I rolled onto my side, and something tickled my face. I brushed at it, trying to shove it away as I pulled my blanket over my shoulder. My brows puckered slowly as I pulled the blanket closer to my face, to my nose, fumbling with it in my half-dozing state. Cinnamon…and minty leaves…attacked my sense of smell.
My eyes shot open.
From his perch on the couch, Bel lifted a sardonic black brow. “You slept for two hours.”
I cleared my throat and peered down at my body. While he was dressed once again in his pajamas and shirt, I was still completely naked underneath the blanket he had draped over me. My attention snaked back over my shoulder to his fireplace. At least he had put that out before covering me with flammable material.
He snorted. “Get up. We need to discuss this Challenge.”
My blue eyes found his ice blue gaze. “You’re back to Lord Belshazzar now?”
“Correct.” He tipped his head to the empty space next to him. “Come sit by me while I tell you a secret.”
I brushed my hair out of my face and pushed off the fur rug that had been bugging me in my sleep. I brought the blanket with me, keeping it tight around my body as I stood. I kept my eyes off the bookcase, even though it was clear the hidden panel was once again closed and the book I had dropped gone from the floor. I walked on quick feet and tried to look as queenly as I could…even while looking thoroughly fucked.
I sat next to him with perfect posture. My regard turned to him, and I lifted a black eyebrow of my own. “I’m here for the Challenge, my lord.”
Bored. He appeared bored watching me. “First, you need to understand this Challenge completely. It is truly simple, and yet, not. When I tell you this secret, if you ever tell anyone before events come to pass, one or all of the lords have the right to kill you. It is one of the few exceptions for royalty killing royalty. Do you understand, Gwynnore?”
I nodded solemnly. “I do.”
“Are you ready for the secret?”
“I am.”
Lord Belshazzar leaned closer to me and bent down. He pressed his warm lips to my ear…and told me a secret. A very long secret whispered on the barest heated breath. A secret that had my brows rising close to my hairline and my eyes fighting not to move away from my lap.
The overlord pulled back to stare directly into my shocked gaze. He questioned plainly, “Do you want me to repeat it, just in case you missed anything?”
I blinked. Nodded.
His mouth found my left ear once more.
The secret was told again.
Back to staring into my quickly blanking expression. “Again?”
I shook my head. Just slightly. “No, I heard it all.”
“Do you understand it?”
“I do, my lord.”
His ice blue eyes sparkled. “Are you excited?”
“This is huge. I feel like I want to puke.”
The lord’s head tipped back as he laughed loud and deep. His attention eventually returned to my statue-still person, his hilarity barely contained. Still wearing a contented grin—even as his eyes narrowed—he asked, “Are you too ill to come to bed with me, Gwen? Or would you rather sleep in the bathtub so you can be near the toilet?”
My mouth bobbed for a moment as I watched him fiddle with his leather band around his right wrist. It was thick and black. I had never seen him without it, the royal seal stamped into the leather. My eyes traveled back up to his as I sputtered, “Are you back to Bel now?”
He slid his tongue across his bottom lip, revealing a glimpse of his fangs. “Yes. For the rest of the night.”
I let my eyes turn to red, allowing him to see the simmering lust I had been hiding. “Then yes, I will sleep in your bed tonight.”
“I can respect how well you hide that.” He sounded surprised.
“Shut up, Bel.”
“Yes, little one.”
I squealed as he rushed to pick me up.
He carried me straight to the bed.
His lips were already devouring mine.
* * *
Bang. Bang. Bang!
My eyes shot wide open just as a blanket was thrust over my head. “What in the—”
A large palm shoved over my mouth, smelling of cinnamon and mint leaves, smothering my words. I didn’t bite as instinct had me keeping my fangs out of flesh at the familiar scent. Lord Belshazzar. I was in his room, naked flesh to naked flesh. I was also sleeping on top of him.
I guess his warning to stay on the other side of the enormous bed after another bout of mind-blowing sex hadn’t worked out so well.
A mere second later, the creak of a door echoed inside his bedroom. Then the guard I had spoken to before entering his room, stated, “My apologies, Lord Belshazzar. But the other Overlords are outside your room waiting for you. There’s cause for an emergency.”
Furious voices could be heard in the hallway.
I stayed completely still. It was the Overlords.
“Just let me in there, you goddamn jackass!” Lord Pippin snarled. “Step out of my way. Now!”
Lord Belshazzar’s chest rumbled under my left ear as he barked, “I’ll be out in a minute. Shut my door.”
The door snapped shut. The voices disappeared.
When no other noises flittered in the air, I carefully removed the lord’s hand from my mouth. I whispered, “You better go.”
“Fuck, I smell like you. I need to take a shower.”
I pulled the blanket down from my head and peered into his eyes through the darkness. “I’ll take that as a compliment, my lord. And thank goodness you’re fast.”
His fangs flashed in his grumpiness.
But he was suddenly gone from underneath me.
“Oomph!” I groaned as my body hit the mattress. I shouted from the bed, “Not nice!”
The water started in the shower. “And I told you to stay on the other side of the bed while we slept!”
My lips twitched. I knew he’d mention that.
Thirty seconds later, he ran into the bedroom. Butt naked and dry. How he managed that…no clue. While he rifled through one of his chests of drawers, my eyes caught on an image I hadn’t noticed before.
I blinked. “Nice tattoo.”
It was on his right hip.
The royal seal. Two swords and the crown.
He hopped into a pair of white boxer briefs, tight and snug against that magical cock. Not looking at me, still focused on his choice of clothing, he mumbled, “If you become queen, you’ll have your own too.”
My brows puckered as I snuggled further under his blanket. His bed was better than mine was. It didn’t surprise me. I asked, “Does a druid spell it to stay?”
He nodded once, almost finished dressing. “Yes, we have one we trust.”
“Hmm.” I cleared my throat. “Should I worry about whatever emergency is happening right now?”
Lord Belshazzar glanced left and right, then grabbed his cell phone where he had left it on the couch. He glanced at the screen. He sneered at whatever he read on it, his fangs gleaming in the dark. “No. It’s just Master Niallan’s friends trying to break in. Apparently, he didn’t contact them before he went to bed and no one can enter his room.”
I stared. “No wonder the others want you with them.”
He grunted and placed his phone in the pocket of his dress pants. The vampire adjusted the leather bracelet around his wrist and then peered down at his attire, double-checking his appearance. Extremely vain man. His ice blue eyes peeked up at me through his lashes while he worked on buttoning his jacket. He ordered quietly, “Wait five minutes, then exit my bedroom.”
“Will do.” I yawned so wide my jaw cracked.
“Gwynnore?”
“Yes, Lord Belshazzar?”
His eyes ran over my features. “Just checking.”
I snorted. “I’m not that young.”
“Yes, you are.” He sighed and walked toward the door. He grumbled under his breath, “I didn’t even hear the damn security system go up.”
“Flaws. Know ’em, and then fix ’em.”
“Very true. I did that earlier, in fact.” He paused at the door and flicked a finger at me. “Cover up. They know someone’s in here with me, but they don’t know who. I’d like to keep it that way.”
Rolling my eyes, I pulled the cover over my head. “Me too, my lord.”
I stayed absolutely silent.
And barely even heard him leave.
I was sure he had been just loud enough for me to hear.