Chapter 13

13

Since no one mentioned it, I assumed my companions had not heard the cat’s odd rhyme. Probably a good thing seeing as how the verse claimed there would be a marriage at the ball. For some reason, remembering it left me chilled to the bone. I didn’t want to assume it referred to me, and yet, the word knight could only refer to Levi. Who else would be growling and upset?

This had to be the Grimm Effect doing its best to throw me off balance, to push for the conclusion it wanted. Never mind the fact neither Killian nor I wanted to get married. Not to each other at least.

I might have dwelled on it more, but the afternoon proved busy. For one, we relocated the prince to the same floor as the Knights—Gerome gave up his room for the prince. Smaller and less luxurious but Killian preferred to remain in the hotel because, as he claimed, the ball was only two days away and he should be nearby in case management needed him to make any last-minute changes or decisions.

By late afternoon, the prince had held some meetings with government officials as part of the treaty talks that involved a trade deal that would see Corsica increasing its exports of wine and their specialty honey, plus waiving the need for visas for tourists. In return, the USA would be lowering the tariffs on the goods as well as setting up an embassy.

It should be noted I wasn’t part of those talks. I worked in a conference room that held a minimum of two Knights at all times. Levi’s orders. He kept popping in and out as I worked out the details of our upcoming test trial with the Cinderellas. Hannah had been observing the crowd and pulling some of the—and I quote—“Non-crazy-eyed hopefuls.”

Those selected were brought to the hotel bar and provided Hannah with their identification as well as answered some basic questions.

Why are you here? To marry the prince.

Do you have any weapons on you? Just my killer smile/body/personality.

Mind giving a sample of your blood ? Sure.

Any answers that strayed from the above got sent back out to join those crowding the barricades.

To those who might wonder at the blood request, we wanted a baseline sample should any of them happen to shift into another dragon or something worse. The scientists would want to compare the before and after to see if they spotted any identifying markers.

All in all, a busy day and it wasn’t yet done. We had dinner before our experiment with the Ash-hopefuls. A dinner that left an already grim Levi looking practically carved in stone by the end of it. He might have helped with the planning, but he still didn’t like it.

The conference room we’d prepared had nothing that could be used as a weapon. However, it did have a window, unlike some of the inner chambers in the hotel. Levi had wanted a contained room, but Killian had argued, “If we get another dragon, I’d rather see it fly free than end up dead from our experiment.”

The prince won, and so we sat on one side of the room, at the head of the long table, flanked by Levi and Hannah, while potentials were brought in one by one.

The first to entered was Cindy-mae, a lovely umber-skinned woman with the most gorgeous eyes and shapely figure showcased by her pale yellow mermaid gown.

She entered with her head held high until she saw me. Then, like the old woman, her lip curled. “Begone, foul stepsister. Thou doth not belong here.” Cindy-mae had truly embraced the old fairytale, language and all.

Rather than reply, I let Killian take the lead.

“Hi.” He didn’t believe in formal address unless totally necessary. He’d even changed from his princely attire he’d worn all afternoon for the government officials to his casual clothes for these meetings. “Nice to meet you.”

The deep curtsy that Cindy-mae dropped into left me in awe. I probably would have collapsed if I tried one like it.

“Your Majesty,” she murmured. “I am honored you chose to meet me before the ball.”

“About that… Why are you here, Cindy-mae?” he asked bluntly.

“Why to marry you, of course,” Cindy-mae declared without hesitation.

“Why me? We’ve never met before now.”

“Because we’re destined to be together forever. For I am the one you have been seeking, and we shall live happily ever after,” Cindy-mae sang, swaying in place.

And this was what Hannah called not so crazy?

“Alas, I’m afraid that’s not possible. You see, I’ve already chosen my bride-to-be.” Killian turned to me with a smile. “I’ve found my true love, and we shall be wed at the ball.”

“You would choose my wicked stepsister over me?” Cindy-mae huffed. “But she doesn’t even fit in the shoe.” The woman bent down to pluck an impressively high stiletto and waved it. The glass caught the light.

“Why would she fit in your shoe when she has her own?” Killian plopped a golden slipper on the table, one bought from a nearby store in my size. “Darling, if you would?”

“Of course, sweetie.” We’d decided earlier to play the part of lovey-dovey couple. I placed my bare foot on the table, and he slid the shoe on.

“A perfect fit,” Killian declared.

Cindy-mae gaped. “But… I don’t understand. The ball hasn’t happened yet. How could you have her shoe?”

My turn. “We met at a discotheque last night. After a night of dancing, I lost it getting into a cab, and the prince was kind of enough to track me down to return it.” I smiled vapidly in his direction.

“You’re really going to marry her? ” Cindy-mae’s lip curled.

“I am. Sorry.” Killian even sounded apologetic. “You’ll have to find another prince worthy of you.”

I could see the woman visibly shudder then stiffen. “In that case, I don’t want to waste your time. I see this was a mistake. If you’ll excuse me.” Cindy-mae swept out, shoe in hand, clomping unevenly, but best of all, she remained human.

When the door shut, Killian sighed. “That went better than expected.”

Unfortunately, not all of the meetings with candidates picked for the experiment went so smoothly.

Despite patting all the Cinderella-hopefuls down, some managed to create weapons.

There was Gertrude with lavishly coiffed hair who leaped onto the table and ran for me, pulling out a long pin from her tresses before having her ankles swept by Hannah.

Chubby-cheeked and twinkling-eyed Jolene threw her shoe, which spun and missed my head, only because Levi yanked me out of its path. The heel planted into the wall a few inches deep. Jolene got escorted out, noisily sobbing.

Luckily, none of the jilted potentials turned into dragons, although we did get one frog, who hopped away croaking, and a swan who hissed in our direction before heading for the window, which Hannah quickly opened so she might fly free. We even met one woman who suddenly flipped into a witch and did some damage. Miss Juliette McIntyre went from a meek and sweet-looking young woman with a guileless expression to suddenly wearing a dark form-fitting gown and flinging lightning bolts. Gerome tasered Juliette and carted her out for processing by the bureau. We took a hard line on violent magic users.

Through it all, I played my part. Smiling, batting my lashes at Killian, getting a shoe placed on my foot over and over.

At ten o’clock, Killian yawned. “I think that’s enough for one day.”

“Not bad, you broke the hearts of twenty-three women,” Hannah noted looking up from the tablet where she’d been keeping track.

“Leaving how many?” he asked.

“Two hundred and three. We had more suddenly appear on the guest list late afternoon.”

Killian groaned. “We’ll never disappoint them all in time.”

“No, but the important part is we know what seems to work,” I pointed out to lift his spirits.

“Is it working though?” Killian asked, his expression serious. “Or will the curse keep sending me Cinderellas until I finally cave?”

“Maybe you’ll meet one you like and actually marry her, putting a stop to it.” I tried to offer him hope.

“I would like nothing more. However, in the meantime, I’ll keep having to deal with this.”

Hannah offered a sly solution. “You know, there is such a thing as a marriage of convenience. You could always just fake it. Find someone who doesn’t mind being a trophy wife, at least until you meet the one.”

“Who would agree?” he asked at large. A question no one had a reply to.

Levi appeared to be in a foul mood as we returned to our room. I could have pried, but my menagerie cheered upon my entry so I spent some time on the floor letting them climb over me, replying to their chittering, while rubbing Izzy’s spine.

Eventually, I had to deal with the grumpy Knight who stood staring out the window.

“Care to explain your foul mood?” I asked.

“How much of what I saw downstairs was an act?”

Don’t tell me I had a jealous Knight on my hands. On that point, I could easily reassure. “All of it was a fake.”

He whirled. “Are you sure? Because it looked and sounded convincing.”

“Of course, it did.” I rolled my eyes. “What did you expect? We had to make these women believe Killian wasn’t available. Can’t exactly do that if we’re scowling at each other.”

“I’d understand if you wanted to marry him. He would be a good match for you.” Spoken stiffly through a rigid jaw.

“According to who? Because it certainly isn’t me. I find myself rather attracted to an ornery warrior who has yet to give me a kiss, even though we’re finally alone.”

He didn’t need any more invitation than that. He plucked me from the floor and held me aloft as he devoured my mouth, leaving me breathless.

“About time,” I murmured.

“Trust me when I say I wanted to be alone with you hours ago.”

“Oh really? Prove it,” my impish reply, to which he groaned.

His arms wrapped even tighter, keeping me pinned against his body. He started out coaxing, parting my lips to tease me with his tongue. I moaned as pleasure suffused me. I’d been kissed before but nothing like this. In the past, a kiss was just that. With Levi, it was like being tossed into a storm. A wildness filled me. Arousal simmered. Need demanded.

And he provided.

He nibbled my lips, and I teased his right back. My arms linked around his neck while my legs wrapped around his waist, holding me against his erection. His hands cupped my bottom, and he ground me against him, giving me pressure where I most wanted it.

When his lips nuzzled my neck, I tilted my head back and enjoyed the feel of his mouth dragging down my tender flesh. I leaned back so he could move lower, and with one hand, he palmed my back, urging me to arch my chest while his other hand teased the tops of my breast—a tease with too much fabric in the way.

“Undress me.” I uttered the soft command, and he groaned.

“As my princess commands.”

He set me down but only so he could remove my clothing. Shirt. Pants. He took a moment to stare at me standing there in my bra and panties.

He sighed. “You’re much too beautiful.”

In his eyes I certainly felt it. I didn’t worry if my breasts were too small, my hips too narrow. His expression smoldered as he took me in.

“Your turn.”

“I wasn’t done.”

“In a second…” I murmured as I let my hands skim his torso, tugging free the shirt that covered that wide and deliciously muscled chest.

I made quick work of his belt buckle, but when I undid the button to his pants, he placed a hand over mine. “Let me.”

I sat down to watch as he undid the zipper and shoved them down his legs. His black briefs could barely contain his shaft.

Oh my. I’d never had one this big. I licked my lips, and he groaned.

“If you don’t stop being so sexy, I’ll never make it.”

My lips quirked. “If that happens, I’m sure you’ll find another way to satisfy me.”

Wait, did I actually say that out loud? Judging by his growl as he stepped for me, I had. My bra hit the floor, as did my panties, leaving me just as nude as him.

But did he toss me to the bed to ravage? Nope. He once more chose to stare, the hunger in him clear to see.

It gave me the boldness to cup my breasts and present them in offering.

“Oh hell yes.” He knelt to rub his face between them while I dug my fingers into his hair.

I didn’t need to tell him what I wanted. He just knew, sucking my nipple, nipping it before taking as much of my breast as he could into his mouth. His arm wrapped around my waist and dragged me close to him, lifting me off the ground so he could march me to the closest wall. He pressed me up against it, his body acting as an anchor, while he proceeded to tease my breasts. Drawing my aching peaks into his mouth, his tongue swirling over my nipples. Each time he tugged a tip with his lips and teeth, I felt it between my legs. Felt my desire growing stronger and stronger.

As he played, I ground myself against him, my pussy pressed against his hard belly, soaking it with my arousal. What a waste. I squirmed, trying to get what I wanted.

What I needed.

Again, he understood, and he returned to kissing me while one of his hands grabbed his shaft. He held his body slightly apart and rubbed the head of it against my clit.

My breath hiccupped.

“Are you sure you want this?” he murmured against my mouth.

“Am I not wet enough for you?” I retorted.

He chuckled. “Is that an invitation to taste?”

Oh. I shuddered. I would love to have his mouth on me, but I doubted I’d last more than a few seconds. Besides, I really wanted something else. Something hard. Long. Thick.

“Not this time. I want you inside me.”

His turn to tremble. “I don’t have a condom.”

“I’m on birth control. Please, Levi. I don’t think I can wait any longer.” I’d never felt so wild and needy. As if I might just die if he didn’t fill me up.

He teased me some more, dragging the head of his shaft over my slit. Rubbing against my clit. Making me moan.

I grabbed his hair and kissed him hard, my mouth mashing against his. When his lips parted, my tongue slipped into play, sliding along his, drawing forth a rumble.

“You’re going to make me lose control again,” he groaned.

“Good.” Said with emphatic satisfaction.

With a growl of surrender, he gave me what I wanted. Slowly, though. His cock easing into me, stretching me. It took forever for him to sink to the hilt. A torturous pleasure that had me digging my nails into him and clenching tight.

“Fuck me, princess. You’re going to kill me.”

“Not before you make me come,” I whispered against his lips.

His hands went to gripping my ass, holding those cheeks tight as he began to move inside me. Slow, short thrusts that had me clenching. In and out, we found a rhythm where he bounced me, pushing deep, giving me the friction I desired.

It didn’t take much to make me climax. I yelled as I came, my whole body tightening, squeezing him tight. And he followed in that same moment, his cock thrusting deep and holding as it pulsed, spilling within but remaining hard.

Still connected, he carried me to the bed. To my shock, he kept going, thrusting in and out until my pleasure built again.

The second orgasm left me limp and so satisfied I practically purred.

He murmured, “My sweet princess. What did I do to deserve you?”

“Nothing,” I whispered back. “I’m the lucky one.”

I’d finally found love.