And yet . . .
Whenever Magnus took on a task, he preferred to do so thoroughly, to the fullest extent of his abilities. He applied himself in the same way now as he took up a lock of Cleo’s long, silky hair in his grip and slid the brush down the length of it. The warmth of her hair slid through his fingers, making a pleasant shiver course down his spine.
“You’re right,” he told her, his voice low. “Horribly tangled. Irreparably so, I think.”
He was only teasing her—her hair was perfect, just as it always was—but then he came to the first knot.
She winced. “Ouch.”
“Apologies.” He froze in place, but then frowned. “However, you did ask me to do this.”
“Yes, of course I know that!” She sighed. “Please continue. I’m used to being tortured by my attendants, and they’re used to ignoring my wails of pain. You can’t possibly hurt me any more than they have. Only Nerissa has the skill to do this without pain.”
“Yes, I’ve heard how very skilled Nerissa is,” Magnus said, unable to keep from grinning. Now, having a more complete picture of Cleo’s hairbrushing history, he tackled the task at hand with more determination. “So much hair, so many opportunities for tangles. Why do women bother?”
“Perhaps I should braid it like a Paelsian chieftain?”
“Yes, I imagine that would be a look befitting an Auranian princess, even one forced to wear an ugly cotton dress,” he said drily, not letting on how amused he was by the image. “Every girl in Mytica would want to copy it.” As gently as possible, he worked the brush through another section of hair that currently resembled a pale yellow bird’s nest. “You should know, I mean to claim the bloodstone for myself.”
“I assumed so,” she replied.
That surprised him. “You did?”
She nodded, and the hair slipped out of his hands, covering the tantalizingly bare nape of her neck. “I saw it in your eyes when Selia first mentioned it. It was the same look I saw in your father’s eyes.”
“And what look is that?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Magnus put the brush down. Gently, he guided Cleo by the shoulders until she was mostly facing him, then took her chin gently in his hand. “Yes, it does. What look did my father and I share?”
She met his gaze with hers, her expression now wary. “A look of icy greed, like this stone is something you would kill for.”
“I see.”
She searched his face, as if seeking answers there. “In that moment, you looked so cold and so much like your father—I . . . didn’t like it.”
All his life, he’d been told how much he was like his father—in both looks and temperament. Eventually he’d learned to stop fighting those comparisons, though they never ceased to unsettle him.
“I must admit, lately I find I do need to be like my father. There are certain situations that practically require me to be as cold and ruthless as possible. If I were to have shed tears over every life I’ve taken over the last year, I’d have dried to a husk long ago. So, yes. I suppose I am quite like my father in many ways.”
“No.” Cleo shook her head. “That’s impossible.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Honestly?” She drew closer to him, cupping his face in her hands. “Because I’ve never wanted to do this to your father.”
She brushed her lips softly against his. A small, tortured groan came from the back of his throat as he forced himself to make fists with his hands at his sides to stop himself from taking hold of her immediately.
“Princess . . .”
“Cleiona . . .” she corrected him, her lips still far too dangerously close to his. “Although, I must admit that I no longer fully appreciate having been given the full name of an immortal who stole and murdered for her power.”
“True leaders often must be ruthless enough to steal and murder. If they don’t, someone else will.”
“A charming philosophy, all too true, I’m afraid. But perhaps we can think of something else for you to call me when we’re alone together.”
He raised a brow. “I’ll consider it.”
“Good.” She bit her bottom lip, drawing his attention back to her mouth. “Now close the door. And lock it.”
“That is a very, very dangerous suggestion.”
“Or leave it open. Perhaps I don’t care.” Cleo kissed him again, parting her lips this time. He found his composure and restraint slipping away with breakneck speed as her tongue slid against his.
“I truly don’t wish to tell you no,” he whispered against her lips.
“Then don’t.”
Magnus groaned again as her hands slipped down his chest and beneath his tunic to slide over his abdomen and chest with no barrier between them. He gripped her waist and pressed her down upon the bed, covering her completely with his body. She was so small, yet so strong, so passionate.
How could this callous world create a creature so beautiful? If her beauty wasn’t a gift from the goddess, it surely had to be a gift from her mother . . .
Suddenly, Magnus jerked upward, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.