Chapter 15

NICOLETTE

Four guards wearing white armor stopped us at the stone gate to the castle an hour later. They pointed their blades at us, eyes wary through intricately designed helmets.

I had experienced this kind of treatment before, so it wasn’t a shock to me, but Lucien must not have.

He screamed at the men, scaring the horse into whinnying and causing all passersby to stop and look at us.

The guards looked at each other, then lifted their helmets to get a better look at Lucien’s face. Their eyes widened and they all dropped to one knee. They rose timidly and shoved their swords into the scabbards when they realized they were still in hand, pointed in our direction.

I couldn’t understand what was said next, but body language and facial expressions told the gist of it.

The guards apologized profusely to Lucien.

Lucien in turn said something that made them feel like idiots. The way only a man of his stature and dominance could.

I could feel his excitement while doing this.

The guards apologized again as they opened the gates for us. Then it seemed like they offered to escort us because Lucien’s hand waved them away as we passed, signaling he didn’t want them to.

Lucien said one last thing to them, another insult, and they bowed low and either thanked him or apologized again.

Then we began climbing the spiral path to the top of the plateau. To our magical home for the night.

“I know you’re a king and all, but everyone seems so afraid of you.” I looked down at the houses below, the modernized igloos.

“You would be too if you knew what I was capable of,” he said with a flat voice.

A part of me thought he was bluffing again, but another part of me knew he wasn’t.

“I take it you aren’t the benevolent ruler type, huh?” I turned back and smiled at him, wanting to keep the mood light, then faced forward. “But I don’t like violence, so for my time here, could you try and keep it civil? I’d like to return to my world with my conscience intact.”

“Not your virginity, though,” he said quietly, as if someone nearby was listening.

I snapped my head around. “Excuse m—”

His face was only inches away from me, his lips even closer. “It is mine, desime,” he whispered sensually. “And you will enjoy when I take it.”

My brain went into overdrive, and I had no comeback.

“I know you remember last night,” he continued, studying my face.

The image of his head between my legs flashed in my mind. I couldn’t stop the blush, and that was enough confirmation for him.

He smacked his lips and sat up straight. “Here we are.” He gestured with his chin toward something in front of us.

I turned around and my mouth dropped open.

From every distance, this castle was majestic, standing like a proud glimmering giant, and up close was the best view yet. Its Hollywood counterpart could never give it justice.

I wondered if even the servants felt like royalty inside it.

Lucien took us to a large patch of grass in the front courtyard and dismounted. He stood beside my leg and held his arms up for me.

“I’ve ridden a horse before,” I lied. “I don’t need your help.”

He gave me that smirk again. “In case you did not notice, this horse is far larger than the ones on Earth. If you do not want to break your legs, little kitty, you ~will~ need my help.”

I looked down and knew he was right. But I was hung up on that pet name. Kitty?

He took my distracted silence as refusal for help and gave me a bored look, then threw his arms down and huffed, as if to say, “Suit yourself.”

He gave me space to dismount, put his hands on his hips, and looked at me. “Come on, then. You are holding us up.”

As I was about to give in and ask for help, a male voice came from near the castle.

I looked over and saw a hauntingly handsome man descending the crystal steps.

Hollywood again had nothing on this man’s face. His jaw was chiseled and angular, his lips were full and perfectly sculpted, and his brows, meticulously manicured, could contest even Lucien’s.

And his eyes. They were like looking into the Mediterranean Sea. And his long silvery-yellow hair made them pop all the more.

He wore a robe that was as magical as the castle. It was made of a crystal-like fabric that shimmered blue and gold. It looked rocklike and rigid yet flowed easily as he walked.

What the man had said didn’t make Lucien happy, though, because his face twisted into a frown. “Elric,” he said, turning to the man, and I took it as the man’s name.

Body language and facial expressions yet again came in handy for this next bout of foreign-word exchange.

Lucien expressed his offense at whatever Elric had said.

Elric shrugged his shoulders and said something in a snide manner, motioning to me still on the horse. He then gave me an ice-cold stare, looking me over and making me feel naked like Lucien did. I bet he said something crude about my appearance.

Lucien looked at me too, eyes equally icy.

Elric tilted his head as he studied my face and asked Lucien a question. The way he studied my face made me think he somehow recognized me.

Lucien shook his head in response and said what I assumed to be no.

Elric looked at Lucien and said something that didn’t make Lucien happy, again, and Lucien frowned, then quickly said something in response, like he was defending himself.

Elric shrugged his shoulders, smiled, and made a short comment, then moved toward me, lifting his arms slightly. It seemed he wanted to help me off the horse.

Lucien immediately stuck out his arm, blocking Elric’s way, and said something. The hostility and venom were clearly conveyed in his tone, not to mention his balled-up fists.

Lucien stared at Elric for a moment, then turned to me. “Nicolette, come down. Now,” he ordered.

I didn’t want to get in the middle of this dick-measuring contest by asking for help, so I swung my leg to join the other one, got onto my belly on the saddle, and slowly slid off the horse.

The impatience and annoyance in Lucien’s eyes when I turned around whipped me like a lash, and I felt both embarrassed and ashamed, as if my actions now represented him.

Elric shot his hand out to grab mine.

Out of habit, I started to extend my arm, but Lucien grabbed my wrist and pushed it back down. He then motioned with his chin toward the castle and said to Elric what I took to mean, “Let’s go inside.”

Elric kept his face diplomatically neutral as he nodded and then turned his gaze to me. He asked Lucien a question, likely about my name.

Lucien groaned, shook his head, and said the word I am now more convinced means no. Then, without Elric’s guidance, he pulled me up the stairs and into the castle.