Page 68 of The Nymph Prince

“Again!” Eva shouted.

Approaching the courtyard, I saw the two of them standing five or so feet apart. Eva wore a flowing top that allowed her movement, and even when yelling orders to my mage, she looked like a princess. She probably would’ve strangled me for calling her one, though.

“I cannot.” Alek was drenched in sweat and his hands rested on his knees. “I feel faint.”

“Do you think the seer and the dark ones will wait for you to catch your breath?” she retorted. “No. They will not. Stand up and face me.”

Alek held a blue stone in his right hand. After closing his eyes and taking a breath, he shouted and thrust his other arm forward. A burst of purple energy shot from his hand and traveled toward Eva. The intensity diminished before reaching her, the vibrant purple dimming.

She knocked it aside with ease, after shouting a word I didn’t understand.

Reif stood near the tall fountain, his hands clasped in front of him and a bored expression on his ruggedly handsome face. To me, it was impressive to see Eva and Alek training, but the guard had been present during every lesson. He’d probably seen countless failed attempts, as well as a few successes.

“Well done!” Eva exclaimed. “You have much more to learn, but you’re getting there. With more practice, I will not be able to block so easily. That’s enough for the day.”

Alek collapsed to his knees and lowered his head. His broad shoulders moved with his harsh breaths.

“Hello, lover,” I said, joining him on the moss-covered ground.

He groaned and leaned over to rest his head on my shoulder. “I could sleep for days.”

As his scent hit me, my skin tingled and my cock hardened. Neither compared to my heart, though, that fluttered in my chest like a bird’s wings.

“My thoughts drift to the bed, as well,” I said, turning my head to kiss his temple. “But not for sleeping.”

Alek tilted his face up and grinned. Gold flashed in his blue eyes, and my heart jolted at the sight. The only other time I’d seen gold flash in his gaze was the first night we’d made love. Perhaps his eyes flashed different colors depending on his mood.

Purple for anger. Definitely. Silver for fear and uncertainty. And gold for…what?

Love, maybe? But that was wishful thinking.

“My limbs weigh heavily and my energy is drained,” he muttered, sounding exactly that. “Yet, I always have the strength to roll around in bed with you, nymph.”

I liked his answer.

I liked what followed even more.

16

Alek

Pure evil consumed me. My eyes were mine, but what I saw—and how I felt upon seeing it—was not me. Fire and death, and in the center of it all…Lorcan. His body lay broken and drenched in blood. The fire in his eyes that I loved so much was snuffed out. He was forever silenced.

Because of me.

Smoke billowed in the air and gathered in the sky like a dark, ominous cloud of death. Bodies littered the grass and the streets of Black Hallows. Blood pooled in the dirt and dripped from fingertips.

“All hail the king!” voices shouted in unison.

I looked to see the group of hooded figures, now removing their hoods and showing their decaying faces. And there were others. So many others. All dark mages, come to celebrate in our victory.

“All hail the king,” they repeated, and there were yells of joy.

So much joy.

So much death.

I awoke with a start, a scream tearing through my throat. My body was covered in sweat and my heart raced so fast I wondered if it was going to shoot from my chest.