Prince of Spies - By Bianca D'Arc Page 0,15

she didn’t make the slightest attempt to pull away.

“Very, very distant cousins. Kissing cousins, my lovely Arikia.” He placed a sweet kiss on her lips, hesitating only a moment before taking it deeper, claiming her mouth with his own.

She tasted of violets and springtime…and the need for possession. He would give anything to make her his own, for all time, but he couldn’t rush her. Nico knew he had to do this right. This was, perhaps, the most important seduction of his life and he would be damned sure to give her the time she needed to come to him of her own volition. Remembering his goal, he drew back, though it was one of the hardest things he’d ever done.

“You’re a wonder to me, Arikia. So strong, so feminine, so beautiful in spirit and heart.”

The blush staining her cheeks made his heart go soft. This little woman wasn’t used to compliments of any kind, he realized. He would have to remedy that and make her understand her beauty—both inner and outer—by reminding her every day for the rest of their lives. It was a duty he would not only enjoy, but relish.

Stepping back, he released her slowly.

“Any other questions?”

She seemed to consider for a moment.

“Where do your clothes go when you shift?”

Nico couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. Of all the questions he’d expected, that one took him by surprise.

“I don’t know exactly where they go, but when I was first learning how to shift, they didn’t always come back.” He chuckled as her eyes widened and dropped down his body, giving him the once over. “It’s part of the magic Draneth the Wise brokered between dragon and humankind.”

“He was a wizard, wasn’t he?”

Nico nodded. “One of the last in this realm. He gave up his command of the greater magics to become human—and dragon—though some of his lesser magics have passed down the royal lines through his children and their descendants, for hundreds of years. I can’t conjure items from thin air, but if I have something on my person at the time I shift—like those coins in my shoe—I can summon them back when I return to human form.” Nico noted the position of the sun in the sky. “Now we should rest for a few hours.” He indicated the crevice between two natural walls of stone that formed a slight angle and would protect them. Nico motioned for her to lie down on the sandy ground.

Riki did so without complaint and it again struck Nico how this poor little waif had not had much comfort in her young life. She seemed unaware of the hardness of the ground against her body, but settled in as if she were used to sleeping on the floor. And indeed, Nico realized sadly, she probably was.

After a last check of their surroundings, Nico lay down next to her. She trembled a bit, and he could almost taste her fear, but he would protect her from all danger. Even from himself.

“Rest easy, little one.” He crooned to her, pulling her small body back against his with one strong arm around her waist. “I won’t hurt you. I’m just going to hold you and keep you safe.”

He also hoped for some of that remarkable healing energy exchange between them as they slept, making them both stronger. It wasn’t guaranteed, he knew, but they had to be touching in order for it to have a chance at working.

But touching is all he would do.

Even if it killed him.

No matter how badly he wanted—no, needed—to roll her beneath him and slide home into her warm depths. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. No, she had to come to him. That’s the only way he could bind her to him for the rest of their lives and beyond. By her own free will.

That thought firmly in mind, Nicolas spooned her into his body, stroking her hair and soothing her as best he could. Trust had to be earned, he well knew, and this was the first step. He would hold her as they slept and she would learn she could trust him with her safety, her body, and yes, her virginity.

“Nico—”

He refused to hear her objections. This was too important.

“Hush, sweetheart. Trust me. All I want to do is hold you. That’s all. This is how you’ll learn to trust me. I promise you.”

“I’m not used to this.”

“Yet you slept nestled against me in Lucan’s chamber and came to no harm. Trust me in this, sweetheart.