Runaway Heart

by Scarlet Day

  “I love you, Karinna.” Then he stalked out the door and Kari was alone.

  * * * *

  Kari stared at the closed door as the small spark of hope that had ignited in her heart turned to ice. Whoever Jaren was, he wouldn’t be able to settle down into an anonymous life with her. Not if he was a lord. If he were close enough to the king of his homeworld to be receiving communications from him, then he would not be able to just disappear. Which meant she would not be able to stay with him. At least, not without putting him in danger. She choked back a sob as she realized how much the thought of leaving him hurt. Something inside of her had changed last night. Somehow, she was now connected to him. The thought of putting him in danger was unbearable, but running away from him seemed almost as bad.

  Kari didn’t know how long she sat there, but she finally got out of bed and went into the sanitizer room to clean up. The sanitizing beams did nothing to calm her raw nerves. She wished she could take a hot water shower to sooth her tense muscles and warm her suddenly chilled body. She stepped out of the sanitizing stall and brushed out her hair, then dressed in the trousers and shirt Jaren had purchased for her at the space station.

  She didn’t want to think about what had happened with Bores. He had come so close to taking her. If Jaren had not come in time… She shuddered, deciding that she was not going to dwell on that. She had other things to worry about right now.

  The trousers Jaren had bought for her were either made for a male or a very tall female. She had to roll them up to keep from stepping on them and she found a leather strap that she could use as a belt to keep them from falling down. The shirt was too big as well and almost touched her knees, but with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows it at least served its function. It wasn’t fancy, but that suited her just fine.

  She went to the food dispenser and ordered a much-needed cup of caf. The warm cup in her hands felt like the only warmth in her whole body. There was a comfortable leather armchair next to the small desk on the other side of the room from the bed. Kari settled herself in the chair with her legs curled under her and waited for Jaren to return.

  It was time for them to have a talk. She accepted the fact that she had, without a doubt, fallen completely in love with him, even though they had only known each other for a few days. But what her heart wanted would not be possible if it meant putting Jaren in danger. She fought back the tears that wanted to spill from her eyes and tried to resign herself to the knowledge that her heart was likely about to be broken. Her heart, however, kept trying to convince her that the situation might not be as bad as she feared. That small hope kept trying to thaw out and flare back to life.

  It felt like an eternity before the door slid open and Jaren appeared. Kari didn’t say anything as he stopped to look at her with a weary expression on his handsome face, and then he turned to the food dispenser to retrieve his own cup of caf. He took a long drink before turning to face her, and then he leaned back against the wall, looking down into his cup.

  “Who are you, Jaren?” Kari meant the words to come out hard and demanding, but all she could manage was a whisper.

  Jaren’s jaw tightened as he continued to stare into his cup. Finally, he raised his eyes to hers and took a deep breath. “I am High Prince Jaren, first heir to the throne of Aldryss.”

  Kari went numb. Her mind reeled at Jaren’s declaration. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, her chest felt constricted. She thought her heart might actually stop beating, or even explode, the pain and shock was so great. It was much, much worse than she feared. He wasn’t just a superior officer in some military on a distant planet. He wasn’t even just a titled lord.

  Of all the ships Kari could have gotten on, she had to get on the one carrying a blasted future king! And then she had to go and fall in love with him!

  Kari swore—not a normal occurrence, but nothing about this situation was normal. Jaren raised his eyebrows at the outburst but remained silent. Kari just continued to gape at him, processing the implications of his birthright. Now she knew for certain there was no way she could stay with him and avoid her father’s attention. Knowing her father, he would stop at nothing to make her pay for defying him, including declaring war on another planet. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Her life wasn’t worth an entire planet.

  Trying to be strong, she met Jaren’s hard look with one of her own and put as much steel as she could muster into her voice. “You have to take me back.”

  “No.”

  Kari blinked, then glared at him in shock. “You have no idea what my father is capable of. He would kill you and everyone you know for defying him.”

  “He can try.” Jaren’s voice was calm, like he wasn’t even worried about it.

  Kari couldn’t believe Jaren’s cavalier attitude. He obviously had no idea what the stakes would be if she didn’t return to Montore. She was going to have to educate him.

  “Dammit, Jaren! You don’t get it, do you?” Kari demanded as she slammed her cup down on the desk, sloshing out the liquid, and stalked toward Jaren. She poked her finger forcefully at his chest, emphasizing each word. “You. Can’t. Win. This. Fight!”

  In one motion, Jaren threw his cup across the room and grabbed Kari by the waist, spinning them around so that her back was to the wall. He had both of her wrists captured in one of his big hands, pinning them above her, with his hard body pressed against hers. Kari wasn’t sure how he had managed to move so quickly.

  “You doubt my ability to protect you?” His voice was harsh and demanding. Kari was stunned by the speed and roughness of his response. Rather than being offended by it, Kari found herself responding in a completely unexpected way. She shivered and felt heat spread through her body. Her breathing became shallow, and she licked her lips nervously. Jaren inhaled deeply, and she knew he could smell her wet desire.

  “No.” Kari’s voice was breathless. “I don’t doubt you. But I can’t let you put yourself or your people in danger for me.”

  “My Karinna, even now two of your brothers are on their way to Aldryss to demand your return and escort you back to Montore. You will not be going back. My people will defend a sha-lia with their lives. You will not persuade us to do otherwise.”

  “Do I get a say in this?” If he was going to be stubborn, then so could she.

  “No.” His lips descended on hers with a crushing intensity that left nothing else to discuss.

  He dominated her mouth with a ferocity that took her breath away and almost made her forget what they were arguing about. Kari was helpless against the onslaught of his lips and his probing tongue. With a moan, she surrendered to him and the desires of her traitorous body. She leaned into him, and Jaren growled his pleasure. With his free hand, he untied the belt at Kari’s waist and let her pants fall to her ankles. He unfastened his trousers and shoved them over his hips, his erect cock springing free and providing evidence of his desire. He placed his hand under her ass and hoisted her up effortlessly. The loose pants around her ankles fell to the floor. Taking the hint, Kari wrapped both legs around his waist and locked her ankles at his back. Without hesitating, Jaren slammed his hard shaft inside of her. Both of them cried out at as he seated himself fully in one thrust. He pulled almost all the way out and then pounded back into her, sliding against her slick walls. He slammed into her again and again. He gave her no mercy as she cried out with each thrust.

  Karinna had always been willful, never truly submitting to anyone, even her father. But with each forceful thrust, she felt her will falling away. She knew she had finally met the one man she would submit to. She was powerless to do anything else.

  “You are mine, Karinna. You will never leave me,” he growled. “Say it, sha-lia.”

  She couldn’t help herself. She knew what he said was true. “Yes, Jaren! Yes, I’m yours!”

  He thrust again. “And you will never leave me. Say it!”

  “No! I won’t leave you!” Her need rose until she couldn’t stand anymore, and she arche
d against him to get more contact.

  With one last powerful thrust, he seated himself completely and rocked his pelvis, pressing into her clit. She cried out as her climax hit her with the force of an exploding star. Jaren followed with his own shout as Kari’s hot walls clamped down and milked his seed from him.

  Releasing her wrists, Jaren rubbed her hands between his own to restore the blood flow. She lowered her legs from around his hips, but her legs felt like they had turned to mush. Jaren wrapped his arms around her waist to support her and leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. His eyes still glowed from the intensity of their joining.

  “Whatever comes, sha-lia, we will face it together.”

  * * *

  Chapter Ten

  “Have you ever been off your home planet, Kari?”

  “No. I wanted to go with my brothers when they went on ambassador trips, but Father would never allow it. He said I was worthless and would only get in the way of the mission.” Kari tightened her jaw in a sign of defiance. Anger flashed in Jaren’s eyes at her words, but it was quickly replaced with a gleam of secrecy and mischievousness.

  “Come. I want to show you something.” Jaren took her hand in his and led her from his quarters. The corridor was more brightly lit than his room, and Kari’s eyes had to adjust to the light. They had spent most of the last few days secluded in his room, enjoying each other. The crew had left them alone, apparently not wanting to take the chance that Jaren might take someone’s head off if they were interrupted again.

  The corridor was long and curving as it followed the outline of the ship’s bulkhead. They passed the dining facilities, where two crewmen were having their meal. The men nodded respectfully as they passed the room. At the end of the corridor was a door, much like the one at Jaren’s quarters. It slid open at their approach and Jaren led Kari onto the bridge, where Jaxson and two other crewmen were working.

  Jaxson turned in his chair as they entered. “We are approaching the jump site.” He smiled at Kari. “Come to watch the show?”

  Kari was puzzled by the query. She glanced at Jaren questioningly and then looked back to Jaxson again.

  Jaren chuckled. “She has never been off world, Jaxson. She has no idea what you are talking about. I thought it might be a pleasant surprise for her.” Jaxson smiled, nodding his understanding as he swiveled his seat back around to face the front-view screen.

  Jaren directed Kari to an empty seat and strapped her in. “It shouldn’t get bumpy, but there is always a chance.”

  Jaren did not settle into a seat, since there were only four on the bridge and they were all occupied. Instead, he stood by her side and held on to an overhead rail.

  “Shouldn’t you be strapped in, too?”

  Jaxson laughed at Kari’s question. “Jaren could stand upright in the middle of a cyclone.”

  Kari looked up at the big warrior standing next to her. Jaxson was probably right. She could almost imagine his hard body braced defiantly against a raging wind, his long hair flying around his head. She felt a shiver race across her skin, and her core muscles contracted in arousal. Several days of almost-constant lovemaking and she still couldn’t get enough of him.

  Feeling like she was being watched, she tore her hungry eyes away from Jaren’s body, only to realize that every male on the bridge, including Jaren, was looking at her intently. She blushed bright pink, and Jaren turned his attention to the other males, a warning growl coming from deep in his chest. The other warriors immediately turned back to their tasks, shaking themselves and clearing their throats at having been caught staring at, and sniffing, their High Prince’s sha-lia.

  Jaren lightly brushed Kari’s cheek with his fingertips, shaking his head and grinning. “I have a feeling I will be spending an extraordinary amount of time keeping you out of trouble, my Karinna.”

  In the next moment, Kari’s embarrassment was forgotten as Jaxson announced they were at the jump coordinates. Kari watched anxiously as the black, star-filled space in front of them suddenly transformed into a tunnel of light, stars seemingly stretching and spinning. With brilliant flashes, every color imaginable flared across their field of vision like great whirls of mist and gasses. Kari’s mouth fell open in awe. It was remarkable. She was absolutely captivated by the movement and patterns.

  Several minutes later, the stars became small points of light and space reverted back to normal. Except now, where there had been nothing but black space and the sparkling of distant stars, a beautiful green and blue planet filled the view screen. Jaren leaned over and kissed Kari on the top of her head.

  “Welcome to Aldryss, love. We are home.”

  Kari had mixed feelings about reaching Jaren’s homeworld. Part of her was excited at the prospect of seeing a different landscape than the one she had grown up with. She found it ironic that she had never even seen her own planet from space. But now here she was, several clusters away, looking at this alien world. She was also anxious about meeting Jaren’s family. Not because they were royalty—after all, she was royalty, too—but because she was worried that they wouldn’t think her worthy of their eldest son, much less worth starting an inter-planetary war over.

  Her brothers would also be arriving soon. She loved her brothers and trusted them. Deep down, she did not believe that they would take her back to her father. After all, they had willingly taken beating after beating for defending her. But she knew there would be grave consequences if her brothers defied him and failed to take her home.

  Her father would not go so far as to have her brothers killed. King Myrrn’s continued rule depended greatly upon his ability to maintain multiple male heirs to his throne. Without them, he would be seen as weak and would likely be overthrown by the other powerful, noble houses. It was the fear of what he would do to the people of this magnificent world before her, and the man standing beside her, that she was most concerned about.

  Once they landed, Kari stepped off of the ship into a world unlike anything she had ever seen before. Her world was mostly forested with tall, thin-needled trees and very little surface water. Montore had vast grasslands, and most of the planet’s terrain was fairly level. Jaren’s world was such a contrast that Kari couldn’t help but stop and stare. It was warmer here than she was used to, but there was a pleasant breeze that made it comfortable. The landing platform the ship had come to rest on was high above the ground, giving Kari a panoramic view of the landscape. The massive castle stood before her, constructed of some type of beautiful white-colored stone Kari had never seen before. It rose high above them in fantastic arches and spires. She turned, trying to take in everything she saw. A vast city sprawled out in front of the castle, ranging over a hillside and into a valley beyond. It looked like most of the buildings had one to three floors and were constructed from the same white stone as the castle, with red roofs. Many of the buildings had flat rooftop areas where Kari could see tables and chairs. She imagined they would be pleasant spaces to spend leisure time. Plants and trees in every shade of green imaginable and flowers in a rainbow of colors were everywhere. Great mountains were visible in the background, green at the bottom but changing to white about halfway up.

  Kari continued turning and then came to an abrupt halt, her mouth falling open at the sight. Stretched before her was a body of water so large that it disappeared over the horizon. The water was crystal clear in places, with colors ranging from deep blue to the palest of turquoise. Flocks of birds skimmed across the water in graceful formations, dipping and soaring on the breeze. Now she understood why so many of the houses had rooftop sitting areas perched high to take advantage of this stunning view.

  “Do you like it, sha-lia?” Jaren’s voice was a whisper against her ear as he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

  “It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen so much water in one place before.”

  “This is the Sea of Ameris. There are two others on Aldryss, but this is the largest. I will take you down to it soon. Come, love, my pare
nts have come out to meet us.”

  Kari reluctantly turned away from the magnificent view and allowed Jaren to pull her forward with his arm around her waist. Several people had emerged from the castle and were hurrying toward them. A man and woman were leading the way and Kari guessed they were Jaren’s parents, King Tibon and Queen Alynna. When she and Jaren reached them, Kari was taken by surprise when the queen immediately rushed forward, kissed her on both cheeks, and then threw her arms around her in a motherly hug.

  “Oh, my dear, we are so happy Jaren found you at last!” The queen pulled back and Kari saw that she had tears in her eyes and a bright smile. There was such a genuine happiness in her face that Kari forgot about her anxiousness over meeting Jaren’s parents. The queen then launched herself at Jaren and kissed him as well.

  King Tibon began to chuckle. “You will have to excuse my wife. She gets a little excited when one of the boys comes home from a journey, and your arrival has just given her an excuse to go overboard.” His wife pushed his arm playfully and rolled her eyes at him. Kari had never seen a mated couple laugh and tease with each other. It was fascinating. She was only used to her own mother and father, who hadn’t even spoken to each other in several years.

  “Mother, Father, I would like you to meet my sha-lia, Princess Karinna of Montore.” Jaren’s face was lit with a combination of pride, happiness, and love. Kari felt his emotions flow through their new bond, and her heart seemed to swell with her love for him.

  “Princess Karinna, we are most happy to welcome you to our family.” Jaren’s father looked very much like Jaren, except for the white streaks in his hair and the lines in his face.

  “It is my honor, Your Majesty.” Kari curtseyed as best she could while Jaren still had his arm around her waist. “And please, call me Kari.”