ALL MY LOVE (Lovemark #5)

2. Dori-2

Huh, so my soul mate must be pretty far up in the ranks if he was currently inhabiting the royal tent with good, old King Kole himself. I wondered if he was the king’s right-hand man or maybe his bodyguard.

Ooh, yes, please. Sign me up for some of that. I could totally see myself with the beefy, protective bodyguard type.

I gave a delicious shudder as Eyebrows answered, “That’s right. And the king’s resting right now, so get on with you.”

He applied more pressure to my neck, nudging me back as he did, and the blade nicked flesh.

“Ow!” Lurching away, I touched my throat and gaped up at him indignantly, only to pull my fingers away to find them smeared red with blood.

Wow. This guy wasn’t playing around.

Lifting my gaze back to his face, I raised my hands in surrender and backed up some more. “Okay, fine. Alright. I got it. I’m leaving.”

Asshole.

“And don’t come back,” Eyebrows warned.

As if I wanted to cross his path again. “I won’t,” I promised, sending him one last farewell glare before I turned away and stalked off.

Not much of a people person, that one.

Huffing out a breath, I walked far enough away to make him think I was leaving for good before I glanced back to discover that his attention had shifted elsewhere. He was now verbally abusing some dude with a cart full of apples. Probably parking his fruit too close to the king without a permit.

I rolled my eyes.

Poor apple guy.

Making sure no one was watching, I darted abruptly to the right into a thick grove of trees. My mark pulsed happily as if cheering on my rebellious ways.

“Hush,” I muttered to it. “I’m not doing this for you.” I was merely appeasing my own curiosity. That’s all. And I’d already come this far; might as well see it through, regardless of what some foul-tempered, stick-up-his-ass, eyebrow guard might tell me.

I was going to meet whoever was inside that tent.

Keeping the canvas walls in sight, I crouched discreetly low as I popped from tree to tree, finding my way around the clearing and toward the back of the tent. Before I made it too far, however, the door flaps opened, and someone emerged.

I held my breath and paused, watching the guy carefully. He was tall and wide-shouldered, plus well-dressed enough to make me think maybe he was the king, especially when the guards stepped back respectfully to let him pass. But my mark didn’t even pause on him, which told me he wasn’t my guy.

Dammit.

But maybe this was even better if that had been the king and not my true love. This way, my man would still be inside the tent, and it would no longer be quite so heavily guarded with all the royalty now gone from inside it, and thus I’d be able to sneak in a lot easier.

At least, I hoped so. Hurrying my pace along, I carefully made my way through the trees to the backside of the tent that butted up next to the woods and had no soldiers watching it.

Now was my chance.

Darting out from the forest, I approached the tent and set my hand against it, causing the canvas walls to billow and shift as if a heavy breeze had caught hold of it.

Yikes. I jerked my fingers away, not wanting anyone to come back here and investigate the source of all that movement. Then I bit my lip, not sure what else to do because he was in there, so close that I could feel every emotion bleeding off him.

Relief, exhaustion, peace, he seemed glad that something unpleasant was finally over.

I held my breath, amazed I could feel all that from him. How thrilling. My hand lifted again, needing to be closer to him, even though I made sure not to touch the tent. I really, really had to get in there.

“Psst,” I tried to call quietly, only to wince because my voice seemed awfully loud despite the low volume I used. The people outside at the front—like that sword-happy guard with the eyebrows—could probably hear me more than anyone inside the tent.

That’s it. I was just going to have to muster some bigger ovaries and do this. Sucking in a bolstering breath, I stepped toward the edge of the tent to peek around the corner only for a voice from the ground to call, “Watch out! Out of my way, coming through.”

“Huh?” I looked down and gasped.

Swallowing back the instinctive need to scream, I leaped away, out of the path of a huge black snake in the grass, who was only a few feet away and slithering past my feet.

“Oh my God,” I croaked, pressing a hand to my throat. I’d never been a fan of snakes. And this one was huge. And close. But I couldn’t screech as I yearned to, or I’d get caught.

“So creepy,” I whimpered to myself.

The snake paused its journey and lifted its head so it could tilt it around to look at me. “Hey, rude,” it told me in a male voice. “I just got me some shiny new skin too.”

“S-sorry,” I whispered, hugging myself and trying to shift carefully away without making a sudden movement that might reveal how much he terrified me.

“Eh, no worries,” he started conversationally. “I was fibbing, anyway. Need a good shed one of these days soon. In fact—hey! How is it that I can understand you? You’re a bleeding human. And how can you understand me? I ain’t never talked to one of your kind before.”

“I know,” I answered with a roll of my eyes as I made sure to keep my voice hushed. “But I have the magical ability to talk to animals.”

“Do you really?” he asked, sounding intrigued as he slithered closer. “You’re a magic bearer, huh? How fascinating.”

It took everything I had not to shudder in revulsion and make one of those eww-there’s-a-freaking-snake-right-at-my-feet kind of sounds. “I-isn’t it, though?”

“Hey, if you really got magic powers, do you think you could curse my ex for me? Damn floozy left me for my brother. All because he was bigger and longer.”

If snakes could roll their eyes, I swear this one just did.

I winced. “Oh, man. I’m sorry to hear that. That’s just awful.”

“Right?” he went on, glad I could commiserate. “I told her size was just a number, baby. It’s all about how you use it, you know. I coulda satisfied her just fine if she’d only given me half the chance. But she still chose him.”

“Damn,” I murmured, shaking my head in sympathy. “That’s the pits. And you were so right, too. I dated this guy, Alcée, for nearly a year. Biggest, longest damn man I ever saw.” Leaning in closer, I lowered my voice. “And he never satisfied me once.”

“Such a shame.” The snake shook his head sadly. Then looked up at me in interest. “The name’s Charmaine, by the way. What’s yours?”

“Dori,” I told him, smiling warmly, and deciding snakes weren’t such bad folk after all. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

When I returned to Earth, I swore to myself I wouldn’t be so scared of them anymore.

Except, yeah, that was a total lie. I was sure I’d still be petrified.

“So what’s a decent human like yourself doing back here all alone? You lost or something, Dori?”

“No,” I heaved out a sigh. “I’m trying to figure out how to get inside this tent without anyone noticing.”

“Oh, well that’s simple enough,” Charmaine announced. “You just shimmy under this here wall thing like...so…”

“Charmaine,” I gasped, stepping forward and reaching out as if to stop him.

He paused and glanced back at me. “Yeah?”

“Er…” I winced. “Maybe you shouldn’t go in there. Most people don’t…”

Huh. How did you tell someone they were repugnant without hurting their feelings?

Charmaine turned his head to glance at the canvas wall, then slithered back around to face me. “You’re probably right. I’ve noticed humans don’t much like it when I startle them unawares. You’re a spooky lot, you know.”

“We are,” I regretfully agreed. “Sorry about that.”

“Meh. It don’t bother me none. Now, how sharp are your fangs? Maybe you could just chew through the wall. It’s not all that thick.”

I laughed, tickled by the suggestion. “They’re not that sharp, sorry.” I flashed my teeth at him to show off how human and dull they were.

“Hmm. Figures. There aren’t many useful parts on your folk from what I’ve seen. Unless… What about—”

“Hey! What’s going on back here?” A voice boomed from behind me, startling me into a high-pitched yelp.

Pressing a hand to my chest, I whirled around to discover that Eyebrows had found me again and was looming menacingly.

Dammit. I shouldn’t have laughed at Charmaine’s suggestions and called attention to myself.

“You,” Eyebrows hissed, narrowing his eyes and unsheathing his sword once more. “Didn’t I tell you to leave the king alone?”

“But I—”

“One warning was all you got. One.” Reaching out his free hand, he unexpectedly grabbed a handful of my hair and jerked me against him until he was right in my face.

I shrieked in pain and outrage, grasping his wrist and trying to get him to release me until he slapped the flat of his blade against my throat again.

“Now, it’s off with your head.”

“What?! You’re going to kill me?” That seemed a bit extreme, especially for such a petty offense.

“He’s gonna kill you?” I heard Charmaine exclaim from the grass. “Well, now, that ain’t right. Leave the poor girl alone, you big brute.”

Hissing and slithering forward, he struck out and bit the guard right in the boot.

“Leave her alone,” he cried, striking out again and only catching more boot in his fangs. “She never did anyone any wrong. Dori’s good stock, I tell you. Let her be!”

“Son of a b***h,” the guard cried when he glanced down and saw that he was being attacked by a serpent. “Get off me, you ugly bastard.”

And he swung out his sword, chopping the snake in half. Just like that.

I gaped, unable to believe what I was seeing.

But...but…

“You killed Charmaine,” I accused, aghast, as I lifted my gaze to the heartless murderer.

“Charmaine?” he asked, arching one of his bushy eyebrows in disgust. “Keep snakes as pets, do you? Just what kind of unnatural w***e are you?”

“He wasn’t a pet,” I argued, screeching out my protest when he caught me by the back collar of my dress and began to drag me around toward the front of the tent. “I just met—er...”

Okay, it probably wasn’t prudent to mention that I’d met a snake whose name I also happened to know. Too many uncomfortable questions would follow.

So I settled for hollering, “Let me go! I didn’t even do anything.”

He snorted and shoved me toward a boulder, gaining the attention of a dozen other people nearby. When I stumbled and fell, landing on my knees, he pointed at me and announced aloud, “This here High Cliff harlot was just found trying to sneak into the king’s tent with her snake. I say we cut her head off for such an assassination attempt.”

“Assassination?” I howled in outrage. “Now wait one second. I never—”

“Yeah! Kill her!”

Apparently, the others had heard enough to cast their judgments.

“Take her out!” a cheer went up. “Cut off her head.”

“No! That’s insane.” I tried to scramble back to my feet, but another pair of guards leaped forward to push me back down, one pressing my head to the boulder and stretching my neck so my executioner could have a nice, clear shot as he wound his sword back over his head, while the other guard kept my body pinned.

“Stop!” I begged, beginning to breathe hard and cry in ragged hyperventilating gasps. “I’m innocent. No! Somebody, help me. I didn’t do anything. Please…”

I honestly couldn’t believe this was happening. And so suddenly.

The asshole with the eyebrows sent me an evil grin, and the metal from his blade glinted in the sunline.

I whimpered and squeezed my eyes shut just as my mark gave another sizzling surge of awareness before…

“What the devil is going on out here?”

The voice that boomed the question was deep and resounding, full of authority and prestige.

And it turned my bones into pure liquid.

Seriously, I could’ve come from just listening to that magical voice.

My eyes flew open as my body shuddered in response, heat spreading between my legs and shooting through my breasts.

The guards holding me down immediately let up their pressure so they could spin toward the voice and fall to their knees, bowing respectfully.

“Your Majesty,” they murmured.

Your Majesty? I blinked and sat up, turning toward the owner of that spectacular voice, but the sunlight blinked for half a moment, blinding me. Squinting, I lifted my hand to block the brightness until the figure that had spoken stepped closer, and I could finally see him from head to toe.

And then...

“Holy...shit,” I couldn’t help but murmur.

But whoa.

I started from the ground and went up.

Leather boots encased large feet that were braced a commanding width apart. Then leather ties crisscrossed their way up broad, masculine-shaped calves and over dark leggings until they ended at his knees where the tights continued along massive thighs, only to stop at a bulging codpiece just under his belt. Then, more leather hugged his trim waist and a sword hung down one leg.

I gulped, getting caught for a few seconds on that codpiece. But damn. Was all that for me?

I certainly hoped so.

Eager for the rest of him, my gaze lifted to a pristine white tunic, loose but tucked into the pants until I reached the ruffled ties at his throat that displayed a light sprinkling of black hair covering a hard chest.

His skin was dark and smooth and as sinfully delicious as a chocolate cake. I just wanted to lick every inch of it.

I kept looking up his strong throat, past wide shoulders, where a red, velvet cape hung. His jawline was covered by the shadow of a beard with the slightest pit for a dimple.

And I was a goner.

But God, he was gorgeous. His lips were full and plush, nose wide and majestic, and eyes dark and soulful, tilted a bit at the corners. He was so freaking beautiful that I knew I was never going to meet another man who appealed to me as much as this one did.

And atop his perfect head where thick dreadlocks hung down either side of his perfect face sat a gleaming gold crown that practically glowed in the sunlight.

Well, I’d definitely found the man my mark had been drawing me to.

And he was the freaking ruler of Lowden. Old King Kole—who wasn’t old at all—was my one true love.

Why had I not seen that one coming?