CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Nikolai
THE BOTTOMLESS LAKE is located in the most remote region on the eastern borders of my kingdom. We fly over fifteen-thousand-foot mountain peaks until we reach a high-altitude meadow with a runway. Long golden grass waves in the wind while white flowers bob as if in greeting. After we disembark the jet, I take Kate’s hand in mine, leading the way along the narrow trail. No words pass between us. At least nothing that can be spoken aloud. The trail swings out onto a cliff, and I hear her gasp. Not because of the sheer granite wall and vertigo drop-off. But because of what lies so far down below.
It is the deepest lake in the world. There are rumors of ancient creatures trolling these mysterious waters—sea monsters, mermaids and other such nonsense. But I don’t take much stock in the old storytelling.
Still, it’s disconcerting to peer into water that blue, visible even in the luminescence of the moon, that pitiless color that seems to attract all available light, to suck it down into its icy heart.
I lace my fingers with Kate’s, let our palms slide in a gentle caress, a delicious promise of later. Heat ignites my veins. Soon, so soon, this beautiful woman will be mine.
X guides us down the stone steps to the lakeshore, and as he sets to work lighting floating torches to blaze our trail, I strip from my clothing in easy, unconcerned movements. As I remove my pants I smile as she stares at my cock.
“See something you like, Pet?” I ask her with a wry smile. I love that my body gives her such wicked, carnal pleasure.
She opens her mouth, and I expect a witty insult. Instead, she sucks in a breath and falls to her knees, bracing her hands on the gravelly beach.
My flirtatious instincts evaporate as I slip into pure protection mode. “What is it?” I drop into a low crouch.
“It’s a stupid thing to be this afraid of water, isn’t it?” She lifts her gaze, and the pain stamped there almost levels me. “But try rationalizing that with my body.”
“Kate, my love, I have told you before, I don’t require you to do this. My kingdom pales in comparison to your safety and happiness.”
“I want to be brave for you, for me, for us, for love. But it’s not the memory of what I’ve lost at the depths of a river shallower than this. It’s what I could lose. I don’t just mean us losing our freedom to marry, Nikolai. What if something happened? What if I lost you?” Kate shakes her head, and then her jaw takes on that determined set that makes me want her all the more. “Promise me you can do this, and I won’t let fear win.” She removes her dress and is bare before me, all creamy skin and soft angles. Her perfect breasts make my mouth water.
I step forward. “I can do this, Kate. We can do this. Though I can’t help feeling that I don’t deserve you.”
She presses a cool hand to the side of my cheek, skimming my stubble. “We could stand here debating that claim, or we could swim to the Island of Atonement and get on with the rest of our lives.”
We stare out to the middle of the lake, now dotted with small licks of flame, to where a modest, heart-shaped island is covered by a thick blanket of trees. In the middle is a tall stone tower, glittering in the brilliant moonlight, that looks as ancient as the mountains.
“What is waiting for us out there?” she whispers.
“I can’t say for certain.” I cover her hand with mine. “But whatever dangers or mysteries we are about to face, we’ll face them together.”
“Just as we will anything else in life.”
She nods and wades into the water, and I’ve never seen anything more stunning. This woman is willing to sacrifice anything for me, for us.
I feel the same way.
And so I follow after.
Kate
The water is surprisingly warm, yet I inhale a shuddering breath. Nikolai’s hand is still in mine as we wade deeper, following the line of X’s torchlights, though X himself is nowhere to be seen.
Because we must do this alone.
Nikolai suddenly halts.
“What is it?” I ask.
He squeezes my hand. “The bottom will drop out soon,” he warns, and I can tell he fights to keep his voice even. “You said once that your sister said you could swim, that you’d just blocked it out. I can’t let you go any farther, Kate. Not if you are putting your life at risk.”
I nod, knowing what he is asking of me—what I am asking of him. The water is halfway up my torso, my breasts nearly covered, and despite the balmy air, I tremble. Then I squeeze my eyes shut and drop beneath the surface, letting go of Nikolai’s hand. The last thing I hear is him frantically calling my name.
I force my eyes open. The water is clear but dark, and in the places below a floating torch, I catch the movement of a fish or whatever else dwells beneath the surface. My heart races as panic threatens to take hold of my senses, but I remind myself that there is clean air above me, that I am not alone, and that I am not trapped as my parents were.
I am not trapped. But Nikolai is. And he is depending on me to set him free.
I kick my legs out behind me and push my palms and my outstretched arms through the water. And then I burst through the surface. My feet no longer reach the ground, yet I am still here. I am in control.
I am triumphant.
“Kate!” Nikolai cries, his voice hoarse as he swims out to meet me. “Fucking hell, Kate. What are you doing?”
I grin as my arms and legs make circles through the inky blue. “I’m pretty sure I’m swimming,” I say, and my heart thunders in my chest. “Oh, my God, Nikolai. I’m swimming!”
His eyes gleam silver in the moonlight, and the terror I know I caused washes from his face.
“You did it,” he says. “Jesus, fuck, you did it!”
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t let Benedict hear you speaking like that.”
He lets out a broad, bellowing laugh and kisses me as he keeps himself afloat.
“Let’s go get our future,” I say. He nods, and we set out for the island.
We swim from torch to torch, each one a beacon. As my adrenaline wanes and the long minutes set in, my limbs grow weary.
“Just make it to the next torch,” Nikolai says, when he senses my exhaustion.
And so I vow to make it to the next torch. And then the next one. And the one after that until I stumble as my toes unexpectedly dig into sand.
I straighten and stand as tears spring from my eyes. Nikolai doesn’t waste a second as he scoops me into his arms and kisses me hard, unrelenting, and I realize my only fear now is that I will never be able to get enough of this man.
He doesn’t let go, doesn’t release me from the kiss as he strides onto shore, his strong arms holding me close. It is a mirror image of the day we met, when he carried me to safety in the maze. Then I was determined to marry him off to another. But today I risk everything to make him mine.
I cling to his solid, naked form as he marches straight for the stone monument, and he only releases me when we stand before a carved-out doorway that beckons us to enter.
We do.
I gasp as Nikolai whispers, “Look.” His head tilts toward the ceiling—or at least where there should be one. But instead the stone opens to the star-speckled sky, to the full moon in all her brilliance, lighting us from above. I spin, my eyes taking in the walls that surround us, and see that they are covered with rich, painted murals, all different versions of two lovers discovering this land.
“Oh, Nikolai.” Those are my only words, though. I am not sure I have breath to give life to what I wish to say.
“I know,” he says, relieving me from the burden as we simply marvel and stare.
I run my hands along the painted stone walls until I come to a spot of empty canvas, a section of a wall waiting for the next painting. It’s then that my fingers nick a loose stone, sending it crashing to the floor.
I gasp. “I’m sorry! Oh, my God. I broke the monument. I survived that swim to come here and ruin this sacred place, and I—” But I gasp again as Nikolai, without hesitation, reaches his arm inside the shadowy opening. This is the thing horror stories are made of, and I brace myself for him to cry out as some deadly creature takes his hand, but instead he pulls out a blue wooden box no bigger than a schoolchild’s pencil case. A piece of parchment is wrapped around it, fastened with a waxen seal.
Now it is Nikolai who gasps.
“What is it?” I ask, and he stares up at me, his gray eyes glistening.
He smiles as a tear escapes down his beautiful, chiseled cheek.
“This is the royal seal,” he says. “I think—I think this is from my parents.”
I step into his grasp, wrapping my arms around his torso. Then he breaks open the seal and unfolds the parchment, holding it up for both of us to see.
“Read it to me,” he says. “I’m too fucking nervous.”
I swallow and do as he asks, reading the letter aloud as my own eyes well with tears again.
To Our Dearest Nikolai,
Generations have gone before us, those that have abided by the ancient decree. And should you go that route as well, we pray that you are happy. That if and when it is necessary, this finds your heir; that generations do not pass before Edenvale is rewarded once again with a king and queen who are pure of heart. For we have found the way to true happiness.
Our only hope is that you are able to do the same. Should you find the one who fills your heart, then she shall also be the one to fill your soul. There is no room for blackness, for hate, for anything to cloud the mind of a king who shall rule with a just hand if he has true love in his heart. If you’ve found this gift, do not take such treasure for granted. Populate the palace with heirs, with products of a love immeasurable, and the kingdom will prosper as does your devotion.
To love and be loved in return—there is no greater reward we can bestow upon you. But take what is in this box and use it as a token of that love. Then, when the time is right, come back to this place and paint your story upon these walls. Leave a token for those who come after you.
With all the love in our hearts,
King Nikolai and Queen Cordelia
I wipe away tears as I finish, my arms still around my prince. He says nothing as he opens the box and removes a glorious sapphire-and-diamond ring—a ring fit only for a queen.
He pulls away and stares down at me with shining eyes, his beautiful naked body bathed in radiant moonlight. He lets the box and parchment clatter to the stone floor as he drops to his knee.
“You said you wanted a real proposal,” he says, no hint of the rogue I met barely a month ago in his gaze or in his tone.
I cover my mouth and nod, unable to speak without the possibility of sobbing.
“Then here it is, Kate. There is nothing more real than my love for you. Words cannot capture it. The entire kingdom cannot contain it. It is as deep as a lake with no bottom and as vast as the infinite universe. I would have given up my birthright for you, but instead you gave up your fear for me. I can think of no greater act of love than the one you have performed. I beg you to give me a lifetime to repay you. Be my life. Be my love. Be my queen.”
I sink to my knees in front of him, pressing my lips together to keep from falling apart. Then I stand and take his face in my hands.
“Yes,” I whisper, and I kiss him again and again and again. “Yes, Nikolai.” He kisses me back, pulling my left hand free so he can slide the ring onto my finger. It is a perfect fit. “Infinite times—yes. But wait. First we have to take care of one pesky detail.”
His face blanches. “What. What more do you need? Kate, I’ll do anything to win your hand.”
I take a step toward him, splaying my palms against his chest. “We had a wager.”
And there it is, that feline grin of his that tells me he wants to devour me whole. I might let him.
“Why, yes, my love. We did have a wager. And I do believe you won. Didn’t you?”
I nod. “Do you remember the terms?”
His brows furrow, and he scrubs a hand across his beautifully stubbled jaw. “I owe you nothing more than a favor. Would you like me to make payment? What is your price?”
I nod again then stand on my toes and whisper in his ear. Nikolai’s eyes widen, and he lets out a guttural sound.
“As you wish, Beloved,” he says.
My skin is pebbles of gooseflesh. I’m wearing nothing but the glittering jewels on my finger. I marvel at his stiff length, ready for me as the heat coils in my belly, so very ready for him. I let him guide me back into the water. He speaks no words at all as he pulls me over his beautiful body.
The lake water is cool against my skin, but his tip is warm and wet at my opening where he nudges until slick heat envelops his perfect, thick erection. I sink over it, burying him to the hilt.
He bites my shoulder and growls.
I slide up slowly and let him swirl around my swollen center before plummeting over him again.
He cradles my face in his hands and stares intently into my eyes—eyes I know are reddened from tears of disbelief, of love, of complete and utter joy.
“We may rule this kingdom for a lifetime, but you—my future wife and my future queen—shall rule my heart for eternity. Just as those paintings on the island’s tower wall, my love for you lives beyond this life and beyond this world.”
“Nikolai,” I gasp as he moves inside me. “I love you, too.”
“But,” he says, flicking his tongue against my lips, the devil in his stare, “just because you rule me doesn’t mean you’ll ever tame me.”
He pinches my pebbled nipple, and I shriek at the exquisite pleasure and pain.
“After all—I’m still one royal prick.”
And he is my royal temptation. I will never, ever get enough.