Chapter 215

Kit had a thousand more questions she wanted to ask, but all of them slipped her mind as his mouth enveloped hers. Warm and soft, gentle at first, but increasing in pressure as she parted her lips for him, Kit was reminded of how much she had missed him, and how their last conversation had not been as amicable as the discussion they were having now.

His tongue twined its way around hers as one hand slipped down her side, taking hold of the fabric of her gown and gathering it higher up her thigh, and his other hand encircled her neck. Both of her palms were pressed against the front of what she could only imagine was a borrowed uniform—one of the questions she’d meant to ask which she no longer had time for. As he leaned in closer to her, Kit spread her knees around his hips and scooted to the edge of the bed, making her finest attempt to meld her body into his.

There was no way of seeing into the room save the slot sometimes used for meals, and the angle would be such that if the guard wanted to spy on them, he wouldn’t be able to see them in their present location. Still, the fact that he may be listening was both embarrassing and slightly enthralling to Kit for some reason she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Eli’s lips were on her neck, and if she had any intention of stopping him, it needed to be now. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel his purpose against her inner thigh. Her head tipped back of its own accord as his tongue explored up and down her flesh, from her collar bone to her earlobe. Through her dress, he began to rub her ever-hardening nipple, and Kit’s breath caught in her throat. Any chance of deterring him was out the door.

So Kit moved forward with gusto. She made short work of the chainmail and tunic he wore on top, running her hands across his sleek, chiseled chest, down to his belt buckle while Eli reached around behind her and began to unhook her gown. He worked his boots off but paused when she had his trousers undone to remove his sword and scabbard, and then she tugged his pants and breeches down as far as she could as her gown came over her head, followed shortly by her chemise.

Eli produced a sheath out of his trousers before standing to further remove them. Giving her knickers a tug, Kit began to wiggle her hips as she rearranged herself on the small cot to give them enough room. She wasn’t fast enough, though, and Eli gave them a final pull, tossing them aside and climbing atop her as Kit spread her legs and welcomed him. She still had her stay on, but at the moment, she didn’t care. She needed him inside of her, and while he managed to work the sheath on just in time, Kit made her intentions known, sliding beneath him and bringing her body up to meet his.

His lips crashed down on hers as he entered her, and Kit fought the urge to scream his name. Her chest was pounding, fighting the laces of her stay, as she relished the feel of his member filling her up completely. Earlier, she’d wondered if she’d ever see him again, and now, here he was, inside of her, where he belonged.

Taking hold of her hips, Eli pulled her up slightly before he settled down on top of her and slowly began to work in and out of her, establishing a rhythm that was completely their own. Each movement was purposeful, every nuance of motion sending a chill through her body as he stroked against her sensitive places. Kit could hear her heart beating along with his; they breathed as one to the same time as the thrusts of Eli’s skilled hips until Kit found herself floating away, out of her prison, out of Wrenbrook, to a place no one else could ever reach her. Her body writhed beneath him, and she bit down on her lip to keep from crying out as Eli began to spasm on top of her. He never made a sound, only rested his head on her shoulder as his body stilled on top of her, and Kit slowly came back to him.

His forehead was wet with perspiration, but Kit kissed him there anyway, wishing he’d lift his head so that she could find his lips. It took him a moment to catch his breath, and then, he wedged his way between her and the wall, wrapping an arm around her to keep her on the narrow bed.

“I never intended for that to happen.” His breath was a whisper against her cheek.

“I didn’t either.” She brushed back a lock of caramel hair. “But I’m glad that it did.”

Eli’s laughter was the gentle pitter pattering of rain. “We should get dressed, just in case the morning meal is closer than I imagined.”

She couldn’t disagree with him, but she wasn’t ready for the coldness being without his arms around her would entail. “I was afraid... last time might’ve been the last time. And now, I’m afraid this might be.”

Eli leaned his head to the side and gazed at her, his emerald eyes wide. “Kit, why would you say that? You know I’ll never leave you, don’t you?”

“Yes, but after my mother has attempted to frame you, and then dispatch you altogether, it makes me fearful for your safety.”

His smile was reassuring. “If I will never leave you, then that simply means I cannot be dispatched.” He leaned down and kissed her lips, softly, and Kit felt more reassured of his ability to keep that promise than perhaps she should’ve been considering how desperately the queen wanted him dead.

They both got dressed as quietly as possible. Kit was fairly certain the guard had been listening in, but she didn’t want to think of it. Eli pulled a lavender gown out of the armoire and hooked it up for her, and though Kit would have no explanation for how that may have happened, should her mother ask, she hoped the queen wouldn’t think too long on such a trivial question. He also disposed of the spent sheath far within the depths of the loo where it would never be seen again.

Once they were presentable, Kit sat back down on the cot, leaning against the wall at the side, and Eli sat next to her, taking her hand in his. “I should take my leave soon. There’s so much to be done if we are to be successful. I need to see if Cassius and the others have managed to complete their tasks.”

“They are out there risking imprisonment or worse, and you’re in here pleasuring the princess,” she teased, though the mention of Cassius had her concerned. Eli hadn’t elaborated on what the plan was exactly, but she was certain it would have to be dangerous, and just because the queen was fond of the Representative from Warchester Keep, that didn’t make him invincible.

“I promise to take up the next risky task myself,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips.

“That’s not what I meant.’

“I know. Kit, we will all use caution. With any luck, all of us will make it through unharmed. But I really should be going now before your mother’s henchmen show up.”

“How did you get past them in the first place? Aren’t their guards at the bottom of the stairs?”

“Yes, but I used a passage that enters the stairwell about halfway up.”

“Clever.” She had no idea such a passage even existed and imagined her mother didn’t either, or there would’ve been guards posted there. “And what of the man on the other side of the door.”

“Glin? He’s a friend of mine. I’ve been doing my best to stay on the good side of the Prison Guards most of my life, but particularly these past few weeks.”

“I see.” Thinking of the man on the other side of the door made a blush come to her cheeks. She hoped Eli truly had his confidence.

“He’s also extremely hard of hearing, so chances are, he heard nothing, my little mouse.”

Kit let a small giggle escape her lips, relieved to hear it. “I guess I could’ve let myself go then.”

“I said he was hard of hearing, Kit, not deaf.” He winked at her, and Kit felt her heart stir the way it had when he looked at her that way when they was younger.

“I know you have to go, but I have a question for you, one I’ve been meaning to ask for some time but wasn’t sure if you’d tell me.”

“When have I ever withheld information from you?”

He couldn’t even make the statement with a straight face, so there was no need for Kit to call him out on the ridiculousness of it. “My mother mentioned once, at the beginning of my Choosing, if I knew who had given me my nickname, Kit, I wouldn’t be so fond of it. I always assumed it had come from my father. I remember him calling me that when I was younger. Was it him or someone else?”

Eli’s eyes widened as he formulated a response. At first, Kit thought he might refuse to answer or make something up. But when he finally began to explain, she knew he was telling the truth. “When you were small, you’d come to the barn to visit. You loved the horses, even then, and you had a nursemaid who did as well. She’d bring you out quite often, until your mother caught wind of it and began to monitor it more closely. At any rate, when I first met you, I couldn’t say your proper name. I’m not sure how it actually came out, but after a while, I gave up and began to call you Kat.”

“Kat?” she echoed, surprised. She’d assumed she was going to say that he’d given her the nickname.

“Yes, but my father, who was enamored with you from the very first time he saw you, despite the differences between he and your mother, explained that you were too small to be a Kat, that you were more like a kitten, Kit for short.”

Kit’s mouth dropped open, and she held it there for a long moment, taking in the story. “It was your father? Ademar Goedwig gave me this name?” Eli nodded. “It’s no wonder my mother refuses to call me that.”

“Indeed. It’s surprising she didn’t forbid everyone from using it. I think, by the time she discovered he was the source, it was too late, and it had stuck. But, Katrinetta, if I may say so, you are no longer a little kitten.” His fingertips brushed her cheek, igniting sparks all through her flesh. “You are a grown woman, fully capable of handling anything you set your mind to.”

“Thank you, Eli. I hope you know how instrumental you’ve been in making me the person that I am today. If you hadn’t believed in me, encouraged me, helped me to see all that I truly could be, perhaps I’d have ended up more like my mother than I care to admit.”

He was shaking his head before the sentence was even out of her mouth. “No, Kit. You will never be like your mother.” He leaned in and found her lips one more time, and Kit memorized the feel of him, frightened that it could be days or weeks before she was able to see him again.

Eli stood, and Kit took his hand as he walked to the door. “Stay strong, Princess. The time is coming when all of our secrets, and theirs, will be revealed. You’ll know when the time is right. We can do this.”

“I know we can.” Looking into his eyes, she felt there wasn’t a thing in the world she couldn’t accomplish. “I love you, Eliason Goedwig.”

“I love you, too, Kit.” He pressed his lips to her forehead and took one more step toward the door. Rapping gently, he waited for the guard to unlock it. With one last smile, he mouthed the words, “Le atsa,” and then disappeared.

The jingle of the keys reminded Kit that she was locked in the tower again, but she didn’t feel all alone this time. On the other side of that door were scores of men and women who were willing to fight and sacrifice everything for her so that she could be the queen they had always dreamt of having. Behind her, the first rays of sunlight began to kiss the queendom good morning. Soon enough, it would be hers, and she knew in her heart, she would be the queen they needed her to be.