spinning barefoot around the towering, gushing fountain.

I ran, and I laughed, soaking in the sun and sucking in the sweetly scented air.

A familiar metal clinking echoed nearby. Shock bolted through me, followed by an erratic skip in my heart. I followed my feet, ambling toward the back end of the garden.

A white figure with beautiful black spots swayed into my line of sight. She heard my rapid steps swishing through the grass and swung her head in my direction. Two large brown eyes lit up, and she bellowed softly.

“Millie-Moo!” I flung my arms over her neck and buried my face in hers. A sudden unforeseen sob wracked my body, and prickling tears escaped the corners of my eyes.

Clucking and the scratching of claws on the grass interrupted the reunion. Sniffling, I glanced over my shoulder at the chickens pecking at seeds in the garden lawn.

“Oh gods, you’re all here. You’re all alright.” I sank to my knees with my fingers curled in the rope around Millie’s neck. She lowered her nose, sniffing at the top of my head. She licked the side of my face, interrupting my crying, and my quiet sniffles turned into laughter.

Soren had listened to me in the study. He’d heard the plea in my voice. Not only had he ensured my animals were tended to, but the king had them transported to me.Would I have preferred him to send me home to be with them? Perhaps. That was what the louder voice in my mind demanded.

But this gesture was magnificent, too. It meant something that he listened to me and acted. It meant something that His Majesty had done something so outlandish as having farm animals from a border village brought to the palace gardens.

“A surprise, indeed,” I laughed breathlessly.

Ren did this knowing it would get looks and tongues would wag. It was silly and insane, but he did this for me when he didn’t have to. And it meant more than I wanted to admit.

Mrs. Gibbons delivered lunch shortly after noon. I sat on a bench, surrounded by my animals, while nibbling on slices of roasted chicken, warm buttered bread, and assorted berries. Millie wandered, chewing on grass and resting after half a day of running wild in the castle gardens.

A pleasant ache hummed in my muscles from chasing chickens and seeking a cow hiding in the hedges. My lungs eased from my strained breath and laughter. Alone as I preferred, and overly at ease in a place where I shouldn’t have been.

Surrounded by enemies and butchers and yet a small haven had been afforded to me. The same hand that I should bite was the one that fed me, touched me, and pleasured me. I should bite and bite hard, but I didn’t have the craving for violence required.

A jostling in the shrubs and the heavy scuff of leather boots on stone tugged me from my treasonous musings. I dropped the strawberry hovering near my lips when a figure strode into the clearing at the back of the garden.

“Rhydan,” I perked up upon seeing a friendly face.

A heartbeat later and I schooled my features, reminding myself that while the knight was friendly within the palace, he still sported a sword on his hip that was crafted for fae killing. I didn’t doubt that fairy blood had already soaked his steel.

“Lady Lilliana, it is good to see you smiling finally. I didn’t think you would.” The knight crossed the clearing, striding easily with his arms clasped behind his back.

I plucked the strawberry from my lap and sighed half-heartedly. “The circumstances of my arrival weren’t worth a smile. ”

Rhydan dipped his head, and the corner of his lips twitched.

“It would displease His Grace to hear it, but I’d have to agree with you.

” Glancing over his shoulder, he noted the cow watching him from around a hedge.

“Though it would appear those circumstances have improved. Much to the frustration of the groundskeeper,” he sniggered.

“Groundskeeper?” I almost choked on the bite of fruit. “I hate to think my animals’ arrival displeased someone.”

His shoulders lifted and dropped. “Just a crotchety old man who’s overseen the garden his entire life. He wouldn’t let anyone set foot here if given the choice. But who is he compared to the king?”

“Everyone is important,” I replied. “Without the groundskeeper, would His Majesty be out here tending to the garden?”

Rhydan’s smirk was playful. “Once upon a time, he might have. Ren was known to get his hands dirty when he needed to.”

My expression fell as I recalled the state he was in when he stumbled into my room. The blood on his shirt and the bruises on his knuckles. But I also remembered his smile when he fixed my barn, regardless of his wounds.

I cleared my throat. “And where is His Majesty? I’d like to thank him for this wonderful surprise.”

The knight leaned on a young tree, staring pensively at the grass between our feet. He crossed his arms over his chest to hide the rise of a heavy breath. “Trapped in the council chambers with old men who’ve never lifted a sword. His Grace argues for the need to return to the front lines. ”

Don’t react. Don’t react. Don’t let him see the fear bubbling under the surface.

“Ah, I see,” I forced off my tongue.

The war.

I’d gone blind in my fleeting moment of joy.

A na?ve farm girl swayed by luxuries. All the while, the Fairy Butcher was in one of those sapphire towers looming overhead across the garden.

He distracted me with something guaranteed to make me happy while seated at a table with his council demanding provisions and men to return to battle.

“He is a restless creature of vengeance. No shiny thing or pretty flower can keep him from his cause. Not for long.” Rhydan’s words seemed casual on the surface. But I heard the warning hidden beneath them.

I swallowed my growing apprehension, shifting on the bench against the anxiety gnawing in my belly.

“What are your views on the war, my lord? Do you revel in killing fae as your king does?”

He kicked off the tree, mouth jerking with a rueful smile. “Aye, I won’t deny I enjoy a good fight almost as much as a good fuck, my lady. But personally, I have no quarrel with the fae. I fight because my king commands it and I have an oath to serve the realm.”

That reply provided me with an ounce of comfort. I’d viewed Rhydan as a safe person without knowing the extent of his views on the war. Though it didn’t reveal how trustworthy he’d be with my truth.

If he’d approached ten minutes earlier, he might have seen the flowers behind the bench bending to meet my outstretched hand. Would he have gone to Soren and given me away? Or would he have killed me himself based on an oath ?

“Fucking and fighting,” I giggled. “What if we weren’t at war and a lovely fae woman landed in your lap? Would you fight or fuck, my lord?”

A bark of laughter cracked through his lips, and he tossed his head back. His shoulders shook with the force of his hysterics, and he nearly bent over to draw breath again.

“Aye. If the woman had wide hips and a round ass, she’d garner my attention, fae or not.” Then he stepped closer, looking over his shoulder to ensure we remained alone. “Don’t tell His Majesty, but I have bedded a fae before.”

My jaw dropped, and I balked at the smirking knight. “You seem to be his closest friend, yet he doesn’t know?”

“She was a selkie I met off the shores while traveling as a young man. Roundest most perfect ass I’d ever seen.

We had a fun two weeks together before I joined the ranks.

A few years later, Ren became king and things changed.

I never saw her again.” The lighthearted tone he started with drifted into something thin and wistful.

“I am sorry,” I broke through the silence.

Rhydan waved his hand through the air. “Think nothing of it, my lady. I’m sure she’s out at sea, living her life as far away from the war as possible.”

“But what if she wasn’t? What if your selkie got caught beneath your sword, sir? Would you act as an executioner for one you shared pleasure with?” It was risky to ask. Like playing a defenseless move in a board game. But one that might provide substantial reward.

He looked me up and down then, observing me thoroughly from the corner of his eyes. If I didn’t hold my breath, he might crack me open and find my truth laid bare. A reply clung to his lips, yet the silence stretched with his hesitation.

“I made an oath to this kingdom when I picked up my sword. Then another to my friend when the council plucked him from the ranks and seated on the throne,” his jaw flexed, and his eyes hardened, “but I… I am not the man Ren is. He is my friend, so that’s why I am comfortable admitting that sometimes… sometimes he is wrong.”

My pulse kicked up, racing faster. Perhaps I would have an ally within the sparkling blue cage of the palace walls after all.

“It’s good to know not everyone in Elleslan is a royal ass-kisser, sir.”

A huffed laugh vented past his lips, and his boot scuffed the ground. “No, I’m afraid His Majesty’s royal ass isn’t to my tastes.”

“Right, not quite plump enough for you,” I joked. I’d seen Ren’s backside enough for myself, and I didn’t think I’d tire of the sight. Perfectly rounded with toned muscle–gods, my core clenched at the memory of him naked.

“And there’s the matter of his cock. I’ve no taste for it,” Rhydan smiled.

I rose from the bench and took the last few steps to Rhydan’s side. Head low, I whispered conspiratorially. “Well, it might save me some trouble if he aimed it at someone else’s face.”

Rhydan thinned his lips into a line to smother his laughter, and wicked mirth danced in his eyes as we shared a moment.

“What is going on here?” A fresh voice cleaved through the air of humor in the garden, and I startled back as ice crept into my veins.