Paladin's Pride 3: Her Forever Knight

by Angelina Evans

  He rubbed his chin against her hair again and his arm tightened around her. They would be joined within the hour. Paladin would stand with him. There would be no waiting. She was his and he was claiming her.

  The low, red-gold buildings of the pride headquarters came into view over a low rise. The compound was deceptively open and had been misjudged in the past as an easy target by rival prides and off-worlders alike. Genae would be safer in Boujara than anywhere else in the universe. Until the information was retrieved, she was a global treasure.

  A smile lit his eyes. She probably wouldn’t like all the security she would be surrounded by but no one was going to take any chances with her safety. He would see to that personally.

  His expression darkened and he looked down at Genae, her face raised slightly to his, her hair a wild mop of black curls, her lashes thick black fans against her cheeks. She might not mind the security at all. No doubt she had been used to having her own guards before she’d run from the president.

  He looked back up at Boujara, his expression grim. He could never provide her with the wealth and position of the president. He was a member of Paladin’s pride. A VanDai warrior. His life had been and always would be the protection of his planet and people. It was a simple life and more difficult than she was used to but she would come to accept it as she came to love him.

  A low moan made him aware of his unsheathed claws digging into her side. Her brows were drawn together in a frown as she shifted against him. He retracted his claws and watched the main gate of the compound open. He wouldn’t accept anything less than everything from her. Her body, her heart, her very soul if that were possible.

  The floater sped through the gate as it was still opening. It passed through without scraping and zipped to the main building. The driver pulled to a smooth stop and set the vehicle on the ground without jostling any of his passengers.

  * * *

  Moulina watched the floater settle. She could barely make out the woman cradled in Kai’s arms through the thick wall of VanDai warriors guarding her.

  Her lips thinned and her nostrils flared in distaste as she watched the group start to exit the floater. She wanted Paladin here. Chances were good no one would be killed but with luck, there would be injuries. If Paladin were one of them, it would be very sweet indeed.

  Chapter 4

  A Warning Given

  Two guards stepped out of the floater and turned back to help Genae but stepped back when they saw Kai would accept no assistance with his woman.

  Kai’s heart melted as he looked down at her. The circles under her eyes had gotten bigger and darker each day he’d known her. Her exhaustion had finally caught up with her. Even though she was on an unfamiliar planet among unfamiliar people, she was sound asleep. And he wasn’t going to wake her. Anything anyone wanted to know, they would have to talk to him about. When Genae woke, she could answer questions but he wasn’t going to let them bother her now.

  His jaw set, he caught Genae up in his arms, rose to his feet and stepped out of the floater.

  * * *

  Moulina watched as Kai lifted the woman into his arms. She wanted to spit. If she weren’t the president’s daughter, if she didn’t have the information they wanted, Kai would have as much use for her as Paladin had for herself. If the woman was already in love with Kai, Moulina was doing her a favor by killing her. And it would be the first step in Paladin’s capture, torture and death. She had a League general’s promise on that.

  Smiling, she took one disk from her pocket, rotated the inner circle of the tiny device and pushed it into a chink of the stone archway. Slowly, she finished dusting that side and moved to the other. She took the second disk, activated it and pushed it into a crack in the stone.

  She looked over her shoulder and shook her head as she walked away. All those big VanDai warriors were armed and ready to fight any outside threat. Not one of them thought to look inside their own city. Not even the great Paladin himself.

  * * *

  A tall, thin VanDai male rushed up to them. “Paladin is waiting in the main conference hall. He wants to see you and the woman immediately.”

  Kai ignored him and strode away from the Palladium toward his own quarters in one of the outer buildings.

  “Kai! Paladin is waiting.”

  He ignored Jerill’s panicked words and kept walking.

  Thunder boomed. Rock chips and small boulders flew through the air. Kai threw himself to the ground, rolled and covered Genae with his body. He scanned the courtyard even as he reached for his weapons. The entrance to the main building was gone. The archway was filled with debris. Dust clogged the air.

  “Who tried to kill us this time?” Genae asked, her tone tired, almost defeated.

  Kai’s eyes never stopped moving as he kept her pinned under him. He wasn’t fooled by her tone. Her breasts crushed to his chest, he could feel her heart racing. He’d thought she was safe here. This was his home. His sanctuary and someone had defiled it. “I don’t know, but I will find out,” he vowed. Whoever had done this would pay.

  Guards raced to surround them. Weapons drawn, they faced out, ready for anything that came against them. Thunder boomed again. Rocks exploded and showered the courtyard.

  “Find out who set those charges and where they were detonated from. Bring me the body of the person who did it.” The furious roar preceded the huge VanDai warrior who burst through the remaining rubble blocking the destroyed entrance. Black, pitiless eyes searched the courtyard and settled on Kai as he strode toward the small group, a tazer star in one hand and a blaster in the other.

  “Get them off the ground,” the huge male thundered as he reached them. His eyes never settled. He constantly searched the courtyard, the buildings on one side and the wall on the other.

  Hands grabbed Kai’s arms and pulled him from the ground. He allowed them to lift him but he never released Genae. He kept one arm locked around her. In his other hand he held his own tazer star. He wanted someone to kill. Someone had tried to hurt Genae again and he wanted them dead.

  “Are you hurt?” The huge VanDai’s voice was muted thunder as he stepped in front of Kai and Genae, his body completely blocking Genae and doing a good job of blocking Kai. He moved forward and the guards moved with him as a solid wall.

  Inside the flesh and blood blockade, Kai kept himself and Genae moving forward. He searched the courtyard but there was nothing and no one to see. Whoever had set off the charges was well hidden if they were even still in the vicinity.

  “No. Where to?” Who would betray the pride? He would have bet his life, had bet his life and Genae’s that there wasn’t one warrior who would dishonor the bonds of the group.

  “My quarters.”

  Kai nodded. Paladin didn’t worry much about his own security but those who followed him did. His quarters were the most secure in Boujara. If Genae was going to be safe anywhere, it would be there.

  Kai kept Genae locked to him with one arm. He made sure she was between himself and Paladin. No one was going to touch her and live. Some VanDai males never found the woman they would formally mate with. He had and he wasn’t going to lose her.

  Fury raged through him. His own home wasn’t secure. He’d brought her to Sai-sen-Sai to keep her safe and she could have died within moments of stepping foot in his city. Never releasing his grip on his tazer star, he half carried her up the steps as he followed Paladin.

  Paladin stepped over and powered through the debris. Two VanDai warriors rushed forward to help. Kai searched the darker anterior, trusting the men at his back to watch the courtyard. They were all vulnerable and he didn’t like it. There could be more charges. Someone could be hidden with a blaster or even farther out with a laser.

  With a low rumble, the debris shifted. A huge chunk of rock fell from the ceiling, hit the floor and cracked, the sound earsplitting. Kai felt Genae flinch and his arm tightened around her. His jaw clenched and silently he swore. She should have been safe here. This was h
is home.

  Paladin reached over the rubble and plucked Genae from his grasp. Kai leapt over the massive pile of stone and immediately took her back. He would trust Paladin with his life and often had. He trusted no one with Genae.

  “Find the explosives and bring me a body,” Paladin ordered as he led the way to the right and down a long hall.

  VanDai warriors split from the gathering crowd and converged on the rubble. The crash and thunder of boulders being thrown and hitting the ground, the slithering rush of rubble falling filled the air with noise as dust plumed up in a fine, choking mist.

  Genae started coughing and Kai swung her up in his arms as Paladin picked up the pace. Moments later they turned down another hall and halfway down it they stopped. Paladin touched his fingertips to a sensor lock before pressing his palm to it. The door slid open and Paladin, followed by Kai, stepped inside. The door slid shut behind them and Kai set Genae on her feet. His hands tightened into fists as he released her. He didn’t want to let her go. He wanted to keep her safe in his arms but he couldn’t do that and search for the traitor who had tried to kill her.

  His expression turned grim as he looked at her. Her black curls were frosted with a thick coat of dust. Her face was smudged and her dress showed the effects of being flung to the ground. There was a rip over the right side of her ribs.

  His eyes narrowed on the raw red mark that showed through the tear.

  “Settle her then join me.”

  He looked at Paladin and nodded. “I want two guards at the door. I’ll reset the sensor lock to admit only you, myself and them.”

  Paladin lifted one brow. “I thought you would demand at least four guards.”

  “The warriors I want will fight like six.”

  “Marik and Challen.”

  Kai nodded.

  “Done.” Paladin turned and strode through the door as it opened.

  Kai looked at Genae and his heart beat harder in his chest. He could have lost her and he hadn’t even seen it coming. “I brought you here where I could keep you safe and almost got you killed.”

  Genae’s heart turned over at his words. “You mean I almost got you killed. Again.” She reached up and touched his face, brushed her fingers over his high cheekbones, traced the contour of his lips. She couldn’t imagine his fierce presence being gone. He was so solid and alive, he burned with a vitality she could only admire and marvel at. It seemed impossible that she could lose him and yet it could happen so easily.

  She took a deep, shuddering breath. The League President’s influence reached even here. Deep inside it hurt to think that, because of her, Kai’s belief in his own people was shaken. The ramifications of what she’d done kept growing. The ripples that had started when she dropped the pebble had turned into a tidal wave.

  “I’ll have food brought to you. There’s a cleansing pool and a bed. Use both.”

  Genae frowned up at him. “Are you trying to say something about my hygiene?” She tried to sound indignant but the effect was ruined as the left shoulder of her gown slid down and dust wafted into the air.

  Kai smoothed his hand over her bare shoulder and pushed the material off her other shoulder. His eyes darkened and his eyelids lowered. One claw extended and he ran the razor sharp tip over her dress down the center of her body. There was a slight hiss as the material split.

  Pushing the material aside, he studied her breasts. Satisfaction made his golden eyes glow as her nipples hardened, jutting toward him in silent offering.

  “I’ll help you get cleaned up when I come back.”

  She shivered at the dark sensuality of his voice. “I’ll take you up on that,” she whispered, her throat tight with her own need. Her heart pounded in her chest as shivers coursed down her spine and tightened her breasts.

  Kai grasped her breasts and pulled her to him. He swooped down, caught her mouth with his. He forced her lips apart and entered her with his tongue. He took her, his breath replacing hers as his tongue dueled with hers and his hands kneaded her breasts.

  He wedged his leg between hers and lifted her off her feet. She cried into his mouth as she rocked on his hard thigh, grinding herself against him.

  Abruptly, Kai lifted her away from him. His eyes blazed down at her. His grip on her arms was almost punishing. “If you need anything, pull this lever.” He walked to a sculpture of a great stalking cat and grasped the long tail.

  “What will that do? Set off all sorts of alarms?” She glared at him. She wanted him to finish what he’d started, not leave her alone.

  “Yes.” He strode toward her, leaned down and kissed her, his hand grasping the nape of her neck. “Stay in this room,” he ordered.

  Genae opened her mouth but never got to respond as he strode away. Her breasts bare and aching, her vagina empty and weeping, she watched the door close behind him.

  Chapter 5

  More Than Threats

  Genae watched the door for long minutes after he was gone. Why couldn’t they just be together? Why couldn’t her father be the man he was supposed to be? Eyes closed, she clenched her fists and fought back a scream. Why?

  Her thoughts spun back to Kai. Her chest tight, she cupped her breasts. Her breath caught as her nipples pressed against her palms. She wanted him. She wanted his hands on her. His thumbs rubbing her nipples, his claws scraping over them, light and teasing with a hint of danger that made her insides quiver.

  Still holding her breasts, she opened her eyes and looked around the room for the first time. It was stark. The floor bare, nothing on the walls except the one sculpture and it definitely had a purpose.

  She wrinkled her nose, turned and whistled. Kai had called the bath a cleansing pool. It would be better named a lake. It was huge. The bed, placed in a recessed alcove, was built along the same gargantuan lines. There was no way she could sleep in it on her own. She’d never find her way back out.

  She breathed a sigh of relief as some of the sexual tension started to recede. Kai had a powerful effect on her. He made it hard to think or reason or even breathe.

  Hands cupped to her breasts, she walked around the room. No doubt he’d left her in a shredded gown for two reasons. She wasn’t likely to leave without clothes and when he returned she would certainly be accessible.

  She felt heat climb her cheeks and smiled. She didn’t mind being accessible for him. But she didn’t like being at a disadvantage and being naked when someone was trying to kill her felt distinctly like a disadvantage.

  It took two circuits around the room before she discovered its false wall. Set at an odd angle it gave the illusion of being flush with the apparently adjoining wall but was actually free standing.

  She walked around the end and her jaw dropped. One side was a garment storage area. Clothes were hung, draped and shelved. It was the other side, though, that was truly impressive.

  Weapons lined the wall. Blasters. Tazer stars. Laser whips. Laser rifles. Frelik charges and other devices she couldn’t name. She started to reach out and stopped. What kind of man kept an arsenal in his bedroom?

  She hurried across the room and reached for a shirt.

  “This room is like the VanDai. Full of hidden depths.”

  Genae stopped short and spun around at the sound of the voice behind her. Her hands flew to cover her breasts as she saw the woman watching her. “Who are you?” She looked past the woman but there was nothing to see except the wall.

  “Moulina. I’m in charge of the domestic side of the household. And until two days ago I was Paladin’s mistress.”

  Genae tried to smile. Moulina was the most feline being she’d ever seen. Beautiful and overtly sensual. Men would have a hard time walking past the woman without salivating. Her figure was purely feminine. Large breasts, tiny waist, full hips. Her lips were full, her eyes half-slumberous and her hair a tumble of waving curls.

  She was also the kind of woman no other woman would ever be comfortable around. There was something about her that seethed.

 
“Did someone send you to see if I needed something?” Even as Genae asked the question, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Kai had said he was resetting the door lock for himself, Paladin and the two guards. How had this woman gotten in?

  Moulina smiled, the expression sly. “Poor little rich girl,” she purred. “Used to having others see to your every need. Your time with Kai must have been hard for you. Having to fend for yourself. No one to fetch and carry for you.”

  Genae shrugged. Her heart thundered in her chest and it was hard to breathe. The safest place on the planet and she was going to get killed in it.

  “You set the charges?”

  Moulina’s smile grew. “There was a chance you would be caught in the blast but it wasn’t likely. Having Paladin put you here? The explosion made that a certainty.”

  Genae edged toward the wall of weapons, her hands still covering her breasts.

  “Don’t.” Moulina’s tone was sharp, her lips curled in a sneer. She lifted one hand and waved a tazer star at Genae. “I’m going to kill you. It’s up to you if I hurt you first.”

  Genae froze. Her heart leapt into her throat, choking her. Where was Kai? “Why would you betray your people? The information I carry will keep entire species alive. It will keep your species alive. Being Paladin’s mistress couldn’t be worth that much.”

  Moulina’s eyes narrowed and she hissed. “His mistress? I wanted to be his mate. On Sai-sen-Sai he is a king. As his mate, I would have been a queen.” She stepped forward, her eyes glinting as she lifted her other hand and showed Genae a silver, palm-sized device. “You’ve never been poor, or hungry, or unwanted, have you, Miss Privileged? You’ve never worried about where you would go or what would become of you if the man you were with threw you away.”