Page 6 of Princes of the Outlands (The Castles of the Eyrie)

Chapter 6

Rangar

Aya pressed onto her tiptoes and kissed Rangar while he was still deciding what to do about the beautiful girl’s confession. Her lips were warm and soft, and his arms instinctively went around her waist. The snow was falling heavier, catching in their eyelashes and skimming over his bare shoulders and her wool cloak.

She tilted her head back to deepen the kiss. Rangar felt his senses go on alert—his skin was extra sensitive, his nose detected her floral smell mixed with bread dough from the kitchen. He found his hand weaving through her silky hair, fighting the urge to clutch her possessively into a deeper kiss.

She broke the kiss, looking up at him through her long lashes. “I’ve wanted this for a long time, Rangar.”

He couldn’t help himself. Her body was such a pleasing, warm presence beneath his hands. Her lips were full and ready. When she brushed a finger over the hexmark on his pectoral muscle, he growled low and took her in another kiss.

She parted her lips in a sigh. Her muscles trembled slightly beneath his hands, from the cold or the kiss; he wasn’t sure. She pressed those lips against his jaw, kissing her way down his neck and shoulder.

As his hands dropped lower on her hips, Rangar was having difficulty concentrating. It had been a long time since he’d felt a woman’s touch. The few women he’d made love to had been meaningless exchanges of release on both sides—he’d been careful to pick women who knew where his heart lay and didn’t expect to win it. But Aya was different. Their friendship was a bright spot in his days. He cared about her too much to break her heart.

His mind turned to the Mir princess with hair so fair it was nearly white. The fralen bond connected him and Bryn forever, but the fralen bond could take many different forms. Some individuals who saved another’s life became friends with them—for others, it was more of a sibling-like relationship. It wasn’t uncommon for the bond to turn romantic, but nor was it a given. When Rangar convinced Trei and Valenden to sneak into the Harvest Moon Gathering to spy on Bryn two years ago, he’d wondered how he’d feel about her as they were no longer children.

All it had taken was one look to fall instantly for her.

Now, he remembered:

Hiding behind trees on the outskirts of the festivities, Trei had slapped Rangar. “Look. Your girl. There.”

A young lady, not quite a woman, dressed in a dusty rose-colored gown and a crown of wheat berries and dried flowers, had clasped hands and spun in circles, laughing, with two other young royals.

Rangar had felt his breath still.

“Well, go on, then,” Valenden had prodded. “Go confess that you’re hopelessly enthralled by her. And nab a few bottles of mead while you’re at it.”

“I cannot approach her,” Rangar had growled. “Or her father will have our necks.”

“Well then, why the hell did we travel half a day to come?” Valenden had asked.

Trei had rested a hand on Val’s shoulder. “Rangar is right. The risk is too great. He wanted to see her again, and now he has. We’ve got what we came for.”

Valenden again protested about sampling the mead while Rangar couldn’t take his eyes off Bryn. Laughing and dizzy, she’d broken away from the other girls and stumbled a ways away from the bonfire to catch her breath.

Bryn , Rangar now thought to himself. It’s Bryn. It will always be Bryn.

Though his body objected to his mind, he forced his hands to ease Aya away from him gently.

She looked at him with big eyes. “But I thought…”

“Aya, this isn’t a good idea. You know where my heart is.”

Her throat constricted as she swallowed. The snow was coming heavier now, filling the forest with gentle patters. Her falcon, Hurricane, roosted on a branch above their heads, keeping watch among the trees.

“Your Mir princess,” Aya said evenly.

For a moment, Rangar let his eyes fall closed. How many nights had he fallen asleep dreaming of Bryn? The fralen bond would bind them forever. They were meant to be together. He was meant to watch over her, to protect her from any other danger that might once more threaten her life.

After all, he hadn’t gotten the four scars across his face for nothing.

“When we danced together last night,” Aya pressed, “Didn’t you feel something?”

Rangar smoothed an errant strand of her hair down. “You’re beautiful, Aya. Any man would feel fortunate to dance with you.”

She shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

He clenched his jaw, looking away, thinking guiltily of Bryn.

The snow continued to fall steadily. Rangar realized it was coming up on supper time, and people would wonder where the two of them were. For her sake, he didn’t want rumors spreading throughout the Baersladen that there was something between them when there wasn’t.

Aya placed her palm on his cheek, letting her thumb brush over one of his scars. “Close your eyes and pretend I’m her,” she whispered.

He had to admit that it felt good to have someone touch his scars. The other women he’d been with hadn’t wanted to, disgusted by them.

But he captured Aya's wrist, stopping her. “I might not be as honorable as Trei, but I wouldn’t do that to any woman.”

Aya’s eyes sizzled in the fading light. “I know where your heart lies, Rangar Barendur. Fortunately, I never said I needed your heart.” She brushed her hips against his suggestively. “Only your cock.”

A bolt of lightning shot through him. His body instantly responded to her words, but his head held him back.

“Aya,” he said slowly, “I care about you. Our friendship—”

She silenced him with a finger on his lips. “Spare me the pity, Rangar. I’m not some lovesick girl who fell for the first man she danced with. You know me—I’ve never been overly emotional. The reality is your Mir princess is a kingdom away. It will be a long time before you see her again, assuming her father even lets you get within a hundred paces of her. You aren’t going to be a saint your entire life. Nor do I wish to be. You can’t deny that there was something between us at the dance.”

Before Rangar could object again, she replaced her finger over his lips with her mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him again.