Five Kinds of Love (The True and the Crown Book 5) Read online

  His hands come down on my hips. He kisses me back without reservation, his lips probing mine gently open. The tip of his tongue darts against my upper lip. I draw him in, the two of us exchanging desperate, passionate kisses.

  “Fox,” I murmur. “I know you both.”

  His lips quirk against mine.

  The prince of Avalon is a fool to risk himself to save me, but I’d be a fool not to love him.

  “We’ve got company!” One of my men calls.

  Rian and I break apart. The sails are full, and we’re moving at full speed skirting the coast. We’re making good time, but it doesn’t matter.

  As we gaze at the horizon, we glimpse first two, then three boats sailing the flag of the Vasilik navy. Then the boat rises on a swell, and before it tips forward, I glimpse an entire forest of sails.

  “It’ll be fine,” Rian says confidently. “They aren’t in range yet.”

  As if in response, the first cannons fire from the lead ship. There’s a boom that splits the sky, and then a ball of fire punches into the sea, setting up a powerful splash. Bits of white spray rain down on us, painfully cold, and I wince.

  “Yet.” I clarify.

  “They can only fire the lead cannons on us as long as we stay ahead of them,” he says. “That’s two out of twelve on a typical warship.”

  “You say they can only bring two cannons per ship to fire on us like that’s supposed to be comforting,” I shoot back.

  “We just need to stay ahead so they can’t cross the T,” he says, making a T with his hands. The top of the T is meant to be a Vasilik boat bringing all six side cannons to bear on us. My little racing yacht won’t survive a hit like that.

  The boat rises as if on a swell, but it keeps on rising. I grab for Rian, who catches one of the ship’s ropes, as the deck tilts out from under our feet. Aerowyn whinnies and Penny rises quickly on her wings, soaring above us.

  Beneath our ship, a black back rises out of the water, raising us up with it. We’re tilting dangerously and might capsize entirely. We won’t survive long in that monster-infested, frigid water.

  “Get on Aerowyn,” Rian orders.

  The prince of Avalon matters more than me. All I care about it saving my men and saving Avalon; I’d surrender my own life to either. But there’s no time for us to argue.

  The monster beneath us slams back into the sea, and so do we. There’s a boom and a dangerous creak, but the ship doesn’t splinter apart.

  “Go check below and make sure we’re not taking on water,” I tell Rian.

  His gaze fixes beyond me for one tell-tale second, then snaps to mine. “Got it.”

  The prince of Avalon slides quickly down the ladder on my errand, heading below decks. Fear tightens my stomach as I turn slowly to find whatever the hell he was looking at.

  He must have been looking at the enormous sea monster, longer than a bus, undulating through the water as he circles us. Well, that might slow us down.

  I look back at the Vasilik ships behind us. There must be two dozen boats. Devlin’s mother is such a drama queen. She doesn’t need two dozen ships to kill us.

  “Shoo,” I mutter at the sea monster. “We’re not food.”

  Aeorywn whinnies anxiously, prancing from foot to foot. The deck shifts as she nears the side of the yacht. She’s big enough to knock us off balance. The thought of sliding off the deck into the waves while that thing circles us makes my stomach tighten.

  “Calm down,” I tell her, reaching out to rest a hand on her flank. She shoots me a dark look but stills with an impatient flicker of her mane.

  Calm down seems like insufficient advice as a second worm-like back breaks the surface. The monsters are hunting.

  It’s incredible to me how Aeorywn and Penny always seem to pick up what I need them to understand. That’s the real magic that fills me with wonder.

  And it gives me an idea as I watch these dark monsters circle.

  I give my unicorn an encouraging smile as I let my eyes drift shut, reaching out into the bright blue sea with my magic…

  I expect the monsters to be slow-witted. They look like giant worms with excessive amounts of teeth, after all.

  Instead, when I slip into her mind, she’s thinking of a cave at the bottom of the sea, and her little wormlings waiting for her. There’s affection there. These are not just worms at all. She’s thinking about how she’s going to find meat within the wood, and drag that meat back to her flashing-eyed, toothy babies.

  Well, that sends a shiver down my spine. I don’t like being inside the head of something that sees me as lunch.

  Although really, she’s less of a monster than my possible future mother-in-law, Queen Emety, is.

  I open my eyes and look toward the Vasilik ships. My chest tightens at the thought of sending her after them. Maybe I should convince her to seek a meal elsewhere. I can hear Airren’s voice in my ears, or Devlin’s, telling me that I’m dangerously soft-hearted.

  Boom. Boom. The cannon blasts land dangerously close to the stern of our ship. Freezing water drenches me.

  If those Vasilik ships gain on us any more, they’ll sink my ship. They’ll board us, looking for me and Rian. They’ll kill my crew.

  And I’ll never reach Airren, Mycroft and Cax, to wake them from their magical slumber.

  Well, hey. Babies have to eat.

  Look at all that meat, I think in the brain of the sea monster. I visualize her turning away from our vessel, signaling her friends, and swimming through the water to the dark underbellies of the many ships crowding the sea behind us.

  “We’re not taking on any water,” Rian says, his voice uncertain.

  I open my eyes to see him standing at the rail. He watches warily as the sea monster nearest us abruptly turns and undulates away.

  The monster breaks the water intermittently as it swims toward the Vasiliks. The water seems to tremble as it communicates something to the other monster, which completes its circle around us, then begins to wind toward the Vasilik ship.

  “Tera,” Rian says. “Are you…controlling the sea monsters?”

  “Maybe.” Will he be scared of me? I am powerful, as it turns out. Am I powerful because of my father’s legacy? That would be a terrifying thought for many.

  But maybe there’s no legacy. Maybe this is just who I am, who I was destined to be. When my magic came back, it came back intensely, a bright light within me, brighter and more powerful than the average magician’s.

  Perhaps it’s brighter and more powerful than anyone’s. I’ve never heard of anyone being able to control the monsters. But maybe no one has ever tried.

  A grin breaks across his face. “I’m definitely never rescuing you again. You don’t need me.”

  “I thought I rescued you,” I tease.

  “Twice in as many days.” He wraps his hands around my hips again. “How will I ever thank you?”

  “You’ll help me get my men back.” I gently unwind myself from him. “I like you, Rian. I like you as the Fox, too. But you and I don’t have a future. You have a kingdom to take care of.”

  “What if I just want you?”

  “Then you’re an idiot.”

  “My father would agree.”

  “And that’s exactly it,” I say, which makes his gaze snap to mine. “Only you can take the throne from your father. Do you know what he did to my family? What he might be doing now?”

  “What did he do to you?” he murmurs, stepping in toward me again, and I can’t resist him, no matter how I try.

  I hesitate. The words that press against my throat sound stupid, I know that. My father wasn’t evil. It’s such a childish thought, and it’s accompanied by so much childish joy.

  I had my father back, for a time, and even though I’ll probably spend the rest of my life healing from the wounds he left behind, I can see him as a human being now.

  But how many people will see him that way with me?

  “What is it?” His gaze is intent on mine as he wra
ps a tendril of my hair around his finger, his expression fond.

  “Wait.” One of my crew members stops and stares at me.

  I’ve only ever worn my mask on the boat. I’ve carefully guarded my identity even though I’ve come to trust these men. My fingertips automatically press over my cheekbone, as if to secure a mask that isn’t there.

  His lips part and he turns away quickly, as if he hopes I won’t notice him.

  “I’m not evil,” I promise, a heartbeat too late.

  “Do you recognize me too?” Rian demands.

  “Of course, my prince.” The man bends forward at the waist.

  “Tera Donovan has worked with me and for me, to protect Avalon.” Rian says clearly. “She’s our Lady Fox. The one who has saved one hundred and eleven Vasilik nobles, some of them innocent children—”

  Apparently, he’s been keeping track of me in the papers the same way I’ve kept track of him.

  “She’s risked her life for Avalon over and over. I’m thankful you’ve been her crew, and served her well. I hope that won’t change now that you know her true identity.”

  The man bows again. His face has changed, written over with regret. “Of course, my prince.”

  “I still hate that nickname,” I murmur to Rian. “Lady Fox.”

  “You are simply impossible to please,” he says, but there’s a playful quirk at the corner of his mouth.

  “Not entirely,” I say, and I draw him to me and kiss him again, my lips finding that quirk, the dimple at the corner of his cheek.

  It’s just one Avalon citizen out of a million that he’s convinced, and yet he leaves me wondering if things really could be different, if Rian were king of Avalon.

  Maybe I could let him love me.

  Chapter 5

  We have a long overnight trip to Minsk ahead of us, so I give my crew their instructions and make sure they’re set for the night, then draw Rian with me back to my room. Apparently, they put the prince up in my room while I was imprisoned at Devlin’s castle. It’s what I was taught to do during boarding school, when we were supposed to have polished manners when it came to the royals. They always receive the best accommodations.

  But I think Rian and I are past polish.

  He follows me, one hand in his pocket as I head into the bathroom and begin the long process of turning the salt water pumped onboard into a satisfying bath. He leans against the doorway as he watches me.

  “Devlin comes and goes in my head,” he says. “And in typical Vasilik fashion, it’s almost always when he’s unwanted. Have a question for him, and he disappears. What happened there? In his castle?”

  I shake my head. Anxiety is still tight in my chest every time I think about my men. “Do you trust him?”

  “With my life,” he says without hesitation. “More than I trust myself.”

  “I wish you’d told me who the hell you both were,” I mutter. “I haven’t known if I could trust him.”

  Suddenly, the memory of my fist crunching into his nose rises in my memory, along with the sight of him as I sailed on Aerowyn’s back away from Minsk. “Also, I would have punched him less if either of you had bothered to mention he was one of my masked heroes.”

  “Your heroes?” Rian’s voice is studiedly casual.

  “Yes, you arrogant ass, you two are both heroes. You know that damn well—you revel in it.”

  “Heroes, yes. You said something different.”

  I purse my lips at him, daring him to press it. My heroes. I know what I said. But I’m not going to repeat it. The two of them have big enough heads as it is.

  “Fine.” He taps his temple with one finger. “But I’m recording it forever.”

  “When I was with the Fox,” I ask, my voice soft. “Was it you? Or Devlin?”

  He shakes his head. “I’ll never lie to you again, Tera, but I don’t want to answer that.”

  “That’s a bold promise coming from you.”

  “Fair point.”

  I sit at the edge of my bathtub, waving my hand over the water to cool it. I’ve boiled away the salt, but now I need it to cool enough to sink into.

  “Why do you want it to be a secret?”

  He glances away as if he doesn’t want to answer. “Because we both love you. Because we try to be one person when we’re the Fox… I fell for you first, that’s why I asked you to come to my castle to begin with. But he fell for you too. Hard.”

  A glow goes through my chest at the thought of Devlin falling for me, even though our relationship so far has been anything been easy.

  “I wish I could have this conversation with both of you,” I say.

  “Me too.” His lips tighten.

  “Do you think he’ll be okay?”

  “I have no idea, Tera. His mother’s suspicious. That might be the reason he’s gone silent, she can sense when he’s reaching out with his magic. Or it might be…” He shakes his head. He doesn’t want to think about it.

  Devlin might be dead.

  “If he’s in trouble, we have to help him.”

  “He’d let us know if he needed us.” Rian gives me an encouraging smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Being the Fox has been an adventure, but we also both knew what we risked. That our own parents would kill us if they thought we were a danger to them…”

  “I thought your father wants you to be his heir.”

  His father has certainly been cruel enough in his attempts to mold Rian into the man he wanted him to be. Luckily, Rian is far stronger than his father’s attempts to break him.

  “You, of all people, know parents are complicated.” He reaches out to ruffle my hair with his hand. “No, let’s go rescue your men. If I know Devlin, he made sure they were safe, but probably had a bit too much fun making them into cargo. Then we’ll figure out our next step.”

  “Our next step is putting you on the throne of Avalon.”

  His lips purse. “I have a sister too, you know. Perhaps Alia is a better choice for the throne than I am.”

  “Is she working with your father?”

  He hesitates. “She knows I’m the Fox. Well, one half the Fox.”

  “Really?” I demand. “It seems like most of Avalon knows—”

  “Most of Avalon suspects. You did, too.”

  “I wanted it to be you,” I admit.

  “Oh?”

  “I knew there was more than a vacuous playboy in here.” As I brush my fingers over his temple, a smile comes to his lips.

  “Not too much more,” he disagrees. “I just love an adventure.”

  “Mm. Some adventure. If we all survive this, I plan to spend the rest of my life drinking tea, reading books, and staying very close to home.”

  “No, this is better. An adventure, some danger, the open sea.” He leans in toward me. “A beautiful girl.”

  Knowing that my men are safe, when he leans in, I tilt my head up toward him. His gaze on mine is worshipful as he closes the distance between us, then brushes his lips against mine.

  I’m the first to break away. “I can’t do this until I’ve had a bath.”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “Stay if you want to stay,” I say airily, as if my heart isn’t pounding. I unbuckle the corset until it springs free, revealing my pale breasts and the faint pink lines that mark my skin from the boning.

  His fingertips brush over one of those lines. “People might think I’m a hero, but I’m not the one who fights in a corset.”

  “I’m glad someone appreciates how I suffer for both the good of the people and fashion.” I’m smiling as I struggle out of my black leather trousers.

  As I straighten, he catches me with his hands on my sides, his fingers warm and lithe against my skin. “Someday, everyone will see you as the hero you are.”

  “I don’t need that,” I said, my voice husky as I look up into his gorgeous, vivid gray eyes. “I just need a few people to know who I really am.”

  I used to worry about all of Avalon seeing me fo
r who I really was.

  Now all I need is for these men to believe in me.

  And to believe in myself.

  Because of the way they love me, that gets a little bit easier every day.

  Chapter 6

  “I can do that for you,” Rian says as I prepare for my bath.

  “I don’t need the prince of Avalon to do my chores for me,” I tease.

  “I’m not the prince of Avalon when I’m with you,” he murmurs, sweeping my hair from the back of my neck before he presses a kiss to the knob at the top of my spine. “I’m just a man who loves a woman. A beautiful, brilliant, courageous woman…”

  My head tilts forward, welcoming his touch, as his arm twines around my waist.

  “I’m afraid it’s not so easy to escape the crown,” I say softly.

  “Once we find your men, we could run away,” he suggests. “We could be different people.”

  “That sounds like a lovely dream.” That’s what is always so sweet and aching about my relationship with Rian. There is no happy ending to this fairy tale, not like in Earthside’s Cinderella or Avalon’s Tower Princess. This time, the prince loves the one commoner he can never make into a princess.

  “Magic can turn a person into someone new,” he reminds me.

  “Only on the outside. You’d still be the prince of Avalon, and you’d still have responsibilities.”

  “Is that really what stops you?” His lips graze my shoulder, and desire throbs between my thighs, but his question stops me dead.

  I twist in his arms. “Yes, of course that’s what stops me.”

  “Are you sure you aren’t afraid that no matter what you do, you’ll still be Tera Donovan?”

  “I’m not afraid to be Tera Donovan anymore,” I say, then a smile curves my lips up. “At least, not in this room. Not with you.”

  But of course, that’s the problem. The rest of Avalon sees a different version of Tera Donovan.

  Rian, though, looks at me with his gray eyes shining affectionately. I sway against him as I press my hands to the warm, hard planes of his chest, feeling him through the starched stiffness of his shirt. There’s nothing starched and stiff about the prince of Avalon, the other half of the Fox.