Determined Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Damn, but it was arousing to feel his erection pressing into her like it was. His hips moved in tiny thrusts, rubbing along her. She’d seen him move—the quick, agile grace of his body—and knew he was a man who’d know how to work it between the sheets.

  There was passion in his tone but also an unmistakable challenge. Curiosity was definitely one of her greatest vices. Rolling on her side to face him, she trailed her hand over his hard, flat stomach. He tensed, closing his eyes as he held his breath. His navel was carved just as she’d expect to find one and his flesh was every inch hard, sizzling male. Eve got to his waistband and hesitated. He opened one eye to look at her.

  “Will you change during?” she asked.

  “No, we do not shift to mate.” He gave a pained smile. “I have no wish for you to be frightened, m’lady. I would never harm you in this. You have my word.”

  Eve nodded, instinctively believing him. It was strange, but she felt the building of a connection between them. Or maybe it was just that she was so aroused by him she couldn’t see straight. The ache between her thighs was nearly unbearable as her body readied to accept him.

  Kyran took a deep breath. “Mm, I love your smell.”

  He could smell her? She clamped her thighs together on instinct. He must have felt her movement, because he again chuckled.

  “Are you trying to torture me?” His voice was soft as he continued to nuzzle her ear. Pushing his hips closer, he urged her to continue her exploration.

  Eve dipped her hand along his hip and angled her neck to give him access to her throat. Her neck was always so sensitive. He brushed his lips over her, giving her instant goose bumps.

  “You have protection, right?” she asked.

  “Yes, I will protect you,” he assured her. “As is my duty to you.”

  Eve’s hand stilled just below his waist band. “No, I mean protection. Like a condom.”

  “Sorry? Condom?”

  Eve pulled her hand away. Her body ached in protest, but she refused to give in. “Yeah, you know, something to prevent diseases.”

  “You believe me to be diseased?” He actually looked insulted. “You think I would come to you in such a way?”

  “Well, I don’t know, maybe to prevent pregnancy. Can you even get me pregnant? Or what if your sperm is this acidy mutating stuff that has some weird effect on me?” Eve shrugged. Okay, the last one could have been the influence of too many old horror movies, but still…

  Kyran rolled off the bed in one swift motion. His hair was beautifully disheveled about his head and he was breathing hard. Damn, he was even sexier pissed—if such a thing were even possible.

  “Are you saying you have no wish to carry my sons?” he demanded.

  Eve was taken aback. “What? Are you serious?”

  “Why would I not be serious? This is a serious matter. You are my wife. It is your duty to have my sons.”

  “What? No girls?” she asked wryly. Was this man for real? The way she saw it, if he was this crazy there was no point in trying to talk reason.

  His face fell. “I can’t give you daughters.”

  That wasn’t the answer she’d been expecting.

  “For some reason, since my people escaped to this planet from yours, we have slowly stopped producing female children. I tell you this because you should know, but I ask that you do not speak of it freely to our people. They have noticed the decline in female births, but we have not made the extent of the problem known.”

  Eve nodded. What else could she do?

  “Don’t be concerned for your safety,” he continued. “Live females are not adversely affected by being here.”

  Eve merely stared at him and he just kept talking his crazy.

  “It is why we returned to Earth after so long to find brides. I have been the first so blessed. We know your kind breeds successfully with ours.”

  “So I’m just something you can knock up?” Eve gave a derisive snort. “Well, jeez, when you say it like that.”

  “I will never knock you. You are my wife—”

  Grimacing, she held up her hand, “Yeah, about that one…”

  He stiffened.

  “You see, I’m not sure I agree with you on the whole me-being-your-wife issue.”

  “But…just now, you…” He ran his hand through his hair. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he wanted to strangle her or throw her down the stairs. Either way, it didn’t look good. She recoiled on the bed. To her amazement, he restrained his temper. “You are my wife.”

  “Just because you say it, doesn’t make it so.”

  “No, Draig law makes it so. You willing walked into my tent. There are witnesses. You spent the night and were introduced to the king and queen the next morning. It is done.”

  With a heavy sigh, she rested on her back and said nonchalantly, “Then undo it.”

  “Does your honor mean so little to you that you would take back your word?”

  Honor? That was his defense? Eve laughed. “I don’t know when the last time you’ve been to Earth was, but things have changed, princey.”

  “You will call me m’lord, lord husband, prince, my prince or Kyran. Nothing else.”

  “Okay, Kyran,” she stressed his name to the point that it was hardly respectful. “Undo it.”

  “I will not!”

  “Then I will,” she quipped. Somehow, Eve instinctively knew he wouldn’t harm her, no matter how mouthy she got. “What do I have to do? Sleep outside the tent?”

  “No.” A small smile formed on his face. “You have to petition the royal council.”

  There was something in his look. “As in the king and queen?”

  He nodded.

  “As in your parents, right?”

  He nodded again. “Yes, my parents and other elders. You should also know that marriage disputes can only be claimed after a full year of marriage has been achieved and only if the bride can prove that nothing of a sexual nature happened between the married couple for that full year. Furthermore, a decision usually takes another year to be reached, considering the royal council will not always agree and the dissolution of a marriage is a very serious matter to us. So, accordingly, you have at least two years as my wife.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “However, if I were to disagree with the divorce, then it would be longer. We could drag this out say ten, fifteen years. Even then, you need the royal council’s consent. So you see, it’s not likely you can undo your word as easily as you’d like. We take our honor very seriously.”

  “You’re on the royal council, aren’t you?” She wanted to groan.

  “As are my brothers and uncles and cousins.”

  “Ah, glad to see your honor includes fairness,” she grumbled.

  “Question my honor again and I’ll—”

  “What, break your word and actually hurt me?” Eve dismissed, sitting up with a superior smile. “Go ahead. Take your best shot. I’d like to have this honor conversation again afterward though.”

  “I don’t have to hurt you to punish you, wife.”

  Part of her really wanted to forget this intriguing debate and invite him back to bed. Her gaze roamed down over his deliciously firm body. Why did she have to ask about protection before she was able to explore him more fully? She wondered if he’d be bumpy all over when he shifted. And why wasn’t she put off by the idea?

  “I think I see a suitable punishment already,” he said. “I won’t mate with you until you say the words I am your wife and you are my prince.”

  Eve’s gaze flew up from his groin to stare at his face. “Are you serious?”

  “Extremely.” His eyes flickered with gold.

  There was that challenge again. Damn, but she was a fool. She was going to take his challenge and issue one of her own. Eve tilted her head to the side. “Good to know, but I’m not so sure I’ll be the one to cave first.”

  Standing on the bed, she pulled her nightgown over her head and tossed it aside. She posed before him in nothing but her lace
panties. Kyran’s eyes devoured her and his lips parted as he sucked in a deep breath. The gold only increased in intensity as he stared.

  “By the way, I like to walk around the house naked. I hope that won’t be a problem.” Eve gave him a superior grin, reaching to absently rub the bottom curve of her breasts. His eyes automatically followed her movement as if mesmerized.

  Men are so easy, she thought.

  “Well, marriage is about compromises, wife. I am willing to learn some of your customs as well. Besides, I too find clothes to be rather binding.”

  She knew what was coming even before he pushed his loose-fitted pants off his hips. Eve stared at his towering shaft. It was full, and so impossibly thick with need. Aside from the size, he looked every inch human. His perfect hips framed it, leading to strong thighs and calves. He kicked his pants aside, letting her look her fill.

  “I’m assuming you have maids here? I know you don’t think I’m picking up after you.” Eve nodded pointedly to his discarded pajama pants and yawned.

  “No, the servants will see to it. But I must insist you wear more than those hip coverings when they are around. Otherwise, it is a punishable offense and I would be able to do little to save you from it.”

  “Great. Good to know. Though it is a shame that I have to take streaking off my list of things to do on this planet while I’m here.” She hopped off the bed, not at all tired. It was night after all—her time to be awake. “I’m hungry. I’m going to go get some food and then take a nice long, hot, wet bath.”

  As she said the words, she let her voice dip with meaning and then bit her lip, giving him her most seductive naughty-girl look. Always the adventurer, she had no problem standing before him in her underwear. Besides, this hunky alien prince was just too delicious for words.

  Kyran drew his hands up to his hips, pausing to scratch below his navel. “I must rest. A prince’s day is very full.”

  “Sweet dreams.” Eve waited for him to break first and give into his desire for her. The electricity between them was so alive it nearly snapped in the air. They were both breathing hard. The subtle scent of arousal was thick. Every nerve in her body was ready for some action.

  “M’lady.” Kyran bowed his head in dismissal and walked to the bed. “You know where to find me when you are ready to accept me as your husband and master.”

  Eve snorted and walked down the stairs in her lace panties. She paused, listening to see if he would follow. He didn’t. Almost pissed that he’d resisted her, she stomped to the kitchen.

  “Damn, barbaric alien…” She continued mumbling, cursing as she went in search of something decent to eat.

  * * *

  KYRAN LAY ON THE BED, his body taut. Every inch of him was aroused even though the woman frustrated the dragonfire out of him. He listened to her walk down the stairs, his Draig senses so in tune with her that he knew she stopped and waited. He detected her lingering scent. The hunter inside him stirred and primal instinct warred with his logical mind. Did he give into his natural urges and take her? Even as he wanted to, he knew that for the sake of their future together, he must wait for her to give into him.

  Groaning, he didn’t try to resist his body’s needs as he reached down to grab his erection. It was so sensitive it actually hurt to stroke. But soon he was pumping his fist over the turgid shaft, working his way to a bittersweet release as he imagined a naked, wet, bathing Eve in her hip coverings.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Eve moved down the stone hallway. After the spa bath, she felt much better—even if the only thing she could find to wear was a long dress. As illogical as it sounded, the most believable explanation for her current predicament was that this was not a time slip, or alien abduction, or parallel world, so much as a kind of undiscovered country crossed to by a scientifically explainable magical portal. The dragonshifters used to live on her side of the portal, which is why myths of dragons and shapechangers still existed on her world. They’d left. People had forgotten about them. And now they’d rediscovered their way back across the space ocean like Europeans of old sailing to the supposedly New World.

  Some people evolved with dark or light skin and biological features according to their environment. Kyran’s people had evolved into human dragons. The proof of their Earth past was evident in the fact she was walking through a medieval castle. Thinking of this place as a foreign country made it a lot easier to accept. She would simply have to navigate the local customs and laws until she found a way home.

  “Hey, better a portal than a space ship,” she mumbled, peeking around a corner. Any idiot could jump into a portal—she assumed it was something you could jump into—but there was no way she was flying a space ship. She could barely drive stick shift in a car.

  Giving up on sneaking around, since no one seemed to be awake anyway, she started wandering the long halls looking for a front door. It was by dumb luck that she found the way out. A large barred gate with metal spikes along the bottom edge had been left open. It hung overhead so she could pass under. Beyond that, two oversized wooden doors were open to let a cool breeze in. Only too late did she see the two guards standing watch. They glanced at her but made no move to stop her as she came toward them.

  Eve smiled. “Good evening, fello—”

  Her face collided with what looked like empty air but felt like a giant electrical shock. It zapped her hard, forcing all her muscles to stiffen violently before she was flung backwards to the hard floor. Seconds before her body struck, she thought, Oh, fuck.

  * * *

  “YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN WATCHING her,” Queen Galina said, not for the first time. She pointed to the unconscious Eve in the palace’s hospital bed.

  Kyran averted his eyes to avoid his mother’s irritated gaze. She was one of the last female dragons born and her fiery temper ran hotter than any male dragonshifter. Normally it took a lot to get her angry. Apparently, one of those things was having her new daughter-by-marriage electrocuted by the guard shield.

  “This will never do,” the queen continued. “We have to come up with a better integration plan for bringing brides through the portal.”

  “To be fair, who walks through the main entrance to a castle without disarming a guard shield?” The king kept his voice even. He unconsciously rubbed the tip of his nose.

  Kyran glanced at his bride. The tip of her nose was burnt and blistered. The doctors said she was going to be all right after her shock but expected her to be weak for a few days. What concerned them more was the way she’d hit her head when she fell. The palace guards hadn’t realized what she was doing until it was too late.

  This part of the palace was hardly ever in use. Aside from the occasional mishap, the nearby villagers rarely came to the palace to seek medical care. Shifters healed much more quickly than humans apparently did.

  “It’s not so bad,” Finn said, trying to sound encouraging. “Maybe she can wear a face veil?”

  The queen glared at her youngest son. “She is still beautiful and she is still a princess.”

  “I was being serious,” Finn defended like a scolded child. “She has a skin bubble on her nose.”

  “I will tolerate no jests out of you. When she wakes up, if you so much as look at her nose, I will close that portal myself and you will never marry.” Galina let her eyes flash with a gold shift. “And I will cancel all visiting ships.”

  Finn paled and looked to their father. The king did not naysay his wife. Everyone knew who the ruling force in that relationship was.

  “Kyran, you need to do better,” Queen Galina ordered. “We already discussed that these women would be fragile. They’re not shifters.” She sighed heavily and furrowed her brow in worry as she looked at the unconscious Eve. “But it is clearly worse than I feared. We will just have to enact certain laws and customs to ensure they’re protected. It will take some time, but people will look to the princes on how to act. We need to lead by example from the beginning. I worry that the men will assume they are fie
rce like dragon women when clearly they can be broken.”

  It had taken the queen a long time to accept the fact that her sons would not be marrying dragonshifters, but humans. Once she agreed to an idea, she embraced it fully.

  “I will not leave her side until she is healed,” Kyran promised. He thought about her threat to kill herself but did not want to tell his parents as much. If that is what she had been trying to do walking into the shield, she had almost been successful.

  “It must be more than that. From now on, whenever she is concerned, you will tell yourself that women are to be protected.” The queen nodded slowly, as if convinced she knew the answer. “You will say it until you believe it. We have all read the historical scrolls about Earth and the human people. Where these non-dragon women are concerned, women are to be safeguarded at all costs.” She took a deep breath, clearly not liking the decree against women but at the same time knowing that humans were not dragonshifters. “Men provide, fight, protect. Women nurture, care and provide a steady household.”

  “Like the Victorians from the transmission documents,” Finn offered. “Men rule the outside sphere of the world. Women rule the inside sphere of the home.”

  “Documentaries,” the king corrected. The human’s historical records had been most helpful.

  “Clearly, that is how these delicate women are used to being treated,” the queen agreed. “It has to be the will of the gods. I realize the answer as surely as if the gods had come down and whispered it in my ear.”

  “Finn, come, let’s see the Var princes off. They ride for home this morning.” King Severin patted Kyran’s arm before leading Finn out of the palace hospital.

  “You could not have known she would be so delicate,” Queen Galina said to Kyran when they were alone. “The gods would not have blessed you if they did not want you to have her as your wife. Now that it is done, you cannot find another.”