Prologue
“Are you kidding me?!” I heard my guard yell through the room, too invested in my private affairs.
The affairs that were snoring right next to me. Only one of the three men grunted because of the loud voice jeopardizing his sweet, sweet dreams. If he was dreaming of the night? The way he had pinned me down on the bed to make me scream in pleasure? I sure was.
“Not at all,” I yawned, sleep lingering heavy on my mind.
I knew this was coming after yesterday’s ball. Velagh’s expression was, by all means, what you’d describe as annoyed, disappointed, and angry. Maybe a little bit angrier than anything else.
“You can’t keep sneaking away with men you barely know. And you don’t even have the decency to take them anywhere else but your quarters!” He wasn’t done yelling anytime soon, so I got prepared.
“Huh, I think I managed pretty well. And, you know, maybe that wouldn’t keep happening if you would just lay with me once in a while,” I winked at him.
I watched him gritting his teeth, swallowing his words trying to keep his composure. It was a shame, really, that such a beautiful, attractive man, held back so adamant. Let me paint you a picture.
As a member of the northern barbarian tribes, he was roughly 2 meters tall. His shoulders were wide, adorned with intricate tribe tattoos telling the stories of his victories. His brown, loose hair reached to his shoulders, tickling his sun-kissed skin with every movement. His eyes were piercing blue, reflecting the icy cold of his homeland. If his strong arms were to hug me, he could crush me effortlessly. I have fantasized about these massive, muscle-packed arms wrapping around my slender body way too often.
I’ve seen him naked more than once and since the very first time, I wanted him. But he’s a difficult man to get. He has been living as my guard for 3 years now, and he has grown more and more reluctant with each passing day. Not that I ever wanted to stop trying, but he wasn’t the only man I fantasized about.
See, the life of a prince such as myself, is boring. All I have to do as the youngest of the heirs is look pretty, smile, and behave, locked into these walls with no way to escape. So sex became my escape. Whenever the royal family hosts balls and ceremonies, I made it my mission to get close to the most attractive, strong men to seduce them. Most of them are awfully willing to spend a night with the young, innocent prince.
It gave them a kick of some sort, to assert their dominance and pound me with all the anger and frustration they held towards the royal family – my family. Once the initial concerns were shattered, they showed their ugly sides. They held me down, locking my hands into place, and filled me with their unleashed fury, sending my body into a painful yet lustful pleasure. The way strong hands pulled my long, white hair and treated me like their toy just did something to me. It freed me of my duty, it freed me of expectations.
They didn’t expect anything from me. They just wanted me to submit to their fantasies but at the same time, they never forgot who I was. They unleashed their heat and claimed my body for a night, but they didn’t hurt me, they didn’t threaten me. I knew I was safe while willfully getting lost in the pleasure they bestowed upon me.
But, truth be said, I didn’t want them. I wanted the illusion of another man to feel as real as possible. Every time I led someone to my room, I couldn’t help but see my barbarian guard’s face in front of me. Every time the lights went out, they weren’t just men sleeping with me, they were him. But Velagh always thought I was joking. He always said that he wouldn’t be another trophy in a spoiled prince’s game. But I didn’t want to play. I wanted him to hold me, him to kiss me, him to fill me with his heat, I wanted him to claim me. I could have done perfectly fine without any other man.
“Lyron!” I heard my father’s voice emerging like thunder. Just as he entered the room his expression darkened, shocked by the scene in front of his eyes. He took a deep breath, eyeing all of the three men lying in my bed. I could tell that he had to hold back his anger and disappointment. It amused me, it always did.
“Velagh, get him out of bed, washed, dressed, and bring him to the dining hall,” my father’s voice was strong, deep, and trembling with anger. I wondered if his mistress would be able to handle him. Since mother’s death, he didn’t settle again, but he had ladies to keep him company. Hypocrite… Fucking one maid after another, potentially fathering more children – all of which would have no value to the royal house – but getting angry at me for doing almost the same thing. Minus the possibility of pregnancies.
Velagh nodded and bowed to his king, and I couldn’t help but watch how his muscles tensed up under the deep, deep bow of submission and duty. I bit my lower lip for a second, but then I made it my mission to get out of bed. I had to rearrange a hand here and an arm there, but eventually I slipped out of the chaotic mess of bodies. All the while my father stomped off, throwing the door shut behind him without another word.
“You look awful,” Velagh’s voice growled, his eyes glancing me over. I just had to turn to face him, to let him see all of me. I wished these eyes were filled with jealousy, I wished he would feel the need to erase all the traces of another man’s touch, but he just looked disgusted.
“You only say that because it wasn’t you bruising me blue and black,” I mused, glancing over at the big mirror. Before the light had gone out the night before, I was able to watch them through the reflection. Their muscular builds, the way their muscles moved, how the veins showed through their skin. I was able to look them – and myself – in the eyes when they took me from behind. While the sight of myself sleeping with others was appealing, I always closed my eyes. Seeing them had just ruined my fantasy of the only man I wanted.
“I say that because it is my damn duty to keep you safe, and you make it unnecessarily hard to do so,” he snarled. Finally, he moved and came up right into my face to grab me by my wrist. My fingers twitched under his hot grip, sending shivers through my body. I could feel the heat rise in my exhausted body. I had my fun all night long, my body hurt with every step I took, yet all it needed was his touch to make me feel heated again.
If Velagh was to replace any other man, would it really stop? My yearning for sex? Or was I fooling myself?
While I tried to keep my body calm, he guided me to the bathroom and made sure a maid was there to help me wash and get dressed. It was never easy, was it? All I wanted was for him to take care of me, but not even that happened. The only other thing that happened that morning was what changed my life forever. Significantly.
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