by Ashley West
“Kael!” She cried his name, clinging to him as her femininity clenched him like an exquisite, wet vice. Her voice rang out again and again as he lost himself in her, barely able to contain the hunger within him that mandated that he ravage her to within an inch of her life. He took her swiftly, indulging carnal desires unassuaged for years as he thrust deeper and deeper within her willing body.
She begged. For more, for mercy, for him never to stop, and each word she uttered only increased his fervor. She was his. He was the savior of her race, her king and her commander. She existed at his whim, and for his pleasure.
Then why – and how – did she make him feel so incredibly weak?
He lost count of how many times she trembled in his arms, clutching him desperately before he reignited her passion until she was undulating against him once more – but eventually, her soft pleas – her sighs and gasps – undid him. Clutching a handful of her hair – crushing his mouth to hers, Kael released himself within her, every muscle in his body taut as her inner muscles milked him almost desperately, consuming his seed greedily.
When she sagged against him, Kael lifted Danielle’s form into his arms, disengaging from her as he lowered her back into the tub until the warm water lapped at them once more. After a long moment, the human woman looked up at him, wetting her lips with a discreet sweep of her tongue that made him stir beneath the water. “More?” He inquired in a low tone that sent an almost violent shudder through her.
“No.” She managed, shaking her head. “God no…I don’t think I can…I need a minute.”
He was pleased to see that after so many moons he still retained the ability to leave a female speechless. Particularly this female…considering that he would be bound to her for the rest of his lifetime.
Speaking of which, now that they had consummated their union, he saw no further reason to wait for them to be wed. The sooner the better. He released her, reaching back to undo his long braid before letting the damp strands float free in the water. “We will wed on the morrow.”
At his statement, the young woman’s eyes widened. She immediately became the unsure, hesitant creature she had been before he had come to her. “I…but I’m not ready!”
“You are ready when I say you are.” He returned firmly. “And I will not delay your presence in my chambers any longer.”
Danielle’s eyes widened in incredulity. “This is about sex? You just want me around so you can fuck me at your whim?”
His mouth pulled into a tight line at her crude words. When he advanced on her, the young woman quickly backpedaled until her back was flush against the wall of the bathing pool. “You are to be my wife.” He replied firmly. “Which would entail providing your body for my pleasure whenever I wish.”
Danielle’s cheeks reddened in affront, and for a moment, she spluttered for words. “You don’t need a wife for that. What you need is a whore – and I’m not going to be one.”
“So you would have me seek the embrace of another?” If anything, the human woman only reddened even further at his question. “Is that what would please you?”
“That’s not what I said!” Danielle protested immediately. “I’m not going to play into your idea that a wife should just spread her legs whenever you want her to – that we should marry just so I’m readily available.” Kael immediately bristled, his eyes flashing crimson fire. It should have been warning enough, but the woman continued, uncowed. “The reason I’ve refused to see you is because I’m trying to become someone you should be married to - to at least gain some grasp of what I’m doing here – what I’m meant to do here. And with you here…with all of this…” She gestured to the length of his muscled form, “I can’t focus! Can’t you understand that? This can’t be just a title…and I can’t just lounge in your bed. Not if I’m going to do this properly. And…don’t you want me to do it properly?” Her voice softened as she gazed up at him, her blue eyes pleading. “Or did you just want an obedient pair of legs to spread?”
Kael’s eyes narrowed. Truly, this woman’s impudence knew no bounds. He itched to take her again - to ply her body until every protest – every argument died on her lips and the only word she could utter was his name. But it would be fruitless – wasted time. It seemed not even his coming to her chambers to seek her out could convince her that he wanted no other woman but his queen – he would not speak promises that he had no intention of keeping. For all her efforts, Danielle was human. If she proved unable to learn what she needed to become a worthy queen of Garinia, she might very well be reduced to his bed partner and the mother of his children – nothing more.
The choice was hers to make. “We wed on the morrow.” His decision had not changed. With those words, Prince Kael hauled himself from the tub, taking up his clothing to stalk, nude, through Danielle’s chambers. As he left, his gut churned with irritation. Though he could never admit it to her, Kaia had been right. Coming to Danielle before the wedding had been a mistake. Whatever the human woman decided to be, he was now bound to her; and while a part of that entailed the sharing of bodies, he’d never meant to call her a whore. By the gods, humans were such judgmental creatures. He could only hope that his marriage to Danielle would quell some of their unrest – both inside and beyond the palace.
**
They were wed as the three suns set the next day in a private ceremony with only fifty attendees. Danielle had never imagined that she’d marry, let alone with such pomp and circumstance, and so it all seemed a little surreal. Throughout the preparation, during which Kaia and several other women helped her with a breathtaking gold gown and her hair, Danielle was completely silent.
She was still lost in what had happened the previous night. When she remembered Prince Kael Al’Hazzar’s entry to her room – how he’d caught her completely unexpecting…it sent warmth curling through her body. Despite the fact that he’d never encountered her species before, he seemed to know exactly what he was doing when he touched her. In fact, he’d handled her more thoroughly than any human man had – to the point where she was sure half the palace must have heard him having his way with her.
His hands, his fingers…his mouth….he was devastating; and she supposed she should have expected no less. He was a prince who excelled in everything he endeavored to do…but he was also a man who gave commands and expected them to be followed. As much as he’d utterly dominated her body the previous night, Danielle found no small amount of guilt in yielding to him. He obviously expected things of her that were less in line with the duties of a wife and had more to do with giving in to his every whim.
When Kaia commented on her odd silence, Danielle provided only a small smile and an apology. This wasn’t something she particularly wanted Kaia to know about – that her brother was a commanding, misogynistic asshole. A younger, more idealistic woman would have run rather than wed such a man…perhaps, like the girl who’d stood next to her in line, she might have attempted to kill the man for hurting her pride. But Danielle was neither stupid nor selfish enough to attempt either of those things.
Not when Kael’s words echoed in her head whenever the notion rose in her consciousness. If he wanted her, there was no where she could escape from him. She would have to find a better way to undermine him – and the only option she found available was merely to prove him wrong. She would not simply be a place where he could bury his cock, and she would not sit idle, popping out children for him as he ran an empire she barely understood.
No, she would redouble her efforts. She would study all day every day if she needed to – she would learn Garinian until she would write poetry in it, and she would show him that when she put her mind to something, she achieved what she set out to do. She had kept her brother alive for years even when doctors had told her he would die before his tenth birthday, and she had kept on going for the weeks after his death in which she’d thought it might be better, simply, to give up.
And so, when she stood facing the man who she was to be bound to for the
rest of her life, Danielle remembered who she would be saving. The human race would continue because she and her fellow humans had come to Garinia, Jordan would live on in her memories, and she would prove to the race that had conquered them that she could conquer their king.
Danielle said the words Kaia had taught her, and when the time came for her to bow to her husband and prince, she did so – her eyes never leaving his. At her intense stare, the man merely arched a brow, but the young woman kept silent. She didn’t speak a word that wasn’t bid of her until she was conducted to her new chambers – and those she would share with the crown prince.
The suite of rooms was immense – larger than the ones she had occupied and Kaia’s combined. However, they showed few signs of being inhabited. The Prince’s armor stood, polished, in one corner, and there was an array of wicked-looking weapons hung up on one wall. The sleeping pad suspended in mid-air looked to have never been touched, and who knew what lay beyond in the rooms she couldn’t see.
She had few things that she had acquired in the week she’d been on the planet, but a series of attendants brought them for her. Then, she kissed Kaia, along with Marc and Jalil – the prince’s other siblings, signifying that they were now family. The brothers looked strikingly similar to Kaia and the prince, leading Danielle to wonder exactly who their mother had been. They didn’t seem to have very much mixed blood in them – unlike Kaia’s son, who was very clearly the product of a mixed union.
The question, however, fled her mind the moment she was left alone with her husband. The young woman caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and was surprised at what she saw. She looked at least half as regal as Kaia did, in her form-fitting gold gown with its long train, her hair piled atop her head and carefully styled with a number of combs that gleamed like black onyx. While she was admiring her reflection, the prince, resplendent in his own black and gold garb, crossed the room to pour himself a drink from a pitcher that rested on an otherwise empty table. Taking a seat in the single chair beside the bed, he took a long draught of the drink he’d poured, his gaze never wavering from her.
When Danielle caught his stare in the mirror, she turned to face him, her head held high. Tonight would not be like last night. Not if she had her way. “So…” She spoke softly, clutching a handful of her dress. “I’m your wife now.”
Kael nodded once, curtly. “You are. Princess Danielle Bowery Al’Hazzar. Soon to be queen of Garinia.”
“And my children will never know the suffering of the Ignacious Virus. They’ll never see it…it will never come anywhere near them.” Those were the words she needed to hear – the fear that had lingered in the back of her consciousness ever since she’d left the Earth; could these people really deliver on what they promised? To free the future of humanity from the disease that had almost wiped them out?
Kael leaned back in his chair to eye her contemplatively as he took another drink. “Never. It will be genetically impossible for them to contract it.”
Tight muscles in Danielle’s shoulders and arms relaxed somewhat. Taking a deep breath, she strode across the room in the way that Kaia had taught her, her head held high, shoulders back, her gaze never leaving the Prince’s. Despite what she might think of him, there was one thing that must be said – one fact that could not be changed.
Stopping mere feet in front of him, the young woman dipped into a low curtsy, bowing before him of her own volition. “My prince…I’m sorry I haven’t thanked you. I realize what you’ve done for me…what you’ve done for humanity…and it’s no small act. So, thank you.”
For a moment, the prince said nothing. Then, Danielle felt a hand beneath her chin, urging her back into a standing position. Slowly, she straightened to find the prince’s gaze burning into her own. “Kaia has taught you much.”
Danielle swallowed thickly. “She hasn’t taught me anything about how to please you.”
Kael set his wine glass on the table before him, his gaze never leaving hers. “It would please me to strip you bare of the dress my sister spent a fortune on and take you to my bed, where you would remain until dawn breaks and I am thoroughly satisfied.” Danielle felt her knees go weak as she gazed over the man’s pale, devastatingly handsome features. “But seeing as how you find the idea so repellant-”
“I do not!” The words left her before she could stop them, and Danielle immediately flushed crimson at her own eager tone. Kael’s lips curved upward into a small, knowing smile.
“According to you, my lady, any carnal activity I might picture with you brands you a whore. And I would never want to insult my princess.” His low, smug baritone sent thrills of anticipation through her even as it infuriated her.
“You’re twisting my words.” She immediately retorted. “What I said is that I meant to be a queen in more than simply spreading my legs for you.”
“You shall be whatever you wish, Danielle. As much or as little a queen as you might like. That, however, will not dictate the desire I have to make you mine.” The man was gazing at her as if the dress she wore was completely nonexistent and Danielle was finding it very hard to think straight. “Because you are mine.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “And anyone who would dare to call you a whore because you lie with me will very quickly find themselves without a tongue. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“Yes.” She whispered, both entranced and frightened by the power lacing his words.
“Good. Now, Danielle, as there has clearly been a miscommunication between us, I stand prepared to correct it. Do you, or do you not wish me to address my husbandly duties?”
Danielle didn’t think she’d ever wanted anything so desperately in her entire life. “I don’t think I can get out of this dress myself.” She finally admitted, somewhat embarrassed. Kael stood quickly to tower over her, reaching for the bodice of her dress. With a quick flexing of impressive biceps, he ripped the silky fabric down the front, drawing an affronted gasp from his wife even as her thighs slicked in anticipation.
“I thought you said your sister spent a fortune on this dress.” She managed breathlessly, as the prince peeled the remains of the garment from her shoulders to pool on the floor at her feet. She didn’t think she’d ever been so happy to not be wearing underwear as the man’s eyes roamed he bare form hungrily.
“She did. And no doubt the next one will cost even more.” He reached up to pluck the combs from her hair, one by one, until the blonde waves cascaded down about her shoulders. “So I would advise you to undress before I lay hands on you in the evenings.” His hands cupped her face before sliding down her neck to take her shoulders in a firm grip.
“You are so very small…” He murmured softly, his fingers trailing down the center of her abdomen, between her breasts to find the core of her, wet and hungry, between her legs. “So very delicate.” When he slid two fingers inside her eager passage, Danielle gasped, her knees buckling as she clung to him. She moaned his name lowly as he watched her face with rapt attention, taking in every nuance of her expression. “I could tear you apart if I chose, do you know that, wife?”
He was already tearing her apart – driving her insane and stealing her rational thought with every stroke of his fingers. She shuddered, whimpering as he plied her expertly, wondering how on earth the man had gained the knowledge to do such things with his hands. His mouth lowered to the curve of her neck and shoulder, lingering there briefly before descending to the peak of her breast where he tugged at the dark flesh there with his teeth, making her arch into his ministrations. Christ, she’d never known sex could be like this – that she could be completely and totally consumed by her desire for someone – to the point where she’d be willing to do anything to keep him from stopping. His lips brushed the underside of a breast before pressing to the ridge of every rib lingeringly. His teeth scraped over the line of her hipbone a moment before he simply stared at the glistening folds of her sex, seemingly transfixed by the way they hungrily swallowed his fingers.
When hi
s mouth closed over the bud of her pleasure, she clutched his shoulders for purchase, a sharp cry escaping her. He licked and kissed hungrily between her folds as his fingers continued to drive ceaselessly into her. Very soon, Danielle was begging him, her hips undulating against his tongue unabashedly as liquid pleasure coursed through her veins. Danielle sobbed, rising onto her toes in an attempt to simultaneously flee the heat of his mouth and to edge herself closer. When his fingers curled upward to find the spot she’d never discovered herself, exploiting it effortlessly, making her legs weak and her heart stutter in her chest, Danielle thought she would lose her footing all together. His name escaped her on a gasp as she begged for mercy, and then, she was tumbling over a precipice, her entire body shuddering as she found her completion.
She was still shaking when Kael’s fingers slid from her, when he lifted her trembling form in his arms to carry her to bed, laying her out on the sheets like a feast for his eyes. The way he looked at her told her that the man was far from done, and even as weak as her limbs were, she craved more herself. The prince lowered his head to mold his mouth to hers briefly, and she tasted herself in his kiss, moaning as his tongue lid against hers. When he drew away from her, she whimpered in need, reaching for him. Kael, however, ignored her pleas, headed southward once more.
When his lips touched her still tingling inner thighs, the young woman jolted in shock, sitting up on her forearms in alarm. She didn’t think she could take any more of his teasing. “Kael, please…” She panted softly, “I can’t.”
