It baffled him. Logically, he supposed it was something to do with her power. Perhaps Damara’s magic meant Tina could give her man what he wanted most. It just surprised Zane that what he wanted most would be peace and quiet.
Now that she lay in front of him, Zane wanted to kiss her. He wanted to reel her in a run his hands along her waist, to pull her underwear to her knees and slide into her. Zane shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts so he could simply focus on being with her. He didn’t usually have an overactive imagination, but she had that effect on him. Truth be told, he rather liked it.
Tina slid her queen across the board toward one of his knights. “Your move.”
Not bad. He pretended to peruse the board and think about his next move so as not to intimidate her. Zane had been playing chess for over a decade and moving his pieces too quickly might throw her off.
He took the time to sneak a glance at her. She leaned her head in one hand she studied the board, no doubt planning her next move. A very dim glow emanated from her skin, only bright enough to make her look even more radiant than usual. Her dark hair cascaded over one shoulder, exposing her slender neck on the other side.
Tina was so much calmer now than she was during week one, which could either be from sex or from her time in Olympus. Zane suppressed a jealous growl from his tiger at the prospect of her in bed with someone else, but he still hoped it wasn’t the cause.
As her power grew, she wouldn’t need his help to escape. The thought of her not needing him shattered Zane. He had grown fond of her, and he didn’t want to think about what it would be like to not spend time with her. The problem was he didn’t know who was currently winning the contest, which was odd for him. He usually won games.
But this game was different. Tina was different.
Zane made his move, taking her bishop. “Your turn.”
“You’ve been quiet today.” She tilted her head. “Even for you.”
“I guess I have. Sorry.”
Tina shrugged. “Is everything okay?”
Zane gave her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. Just a lot to think about.”
“What have you been up to since we got to Olympus?”
He thought back over the past few days. “I found several secret passages, but none of them led outside. A few of them are patrolled, so I figured it was best to not try my luck exploring those.”
Tina chuckled and shook her head. “So mischievous.”
Zane laughed. “I can help it.”
“How did you find the passages?”
This was the question he had been asked most often, one he usually sidestepped or avoided altogether. With her, he didn’t mind telling the truth. “Mainly through pilfered blueprints and books that I wasn’t supposed to read. Honestly, I’ll never understand why people think restricted sections in a library will keep anyone out.”
“The castle blueprints were in the library?”
“Okay, the library and the king’s office.” Zane grinned sheepishly. He had already removed the bugs and monitoring equipment from his room and set them up in a broom closet on the first floor so he could speak freely.
Tina burst out laughing. “You’re an outright criminal, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.”
She returned her attention to the board and, while thinking, absently reached for his hand. Her thin fingers brushed his wrist as she gently stroked his arm, the movement as natural and possessive as if she had done it a million times before.
Beneath her fingertips, Zane’s skin warmed. The touch sent jolts up his arm and into his chest. As it had when he kissed her back in Bali, his mind went blank. No checklists. No calculations. No running tally of risks and reward.
Deep within his soul, his tiger growled with satisfaction and contentment. If he were in his tiger form, his tail would’ve happily twitched back and forth.
Without pausing to think of the risks or ramifications, Zane reached for her face and pushed her onto her back, knocking over the board and all of its pieces in the process. His mouth pressed into hers, her lips warm, soft, and inviting. Straddling her, he cradled her head in his hands.
If she was disappointed, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she tugged his shirt out of his pants and ran her hand up his back. His skin prickled at the overwhelming sensation of her skin on his.
If he didn’t stop, he would take her right here. If he didn’t stop this now, he might push her too far.
With a pained growl, Zane pulled away from the kiss. His hands rested on either side of her head, her dark hair sprawled across the carpet as she stared up at him with those beautiful, wide eyes. She was testing him, waiting to see what he would do. He was so very tempted to nudge her legs apart.
Instead, he waited.
Zane laid down next to her and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. It must’ve been difficult enough for her to deal with a life or death ultimatum hanging over her head. He still had ten weeks, and he wouldn’t push her to do anything she wasn’t ready to do.
As he held her, Tina ran her thumb over his wrist yet again. The same burning desire tore through him, but this time he simply enjoyed her company. Her touch gave him a sense of calmness and peace he’d never had before.
She was the only one who could give him this. Now that he had it, he couldn’t imagine going without.
41
Tina
Tina didn’t know how much time had passed, but she woke with Zane’s arm across her chest. Silver moonlight cast a serene glow through the otherwise dark bedroom. In his sleep, Zane nuzzled her shoulder, his ruffled brown hair even messier than usual.
She smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. With a kiss on his nose, she slipped out of bed and stretched as she looked out over the beautiful city below the demigods’ palace.
Her body hummed with life and power. She could feel the magic right down to her bones, stronger than ever before. Pulses of light shot through the veins in her right arm, the white ink tattoo on her wrist glimmering without her even touching it. The only time she had ever felt this powerful was back in the throne room when she had first summoned Damara’s magic.
She had been practicing her dagger fighting and connecting to her powers every day, always careful to push herself to the limit, but she still had a ways to go. Tina shrugged. It was still progress. She studied her hands, pleased to see her powers were finally coming to her.
As for her men, she couldn’t understand why their abilities hadn’t begun to show. Her books had said their magic took a few weeks to appear, but by now, Draven and Zane should have at least had a flicker of new magic of their own. Sometimes it took a moment of stress for the powers to manifest, but she hoped that wouldn’t be the case. If they were attacked again, she wanted to make sure her men would have the power to defend themselves.
Before, when she couldn’t sleep, she obsessed over the pending choice in a contest that would change her life. Now, though, she realized it wouldn’t serve her to worry. She simply wanted to enjoy her princes. After all, she only had nine weeks left with them. Tina had to make it count.
The next morning, Tina lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as the sun rose on her day off. Her blissful week with her men in Olympus had already come to a close, and soon they would be heading to the next nearest kingdom, the dragonlands of Mersarth.
Tina grinned the thought of Draven showing her his home, of spending three days with him. Sex just oozed off of the Dragon shifter, and Tina knew she wouldn’t be able to resist him for much longer. Especially not if she spent three straight days with him.