by Smith, S. E.
Emma raised her arms and ran her palms over his shoulders as he leaned over her. Her eyes darkened with desire as she felt the muscles bulge under her palms. It never ceased to amaze her that strength in his lean body. Her eyes rose to meet his. Violet flames stared back at her.
“I want to dance for you,” she whispered.
Ha’ven groaned and buried his hot lips along her throat. “Dance… later,” he murmured.
“No, dance… now,” she insisted. “There is a song I’ve written for you. I want to show you what you have done for me.”
A shudder ran through his body as he heard the passionate desire to do something for him. Pulling back, he rolled until he was laying on his back next to her.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll last,” he warned her. “Your power and mine are causing havoc inside me right now.”
Emma chuckled as she leaned over and brushed a kiss across his lips as her hand ran down over his chest to his stomach. She loved it when he sucked in his breath as she dipped a little lower.
“Five minutes. I promise,” she said with a husky laugh.
Ha’ven watched as she slid out of the bed. He sat up. With a wave of his hand, additional pillows formed behind him as he leaned back and crossed his arms. He looked at her wickedly when her eyes widened as his cock bobbed up and down.
“You are doing that on purpose,” she accused, watching as his cock grew even harder and thicker as she watched.
“Four minutes, thirty-eight seconds,” he growled back.
Emma rolled her eyes before she focused inward. She was still learning how to control the powers that Ha’ven said she had. Personally, she thought the powers belonged to him but she was willing to try. She imagined a sheer white gown flowing around her. It had thin strands of violet and was strapless.
She opened her eyes in triumph, her hands spreading the beautiful sheer material. Her head jerked up when she heard the low growl that rumbled through the room. Ha’ven’s eyes were blazing with desire.
“Four minutes,” he bit out hoarsely.
Emma bit her lip wondering if she was being foolish. With a shake of her head, she focused again. Pulling on the power inside her, she let the melody in her head float in the air. As the music played softly, she looked deeply into Ha’ven’s eyes and sung from her heart and soul.
Her body moved gracefully across the room to the beat. She sung of hope, discovery and coming back to life. Ha’ven’s song poured from her soul to his. The colors of her aura flowed around her making her appear to float as she twirled and dipped.
Ha’ven’s mouth went dry as the words poured over him. His heart beat with the rhythm and his own aura rose to capture hers as she floated by him. His hand rose to brush through the colors. Warmth and awe filled him as he felt the power held within it.
He reached out, capturing her hand as she stepped closer as the words faded. The music continued to play in the background as he drew her closer. He brushed his free hand over the sheer gown, making it dissolve as he brought her up against his chest.
“Times up,” he whispered.
Emma leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in an explosive kiss. Her hands cupped his face as she pressed him back against the pillows. She arched into him as his hands gripped her hips, lifting her up.
“I love you, Ha’ven,” she choked out as she pressed kisses to his lips. “I love you so much.”
“Emma, misha petite,” he groaned out as pushed his legs apart, causing hers to spread as he slowly impaled her on his throbbing shaft. “Yes, my mate. Yes.”
Only the music and their broken whispers filled the air as they came together. The magic of the music, still flowing from their combined powers, twisted and danced, joining in an unbreakable bond as Emma and Ha’ven came together again and again. Caught within the strands was a new glittering gold that sparkled like diamonds. Aikaterina laughed softly as she sprinkled a little of her life blood into the mix.
“A special gift for your child,” she whispered before she faded away leaving the two lovers wrapped in each others arms.
Chapter 30
Five months later
“I told you, she is staying with me of her own free will,” Ha’ven snarled out. “Why do you need to speak with her? Don’t you believe me?”
“No!” Four male voices said in unison.
Ha’ven glared at Creon who shrugged his shoulders and replied. “Not really. You’ve been known to stretch the truth a time or two.”
“Stretching the truth is not a flat out lie,” Ha’ven growled back. “I have never flat out lied to you.”
Creon’s eyebrow rose. “It is getting close to the end of your six months. Each of us have a mate who will roast our asses if we can’t swear to them that the human female is safe, sound and with you because she wants to be,” he said sitting forward. “You know what Carmen is like, Ha’ven. Give me something to prove to her that the female wants to stay with you or I’m likely to be sleeping on the couch for the next five hundred years or more.”
“Cara threatened to leave the girls alone with me for a week,” Trelon said. “Look at this!” He demanded holding up a chewed leather boot in one hand. “This is the third one Jade has chewed through today! I swear her teething is going to ruin all of my boots.”
“What happened to your hair?” Ha’ven asked puzzled when he saw Trelon’s closely cut hair. It looked more like the military cut that Vox and the Sarafin favored.
Zoran leaned forward with a grin. “Between Amber having a cold and burning off most of it and Jade chewing on the other half, he didn’t have much choice but to get a haircut.”
“Yeah, well who was in the dragonhouse yesterday?” Trelon humorously growled back. “Who lost their kid and had the whole damn army looking for him? The entire castle heard Abby ripping into you when you finally admitted you lost Zohar.”
“It wouldn’t have happened if Paul would quit teaching the dragonlings how to play tag,” Zoran retort. “Besides, we found him safe and sound playing with Bálint in the atrium.”
Ha’ven looked over at Mandra who was sitting at an angle. He looked at Arrow who had come to support him. He drew in a deep breath and nodded his head at the huge Valdier warrior. He needed at least one of the males to support him.
“Mandra, what about you? You trust Ha’ven, don’t you?” Arrow asked in exasperation.
Ha’ven bit back a surprised chuckle when Mandra turned his head to glare at Arrow before he turned his gaze on him. Ha’ven tried to resist asking the huge Valdier warrior what happened but it was too much. He had never seen anything like the marks lining the left side of the huge warrior’s face.
“I… I… What the hell happened to you?” Ha’ven finally asked. “You look like… like…”
“Like a drawing board?” Creon asked.
“Like an Antrox mining grid?” Kelan snickered.
“Like…” Trelon began before he clamped his lips tightly together when Mandra shot him a deadly look.
“Ariel thought our son would enjoy learning to draw,” Mandra growled.
“Unfortunately, he found a laser pen in Mandra’s pocket,” Creon said.
“No, unfortunately I fell asleep on the couch after having spent the night up with that damn Pactor who ate too many Rosenberries and developed colic,” Mandra growled. “Jabir decided to draw a picture on the side of my face while I was asleep on the couch.”
“When he was supposed to be babysitting,” Kelan added. “Cara is working on a device to remove the ink.”
All the men grimaced and looked at Mandra with a sympathetic look. Ha’ven swallowed as he thought of his own pregnant mate. He was already terrified about becoming a father. What if his son or daughter disappeared or got sick or was teething?
“Ask them if they would change what they have,” Paul’s deep voice suggested. “I can see it in your eyes. Ask them.”
Ha’ven looked back at Creon. “How did you know you would be a good father?” He asked reluctantly.
&n
bsp; “We didn’t,” Creon admitted.
“But we wouldn’t change it for anything in any world,” Trelon replied with a grin. “I love my girls. My life has never been fuller or more exciting.”
“If it wasn’t for the fact that the ink makes me itch, I would proudly keep Jabir’s picture,” Mandra added.
“Zohar was able to elude an entire army looking for him,” Zoran said proudly. “I would have found him earlier if I had remembered to call out the safe word Paul gave me but I forgot.”
Ha’ven breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes moved to Paul who sat waiting. He turned when Emma walked into the room holding a large quilt lovingly in her arms.
“Ha’ven, I wanted to show you the quilt my mother made for my Hope Chest.” Emma froze when she saw the large viewscreen and all the men sitting around it. She blushed and started to step back into their living area. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were busy.”
Ha’ven reached out his hand and pulled Emma onto his lap. “I am never too busy for you, misha petite. I need for you to assure Creon and his family that you wish to remain with me here on Ceran-Pax.”
Emma turned when Creon Reykill leaned forward and began speaking to her. “Emma, I made a promise when we brought you back from your world that I would protect you. I gave Ha’ven six months before I would come for you. I will keep my word to you. If you wish to return to the protection of the Royal House of Valdier, I can be there within a few days,” he said.
Emma looked at the faces of the men staring at her. She knew that they would come for her if she asked. Her eyes lifted as more faces filled the screen. She smiled at each of them knowing that she had been wrong not to trust them when they had reached out to her.
She smiled at Cara who was snuggling up to Trelon. Cara winked and gave her a supportive smile. Each woman who came in was protectively held by one of the huge, unusual warriors. She turned back to look at Abby who waited patiently for her.
“I want to stay,” Emma answered softly.
“Are you sure?” Abby asked. “He isn’t forcing you, is he?”
Emma blushed and covered the hands that rested on the swell of her stomach. “No, he is not forcing me. I love him. I want to stay. I’ve found where I belong.”
“Thank goodness,” Abby said with a smile. “I’m so happy for you, Emma.”
“Have you… have you heard from Sara? How is she doing?” Emma asked.
“She is doing well,” an older Valdier woman replied. “Jaguin is watching over her.”
“When he can find her,” Trisha added under her breath.
Emma was about to ask what Trisha meant when the door behind them slammed open and loud voices echoed through the room behind them.
“Who the hell are Niria, Traya, and Doray?” An angry voice asked. “If I had known you were planning on adding me to the notches on your bedpost I could have saved you the trouble! If your brother won’t take me home, I’ll find someone else who will.”
Trisha, Carmen and Ariel started to lean forward but sat back when Paul let out a low snarl of rage. “Samara?” Paul called out in disbelief.
A small female hurried into the room. She wiped angrily at the tears dampening her flushed cheeks. She stopped when she saw the image of her boss on the large screen.
“Mr. Grove?” Samara Stephens whispered. “How did you get here? I was told you were on a long-term training mission.”
“Samara, how did you get here?” Paul asked in a calm, steady voice.
“I…” she started to reply.
“I won her,” Adalard growled out. “She is mine!”
To be continued in The Dark Prince’s Prize….
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan Smith has always been a romantic and a dreamer. An avid writer, she has spent years writing, although it has usually been technical papers for college. Now, she spends her evenings and weekends writing and her nights dreaming up new stories. An affirmed “geek,” she spends her days working on computers and other peripherals. She enjoys camping and traveling when she is not out on a date with her favorite romantic guy. Fans can reach her at [email protected] or visit her web site at: http://sesmithfl.com. Join me for additional information about the books at http://pinterest.com/sesmithfl/s-e-smith/, http://twitter.com/sesmithfl, http://facebook.com/se.smith.5?fref=ts and at my new book discussion forum at http://www.sesmithromance.com
Additional Books:
Abducting Abby (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 1)
Capturing Cara (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 2)
Tracking Trisha (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 3)
Ambushing Ariel (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 4)
For the Love of Tia (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 4.1)
Cornering Carmen (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 5)
Paul’s Pursuit (Dragon Lords of Valdier: Book 6)
Choosing Riley (Sarafin Warriors: Book 1)
Ha’ven’s Song (Curizan Warriors: Book 1)
Lily’s Cowboys (Heaven Sent: Book 1)
Indiana Wild (Spirit Pass: Book 1)
River’s Run (Lords of Kassis: Book 1)
Star’s Storm (Lords of Kassis: Book 2)
Jo’s Journey (Lords of Kassis: Book 3)
Rescuing Mattie (Lords of Kassis: Book 3.1)
Tink’s Neverland (Cosmo’s Gateway: Book 1)
Hannah’s Warrior (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 2)
Tansy’s Titan (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 3)
Cosmos’ Promise (Cosmos’ Gateway: Book 4)
Gracie’s Touch (Zion Warriors: Book 1)
