The Lost God, page 33
Xander and Evan were waiting for them when they stepped out into the night. Evan took the queen’s arm and led her back toward the castle.
Xander took Cecilia’s hand and led her up a path that wove in the opposite direction.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Evan thought we could use a little privacy for the evening after you were so vocal the other day. There are old high priestess quarters over here that have been converted into a guest suite for visiting dignitaries,” Xander said.
“But won’t we be expected to be in our rooms?”
“Cece, if you think there is any way that I am letting you out of my sight when you look this beautiful, you’re crazy.”
The small building came into view, and she ran up to it, about to open the doors, when Xander swept her up into his arms and carried her across the threshold. He placed her back on her feet and barred the door, and only then did she turn and see the enormous wall of glass overlooking the sea far below the cliff’s edge.
“Gods,” she whispered. Through the wall of windows, she could see the full moon’s silver path cutting across the waves.
“Do you like it?” Xander asked.
She walked toward the glass, taking in the view.
“It’s stunning. I’ve never seen a window this big. It’s the entire wall. It puts my cottage to shame.” She turned around and found Xander staring at her. “What?”
“It’s just you, in that dress, in the moonlight, as my wife—it’s perfection.”
She smiled at him, and he wrapped his arms around her and spun her around so they could both look at the view.
This is what love does. It opens you up to happiness that feels like your heart could burst, she thought.
Xander kissed up her shoulder and neck. She leaned into him, overwhelmed by the sensations in her body. “Thank you for today. I can’t even tell you what it meant to me. There really aren’t words for it.” She craned her neck to look at him, tears welling in her eyes.
“Oh, love, I didn’t want to make you cry.” He kissed away each tear.
“No, they’re happy tears. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d never thought about my wedding until the day you asked me in the cabin. I hadn’t even considered it. No one asked what I wanted, and it wasn’t a priority, and today was what I didn’t even know that I wanted. I couldn’t have dreamed of something more beautiful or meaningful to me.”
She turned to look at Xander, pressed to her tiptoes and kissed him.
“So what do we do now?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t know about the Olney traditions, but with the Argarian tradition, usually the bride and the groom consummate their marriage,” Xander said with a wink.
“Oh?”
He spun her around, gathering the hem of the dress. “Gods, this dress has about a thousand buttons. We might have to go for a shortcut.”
“But what if I have something pretty on underneath this dress?” She laughed, batting his hands away.
He raised an eyebrow at the prospect. “That’s intriguing, but I suspect there’s nothing as pretty as your skin, love.”
She flushed as he laid her back on the bed. He gathered the skirt and drew it up, kissing up her inner thighs. He froze.
“Cece?”
“Yes?”
“There’s nothing under here.”
She giggled. “That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
He peered up at her from over the layer of silk and tulle with a huge smile. “What a very pleasant surprise.”
Before she could say anything, he dove back between her legs, and she squealed. Each stroke of his tongue sent a fresh wave of pleasure through her. She squirmed as the tension built quickly within her. He was so exceptionally good at it.
She breathed in quick gasps as the tension coiled inside of her. Xander’s hands pressed her hips to the bed, forcing her to stay still as tiny shocks shot through her. Her whole body was charged and waiting to explode, the wet slide of his tongue sending her over the edge. She screamed his name as the tension burst into a million little sparks of pleasure. When she finally stopped shaking, Xander smiled up at her.
“Let’s get that dress off,” he said, helping her back to her feet. Her legs still felt shaky, but she stood still as he worked on the buttons.
“Godsdammit! This is going to take an hour,” Xander said. He kissed her neck, pulling her against him, and then she could feel him hard against her.
“I guess good things come to those who wait.”
He settled back to the task of undoing the buttons. “I know we have the benefit of being alone tonight, but I have to give an answer in the morning for who you’d like to witness our consummation tomorrow. Have you given any more thought to who you’d be comfortable with?”
Cecilia met his eyes in the window reflection. Her mouth went dry thinking about someone watching them. It was less the nudity than the intimacy that made her uncomfortable. “I don’t know anyone here.”
“I could ask my mother—”
“How will I ever face her again if you ask her?” Cecilia said, her cheeks burning just from thinking about it.
The only person she knew in the entire kingdom was locked in the tower as a prisoner, and thinking about Rainer watching her made her feel a whole different type of heat.
“Personally, I’d love to keep the sight of you to myself, but it will go a long way in people accepting the legitimacy of the marriage.” Xander muttered a curse as he fumbled with the buttons. He had made little progress. “Are you terribly attached to this dress?”
“You are out of your mind if you think I’ll let you harm this masterpiece,” she said.
Xander laughed and went back to the buttons. Finally, he reached a point where she could shimmy out of the dress, and she stood before him in the moonlight.
“This reminds me of the first night I kissed you.” He smiled.
“I wasn’t naked then,” she said.
“Yes, but I could see almost everything I can see now.”
“And you stared like you’re doing right now.”
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
“No, I would simply prefer that you stop staring at me and do something.”
Xander laughed as he tugged off his shirt and pants.
“Something like this?” he asked, sweeping her up so her legs wrapped around him as he pressed a long kiss to her lips.
“That’s a good start, but I’d like more,” she whispered.
He grinned at her and then bent forward. He was inside her before they even hit the mattress. She gasped at the familiar fullness. He rocked against her, and she met each movement. She felt familiar lightning weaving through her, from her heart through her veins, and then on and on down her body. It seemed to pass between them like a crackle through the air. She wanted to lose herself in the moment and the overwhelming sensation of him. It felt so good to stop pretending, to use the energy she’d spent trying to hate him to love him instead.
“I love you, Xander.”
“I love you, Cece.” He kissed her tenderly.
When he pulled back, they both found a new urgency. Their hands were everywhere, frantically trying to touch more. She pressed harder against him as he drove into her, eager for more. She wanted to be completely connected to him. Something strange and supernatural seemed to be happening.
Once again, she felt like she had called in lightning from all over the world, and all at once, they both tensed, and the lightning sensation struck them both. They were left panting and clinging to each other. In their time together, she’d never felt anything so powerful and intense. Her legs trembled as she tried to slow her heartbeat.
Xander wove his fingers through her hair, kissing her slowly. The air still crackled around them like it did before a storm, and when he touched her cheek, there was a little spark.
“What was that?” he asked.
She shrugged.
“Just magic, I guess,” he whispered.
She wondered if it was the storm in both of them bouncing off one another. Magic recognizing magic. Like calling to like. Was that why she always felt like there was lightning whipping through her when she was with him?
He lay down next to her, pulling her into his arms. “So far, I really like being your husband.”
“So far, I really like being your wife, but you have plenty of time to make me regret it,” she teased.
“Oh, love, any part of my heart and soul that weren’t yours are now.” Xander sighed.
She giggled. “You’re so dramatic.”
“You think I’m joking, but I am definitely not, love. That was incredible.”
She flushed at the compliment. Nothing took the edge off of the bottomless want they had for each other.
Clearly he’d been holding some part of himself back in case she changed her mind and backed out. Now that she was his, every bit of self-control Xander had was gone. Cecilia also felt herself let go of whatever control she’d been clinging to.
She was Xander’s, and he was hers. So each time he woke her as the night wore on, she was happy to indulge him.
“I think you’re going to kill me,” Xander mused, flopping down beside her. “I’m going to die from wanting you too much or being too happy. Is that possible? It feels like it is.”
“There are worse ways to go,” she said as her eyes fluttered closed.
The weight of her exhaustion finally pressed down on her, stronger than the desire for more. He scooted closer to her, running his fingers idly over her collarbone.
As they lay there for a long time talking, Cecilia felt satisfied and even a bit excited for the future. Any doubt that had entered her mind earlier that day was gone. She wove her fingers into Xander’s, the moonlight shining on her wedding band. No matter what obstacles they faced, she knew Xander would be on her side.
30
Urgent kisses roused Cecilia from a heavy sleep. First along her collarbone, then up her neck, to her lips, as she finally blinked her eyes open.
“Wake up, love. I know you hate the early morning, but I need to show you something.” Xander kissed her forehead, and then her eyelids, and then her lips. She frowned at him in the dark.
“It isn’t past ten. I’m not getting up,” Cecilia groaned. “I need my beauty sleep.”
“No, you absolutely do not,” Xander murmured against her shoulder. “You’re already much too beautiful. If you get any prettier, it might kill me. I promise you don’t even have to get out of bed, but if you don’t open your eyes and sit up soon, you will miss it.”
Cecilia sighed heavily. Satisfied exhaustion pressed on her, but she sat up. Through the glass, the sun was about to rise on the horizon. Dawn painted the room in the lilac shade of first light.
“I thought you’d like to watch the sunrise. Before you yell at me, I already made you a cup of tea, and it’s loaded with a truly alarming amount of sugar and some lemon and mint, just the way you like.”
She grinned as he handed her the cup of tea and sat down behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her bare shoulder.
They watched color scatter across the sky as she sipped her tea. It reminded Cecilia of one of her mother’s paintings of an abstract sunrise. The spectacular view and the beauty of the morning took her breath away. They watched the scene play out in silence, and Cecilia felt contentment like she never felt before.
Xander stood suddenly, taking her empty teacup away and turning toward her. “Are you mad at me for waking you, love?”
“A little,” she said.
His face drew into an exaggerated frown. “Oh dear. It seems I’ve already upset my wife. That’s not a good start. How can I make it up to you?”
Hearing him call her his wife sent a thrill through her.
“Perhaps just apologize. You should probably familiarize yourself with the concept.”
“No, that’s not it. I know—”
With no warning, he yanked her to the edge of the bed and knelt down between her legs, dropping his mouth between her thighs. She let out a surprised curse.
He laughed. “I don’t think that is a word princesses should say.”
“And you are a paragon of princely behavior?” she panted.
Xander arched a brow. “If this isn’t princely behavior, I don’t want to be a prince.”
He went back to work until she moaned his name and ran her fingers through his hair. It didn’t take long before she cried out as her climax ripped through her. Xander kissed her inner thighs and pushed her back on the bed, moving over her.
“I’ve been thinking about doing this for hours,” he whispered. As he settled himself between her legs, there was a knock on the door.
“Not a good time. I’m trying to get very intimately acquainted with my wife, Evan!” he shouted, kissing Cecilia.
“I’m sorry, Xan, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t extremely urgent,” Evan said through the door.
Xander sighed heavily. He hopped up from the bed, tossing Cecilia a robe and shrugging into his own.
“What is it?” Xander asked, opening the door.
Evan walked in.
“Apologies.” He nodded at Cecilia. “Good morning, Princess.”
“What’s going on?” Xander asked impatiently.
Evan looked around nervously. “There’s no delicate way to say this. Your parents are dead.”
All the air seemed to rush out of the room.
“What?” Xander stared at his friend.
“A maid found them this morning.”
Time seemed to stall. Cecilia couldn’t keep up with the twists and turns of the past few days. She placed a hand on Xander’s back to steady him.
He looked pale and lost. His face was unreadable. “This has to be Endros’s doing.”
“My spies say it was your brother’s doing, though it could certainly have been directed by the god of war. If Endros was already at odds with your father on how to deal with Cecilia,” Evan said. “The timing of it on your wedding day makes me suspect Davide isn’t acting alone.”
Cecilia stared at Xander wide-eyed. His brother was clearly violent. He’d broken her hand. But the thought that he could actually kill his own parents sent a chill through her.
“He planted evidence to make it seem like Rainer did it. Though that may benefit us since we broke him out of the tower. You know what this means, Xan,” Evan said.
Xander cursed under his breath. “It means Davide is king, and he’s willing to eliminate any threat to the throne.”
“And you’re the biggest one right now. We need to get both of you out now,” Evan said.
“But we aren’t a threat,” Cecilia insisted.
Xander took her face in his hands. “My love, you and I both know that, but Davide only speaks one language, and that’s power. I am the only other one with a legitimate claim to the throne. He sees you as a threat because you are a goddess who loves me.”
“It goes beyond that.” Evan gave Xander a pointed look. Something unspoken passed between the two.
Xander met her eye again. “Davide doesn’t know that we are married, and he’s the king. He could choose not to recognize our marriage.”
There was something he wasn’t saying, but her mind was spinning too fast to puzzle it out.
“What Xander isn’t saying, because he doesn’t want to worry you, is that if Davide wants you for himself, as he did with the original plan, we wouldn’t be able to stop him from taking you or anything else he wanted,” Evan said solemnly.
The words made Cecilia’s blood run cold. She was no stranger to the type of violence Evan suggested. Every woman in the two kingdoms, and likely the rest of the world, was aware of that specific brand of savagery. She’d seen the echoes of it in women in Olney when she volunteered at the healer’s clinic. It was the reason her father had been so insistent that she learn how to fight in the first place.
If Davide caught her, she’d be forced to lose. She would never allow that type of harm to befall her, which meant that she’d be forced to use her powers, solidifying another loss. Either way, she would sacrifice something she couldn’t get back.
“Where will we go? What about Rainer?” Cecilia asked.
“Rainer is waiting for us with Teddy and the horses. They are the only two people I trust to make this journey with us. As for where we will go—I expect you would still be welcome in Olney, Cecilia. Perhaps you can ease the way for your new husband,” Evan said.
She nodded, and Xander’s brow pinched.
“Not that I want to be king, but can I really leave our people in Davide’s hands knowing what we know about him and Endros now?” Xander asked.
Evan shook his head. “I don’t like it either, but if we’re dead, we can do nothing to help. Our best chance is seeking help from Olney. Assuming, of course, they don’t kill us on sight.”
“How much time do we have?” Xander asked.
Evan’s mouth formed a grim line. “Not much. You two should get dressed quickly.”
“The only thing I have is my wedding dress, and I can’t ride in that,” Cecilia said.
“I had Sena pack for you.” Evan handed her an absurdly large satchel, and she ducked into the washroom to change.
Cecilia changed in a rush, braiding her hair as she emerged. Xander handed her a fur-lined cloak. She took one last longing look at her wedding dress, devastated that she couldn’t bring it with her.
“I will find a way to get it to you in Olney. Don’t worry.” Xander tucked the dress into a closet by the door, and then they ran out into the morning sun.
Xander led her over to her horse and gave her a boost, then mounted his horse, and they were off. Cecilia was happy to be reunited with her bow and a quiver stuffed with arrows.
“We expect company soon, so be ready,” Evan called over his shoulder.
“Remember, no magic, love,” Xander reminded her. “I will take care of all the summoning.”
She nodded. It felt good to ride again, but even the frigid air and the freedom of riding weren’t enough to make her feel fully alert. She was exhausted and nervous about the journey. She kept looking over her shoulder to see if they were being followed.
