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PROLOGUE

Devyn de bon ci Laci, prince of the Targonia Royal House, drew his knees to his bare, dirty chest for warh he told hi didn't cease He was fifteen summers, yet every tiain Lost, forgotten

You are a prince, and have been prorace our falance at another female His father's voice filled his head, the disappointh to destroy him

He'd learned at a very young age to lower his gaze when anything female stepped into a room he occupied He'd learned to hold his breath so that he wouldn't smell their sweet scents, learned to inch away from them so that they could not even brush his shoulder with their delicious warmth

But soht of those things brought the traitor between his legs to attention, aching, filling, silently begging for contact Any contact Even the rasp of clothing would make him moan, desperate

"Sha the reproach he'd heard toosent here to "consider the depth of his betrayal"

For this newest indiscretion, he'd been as careful as always He'd been reading in the library—a text of newly discovered worlds—wishing he were far, far away Wishing he were anyone other than who he hen a servant his age, but very female, had entered

Servants were not supposed to talk to him, weren't even supposed to look at hilanced up Rather than race from the room as was the custom, she'd stayed Rather than pretend he hadn't spotted her, he'd stared, breath trapped in his lungs, skin hot and tight, ainst his growing manhood

How pretty she'd been, her skin suns-kissed, her dark eyes heavily lashed, her brsts straining against her robe When her lush, pink lips had curled in greeting, his heart had nearly beaten its way from his chest He'd wanted to rush to her, put his hands all over her body, lick her and kiss her and thrust into her the way a prince was only supposed to thrust into his wife But she wasn't his wife, would never be his wife, so his guard, never far from his side, had pushed her from the room and called for his father

How long ago had that been? How long had he been here, trapped in this cell? He'd lost track of the days All he kneas that he was cold, enveloped by a sphere of thick darkness, denied any sound but the ring in his ears, and alone, forbidden to know the touch of another In the last, he was greatly familiar But to lose his other senses, as wellit was a torment beyond coain No matter what he had to do to avoid it

Devyn laughed bitterly I am a failure, even in that

Hinges creaked, the first noise to greet his ears in so long he nearly moaned in pleasure But to moan would have invited ether A second later, a sht shoved its way inside his cell

Devyn blinked against it, his eyes tearing in pain yet also rejoicing Finally!

"What do you have to say for yourself?" his father asked, devoid of e that frantic ring

"I' as he was supposed to be "I should not have looked at her I knew better, and I know I'm dishonorable for the way ain I swear it"