I whisked out of the ballroom, desperate for air. Out in the hallway, with guards staring at me as if I were about to be ill, I realized I might have been better off storming onto the ballroom's terrace. But then I recalled how overcrowded it was.

Also, too close to where I'd last spotted Astrida.

My face overheated, my forehead covering in sweat.

It was all too much; being told Gwenore was going on an impromptu mission, and that she was commandeering Ysac to go with her. And only Ysac; no one else to accompany them, watch their rear, provide protection.

And they expected me to stay here and wait?

I'd seen Otho's cruelty. Witnessed Luned's lunacy. Experienced Jack's snarling revulsion. Letting Gwenore venture out of the castle, risking bumping into one—if not all three—of those monsters...it didn't sit well with me.

And less so if she was forcing Ysac into that risk, as well.

I hunched against the wall, sucking in deep breaths. Luckily, no one was out here but a few soldiers guarding the doors, and they'd already lost interest in me. I wasn't a threat; just an overwhelmed foreign prince who needed a moment to gather his bearings.

I'd lost too much recently. Mother, Father, Mother again. I'd said goodbye to my old, comfortable life. Now I stood to lose Ysac, too, and only seconds after coming to terms with my love for him?

It wasn't fair. Queen Gwenore's thirst for vengeance would get many killed in the process. I understood it, I did, but at what cost? How much was she willing to sacrifice for this?

I wasn't willing to sacrifice as much.

I sucked in air and huffed it out, keeping my head tucked between my knees, my behind hovering over the ground. I surely looked a fool, but this was the best way to regulate my breathing.

Of course I understood where Gwenore was coming from. I wanted those three horrors exterminated, too. They'd tormented my mother. They'd lied to this kingdom I now considered home. They were criminals with too much magic in their veins, too many reasons to tear the realm down.

But why didn't Gwenore see the value in being patient? She'd get her revenge; the advisors would assure it. They wanted to off Otho, too, after all; he betrayed them, as well as the kingdom.

Why wouldn't she wait for the Aces to ensure the security of Acewood before she traveled off on a whim?

As I slid back up to my full height, scrubbing my face, I sensed a gentle touch on my shoulder.

I jerked to the side to find a pair of violet eyes and a down-turned set of lips I loved to kiss.

"Teo," whispered Ysac, seeing my surprise at his arrival, lifting his palms in peace. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"At this rate, a fly buzzing in my vicinity would have startled me," I said, seething. I shivered and hugged myself for warmth. "It won't take much."

"What is it?" Ysac placed his hand on my upper arm, squeezing. "Too overwhelmed by the crowd?"

"Ysac," I said, caution in my tone. "Did you not register what the queen asked you to do? The suicide mission she's taking you on?"

"Ah," he said, staring down at his pointy shoes. He shifted his weight, then looked up, scrunching his nose. "I figured you'd be upset by that."

I arched an eyebrow, irritation charging through me. "And you're not? Ysac, please tell me you're not considering this."

"Darling," he mumbled, fingertips digging into my collarbone, "I have to. She's the queen, and she's issued an order. As her subject, her bodyguard, her...well, her servant, basically, I have to obey her. You know how this works." A sparkle in his eye drew my attention, and I couldn't remove my gaze from his. "You know how she gives orders, and we can do nothing but heed them. After all, you were nearly crowned king."

I flinched, pulling myself away with a frown. "That doesn't mean I agree with her. She's irrational."

The woman I'd taken walks with, confided in; she was gone. Today she was crowned, she was officialized, and with that title came an attitude I never thought I'd see in her. She was rebellious from the start, yes, and didn't seem to like playing by anyone else's rules. But this? To stride on over to Luned's lair to spy on her? To risk bumping into her and starting a battle she wasn't ready for?

Did she not understand how incredibly perilous it was?

Or perhaps she did, and she didn't care about the risks she took, the danger she put Ysac in.

And that angered me even more.

"She's not irrational," said Ysac, much calmer than he needed to be. Why wasn't he enraged? Fighting the order? Protecting himself, protecting us, protecting his queen? "She stands to lose so much, and she's afraid. I know her, Teo." He clutched my chin and turned me to him, his liquor breath splashing over my hot cheeks. "She's panicking and wants to get one step ahead of her evil sister. I get it."

"But why do you have to go with her?" I knew I was whining, and it was likely far from sexy, which Ysac would find repulsive. But I had to voice my concerns, make it clear to him how all this troubled me. Wasn't that what one did in a serious, committed relationship? "Why can't it be someone else?"

Ysac didn't recoil from my nasally tone, the concern in my words. "Because despite how much she doesn't want to, she trusts me. I'm deep into this mess with her. I...enabled it." He cringed, as if having swallowed something acidic. "I owe her. And to be honest, I'm probably her best option for sneaking around."

"Yes, well, I don't like it." I slitted my eyes as I stared at him, doing my damndest not to melt for him. Not now; not when we were having such a stern conversation.

"You're worried." His cheeks grew red, and his lips lifted into a small smile. "My love, you're afraid for me, aren't you?"

"Ysac!" How dare he find my worry adorable? How dare he be so charming when I'm so frustrated with him? "I'm being quite serious, in case you hadn't noticed. Well, trying to be."

A few drunken courtiers escaped the ballroom, giggling at their private jokes. Either they didn't see us, or they had the sense enough to not disturb us.

"But it's sweet," Ysac said, caressing my jaw, and drawing my attention back to him by licking his lips. "That you would be so worried about me. Let me reassure you, though. I know what I'm doing, where I'm going. It's my cunning that Gwenore wants and needs. My navigational skills, my knowledge of great ways to sneak around. One of my specialties." He placed the gentlest peck on my chin, so close to my mouth it made me shudder in desire. "And I will be coming home to you after, because I've not yet shown you everything we can do together."

He stood so close to me, his flowery scent pouring into my nostrils. Seconds ago, I panicked, but now I was intoxicated. Enthralled by his courage, his expertise. Entranced by his imposing presence, desperate to hold him, touch him, taste him.

Such was the Ysac effect—no matter my internal thoughts, the mere proximity with him ignited flames in my belly. His eyes dulled my mind, and his body made me swell. Painfully so.

Even when he made me mad, I was wrapped around his finger, all his for the taking.

So when he didn't take me immediately, I sensed my desire growing. When he perched there looking at me as if about to crumble to his knees, I knew it'd be up to me to take the step, to show him our argument changed nothing.

I still wanted him.

I grabbed his chin and brought his lips to mine. Forceful, but tender at the same time; giving him room to move away should he not be comfortable. Not a care for who might be watching. A bold move on my part, but I wanted him to understand, and understand fast.

He didn't turn away, to my delight. He returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around me, one hand wandering down to squeeze my ass.

We definitely had spectators. The soldiers, the rogue courtiers; were their bodies tensing as they watched me slide my tongue into Ysac's mouth? Were their cocks erecting with need, their centers dampening, their pulses racing as they anticipated what'd come next? Watching us, envious of us, curious?

I usually preferred discretion with my conquests; kisses and touches exchanged in private. But tonight, I wanted everyone to see how much I craved Ysac. How my worry for him was translating to lust, to love. And how he was mine.

Watch and enjoy.

"Goodness," said Ysac, breaking our kiss, breathless as he wiped his mouth. "You certainly get horny when you're angry, don't you?"

In response, I slammed him against the nearest wall, again shoving my tongue past his wet lips. For a moment I worried I'd been too brutal, but when I sensed Ysac's erection against my own, I knew he was taking a thorough pleasure at my change in attitude.

He grinded against me, rubbing our cocks against one another, fueling the fire in me. As we kissed, he moaned into my mouth, both his hands tugging me closer, massaging my butt-cheeks.

"Fuck," he said when I released his lips to take a breather. "Teo, you're all kinds of needy tonight, aren't you?"

"You have no idea," I said, unsure what came over me. His words seemed to break the spell, and I shook my head as I backed away. "I'm sorry, I...it's just that..."

Ysac cocked his head, smirking as he adjusted his bulge, and peering left and right. Our audience was there, but too busy guffawing at some painting to notice us and our near fucking in the corridor.

"You like when I'm defiant?" He puckered his lips, tracing the outline of my face. "You like that I find you cute when you're worried?"

I took hold of his behind and pressed him against me. "You hypnotize me," I said softly, drowning in his lavender eyes. "I don't want you to go. To follow blindly after Gwenore. It terrifies me. But to see your bravery, your assurance...that is the turn-on."

"Hmmm," Ysac swept some stray hairs from my forehead, "so that prompted you to try to fuck me in the hallway?"

My face was aflame, I knew it. "I'm sorry, it was inappropriate. Please..."

Ysac kept my chin from dropping. "Please what? Forgive you for rubbing up on me? For waking my cock up like that? No, Highness. I will not." He kissed me so delicately it sent chills up and down my spine. "Because now I want you too, and I don't care where."

"You...don't?" Tempting as it'd be to remove his clothes right there, I wouldn't do it. I was all talk and no action, and by then I presumed Ysac knew that.

"Trying to fuck me in the hallway is incredibly hot, Teodric." He passed his tongue over my lips, and my need only grew tighter, thicker, more painful. "Though I'm sure you'll want to take this elsewhere for the final act."

His cock throbbed against my leg, and it took all my might not to stuff my hand down his pants to stroke it. "But what about...the ball? The queen?"

He shook his head as he seized my hand, dragging me down the hall, away from our potential spectators. "She won't care. I agreed to her mission and will wake early to do as she pleases. But in the meantime?" He stopped, shoved me against a wall this time, and approached his face to mine, our noses touching. "I will do what I please. I will have my fill of you, all of you, so I can remember your taste as I travel into danger."

I should have been aroused by this—and I was, as my cock kept reminding me—but it sparked more worry in my chest as we hurried upstairs to his quarters.

"Ysac," I said, after we entered his room and started stripping our clothes. "Seriously, how perilous will this be?"

He was naked, his penis taut and hard and ready for me; it was difficult not to salivate at the exquisite view.

"Very much so, but like I said," he padded up to me, one hand gripping his cock, "I will come home to you." He slid the tip of his length against my leg as he nibbled at my earlobe.

"Ysac, please..." To not fall to my knees and take him in my mouth instantly took all my resolve.

"I mean it, Teo," he said, helping me lower my breeches, my under-garments, and heave my shirt over my head. Once I was bared before him, he trailed a finger down my torso, between my pectorals, halting below my navel. "I'll do all I can to return to you."

His fingers tickled along my shaft, and I bit the insides of my cheeks. "So why does this feel like your last hurrah? Why are you so eager to fuck me if you know you'll come home to do so again and again?"

"Because I'm hungry for you always, Teo." He guided me to the bed, bending me over as he smoothed his hands over my ass. "There's never a guarantee, so I want to enjoy you before I leave. And more so because I don't know how long I'll be gone."

"Or," my legs quaked at the feeling of his fingers spreading my butt-cheeks apart, wetting my back entrance, "if you'll come back."

"There's no way I'm passing this up," he smacked my ass, "so you better believe I will return and resume this wherever we left off. Now..." He guided his tip to my rear entrance, and all my nerve endings tingled in anticipation. "Hush so I can fuck the worry out of you."

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