Page 56 of Hateful Prince
“Yes. I made a bargain with him that I knew he would break. There isn’t a man in existence strong enough to withstand the urge to look back for his true love. I knew as soon as I saw him that his faith would never be greater than his need to see with his own eyes that she was following him. All he had to do was walk, and he could have had her, but he couldn’t manage something even that simple. He couldn’t let go and believe in her.”
“It wasn’t her he had trouble believing. It was you.”
“Whose side are you on, goddess?”
“Love’s. Always love’s. The rest of it is inconsequential.”
“If that’s the case, then you stand on the side of history with some rather unsavory characters.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, if you’re love’s champion, then you’re there cheering on the Hades of the world. Those of us who would break every rule and moral code to ensure we end up with the one we love.”
“Would you turn around and look back for me?” she asked, and goddammit, my heart broke.
“No. No matter how much I wanted to, I’d stay the course. I won’t lose you.”
Tears swam in her eyes, the emotion behind them making me want nothing more than to kiss each one away.
“You will lose me one day. I’ll be a ghost wandering the halls, haunting your grumpy ass.”
“You’re forgetting that I am uniquely equipped to interact with ghosts. They’re basically my bread and butter.”
She sighed and rolled over onto her back, gaze trained on the ceiling as she winced through what must’ve been a cramp. “And I’m uniquely equipped too, but I can’t even do what I was made for because of my stupid period. This is so frustrating. How am I supposed to go investigate when I can barely stand upright?”
I gently rested a hand on her lower belly, wishing I could take her pain into myself. “This will pass, and then you can do all the investigating you desire.”
She made a face at me. “Spoken like a man. Just suffer through it and then do the important thing. Do you have any idea how often there is no ‘then’ in that equation? Usually we have to suffer and. Being a woman sucks. If men were the ones getting cramps that took them out once a month, they’d get paid sick leave. It is so unjust. You know what? I’m going to invest in one of those period simulators, and then we can talk about enduring and ‘this too shall pass.’ No one gets to weigh in on suffering if they haven’t lived through it.”
It took everything in me not to chuckle at her rant. “It is a woman’s cross to bear. I’m just here to hold your hand through it.”
“Grumble.”
“Why don’t you roll over, and I’ll massage your lower back for you? Would that help?”
“You just want to touch my ass.”
“Of course I do. It’s a fantastic rear end. Best I’ve ever had the pleasure of grabbing on to.”
Giving me a little smile, she did as I instructed, but before I could get into position, I felt the shift in the room’s energy, an awareness of a presence manifesting. This fucking ghost wasn’t getting her hands on my wife. Dahlia was in enough pain as it was, and the last thing I’d allow was the addition of a spiteful, rage-filled spirit.
One palm pressing on Dahlia’s back to keep her still, I turned my head and stared down the intruder. Writhing smoky energy at the foot of the bed greeted me.
“Not this time,” I murmured, calling my power and sending a burst of it into the soul. “Stay back.” One final pulse of my fire and the specter vanished.
Dahlia let out an inquisitive mumble. “Hmm?”
I stared at the now empty spot on the bed, ensuring the specter was well and truly gone before returning my attention to the beautiful woman beneath my hand. This morning hadn’t gone exactly the way I’d expected, but as she’d reminded me, my time with her was precious. I wouldn’t squander a second of it.
“Never you mind. Just lay there and try to relax, all right? Let me make you feel better.”
Chapter
Nineteen
KAI
“Ithought I’d be freezing my tits off out here, but having a dragon boyfriend really does have its perks.” Dahlia snuggled in closer to me as we walked along the water’s edge. The loch was too deep to fully freeze, but the edges were iced over, and all the nearby foliage was covered in thick frost.