Prince of Spies (10 page)

“Me too, my friend. Me too.”

Drake left then, and Nico let her go when she pulled slightly against his hold. Turning in a circle, she got a chance to look over the small, but neat room. There was a large bed in one corner that looked like heaven itself to her. Even rumpled from having been slept in by the blond giant, the mattress looked soft and inviting. Riki hadn’t slept in a real bed in years.

Though she’d been chained at times to Lucan’s, she had never even been tempted to sit on the edge of that vile piece of furniture when he wasn’t around.

Anything Lucan touched was contaminated as far as she was concerned and she far preferred the hard marble floor to sleep on than anything he would give her. Of course, he never once offered even a thin mat for her comfort. She was there for his comfort alone—no one else’s—and the point was driven home by all the little slights and inconveniences as well as the beatings and screaming threats.

But it was all behind her now. And Drake’s bed was before her.

“There’s a chamber pot behind the screen, if you need it,” Nico said from behind her. She started, waking from her dazed thoughts. She was quite literally asleep on her feet. “Or you could just lie down. You look done in, sweetheart. Why don’t you go to sleep?”

Riki couldn’t resist the temptation the bed represented. Stumbling a little as she moved forward, she had only the presence of mind to unbutton the cloak and allow it and the basket to slide off her arms just before she reached the bed. Collapsing on it face down, she felt Nico tug the thin blanket up over her, settling her more comfortably.

She made an effort to turn onto her side so she could see him.

Surprisingly, he was bending over to collect and fold the cloak, putting it over the foot of the bed, giving extra warmth to her cold feet. Riki smiled up at him.

“I’m sorry. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open.”

Nico chuckled. “It’s all right, sweetheart.” He sat on the side of the bed, leaning over her a little to kiss her brow. “Go to sleep. There will be food here when you wake and I won’t leave you for one moment.”

“Do you promise?” She yawned as sleep threatened to claim her.

“I do, my love. I’ll watch over you and protect you all the days of my life.”

Riki couldn’t be certain later if Nico actually spoke the words or if she just dreamed them. Ah, but what a beautiful dream.

Drake pushed open the door some moments later, holding a large tray before him. Nico met him at the door, took the tray and deposited it on the room’s only table. Nico sat down and dug into the hot oatmeal, knowing it wouldn’t keep while Riki slept. He’d leave the bread and jams for her, as well as some of the fruit and cheese, but the fried eggs and bacon, as well as the oatmeal, was his.

The important thing was, they could get more. Drake would hide them and keep them as safe as possible while they were with him. Though he didn’t see Drake much nowadays, they’d been raised together, trained together as soldiers and in their lessons. They were close friends and Nico trusted Drake with his life—and now with Riki’s life as well.

“She asleep?” Drake asked quietly, nodding toward the bed.

Nico nodded. “The journey’s been rough on her, and she was in bad shape when I found her. Lucan beat and starved her for the past year or more, from what I can tell. He had her chained to his bed.”

Drake’s eyes narrowed. “He hurt her?”

“Not the way you think.” Nico was quick to correct the assumption, though his voice was grim. “For some reason, Loralie the witch told Lucan that Riki would lose her healing power if she wasn’t a virgin. It’s the only thing that’s protected her from rape, but he’s hurt her in other ways.”

Nico’s blood ran hot with anger as he thought what Riki must have suffered.

“She’s special to you, isn’t she?” Drake’s eyes softened as he looked at the sleeping woman.

“She’s the one, Drake.”

“Does she know that yet?” Drake looked speculative, and more than a little shocked, but Drake had grown up in a Lair. Drake was well aware of how quickly knights and dragons knew when they’d met the one woman meant for them. Dragons and knights both had very strong bonds with their chosen mates, and Nico was a little of both.

Nico shook his head, his gaze focused on Riki, sleeping soundly, nearly swallowed up by the big bed. “With what she’s been through, I’m surprised she’s even still sane. Lucan’s not quite human anymore, Drake.”

“I’d heard rumors.”

“I’ve seen it firsthand.” Nico eyed his old friend, driving home the urgency of his words. “According to Riki, Lucan made a deal with Salomar. He traded diamond blades and an alliance against us, in return for use of Salomar’s pet witch, Loralie.” Nico resumed eating as he related the details Riki had given him about how the North Witch had blended Lucan with the skiths, mingling their blood with his in painful treatments Riki had witnessed. It had been her duty to heal the tyrant after the treatments, weakening herself in the process.

“Lucan kept her starved and weak and when she didn’t comply with his demands, he beat her bloody. There are scars all over her body and you can see how thin she is. She looked even worse two days ago.” Anger rose as Nico spoke, but he was careful to keep control of the seething dragon within.

“The poor mite.” Drake’s expression was filled with pity as he watched Riki sleep. Nico felt possessive of her, but there was also a sense of thankfulness that his friend would feel protective of her too. Drake was fiercely loyal and had a soft heart he tried hard to hide, but Nico had known him since they were both boys. Their bonds ran deep.

“She’s got fire, Drake, and spirit. Lucan wasn’t able to crush it out of her, but she’s unsure of herself. She has little sense of her own self-worth. We must tread lightly with her feelings.”

“Which is why, I take it, you’re giving her time.”

“She’s the most precious thing in my world, Drake. She can have all the time she needs.”

“Well,” Drake stood from the table, “things will be easier once we get you out of Skithdron. I’m going to the market to get your supplies and talk to a few friends. Unless there’s trouble, I’ll return just before sundown. The common room of the tavern doesn’t start filling up until dinnertime, which starts one mark after sundown in these parts. You can ‘arrive’ during the dinner bustle with none the wiser.”

“A good plan.” Nico rose and held his hand out to Drake in the warrior’s way. They clasped, giving each other a brief clap on the back, another indication of their closeness. “You’re a good friend, Drake. I’m putting not just my safety, but that of my mate in your hands.”

Drake sent one last look over at the sleeping woman, his expression softer than Nico had ever seen it. “I won’t let you down.”

“I know, Drake. That’s why I came to you. There are precious few men I would trust in this world. You’ve always been top on the list.”

Drake bowed his head briefly. “I’m honored.”

Nico secured the bolt after Drake left without making a sound. He surveyed the room. The leftover food on the big tray would make a good meal for Riki, whenever she woke. Nico’s own hunger was satisfied for the time being.

Well, at least his hunger for
food
was satisfied. His hunger for Riki was something he was discovering was a constant. It didn’t matter where they were or in what kind of situation. He always hungered for her. It was fast becoming part of his nature, and he knew it would only grow worse the more time he spent with her.

Personally, he didn’t care. Nico wanted the closeness. He wanted the bond. He wanted her. Period.

If he had to wait, so be it. Riki was worth every effort, every sacrifice, every moment of his time. She was his love. It was just that simple.

And that devastating.

Shucking his shirt and boots, Nico lay down next to her on the large bed.

He decided to keep his leggings on. First, because they were in a strange city in a strange bed and he might need to jump into action quickly should something go wrong. Second, he didn’t quite trust himself not to take Riki’s soft body with his, even in sleep, if there were no barrier between them. It was safer to have at least one or two layers of cloth between them. At least until they settled things and Riki became his lover, mate, and wife.

With a hearty sigh, Nico put his arm around Riki’s waist and pulled her unresisting body back against his own. She settled into the curve of him as if she belonged there and he felt a great sense of satisfaction.

Finally, he slept, cradling the woman he loved in his arms.

Riki woke feeling warm and comforted, and incredibly aroused. She was lying on a cloud—which she came to realize was really Drake’s borrowed bed, as her senses began to clear. Nico had her wrapped deep in his arms, and his hands were under her dress, which had been pulled up around her waist under cover of the warm blankets. His chest heated her back, his strong arms encasing her in warmth, his hand plying one nipple and the other resting at the juncture of her thighs.

No other man had ever touched her so tenderly, so hotly, so enticingly.

Only Nico.

She tried to turn in his arms, but he stilled her.

“Ssh, sweetheart. Just lie back and enjoy.” His strong fingers lifted her thigh, moving her leg over his as he tangled them together. She felt the soft leather of his leggings rubbing between her thighs with a sense of wonder. It felt so good!

But what he did next felt even better. Nico’s hand moved, his fingers searching among her folds and finding a little nubbin of flesh that seemed connected directly with her womb. As he stroked it, she felt her insides quiver and the dampness of excitement flow from her core. Nico rubbed his bristly chin against the back of her neck and nipped lightly, sending shivers down her spine.

She felt him smile against her neck as his fingers slid in the wetness between her legs. She tried to pull back, embarrassed, but he would have none of it. His strong arms held her steady, his legs pinioning hers.

“You’re so wet for me, my dove, so eager for my touch. Do you know how much that means to me? Do you know how much you excite me?”

Nico pushed his hips against hers and she felt the hard rod of his erection against her backside, through the soft leather of his leggings. He was well endowed and very ready.

But she wasn’t. She feared she would never be ready to give up her virginity—not while the threat of Lucan loomed over her head.

Riki pulled back and this time Nico let her move away just slightly, though his hands still roamed over her body. His hand at her breast tugged and teased the nipple, sending lightning bolts down to her core.

The hand between her thighs played with the little bud, moving lower to slide in her juices, then dipping within her tight channel. One long finger slid into her, stretching her, filling her. It felt so wonderful, so strange, so full. She wanted more, but she knew she couldn’t indulge. Even this was dangerous.

She whimpered as he began to move in and out, that single finger teasing her virgin channel, the rest of his hand grinding against the little button that brought such pleasure. She squirmed to get closer, to get away, to just get something. She didn’t know what. But she needed something that only Nico could provide.

“Please!” she whispered, arching back against him.

“Come for me, sweetheart, let it all go. Trust in me, trust in this. Come for me now.” His whispered words slid into her ear, followed by his tongue a moment later, driving the fire higher and hotter still.

Nico moved lower and bit down on her neck, the savage action spurring her to the greatest heights yet as his hands continued their skillful seduction of her senses. With a little cry, she crept up and over some unknown precipice, but Nico was there to catch her as the orgasm broke over her trembling, yearning body.

She felt like she was floating, free-falling down from a very high mountain peak. Nico continued to stroke her, and guide her, throughout. He was such a good, strong, dear man. And now he’d shown her the most incredible feelings. How could she continue to deny herself—deny them—

this pleasure, this passion?

“Nico?”

“Ssh, my sweet, just relax. Sleep a bit more if you can. Drake will be back soon with some new clothes for you.”

“But what about you?”

“Don’t worry about me, Riki. You come first. Always. Sleep now.” He stroked back her hair and she could feel the tension in his body.

Riki tried to close her eyes and go to sleep but couldn’t, knowing he was suffering because of her. She knew enough about men’s bodies— from having been subjected to watching Lucan and his lovers of both sexes—to know Nico needed relief. Gathering her courage, she turned in his arms, sitting up slightly so she could look into his lovely hazel eyes.

“My body may be virgin, Nico, and I need to keep it that way for now, but I know you need me. I can’t give you my virginity, but I can give you relief.”

“No, sweetheart,” Nico tried to push her gently away as she lowered the blanket and set to work on the ties that held his leggings in place, but she would not be deterred.

She looked up at him with a self-conscious smile. “You know, I’ve never done this before.”

“Lucan never made you—”

“No. He made me watch, but Loralie told him to leave me alone sexually in every way. I have that to thank her for, I suppose, though she’s the one who brought my healing gift to his attention in the first place.” She paused as he breathed a sigh of relief. “I’ve been curious about some of the things I saw.”

“Lucan is a monster, Riki. Some of the things you saw—”

“Oh, I know some of that was the result of a sick mind, but other things…back in the beginning, when he was still mostly human…those things I’ve been curious about.”

“Such as?” Nico raised one eyebrow in her direction and she knew he would let her try whatever she liked. She smiled at him.

“I want to taste you, Nico. I want to know what you feel like in my mouth.

Will you let me do that?”

“Sweet Mother.” Nico’s head dropped back as she unlaced his leggings.

“I don’t know if I’ll survive this, but do what you want, angel. Whatever you want.”