Knight in Leather Read Online Free

rushing into this as if she knows the score.”
    “I can’t court her if I can’t get close.”
    “Aye.” The prince nodded. “My wife and I certainly understand that, but this isn’t a situation where a fairy is courting another fairy who knows how this works or someone who’s used to the vagaries of fairy personalities. We’re talking about a human woman who knew nothing of our world until last autumn and who, for the most part, has avoided association with us since then.”
    “I’m not understanding what you want me to do, Prince. Wait, you say. But for how long?”
    “Hold on a moment.” Again, Prince Heath pulled his phone from his pocket, but instead of glancing at the time, he dialed out. “Surprised to have a fuckin’ reception at all way out—oh, hello, love.” He perked up.
    Ethan sighed. Must be a treat to just be able to call one’s mate and hear her voice.
    “What’s the verdict?” The prince asked.
    Prince Heath studied the palm of his leather glove and besides letting out the occasional “Mm-hmm” or “I see,” he didn’t give away much about what the princess might have been saying.
    Ethan reached over and nudged him. He couldn’t take the suspense. He could be patient when he had to be, but given the circumstances, he’d been behaving far too damn well. He couldn’t take much more.
    “All right. We’ll be back shortly. And we’ll do what we can, aye? Love you.” He disconnected, put the phone away, and shifted on his bike—straightening the orientation a bit.
    “Well?” Ethan said as a nudge.
    “Best watch your P’s and Q’s,” Heath said. “Simone said Dasha’s not in a great mental place right now, and if you go at her full force, she’s going to run. Be chill. Be easy.”
    Ethan scoffed and squashed his helmet back onto his head. Through the open visor, he said, “So, what does that mean? Am I allowed to talk to her? Bloody wonderful relationship we’ll have if I can’t even fuckin’ talk to her.”
    “We will…bridge appropriate interactions for you.”
    “Are you shitting me? You’re going to chaperone two full-grown adults?”
    “Not chaperoning. Just putting an extra body in her space for a time so she’s comfortable.”
    “For how long, Prince?”
    “Until she seeks you out on her own.”
    “Fuck.”
    The prince let out a most uncouth grunt. “The circumstances aren’t ideal, Ethan. I get that. But, look, with all the turmoil of our world, don’t you want to do this right? If you dump all the heavy shit on her all at once, she’s not going to be able to cope. You’re going to strain the relationship before you’ve had a fair chance to heat it up.” He let down his visor, and Ethan did the same.
    He chewed on the prince’s admonition and tried to digest his words as they eased their bikes back onto the asphalt and turned back in the direction they’d come from.
    Prince Heath was a reasonable man, and there was wisdom in what he’d said, but Ethan didn’t understand why he couldn’t be trusted to handle the relationship as he saw fit.
    Hell, his own mother had thought his father was a bit of an ogre at first, but she eventually came around. She hadn’t had a choice. She hadn’t been able to stay away from him any more than he’d been able to stay away for her. They were a matched set.
    And that was what Ethan was supposed to have with Dasha. His instincts wouldn’t lie about that.
    ___
    Ethan had barely had time to park his bike before a fairy of royal lineage ran out of the motel barking orders at him. Princess Siobhan tugged at his arm, grousing, “Move your stinkin’ feet, Gotch,” and Ethan couldn’t even get any words out to dissuade her from whatever her mission was.
    He was looking frantically for any signs of Dasha, and being so distracted by Heath’s sprint toward the owner’s cottage, Ethan was only half paying attention to where he was being taken.
    Princess Siobhan shoved him into the suite she shared with the twins