The Dragon Prince's Bride
Chapter 29. Tell me all about it.

Chapter 29: 29. Tell me all about it.

"Go." He told her. They were both standing by the tree he was sitting under when he first saw her. He didn’t wish to take her further. He needed to be rid of her as quickly as possible.

"What are you waiting for? Go!" He ordered her, and he could see the uneasiness in her eyes. The uncertainty. She distrusted him. But rightfully so, for he did not trust his own self. He could pull her down, roll her underneath the huge umbrella of the tree and make love to her again. Lords! He could. He wanted to.

She had decided to make love to him, and she had regretted it. He hated the fact that she regretted it. That she was wrongly angry at him for making love to her. Or maybe she was rightfully angry. Maybe she was right. Maybe he really refused to let her go with hopes that she would give in to his lustful desires.

Now she stared at him, like she had something to say. A lot of things to say. And yet she said nothing. She looked at him with eyes that were so endearing, and she turned on her heels and ran. She ran fast. Very fast, like she was being chased by an even faster being.

But he wasn’t going to chase her. He couldn’t. He mustn’t. But he did, and he was fast. And he caught her by the arm, spun her into his arms and slammed his lips upon hers.

He kissed her, hard. Like he meant to leave an imprint of himself upon her. Like he wanted to make sure she would never be able to wash his taste off her lips, and then he broke the kiss.

Panting, pressing his forehead to her own. "A goodbye kiss, I believe, is in order." He smirked. And he saw something flicker in her eyes. But it was gone as soon as it came. Was it yearning? Was it pity? Was it realization? What was it? It almost seemed like an apologetic look. What was that really?

He would never know, for as quick as that emotion had passed and gone, she too, in a faster pace was gone. He stood alone now, staring at her retreating figure.

He knew he never should have touched her. He knew it, but he just couldn’t control the lust he felt for that little thing with a sharp tongue. He wanted her, needed her at that moment, and he had her.

But now what he feared was already happening_ He wasn’t satisfied. He wanted more... He wanted her again.

The gods have mercy, but he didn’t want to chase her, he wasn’t going to chase her. He couldn’t. He mustn’t... And this time, he didn’t. He turned back and headed for his momentary sanctuary.

...

"Ah, My Lady, finally you are back!" Aria exclaimed as she helped Neriah climb back into her room through the window. "I was already getting so worried about you. I have been pacing back and forth like a restless lizard. If you did not show up in the next hour I was planning to go to the king and ask for help." She continued as Neriah made her way to her bed.

She fell back-flat upon her bed and her fingers slowly crawled up her lips as Aria crawled up next to her.

Why did he do that? She could only wonder. Why did he kiss her? What sort of goodbye kiss was that intense? She could still feel the hotness of his mouth over hers. The fire that burned when he kissed her was still very much on inside her even now that she was not with him.

It was dragon magic. It had to be. He had done something to her with his wicked powers. She knew the dragon bloods were wicked people but she didn’t think they’d have the power to affect a person’s internal body. What sort of sorcery did—

"MY LADY!" Aria clapped loudly in front of her face. Apparently, she had been calling out to her, but she was too overwhelmed by her thoughts to hear her. Now that she had been snapped out of her little trance, the main question arose in her head again. How in Avelah was she supposed to tell Aria about her little charade with the barbaric stranger.

"How did it go? Did you see him? Were you able to talk with him? Did he agree to break the engagement? What did he say? Tell me everything. Was he as old as they say? Did he come with any of his other wives?" She bombarded her with questions that Neriah had no answer to.

"I do not know." She said and reached for her shoes to unbuckle them just to avoid eye contact with Aria.

Seeing her Lady’s discomfort, Aria went down on her knees, took Neriah’s leg in her hands and began to unbuckle the shoes herself. "Forgive me My Lady, but what do you mean you do not know? You were gone for almost four hours, so you must have found him and I am certain that is what kept you. Tell me all about it."

Neriah could only cry to the goddess silently in her head to come intervene. She was sure Aria would go crazy about it all.

"I_ I did not get to meet the prince, so I did not get to tell him anything." She finally blurted out and Aria instantly paused with one shoe in her hand.

"What do you mean, My Lady? You did not meet him?" She asked and Neriah just shook her head in a no. Aria slowly put the shoe down. Her brows cringed and she scratched the right one with her index finger as if slowly trying to take in the information.

She licked her bottom lip, and her lashes blinked. She opened her mouth to speak, but then closed them back. She opened it again but it seemed she just could not find the words to say what she was about to say, or she was still processing the information inside her head.

"But," she finally spoke up, "if you did not get to meet him, where have you been for the past three hours?" She asked the question and her brows raised high waiting for a response. Neriah swallowed down hard, making a loud gulp sound as she did. She was the princess, but Aria sometimes had a way of making her feel like their roles were switched. Just like right now.