“They are the best in this area, and Ruben is a great singer,” he told Yanni, pointing at the man with a thick beard standing in front with a guitar.
Yanni was shocked that the Ice King was a fan of gypsy music. They finally had something in common.
Their conversation flew and Yanni began to relax, unwinding from stress. She wasn’t nervous anymore and she continued drinking the delicious wine. She had already forgotten about the promise that she made to herself earlier on. Their meal arrived and Yanni kept topping off her glass more generously. At some point, the Ice King must have ordered another bottle, and then another one. This wasn’t the plan, but she was having too much fun. James kept telling her that she was beautiful. He was whispering that he couldn’t wait to spend some time alone with her and Yanni was losing her head.
She finished her dinner and then ordered a dessert. It looked like their date was going well, although she felt a little drunk. James hadn’t ditched her for someone else yet. She thought that she was fine and James most likely hadn’t even noticed.
The gypsies were singing a fast song, and suddenly, Yanni grabbed James and pulled him to the dance floor.
They started dancing, well, mainly she was the one moving and he kept laughing. People were staring at them, others joined in later. It looked like the whole restaurant was enjoying the music. Yanni quickly forgot about her manners, and kissed James when they went back to their table. His lips were cold again, but she didn’t care. She was ready to return to the castle and ask him to ravage her like he had done in her dream. She kept drinking even more, stealing James’s wine and then danced around with a gypsy man.
She didn’t even remember how the whole evening ended. James must have taken her back to the carriage. Yanni was singing, and James was trying to make sure that she didn’t fall down. He kept telling her that she had to be more careful.
“Come on, get inside. It’s too cold and I don’t want you to be ill,” he told her helping her inside the carriage. Yanni laughed, falling down to the floor and telling herself that it was only a dream. He must have shouted at his coachman to start moving, because the carriage jerked and Yanni bumped her head. She didn’t think anything of it and then a moment later, she sat on James’s lap. She wanted him, she knew that she was a little wasted, but after days of being on her best behaviour, she was missing his touch.
“Are you going to fuck me in here?” she asked him, pressing her lips over his. James responded, kissing her hard until the world around her was spinning away. Her hands moved underneath his jacket, caressing the ripped muscle on his stomach. “It’s going to be exactly like in my dream. We’re going to make love and then you punish me.”
“Yanni, I desired you the moment I saw you, but this isn’t a very good idea. Let’s wait until we get to the castle,” he told her, but she wasn’t listening. Her panties were drenched, and when she touched his cock, she laughed loudly.
“You’re hard—fuck this so hot. I want to pleasure you, James,” she whispered, gently moving her hand up and down his erection.
He pulled her hand away, staring at her with pure fire in his eyes. They were both ready to take their little foreplay to the next level. Yanni couldn’t stop thinking about her dream.
“Oh, Snow White, there isn’t anything that I want more in this world, but the coachman will hear us and the temperature is dropping. We should wait until we get back,” he told her.
Yanni was ready to ignore him and just get down to business, when she suddenly felt sick. She brought her hands to her mouth.
“Darling, are you all right?” she heard James’s concerned voice. There was no time, she quickly stuck her head outside the moving carriage and threw up. Her head was pounding, and she continued to vomit. Her stomach hurt and she didn’t want to believe that there was anything wrong with the food in the restaurant.
Yanni didn’t know how long she was vomiting, but her head continued to speed away. At some point, she must have collapsed on the back seat of the carriage and passed out.
James was a little disappointed that his date with Yanni ended so abruptly. She was completely wasted, but it seemed that she had a lot of fun. The truth was that he wanted to fuck her badly, and he couldn’t imagine that he could move on to another woman after just one night.
He was hoping to spend some time alone with her in his private chamber, but instead she passed out in the carriage when they were on their way back to the Ice Castle. James decided to carry her to his bedroom. The maid was rushing after him, telling him that she would help, but James didn’t want to be interrupted even when Yanni was fast asleep. Either way, he wasn’t planning to take advantage of her. James wasn’t that kind of man, he wanted his women to be fully conscious during the act of lovemaking.
“Don’t worry about it, Eleanor. I’ll take care of her,” he told his maid when she insisted on walking in with him to the chamber, asking if he needed any clothes for Lady Yanni. Eleanor was a little older, and she understood. She bowed to him and left, closing the door behind her.
James placed Yanni on the bed and for a long moment, he just stared at her. His energy began to rise over his shoulder, prickling his skin with desire.
James was thinking about his past. He still wasn’t used to the fact that he wasn’t a human man anymore. After the death of his wife, everything changed. His abilities appeared almost overnight, just after Camila’s funeral. He was sitting alone at the table thinking about a strong glass of whiskey with plenty of ice, when the glass suddenly appeared right in front of him. James had no idea what happened or where his powers originated. From then on, he had to embrace his new magic. He found that he was able to control the cold weather too.
He never liked hot weather, and after some practise, he made sure that summer never returned to his kingdom.
Yanni’s moans brought him back to reality. He sighed loudly, aware that she had a beautiful body and he was looking forward to exploring every inch of her skin. He was getting hard just thinking about it, imagining being on top of her. He started to undress her, wanting her to be comfortable in his bed, leaving her with only her sexy underwear. She had left nothing to his wild imagination.
A few minutes later, he slipped under the covers, listening to her light snoring. He needed a night cap because he knew that he wasn’t going to fall asleep when such an incredible creature was lying next to him, almost naked. There were other women still in the castle, but he wasn’t interested in any of them. Even Sarah. She promised that she would come back, but now James wasn’t even sure if he ever wanted to see her again.
His mind was in despair; Yanni had her flaws, she wasn’t perfect, but he was falling for her despite his better judgement.
In the past, his heart had been shattered, but he always picked himself up. He had a son after all, and he had to keep going for him. Now, Luciano was old enough and turned into a respectable young man. And after so many years, he was used to his father always surrounding himself with many women. He liked organising parties and balls for them. James didn’t even feel bad that Yanni was so young. She was perfect for him and that’s what mattered.
Eventually, he managed to fall asleep. He woke up before Yanni early the next day. He didn’t want her to think that they spent the night together and that he took advantage of her, so he got up. He suspected that she was going to be confused, but luckily, he didn’t have any personal items in there. His decor had always been minimalistic.
After a few seconds, he realised that he was still hard. He didn’t know what was wrong with him—no one had ever had that kind of electrifying effect on him before.
Maybe it was crazy that he was thinking about a future with someone so young and innocent. There were plenty of other women that were much more suitable for him, but Yanni filled him with positive energy. His magic was exploding around her.
James went downstairs when the sun was just about to rise above the horizon, attempting to ease off the tension in his body. Most of his servants a
nd maids were already up, people were wishing him a good day. James had always tried to treat his people fairly, and he made sure he paid them well too. James was used to the gossips, and he never cared about the opinion of others. He entered the large kitchen, seeing that several cooks were already rushing around, and then asked for a cup of fresh coffee.
“My lord, my lord, there is someone asking for you in the foyer,” the guard said, breathing hard. James stared at him, wondering who was wishing to see him at such an early hour. After all, he didn’t have many visitors at six o’clock in the morning.
“Let’s go, then,” James answered, hoping that it wasn’t yet another beautiful woman. Right now, he only wanted to focus on Yanni and he didn’t need any distractions.
Unfortunately, when he approached the door, it was someone that he had met in the past, someone that he didn’t really wish to remember.
“Ahh, King James III, it’s a pleasure to see you again, my lord,” the woman said, bowing right in front of him. He had to admit that she was very attractive. Blond and tall with beautiful blue eyes. James remembered her from one of the parties that he attended several years back.
“I do remember your beautiful face, my lady, but I have to apologise; for some reason, your name has slipped my mind,” he said in a diplomatic kind of way.
He did know her well, and flashbacks from the past made him nauseous. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but James was a gentleman and he didn’t want to make her feel unwelcome.
The woman smiled brightly and for a split-second James could have sworn that he saw demonic energy in her eyes. Sometimes, he sensed other supernatural abilities, especially when it came to magic and he was a hundred percent certain that the woman in front of him wasn’t just an ordinary human.
“Ruth Calade, my lord. We met several years ago at a cocktail party, and I’m here because of my stepdaughter. I heard that she has been staying in your castle, bothering you,” Ruth said in a sharp, demanding tone of voice.
James hated her strong perfume too; it was musky and citrusy and it instantly gave him a headache.
“Your stepdaughter? I’m sorry, but I don’t really know who you mean, my lady,” he stated, confused.
Ruth placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
“Her name is Yanni, but she calls herself Snow White, my lord. I presume that you already met her?”
Now everything made sense to James, and he didn’t understand why he hadn’t figured this out sooner. Yanni had been blabbing about her stepmother for so long. She even mentioned her name, but he never really considered seeing her.
“Yanni, yes, of course. She saved my son in the forest from two very dangerous highwaymen. Then she helped him to get back to the castle. That girl is incredible and so kind,” James said, wondering why Ruth had showed up so early. He hoped that she wasn’t planning to take his Yanni away from him.
Ruth looked surprised, raising her left eyebrow. She took a few steps towards the king and then he suddenly remembered how she had cornered him on the terrace just after her husband had introduced them.
“Well, yes, that sounds like our Yanni,” Ruth said sweetly. “Unfortunately, she’s needed at home. Her fiancé just arrived and he wants to see her. We have been looking for her everywhere.”
James thought that he was having trouble hearing what she just said. It was impossible, Yanni couldn’t have a fiancé, she was pure and she wouldn’t lie to him like that.
“Fiancé? She didn’t mention that she was engaged.”
“Yes, I presumed so. She just doesn’t like talking about him. Her father chose this man for her before he died. He’s the prince from Kymin’s Kingdom, my lord.”
13
James was bored, being at this party and trying to pretend that he was having a good time. He had known King Alister for a little while, and he was aware that the King of Tyndil hadn’t organised many balls in the past. This was his first time in Tyndil and for some reason, he didn’t think that he was going to be back here anytime soon. There was no snow and it had been raining since he arrived.
On top of that, everywhere he turned there were women, and all of them were trying to flirt with him. Normally, James enjoyed this kind of attention, but tonight something was off. He couldn’t figure out exactly what was wrong with him, and deep down, he felt bad that he was so miserable. The rumours about his reputation had reached Tyndil too. He wished that he could have been invisible at least once.
King Alister made a hell of an effort; he showed James around his enormous castle and made him feel welcome. His staff was supposed to make sure that he had everything that he ever desired so he wouldn’t just disappear.
He decided to leave the party and head over to the terrace. He sipped his whiskey and stared at the navy sky scattered with stars. James didn’t want to head back to his Ice Castle tonight. He didn’t want to offend Alister, so he was considering heading back to his chamber instead.
“Oh, there you are, my lord.” An unknown voice startled him, and James cursed under his breath. He didn’t think that anyone would follow him all the way out here. “I have been meaning to talk to you for a while, but you are always surrounded by so many beautiful women. Now it’s finally my chance.”
He was so done being at this party that he was ready to vanish, but first, he needed to deal with Alister’s wife.
The two of them had married recently, and right now James was having trouble remembering her name.
She approached him, swaying on her feet a little, wearing a revealing long black dress. She was holding a nearly empty glass of wine. There was something off about her and James just couldn’t put his finger on it.
He sensed that she was putting on an act. He’d watched her during the party, noticing her fake smile. She acted dismissively and passive towards others. James also saw her flirting with other men while her husband was standing across the room. His own magic began buzzing whenever she was near him.
James was the Ice King and he could sense that she wasn’t an ordinary human being. He couldn’t figure out the reason why he felt this way, but he could read people’s auras. Alister’s wife was dark and unpleasant, and he wished that she would stay away from him.
“Ruth, is it? I do have to apologise, but I’m so terrible with names,” he said, finally remembering when Alister introduced her to him.
James noticed that she was having trouble keeping her balance. She must have had a little too much to drink earlier on. That wasn’t a good sign.
“Yes, yes, it’s Ruth and that’s such a terrible name, don’t you think?” she asked, finishing her wine, and when James didn’t answer, she added, “We should head upstairs to the guest chamber. I want to make sure that we won’t be interrupted.”
She was standing way too close to him now, so much so that James could smell the alcohol on her breath. She was drunk and she wasn’t controlling herself anymore.
Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but Ruth was using her abilities to influence him. He could sense her magic. James loved the company of women, and he always made sure that there were plenty of them around, but Ruth was married. James didn’t step into this kind of territory. He only slept with ladies who were single and available. That was the only rule that he followed.
Ruth seemed young and beautiful, but his instinct told him that she was using magic to hide her true age.
Then he felt a magnetic pull towards her. A wave of magic rushed down his arm and he needed to kiss her. Things were a little twisted. He had made a mistake before. She was beautiful, more beautiful than any other woman than he had ever been with it. His own mind was aggravating him. Now, he didn’t even care that she was married to someone else.
Her eyes gleamed with light. She smiled at him and leaned closer, and James’s energy exploded all around him. His own emotions felt conflicted. There was another voice in his head telling him to kiss Ruth, to push her against the balustrade and devour her mouth. He wanted her, he desired her body. She wa
s his muse, the perfect creation.
“You want to kiss me, handsome. Just lean closer, Ice King, taste what’s forbidden,” she whispered and then his lips touched hers.
James felt lost in a swirl of desire. He needed to strip all her clothes and take her upstairs to his private chamber. Then they were going to make sweet love. It was like his mind was pushing him to keep going, to keep kissing her harder.
Then, something snapped inside him and he pulled away, breathing hard. In a split second he realised that he nearly gave in to her charms. Ruth looked shocked and that just confirmed that she used her magic to bend his free will, to make him hers. He didn’t have to think about it twice.
“What are you? A witch of some kind or someone that has been blessed with magic? I have no idea what you thought you were doing, but you are disrespecting yourself acting this way, my lady. Your husband is in the other room, and he is most likely looking for you,” he told her, backing away from her.
Ruth didn’t scare him, but he didn’t want to cause a scene. He respected Alister too much, and he most likely had no idea what kind of woman he was married to. Ruth had way too much to drink and now she wasn’t fully in control of her magic. Tomorrow, she would more than likely regret what happened between them.
She giggled and then tossed her blond hair behind her. Her eyes weren’t kind and warm anymore. There was fury in them, and James suspected that no one had ever challenged her like that before.
“I don’t care about my husband. I want you. Don’t you understand? We belong together. We are both different than any other person in the castle. We should be together,” she said, swaying on her feet a little.
“No, Ruth, we don’t even know each other. You’re married and the magic has nothing to …
James remembered that evening very well, but he suspected that Ruth was too drunk to recall what exactly had happened between them.
He couldn’t believe that he missed the fact that she was Yanni’s stepmother. Right now, he was too angry to care about it.