Her lips pursed, she demurred, “No. He is powerful, he will hurt you. Kill you, I can’t take that chance. He may hurt me but I don’t think he’ll kill me.”
Dev exploded, “You don’t think he’ll kill you? For Zues’ sake, girl. And me, do you forget already who, what I am? He can’t harm me. My team will go, you will stay here, out of Krystian’s reach.” His head dropped trying to get into her face. “Svetiessa dammit…”
She opened her mouth to retort, then, she recalled the words he’d previously uttered. Her eyes bulged suddenly, brows lashed over them, she asked, “Langistine, what is that? What do you mean, immortal? What did you do to me?”
His mouth shut, clamped into a hard line. But a speck of color hit his chiseled cheeks, hell, he was going to tell her, just not for a while. Later, after their relationship was stronger.
“Devilos? You answer me right now!” She tugged her arms from his grip and crossed them.
“Ah.” Wiping the back of his hand across his forehead, not looking at her he muttered, “Well, uh…”
She insisted, “If you don’t tell me I will ask someone else.”
“All right, the ah, all right.” Exhaling heavily, he explained, “Langistine is a…gene, a chemical, enzyme, I don’t know what you humans would call it but, uh, I have it. I am, um, immortal. I uh, when we made love that first time, I…well, you probably don’t know, stabbed my horns into your back. When I did that, the langistine was released into your system, and then, well,” he shrugged with his palms up.
“Well what? Damn it, Devilos, tell me what it means.”
“You will be…it takes about a year to come fully to fruition, but, you will become immortal, Svetiessa.”
Stunned, her face paled with shock. “You- you did that on purpose? Without asking me? You didn’t even tell me that you did it! Why? Why did you do that to me?”
Getting angry, brows daggered down between his eyes he said, “Because I am immortal. You think I want to watch you shrivel and die of old age someday, or get shot or knifed, or some disease or accident takes you? Nay,” he shook his head, the black braids swinging back and forth, face grown hard and defiant.
“I will not face eternity without you. You are my mate, there will never be another. It’s a done deal, it cannot be undone.” The brief guilt left, replaced by his anger.
Sveti just stood, shock rattling her body, her eyes wide with accusation. Then her expression sickened, turned shaky ashen. “The- your- claws, fangs, the monster that invades your body- will- will I-”
His jaw flexed at her repulsion of his attributes, he shook his head. “Nay, they are intrinsic to me, only to males.”
She lurched back from him when he reached for her hand.
Dark eyes narrowed in anger, he had to concentrate to stay calm, speak gently with a slight cajole, “Baby, listen, when you digest it, you will be fine with it. It’s just that right now it’s, ah, freaky to you. But, trust me, you will be-”
“Trust you! I can never trust you! First you deliberately seduced me, now you altered my body, my- my destiny, ancestry, my damned DNA!” Her arms bowed, eyes tapered furiously at him, she ground out, “How dare you play God!” Spinning from him she stormed across the room.
Dev threw out a hand but she stalked past him. “Baby, Svetiessa, wait, listen-”
Her angry steps clicked down the hall in her heels, he heard the door to one of the extra bedrooms slam closed.
“Gah,” he grabbed handfuls of his braids and jerked on them in consternation. “Women! Shit,” his lips pursed, his growl pissed and frustrated. “It doesn’t look like I’m getting any tonight. Fuck.”
Of course he could with no effort take the bedroom door down and then take her, but, he sighed, that would push their relationship and trust issues back further. Hell, nay, he couldn’t force her, she might not forgive him. She was so squeamish about forced sex.
He rubbed his eyes, but right now he almost didn’t care. He was about to implode with sexual need of her, and she was his wife dammit, she is supposed to give it to him whenever he wants it. All day through his meetings and repairs he hadn’t been able to push the thought out of his head of her lying under him crying out his name.
He rolled his shoulders to release some tension. If he whined to one of his friends they would tell him to either just fuck her without her consent or go take another woman.
Hell, he already decided not to force her and, his tongue stuck out, he had no desire for another woman, not that he would cheat anyway. He was mated, to Svetiessa, married for life, betrayal was not in his DNA. Adultery, that she sure as hell would never forgive.
Striding with heavy feet to the small bar, his gnarly sigh hewed to a shallow moan. He had to admit he preferred her willing.
A short smile curved half his lip, he loved it when her dainty little hands trailed all over his body, wrapped around his dick. The other night she’d licked and sucked it, so innocent and inexperienced, damn it was hot.
He had been lying on his back, she was naked, on her hands and knees between his thighs facing him, fine butt up in the air, those precious tits dangling down, swaying with her movements.
Plump cherry lips on his shaft, she had looked up through her long curly, flaming lashes, all sweet and shy and eager to please him, he’d almost shot his wad then, but he wanted to be inside her.
Later, when she rasped his name and exploded in his hands, he shook his head, that was the most stupendously extraordinary thing he ever experienced, and he wanted it again. And again. For fucking eternity.
“Crap,” he spat, his erection swelled uncomfortably, painfully in his pants. He poured a big drink and gulped it down, then poured another.
Dev spent the next two nights alone in his big bed, he ate alone, and hung around the suite alone. Sveti had refused to emerge from the bedroom.
He had to go out occasionally to meet with his team and check repairs on the airjet, that’s when she came out and ate then went right back in the room before he returned.
He could have gone and dragged her out, but she would just be sullen and give him the silent treatment. The third day he slammed into Bowie’s room without knocking.
“Hey, bro, what the hell?” Bowie was watching a sports game on the vidcam with a beer in his hand. A grin split his handsome face at Dev’s pissed expression. “Ah, the groom has finally left the marriage bed, and by the looks of you, the honeymoon is over.”
Stomping to the kitchen to get a beer, Dev muttered, “Fuck off.”
Going back into the living room, he flopped on an easy chair and put his feet up on the coffee table, yanked open the beer and guzzled most of it down.
“Whew, Dev, what’s going on? You look like shit. The little woman withholding?” Bowie snickered.
Shooting him an irritated scowl, Dev polished off the beer then went and got another one. He brought Bowie one too then plopped back down.
Sprawled in the chair, his knees bent, long legs spread, he groused, “You won’t believe it, Bow. First off, she was furious that I injected her with my langistine. I made her immortal, for fuck’s sake, at least in a year she will be. But, can you believe that- she’s mad at me because I gave her eternal life! I don’t fucking get women, Bow, never will.”
Slugging the beer, he growled with frustrated exasperation.
“Hmm, I bet you didn’t mention it to her before you did it, you didn’t ask her if she wanted it.” His smirk irritated Dev.
Observing his friend’s face darken with guilt, Bowie said, “And, you undoubtedly, cowardly, didn’t even tell her after that you did it. How does she know now? I bet she’s pissed as hell.”
Dev’s dark skin flushed. “Aye, yeah, well, no I didn’t. I did it without telling her because I didn’t want to argue about it, and, she might have said no. And,” he raked his fingers down his face, “even if she’d said no, I still would have done it and she’d be even more furious.”
He shrugged, “So, I did it anyway without te
lling her ahead of time. You know, ask for forgiveness after rather than permission before that could be shot down. I was going to tell her when we were on a more solid foundation in our relationship. But,” he sighed, his shoulder bumped, “I slipped and accidentally spilled it. Aye,” he shook his head, “pissed doesn’t begin to explain it. She’s slept in one of the extra rooms the past two nights.”
He absently rubbed his palm over his cock thinking about how badly he wanted her.
“Uh huh. You said that was the first thing, what else did you do to her?” Bowie asked with a chuckle.
Dev snorted. “Huh, I am not responsible for the other thing. Get this,” he leaned over with his forearms on his knees holding the beer bottle in both hands, his braids dangled over his hunched block of shoulders.
“That boyfriend, the wimp she left on her planet, his name is Ryen Rembrandt for fuck’s sake, what kind of an absurd name is that?” his snort indicated he considered Ryen a sissy.
He went on, “So, her fucked-up pervert of a bráthair snatched Ryen and said if Svetiessa doesn’t go trade herself for him, Ritrova will harm him, probably kill the poor sap. I told her the bigger ship is in for repairs, as soon as it’s done we, as in you and our team not her, can go get the Rembrandt guy. But she won’t wait for that.”
He huffed in annoyance, And, she thinks she has to go because I will be in danger and that she must protect me. What a bunch of hogshit, huh?”
“What?” Stunned, Bowie’s feet dropped to the floor, his dark blue eyes widened then narrowed at Dev. “You can’t let her go, that’s fucked up, her brother will bang her and then seriously hurt her.”
“Duh, I know. Try to convince her of that. She feels the need to be everybody’s savior. Hell, she traded her life for her little bráthair with the grizzly-canines knowing full well it was a death sentence at the time. This would be just as bad.
“I told her I’d chain her to keep her here, and I will, goddammit.” The color drained from his face, leaving his dark eyes bleak.
He swung his worried gaze to his friend. “I can’t lose her, Bow, I can’t live without her, I-” the words were on the tip of his tongue.
His blond brows arched with some humor. “Say it, bro, it won’t hurt, I promise.”
Dev’s celestial black eyes shone in wonderment at Bowie, they widened in astonishment. “I…love her, Bow, I fucking love her. How did that happen? I thought I was immune to that senseless emotion. But, shit, Bow, I get a horrible pang in my heart when I think of her in danger, being harmed, of losing her.”
Bowie nodded with a shit-eating-grin at his stunned friend. “Where is she now?”
“Ah, she’s hanging in one of the other bedrooms sulking.” The sides of his mouth nicked in with a short laugh. “Probably planning her escape.”
The color suddenly drained from his tan. “Shit, because I was there I didn’t put Keldon on the door-” He jumped up and ran out of Bowie’s suite.
Dev raced back to their suite, threw the door open and went straight to his bedroom, of course she wasn’t there. He checked the other rooms, empty.
He ran back out and down to her old room. She wasn’t there either. Digging the heels of his palms into his forehead, his fingers clutched his hair, the frustration and terror of what she might have done was gutting him.
He clicked his wristband shaking his head. All the women in the universe and he has to choose the one that needs to be a selfless rescuer that puts her own life on the line to save others.
Not even big and tough, he thought as he pushed for Transfers, no, he has to choose the most petite, delicate, damned dainty female he’d ever come across. And she has no damned clue or hesitation to her own fragility.
“Sire?” a voice came through his band. “Bren Simmans here.”
Running down the hall Devilos commanded, “Simmans, stop all ships from leaving the station. All, every one, commercial, private, military, everything.”
“Copy, Sire.” About to relay the message to the entire station, Simmans commented with good nature, “It’s a good thing the prințesă left when she did, huh?”
His feet stopped like they were suddenly deep in mud. His heart pounded in his throat, his voice stiff with sudden terror, Dev rasped, “Fuck. Simmans. The Prințesă Svetiessa, my wife, she left the station? How did she leave? With whom?”
Hearing the fierce growled danger in Dev’s tenor, Simmans’ voice raised a few octaves, “Uh, Sire, the interplanetary ship dropping off commissioned personnel on leave was just firing up when she, uh, intercepted them, that is, she banged her fist on the ramp door. It was opened and I guess she asked for transport because she boarded and that was it. Left not five minutes ago. Sire, what would you like for me to-”
Dev clicked off.
Pressing the pads of his palms into his eyes and roared, “Goddammit!” His curse so crushing fierce and loud and forged with fear, people passing by gingerly skirted around him.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sveti knew Devilos would blow a gasket when he realized she left the station without even telling him, but she had to. If she had told him, he would have prevented her from leaving.
He said he and his team would go for Ryen, but, she would not allow him to risk his life for something that was her issue.
Krystian would for sure kill Devilos and his men, she shivered, wrapping her arms more tightly around herself. Besides, his ship was going to take a long time in repairs and Ryen may not have much time. No, she had to do it this way.
“We’re almost there, Prințesă,” one of the crew announced cheerfully.
It had been two weeks since she boarded the airjet. Sveti sighed, glad it was almost done, but scared to death of what Krystian would do to her when he got his hands on her. Then she’d have to worry about Devilos coming for her.
She was his wife, he considered her his possession, his property. A warrior hunter, he would unquestionably come.
She would need to communicate with him when she got to her planet to tell him to not come for her. A tiny snort erupted, yeah, like he would listen to her.
She’d had to charge the trip on his account, she had no choice. She would pay him back, if there was ever a way for her to do so. That would be doubtful, Krystian will likely keep her in chains for the rest of her life.
Sveti had quickly packed a small bag before she’d run out of their suite. Their suite. Sveti felt her heart twist. She finally realized what Devilos meant to her. He was her world.
She didn’t want to leave, the breath she sucked in literally stung with pain. She wished with her entire being she was back in his big bed, with him poised over her about to plunge inside her body, that smug, arrogant smile on his hard gorgeous face.
Her sigh deepened. It didn’t matter now, she would be Krystian’s and Krystian would never let her go once he had her.
“Thank you,” Sveti told the crewmember politely. She was standing by one of the windows watching the stars flash by gulping back tears that threatened to fall. “Devilos,” she cried in her heart, “I’ll miss you, forever, I’ll never forget you.”
The ship was landing. Sveti had contacted Krystian as soon as she had boarded the ship to advise she was coming to trade herself for Ryen to stop him from doing anything rash.
Gosh, she could only pray that he hadn’t harmed Ryen yet. She’d had to bite down on her impatience every time the ship stopped to let someone off on a different planet, or space station.
Twenty minutes later, with a group of other passengers she disembarked the ship to her home planet, Qoph. The station they landed at was the largest one on the planet.
All chromia steel and unbreakable glass. People bustled in and out of the station, as aircraft soared in and out and around from the back landing field.
Straightening her spine and her shoulders, Sveti pushed her long curly hair back and strode firmly to the exportation border post where she had to pass through to get out of the station. Getting in line, she hoped they would a
llow her to pass as she had no ID.
When it was her turn, she smiled at the officer behind the stand. “Hello, sir, I am Svetiessa Ritrova. Unfortunately, I left in a hurry and didn’t bring my proof of residency.”
He shook his head as his eyes lit over her body, up and down over the slacks and blouse outlining her astounding figure. “I cannot allow you to pass without your proper identification. I am aware of course,” he reddened slightly, “that you are the Prințesă Svetiessa, but, I could be arrested if I do not vid your identification. I-”
“That is not necessary, officer, we will take charge of her.” Two huge, stiff-faced bulk-muscled men in red and blue uniforms suddenly flanked her.
“Well, uh…” the officer blanched, unsure how to proceed.
The guards didn’t wait for his response, one took Sveti’s arm, the other her bag, and walked her though the boisterous throng and out the door.
Outside, five more guards waited. Sveti bit back a smile, Krystian had expected trouble, assumed that she wouldn’t have come alone as he had commanded.
The guards ushered her into a small airjet, three guards climbed in with her, while the other four boarded another one to follow them. They were airborne in seconds. No one spoke.
Thirty minutes later the airjet slid into a garage station attached to the castle and parked. The two guards helped Sveti out and down the few steps to the ground.
They ushered her to the entrance of the ivory granitium castle.
Without pause or ceremony, they brought her inside, through the grand, polished marble antechamber, down a corridor to a huge salon. The back was all glass, floor to ceiling.
White and gold extravagant furniture sat atop snow-white luxurious carpeting, hedonistic opulence ran amok throughout the grand palace.
Krystian stood in the center of the room, like a statue. A tall, strong, auburn haired, sapphire-eyed psychopathic statue. His face was a handsome blank veneer.
But Sveti knew him well. His eyes were raging storms of vengeful fury, and she could see in them and the cruel curl of his lip the promise that he was going to hurt her. With triumphant joy.
Devil's Prince (Satan's Brood Book 1) Page 24
