Reign (Last Princess Book 3) Read online

  I narrow my eyes at him as Kade bursts out laughing. “She told you about that?”

  Andrei laughs. “Yeah, she did. She was getting frustrated that she wasn’t making much progress.”

  I shake my head as Kade curls into a ball, holding his stomach as he loses it. “She hasn’t done it since before she was taken by Forrest. She’s also been wary of doing it again. She doesn’t want to hurt me so she’s been fighting it.”

  Andrei frowns. “Have you thought about shielding?”

  I raise a brow at him. “Of course I have. She almost blew me up while I was shielded. Her fire burst my shield.”

  Andrei’s eyebrows go up and Kade stops laughing as he bolts upright. “Repeat that,” Kade says softly.

  “Her fire burst my shield,” I repeat.

  Kade’s eyes widen. “You think it’s because of the mark?”

  Andrei nods. “I think so. Especially if it burst Xander’s shield. Even his weakest shielding is difficult to break for nearly anyone.”

  “Exactly,” I mutter.

  The door to the bathroom opens again and Cherish is back in her usual jeans and t-shirt.

  “So, what’s next?” she asks as she looks between us, a slight frown on her face.

  I flash her a smile. “Me and you are going to go to the training field and start training with your fire again.”

  Her frown deepens as uncertainty flashes on her face. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. You need to work on it, ma hai,” I answer gently.

  She sighs and nods her head in resignation. “Alright. Let’s get this over with. Just... just don’t let me blow you up.”

  I chuckle as I go to her side and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “You got it.”

  * * *

  “No! Shit! Xander!”

  My eyes widen as I jump out of the way of the giant fire ball hurtling my way. “Damn it, Cherish,” I grunt as I land hard on my side. Turning over, I gape at the damage that fireball did to the trees that were directly behind me. It looks like a damn bomb went off. All that’s left of at least fifteen trees is burning stumps.

  Footsteps running toward me pulls my attention away from the destruction.

  “Xander!” Cherish drops to her knees beside me, tears filling her eyes. That’s the only thing I notice before her arms wrap around my neck and squeeze me to her as she buries her face into my neck. “I’m sorry,” she says, her voice cracking with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Shh, I’m okay,” I whisper as I wrap my arm around her waist. “I’m not hurt.”

  She sniffs and shakes her head, her forehead rubbing against my neck. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m fine, Princess. You didn’t hurt me.”

  “Promise?” The shake in her voice tears through me. I kiss her temple.

  “I promise. I’m alright.”

  Cherish clutches me tighter for several minutes longer as her body trembles a little against mine. I rub her back soothingly, whispering sweet nothings and promises that I’m alright. Her hold on me loosens a bit as the shaking slows to a stop.

  “You okay?” I murmur against her hair, keeping my arms wrapped around her as I continue rubbing her back.

  She shakes her head. “I was so scared I was going to hurt you,” she whispers. She pulls away from me, her eyes on my chest. Refusing to meet my eyes.

  “Princess, I’m alright. You don’t need to worry about me. Even if you had hit me, it wouldn’t have hurt too badly. I did have my shield up.” I lift her chin up, silently encouraging her to look in my eyes. Her gaze locks on mine and she looks so sad and torn apart that it makes my chest hurt. “Hear me, ma hai, I am okay. Stop beating yourself up. You would have figured out a way to stop it if it came to that, Cherish. Even though you don’t have faith in yourself or your abilities, I do.”

  Her lips purse as she looks at me, looking more vulnerable than I’ve seen her in a while. I lean forward and kiss her temple gently before pulling back to meet her eyes again.

  “Kade, Andrei, and I believe in you enough to make up for your lack of faith in yourself, for now. But we do have other battles to fight and you’ll need to fully believe in yourself to see it through.” I look up and catch a glimpse of Andrei stalking through the woods towards us. “And we will definitely be working on that with you, just not anymore today.”

  She frowns, tilting her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

  I tilt my chin toward Andrei. “We’re about to have company.”

  Cherish turns and offers Andrei a shaky smile.

  Andrei’s gaze narrows on her. “What’s wrong?”

  Cherish sighs. “Almost killed Xander. Again.”

  I chuckle softly. “Nah, Princess. You didn’t almost kill me. It would have hurt for a while, but that’s about it.”

  Andrei frowns as he watches Cherish. Probably noticing that even though she’s trying to appear fine, she’s far from it. The possibility of her hurting me must shake her up more than I realized or ever thought possible.

  “What brings you this way?” I ask, drawing Andrei’s attention to me.

  He shoots Cherish a worried glance before sighing. “We’ve got word that there are Ikishri men skulking around the edges of the Kingdom. I’ve sent a team to investigate, but I’m not sure how much they’ll find.”

  Cherish’s brows pull down. “What does that mean?”

  “The Ikishri are the stealthiest elves out there. Aside from assassins, they’re the best at staying below the radar,” I explain.

  “If they’re so good at staying below the radar, how were they seen close to the Kingdom?” Cherish asks.

  Andrei crosses his arms, relaxing his shoulders a bit. “It’s most likely a trap. The Ikishri are only seen when they want to be seen.”

  I make a contemplative noise. “Mm, not always. Usually, but it’s rare that they just stop giving a shit.”

  “So why are we sending the team to investigate if it’s most likely a trap?” Cherish asks, looking genuinely confused.

  “There’s a few things,” Andrei says in a teacher voice. “They may not be Ikishri and only look like they are because that is the Kingdom they’re coming from. We need to know in any case if this is a trap, because we need to be aware of any threats toward you.”

  Cherish gapes at him before shaking her head as she stands up. “Nope. Not doing it. Not thinking about this right now. I just want to go take a nice hot bath and not think for a while.”

  I watch as Cherish wipes the dirt and dust off her clothes as she walks away from us.

  “She’s scared,” Andrei murmurs quietly. So quiet, I almost don’t hear him. “Isn’t she?”

  I wince as I stand up, stretching the gnarly bruise I’m bound to have on my side. “Yeah, I think so. This is all so new to her. I think she’s mostly scared about what can happen to us, though.”

  Andrei’s brows pull together as he looks at me, startled. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “Andrei, she just lost her entire family not long ago. We have no idea where her sister’s ghost went to. We are, quite literally, all she has left. If something happens to any of the three of us right now, it will most likely make her snap. She probably fears losing us almost as much as she does her own abilities. The fact that she’s almost blown me up several times because of a lack of control in one element is tearing her apart.”

  He scowls. “That’s not her fault.”

  “I know that,” I assure him. “But she’s having trouble believing that she will be able to stop herself from hurting me. Probably any of us.”

  Andrei falls quiet for a few minutes. He looks up and meets my gaze. “I’ll talk with her. Maybe we can figure out what it is that she’s not figuring out about the fire.”

  I nod once. “Sounds good. I’m going to check on her in a little bit, make sure she’s not still beating herself up.”

  Chapter 3

  Cherish

  A knock at the door pulls me o
ut of my thoughts. Thankful for the reprieve of reliving that fireball going after Xander and him barely getting out of the way in time, I call out, “Yeah?”

  “Hey, Princess,” Xander asks as the door opens a crack. “Mind some company?”

  I raise an eyebrow at that. “Um, sure?” What the hell? They’ve never really interrupted me when I’m taking a bath before. Let alone asked if they could come in while I was in the tub.

  “Good, because I wasn’t going to take no for an answer anyway,” he says as he enters the bathroom a small smile on his face. His eyes go to the tub and he chuckles. “Bubbles? I didn’t think you used bubbles.”

  “Did you find the Ikishri that were skulking around?” I ask casually.

  “Yeah. They’re taken care of.”

  He sits on the edge of the tub and his eyes search mine.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Come here,” he says softly as he braces himself with one hand tangled in my hair, the other resting against the other side of the tub. I sit up a little more, still covered by the bubbly water, and sigh happily when his mouth slants over mine. I kiss him back eagerly, but he’s careful to stay in control and keep the kiss soft. He breaks the kiss, much to my disappointment, pulling back to look in my eyes. “How’re you doing?”

  I give him a small smile. “I’m alright, I guess.”

  His eyes narrow at me. “You guess?”

  I purse my lips and nod. “Yup. I guess. I’m still kind of freaking out that I almost hurt you, but...” I don’t say anything else, unsure of what exactly I can say.

  His grip on my hair tightens enough for me to feel the tug, though it’s not painful, as he tilts my head up so I have no choice but to meet his eyes. “I am okay,” he says slowly. “You don’t need to worry about me, Cherish. Me and the guys are a lot tougher than you think.”

  “I guess you’re right,” I mutter with a sigh. Xander lets go of my hair and straightens so he’s not leaning over me anymore.

  “Damn straight, I’m right,” he grumbles with a small smirk. He reaches down and splashes me with the bubbly water, making me squeak and close my eyes.

  Xander laughs. I wipe the water off my face and glare at him. “Really?” He just keeps laughing. I reach for him, grabbing on to his arm and yank him into the tub with me. Thank god this thing is pretty damn big or his fall into the water would have squished me.

  His head breaks the surface and he sputters for a second before he starts laughing again. “Alright. I deserved that.”

  “Of course you did,” I say sweetly. Xander meets my eyes and laughs.

  “I’ll admit, that was definitely the last thing I expected you to do.” His eyes shine with amusement. “Although, now my clothes are soaked through. I honestly expected you to just splash me right back. Maybe push me off the tub, instead of pull me in the tub.”

  I shrug, not at all sorry. “That’s what happens when you mess with me.” I take in his wet clothes and can’t stop the snicker from slipping out.

  “Yeah, yeah, keep laughing,” he mutters, grabbing hold of my wrist and pulling me over into his lap, straddling him.

  “Xander,” I whisper, cheeks burning.

  He runs a hand from the top of my spine to the middle of my back, his eyes burning into mine. “Cherish,” he says just as quietly.

  I shift slightly on his lap, and have to fight the moan that nearly escapes as I feel his jean-covered length press against me just right. “Is checking on me the only reason you came in here?” I ask, studying his expression.

  He winces slightly. “Yes. That was my only intention. I didn’t think for a single second that you’d toss me into the tub with you.”

  I bite into my lower lip as nervousness fills me. Pushing the nerves aside, I reach between us and grab the bottom of his shirt. Slowly lifting it up, I meet his eyes and swallow hard. Heat and love shine through that one single look.

  “You sure?” he asks quietly. “I can always get out.”

  I smile wickedly. “You need a bath anyways. We might as well conserve water and bathe together.”

  Xander laughs. I finally get the shirt off him while his laughter is starting to calm down a bit. He stops laughing and tugs me into him, pressing my breasts against his chest. “You are easily the most beautiful creature in existence,” he says, his expression completely serious.

  I feel heat rush to my face. “I don’t know about that,” I mutter before saying a little louder, “but, thank you.” Before he has a chance to say anything else, I press my lips to his. He pauses for a heartbeat but then he takes complete control of the kiss. His hands thrust in my hair, holding my head where he wants it as he devours my mouth.

  His hands roam from my back to my sides, caressing, tracing my curves. The feel of his calloused hands leave a trail of heat, feeding my need for him with every touch. One of his hands snakes up my waist and cups my breast as the other makes a trail down to my inner thigh. So close to where I want him, but it feels so damn far away.

  I reach between us and clumsily attempt to open the button on his jeans without needing to tear my mouth away from his, but I have no luck. Xander chuckles against my lips and helps me, before taking possession of my mouth again and replacing his hands where they were. One hand on my thigh, his thumb rubbing lazy circles on my inner thigh; the other hand cupping, plucking and teasing my nipple.

  Xander groans as I wrap my hand around his cock, giving it a few firm strokes. A frustrated moan leaves me as his thumb barely brushes against my clit at the same time he pinches my nipple. I shift my hips a bit, but Xander moves his hands to my hips, holding me still.

  “If you move unless I tell you to, I’ll stop,” Xander murmurs against my lips.

  I narrow my eyes at him as I pull back to meet his eyes. “You’re kidding.”

  An eyebrow raises. “Wanna test that?”

  I purse my lips. Well, not really. I feel like I’m going to explode if we don’t get this ball rolling. “Fine,” I relent, trying not to pout.

  Xander chuckles softly and places a soft peck on my lips. “I want to play with my Princess.” He runs his nose down my neck before kissing along the same path.

  “I really don’t think we’ll need a whole lot of foreplay, Xander.” Not with me so damn close to losing my mind with need. I gasp when his finger slides between my folds and starts working my clit. He presses a kiss on my shoulder before turning his attention down to my breasts. With one hand driving me crazy between my legs, his other wrapped around my breast, pinching and plucking at my nipple; he licks a line to my neglected breast before curling his tongue around my nipple.

  My back arches, shifting my body slightly but it’s enough for Xander to stay true to his word. He stops and smirks at me. “You going to stop moving?”

  I glare at him. “It’s kind of hard not to move when you’re torturing me.”

  His expression softens and he presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “Need me to take the edge off, Princess?”

  “I need you to fuck me,” I correct snippily, making him chuckle again. He grabs my hips and positions me over his waiting cock.

  “Then fuck yourself on me, Cherish,” he orders as he thrusts up at the same time he pulls me onto him. I gasp at the abrupt penetration and hold myself still for a moment so I can get used to his size.

  Keeping my eyes locked with his, I do as he said. I ride him hard. Impaling myself on him over and over again, his cock going so deep it almost hurts. I feel my orgasm building as he reaches up and cups my breasts in his hands, squeezing and molding them, plucking at my nipples. I kiss Xander hard, moaning into his mouth as I grow more frantic.

  His hips thrust up to meet mine as his fingers bite into my hips, giving him all the control as he takes over my movements. My orgasm smashes through me as Xander’s hits him, tearing a scream from my throat as he buries his face in my neck.

  Boneless and completely sated I rest my head on his shoulder, eyes drooping shut. “I love you, Xander.”

&
nbsp; Xander traces his fingers up and down my spine as he kisses the top of my head. “I love you too, Princess.”

  I press my lips against the hollow of his throat, completely content to just stay right there as happiness fills me.

  Chapter 4

  Cherish

  I swallow hard as I study my reflection, taking in my coronation dress and trying desperately not to lose my shit.

  “Damn, sis, you clean up good,” a voice I’ve been missing for what feels like years says from behind me.

  I turn and smile at the ghost of my little sister. “You came.”

  Ella frowns at me. “Why the hell do you look and sound so surprised by that fact?”

  I snort. “Because you fucking up and disappeared, Ella. You said you had some things to look into and then went poof.”

  Ella’s lips tighten into a line as she meets my eyes. “I’ve actually been doing some spying for you. I know that some elves can see me, but not all of them can. I’ve been in the Ikishri Kingdom. Learning as much about them as I can. It’s a little weird though. I’m never able to find the King when I’m there. But, anyways, I just want to help you, Cherish. I can’t rest in peace unless I know that you’re going to be okay.”

  Tears pool in my eyes. I have to fight to keep them from falling. “Ella, you didn’t have to do that.”

  “I know, but I wanted to.” Ella falls quiet for a minute. “I also checked on Lucy and Zoe. I know you’ve been doing your best to avoid thinking about home and your friends, but I just wanted to check on them for you.”

  Lucy and Zoe. God. I miss them so damn much.

  “How are they?” I ask around the lump in my throat.

  “They’re alright, for the most part. They miss you.” An odd look flashes on Ella’s face. I narrow my eyes at her.

  “What?”

  Ella sighs. “When we were killed and you disappeared, apparently the cops believed that you were taken by the one who had killed us. I overheard Zoe and Lucy talking. They were pissed because several people in town believe that if you were kidnapped when we were killed then you’re dead by now. They refuse to believe it. They believe you’re alive.”