Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set

by Mandy M. Roth

  “Actually, this is a little strange.” Ulyssa sidled up to the guard and slowly drew her finger along his sleeve. “I’m a friend of Princess Nadja and I wished to seek an audience with her, if I may.”

  “Uh, I’m sorry, but no one is allowed into the palace without royal escort or permission.” The guard glanced down to his arm where her fingers trailed over his bicep in lazy circles. He cleared his throat. To his obvious disappointment, she drew her hand away.

  Giggling in her high pitched voice, she let her chest bounce to draw his attention. Ulyssa wanted to laugh for real as he eyes drew down to the monstrous protrusions. Men were so predictable, no matter where she went. Well, all except for Kirill. She hadn’t been able to predict him at all. Instantly, her mind sobered and she focused on her work. She wouldn’t let him kill all these people.

  “But, how can I get a royal escort if I can’t first get a royal audience. See my problem, sweetie?” Ulyssa giggled and batted her lashes over her green eyes. “So, do you think you could at least tell Princess Nadja that her friend Gena is here?”

  The guard considered her a moment longer. Stepping out of the entryway, he looked up the side of the mountain and gave a low growl. Ulyssa gasped as a man hopped down the side of the mountain with ease to land next to her.

  “I have to escort her,” the guard said to the newcomer. Ulyssa gulped as he stood possessively close to her. “Watch the entrance.”

  The new guard eyed her before shooting a jealous glare at his friend. Stiffly, he nodded and took his new post.

  At the blond guard’s motion, Ulyssa followed him into the Draig Palace. The mountain castle was as picturesque as she would have expected the castle to be. Wide domes allowed light inside the tunneled path of red rock. Entering a front door of thick oak, they came to a series of passageways. The halls were clean and decorated with tasteful paintings and sculptures. Tapestries hung on the walls, alongside banners with the emblem of the royal dragon.

  They walked in silence for some time until Ulyssa was sure they were deep into the mountain. Stopping by two large doors, the Draig guard pushed them open and stepped aside.

  “You may wait here,” he said quietly. His lips twitched and his eyes roamed over her body in a way that was pure dominance. Letting his eyes linger on her breasts, he licked his lips.

  “Thank you,” Ulyssa purred. The man was handsome and ordinarily she’d have considered taking him up on the offer in his eyes, but as she looked at him she felt cold, dead. The image of Kirill flashed into her mind. No matter how she tried to deny it, she missed him terribly. It didn’t matter that he was a tyrant. Her body missed him, as did her heart. And she hated herself for feeling that way.

  The guard had taken her to the main common hall of the palace. It had steep, arched ceilings with the center dome for light. The red stone floor was swept clean and her feet echoed off it as she walked into the large room. Lines of empty tables reached across the floor for dining. Banners of the Draig family crest lined the walls with the silver symbol of a dragon boldly wove into it. Compared to the decorative tile of the Var, the Draig palace was very plain—beautiful, but plain.

  After a short time, she heard the door open behind her. She turned to see Nadja enter. Her boots clacked lightly as she came across the floor. Nadja was a pretty woman, reserved and quiet in nature. Ulyssa knew the character of Gena had put her off more than once with her brassiness on the Galaxy Brides ship, but the woman had been too kind to say anything about it. At first, Ulyssa hadn’t realized who she was, until she saw the woman strapped to the chair by her psychotic father. Doc had threatened to kill her and the baby she carried if she didn’t harm Princess Olena, who he’d also kidnapped. Nadja refused and had killed her own father instead.

  Yeah, Ulyssa thought. Nadja Aleksander was a true lady—despite what her father had been and despite the fact she’d killed him.

  Nadja’s long brown hair was swept back into a bun and she wore a pair of flowing gray cotton pants and a fitted blue shirt. Her features were reserved and she had the perfect coloring of white porcelain. The light blue of her eyes was confident, yet refined. At her side was a man, who Ulyssa guessed was her Prince husband.

  The Prince’s greater height complimented Nadja’s slender frame. His green gaze looked her over suspiciously and he stepped protectively closer to his bride. His hand lifted to rest on her shoulder, as they came to stand before the stranger in their midst. The possessive act took Ulyssa by surprise. If she wasn’t mistaken, Nadja Aleksander had found love in her marriage.

  “Gena?” Nadja asked, taken aback. She glanced at her husband in confusion. “What are you doing here? Didn’t you go back on the Galaxy Brides ship?”

  “Not quite,” Ulyssa answered. She swallowed nervously. “Ah, would it be possible for us to talk alone?”

  The Prince’s grip on his wife tightened slightly.

  “Olek, it’s all right,” Nadja murmured. “I have a feeling I know what this is about.”

  Olek slowly nodded. His eyes softened and he said quietly. “I’ll be right outside the door if you need me.”

  Nadja smiled at him, her look a little too dreamy, as he leaned over to place a tender kiss on her lips. Ulyssa glanced away in discomfort. Jealousy surged in her heart to see the couple so affectionate in public. Kirill had never looked at her so openly. He never kissed her so tenderly, so publicly. No, in public he’d treated her like a slave.

  “I’ll be fine,” Nadja answered, pulling away. She motioned to a nearby table for Ulyssa to sit.

  Ulyssa sunk onto the bench, not realizing how tired she was until that moment. She hadn’t eaten a decent meal in days and all the running around was starting to take its toll.

  “Are you all right Gena?” Nadja asked with concern. “Has something happened to you?”

  Ulyssa shook her head and took a deep breath. The dizziness lessened and she forced herself to concentrate. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’ll just say it.”

  “You want me to try and find you a Draig husband?” Nadja offered. “Where have you been hiding all this time? The Galaxy Brides ship’s been gone a long time.”

  “What?” Ulyssa shot in confusion, before remembering what a pervert ‘Gena’ had been on the ship. She shook her head in mild annoyance. “No, believe me, a husband really is the last thing I want.”

  Nadja frowned in obvious disbelief. Ulyssa couldn’t blame her.

  “Listen to me very carefully, Nadja, please. I’m here to help you. You and your new family are in danger.”

  Nadja listened in silence as Ulyssa told her about being in the Var palace and finding the document. After she’d finished, the woman sat back and sighed heavily. Quietly, the Princess said, “I thank you, Gena, for bringing this to my attention. I will speak of it with my husband and we’ll take care of it.”

  Nadja stood from the table.

  “No, wait,” Ulyssa exclaimed. “You... you don’t believe me?”

  “If the Var are our enemy, I have no doubt they dream of killing us,” Nadja answered. “In fact, they have already tried and failed. I promise to look into what you say.”

  “No, those things were something else entirely. What they tried before was nothing compared to what I’m talking about,” Ulyssa insisted. “They’ve got biological weapons!”

  Nadja chuckled. “I’ve thoroughly searched this planet’s vegetation. How exactly would they have gotten the type of biological weapons you describe—?”

  “Doc,” Ulyssa stated. She hadn’t wanted to be so blunt about the woman’s dead father, knowing the memory would still be fresh in her mind. “Your father brought it here and sold it to King Attor. I believe he stockpiled it somewhere on this planet, but I don’t know what to look for. That’s why I need your help. Please, help me! Tell me where what to look for.”

  Nadja paled slightly. Her voice a whisper, she demanded, “What do you know about my father? Who sent you?”

  The door flew open and Olek stormed inside. I
t was as if he could feel his wife’s distress as his own. Seeing Nadja’s pale face, he marched forward. Nadja lifted her hand to him and motioned that she was all right.

  Ulyssa felt another stab of jealousy as she watched the loving couple. A quiver ran over her and she wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and cry. Kirill’s face wouldn’t leave her and it became hard to concentrate. Her body felt fragile and she swayed lightly in her seat.

  “I know who your father is, Nadja,” Ulyssa stated in a rush before Prince Olek had her tossed from the palace as a madwoman who upset his wife. “I’m an undercover agent sent here to stop him, only you did it first. My name is really Ulyssa Payne.”

  Nadja let loose a weakened gasped and reached for her husband’s hand. Her mouth worked but no sound came out.

  “I’m not crazy. I know how I acted on the Galaxy Brides ship, but that’s not how I really am,” Ulyssa cried. “Please, you have to believe me. I have to find the weapon or the entire Draig population will be wiped out and possibly a good percentage of the Var—at least those not given an antidote.”

  At that declaration, Olek stiffened and pushed his wife behind him. “You threaten us?”

  “No, I’ve come to help!” Ulyssa looked around the Prince to Nadja. The woman was pale, shaken. “Here, watch! I’ll prove it.”

  Taking the ring, Ulyssa twisted it on her finger. Her body tingled, as her features appeared to melt from her face. A stabbing pain washed over her as she morphed, instantly sapping her of her energy. Ulyssa blinked, feeling lightheaded. When the change finished, she was breathing hard as she looked at the couple. Nadja’s mouth was agape and she stared at her in awe.

  “Gena?” Nadja whispered, amazed.

  “See,” Ulyssa said. “I’m not Gena. I’m an agent for the Human Intelligence Agency. Ple... ease, Nadja. You... have to... hel—phh.”

  Ulyssa swayed on her feet, unable to keep upright. Her world spun, blurring around her, as she fell forward. Right before everything turned black, she saw Prince Olek sweep forward to catch her.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You know, I like this look for you much better.”

  Ulyssa blinked, trying to come out of the fog that clouded her brain. Looking over at the bed next to her, she saw Nadja smile at her. There was a row of empty hospital beds along one wall behind Nadja. They led to a long hallway where Ulyssa could see three doors. Suddenly, she realized she was in a medical ward in the Draig palace.

  “What?” Ulyssa croaked, feeling weak.

  “Your face,” Nadja clarified. “I like it better without the morph.”

  “I like that I can breathe without the weight of two spaceships on my chest. You’ll never know how hard it was to keep it on for the whole month on that ship.” Ulyssa chuckled. Clearing her throat, she asked weakly, “What happened to me? What am I doing here?”

  “You fainted,” Nadja answered. “The medic said you were malnourished and most likely exhausted. He said it looked like you’d been kept up for days.”

  Ulyssa closed her eyes and nodded.

  “You said you were kidnapped by King Attor. Were you held prisoner for very long?” Nadja asked. She reached a gentle hand forward to brush back a piece of Ulyssa’s hair. “Did they torture you?”

  “Prisoner?” Ulyssa croaked. Her face lit in instant denial and she had the strongest urge to defend Kirill’s honor. Just as she was about to say he’d never harm or torture anyone, she stopped. She didn’t know if that was exactly true or not. So, instead, she said nothing.

  “At the Var palace,” Nadja clarified in answer to her whispered question.

  “I wasn’t really a prisoner,” Ulyssa answered, choosing her words carefully. Her head was a bit dizzy and she felt sick to her stomach. “It was more like undercover.”

  Nadja nodded knowingly. “Was getting King Attor also your assignment?”

  “No, it... I only saw King Attor that one time when he found me by my campsite. Before that, I’d never heard of him. He died and King Kirill was put in charge of the harem.”

  “And this Kirill?” Nadja probed. “What sort of man is he?”

  “He’s a King,” Ulyssa answered evasively. “Until I found that document, I really did think he wanted peace. Now, I honestly don’t know about him.”

  “What does your gut say about him?”

  “I...” Ulyssa coughed as she tried to push herself up off the bed, but ended up falling back onto the mattress. She couldn’t answer that. In her line of work, she relied on facts, not gut instincts. When she looked at Nadja, she had a suspicion that the woman knew something she wasn’t telling her. Desperate to change the subject, she asked, “You’re not upset about your father? I mean, about me coming to get him?”

  Nadja shook her head, though her eyes turned sad. “No, I made my peace with who my father was. My family is here now.”

  Nadja glanced up and Ulyssa heard a voice from her other side say, “Here, you must be thirsty.”

  Twisting around, she recognized Princess Morrigan and Princess Olena standing over her, listening to their conversation. Morrigan handed her a glass of water. Ulyssa struggled to sit up and drink it. She wasn’t surprised to find Princess Pia at the end of the bed watching her as well. Behind her was a reception desk next to several rows of glass cases with medicine bottles.

  “Nadja told us who you are,” Pia allowed quietly when she saw she had Ulyssa’s attention. “Gena.”

  “And what you’re doing here,” Morrigan added.

  Ulyssa nodded and handed the glass back. All the Princesses were pretty women and she’d liked them well enough on the Galaxy Bride ship. Morrigan, who Ulyssa soon learned had married the future Draig King, Prince Ualan, had dark hair and eyes. She was a thoughtful person with a sharp intelligence. Olena, married to Prince Yusef, Captain of the Outlands, had flaming red hair wild enough to match her carefree personality. Pia, a quiet blonde with hazel eyes, married Prince Zoran, Captain of the Draig armies.

  “So, just how close did you get to the King?” Pia questioned, before deducing logically, “You would’ve had to be deep undercover to find out the information you have. I imagine deep enough to be his lover.”

  Ulyssa stiffened and got defensive. A little waspish, she snapped, “I did what I had to. It’s lucky for you that I did, too, or else you could all be dead. You could still be dead if I don’t find that weapon.”

  Instead of the return of anger that she expected for the outburst, Ulyssa got soft laughter. She stiffened and tried to stand.

  “If you’re not going to take this seriously, I’ll go take care of it myself.” Ulyssa looked around. “Which way is the door?”

  The Princesses eyed her in what looked to be pity.

  “Was it so bad? Being with the Var King? Did he hurt you?” Nadja asked.

  “No, he... I...” Suddenly, for reasons she couldn’t comprehend, Ulyssa cried. There was something about the way the women were looking at her—with kindness, pity, compassion. Instantly, four pairs of arms surrounded her, comforting her.

  “Hey, I was like this too at first,” Morrigan said.

  “We all were,” Olena added.

  Ulyssa sniffed. “Like what?”

  “Emotional,” Nadja answered. “I still am sometimes, though I do promise it will get better.”

  “I’m not emotional, just stressed. It’s not like I care for him or anything. I’m not in... in love.” Ulyssa spat the word from her mouth with a grimace of distaste. Were her feelings that obvious? Well, she rejected her feelings. Simple as that. She didn’t care one bit for King Kirill. How could she love a man who would murder innocent people in a race war? What in the hell did that say about her? All right, so she didn’t know he would do that for sure, but is sounded better to her ego than ‘I can’t love a man who doesn’t love me’. “The King and I aren’t together. How could I be? He’s... he’s a.…”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Nadja brushed back a piece of Ulyssa’s hair. “It must be ro
ugh facing that you’re going to be a single mother.”

  “A single...?” Ulyssa paled and she was sure she was going to pass out again. Instead, she started to hyperventilate.

  “She didn’t know,” Olena gasped.

  “It’s why you’ve been feeling so weak and why morphing back was so painful. Your morphed body wasn’t designed to be pregnant,” Nadja explained. “But, don’t worry, the baby’s fine. We had it checked out.”

  “You’re... all... pregnant,” Ulyssa gasped between breaths. The Princesses nodded. “And you... think that... I’m...?”

  “The baby’s blood scan showed it was half Var so naturally we assumed that it belonged to…” Nadja paused, looking helplessly at the others. Again, Ulyssa had the strange feeling they knew something she didn’t. “When you were sleeping you said his name over and over so we kind of assumed he was your...”

  “Lover,” Olena inserted when Nadja didn’t finish.

  “Ooooh!” Ulyssa lurched from the bed and straight for the trash shoot to throw up. Morrigan rushed to wrap a blanket around her upper body. Nadja went to the glass case to get some medicine. Ulyssa flinched as Nadja gave her a shot, but soon the quivers in her stomach stopped and she felt like she could breathe again. Slowly, they helped her back to the bed.

  As Ulyssa lay down, she whispered, “He’s not my lover. He’s nothing to me.”

  * * * *

  “No! I forbid it!” Olek yelled at his wife. “You cannot go! What if this is a trap? We don’t know that we can trust her.”

  Ulyssa watched the royal family from the sidelines. They’d come to the main hall from the medical ward where she was introduced to the rest of the royal family. They were having a quick lunch at the lower tables, though no one really seemed interested in the food. Pushing her plate away untouched, Ulyssa sighed. She chose to sit apart from them while they talked about what they would do with the information she gave them.

  Nadja looked at her husband and smiled sadly in understanding. “I have to go. I’m the only one who knows what we’re looking for. I know my father’s traps. I have to go—for us, for our baby. Besides, I believe her.”