Free Just One Golden Kiss by M. A. Thomas Page A

she admitted to missing his warmth, the way he spoke to her during sex, commanding her to do what he wanted, pushing the limits of their desires, but also responding to her wants, her wishes.
    For the moment, just the moment , she evicted him out of her mind and concentrated on her mission.
    It would take her one hour to reach the castle and that’s if she didn’t pause for food and also maintained a brisk pace. Before leaving Eldrich’s house, she had eaten her fill of fruit and bread. Ever since the night she had spent with Xavier fresh bread awaited her every morning in Eldrich’s kitchen. Although she had told Xavier and his golden-haired lover, Zel, never to cross paths with her or Eldrich again, she suspected it was one of them bringing her breakfast each morning. And she was grateful; she’d started to gain back some of the weight she had initially lost when she first came to live with Eldrich and had to rely on berries from the forest.
    When Eldrich saw how much weight she was losing, he started sneaking into villages late at night to steal pieces of meat for her. She was a princess relying on a vampire and an angel to bring her food. For goodness sake, she had fallen far from the King’s crown.
    Thinking of her night with Xavier made her body tingle just a little bit, maybe more than a little bit, if she were to be truly honest. She had had sex with a fallen angel, never mind that she hadn’t even known angels existed before she met Xavier. And what’s more, had she refused to have sex with him, his poor imprisoned and cursed lover would have died. Oh, yes, Lela had considered giving herself the title of Witch’s Curse Breaker.
    Never mind her outlandish, yet tasty time with Xavier she centered instead on reaching the castle, a task which was beginning to become quite arduous. With so many trees down, she had to either climb over them or find another way around them.
    As she climbed down from the other side of a tree, she noticed something shining through a pile of leaves. Bending, she moved the leaves aside and upon taking a closer look at the shiny material, she gasped. It couldn’t be! She was staring at gold. She stood so abruptly she fell backwards and into the fallen tree from which she had just climbed down. Pointy branches dug into her back. Using her arms to push off the tree, she yelled, “Bloody hell!”
    When she was once again standing, she quickly scanned the area. Please don’t be here, please, leave me alone. She didn’t see the golden ball which gave her some comfort. Taking in a deep breath, she sped through the forest, jumping over branches and puddles and more than once nearly colliding with a fallen tree.
    Ahead, the castle came into view. From what she could see so far, nothing looked out of place. She flew toward it. As she got closer, her stomach began to ache and she considered turning and running back to Eldrich’s house. No, she was not a coward. And besides, despite her apprehension, her most important concern was to know her father was safe.
    Clearing her throat and swallowing, she reached the castle’s grounds. Everything appeared as she had left it. It was as if the storm had intentionally bypassed the castle. Relieved, she exhaled a deep breath and massaged her brow. Then it hit her. How did she not notice it sooner? The silence, the absence of people, the castle was deserted.
    Her heart in her knees, Lela ran through the castle’s halls yelling, “Father! Father! Where are you?”
    She stopped and listened. She heard nothing. Not possible. Flinging the doors open to her father’s bedroom, she yelled again, “Father! It’s Lela!”
    He was not in his room. Sinking into a chair, she pleaded with her mind to bring her answers. Something awful must have happened to cause her father and the rest of the people to leave. No wonder her father hadn’t come looking for her. Whatever transpired must have occurred soon after she left, as soon as that same night.