Heart of a Prince [Daughters of Lyra Series]

by Felicity Heaton

  She frowned, as though she didn't understand. Did she think that he was going to remain here when he could leave now? He was going to save her, just as he had promised. He wouldn't allow anything to happen to her or her brother.

  He walked over to the door bars of his cell and reached through them.

  "What are you doing? I'm sure they'll be locked down or alarmed or something."

  Tres pulled a wire out from the left wrist of his suit and stretched to reach the control panel. Pushing the wire against the screen, he smiled when Renie gasped as the small bud on the end of the wire opened and extended out to cover the entire screen of the panel in a thin silver film.

  Turning his arm so his palm was facing upwards, he tapped the inside of his forearm and the display appeared, hovering an inch above the suit.

  "What are you doing?” Renie hissed at him.

  "Freezing me to keep me quiet wasn't the only reason they disconnected the power in my suit,” he said and tapped a combination of buttons on the long display screen on his forearm. The doors in front of each cell in the block faded. He smiled at Renie. “Stopping me from escaping was the other reason."

  Her eyes were bright and wide, full of amazement and awe. She tentatively stepped out of the cell and then went to go to the main doors. He caught her wrist and she stopped and looked back at him. The feel of her skin against his was divine and it was a struggle not to drag her up against his body and kiss her.

  "Not that way,” he said and pointed at the ceiling. “This way."

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  Chapter 6

  Renie watched in fascination as Tres stood on the bench in his cell and scored a square in the ceiling with his claws. What was he planning to do? She jumped back when he punched the centre of the area he had marked and the entire section buckled under the force of the strike. She hadn't expected such a slim man to be so strong. He was stronger than her brother was and Tres was half Rezic's size.

  Before she could ask what he intended to do now, Tres fell forwards so his hands pressed into the floor and then disappeared feet first through the hole in the ceiling. She stared, mouth agape, stunned and trying to figure out what had just happened.

  She added acrobatic to the list of things she was discovering about him since fixing his thermal suit. It was little wonder the commander had broken it. Keeping Tres contained seemed impossible. It had taken him only seconds to break free.

  His hand reappeared through the hole and then his head followed.

  "Come on,” he said and flexed his fingers, as though trying to encourage her.

  She didn't need any encouragement to follow him. She was beginning to think that she would follow him wherever he went. Perhaps she could encourage him to join her and her brother. The thought of parting company with Tres was strangely painful.

  Renie stood on the bench, reached up and took hold of his hand. A squeak of surprise left her when he effortlessly hauled her into the dim duct.

  "We must move fast.” He turned and began crawling along the narrow duct.

  Renie crawled along behind him, trying not to stare at his backside but finding it impossible as they moved further and further into the ship. He had a nice behind and narrow hips that slowly tapered out into his shoulders. Although he was slim, he was strong. The thermal suit he wore was as tight as a second skin and emphasised his compact muscles in a way that made her imagine him naked.

  Her entire body ached at the thought of him nude.

  She wondered if he had imagined her naked too. He had asked whether she had ever been with a man after all. There had to be a reason he was asking her and why he wanted to know more about her. His reaction to her touch was another thing. She had seen the way his pale blue pupils had dilated when she had taken his hand and heard the stifled inhale of breath when she had touched his ears. He acted as though her touch was electric. Perhaps it was just because he was cold blooded, but something inside her said that it was more than that. Did he feel the same intense need as she did whenever they touched?

  He seemed the adventurous type and she couldn't deny that she was attracted to him. If they made it off the ship, maybe he would join her and her brother in exploring the galaxy. Maybe.

  She would do anything to convince him.

  She liked the sound of that.

  He turned a corner and by the time she had made it there, he was gone.

  "Tres?” she whispered, afraid to raise her voice in case a guard heard her. The duct was darker here and she couldn't see very far ahead of her. She slowly moved forwards, her heart beating fast and her arms trembling. What if he had fallen down somewhere? Could his ocular implants make him see in the dark?

  There was a blue light shining up from the floor ahead.

  "Renie,” Tres said and her heart fluttered when his head popped up from the floor. “This way."

  He disappeared again.

  She moved to the edge of the opening in the floor of the duct. There was light below her. Tres was standing on what looked like a metal grate. Below him was an eerie blue glow. Sitting at the edge of the opening, she took short sharp breaths, trying to psyche herself up into dropping to the floor around ten feet below her. She grasped the edge of the opening and began to lower herself.

  A flush of heat washed through her when Tres's hands caught her hips and she let go of the duct when he gently lowered her. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders and her eyes met his as he slowly brought her down to him.

  When she could almost touch the floor, he stopped, staring into her eyes in way that made her heart pound.

  Impulse battled against sense.

  Tres blinked slowly, his blue pupils fixed on her, strangely bright in the dim glow from far below them.

  His body pressed against hers, cool and soothing.

  His hands held her hips, fingers pressing in and making her ache for his touch.

  Impulse won.

  "Thank you for helping me,” she said and he frowned before smiling.

  "I believe we are helping each other,” he whispered and her gaze fell to his mouth.

  She wet her lips and slowly closed her eyes as she inched towards him. The moment their mouths touched, his grip on her tightened. She kept the kiss gentle, not wanting to startle him or drive him away. It was time she discovered whether it was more than her heat that he wanted. Her lips slowly skimmed over his, tasting their coolness.

  The light brush of his against hers made waves of shivers race through her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning in and stroking her tongue over his lips. He groaned and opened his mouth to her. Their tongues touching sent a jolt through her followed by an aftershock of pleasure. His was cool against hers, probing her mouth as he slanted his head and captured her lips.

  He turned with her, backing her into the wall. She buried her fingers into his long hair as his tongue caressed her lips and then entered her mouth again. She moaned at how cool his mouth was, his tongue brushing hers and making her tremble with delight. He moved against her and a shot of desire bolted through her.

  He definitely wanted her too.

  His lips left hers, trailing frantic kisses along her jaw and neck, each one accompanied by a low groan of deep satisfaction. The galaxy disappeared in an instant and there was only Tres, moving her back into a shadowed recess of the walkway they were on and pressing her against the wall there. She moved against him, her body overruling any remaining shred of sense as it begged him to touch her. He pinned her to the wall with his hips, thrusting hard against her. Unable to bear the wait, she kissed his neck and caressed his cheek, matching the fervour of his actions. Desire consumed her until she could only think of acting upon her attraction to him and having him inside her.

  He moaned hotly in her ear when she wrapped her legs around him and he covered one of her breasts with his hand. He squeezed and groaned again. She arched into his touch, pleading him to feel her, to strip her and take her. It was insane but she didn't care. The moment she
had set eyes on him, she had wanted him. There was no denying her attraction to him now. He had to feel something too. The way he had looked at her, the way he had held her hand, this couldn't be one sided. He had to feel something more than desire. Just as she did.

  She went to open his suit but stopped herself.

  "What's wrong?” he whispered against her neck, his breath warm now and tickling.

  "You'll get cold.” It wasn't the only reason she was stopping. What she was planning to do with him in this dark recess really was insane. This wasn't the time to be acting on her desires for him. Yet the danger of being caught only added to the thrill, only made her want it even more. She wanted him. She had to have him. Her fingers toyed with his suit as she memorised the feel of his body against hers and the way his hands gripped her tightly.

  Tres tensed against her and then lowered her to the ground. There was a look in his eyes that said that he didn't care if he got cold as he opened his suit. Her eyes widened as he revealed a white muscular torso and then she swallowed as he reached his groin. Her own throbbed when he pulled his erection free of the tight material and she reached out without hesitation to touch it. He flung his head back and hissed through clenched teeth when she ran a hand down the length of him, stroking the soft skin. He was so hard. The feel of him sent a warm rush through her and she wriggled her hips, feeling the slide of arousal in her underwear.

  In the name of Iskara, she had never wanted anything more than she wanted him.

  Impulse won again. She truly was a daughter of Lyra. She wanted Tres and she was damn well going to have him.

  She stifled a giggle when he lunged at her, making fast work of her shirt and trousers. Before she could tell him to slow down, he had pulled her boots and trousers off, along with underwear, and was against her again. He palmed her breasts as his length thrust against her belly. She melted into the wall behind her and closed her eyes, surrendering to him. This was insane, but it felt so right.

  His hand skimmed over her flat stomach to the nest of dark curls that covered her mound. Her hands tensed against the wall when he slid one finger between her slick folds. He groaned and she looked at him, watching the fascination flicker across his dimly lit face as he stared down at his hand. Reaching out, she took hold of his length again and his lips parted.

  "Renie,” he whispered urgently and she felt he wanted to say something. He closed his mouth and moaned instead. The way he reacted to her touch was incredible. The slightest caress had him trembling. She could feel his hands shaking against her. He bit his lip and then took hold of her hand, stopping her. “I ... this is all ... new."

  New?

  Her eyes widened. New. As in, he had never done this before. She moved her hand against him again, regardless of his attempt to stop her. Everyone had a first time. At least his would be memorable and hopefully not his only time with her. She didn't want this to be a one-moment thing, she wanted so much more.

  No wonder he reacted so strongly to her touch. This was definitely the something else she had sensed earlier.

  She felt as though she should say something but couldn't think so she grabbed his shoulders, pulled him up against her, and kissed him. She wasn't going to make him stop or let him make her stop. They both wanted this. She only hoped it was more than a crazy moment for him.

  His hands caught her thighs and he lifted her again. She settled her legs around his waist and then buried her fingers into his hair as he lowered his mouth to her breasts. He kissed across them and then licked her nipple into hardness before sucking it into his mouth. She bit back her moan, stifling it so no one heard her. He moved to her other breast, teasing it, torturing her until her thighs trembled.

  "Tres,” she whispered into his hair and tensed against him, desperate to encourage him.

  He looked up at her. Seeing her chance, she reached down between them and took hold of his length.

  "I don't think we have time for this to be romantic,” she said with a shy smile and he lowered her.

  With a combined groan, he slid into her, stretching her body in a way that made the ache inside her worsen. He took hold of her hips and pressed her into the wall, his length pushing up deeper inside her, until she felt as though he was going to break her in two. She buried her face into his neck with his first thrust and found his mouth with the second, swallowing his moans. His tongue tangled with hers, their teeth clashing as their bodies moved against each other, his thrusts so powerful that they slammed her into the wall.

  Renie clung to his shoulders, moaning with each plunge of his length into her. He moved faster, deeper, making her quiver. The tightness inside her was growing hotter by the moment and she was on the verge of begging him to make her climax when it crashed over her, sending sweeps of tingles and intense heat through her.

  He grasped her hips tighter and thrust harder into her. With a low deep growl that she swallowed in a kiss, he jerked up inside her and came, his length throbbing as he spilled his cool seed.

  "Renie,” he whispered against her mouth.

  She went to kiss him again but squealed instead as he collapsed to his knees, still inside her, taking her down with him.

  He trembled against her, shivering. She moved off him and pressed her hand to his bare chest. He was freezing to the touch.

  Renie quickly refastened his thermal suit, even pulling the collar up to cover as much of his neck as possible, and then wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her. His whole body shook in her arms as she rubbed his back, trying to warm him. It made a strange kind of sense that he would be cold now. He had probably used all of the stored energy in his body during intercourse. Now he was back to square one and he needed to get his body temperature back up. It was all her fault. She should have realised that something like this would happen.

  Holding him, she didn't care if she was growing cold herself. She focused all of her energies on him, determined to get him warm again. He shivered and held her closer, burying his face into her neck. His breath was freezing against her throat but gradually warmed.

  Her cheeks blazed when she thought about what they had done.

  She always had been impetuous. It was a trait that everyone in her family shared.

  It was one that she wouldn't change for all the world.

  Not when it gave her moments like this.

  Closing her eyes, she held Tres closer, savouring the feel of him in her arms.

  He emerged from her embrace and she looked at him. He had stopped shivering. When he touched her cheek, his hand was warm again. Not as hot as hers, but as hot as he had been the whole time she had known him.

  He leaned towards her and her eyes closed again when he kissed her, slow and deep, stirring warmth inside her and bringing a smile to her lips. Perhaps this wasn't going to be a one-moment thing. There was such tenderness in his kiss, so much emotion that she found herself daring to hope that his feelings were the same as hers.

  When he pulled back again, she became painfully aware of her lack of clothing and the way his eyes raked over her bare body. As much as she wanted it, this was no time for an encore and she didn't want to hurt Tres again. He stood and held his hand out to her, clearly thinking the same thing. She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

  Renie dressed quickly, partly because she was cold and partly because she felt embarrassed being the only one half-naked. Tres watched her the whole time. She could feel his eyes on her, following her hands and sometimes on her face. A little smile kept touching her lips, a secret one that he had brought out.

  It wasn't just because they had acted on their mutual desires.

  It was because he had given her a sign that she wasn't the only one feeling this way.

  Now she had to find out the depth of his feelings. Now she had to find a way to ask him to come with her. She didn't want to explore the galaxy without him. Whenever she thought about it now, she could only picture her, Tres and Rezic in their small battered ship.

  She was almos
t finished fastening her shirt when there was a noise. Tres pressed his finger against his lips and edged towards the opening of the small dark recess they were in. She frowned, her heart pounding with adrenaline when she heard voices. Two males.

  Tres moved back to her, guiding her into the shadows, and wrapped his arms around her. The warmth she felt whenever he touched her tempered her fear. She rested her cheek against his chest, facing the walkway around the room.

  Her breath hitched in her throat when two Vegans passed the opening to the recess and disappeared from view. Tres held her closer, his arms like steel bands around her. When another noise sounded, he released her and went to the end of the recess again. He waved her over.

  She poked her head around and looked both ways along the walkway before stepping out to join Tres.

  Her eyes widened when she looked over the edge of the walkway and down towards where the blue light was coming from. The height of the drop was stomach turning and there were no railings to stop someone from falling in.

  Far below her was a bright blue twisting orb. A large ring encircled it, with a smaller ring inside. Both were spinning fast and in opposing directions. She stared at it, fascinated and trying to get a clear glimpse of the core of the rotating rings.

  "What is it?” she said, leaning forward to get a better look.

  "The reactor core of the ship,” Tres said without a trace of emotion. He seemed to know a lot about these vessels. “Come away from the edge."

  Renie looked up at him and went to take a step towards him. The moment she raised her foot, a shrieking alarm filled the room, so loud that it startled her. She jumped and put her foot down behind her to steady herself.

  It slipped off the edge of the walkway.

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  Chapter 7

  Renie twisted in the air as she fell. Air rushed against her face and she found herself staring at the reactor core of the ship. The fall seemed to be taking forever and she lost her ability to scream when she clearly saw the centre of the blue orb she was falling into. It was beautiful. It sparkled as though it held a billion stars in its bright depths.