He gave her a soft peck on the cheek. “You must have misheard. I said I loved you biting me.” Cain nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck. “In fact, I’ve never felt anything better, baby.”
She pulled away again. “And why are you calling me baby?”
“Don’t you like it when I call you baby?”
“I do, but—” She hesitated. Was she going crazy and seeing things that were different about him because it had been such a long time since they’d been together? Or had he really changed so much?
“But what?” he coaxed, and pressed more kisses on her neck and cheek, while his hand traveled lower, palming one breast and squeezing it lightly.
“You used to call me your love.”
He sighed and pulled his head back, looking at her. “I want to call you so many things, Faye. I’m overwhelmed by how you make me feel. I feel truly alive again in your arms. I know I’ve changed. I’m sorry.”
At his heartfelt words, she felt tears rise into her eyes. She held them at bay and caressed his cheek. He turned his face to press a kiss into the palm of her hand.
“You must have gone through so much in captivity. Tell me what happened to you.”
A slow shake of his head was his answer, then he turned his face away. “Please don’t ask.”
Slightly hurt by his rejection, she dropped her hand and made a motion to get up, but he held her back, pulling her against his body and lowering them to the floor again.
“Please understand. For so many reasons, I can’t talk about what happened. I wish I could confide in you.”
“But maybe it would help you get things off your chest,” she suggested, hoping to change his mind.
“It’s better this way.”
“You made me talk about it back then, and it helped me.” Sharing the details of her ordeal with Cain had been a relief.
“Back when?” he asked and slid his hand down her thigh.
Faye was glad that her face was turned away from him, so he couldn’t see the big frown that now built on her forehead. Why would he ask that when he knew exactly what she was talking about? He had to know. Cain was the one who’d freed her. Her and the others.
“After you saved me.”
He stiffened for a moment, making doubts rise in her. Why was Cain behaving so strangely?
He suddenly relaxed again. “Uh, yes, that.” He sighed and caressed her thigh gently. “Faye, it’s just . . . I have to get used to talking to others again. All that time I had nobody to confide in. It’s hard for me. Maybe it would help if . . .” He broke off.
“Help if what?” she encouraged him, putting her hand on his that rested on her thigh and squeezed.
“Maybe if you could talk to me, tell me about us, remind me of the things we shared.”
“But you know all that.”
“In my head, yes, it’s all there. Our past, everything. But I missed your voice. All those sleepless days I was dreaming of listening to your voice telling me about our life together.” He kissed her neck softly. “And perhaps hearing your voice will help me find my own voice again.”
His kisses were pleading, wiping away her momentary doubts. Hadn’t she too needed to find herself again after her imprisonment?
“Just before the old king died, remember when you lifted me up into your arms and carried me out of that hellhole?” she started and snuggled into his embrace.
“Yeah,” he murmured.
“I knew then that there would never be another man for me but you.”
Cain chuckled. “I made quite an impression, huh?”
Faye smiled wistfully. “You were covered in blood, and you looked like the devil himself. But you hadn’t come to hurt me or the others. When I watched you open the cell, I shrank back into my corner, so afraid of you. Afraid that you were just one of the many who’d hurt us before. The smell of death clung to you. It made me shiver. But then you looked directly at me, and I couldn’t escape your gaze. You were a warrior, and everybody yielded to you. So strong, so formidable, so fearless.”
Cain’s breath blew against her nape. “Was I all that?”
“To me you were.” She paused. Retelling the darkest time of her life still hurt. But knowing that she was safe, safe in Cain’s arms, soothed her pain.
“Tell me what happened.” There was a strange tone in his voice, almost as if he was interrogating her and wanting to get to the bottom of an important question. She shook off the thought.
“But you know everything. You were there. You know what he did. I don’t want to talk about the torture and the rapes. It’s all behind me now. I’ve healed.”
She felt a sudden tightening of his hand over her thigh, accompanied by Cain’s breathing and heartbeat accelerating. When he spun her around, making her face him, she was shocked to see a mask of horror in his face, and pain sitting deep in his eyes.
“Faye,” he murmured, moving his head side to side.
It looked as if he wanted to say something, but no words came over his lips for long moments.
“Nobody will ever hurt you again,” Cain finally said, his voice choked up.
Then his lips were on hers and he kissed her more fiercely than before. She slung her arms around him and pulled him onto her, spreading her legs to make space for him. Hard and heavy, his cock rested against her center, but he didn’t enter her. She took his head into both her hands and severed the kiss.
“Make love to me,” she demanded.
Dark eyes looked down at her, the storm in them evident, though she didn’t understand the reason for it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then love me.”
Gentler than ever before, Cain slid into her in slow motion. And just as slowly, he pulled back. Her sex was lubricated not just by her own juices, but also by his semen, and Cain could have taken her even more fiercely this second time—which was how he’d often done it in the past—but instead his lovemaking felt as if he were touching a virgin.
She didn’t understand what had brought on this change in him, but it didn’t matter. Cain making love to her with such reverence, such tenderness, was new, and she welcomed every second of it.
“I missed you, Cain.”
His mouth descended on hers and prevented her from uttering another sound for a very long time.
26
Bending over the desk, Cain slammed his fist on the wooden surface and glared at his brother.
“I don’t care that Baltimore is your personal guard! I won’t tolerate him on palace grounds any longer! That goes for everybody who treats my fiancée with disrespect.” He pointed his index finger at Abel. “And your guard did more than that. He manhandled her! He’s lucky to be alive!”
“You’re overreacting. I’m sure it was a misunderstanding. Baltimore is a fine guard. He knows not to overstep his bounds.”
“He did overstep. I suggest you pick another personal guard.”
“You have changed, brother. A little disturbance like that would have never derailed you to the point where you put your own desires before the good of the kingdom.”
Cain narrowed his eyes. “And how would having Baltimore remain here be for the good of the kingdom as you say?”
“He’s a valuable and loyal guard. Are you sure we can turn men like him against us in this difficult time? Have you forgotten already that somebody out there wanted to kill you?”
Cain straightened, letting his brother’s last words sink into him. “Kill me? It was a kidnapping, not an assassination.”
Abel scoffed. “Well, same difference! You’re no good to the kingdom either way—dead or kidnapped.”
“At least on that we agree.”
“Then reconsider your decision about Baltimore. You’ll need men like him to protect you. He knows everybody. He’ll be able to warn us if anything nefarious is going on. You need him.”
Cain shook his head. “No. My decision stands. Anybody who hurts Faye will have to deal with me.”
“Well, I guess that means you’ve taken her back despite my cautioning you about her motives.”
At his brother’s attempt to continue to show Faye as a gold digger, anger boiled up from Cain’s gut. “Yes, I’ve taken her back. So I would advise you to keep your opinions about her to yourself.”
Abel raised his hands in defense. “Now, now, since when are you so touchy? I’m looking out for you, Cain, as your brother, your closest advisor. We’ve been through too much together to let a woman come between us. I regret now that I gave into Faye’s advances . . .”
Cain grunted with displeasure. “While we’re on that subject, I would also advise you to stop alluding to things as if they were the truth.”
Abel puffed up his chest and fisted his hands at his hips. “Are you saying I’m lying?”
Cain clenched his teeth. “I’m saying you should be careful what you say about Faye. Spread any more rumors about what she did or didn’t do and I’ll have to reconsider what relationship you and I will have in the future.”
Abel leaned closer, his jaw tight, his eyes pinning him. “You need me, brother. Lots has changed during the time you were gone. You don’t know who you can trust. And the men you brought with you, do you really think they can protect you? They haven’t got the slightest clue about what’s going on in the kingdom. Hell, they don’t even know who’s allowed on the palace grounds and who isn’t. They can’t protect you.”
“Are you threatening me?” Cain ground out.
“I’m cautioning you. You have enemies. We all do. And it’s unwise to leave yourself open to attack.”
“While we’re on the subject of enemies: why did you convince me to invite the Mississippi clan?”
Abel’s forehead furrowed. “What has that got to do with anything? We need to make peace with them to safeguard the kingdom. You know that just as well as I do.”
“Damn it, Abel, do you have any idea what those bastards are doing to their own people?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Last night two vampires came to us. They’d fled their clan in Mississippi.”
“Those two down and outs who are housed in one of the cottages?”
How did Abel already know about them? Cain hadn’t mentioned them to his brother when he’d informed him of his decision to ban Baltimore from the premises. “You’ve seen them?”
Abel shrugged. “Not personally, no. But one of the guards mentioned them.”
Cain should have known. Nothing escaped his brother. This was his turf more than it was Cain’s at the moment. But that was something he was planning to change. “Anyway, did you also hear what has been done to them?”
“How should I know?”
“They were defanged by their clan. Do you understand what that means?”
Abel showed little surprise. “I’ve heard of the practice. I’m sure there were grave reasons and they deserved it for whatever crimes they committed. Surely, you’re not going to continue to give shelter to some criminal elements. Make them leave, before they draw us into a renewed feud with our neighbors.”
“How can you be so callous?”
Abel shook his head. “I’m not any more callous than you. You know what’s at stake. Why get into the middle of things that may jeopardize our plans? Taking sides has never been a good thing. And interfering in a neighboring clan’s business will only cause more problems than we need right now.”
“So you’re still interested in making peace with Mississippi despite their brutal practices?”
“I won’t be swayed by something so insignificant. I see the bigger picture, but it appears, my dear brother, that you’ve gotten soft during your absence. You’d better make sure nobody notices. Nobody likes a weak king.” Abel turned on his heel and stalked to the door.
Before he reached it, Cain responded, “Nobody likes an evil king either.”
A snort was Abel’s answer before he shut the door behind him, leaving Cain to stew over their antagonistic exchange.
He turned to the window and stared out into the garden surrounding the palace. The lawn was illuminated by flood lights. Faye was outside, tending to some plants. He let his gaze wander over her body. In her tight jeans and equally tight tank top, her voluptuous curves were even more enticing. Clearly, other men had thought so, too. Just remembering the little she’d told him the night before made his blood boil. He hadn’t dared ask any more questions, knowing his lack of knowledge of the events would have made her suspicious. Instead he’d made love to her again, making sure she knew that he would protect her now.
He knew he should return to the stack of papers—notes from his interrogations of the guards—to see if he could find any inconsistencies in their statements, but the need to take Faye into his arms was greater.
He opened the French doors that led to the wrap-around porch and stepped outside. When he jumped over the railing and landed on the soft grass below, Faye turned to look over her shoulder and smiled.
With long strides, he walked to her.
“Taking a break from your work?” Faye asked.
He pulled her into his arms. “I wish I didn’t have to work at all and could spend the entire night in bed with you.”
“Mmm.” Her lips brushed against his. “But what would your subjects say if they found out how lazy their king was?”
“I wouldn’t call it lazy,” Cain deflected. “After all, I wasn’t planning on sleeping. I would be engaging in plenty of strenuous activity.”
When she laughed, he captured her lips and kissed her, first gently, but when her arms came around his neck and pulled him closer, he tilted his head to the side and slipped his tongue between her parted lips and tasted her.
Faye pulled her head back. “Cain, not here, everybody will be able to see us.”
“I don’t care,” he murmured and tried to draw her back.
“But you do,” she insisted. “You’ve never wanted anybody to see us being intimate with each other.”
“I’ve changed my mind.” He wanted everybody to see that Faye belonged to him.
She gave him a curious look. “Whatever happened to you while you were gone, it seems to have changed your outlook on many things.”
What else had she noticed? “Is that a bad thing?”
“No, no, not at all. It’s just that you used to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, but now . . .”
“Now what?” With his finger under her chin he tilted her head up.
“You seem so much more relaxed, as if all your worries were gone. Which is so odd because being locked up for so long generally causes the opposite.”