His Virgin Princess

by Grace Goodwin

  “Bed. Now.” He was perfect. Magnificent. Hard slabs of muscle, broad shoulders, narrow waist, thrusting cock, fluid pearling at the tip. He was all mine. Every delicious inch of him.

  I bit my lip to keep from smiling as I walked into the bedroom. I heard him follow and I went to the bed, looked over my shoulder at him, knew he was watching my every move.

  I knew the ReGen pod had healed my ankle, but I felt rejuvenated. As if I’d had the best night’s sleep ever. It made me…bold. While I was hot for Gage, I didn’t know exactly what was coming next. He did. And that made me want to tease him. To make him crazy, well, for me.

  I leaned forward, put my hands on the bed, my bottom out. He’d already claimed me there, the most intimate of acts, so I shouldn’t feel modest.

  I didn’t. The opposite, in fact.

  “Like this?” I wiggled my bottom, knew he could see everything. My wet pussy—I was so wet my thighs were slick with it—and my breasts thrust out beneath me.

  “Mate, you are being very naughty,” he commented, striding toward me, his cock thrust out, aiming straight for me.

  And he liked me naughty. The turn of his lip, the way his eyes darkened impossibly further as he eyed me in my provocative position. My pussy in the air and on display. It was a deliberate taunt, a temptation I did not want him to resist.

  I wanted him to be mine. All mine. Officially. Legally. Every way I could claim him. I wanted his seed inside me. His child in my womb. His cock? His body? His mind? His heart? His soul? His seed?

  Mine.

  I dropped lower to my forearms as he closed the distance. He stood behind me, his hand caressing my bottom. “You need to feel my palm?” he asked as he lifted his hand, brought it down. The crack of it filled the room and I startled.

  It wasn’t all that hard of a spanking, only a slight sting accompanied it.

  I closed my eyes, reveled in the feel. He gave me another playful swat, then slid his fingers over my pussy.

  I cried out, tossed my head back and stared at the far wall. “Gage!” I gasped as he circled my entrance. I pushed my hips back, hoping they’d sink into me again. My pussy actually hurt. So swollen. So empty.

  I knew what it was like to be filled, but only in my ass. My pussy ached being so empty, needing his cock deep to clench and squeeze, to milk every drop of his seed.

  “Greedy, too,” he said. While the sound was rough with need, it was playful.

  “More.”

  He gave me another soft swat, this time to the other side of my bottom. “I’m in charge now, mate. You rule my cock, but I say when it’s going to sink into that pussy.”

  “As long as it’s now,” I replied seriously. His fingers had gone beyond teasing, especially when they flicked over my clit with expert precision.

  I was lifted and turned, tossed onto the bed on my back. I bounced once, then settled with my head on the pillows. Gage put one knee on the bed and moved over me, a hand on the side of my head propping him up. He grabbed his cock at the base, stroked up and down the long length.

  “Like I said, mate, you rule me. Heart and soul. This cock, it’s all yours. This seed?” He swiped his thumb over the tip, collected the fluid and brought it to my lips. I flicked my tongue out, licked the tangy drop. His eyes followed my action and he stopped talking, stopped breathing for a moment. “It’s all for you. It’s going in that pussy. I’m going to fill you with my cock, then fill you with my seed. If the gods see fit, we will make a baby this very first time.”

  The idea of making a baby with him had me squirming, but I was pinned in place by his dark gaze.

  “But know this. You are mine. I claim you, Danielle from Earth, as my Marked Mate.”

  He reached down, placed my hand over his on his cock and guided it toward my entrance. I spread my legs wider so I made room for him between.

  “And you are mine,” I whispered.

  I felt the broad head slide over my folds, felt it catch at my entrance, settle there. Our eyes met as I took his hand from his cock, held it, entwined our fingers, pressed our Marks together so the heat of it coursed through both of us.

  He pressed forward, sinking into me. I couldn’t look away. Wouldn’t. This was the moment I became his. His cock was going where no other had been, where no other would ever go.

  My eyes widened as he stretched me, watched as his darkened impossibly further. He sank in more, then more still. I caught my breath as he went all the way into me, his hips pressing into mine.

  I was so full, I didn’t know where Gage ended and I began. We were one.

  “Mine,” he growled.

  I could do nothing but nod, my inner walls rippling and clenching, adjusting to his invasion. He was big and thick and hot and I had taken every inch of him.

  Sweat beaded at his brow as he held himself still, as our marks pulsed in coordination with our heartbeats.

  He pulled back and I gasped. He groaned. The friction made my body heat, the need to come so great. There had been no pain and I would not worry about why I didn’t have any or question it now. I only saw Gage, only thought of him. Felt him. Breathed him.

  “You’re so tight. So hot. Wet,” he murmured, shifting his hips, slowly fucking me. This wasn’t playful any longer. This was…making love. The connection was real, intense. The feelings indescribable.

  His strokes became longer and I began to meet him, finding our rhythm, a tempo as old as time.

  “Gage, I’m going to come,” I gasped when he circled over my clit, rubbing it just right.

  “Come for me. Come all over my cock and I’ll follow you.”

  I arched my back, took him deeper and did just that. I came, hard. Powerfully. I felt a bright sear of pain in my palm as I heard Gage groan, felt him thicken, then spurt deep inside.

  The pleasure continued, but the mark went silent, as if the connection was complete, that we didn’t need it any longer as a guide to find each other. This was where Marked Mates were supposed to be. Together. One. Seed filling my womb and continuing his line. Our destiny.

  11

  Dani

  “Is it official?”

  Katie opened the door to my dressing room and walked in wearing a gorgeous blue ball gown that brought out the color of her eyes to perfection. The A-line skirt was the hue of a dark, turbulent ocean. But the fitted top was off the shoulder and covered with a delicate and artful black appliqué lace. Lexi walked in right behind her wearing a stunning black-on-black ball gown. Her dark hair and eyes made her look like a Greek goddess.

  I felt my cheeks heating at Katie’s question and I turned back to stare at the stranger I saw in the mirror. Me. In a gown and not a pair of jeans and hiking boots. The dress was a champagne colored confection, silk under a tulle so fine that it looked like air. The bodice hugged my small frame. My shoulders and arms were bare, covered only in more of the sheer fabric embroidered with the most beautiful flowers I had ever seen. They flowed randomly around the gown, across the top of my breasts down to my waist and graced the hem. I loved it.

  “Well?” Katie prompted.

  “Yes. He's mine.”

  It was just before the ascension ceremony and Gage had allowed me—as if—to go off with Katie and Lexi to get dressed in our fancy gowns. Of course, Von was nearby as well as a few other guards for protection. I was thankful that my two BFFs had found a dress for me while I’d been in the med center and…well, busy with Gage.

  My friends broke into squeals and rushed me, all three of our large skirts competing for space.

  “Okay, okay!” I laughed at their excitement, but also because my face heated thinking about all the things Gage had done to me, all the places he’d touched and kissed and…explored. Not just the first time, but…all night long.

  And how much I’d loved it. Begged him not to stop.

  How could I face my friends after doing so many wicked and naughty things?

  But judging by the knowing looks on both of their faces, they knew exactly what kind
of night I’d just had.

  “Bunch of lucky bitches, eh?” Katie asked, grinning.

  Lexi fussed with the full skirt of my dress. “Definitely.” She stepped back, shaking her head. “That dress is too good to be real.”

  “I know, right? Thank you guys so much for finding it for me.” I spun in a circle, admiring the full skirt, the lovely champagne color that made my hair look even more golden than usual. My eyes stood out like huge pools of blue and even I had to admit, I looked like a fairy princess. And ridiculously enough, I was one. “I can’t believe that’s me.”

  “Believe it.” Katie smiled and raised one brow. “But we didn’t pick it out. In fact, this is the first time we’ve seen it.”

  “Then who?” I asked.

  “It was Mauve. I heard her talking to Gage about your gown, and Rayla’s.” Lexi smiled, looked as happy as I felt. “Wherever you got it, you’re going to bring your man to his knees in that dress.”

  I giggled. I couldn’t help it, and let the truth pop out. “That’s where he was last night.” Licking me. Tasting me. Making me beg, and squirm, and break into a million pieces so he could put me back together again.

  “So was Von,” Lexi said with a deadpan face. “I came twice before he would let me sit down.”

  The silence was deafening until I glanced at Katie and we both burst out laughing.

  We were all smiling when I turned back to the mirror, still speechless at the vision staring back at me. “That is not me. That can’t be me.”

  My golden hair was piled on top of my head in an elaborate up-do that had taken over an hour. I glanced over and caught Lexi watching me.

  “You really do look like a princess.”

  Katie clapped her hands and nodded. “Ab-so-fucking-lutely.”

  I held out my arms and my friends stepped closer so I could pull them to my sides with my hands around their waists. We stood shoulder to shoulder and I could see all three of us in the mirror. “Look at us. We should be at Disney World. God, I remember freaking out at the Interstellar Bride processing center. If I’d known life was going to turn out to be this awesome, I would have signed up sooner.”

  Lexi leaned her head down on my shoulder. “Best friends for life, right? No matter what?”

  “No matter what.”

  “No matter what,” Katie said.

  A second later a sharp knock on the door interrupted.

  “Hello in there. Danielle? It’s time to go.”

  Mauve.

  Lexi grabbed one hand and Katie the other and I rolled my eyes. It seemed having a crazy mother-in-law wasn’t solely an issue on Earth.

  I took a deep breath. “Okay, let's do this.”

  Another knock and then the door to my dressing room opened. Mauve peeked her head around the corner. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” Taking every last ounce of strength I could from my friends, I squeezed their hands tightly, let go and walked toward my future. I had no idea how to be a princess. None. I was a wilderness guide more comfortable in a fishing boat than a ballroom. It wasn’t as if I’d been given any kind of lessons on being royal. Gage didn’t have any expectations for me other than being myself, but what about Mauve, the people of Everis?

  Mauve stepped fully into the room, tilted her head and smiled at me. “You look lovely, dear.”

  Wow. That was a surprise. I’d expected a snarky response, a haughty gaze down her slim nose, but not that. I cleared my throat.

  “Thank you.” Glancing down at the dress, then back up at her, I said, “I can't figure out how it's so sparkly. It's like it's been glittered with pixie dust.”

  Mauve looked confused but shook her head before bending down to straighten an imaginary wrinkle. “Nonsense, child. That's diamond dust from the family mines.”

  Diamond dust?

  “Holy shit.” The words exploded from Katie's mouth, but Mauve’s grin was hidden from my friend as Katie practically stuttered. “Did you just say she is literally wearing ground up diamonds?”

  Mauve straightened, her shoulders stiffer than I had ever seen them. She looked lovely, her brown hair not yet gray, her green eyes sparkling. She was an older version of Rayla and time had been kind to her. “Our family is famous for their diamond mines. It is tradition. Gage selected the diamonds himself.”

  I looked down at the dress with new eyes, imagining my mate sifting through a mine, or a selection of diamonds, choosing which ones would be destroyed just so that my gown could glitter. When had he even had a chance to do that?

  I looked back up at her. “That seems like a terrible waste of diamonds.”

  She smiled and there was nothing tame or gentle in it. I saw the political tigress, the woman Gage claimed was feared and respected as a savvy adversary in the highest political arenas. I saw the calculation and cunning and vowed I would do my best to make this woman my friend. It was a much better choice than enemy.

  But hey, at least she’d be protective of any grandchildren, right?

  “Exactly the point.” She looked pleased, which, I guessed, was more than good enough for the moment. “And the gown will go on display in the royal museum after the ascension.”

  “Another tradition?” I asked.

  “Yes. Your gown and Gage’s suit will be displayed in the capital for all to see.”

  With a shrug, I admired the dress, glad to know that it wouldn’t languish in a closet after the event. Besides, there was nothing I could do about it now except enjoy and appreciate how spectacular it was. I looked over my shoulder at my friends.

  Lexi looked stunned. “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.”

  Katie laughed. “And you two stopped me from calling in for that reward. Diamond dresses.” She looked to Mauve. “Does Rayla have one like that, too?”

  “Of course.”

  Lexi just shook her head and chuckled. “Knock it off. Let's go turn our best friend into a princess.”

  We followed Mauve out of the room, my heart beating faster than a hummingbird's wings. But one thought kept me steady, kept my chin high and my shoulders back.

  Gage was waiting for me. My mate.

  I would not embarrass him. I would not fail him.

  No, I was going to love him, fight for him, be whatever he needed me to be. Even a princess in a fairy godmother-created gown.

  I just had to do it in front of the whole planet.

  No pressure. None at all.

  12

  Gage

  Everyone was assembled. The circle of the Seven in the center of the Everian capital’s ruling council chambers was empty. As I stood in the antechamber with my fellow council members, I realized that I would be the youngest councilor in a very long time. The youngest member here.

  Our leader, a wise woman in her eighties, was known for being both powerful and pragmatic. She was also nearly three times my age.

  She was not to be trifled with, and I hoped she would survive for many years as the next two in line to replace her cared more about power and less about the people.

  As I stood in my knee-high black boots, tightly formed black pants, black shirt and jacket adorned with all the medals and ribbons of my family's history, the weight of the moment, of the oath I was about to take, of the pain and loss of my father, threatened to buckle my knees.

  I did not want to be here.

  I had never wanted to be here.

  My father should have lived another twenty or thirty years. Perhaps by then I would have been ready to take his lofty place. But my father had not raised me to shirk my duty. I was his son, the last of our bloodline, the only heir to over a thousand years of history.

  Unless my child had already taken root in my mate’s womb. The night before, I’d certainly filled her with enough of my seed to make it possible. For my people, for her, for our future children, I could and would do anything, make any sacrifice, even stand here and await my ascension.

  And so I stood proudly, waiting for the one thing in my life that was mine, trul
y mine. The one person who made me truly happy.

  A bell rang, signaling the arrival of my mate and my mother, of the official start of the ceremony. The ushers escorted the seventy-seven judges and seventy-seven senators to their seats. When that was done, a nod was given and our leader led us down the long aisle in a procession.

  I was last among them, seventh in line, and as they took their places, circling the round table, I walked up to the empty seat that had belonged to my father and silence fell in the room.

  With a quick glance to the side of the room, I saw my mate standing with the others.

  Holy fuck, she was lovely. Regal. The perfect vision of a princess. But I knew the real Dani, the one without the diamond dust, the makeup and the styled hair. I knew her naked and open. Bare of everything but just…her. Hair wild and tangled from my fingers. Lips red not from coloring, but from my kisses. Her small hands, I knew how they felt gripping my cock. Her legs, long and lean, powerful and strong as she walked from the Touchstone to find and save me. But that was her body. It was her brain, her smarts, her keen Hunter sense, that I loved. I craved. Not that any body would do, but I would take Dani in any body, as along as she was mine. Beside me. With me. Beneath me.

  My mother and sister were on Dani’s right. Her friends, Katie and Lexi, on her left and surrounding them, Von, Bryn, Elon and a handful of other guards I recognized. Elon stood with Geoffrey and Thomar. Elon’s gaze was solely on Rayla, not the proceedings before him. Luckily, the other two looked more than serious enough to make up for it, their gazes scanning the crowd for every threat. I knew Von had additional men stationed around the assembly, his Elite Hunters blending in with the rest, watching everyone and everything, determined to keep me safe.

  I had pulled each and every man aside and told them to protect my mate first. Not one had argued, which had saved me from replacing any of Von’s men with some of my mother’s.

  All eyes were on the empty table at the center of the room, the procession and ascension that only took place when one of the royal members’ seats was taken by an heir. The last time all those gathered today had been in one room had been when my father stood where I stand now, ready to claim his place in history.