by Mel Teshco
“Starved,” she admitted, even as she wondered how the hell she was going to keep anything down in a belly that was writhing with a hundred or more different emotions. Judas scared her, and not because of the sudden tension in the air. She was scared of her own reaction and feelings toward him. It was as simple and as complicated as that.
Perhaps if she’d been in love before she’d better know how to deal with it?
No. Somehow she doubted any man from her past would compare to Judas.
As he unpacked the picnic basket, a task so unlikely for a king, she struggled to maintain calm by forcing interest in the tranquil scenery.
Who’d have thought such beauty existed in the unforgiving desert?
“Why do so few people know about this place?” she asked. “It doesn’t seem fair not to share it.”
He pulled a crusty loaf of bread in half. “It’s significant to my most devoted servants.”
“So only those closest and most loyal to you can visit?”
He tore free some of the dough and filled the crust with goat’s cheese, olives and peppers. He handed it to her and asked, “Does that bother you?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. She looked down at the yeasty, tantalizing bread, sniffing it appreciatively. “Shouldn’t I be preparing something for you?”
“If I wanted a slave I wouldn’t have chosen you,” he refuted gently. “It wasn’t only your beauty that captured my interest. It was your spirit, your fire.”
She sucked in a breath. Modesty aside, she knew she had all those things and more. Her throat dried. She still wasn’t good enough for him, still wasn’t the person he thought she was.
“Eat. Enjoy,” he said gruffly.
She took a deep, steadying breath, and nodded. She had to get over the guilt issues, the self-analysis. If saving her people meant sacrificing her self-worth, even her heart, then so be it. She’d enjoy the time she had with Judas.
She bit into the crusty bread. The flavors of the toppings exploded in her mouth. “Yum,” she said around a mouthful.
His eyes flashed, mouth curling with humor. “You’re precious.”
She swallowed, a hand covering her mouth as she wondered inanely if she had a piece of olive or pepper stuck in her teeth. “You’re not half bad yourself…Sire.”
“And you’re learning your place,” he teased. “Perhaps I’ll keep you, hmm?”
“You’d better!”
Somehow the jesting back and forth felt good…right. And wonderfully carefree.
Finishing the last of her bread and its filling, she stood before carefully unclipping her beautiful bra and dropping it onto the cushions. Her pants were discarded next, and she stretched, glorying in the freedom of her nakedness almost as much as the burn of his eyes.
“Time for a swim,” she said.
“Don’t mind if I watch,” he said hoarsely.
She tossed a smile over her shoulder before wading slowly into the water. It was silky cool and soft on her toes, then her calves. Even the breeze that brushed over her hairless pussy was deliciously fresh as Judas’ hot eyes continued to scorch her from behind.
Her toes curled into the silt at the bottom of the lake when she stopped in the water, mid-thigh. She twisted around. “Care to join me?”
Her heart skipped a beat at his gleaming stare, his fierce, possessive look. Her hands skimmed slowly through the water, back and forth, while all her energy pinned back the beast awakening within and growing ever stronger as Judas stood and began to strip.
Chapter Four
Judas couldn’t tear his eyes away from the beautiful, utterly unselfconscious shifter who’d snared him as effortlessly as a steel trap. And god help him, he couldn’t find the strength of will to care. Not even a little. He hadn’t felt this aroused, this alive…forever.
In such a short time she was his everything. His perfect mate. Dear lord, she was perfection. Not just because of her incomparable physical beauty, but her inner beauty too. Like a candle burning on the darkest night, her caring and compassion shone from within.
But she wasn’t a pushover. She was fiery, independent. Even a little defiant. She was shatterproof glass wrapped around a diamond-hard skeleton. And yet, empathy softened her warrior’s heart. He’d seen that firsthand with the little boy at the market.
Despite the fact she was a shifter who was young and—surely incapable of shielding her true self from humans?—he couldn’t give her up. Not for anything or anyone.
Not even for his kingdom.
Gods. Seems I’m just like my dear old dad, after all.
Yet the truth of his feelings that washed over him left behind no regrets. Something joyous and glad surged through his veins as he dropped his weapons and robe to the ground. Naked, he strode forward, plowing through the water to join her.
His only wish was that she didn’t know he was king, that she coveted him because she wanted him—for him. Not because royal status and power attracted women to him as though bees to pollen.
Her eyes flashed with a deep emotion she quickly masked. He hesitated, wanting almost desperately to read her, but then she smiled like a welcoming embrace and he caught her hand up in his and walked with her deeper into the water.
When she had to swim even as his shoulders easily cleared the water, she turned to him, her arms draping around his neck, her legs tangling around his thighs.
Fire shot through his veins and sent blood straight to his balls, making them heavy and achingly hard. His breath hissed. They weren’t the only part of his anatomy that’d grown rigid.
If she only knew how much he withheld himself, how disciplined and completely in control of his needs he was. Needs that were stretched to breaking point.
She looked up at him, her beautiful stare so wanton, and god help him, trusting. Her lips glistened with water, a droplet caught in the blonde lashes that framed her silver eyes.
He leaned forward, licking another spot of moisture from the soft flesh of her lower lip. He never expected her mouth to open, for her to suck his tongue tip inside as her teeth grazed the sensitive pad.
He groaned. The little minx knew exactly what she was doing.
He allowed her a moment of control, and then he was kissing her too, holding nothing back, kissing her deep and hard, kissing her until they had to break apart and gasp in great draughts of air.
“I need you,” she said huskily, “here, right now.”
He cupped her ass cheeks and lifted her until her breasts broke free of the water. He bent and took the peak of one into his mouth, circling the hard nub of her nipple with his tongue before he gently nipped.
She whimpered, arching against him and deliberately scraping her pussy along the length of his shaft until every nerve ending and more leapt into life.
His head reared back and he groaned. If she was trying to make him come before they’d even joined, she was doing a damn fine job of it. But on seeing her stare, dazed and a little wild, satisfaction coursed through him.
She too was close…so close to losing complete control.
His hands moved. One spread the soft folds of her pussy apart, the other grasped the hard base of his shaft, holding it in position as she pushed herself high, and then sank onto him with an expelled hiss.
Oh. Fuck.
She was so tight, a glove clenching his cock. It was all he could do not to explode into her there and then.
Legs linked around him, she began to slide up and down. He gritted his teeth at the exquisite torture, his balls constricting to the point of pleasure-pain. Her breasts rose and fell, churning and slapping the water. With her head thrown back, mouth partly open and eyes closed, he was two seconds away from a massive eruption.
She beat him to it.
The first contraction of her cunt squeezed him tight. With a sharp gasp, she moved to withdraw. He took over. Hands on her shoulders, he stared into her stormy eyes, then slammed her back down, coming into her with a guttural moan as she climaxed around him�
��wholly unleashing her passion—her inner beast.
* * * * *
Akeisha knew she was in trouble the moment she surrendered and an orgasm overtook her body, her mind, her soul.
Her beast.
A growl formed low in her chest and ripped from her throat as the first climax shock-waved through her.
She was distantly aware of the startled squawk of the long-legged bird, the flap of its wings as it hurriedly took to the air. But then the second and third orgasms overtook her body and she was aware of little but how her fangs pushed through her gums, her vision blurring and distorting as her pupils narrowed into slits.
“Angel?” Judas rasped, his voice seemingly faraway.
Only he wasn’t far away. He was as close to her as any male could be. With a sob, she jerked away, disconnecting from him physically and emotionally.
She had to guard her secret. At all cost.
She splashed, propelling from him and toward the shore. She had to get away from him before it was too late.
“Akeisha, wait!”
She pushed to her feet, but slipped, splashing as she struggled to stay upright. Pain all but paralyzed her and she fought to keep the shift at bay. She closed her eyes and sucked in a shuddering breath. Her inner cat wasn’t going to stay repressed any longer.
She stumbled, falling to her knees as the bones in her feet broke and retracted, becoming paws.
Please no. Not now. Not when everything is so good between us. Not when I’m so close to helping my people.
She didn’t hear Judas approach, but suddenly he was behind her, his arm around her waist helping to support her. Tears rolled down her face, but it wasn’t from pain—not anymore. Right then it was everything to do with the emotional anguish knowing she was about to lose the man she’d fallen for hard.
She’d failed her father. Failed her people.
She closed her eyes. Hurt tore at her heart, much more powerful than the pain of shattering bones and tendons, of reforming cartridge.
She’d…failed.
“Don’t cry, angel,” he said hoarsely, “I know who you are. I’ve always known.”
She gasped. Her heart stuttered. Claws pushed out from her fingernails and unsheathed from paws that were once feet. And then, as though his knowing the truth affected her on some profound, psychological level, her shift just as abruptly reversed, bones re-breaking and reforming back into human.
She wasn’t aware at first that Judas had gathered her into his arms and carried her from the water, wasn’t cognizant of anything but the horrible realization he knew—had always known.
So this was why he’d been so interested in her?
Oh god.
What did he want from her? Did he know she was royalty too? Shit. Did he plan to use her against the larakytes?
He placed her carefully onto the cushions, careless of the dripping mess they made as he crouched beside her. She tore her stricken face away from him when he said huskily, “Angel, don’t block me out now.”
She jerked back around. “You knew. All along…you knew.” She shook her head, all kinds of crazy emotions threatening to break down her walls. At least she didn’t have to worry about her inner cat anymore, it’d had its brief moment in the sun. Not that it’d been necessary going through the hell of keeping it at bay. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
His stare hardened, intractable, fierce. “I should be asking the same thing of you. When we talked of the larakytes, why didn’t you mention who you were?”
“And be killed for my troubles?”
“Those men aren’t me! I’ve never ordered any killings.”
She took a quivering breath and dropped her eyes, staring unseeing at the blurred ground as the truth tore through her brain like an arrow through the air. He was right. She was the one at fault here, the one with secrets to hide. He’d simply played along with her game.
“Ever since my mother died and my father gave up on the kingdom, a rebellion began to form.” He released a slow breath. “Unfortunately, when a king loses the will to care, animosity blossoms.”
And the larakytes became the targets, prey to the humans left without guidance. He didn’t need to say it, the answer was clear.
He cupped her chin and brought her gaze back up to his. “I don’t trust easily either,” he said, voice gentling. “Christ, when I saw you in the holding yard, I didn’t even trust my own attraction to you.”
Was it possible the great Zaneean king, leader of the people who hated the larakytes, was falling for her? Was it possible the man who’d professed to not believing in love, had done so anyway?
Could she trust him even though in return she’d given him nothing but lies?
“So what now?” She swallowed. “I don’t want any more secrets between us. I really don’t.”
He nodded, relenting. His thumb stroked along her jaw, a soothing touch. “Then I guess we’ll have a lot of fun discovering things about each other.”
He had secrets too? Of course he did. Everyone had secrets. Kings probably more so than most. She swiped her eyes. “When you say it like that you make it sound so easy, so simple. Like anything’s possible.”
“Angel, I’d move mountains for you.”
She blotted away another tear. Insecurities bit deep but she was unable to stop them. She still wasn’t any closer to saving her people. Not by a long shot. “You’re not…turned off by me now?”
The real me.
“How can you say that? You’re amazing, perfect!” He raked a hand through his hair, looking almost…nervous. “Angel, there’s something you need to know—”
The jangling of bits and hooves clopping over the sand warned them of approaching, mounted horses.
Judas bit back a curse before they turned to face around twenty of his soldiers, led by the captain of the guards. But when Akeisha saw Raffia’s hard, pitiless eyes trained on her with the king, it was imminently clear their appearance wasn’t for the purpose of security.
Judas pushed to his feet, shielding her and standing tall and proud. Intractable. “Raffia. You’re not overseeing the people. What is the meaning of this?”
“Sire.” He said the word as if it were poison on his tongue. “You’ll have to forgive us for the interruption—”
“Watch your tone,” Judas said with a quiet authority that was loud with unspoken reprisal.
Akeisha closed her eyes to the danger screaming at her and Judas from all sides. No captain of the guards would dare speak to their king in such a way. Raffia’s insubordination would extinguish whatever friendship they’d shared.
But with these twenty or so soldiers clearly loyal to Raffia, it was all too evident Judas was the one in a whole world of trouble.
Because of me…all because of me.
She’d brought it down on their heads. Had the captain seen through her disguise to the beast within? Oh god. Had he bided his time all along, waiting for the king to be alone from those soldiers who were loyal to him? Waited for the king to be at his most vulnerable? Naked. Weaponless.
Forcing a calm she certainly didn’t feel, Akeisha opened her eyes and climbed to her feet, stepping away from Judas. She refused to be intimidated because of her birthright; refused to be shamed because of her state of undress.
Raffia’s stare hardened, though a glint of lust underscored his hatred as he took in Akeisha. “I would, sire. Only, it seems a larakyte has infiltrated our ranks.”
Akeisha’s blood pressure spiked. So her worst fears weren’t ungrounded. The captain had seen past her humanness.
Judas tensed. “She never infiltrated. I’ve always known. Now go back to your post, Raffia. Don’t meddle in things you don’t understand.” His hands curled in fists. “That’s an order!”
Raffia didn’t move. His lip curled, disgust ripe in his stare that remained on her even as he spoke to the king. “You’ve been lying to your people, protecting those considered our enemy. Your council has known that for some time now.” He shook his he
ad. “We won’t let a shifter mix with our human population. She’s already blinded you with her looks, her sorcery and trickery.”
Judas didn’t move either, didn’t back down. “You dare go against your king?”
Raffia’s laugh was coarse. “You put yourself in my hands the moment you handed me the reins to the kingdom, while you spent time with this larakyte…slut.”
Akeisha’s chin kicked up. If he thought a word could cheapen what she’d shared with Judas, he was sadly mistaken. She’d go to her death, if need be with steel in her spine, righteousness in her heart and revolt in her eyes. And she’d go down fighting all the way.
Judas reached for her hand once again and clasped it in his own, this time lending her strength. She was glad of his support, but it was unnecessary. It was past time she made a stand with these shifter haters.
A mounted rider pushed through from the back of the horses. Vasilous.
Of course. He’d been the one who’d recognized the real her at the markets. He’d been the one who’d told Raffia of his findings when Judas had left the captain with him to take care of the pendent. She hadn’t been paranoid at the markets. The eyes she’d felt had been theirs.
Vasilous pulled hard on the reins, his stallion throwing back its head, eyes wild, as the horrid man drew beside Raffia. “We all know what she is,” Vasilous barked out furiously, “we’d recognize her anywhere.”
Raffia nodded. “We’ve been hunting her for years. Tortured many a larakyte to glean information so as to snare ourselves their elusive and much loved princess. But here she is, daring to walk amongst us.”
The bastards had been torturing her people too? Wasn’t murder enough? She closed her eyes, sickened. She’d known of a few who’d disappeared but assumed they’d fallen victim to Scantia forest’s many wild animals.
Her eyes flew open as Judas’ hand stiffened in hers. He plainly had more personal concerns. He might have known she was a shifter but he’d been unaware of her title.
He didn’t turn and face her, didn’t acknowledge his ignorance. Instead he waited, never taking his eyes from the men. His men, soldiers who’d once been loyal to their king.
