The Prince's Gift

Chapter 16.

I blinked over at him and my words stalled in my throat. "Two days." I finally forced out, barely a whisper.

He nodded and pressed his hand on mine, stroking against the top of my palm as he laced his fingers in mine. "I would never want war, but part of me hoped she wouldn't come. But her father has confirmed it. She will be arriving two days from now."

I let out a breath and let me eyes fall to focus on his hand holding mine. "So what does that mean?"

"I don't know. But I can't think about that right now. I just want to think about what's here in front of me right now. Is that ok?" His eyes swirled darker as they glassed over, raw emotion beginning to break through.

I leaned in and kissed him deeply, my hand reaching up to run through his already disheveled hair. I gripped at the nape of his neck and pulled away just slightly, breaking the kiss and pressing my forehead against his.

"I know it hasn't been very long Zane, but I want you to know you've become important to me too. I was truly fortunate the day the Queen decided to send me to you. I only wish we'd had more time." I said quietly, my eyes shut tight as I tried to inhale his intoxicating scent surrounding me, memorizing every detail of my time with him.

"Ana, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to take care of you. Just because she's coming and I'll have to take her as my mate doesn't mean I'll forget about you. You know that don't you?" His voice was low and I could tell he was trying to do exactly what I was.

I nodded against him, giving him a small smile as I looked at him through my lashes. "I know."

Zane pulled away and looked at me, his lips curling into a mischievous smirk. "I want to take you somewhere."

My brows rose as I smiled back at him, eyeing him as he jumped from the bed and walked into his closet. He came out holding two leather jackets, handing me one and pulling me to my feet.

"What are you doing? Where are you taking me?" I said with a laugh.

"You'll see. Come on."

He reached for my hand and I smiled, giving it to him willingly and following him out the door. He lead me out of his suites and down a series of long hallways as they took us deeper and deeper into the castle. I realized that we were headed for the garage.

"Zane, where are we going?"

He didn't answer, but smirked over his shoulder as he lead me into the garage, nodding to a guard and grabbing a key from the wall once inside. He walked over to a matte black motorcycle and swung his leg over before grabbing the helmet off the back.

"We're going on that?" I asked breathily. I'd never ridden one before and I was suddenly anxious. And a little excited.

"Put this on." He said, holding the helmet out for me to take.

I hesitantly took it and put it on before getting onto the back of the motorcycle. "What about you?" I asked without thinking.

He chuckled and looked back at me. "I think I'll be ok."

He revved the engine to life and I slid closer up the seat behind him, pulling my legs tightly beside his hips and wrapping my arms around his waist. Anxious energy surged through me as we pulled away into the night. I couldn't imagine where he was taking me, but I wasn't going to complain. Traveling this way with him was the closest thing to freedom I'd ever felt.

We curved down a winding road for what seemed like hours before he took a turn down a long path. The sky was beginning to lighten as the sun peeked over the horizon. We pulled to a stop at the base of a large hill, leading up to a drop off. As we came closer, I felt the wind begin to billow around me as his hand steadily guided me further up to the edge.