The Dark King's Bride Read Free Page A

so girlish and silly only made him more attracted to her.
                  “I…” Lily replied, “I wish to go to the shop that my dear friend, Maria, runs in the village square if it is not too much trouble, your h-highness.”
                  The way her soft yet nervous voice floated to his ears sent a faint chuckle loose in his deep voice for a brief moment as he maintained the conversation, as well as eye contact, with her.
                  “It's no trouble at all, my lady. I trust that you are talking of the florist.”
                  “That I am, my lord.”
                  Daniel moved his gaze towards where Richard was outside the open doorway, and gave a single nod of his head to him. He waited for the door to be shut before his attention focused on the face of the shy, reserved woman dressed in white that he wished to make his wife and queen over all of the lands he owned. Pulling in a breath of air, Daniel relaxed the facial features of his face, and spoke to her in a more confident and regal sounding voice that he had used on a number of occasions due to his position of power.
                  “My advisor will inform the coachman of the location that you are wishing to travel in, and then we will be on our way.”
                  “Very well, my lord.”
                  “Please…Call me Daniel.” Once he had finished his request, his mouth formed a sensual smile at the same time a similar look formed deep within his piercing emerald stare. “You don’t have to be so formal with me.”
                  “Yes, my lord…I mean…Daniel.” Lily replied to him. Her gentle voice had an intense amount of politeness mixing with nervousness as she spoke to him. Holding her hands in the lap of her simple, white gown, she continued to speak to him as she had been. “I do apologize for the little slip up. It is just…”
                  “Just…what, my lady?”
                  “Well…I am not a member of the same class as you, Daniel, and it is common for those, like myself, to address the nobility, human or vampire, in a formal way since it is not seen as being polite or respectful to call a member of the nobility by their first name instead of their title.”
                  Her statement to him assured him of what he already knew about his beautiful, angelic guest. She was a polite and highly respectful young woman that only wished to make others around her happy, and to not offend anyone with what she had to say. All of her qualities were ones that he had been looking for in a queen and a bride.
                  Taking a risk, Daniel eased himself to the edge of his seat, and leaned forward. He slipped one of his strong hands across a side of her face, and cupped it, gently. His piercing gaze took on a gentle, loving expression as he spoke to her with his deep, sensual voice.
                  “Don’t fear those things with me, my lady.” Daniel whispered to her in an attempt to soothe away the last bites of nervousness that kept her holding back. “There is nothing that you can do that will upset me…Aside from one thing.”
                  “May I know what that one thing is, Daniel, so that I will know how to make you happy instead of angry with me?”
                  “All I ask…is for the name of the beautiful woman that is sitting before me at this very moment.”
                  He watched her eyes light up and a bashful smile dance across the soft, fair skin of her face. The sight alone warmed his usual cold, emotionless demeanor, and brought his smile returning to his face once more. Gazing upon her, his ears picked up on the gentle sound of her voice answering his request that he had made to her.
                  “Lily…My name is Lily,