“My father recognized him as the Prince. Sebastian told us about how the soldiers had come to take us into the army and use us for our ability to hide troop movements.”
“He offered us a solution. He could take us to the Immortal Realm and set us up in a safe place. My father declined, knowing that my mother would be unhappy in the Immortal Realm. We accepted the offer and have lived here since. Every year or two, we each spend a week in the Mortal Realm visiting my parents.”
“We would have been enslaved by the Court of Light or dead if Sebastian hadn’t saved us that day. He risked himself to save a few half-bloods and a human loving gnome that he’d never met.”
“And that is the story of how we became the first citizens of this village. More were rescued by Prince Sebastian and brought here after that. Each person has their own tale of how he saved them.”
Trust the Prince. The words echoed in my mind. The old woman. The day of the bus crash. That was what she’d said. Trust the Prince.
Sebastian was the Prince. He’d found the secret. Now, he had saved my life at the risk of his own. She had known all of this would happen. I looked at him and realized that if there were ever a man to be vulnerable with, Sebastian was the one. I took a breath. I would give him what he needed.
I looked up at Sebastian who had closed his eyes again. He was slowly chewing as he had been from the beginning of the story. Bite after bite, he was devouring the tray of food.
John sat down, and Kasia stepped into the ring of logs beginning a tale of a hunt she had gone on. One by one, stories were told until the fire was burning low. Still, Sebastian continued to slowly eat the food on the tray until I looked down and it was all gone.
Sebastian’s eyes were still closed, but he had a smile on his face. “Want to go lay down now that you’re done with your food?” I asked.
He opened his eyes and nodded to me. “Enivyn can show you to the visitor’s hut,” he said.
“I had hoped to share your bed as we did in your cottage.” He raised an eyebrow, but he slowly got to his feet.
“I enjoyed the stories,” I said, “but it’s been a very long day and I need some sleep.”
There were no chuckles or laughter as there would have been if I’d said that in the sorority house. In the house, I would have had to endure catcalls and all types of humiliation. Here, everyone was just worried about whether I would help Sebastian get better.
And I would. This man was not the cruel creature that I’d thought him to be. He was the epitome of nobility in the Dark Court. Cruel, hardened, and strong, yet fair and caring for those who deserved his protection.
I followed after him, leaving the tray on the ground by the fire. As he moved, I saw that he was already feeling a little bit better. He limped just a little less. His head was held just a bit higher.
He was still sick. I knew that. But he was stronger. I thought about the dream that he’d brought me into. A fantasy. He’d made me feel things that I hadn’t understood. Now it was time to feel the real thing.
I moved to walk beside him, and he held my hand as we walked. When we got to the hut, I stopped him. “Sebastian, will you show me what it’s like to be with a man?”
He smiled at me and said, “I’m not a man, but I’ll show you what it’s like to be with an incubus. I’ve heard that it’s the preferred option.”
Chapter 24
Rose
I was ready for this. Ready for him. I was. I was sure of it. Maybe I wasn’t, though. Maybe I just wanted to be ready for it.
As soon as Sebastian stepped through the doorway, he pulled his shirt off and dropped it to the dirt floor. I couldn’t stop looking into his eyes. Completely misty. Gray. Just like when he’d been in the dream.
They pulled me into them, a swirling cloud of need. Of hunger. I could feel him when I stared into those eyes. I reached out and put my hand to his chest, feeling the smooth skin and hard muscles underneath. I ran my fingers down his chest, feeling his muscles ripple at my touch.
“That feels good, Rose,” he whispered. My eyes didn’t watch my hand. They were locked in his gaze. Long black hair fell around his face, breaking his confident smile.
His hand reached up to touch my cheek. He felt like he was on fire. The warmth that flowed through his fingers brought a heat to my skin that hadn’t been there even in the dream.
“I think I like this better than the dream. You feel different.”
His hand moved down my neck, his fingers slipping to the back, and he pulled me to him with a sudden burst of strength. His lips fell on mine, hard and urgent. Passionate. Fire exploded inside me as he trapped me in the kiss. Trapped was a terrible word for it though, because there was nowhere that I’d rather be.
His need flowed through me like a drug. This couldn’t be normal. I should have been feeling all the physical sensations, not his hunger. His hand holding my neck just a little too tight. His lips pressing too harshly against mine. His teeth coming down to chew my
