Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride)

by Nancy Corrigan

  The first step in earning Lena’s love was ensuring her sisters’ safety.

  He brushed his lips over her soft mouth before climbing off the bed.

  A quick shower later, he walked out of the plane’s private bedroom and closed the door behind him with a quick snap so the other males didn’t catch a glimpse of his female’s perfect body.

  Kade crossed his arms across his chest. “Well?”

  Devin mimicked the pose. “Well, what?”

  Kade jerked his chin in the direction of the bedroom door. “Ready to accept the truth?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Lena’s bonds aren’t mending.” He rubbed the back of his neck at the suspicion that’d grown after they’d had sex. The glimpse of her soul his animal spirits had gotten when she’d orgasmed showed only a few measly strands linking her to her heaven. “Actually, I think they’re fraying more.”

  “And what are you going to do about it?”

  He studied his pride leader’s posture since his expression remained blank. Tension radiated off him, the coiled muscles betraying his agitation. Devin didn’t know what to make of his alpha’s mood. Didn’t the other cat want Lena in his pride? It would be hard juggling his responsibility to Mira with the devotion he already felt toward Lena. He would. He had to. But if Kade refused to accept his mating, he wouldn’t be able to stay in Pennsylvania. How could he protect his sister if he was forced to leave?

  Would Kade kick Mira out too?

  His cats whined. The direction of his thoughts upset the predators. He closed his eyes and mentally stroked them in an effort to calm them. Focusing on Kade, he said the only thing he could, “Lena is mine. I’m not letting her go.”

  Kade rolled his eyes, his agitation giving way to exasperation as he snorted. “That’s a given. You look at her as if the damn world revolves around her tiny body.”

  He shrugged. In his mind, it did. Why wouldn’t it? Lena restored his sanity. “Then why the stony look?”

  Kade’s eyes widened. “You need to ask?” He pointed to the small cabin at Devin’s back. “Your woman is in limbo. That’s a dangerous fucking place for her to be.”

  Vader, who’d been watching the exchange from the couch, got up in his face. “Yes, it is. Dammit, what were you thinking?”

  Devin looked at the other male and tried to see him through a woman’s eyes. Not the easiest thing to do. To him, Vader was simply another shifter, one whose strength made him a worthy opponent. He cataloged his physical traits—dark-brown hair, deep-set amber eyes, a muscular body. Vader looked like a canine shifter. Simple. They all shared similar characteristics. But Devin had the benefit of sharing his mother’s womb with a female. It gave him a different perspective.

  He knew what type of males many women found attractive. Tall, built and rough-looking were the big draws but a deep voice and a warm smile did it too. Or at least those were the types of lovers his sister favored. Hell, those were the things women had complimented him on in their wasted attempts to capture his interest. The male in front of him? He fit the description to a T.

  A growl rumbled Devin’s chest. The tips of his fingers burned as talons pushed at the skin. His inner spirits wanted Vader’s blood on their tongue. Devin reined them back, barely. He desired the same.

  “I’m thinking I didn’t want her to die. Now I refuse to give her up. Besides.” He tapped a finger against his forehead. No need to mention his mental issues. The whole shifter community walked on eggshells around him, except for his friends and apparently the suicidal male in front of him. “Her scent helps this and I’m not about to give that up.”

  The hard glint to Vader’s wolf eyes matched his sneer. Devin allowed the sharpened nails to slip free.

  “And that’s a shitty reason to want to tie her to you.” Vader let his derisive glare travel over his body. “Gods, are you really going to tell me any cat, especially one who’s known for his one-night stands, would be content with Lena?”

  Devin narrowed his eyes, confusion drawing his brows together instead of anger. Where was Vader taking this ridiculous argument? Most shifters favored one-off lovers. What did that have to do with Lena?

  “She makes me feel good. What else is there to consider?”

  Vader snickered, the sound just shy of being crazed. “And you’re going to tell me you’ll be faithful to her?”

  Fangs descended. He could almost taste the male’s blood in his mouth. “She is my one.”

  “Yeah, so what?” Vader cracked his jaw. “You’ll be tempted to fuck another female after a few weeks.”

  Devin leaned closer, let the wolf see the rage in his eyes and the warning. “You know nothing about what I want. Lena is mine. End of story.”

  “Of course, she’s your one. How could I forget?” Vader huffed. “The stories of our notorious ‘one’ are nothing but myths. If we were supposed to have one perfect female, we wouldn’t stumble across more than one possible mate at a time. I think it’s a load of crap. Guilt’s your motive for being with her. You hurt her.”

  “I made a mistake—”

  “Exactly. Giving her blood and licking her wounds was your biggest mistake. If she didn’t smell like you, you wouldn’t have given her the time of day. Your one or not.”

  “Shut the fuck up, Vader. You’re starting to piss me off and my bad side is not a good place to be.”

  A crazed laugh fell from the male’s throat, making him wonder if the loss of Vader’s chosen mate hadn’t snapped his mind.

  “Be honest with yourself. Not only is Lena human—a species you hate—she’s the exact opposite of your favored bed partner.” He gave a small shake of his head. “Last time I checked flat-chested, short brunettes didn’t do it for you!”

  A soft gasp alerted them all to the cracked bedroom door. It clicked closed and the lock turned before any of them could act. The other males cursed. He ran over and pounded on the surface.

  “Lena, open the door.”

  The rustle of cloth followed by the soft thump of her back hitting the door gave him a visual that made his throat squeeze. Her pain became his. In his mind’s eye, he could see his strong female huddled on the ground. The image enraged him, pushed his talons out, his fangs into descending. He was supposed to protect and cherish her, not cause her anguish.

  He pressed his hands to the fake wood separating them. It could’ve been a mile-long chasm. On his knees, he rested his cheek near where he heard his female’s heart pounding wildly. “Please, sweetheart, let me in.”

  Lena laughed, the sound bitter and choked by tears. “No. Leave me alone.”

  His cats whined but he had to soothe his female before them.

  “I can’t.” Swallowing hard, he gathered his thoughts, hoping he could make the right words come out. He’d never been good at expressing himself, or that’s what Mira always told him. “I need you, Lena. You’re my sanity, my chance at living a normal life. Let me in and we’ll talk about what Vader said. I’m sure you’re taking it out of context.”

  Her weary sigh widened the gap between them.

  “I woke the second you slipped from the bed, Devin. I heard everything. There is no taking it out of context.” She sucked in a rough breath. “I was a mistake.”

  He scrapped his clawed hand down the door. The little furrows etched into the plastic wood marked his frustration. “You are not a mistake. I knew exactly what would happen by healing your wounds. I had no choice, okay? My instincts demanded I take care of you, make up for hurting you.”

  Silence met his words. He waited longer. Nothing.

  He squeezed his eyes shut. “Listen to me, I’m more animal than man sometimes. My cats are,” he paused as he tried to come up with something that didn’t sound horrible. Couldn’t. There was no hiding the truth. She might as well find out now how fucked-up in the head he was. “I’m not whole, Lena. Do you understand?”

  After a long moment, she cleared her throat. “Yes, I understand.”

  He sighed, his relief instantaneous.
Even his inner animals calmed. “Good.” He pushed up and turned the handle. It was still locked. “Open the door, baby.”

  “No. I’m going back to bed. I’m tired.”

  He rattled the handle. “Lena. Let me in.”

  “What part of, no, don’t you understand?”

  He fisted his hands and took several calming breaths. “Okay. We don’t have to talk right now. I’ll just hold you while you sleep.”

  Silence met him.

  “Lena?”

  He waited for her response, didn’t get one.

  “Dammit, Lena! Open this goddamn door!”

  “No. We are done, cat. You got what you wanted, now leave me the fuck alone!”

  Gods, the woman turned him on. Her temper, her spunk, her freakin’ endurance appealed to him. He panted as lust grew. He’d never wanted a woman this much and he sure as hell wasn’t going to allow her to push him away.

  “Screw this.” He rammed his shoulder into the door as he twisted the handle. It gave under his weight. He slammed it closed behind him.

  The scent of sex hit him. His body reacted to the sensory stimulation and the look of irritation on Lena’s face excited him more. He grinned. She glowered.

  She took a step back and pointed at him. “Get. Out.”

  He grabbed a suitcase and shoved it in front of the door to hold it closed. That done, he turned and drank in the sight of his mate—well, soon-to-be mate. Tousled hair framed a face still flushed from the loving they’d shared. Though her eyes were red-rimmed, she no longer cried. Annoyance simmered in their chocolate depths. One of his t-shirts covered her perfect breasts and hung mid-thigh. Seeing Lena in his clothing pleased him immensely, added to the possessiveness he felt.

  “You’re beautiful, sweetheart.”

  She pointed a dainty finger and thrust it in the direction of the door. “Do you have a hearing problem? I said, get out.”

  He yanked off his shirt without answering. Her hand dropped and she stared at his chest. Arousal scented the air. “Do you like what you see?”

  Her gaze flicked up to his. She scowled but the glare faded as half-lidded dilated eyes focused on him.

  “Get out.”

  He ignored the command. He slowly stalked his female and enjoyed her feminine retreat. When her knees hit the bed, he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his pants and shoved them down. His cock bobbled without the cotton restraining it and her hungry gaze focused on the length. The tip of a pink tongue left a glistening trail on her lower lip. Oh, yeah. Life with this woman would be sweet…once he eased her angst.

  He fisted the throbbing length, a groan escaping. Although not as satisfying as her touch, his hand was better than nothing. He tightened his grip and gave himself up to the pleasure, quickening the pace to build the sensations. His female’s dazed look as she watched him masturbate turned him on even more. The rod he held quivered. Liquid welled from the tip. He swiped it up and used the lubrication to ease his hand’s path.

  Her fists clenched and released at her sides. Did she want to touch him? Or herself? Both ideas excited him. While he’d love either, he had a mission and his pleasure wasn’t the main goal. He kept up the strokes until his balls drew up before he stopped. Pants fell from his mouth. His hand trembled but he forced himself to ease his grip and finally release his dick.

  Confusion settled on Lena’s features. “Why did you stop?”

  He gave her a half-smile and glanced down at his erection. The head was swollen with pre-cum beading from its slit. The fact that he could be so hard just from his female’s heated gaze confirmed his earlier thought. Having a mate who eagerly accepted him sure beat having to seduce or coerce one like his older brothers were forced to do.

  “A male should never find release before his mate. I won’t come until you do.”

  She climbed up on the bed and scrambled backward. He watched her without moving. The frightened look in her eyes reminded him to tread carefully. He inhaled, tasting her scent, to make sure fear didn’t drive her. That was the last thing he wanted. His tension eased when he only scented her need for him. Still, the expression she wore made him cautious. He waited for her to make a move.

  Fisting the sheet, she sat back on folded legs. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not your mate.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  She shook her head. “I’m a mistake. You said so yourself.”

  Of course she had to latch on to that, taking it out of context. He took a moment to gather his thoughts—always a smart thing for shifters to do. With multiple entities living inside him, it was important to separate their emotions from his. He took too long. She huffed and pointed her fine-boned hand in the direction of the door.

  “Get. Out.”

  Yeah, he didn’t think so. He stepped up to the bed. “You are a gift, one I never thought I’d find. Not a mistake. Never that.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oooh, is that some lame attempt at being politically correct?”

  He grinned. This woman wasn’t anything like the shifter females he’d known. Well, except for his sister and she didn’t count. “No, baby. It’s the truth. I wasn’t expecting to find my mate when I came to Delaware.”

  She studied him with undisguised calculation. He could almost see the wheels turning in her head. When her finger started tapping against her chin, he knew he was in for trouble. And still, he waited anxiously for her to speak.

  “So, this mate business…” She slid her finger into her mouth and nibbled on the short nail for a few moments before letting it slip free. “How does that work? Do you have one pre-destined mate like in those romance novels that are so popular?” She raised her brows. “You know, a big, strong alpha male will spend his whole life searching for that one female meant to be his?” Her lip quivered as if she fought to maintain her composure. A bitter laugh accompanied her growing sneer. “Or will any ol’ girl do for you?”

  Yep, he was in trouble.

  “No, shifters don’t have predestined mates. And no, any girl won’t do.” He ran a hand through his hair, considered his response and decided to tell her everything. She was already mad. “Feline shifters rarely sleep with a female more than once. We bore easily and don’t like commitments.”

  “Oh, okay.” Her eyes widened. The sneer turned into an amused smirk. “So you only fucked Anne and Jill once?”

  He opened his mouth, the lie on the tip of his tongue, because he saw the trap looming in front of him, but he refused to deceive his female. The thought didn’t sit well with him.

  “Wolf shifters don’t count. I can never mate them.” At her condescending eye roll, he straightened his spine. “I might’ve fucked them but I’ve never found release inside them. My cats wouldn’t let me.”

  The derisive expression faded. She tilted her head as she considered him. “Then why bother?”

  Her curiosity forced him to answer honestly. “It feels good, better than my hand, and jerking off on their bodies is nice.”

  Her nose scrunched. “I did not need the visual, Devin.”

  He crawled up onto the bed and cupped his female’s face in his hands. “You are the only female I’ve ever left my seed inside. Do you understand what that means?”

  “That you were incredibly horny and couldn’t wait to find a condom?”

  The twinkle in her eyes gave him hope and eased his fears. Gods, this woman was amazing. He grinned and slid one hand to caress her neck. “A shifter male will never mark a womb he doesn’t plan on filling with life.”

  The pulse under his hand sped. Her gaze flicked to the door before meeting his. “I thought you said we weren’t fertile together.”

  He stilled. The panic in her voice matched the fear that suddenly tainted her soothing fragrance. He licked his lip and focused on uncovering the reason for her anxiety, not his trepidation. “Does the thought of carrying my children upset you?”

  She shook her head but said, “I won’t bring a kid into this world who doesn’t have
a father.”

  Confused, he studied her expression. He allowed his cats to rise in an effort to understand her words. They didn’t know why she was so frightened either. Great.

  “Explain. If we make a baby, I’ll be around to love it, protect it.”

  She shoved his hands away. “Don’t give me that line. That’s what my mom fell for. Twice. Neither Gwen or I know our real dads.” She scrunched her nose. “Cats bore easily. You said so yourself. This infatuation with me won’t last more than a few weeks.”

  He took her hand and pressed it to his cock. “Do you feel that? I’ve never gotten hard for a human female more than once. You’ve captured me, Lena. I’m yours and I sure as hell won’t ever walk away from you.”

  She stroked him. He closed his eyes to savor the sensation of her soft hands manipulating his sex. She did own him. He’d heard other shifters say similar things, even the males whose mates hated them. He’d never understood what they meant until this moment.

  “You confuse me, Devin.”

  “I know, angel. You confuse me too.”

  She squeezed his cock. Pleasure whipped through his rod and tightened his balls. He captured her mouth and kissed her while she worked him. With his hands fisted in her soft hair, he tipped her head back and delved deeply. Their tongues twined and rolled. The kiss turned dirty and raw with rough moans and harsh pants. He groaned against her lips as he tried to crawl inside her body. When he yanked her closer, she released his dick and dug nails into his ass.

  It’d be so easy to lay her back and fill her sheath again, but he wanted to make a point—Lena mattered to him.

  He broke their kiss, stared into her eyes a long moment, wanting her to see his intent. A breathy sigh escaped her parted lips, exactly the response he wanted. Gripping the hem of her shirt, he unveiled her sweet body.

  He opened his mouth to praise her but closed it without offering the words. He’d given them already. They hadn’t made a difference. Fine by him. He had no problem showing her what he thought of her.

  He pressed against her shoulders. She followed his unspoken prompt and lay back. With a slow glide, he caressed her arms. Once he traced each finger, he worked his way back up, slowly mapping her sides, careful not to stimulate her breasts. Every inch of her body was beautiful and deserved his attention. He wouldn’t leave any part unexplored.