Karim.
He let out a strangled cry that made her blood freeze.
“We must take it off him.” Arvin grabbed one end of the net and began to drag it across the sand. “It will not harm us, but the chains are hurting him.”
Karim’s anguished moans made Deedee scramble to her feet and grab the nearest chunk of netting she could. In no time, she and Arvin managed to remove the silver net over Karim’s body, freeing him. Arvin removed his tunic and covered Karim with it.
“Karim!” She knelt down next to him. “Oh, Karim.” Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around him, her heart still pounding madly in her chest.
“I … Desiree?” He inhaled deep, his nose in her hair. “How did you …”
“Are you hurt?” She winced as she pulled back, seeing the crisscross burns across his skin.
“They will fade,” he assured her. “I just … how did you …”
“Karim, I’m glad to see you.”
He looked up. “Arvin! But,” he looked at Deedee and then back at him again. “I can explain.”
“You better,” Arvin huffed. “But for now, we must bring you back. Dawn is breaking.” In the distance, hints of ink and orange were streaking the sky.
“Yes, we need to get back to the palace.” Karim got up on his knees and hauled himself up. Deedee slipped a hand under his elbow, and though he let out a grunt, he didn’t push her away when she helped him toward the Humvee. Her Lycan strength allowed her to take most of his weight. The two of them sat in the back, Karim slumped against her, his breathing becoming even as they drove back in silence. The adrenaline rushing out of her almost made her forget that he was half-naked. Well, almost. His delicious scent and warm skin tickled her senses, and it was difficult not to reach out and rake her fingers through his hair.
Though she was desperate to know what was on Karim’s mind and what he was planning to do, she was glad no one spoke, because frankly, she didn’t know what to say. She was only glad that Karim was here and alive, and as he said, the burn marks on his skin were already fading.
Soon they were within the capital city’s walls and then making their way into the palace. It was still dark, but the city was slowly waking up as there were now more vehicles in the street.
“I have made sure the guards will not be back here,” Arvin said as they arrived in the same garage where they had come from earlier that morning. “But I will scout ahead just in case.”
As they left the garage, she and Karim let Arvin walk ahead, following his lead and only turning corners when he gave them a signal that it was safe. After what seemed like hours of roaming the palace, her heart ready to jump into her throat at every moment, they finally arrived in Karim’s rooms.
“What happened?” Arvin barely waited for the door to close before he spoke. “How did you fall out of the sky?”
“I …” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I was flying overhead and then I heard this loud sound … like something flying toward me. Before I knew it, I was covered in that net.”
“Zhobghadi silver,” Arvin said. “The Great One’s weakness.”
“Someone is out to get me,” Karim added. “They knew The Great One could be taken down with Zhobghadi silver, and they made that net to capture me and some sort of device to shoot it at me. This was planned.” His eyes blazed with the silver of his beast. “What you told me the other night about those who are against me taking the throne. Have you found out anything else?”
“Nothing significant or anything that talked about actually harming you.” Arvin’s expression darkened. “But I will endeavor to find out more, now that I know that talk has turned to action.”
“Thank you, Arvin,” Karim said. “I also have much to explain to you.”
“But not now.” He glanced at Deedee quickly. “Your lady looks like she will faint at any moment.”
“I’m fine,” Deedee protested, but her voice was annoyingly shaky.
“And you need some rest,” Arvin added. “We will have time to talk later. For now, I will investigate further. I will go back and find the silver net. That may be a clue to uncovering who tried to kill you tonight. Time is of the essence, and when you show up for your morning duties, they will know they did not succeed.”
“I owe you a lot,” Karim said.
“I am your loyal subject.” Arvin bowed. “But also, your family.” With one last nod at Deedee, Arvin turned and left the room.
“Someone’s trying to kill you,” Deedee stated matter-of-factly.
“It seems so.”
“How can you be so calm?”
“I am a prince and future king. I always have a target on my back.” He let out a deep sigh. “How did you come to be with my cousin?”
“I … I saw you fall,” she began. “I was sitting here, and I heard your dragon. It must have been just as you were caught in the net. I went out, tried to talk to Ramin but he couldn’t understand me. I ran away and bumped into Arvin and explained what I saw.”
“You saw and heard me fall from this distance?”
Her wolf was the one who figured out he was in trouble. But how? She didn’t know how to explain it, except maybe it was her animal’s keen hearing and sight. “Enhanced senses.” She tapped on her ear. “Anyway, we found you and brought you back here.”
“You shouldn’t have … you could have been discovered.”
“And you could be dead by now,” she said. “Anyway, you should get some rest. You’ve been up all night and you need sleep, especially after what you’ve been through. I’ll … I’ll stay out here.”
“I …” As he moved toward her, he swayed forward. She shot to her feet in an instant and helped him get steady.
“You’re still not well,” she sighed. “Let’s get you to bed so you can rest.”
She helped him walk to his bedroom, all the way to the bed. “Get some sleep. I’m going to sleep on the couch, and I’ll see you later.”
“No.”
“No? But you were practically falling over.”
“No.”
She blinked at him in confusion. “Are you well, Your Highness? Should I call—oomph!” Before she knew it, Karim grabbed her hand and pulled her into bed, then rolled over her.
“No. You will not be sleeping on the couch and I will not see you later,” he growled against her mouth. “You will stay here.”
Chapter Ten
Desperation made him act impulsively, but Karim was not going to let her get away. No, she would stay here, in his bed, where she belonged.
They said that near-death experiences always made one’s entire life flash before one’s very eyes. But, as he was plunging to earth, Karim had only one thought: Desiree Desmond Creed. How she offered her sweet body up to him. And then how he pushed her away in anger over something that wasn’t her fault. He prayed to all the gods listening to him that if he survived that fall, he wouldn’t squander his chances again.
Despite what he did, she was the one who saw him, came to his rescue. He was a brute, he kept her here and then seduced her, then discarded her. He should leave her alone, yet, now that she was back here in his arms …
“Karim,” she whispered. “Karim, I’m sorry.”
“It is I who should be sorry.” He pushed a lock of caramel hair off her forehead. “You had nothing to do with what I felt when I saw that book. It was all … me.”
She sucked in a breath. “Zafirah told me. About your grandfather. Oh, please, don’t be angry with her.” Her hands pressed up against his chest. “I thought I would never see you again, and I just wanted to know. I … I made her tell me.”
“I’m not angry.” He thought he would be angry. That she had known his deepest, darkest secret. But no, he only felt relief. Like a big weight had been lifted off his shoulders. It wasn’t totally gone, but the burden was lighter now. And more than that, she didn’t run away from him. In fact, she came running toward him, in the face of danger, to save him.
Al
l the more reason he should toughen his resolve to stay away from her. To not let the darkness of his past touch her.
But he just couldn’t, not when she lay under him, so yielding and sweet.
“Karim?” Those light eyes looked up at him, so full of an unnamed emotion.
“She was so beautiful, my mother.” He didn’t know how or why the words came out from his lips, but they just did. “She was full of life. From what I knew of her, there was no way she could have been unhappy. Yes, my father was busy running the kingdom, and she might have been lonely, but she always put on a brave face for me.”
I love you, Karim, my pet. She said all the time. Love him. Loved him.
“It was the middle of the night when I heard some voices and footsteps. I got up and followed the commotion to my mother’s rooms.”
His blood froze in his veins, but even if he wanted to stop, he couldn’t.
“I saw her, standing out in the balcony. I called out to her, but she …”
Mum … Mum … please. He shut his eyes tight. Everything was a blur after. Someone lifting him and taking him away back to his rooms. His father, telling him that Mum was gone. The funeral and—
“Karim. Oh, Karim.” Fingers sifted through his hair. “I’m sorry.”
“Maybe if I had been there sooner. If she saw me, then she would have changed her mind—”
“No,” she said in a half growl. Her fingers dug into his scalp and pulled his head down lower, so close he could feel her breath on his skin. “Maybe she was already lost, and there was nothing you could do about it. If she changed her mind, she would have done it before she stepped out on that balcony. Karim. Karim, look at me.”
Opening his eyes, he found himself lost in the depths of her light green gaze.
“What happened wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault.”
Who had ever told him that, in his entire life? No one. He kept the shame deep inside. He was the Crown Prince, future king and bearer of The Great One. No one coddled him or allowed him to cry. They wouldn’t even let psychologists or therapists near him, for fear of showing any sign of weakness in the bloodline.
He tried to roll off her, but her legs locked around him. “Don’t go,” she said. “You want this.”
“Yes, I do.” Oh, how he wanted. “And I know you wanted me until I made a mess of things.”
“You didn’t—”
“Yes, I did.” And he still would. He didn’t even have to try, and he could make a mess of things. Ruin her. “Desiree, I cannot … I cannot promise you anything.”
“Then don’t.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, her grip surprisingly strong. “I don’t need any promises.”
“Desiree …”
It was too much; she was too much, and a man could only resist temptation until he could fight no longer. He captured her mouth in a fierce kiss, ravaging, taking, plundering her sweetness. As her delicious burnt sugar scent filled his nostrils, he let out a growl of need. Need to touch her all over. Taste her. Be inside her.
His hands pushed at her shirt, lifting them up over her breasts, his fingers plucking the buds to hardness. She gasped into his mouth, then moaned in protest when he pulled away. “I need to taste you.” He pulled one tip into his mouth. She was sweet, sweeter than anything he’d ever tasted. As her body squirmed underneath his mouth, he moved a hand down, slipping under the pajamas, moving lower to cover her mound.
Gods above and below, she was already wet and hot. His fingers skimmed her nether lips, feeling how slick she was. It was so easy to slip a finger in her. She made a needy sound and thrust her hips up.
“Easy,” he mouthed against her nipple. She was tight, too. So tight. He eased another finger into her, and she bucked up against his hand. Twisting his hand around, he found her clit, already hardened with arousal. He worked his thumb against it.
“Karim!” Fingers tugged at the roots of his hair as her slickness drenched his fingers. He knew he needed a taste there too.
He moved lower, trailing kisses between her breasts, down her abdomen, and finally, over her mound. His heart pounded in anticipation as he spread her legs and pressed his lips to her.
“God!” she cried. “Karim. I … I should … Nggh!”
His tongue spearing into her made her clamp her thighs around his head. He eased them apart gently, not ready to give her nectar up yet. His tongue lashed at her pussy lips, teasing, tasting, drinking in her sweetness.
Switching around, his mouth found her clit, teasing her there, as his fingers sought her tight, wet, and hot cunt. Her inner walls clamped around him, and he knew she was close.
Come for me, Desiree, he said in his mind, as if she could hear him. He wanted it so bad—
“Karim!” She whimpered as her body shook with her orgasm. Gods, her scent was even more overpowering now, bursting around him mixed with her arousal. His cock, which was already straining against the mattress, was practically leaking, begging to be let in her.
He wanted to make her come some more. Again and again, until she begged him to stop. Maybe another time, because he’d waited long enough.
He crawled up her body, which was still shaking from the aftershocks of her orgasm. His knees nudged her thighs apart, and he positioned himself at her entrance. “Desiree.”
“Please,” she moaned, lifting her hips. “I need …”
He knew what she needed, and he was going to give it to her. Right now. “Gods, Desiree.” He slipped his cock in slowly, as he feared he might come right there and then. He held his breath, pushing in. “You’re so …” Tight. So unusually tight. When he gave a strong push, he felt something give way.
No. She couldn’t be.
She whimpered, and he gathered her close in his arms. He felt wetness at his neck and tasted the salt in the air. “Desiree … you’re a … you’ve never …” He pulled back, making her take a deep breath. Staring down at her, he saw that track of a single tear down her cheek.
“It’s fine.” Her mouth trembled. “I … I know it’s … unusual in this day and age. But, really, it’s fine.”
“It is not fine,” he said sternly. “I’ve hurt you. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Those mesmerizing eyes stared up at him. “If I told you, would you have stopped?”
Enki could have come down himself and he wouldn’t have stopped. “No. But I would have given you more time.”
“Time?”
“Yes. To think about it. To think hard if I am worthy enough—”
“Shush.” She put a hand to his lips. “The idea that virginity is a gift to be bestowed is human construct, don’t you know? It’s not that I haven’t had a chance. I just …” Her plump lips pursed together. “Anyway, Karim, I don’t need more time. I just need you.”
She needed him. Not his riches, his title, his power. Just him. The idea shook him to the core.
“Karim?” She raised a brow at him.
“Are you still in pain?” he asked, not knowing what else to say.
“I …” A small sigh escaped her lips. “No … it doesn’t hurt. I just feel … feel so full. Of you.” Her hips wiggled and then she tightened around him.
Gods, was she trying to kill him? “Desiree …” he moaned and steadied her hips. “Slow. We will go slow.” For your sake and mine. “And if it hurts, tell me to stop.”
She nodded.
He had no experience with virgins, so he thought that was the way to go. Slowly, he pulled back and then pushed back in again. Her heat and slickness were driving him mad, but he didn’t want to hurt her.
She inhaled a deep, sharp breath, but said nothing. He must be hurting her. So, he put his weight on his right elbow and leaned his head down to capture a nipple in his mouth. He sucked and mouthed at her, his tongue swirling around the bud. She shivered, and he felt her relax.
His free hand moved between them where their bodies were joined, and he touched her clit, teasing and coaxing at her until he could feel her hips moving up
at him.
He told himself to be gentle. But when her hips arched, he knew she wanted the same friction he did. She angled upward, and he found himself burying deeper into her.
She writhed against him. Over and over. He withdrew his hand from her and cradled her ass. “Yes, Desiree,” he urged as he lifted her up. “Yes.”
He didn’t even have to do much, as she continued to move up against him. Slowly, again, he thrust into her. She didn’t tense or wince, but instead, let out a needy, breathy moan.
“Yes,” she said. “More. Please, Karim.” Her hands went up to his shoulders, digging into them.
He buried his face into her hair. “So good, habibti.” It was beyond good, but his words were escaping him. He moved, setting a rhythm that pushed deeper into her with each thrust. She opened up to him, yet the clasp of her was enough that he wanted more and more.
“Come for me,” he gasped. Her legs wrapped around him, pushing him deeper into her tightness. Death now would be easier, but he couldn’t … not yet. Not until she …
“Karim.” It wasn’t possible, but she tightened even more around him as her body shuddered. He held on for another few heartbeats, until she was over that crest before letting go. Pleasure drained from him, his seed filled her, but he couldn’t stop. His body shook with aftershocks as he felt all the strength drain from his body.
He had never spent so quick with a woman. Usually, he’d make his partner come at least two more times in different positions before he allowed himself to come. But with Desiree … it was like he had no control over his own body. But then again, it was her first time, so she needed time for her body to adjust.
First time. Gods, she had never been with … no one had ever been inside her. It shouldn’t have mattered to him, but somehow, it made something in him rejoice with pleasure.
“Karim … you …” She let out a small sound and gave him a push.
Of course, she was probably uncomfortable and sore. He held his breath and slowly slipped out of her. She gave a small wince, but other than that, didn’t say anything.
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