“Ohhh…” Ka’rissa sighed as she pillowed her hot face against his chest and snuggled against him. “All of you is getting lovely and cold now. It feels so wonderful not to be hot for once!”
Indeed, she was very warm, James thought as he held her close to him. Her small, curvy body was burning up—it felt as though she had a fever. And the tight points of her nipples were like two live coals against his side. How could she bear to be so hot all the time?
Using his natural abilities in sync with his enhancements and electrodes, he managed to cool the areas where her nipples pressed against him even more, until at last he felt her heat subsiding.
But it wasn’t just her nipples that were burning hot—he could also feel the juncture of her thighs against the side of his leg. Though Ka’rissa kept her own legs pressed modestly together, heat was baking from the spot between her thighs, making James wonder if that area—what he had heard other Kindred warriors call a female’s “pussy”—was even hotter than her nipples had been.
He thought of offering to place his thigh between her legs to cool her down there, but this was the spot she considered her “forbidden area” and he didn’t want to make her upset. So he simply did his best to keep the rest of her cool as he she slowly drifted off in his arms.
As he held her and watched her sleep, James felt that warm glow in his chest again. But it was different from when he was dancing with her, he thought. This time the glow was gentler, though no less intense, and there was a sense of possessiveness that went with it.
A word rose in his mind and he spoke it aloud before he could even analyze it.
“Mine,” he murmured in the dimness of her room as he held the Princess close to him. “She is mine.”
Which of course, was completely illogical. Princess Ka’rissa didn’t belong to him—he was only here to protect her for a short time. But still the possessiveness and the warm glow in his chest persisted and he couldn’t make it go away.
To be honest, he didn’t even try.
14
Rissa woke feeling cool and refreshed for the first time since her Heat Cycle had started, months ago. For a moment, she couldn’t think why that should be. How was it that, for the first time in ages, she hadn’t woken up in a puddle of sweat with her nightdress sticking to her skin and the Chastity Wire emitting painful little sparks and shocks, as it did when it got damp?
Then she realized her cheek was pillowed on something firm and cold—something that smelled wonderful—like fresh, icy mountain winds. In fact, she thought, as she woke up a little more, her entire body was pressed against this long, hard, cold object that was somehow so comfortable she didn’t want to move. What could it be?
Then the thing she was pressed against moved under her and a deep, rumbling voice murmured,
“Good morning, Princess.”
Rissa gasped and sat up with a jerk as suddenly, everything came rushing back. Meeting her new guard…dancing with him at the ball… the excruciating embarrassment she’d felt when Lady Mildew made him bathe her and demanded she wear the Chastity Wire because she was “dirty.” And then later, the long talk the two of them had had and the way she had fallen asleep against his side.
Goodness gracious, I slept with a strange man in my bed last night—all night long!
The idea felt shocking at first, but Rissa couldn’t sustain the emotion for long. After all, James didn’t feel like a stranger. She’d been dreaming of him for ages and it felt more like one of her dreams had simply come true. Also, it was hard to be upset when being with him just felt so…natural.
“Are you well?” James was still lying on her bed—fully clothed except for his frock coat and boots, which he had removed to avoid dirtying her rose-gold coverlet. He was looking up at her with a small frown on his face, as though he was worried about her. “Are you well?” he asked again.
“Oh, yes—perfectly!” Rissa assured him. “I just…I’ve never, er…never slept with a…a man in my bed before.” She bit her lip. “I’m not sure it’s quite proper.”
“Why?” James asks reasonably. “We didn’t perform any improper acts. I simply lay with you to keep you cool last night.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Did I?”
“Oh, yes,” Rissa admitted. “Generally when I wake up, I’m an overheated mess and I must wash myself down with a pitcher of cold water! But this morning I feel as fresh as a hartha flower!”
“I am glad,” James said gravely. “I am here to keep you safe, Princess. Keeping you from overheating and combusting during the night is part of my mission.”