Lord of the Abyss & Desert Warrior by Nalini Singh Page B

her hair was untangled, but he poured more lotion into his hands, stroked it through therough, thick strands while imagining doing the same to the body hidden beneath the steamy water. Next time, he would make the water colder so he could see everything. “Tell me the rest.”
    “It was a long way to the Stone Circle, and Micah was but a babe—”
    He scowled. “Micah wasn’t a babe simply because he was the youngest.”
    “That’s what Micah is said to have said,” Liliana told him, “but finally Nicolai—who was rumored to be a sinful man in many ways, but who loved his siblings with the fierceness of the hunting lions that roam the plains—convinced Micah things would go faster if Nicolai carried him on his back, and so that is how they went.”
    A stirring in his mind, an image of a warrior with bronzed skin and silver-colored eyes streaked with gold. “Where did you hear this tale?”
    “The cook told me,” she answered, rubbing the soap over her arms. “He once worked for the king and queen.”
    He watched the soap slide over her skin, felt a dark stirring within him that tasted not of evil, but of a far hotter temptation. “Tell me more about Micah.”
    “Well, it’s said that Micah might have been the smallest, but he had the biggest heart.”
    He wasn’t sure he liked that. “Tales about boys do not involve hearts.”
    “Oh?” She made a startled sound. “I suppose not. But you see, Micah was loved. He was the youngest prince, and terribly spoiled.”
    “He couldn’t have been so spoiled.” It was an instinctive response. “He was a prince, after all. He had duties.”
    “Ah, but he was a babe then,” she murmured. “He had two older brothers and a doting sister. So he was spoiled.”
    He tugged on her hair.
    “Stop that,” she said, slapping at his hand. “You must listen to the tale as I tell it.”
    Allowing her to catch him, he made a rumbling sound at the feel of her skin against his. “Turn around, Liliana.” The mounds of her breasts were slight, but they would make the perfect mouthfuls.
    Her hand dropped away and her voice, when it came, was a whisper. “No. It’s not safe. You’re not safe.”
    Since he wanted to bite the gentle curve of her neck, stroke his hands below the water to fondle and squeeze, he couldn’t argue. “Continue.” It was a growl.
    “Micah,” she said, a tremor racing over her skin, “he was spoiled and petted, but he wasn’t cruel or mean like other boys might’ve been. He rescued so many injured animals that the queen gave him his own little block of land where they could roam.”
    Something in his chest grew tight and he found himself curving his hands over her shoulders, rubbing his thumbs along the skin of her back. “His mother was kind.”
    He felt a ridge under his thumbs but Liliana pulled away before he could explore it. “I think my hair is done.”
    He coaxed her back by promising to wash off the soap. “The queen?”
    “The king called her his other half,” she said after a taut pause. “Is that not strange?”
    He considered it. He had always been alone, encased in stone. No one could join with him. Even were Liliana spread naked beneath him, her body flushed and damp, her thighs spread, his armor would lie between them. “Yes.” He scooped up some water, watched it smooth over her skin.
    “So,” she continued, “the four heirs went to the Stone Circle, and they got their heads together and conferred about the best spell to use for the summoning. During the trek, it had become a shared challenge.”
    He massaged more lotion into her scalp, saw the goose bumps that rose up over her flesh. “You’re cold. We will finish the bath.”
    “Yes,” Liliana murmured. “I think that’s a good idea.” Dunking her head again, she squeezed the water out of her hair. “You must go.”
    He was the Lord of the Black Castle, could order her to stand wet and nude before him, but that would make her stiffen, and he wanted