Beauty's Choice Ch. 04-05

Chapter Four

Supper that evening was fraught with tension. Blaise stared at the fire, refusing to even glance at Bryce. Every attempt to bring him into the conversation was left cold, his answers short when directly spoken to and were angry and stilted.

Ramilla paused at the double doors that opened into the throne room, the only room in the keep that was big enough to seat any and all of the servants who resided in the castle proper. She came into the room, a flush upon her cheeks and a smile on her lips as she greeted her sons.

Thorn followed her in, his eyes straying down to her gently swaying hips. He stopped behind her chair and pulled it back, taking her hand to guide her into it. He pressed a sweet kiss upon her knuckles. "My love. You look as beautiful today as you did the first time my eyes beheld you. I am as awe-struck now as I was that first day."

Ramilla smiled at her husband, preening under his admiring gaze. "And you are as gallant a knight now as you were then. We are blessed, my heart. I am as thankful now as I was the day my father agreed upon your troth."

He sat, keeping her hand in his and laying them upon his thigh. He ignored his sons as Micah shook his head and rolled his eyes at their flowery words.

King Thorn raised his hand to signal for dinner to be served when hurried footsteps drew his attention to the door.

Beauty stood at the open doorway, her eyes wide. "I...I..." She took a deep breath. "I am sorry I am late, your majesties. I...got lost."

Blaise closed his eyes and then allowed himself a single look her way. That look spoke volumes and as their eyes met he quickly turned away. Only when Bryce rose to join the young beauty was he able to look back down at his plate. He was a few seconds later than his brothers and father to rise from his seat.

Bryce rushed to the door, catching his Beauty's hand and bringing it to his lips. "You are more beautiful every time I see you. You're... stunning." He drew her hand to the crook of his arm, curling his fingers over hers. "Allow me?"

She nodded, her thick blonde curls bouncing around her shoulders. "Thank you, Alpha Prince Bryce."

"Just Bryce, Beauty." He leaned closer as he allowed the servant to pull out her chair. "I hope one day to hear you call me your love."

A deep pink flush covered the satiny skin of her cheeks and she couldn't lift her gaze. She sank down into the tall backed chair and then glanced around the table. Her eyes lit upon Blaise and a sweet smile graced her lips, a smile that he didn't return. Instead, he turned his gaze away and studied the hot plate of food the servant sat before him.

"I am so glad you feel well enough to join us, sweetheart." Ramilla's voice was warm and she reached over to rest her fingers against the young girl's arm. "That gown looks wonderful on you."

"Thank you, ma'am. It was so generous of you to allow me to borrow it."

"Ramilla, dear. And it wasn't for you to borrow. You will need apparel until we can find your people. I have always wanted a daughter." She smiled, her eyes lighting up with a thin circle of gold surrounding the iris. "Perhaps I might...borrow you until your memory returns?"

"I would like that, Ramilla. Thank you."

"That's enough thanking." She sat back as the servant slipped a gold plate in front of her. She smiled at the maid. "Tell cook she has done her usual magic. It all looks wonderful."

The meal passed quickly. The brothers joked and jested as only a close knit family could. The only one who didn't get involved was Blaise. He either stared at his plate or he watched Beauty. But no word passed his lips.

The food was wonderful but the heat of Blaise's gaze made her lose her appetite. She lifted the golden challis of shimmering wine to her lips. It was fruity, smooth and cold, helping combat the dry mouth that seemed to plague her since entering the room.

"Is something wrong with the food, my dear? You aren't eating." King Thorn's voice was deep and rumbly, startling Beauty.

"Oh, no, sire. The food is very good. I guess I am still recovering."

"Perhaps it is a case of too much too soon? Bryce, you should escort our young guest back to her chamber." There was a clatter and a shattering of china as a plate fell to the floor.

"Excuse me, I have...things to do." His bow was short and he turned and strode from the room before his parents could speak.

"Hmm." Thorn glance at his mate and queen. "What is that all about?"

Ramilla clutched his hand under the table. "Something is bothering him. Bryce, do you have any idea?"

Beauty's eyes closed and she plucked the napkin from her lap. "I think...I should lie down, majesties. I guess I am not quite as recovered from my dunking as I had thought." The servant behind her chair helped her rise. Before Bryce could stand, she touched his shoulder. "Stay, finish your meal. I can find my own way." She bent and pressed a quick kiss upon his cheek. "Thank you."

She hurried from the room after a quick curtsey, turning into the hall and following the stone corridors to a huge double staircase. The corridors at the top seemed to stretch on forever either way. The palace was huge with an endless amount of rooms and confusing passageways. She stood, unsure of which direction to go to find the rooms she'd been given.

"Are you lost?"

She jumped and turned quickly, her hand coming up to her breast. "Oh, Blaise, you frightened me."

"I apologize, milady. I..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "You looked as if you needed help and I thought to offer mine. If I was mistaken, I am sorry. I will leave you..."

"Oh, please. There are just so many rooms and directions I could take. I..." Her cheeks flushed and her eyes dropped. "I am lost."

"I thought my brother was to show you the way." His eyes were guarded.

She didn't know how to act after this afternoon, after the pleasure he had so easily and skillfully given her. She wanted to ask him to kiss her again, to be with her again. But it would be so very wrong.

He reached out and took her hand, twining his fingers intimately with hers as if he couldn't stand to not touch her. "I know he wants you and you seemed to like him well enough."

"Gods, Blaise. This is impossible. How can I pursue any kind of relationship with either of you. I don't know who I am or if I am married or betrothed. I don't know my people. I might be a killer or...or...a woman of..." her voice grew softer and a pink blush stained her cheeks. "Ill repute."

Blaise chuckled despite the agony in his heart. "I don't think you have to worry about that, fair lady. You blush too much to be a whore. I don't think you a married woman either. Your kisses are too innocent by far. The kiss we shared, the way your lips were on mine, I would swear you an innocent maiden." His free hand gently caressed her cheek before combing through her thick curls.

There was a sound from the corridor at the foot of the stairs and Blaise stared down below before turning and pulling her into the first door they came to. He spun, pressing her body against the closed door, his hard chest pressing intimately against her soft breasts.

"You are so beautiful. I don't know how I'll be able to stay away from you. I know you will belong to Bryce. He is Alpha. I am... nothing. I'm his Beta." His heart was racing and he groaned before crushing her lips with his own.

He panted, his hot breath rushing from his lungs. "I can't help myself. I don't ...want to help myself." He nipped at her soft lower lip, his tongue laving and then thrusting into her mouth. His groan was harsh and heartfelt. "Fair lady, please, tell me to stop. Tell me you don't want me, that you want Bryce. His eyes closed. "Tell me to go to hell, please."

"I...I..." Her hand caressed his hair roughened cheek. "I do want Bryce."

He jerked away from her, but she reached up and tunneled her fingers through his hair, holding him to her with that soft touch. "I want you, too. I shouldn't want either of you but I can't help myself. You are so different but just the same as well." Her chuckle was self-deprecating. "I'm crazy."

"If you are, you're the most beautiful crazy person I've ever met." His lips pressed against hers again, a soft brushing touch before he pulled back. "There is no way to fix this, lady. My brother is the Alpha. He gets first choice with everything and he's never had to share." He closed his eyes and his features turned stone-like with resolve. "I'll leave the castle. I'll visit the Seventh Kingdom. There are six daughters there to select from. Any will make a fine Beta's mate. Maybe I will forget about you, about this..." He touched his chest, his hand fisting in the satin of his tunic. "...this feeling I have for you." His harsh voice seemed to fail him and his breath caught in his throat.

He turned to leave the bedchamber. "Go down this hall to the first connecting and go right. Your apartment is the second door to the right. Good-bye, lady." He squeezed his eyes shut. "Be happy with my brother. He loves you." The sentiment was spoken quickly as he opened the door to the hall.

She reached out, wanting to stop him, to draw him back to her. His beautiful eyes looked so sad. It broke her heart. "Blaise..." She rushed to the door. "Wait!"

There was no one in the hall and she stood there, a single tear slipped down her cheek. "Don't go," she whispered.

"Beauty? Are you well?"

She spun and faced Bryce, her hand rising to her cheek to hide the trail of the tear. "I...I am fine. I...This place is so large, how do you find your way?"

He reached out and took her hand, threading it through his arm and holding it to his strong forearm. "It's a fantastic place to play Seek-and-Find. My brothers and I know every corridor, even the hidden ones. We would sneak out of the nursery and hide from our Nanny." He smiled down at her. "Would you care to join me in a stroll through the Queen's gardens? It's really something at this hour of the day. It's almost magical."

She nodded and returned his smile. It just wasn't fair. How could two men look so similar yet be so different. Blaise was broody, quietly intellectual with kisses that could curl her toes in her slippers.

Bryce was caring and strong, tending to her with a gentleness and a teasing humor that was so sweetly addictive. But his touch spoke of a banked fire, waiting to be fanned before turning into an inferno.

They descended the stairway and out a door that she hadn't noticed earlier. Her feet froze as the scenery stole her breath. Purple, pink, red and white flowers waved gently in the soft breeze. Above them, tiny insects seemed almost to dance as they moved from one flower to the next. A stone path wove its way through the beautiful beds and she could glimpse the top of a gazebo somewhere in the middle of all that splendor.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

The corners of his mouth turned up just the tiniest bit. She cocked her head to the side as she glanced up at him. "Are you laughing at me?"

His free hand touched his chest and his brows rose. "Me? I would never, ever poke fun at a lady. It was just... you're whispering," he whispered back.

She had to laugh at herself. "I guess it just looked so magical that if I spoke too loudly it would disappear." She brushed at a lock of hair that she'd noticed had a tendency to fall in his eyes.

That slight touch seemed to ignite something in him, his eyes almost glowing in the dim light of the full moon that barely touched the night sky. He caught her hand before she could pull it away from him. "Do you know what you do to me, Beauty?"

"I...I...No," she finally managed to stutter.

He pressed her small hand against his chest so she could feel the rushing beat of his heart. "I want you, Beauty. I want you in my arms, in my bed. I want to show you how I feel. I want to kiss you, hold you. I want to stroke my hands over every part of you."

Her lips parted and her breath rushed out. "I...Gods, Bryce. I don't know what to say to that."

"Say yes. Say you'll be my queen."

Her eyes closed. She didn't know if she could look at him and tell him what was in her heart. Above all else, she desperately didn't want to hurt either Bryce or Blaise, but how could she want both of them? The answer stabbed at her heart. She couldn't. She would have to leave. The thought tore at her heart. She couldn't have either of them.

Before she could speak, Bryce pulled her into his arms, molding her soft body against his hard one. His lips came down, ever gentle against her own. His tongue swept over the seam of her lips, seeking entrance.

She moaned, her mouth opening for him. The first stroke of his tongue against hers sent a heat throbbing to the flesh between her thighs. She pressed her body tighter to his, her arms going around his neck.

"Oh, Gods, Beauty. Be mine, please." His voice sounded desperate and husky.

"Bryce...I do want that, but..." Her head dropped, her forehead against his chest, hiding her face from him. "I'm not worthy."

His finger traced her jaw before lifting her face. His lips touched hers. "You are worthy, my Beauty. You are beautiful inside and out. You are what I want more than anything else. Be mine, please."

A sob ripped through her and she tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her go. "No, you...you need someone...good and kind."

He stared down at her. Something he saw in her face seemed to confuse him. He leaned down and hugged her close, his nose buried in her neck.

When he lifted his head he let her go. "It's my brother. It's Blaise. That's why you think you're not right for me."

The tears were falling down her face faster than she could wipe them away. Her eyes lifted. "I want him...but I want you too. You should let me go. I can't come between you. Please, Bryce. Send me away before I hurt you both."

Bryce rubbed at his chest, his head down. "No. You aren't leaving, Beauty. We'll figure out something. I...can't lose you and I won't lose my brother." He pulled her into his arms again and bent his head, his lips covering hers, kissing her and pulling her even closer. He gentled his touch, his hands tunneling into her beautiful, satiny blonde curls. His tongue demanded entrance and he groaned as he devoured the dark seduction of her mouth.

Her hands were on his back, stroking up to the nape of his neck. "Bryce," she moaned. "Gods, Bryce. What are you doing to me?"

His lips traced the line of her jaw, nipping at her and then licking around the whorl of her ear. "Loving you, my Beauty." He lifted his head and took a deep breath. "Come on," he growled and pulled her behind him.

She followed him through twists and turns in the garden until they were in the gazebo that she'd glimpsed from the door. "What..."

He spun around and took her into his arms again. "We were about to be interrupted and I'm not willing to share you tonight." His hands stroked up her sides before lifting her arms and placing them around his neck. "You're addictive, Beauty. You're lips are so soft." He trailed his fingers down her arms and around her waist, tugging her closer and kissing her with all the desperation in his soul.

He tore his mouth from hers and buried it in her neck, nipping at her flesh with tender care. "I want to mark you here," he growled, his mouth teasing and suckling at the curve of her shoulder. "I will take you, thrust into you until you crest on my cock and then I will bite you and drink some of your sweet blood. Then you'll be mine and I'll be yours." His eyes closed and his face lifted. "You'll be so hot, wetting on my cock over and over." His voice turned deeper, rumbling against her flesh.

He lifted her, laying her gently on one of the wide, padded window seat. His eyes seemed to consume her in the heat of his gaze. He knelt next to her. "Let me take you, mate you, make you mine, Beauty. When your memory returns, we'll deal with that when it happens. I want my cock in you. Gods! If I don't take you, my cock will explode." He groaned and kissed her, his tongue demanding entrance into her mouth. He took her hand, guiding it to the hard bulge in his breeches. With a cry that sounded desperate, he thrust against her hand. "Please let me love you."

Despair and pain shadowed her eyes. "I love being here with you, but it's... I just can't." A sob broke from her lips and she tried furiously to get free of him. "Why can't you see that?"

His hands framed her heart-shaped face, one thumb brushing gently over her lips. "Because you belong with me, my Beauty. You have to feel that in here." He dropped one huge hand to rest softly over her heart, caressing the satiny skin of her chest with one thumb.

"I...I do..." Her eyes closed and she forced herself to finish the lie. "...don't. I don't belong here." A single tear slid down her cheek. "I can't stay here, Bryce. I hope you won't think badly of me. When I find my people, I... have to go home." She tried to blink the tears from her eyes so that she could look up at him but they kept falling.

Bryce stared down at her, disbelief in his eyes. "You don't mean that. You can't mean that." His lips thinned and he shook his head, rising to his feet and backing slowly away from her. "You don't kiss a man like you kissed me and not feel anything for him, Beauty. You're lying to me now. Are you afraid? Is someone trying to hurt you? Is that why you ran?"

She swallowed the lump that was thick in her throat from the tears that she was desperately trying to hold back. She sat up, holding her hands out toward him. "Why do you think that? I could have had a fight with my family or...or my husband and ran away like a spoiled child. Maybe I didn't run away at all and it was just a carriage accident?" Her words suddenly seemed to have wings, flying over every lie to prove to him that she wasn't what he thought, that she was awful and horrid and could never make a good queen, no matter what she herself longed for.

"No. I won't believe that. I...don't believe it. You are too good a person to worry family unless it's for a good reason. No, Beauty. Just...no." He stared down into her eyes and she could feel her will trying to break. She wanted desperately to throw herself into his arms and beg him to kiss her again, but she wouldn't do that to him or to Blaise.

"Think what you wish, your Majesty." She rose and dipped a sloppy curtsy, almost clumsy in her need to be away from him before she gave into him and admitted to her lies. "Thank you for the stroll. Goodnight, Alpha Bryce."

She spun and walked as quickly as she could in the gathering gloom, the moon just beginning it's trek across the sky, bright enough to see by. She rushed through the pathways, finally finding her way back into the palace. Following Blaise's directions, she found the rooms she'd been given to use. She sank down onto a soft settee and stared at the floor by her feet.

In her mind, she could see Blaise and Bryce, their soft, golden eyes, so incredibly alike and yet the emotions that she could see in them were so different, as different as they were themselves. Bryce's eyes shouted of his confidence, his convictions in himself as well as the role he would play in this kingdom. But under it was a heat that made her heart thunder in her chest. There was such fire, such incredible passion that it stole her breath and she wanted to beg for his love, for his touch.

Blaise had some of that same confidence but it was mixed in with a goodly dose of rage. He seemed to fight his role, as if what he was meant to do wasn't good enough. He so badly seemed to want to lash out but when he held her in his arms, he was gentle and sweet, his desire tempered with care. He carried himself with a lot of the same pride and arrogance that Bryce did, though there was still a dose of doubt that she'd give so much to see him rid of.