The Veiled Kingdom (The Veiled Kingdom, #1)

by Holly Renee

Dacre’s grip stiffened against my hands when Eiran’s name passed my lips.

Dacre’s gaze reluctantly drifted from my face to Eiran, but his strong hands remained firmly pressed against my wrists. My muscles tensed beneath him as I squirmed, and the hardness of his thighs pressed into my sides as he shifted his weight.

Dacre finally pushed off me, and Eiran’s mouth opened and closed as Dacre held his hand out to help pull me up.

As I stumbled forward, my chest bumped against his, and I had to press my hands against his arms to stop myself from falling into him farther.

He leaned closer, and his breath tickled my cheek as he whispered, “What?” “What if I wanted to go?”

You want to drink? I’ll grab some wine on our way.”

“You barely said two words to that girl back there, and she was looking at you like you hung the moon. Clearly, these people have never trained with you.” That caused a laugh to escape Dacre’s mouth, and I smiled.

“I could train you for a century, and you still wouldn’t be able to take me out.” “You’re very full of yourself.”

“Strip down, traitor.” Dacre paused, his gaze tracing the form of my body before sliding up to meet my eyes. He then grabbed the hem of his shirt at the back of his neck and pulled it off in one swift motion, revealing his toned chest.

His back was broad and toned as he descended into the steam-laced water. My eyes traced his defined muscles, appreciating the way they flexed with each movement.

“Shirt too.” “What?” I scrutinized his face, noting the dark shadows under his eyes. “Lose the shirt too. The water needs to touch your skin if it’s going to speed up your healing.” “You’re avoiding my question.” “And you’re avoiding taking off that damned shirt.” The way Dacre cocked his head made me feel uneasy. He had barely moved, yet every part of him felt like a threat.

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Every inch of my skin seemed to come alive beneath his gentle caress, each tiny spark of electricity sending goose bumps rippling through my body. I suddenly never wanted him to stop touching me, but I didn’t know how much longer I could handle being this close to him.

“Or I could heal it?” His gaze flicked up to mine and smoldered with an intensity that seemed to reach out and caress my skin as intensely as his fingers.

I let myself watch as he slowly pulled the black fabric of his shirt over his head, hiding his toned arms and a broad chest, sending a wave of heat through my body.

The deep rumble of Dacre’s throaty laugh filled the hallway as he ambled past me on his way to his own door. “Good luck with that one.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t understand.” His response was another deep laugh that shook his body in waves of mirth.

“Because no one here trusts you, and I don’t trust them with you.”

“Do you have any idea what room is Eiran’s then? I’m sure he’ll take me in for the night.” Dacre’s low, menacing growl rippled through the hall, sending an icy chill down my spine. His eyes were fixed on mine, and I could see his clenched jaw bulging out in anger.

“That’s not going to fucking happen.”

“Get in,” he growled as he pointed inside his room, and my stomach bottomed out.

“Get in my room, Nyra. I’m tired, and I’m not going to worry about you being out in this hall all night.” The casualness of his words betrayed the intensity in his gaze.

out a deep, guttural growl that reverberated between us before he let his door slam shut and marched toward me.

Without hesitation, he bent down and cupped his rough hands around the backs of my thighs, lifting me up. I let out an involuntary yelp as my stomach hit his hard shoulder.

He kicked his door shut behind us as he entered before he tossed me down on the bed. “Or what?” He leaned forward, his jaw clenched and a challenge in his eyes.

His lips parted slightly,

and he leaned in so close that I could feel the warmth of his...

“What’s the difference?” “You’re in my room,” he snarled, emphasizing each word.

He opened his mouth, and I prepared myself for his arrogant response. But it didn’t come. Instead, his gaze lingered over my back, and he stilled. He looked like he had seen a ghost or…

“Who did that to you?” His voice lacked every bit of his control.

“It’s nothing.” “It’s not nothing.” He was staring at the shirt as if he could still see the scars beneath. “Who the fuck did that to you?” He enunciated every word,

Dacre’s arm brushed mine as he reached up to adjust his arm above his head, and before I realized what I was doing, I found myself leaning into him. Even with the warmth of his body enveloping me,

He didn’t make a single move to pull away from the spot where we touched, and neither did I.

Dacre’s arm shifted again, and I could feel his body moving closer to mine. I let myself sink into his touch, the warmth of his body seeping into mine. And before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.

I attempted to shift position, but a soft warmth pressed into my skin. I squinted against the light as I took in Nyra’s sleeping form next to me.

but there was something about being surrounded by the scent of her in my room, about not being able to look anywhere without seeing her curves, that drove me crazy. Even now, I found myself glancing at her full lips before tracing down her body to the deep curve at her hip.

pulled the blanket up to cover her body, her body that was covered in my clothing,

Taking care to be as quiet as possible, I stepped out into the hallway and gently pulled the door closed behind me.

but even though I knew she could be the key to the answers we sought, I didn’t want to bring her up to my father. Not when she was currently sleeping in my bed.

but I didn’t wake her. And that frustrated the hell out of me.

I had no business bringing her back to my room at all, but when she had mentioned Eiran and going to find him, I was consumed with the sudden desire to drag her back here.

I didn’t trust him or his slimy hands anywhere near her.

I should have been eager to find out the information my father had been fed. But all I could think about was her.

She wasn’t a warrior to me. She was my mother,

I was half angry and half mortified when I woke up, clinging to a pillow that smelled exactly like him.

And the way Wren hadn’t been able to stop smiling at me, even throughout our training today, made me feel like I had.

Which was why I hated myself for searching the grounds for him now.

“That’s why you came back this morning wearing my brother’s clothes.”

“Do you know how many of my roommates have hung out in the hall while I had a visitor?” She arched an eyebrow. “Gods, I don’t want to know.” “Far too many.” She chuckled and pressed her hand against her hip. “Do you know how many of them Dacre has let sleep in his bed because he didn’t want them out there in the cold?” “No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.” “None.”

“Stop fidgeting. You look gorgeous,”

He kept looking over at me with a soft smile on his face, and I returned it.

I tried not to let myself think about how it felt so different from Dacre’s. How the simple slip of his skin against mine had me burning like an inferno while Eiran’s fingers wrapped around mine felt nice. Dacre had felt anything but nice.