Elizabeth ran through the dark streets toward the palace with her heart pounding in her chest.

Her face still hurt from where her stepmother slapped her and her lip was still bleeding, but she did not stop running. She did not care that her dress was old and torn. She did not care that she looked like a servant. All she cared about was getting to that palace before Damian announced his choice for Queen.

The palace gates were wide open tonight because of the coronation, and people from all over the kingdom were rushing inside. Elizabeth slipped into the crowd and kept her head down so no one would notice her.

She knew this palace very well.

Elizabeth had been working here as a maid for three years now. She cleaned the floors, changed the sheets and served food to the royal family. That was how she met Prince Damian in the first place. He saw her carrying water buckets one day and he smiled at her, and that smile changed everything.

But Elizabeth was not supposed to be here tonight.

The maids were not allowed to attend the coronation unless they were working, and Elizabeth had not been assigned to work tonight. Her stepmother made sure of that. Her stepmother was the head of all the maids in the palace, and she controlled who worked which events.

Elizabeth had to be very careful.

If her stepmother saw her sneaking around the palace during the coronation, there would be hell to pay. The woman already hated her at home, but here at the palace she had even more power. She could have Elizabeth thrown out. She could have her jailed for trespassing.

Elizabeth climbed the back stairs and came out into one of the side hallways near the royal chambers.

That was when she saw him.

Prince Damian was coming out of his room at the end of the hall. He was dressed in his full coronation robes already and he looked perfect.

Elizabeth stepped out of the shadows without thinking, and Damian's head snapped toward her immediately. His eyes went wide when he saw her standing there. Before she could say a word, Damian crossed the distance between them in three long strides and grabbed her arm. He pulled her into his room and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Elizabeth," he breathed, and there was so much relief in his voice it made her chest ache. "You came. I thought you were not coming. I thought something happened and you could not make it and I was about to go down there and-"

"I am here," Elizabeth said, but she could not stop the tears from filling her eyes. "I am sorry I am late. My stepmother tried to stop me by destroying my dress and giving me a lot of work to do and-"

Damian cut her off by kissing her.

His mouth crashed against hers hard and desperate, and Elizabeth kissed him back just as fiercely. His hands went to her face and held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. She could taste the desperation in his kiss and feel how badly he had wanted her to be here.

When he finally pulled back, they were both breathing hard.

"I do not care about the dress," Damian said, and his thumbs wiped away the tears on her cheeks. "I do not care that you are late. All I care about is that you are here now."

He looked at her face more carefully and his expression changed immediately. He touched the red mark on her cheek where her stepmother had slapped her, and then he saw her split lip.

"Who did this to you?"

"My stepmother," Elizabeth answered. "She did not want me to come to the coronation. She tried to stop me."

Damian's jaw clenched so hard she could see the muscle jumping. "I am going to make her pay for this. I swear to you, Elizabeth. When you are my Queen, she will bow to you and beg for your forgiveness."

Damian kissed her again, and this time it was different. His tongue pushed into her mouth and she moaned against him. His hands slowly moved from her face down to her waist and pulled her body flush against his.

Elizabeth could feel how hard he was already, pressing against her through his robes and her thin dress.

"I want to fuck you right now, Elizabeth," Damian breathed against her mouth. "I have been thinking about you all day, and I have been going crazy waiting for you to get here."

His hands started moving up her skirt, pulling it higher and higher until his fingers found bare skin on her thighs.

"Damian," Elizabeth gasped. "The coronation. You are going to be late. Everyone is waiting for you and-"

"I do not care," he cut in roughly as his hand slid higher between her legs. "Let them wait. I need to fuck you first."

He walked her backward until her back hit the wall, and then his mouth was on her neck. He kissed and sucked at her skin while his hand pushed her thighs apart. His fingers found her pussy through her undergarments and he groaned.

"You are already wet for me," he mumbled against her throat. "Fuck, Elizabeth. You are soaking wet."

"I have been thinking about you too," she admitted, and her head fell back against the wall as his fingers started rubbing her clit through the fabric. "I have been thinking about you all day."

Damian pulled back just long enough to start undressing her. He yanked her dress up and over her head and threw it on the floor. Then he tore her undergarments off completely and tossed them aside. Elizabeth was naked now except for her shoes, and Damian looked at her like he wanted to devour her whole.

His hands went to her breasts. He squeezed and kneaded them roughly, and then he bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth. Elizabeth cried out and her fingers tangled in his hair. He sucked hard and bit down just enough to make her gasp, and then he moved to the other breast and did the same thing.

"Damian, please," Elizabeth begged. "You really are going to be late. The ceremony is supposed to start in ten minutes and-"

"I told you I do not care," he growled. He was already working on his own clothes now, pushing his robes aside and unlacing his pants with quick, desperate movements. "They can wait, Elizabeth. The whole kingdom can wait. Right now, I need to fuck you."

He freed his cock and Elizabeth moaned just looking at it. He was rock hard and already leaking, and she knew from eight months of experience exactly how good he was going to feel inside her.

Damian grabbed her hips and lifted her up against the wall. Elizabeth wrapped her legs around his waist automatically, and then he was lining himself up at her entrance.

"Hold on to me," he ordered, and Elizabeth grabbed his shoulders.

Then he pushed inside her in one hard thrust.

Elizabeth screamed and Damian groaned and buried his face in her neck. He was so deep inside her it almost hurt, but it was the best kind of hurt. The kind that made her whole body light up with pleasure.

"Fuck," Damian breathed. "You feel so good. You always feel so fucking good."

He started moving, pulling almost all the way out and then slamming back in. The angle was perfect and he hit that spot inside her that made her see stars. Elizabeth held on to his shoulders and took every brutal thrust, moaning and gasping and begging for more.

"Harder," she pleaded. "Please, Damian. Fuck me harder."

Damian did exactly what she asked. He pounded into her so hard the wall shook behind her back. His fingers dug into her hips hard enough to bruise and his mouth found hers again in a messy, desperate kiss.

"You are mine," he growled against her lips. "Say it. Say you are mine."

"I am yours," Elizabeth gasped. "I have always been yours."

"And I am going to make you my Queen tonight," Damian said, and he was fucking her even harder now. Even faster. "I am going to stand in that hall in front of everyone and I am going to say your name and you are going to be my Queen."

Elizabeth was so close to reaching an orgasm already. She could feel it building, coiling tight in her belly. Damian's cock was hitting that perfect spot with every thrust and she could not hold back anymore.

"I am going to cum," she warned him. "Damian, I am going to-"

"Then cum," he commanded. "Cum on my cock, Elizabeth. Let me feel you."

Elizabeth came so hard her whole body shook and her pussy clenched around his cock. She screamed his name without caring who might hear. Damian kept fucking her through it, prolonging her orgasm until she was sobbing with pleasure.

Then he came too, groaning her name and spilling inside her with hard, jerky thrusts. He buried himself as deep as he could go and held her there while he emptied himself into her.

They stayed like that for a long moment, both of them breathing hard and trembling. Then Damian slowly lowered her back to her feet, but he did not let go of her completely.

He pressed his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes.

"You have to be in that hall when I announce your name tonight," he said seriously. "Do you understand me, Elizabeth? You have to be standing there in front of everyone when I say you are my choice to be the Queen."

"I will be there," Elizabeth promised.

"No, listen to me," Damian said, and there was fear in his voice now. "The council rules are very specific. The woman I choose has to be physically present in that hall when I make the announcement. If you are not standing there when I say your name, the council can refuse to accept you. They can say the selection is void."

Elizabeth's blood ran cold.

"Are you saying I have to be standing in that hall when you say my name or this whole thing falls apart?"

"Yes," Damian answered. "Exactly. You have to be there, Elizabeth. You have to be in that hall no matter what."

Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat.

And it suddenly felt like she could not breathe.

The sex with Prince Damian was insane.

Elizabeth pulled her dress back on with shaking hands while Damian fixed his robes. They had maybe five minutes before the coronation ceremony was supposed to start, and she still had to get to the great hall without being seen.

"Go through the servant corridors," he told her as he adjusted his crown. "Stay hidden until the ceremony starts. Then slip into the back of the hall before I make the announcement."

"What if someone stops me?" Elizabeth asked.

"Then you fight your way through," Damian answered seriously. He grabbed her face and kissed her hard one more time. "Nothing should stop you from being in that hall when I say your name. Do you understand me?"

"I understand," Elizabeth promised.

"I love you," Damian said, and his eyes were intense. "I am going to make you my Queen tonight."

"I love you too," Elizabeth whispered.

Then he was gone, walking out of the room toward the great hall where hundreds of people were waiting for him. Elizabeth waited thirty seconds and then slipped out into the hallway.

She moved quickly through the servant corridors, keeping to the shadows and avoiding the main hallways where guests were still arriving. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears. She could still feel Damian inside her and smell him on her skin, and that gave her courage.

She was going to make it.

She had to make it.

Elizabeth rounded a corner and ran straight into someone.

She looked up and her blood turned to ice.

Her stepmother stood blocking the hallway with her arms crossed and that cruel smile on her face.

"Going somewhere, Elizabeth?" she asked softly.

Elizabeth tried to step around her but her stepmother moved to block her path. "Get out of my way."

"I do not think so," her stepmother said. "You are supposed to be at home washing laundry. What are you doing sneaking around the palace?"

"Please just let me go," Elizabeth pleaded, and she tried to push past but her stepmother grabbed her arm hard.

"You are not going anywhere," her stepmother hissed.

Elizabeth did not think.

She just acted. She brought her knee up hard between her stepmother's legs and the woman gasped and stumbled backward.

And then she ran.

"Guards!" her stepmother screamed behind her. "Stop that girl! She is a thief! Someone stop her!"

Elizabeth ran faster.

She could hear footsteps pounding behind her and her stepmother's voice screaming, but she did not look back. The hall was just ahead, and she could see the doors.

She was almost there when two guards suddenly appeared in front of her and blocked her path.

"Stop right there!" one of them commanded.

"No, please," Elizabeth begged. "Please, I need to get inside. I have to-"

"The head maid says you are a thief," the other guard said, grabbing her arm. "You are coming with us."

"I am not a thief!" Elizabeth screamed, trying to pull away. "Let me go! I need to get in that hall! Please!"

But the guards were too strong.

They dragged her backward even as she fought and kicked and screamed. She could hear music starting inside the great hall which meant that the coronation ceremony was already starting.

"No!" Elizabeth cried. "No, please! You do not understand! I have to be in there! I have to-"

One of the guards put his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. They dragged her down a different hallway, away from the great hall, away from Damian, and away from everything.

Elizabeth fought as hard as she could but it was useless. There were two of them and they were both bigger and stronger than her. They pulled her down a set of stone stairs that led deep under the palace.

The dungeon.

They were taking her to the dungeon.

"Please," Elizabeth sobbed when the guard finally removed his hand from her mouth. "Please, you are making a mistake. I am not a thief. I need to be at the coronation. The King is going to announce his Queen and I have to be there or-"

"Quiet," one of the guards snapped. "The head maid said you were sneaking around and trying to steal from the palace. That is all we need to know."

They threw her into a small cell and slammed the iron door shut. The lock clicked into place with a sound that made Elizabeth's heart break.

She was trapped.

Elizabeth ran to the bars and grabbed them with both hands. "Please! Please listen to me! I am not a thief! My stepmother is lying! I need to get to the great hall right now! The King is announcing his Queen and if I am not there when he says my name, I cannot be chosen! Please!"

But the guards were already walking away and laughing at her. Their footsteps echoed down the stone hallway and then there was silence.

Elizabeth sank to her knees on the cold floor and pressed her face against the bars. She could hear music faintly from somewhere above. The coronation ceremony was happening right now. Damian was up there in front of everyone, and she was down here locked in a cell.

She was too late.

He was going to announce her name but she was not going to be there, and the council would refuse to accept her. Everything they had worked for. Everything they had promised each other. All of it was ruined because her stepmother had her thrown in jail.

Elizabeth started crying.

She did not know how long she sat there crying before she heard footsteps coming down the hallway again. Elizabeth looked up and saw her wicked stepmother walking toward the cell with that satisfied smile on her face.

"Well, well," her stepmother mocked, stopping in front of the bars. "Look at you now. You are not so proud anymore, are you?"

"You did this on purpose," Elizabeth said, but her voice was hoarse from crying. "You knew I needed to be at the coronation. You had me arrested on purpose."

"Of course I did," her stepmother said simply. "Did you really think I did not know what you have been doing? Did you really think I did not notice you sneaking around with the Prince?"

Elizabeth's blood ran cold.

"You knew?"

"I have known for months," her stepmother replied, and she looked pleased with herself. "I am the head of all the maids in this palace. Nothing happens here without me knowing about it. I knew the Prince was climbing through your window. I knew he was fucking you, and I also knew he was planning to make you his Queen tonight."

"Then why did you not stop us before? Why did you have to wait until today to ruin everything?" Elizabeth demanded.

She still could not believe it.

She had absolutely no idea her stepmother knew everything.

"Because I wanted to watch you hope," her stepmother answered cruelly. "I wanted to watch you believe you were going to be someone special. I wanted to let you get so close you could taste it. And then I wanted to take it all away from you at the last possible moment."

She leaned closer to the bars and her smile was the most evil thing Elizabeth had ever seen.

"Right now, Prince Damian is standing in front of the entire kingdom announcing his choice for Queen, and you are not there. He is going to say your name but you will not be standing in that hall, and the council will refuse to accept you. Everything you worked for is gone, Elizabeth."

"You are evil," Elizabeth sobbed.

Her stepmother did not say a word.

She just began to walk away but then she stopped and turned back.

"Oh, and one more thing," her stepmother said with that wicked smile. "As long as I am alive, you will never be Queen. I will make sure of that. You will never have what you want, Elizabeth."

Then she turned and walked away, and her footsteps echoed down the hallway until Elizabeth was alone again.

Elizabeth sat in the dark cell and felt everything inside her break. Prince Damian had probably announced her name, but she had not been there.

She was never going to be Queen.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

Elizabeth did not know how long she sat in that cold cell crying.

It felt like forever.

The coronation was probably over by now. Damian had probably announced her name and she had not been there. The council had obviously refused to accept her.

Everything was already ruined.

She suddenly heard footsteps coming down the hallway again and looked up. One of the guards who had arrested her was walking toward her cell.

He was alone this time.

"Where is the other guard?" Elizabeth asked, wiping her tears away.

"I sent him away," the guard answered with a smile that made Elizabeth's stomach turn. "I told him I would watch you myself."

He slowly pulled out a key, unlocked the cell door, and the iron hinges creaked as it swung open.

"Come here!" he ordered.

Elizabeth stood up slowly, her heart starting to pound. "Why? Where are you taking me?"

"Outside the cell," the guard answered, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hallway. "I have been watching you for months, you know. I have been watching you work in the palace. You are very sexy."

What was going on?

Where was he taking her?

What was he trying to do with her?

Elizabeth tried to pull her arm free but the guard's grip was far too strong. "Let me go."

"Shut up, whore!" he suddenly snapped and pushed her against the wall, pressing his body against hers. "You fucked the Prince, did you not? I heard your stepmother telling you that a few minutes ago. So if you can spread your legs for the Prince, you can do it for me too."

Terror flooded through Elizabeth's body and she shrieked in fear. "Get away from me!"

"I do not think you are in a position to give orders," the guard said as he grabbed her hair and forced her down to her knees. "You are going to suck my cock like a good girl, and if you do a good job, maybe I will let you go."

He started unlacing his trousers with one hand while the other kept a tight grip on her hair. Elizabeth's mind was racing because she was trapped down here, and no one knew where she was.

She had to save herself.

The guard quickly pulled his cock out and grabbed it with his free hand. "Open your mouth," he commanded.

Before he could see it coming, Elizabeth punched him as hard as she could right in his cock and he screamed and doubled over in agony. His hands flew to his crotch and he fell to his knees.

Elizabeth did not wait.

She jumped to her feet and kicked him hard in the face. He fell backward and hit his head on the stone floor with a sickening crack.

She ran.

She flew up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her, taking them two at a time. Her lungs burned and her legs screamed but she did not stop. She could hear the guard groaning behind her but she did not look back.

Elizabeth burst out of the stairwell and into the main hallway. She had no idea how long she had been down in that cell. She had no idea if the coronation was over or still happening.

But she had to find out.

She ran through the palace corridors toward the great hall. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might explode. The doors to the great hall were still closed when she got there but she could hear voices inside.

Someone was giving a speech.

And that meant the ceremony was still happening. Elizabeth quickly grabbed the door handles and pulled them open.

The great hall was packed with people.

Hundreds and hundreds of them standing in rows facing the front. Damian stood on the raised platform in his full coronation robes with the crown on his head.

He was giving a speech.

"As your King, I promise to serve this kingdom with honor and wisdom," Damian was saying. "I promise to care for the people and protect them and-"

He stopped mid-sentence because he saw her.

Elizabeth stood at the back of the hall, breathing hard and probably looking like an absolute mess, but she was there.

She had made it.

Damian's face broke into the biggest smile Elizabeth had ever seen.

Everyone in the hall turned to look at her. Hundreds of faces staring at her in confusion and shock. Elizabeth saw her stepmother standing near the front with the other palace staff, and the woman's face went completely pale.

"Elizabeth," Damian said, and his voice carried across the entire hall. "You are here."

"I am here," Elizabeth said, and tears were streaming down her face but she was smiling. "I am so sorry I am late. I was locked in the dungeon and I could not get out but I am here now. I am here."

The entire hall erupted in whispers and gasps.

"Someone locked you in the dungeon?" Damian's voice went cold and dangerous. "Who?"

Elizabeth's eyes went to her stepmother, and Damian followed her gaze.

"Guards," Damian commanded. "Arrest that woman immediately."

Four guards moved toward Elizabeth's stepmother and she started backing away.

"Your Majesty, I have no idea what she is talking about," her stepmother said quickly. "I would never-"

"You had me arrested for stealing," Elizabeth said loudly so everyone could hear. "You told the guards I was a thief so they would lock me in the dungeon. You did it on purpose so I would not be here when the King announced his Queen."

"That is a lie!" her stepmother shouted. "She is lying! I am the head maid of this palace! I would never-"

"Take her away," Damian growled coldly. "Lock her in the dungeon where she belongs. She will be punished tomorrow!"

The guards dragged Elizabeth's stepmother toward the doors even though she was screaming the entire time. "This is not fair! You cannot do this to me! I am the head maid! I have served this palace for years!"

But no one listened.

The guards dragged her out of the hall and the doors slammed shut behind them.

Then there was silence.

Damian walked down from the platform and crossed the hall to where Elizabeth was standing. Everyone watched as he took her hands in his.

"Are you hurt?" he asked quietly.

"No," Elizabeth said. "I am fine. I am just happy I made it in time."

"You made it just in time," Damian said, and he was smiling again. "I was about to announce my Queen when you walked through those doors."

He turned to face the crowd and raised his voice so everyone could hear.

"This is Elizabeth," Damian announced. "She is brave and kind and strong. She fought her way out of a dungeon to be here tonight. She is the woman I love, and she is the woman I choose to be my Queen."

The entire hall erupted in applause and cheers. People were clapping and shouting and celebrating, and Elizabeth could not stop crying.

Damian pulled her into his arms and kissed her in front of everyone. When they finally pulled apart, he placed a crown on her head.

"My Queen," he whispered.

"My King," Elizabeth whispered back.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur of congratulations and celebrations. The council officially recognized Elizabeth as Queen and people lined up to bow to her and welcome her.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the ceremony ended and the guests started to leave. Damian grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her out of the great hall.

"Where are we going?" Elizabeth asked.

"My chambers," Damian said, and his voice had gone rough. "It is our chambers now."

He pulled her through the corridors and up the stairs until they reached the royal chambers. He opened the door and pulled her inside, locking it behind them.

Then he turned to look at her.

"Do you know what I have been thinking about all night?" Damian asked, walking toward her slowly.

"What?" Elizabeth whispered.

"I have been thinking about how badly I want to fuck the new Queen," Damian said, and his eyes were dark with desire. "I have been thinking about stripping that dress off you and laying you down on my bed and making you scream my name until everyone in this palace knows exactly who you belong to."

Elizabeth's breath stopped.

She could feel the heat settling between her legs already.

"I want to fuck you like my life depends on it, Elizabeth..." Damian continued, backing her toward the bed. "I want to fuck you so hard you forget everything except how good I make you feel. I want to make you cum so many times you cannot walk tomorrow."

Elizabeth's back hit the edge of the bed and she sat down. Damian stood over her and started unlacing his robes.

"This is our first night as King and Queen," he said. "And I am going to make sure you never forget it."

She was finally Queen.

And tonight was only the beginning.

Damian's robes slowly fell to the floor. He knelt before her and pushed her thighs apart. He looked up at her once, his dark eyes steady on hers. Then he lowered his head.

His mouth closed over her pussy and Elizabeth moaned out loud.

He licked her slowly with long, deep strokes of his tongue, top to bottom, over and over until her thighs were shaking. She grabbed his hair with both hands and held on. He took his time and tasted every part of her like he had all the time in the world and nothing else worth doing.

"Damian, please."

He sucked her clit softly and she cried out. His hands held her hips flat against the bed so she could not move, could not squirm away, and could only take what he gave her. He slid his tongue inside her and she gasped. He licked back up to her clit and worked it in slow, tight circles until she was grinding against his face and begging him not to stop.

The orgasm hit her like a wave.

She came with her back off the bed, her legs shaking and his name tearing out of her throat. He kissed her inner thigh and looked up at her with dark, hungry eyes.

"We have all night, Elizabeth." His eyes moved up her body slowly. "And I plan to ruin you."

For the first time in her life, Elizabeth did not want to be anywhere else. She had waited her whole life for tonight.

And she was not going to waste a second of it.