TheRedKing Read Free Page A

stepped away than Areus slammed the door
shut.
    He remained with his back to Delia for a moment, his head
lowered and his palms flat against the door. He drew a deep enough breath that
even from the bed she saw his back expand and contract as he released it
slowly.
    “Are you—” she ventured. “Are you well?”
    “Yes.” He turned to her. “Just tired, as I said. Between the
skirmish and traveling here I haven’t slept in a couple of days.”
    Maybe he was too tired to copulate. Part of her was relieved
while another part wanted to get the whole thing over with.
    He removed the circlet from his head and placed it on
Delia’s dressing table, then he sat on a stool in the corner of the room and removed
his boots. When he finished, he remained seated, but his gaze drifted to Delia.
    Though not handsome, he was remarkably attractive and such a
commanding presence. If she was the sort of woman to be easily frightened, he
might have intimidated her, but Delia hadn’t taken after her mother. She
refused to be intimidated by any man.
    “You must be glad to get out of the convent,” he ventured.
“I imagine it’s boring there.”
    His words made her bristle. “On the contrary, we’re seldom
bored at the convent. There’s always work to be done.”
    He raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical, angering her
even more.
    “The convent is my home and I miss it very much,” she said.
    Areus tilted his head slightly and his brow furrowed. She
didn’t like how he looked at her, as if she was some strange animal he was
deciding whether to capture or kill.
    “Are you coming to bed?” she asked bluntly. “We should
probably get on with this.”
    A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Eager, are you? You don’t
look it.”
    From the stories she’d heard, Delia had expected him to have
pounced on her already. This anticipation, the not knowing what it would feel
like to be claimed by a man, was becoming unbearable.
    “It’s expected, is it not?” she asked.
    “For you to not look eager?”
    “For us to consummate the marriage.”
    “I sent the audience away so we can do it in our own time.
If you’re worried about securing an heir, we do have a year.”
    “That’s your concern, not mine,” she snapped, holding the
sheet tighter to her neck.
    “It’s everyone’s concern. I need an heir and your father
needs me to protect his kingdom. We have the same goals, you and I, or at least
we should.”
    “Then do it.” Delia glared, pushing aside the bedcovers. She
lay on her back, shivering in the chill of the room, as the fire had yet to
warm it. Her nipples pressed against the shift—straining rosebuds against a
veil of silk.
    Still Areus didn’t move, though his gaze flickered over her
and lingered on her small but well-formed breasts. After a moment he stood and
approached the bed to stand over her. He was so tall. His whipcord body and
intense green eyes exuded power.
    He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to brush a
wisp of hair from her cheek. His fingertips were rough, but his touch
surprisingly gentle.
    Areus glanced toward the nightstand and picked up the little
clay pot her mother had given her. Beside it was a glass container filled with
Katerina’s salve.
    “What’s this?” he asked.
    “It’s for pain,” she replied.
    He looked concerned. “Are you unwell?”
    “No. It’s for after we…or before. Maybe I should use it now,
before we start.” She reached for the water, but he caught her wrist. She
lifted her gaze to his and asked, “You won’t allow me to use it?”
    “You think you’ll need it?”
    “Maybe not, if you agree to use this.” She indicated the
glass container. “It’s to…ease the process.”
    Areus laughed—a dry, humorless sound, then his smile faded
and he stared at her with a hint of annoyance. “You think me an animal who
would deliberately cause you pain?”
    “I don’t know you, so I’m not sure what to think,” she said
honestly.
    She had