“You’re missing a tie on the top of that gown, sis.”
I felt my face go hot as I quickly glanced down and tied the last little bow on the front of my dress.
“And who might you have been with?”
“No one,” I said quickly.
“You just half took your dress off and decided to mess up your hairstyle and makeup, huh?”
“Well looks who’s talking!”
We glared at each other, before slowly, we both started to grin.
“Who?” she said eagerly, suddenly stepping into me and grabbing my arm, grinning.
I shook my head. No way was I going to tell her.
“Oh c’mon!”
“You first,” I whispered.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“This is silly, we should just say it.”
Ilana bit her lip, her eyes nervously searching my face. “No judging?”
“Of course not!”
Please don’t judge me for fooling around with the biggest man-whore in the kingdoms.
“Count of three?”
I shivered, taking a breath and nodding. “Okay.”
We counted together out loud. “One, two, three!”
“Prince Magnus.”
My sister’s eyes went wide. “Imogen!”
My jaw dropped. “Did you seriously not just say who!?”
She dropped her eyes.
“Ilana! That is so fucking not fair!”
“I know, I know, I’m sorry!” She cringed. “It’s so much worse though, trust me.”
“Worse than hooking up with Prince Magnus?”
Her eyes flew back to mine. “Did you, I mean, did you let him—”
I shook my head. “No.”
She let a breath out.
“He said he wants to marry me.”
My sister’s brows shot up. “Seriously?”
“I know,” I sighed. “What a line right?”
She frowned. “I don’t know, hon. Invoking marriage just to get into your pants seems low even for a guy with his rep. I don’t get the feeling he’s a bad person, he’s just got all those tabloid stories dogging him.”
I looked at the floor.
“Did he hurt you?” she said softly.
“No, of course not. He was actually really sweet.”
“And he’s gorgeous.”
I blushed. “And that.”
“And the Prince Regent of Zale.”
“Ilana—”
“I’m just saying — you are a princess, he is a prince, and this is a suitor’s ball.”
“Him? Seriously?”
“Is it really that hard to imagine?”
“Yes,” I spat out.
“Ims, c’mon.”
I chewed my lip, thinking of the way his hands had felt — how his lips had tasted. The things he’d said to me, about making me his wife, and taking all of me. And something flamed inside of me. Something caught fire, and lingered on that thought.
I shook my head.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me who, you bitch,” I muttered, changing the subject.
Ilana pouted sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I just—”
She trailed off.
“Who!”
“It’s…scandalous,” she whispered, her eyes darting around my face.
I grinned. “Oh, now you have to tell me.”
She shook her head.
“Fine, be like that,” I pouted back. “Wait, you didn’t sleep—”
“No, God no,” she whispered. “But…” she trailed off.
“You’re terrible.”
“Sorry.”
I frowned. “Hey, have you seen Isla? Or Adele for that matter?”
She shook her head. “No I was—”
She bushed.
So did I.
“Yeah, guess we lost track of them.”
Her eyes suddenly went wide. “You don’t think she’s still dancing with Prince Logan, do you?”
I shivered. “God I can’t imagine she is. He scares me.”
“He’s also crazy hot.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, he is, Im. In that dark, tortured way. God, I bet Isla is eating that up.”
We glanced at each other and grinned.
“She’s totally still dancing with him, isn’t she,” I laughed.
“Oh, totally. We should get back in there,” she whispered, her cheeks flushed.
“I need to go— uh.” I looked away. “I’m just going to freshen up in my room.”
“Imogen! No, I need you to help hide me when we’re back in the ballroom!”
I glanced at her. “What, embarrassed about whatever you just did that you won’t tell me about?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“Oh now you have to tell me!”
“I can’t!” She sighed. “Im, it’s — I mean.” Her eyes suddenly went wide, glancing past me.
“I have to go, now,” she hissed. “Please come back to the ball soon.”
And with that, she turned, and fled, her gown and her loose hair billowing out behind her.
I frowned, shaking my head.
“Weirdo,” I muttered, turning, when my eyes went wide.
“Evening, Princess.”
The two gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed, staggeringly handsome Prince Charmings of Marland stood before — identically beautiful and identically flashing smooth, smirking, melting smiles.
I swallowed. “Hi. Good evening, I mean.”
Caspian, or possibly Cade, cleared his throat.
“We were, uh, we were wondering if you’d seen your sister?”
“Isla?”
“Princess Ilana,” the other answered, his voice velvety and smooth.
“Oh, she’s just—“
I froze.
“Its’ scandalous, Imogen!”
My eyes darted between them. Okay, clearly it was one of the Charming brothers she’d just been fooling around with. I just wondered which one.
“She’s back in the ball, I believe,” I said quickly.
They glanced at each other
“Thank you.”
“If you see her,” the other said. “Just mention we’re looking for her.” He grinned. “And tell her it’s her turn.”
My brow puzzled. “Um, okay.”
Suddenly, I froze again.
They’d said ‘we,’ as in ‘we’re looking for her.’
Its scandalous.
My jaw dropped.
No way. No freaking way.
I quickly smiled and turned to scamper down the halls back to my own quarters.
This was scandalous if what I was thinking was true. But right now, I couldn’t think about my sister and her antics with one or scandalously both of the Charming brothers. Right now I had to clear my head, get my heart straight, and get back to the ball.
But first I had to change my panties.
Chapter 9
Magnus
I knew I should get my head on straight. I knew I should’ve gone and found my friends, had a stiff drink and thought about what the fuck I was doing and what I’d said to her.
I mean this wasn’t me. This was me just saying dumb shit because I wanted to get a piece of that sweet, virgin pussy, right?
Wrong. So fucking dead wrong.
I stalked the hallways of King Lucian’s palace instead of heading back into the ballroom, the thoughts swirling through my head. I’d meant every word I’d said to Imogen. All of them. And now that I’d thought more about it, those words consumed me.
I wanted her. Not just to fuck her, either. I wanted her. I wanted to make her mine. I wanted to put a ring on her finger and a crown on her head and make her my queen, forever. I wanted her and no one else, always. I wanted to claim that innocent woman, and fill her with my seed until she swelled up with my heir Hell, five heirs.
For the first time ever in my life, I saw the future. I saw what I wanted and I was focused on that and nothing else. No more frivolities. Nothing else mattered but getting her, and making her see that I was serious.