Destiny E-Book

Grace Goodwin

• Herausgeber: Grace Goodwin
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Interstellare Bräute Programm - Ascension Saga
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 358

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Destiny Jones is a princess with a bad attitude. She doesn't play nice with others, she doesn't dress up in pretty clothes, and she has absolutely zero interest in behaving like a lady. Especially when she's so close to catching the people who tried to have her killed. Oh, and kidnapped her mother, queen of the planet Alera. Destiny's sex-starved body, and it's annoying Aleran Ardor, might kill her if her enemies don't find her first. Vennix was trained to hunt and to kill from the shadows. After years of serving in the Hive wars as an elite member of the Coalition's Shadow Unit, he returned home to fight for the one thing he believes in, honor. Dedicating his life to the queen's guard was an easy decision—but watching the most beautiful woman he's ever met repeatedly risk her life is about to drive him mad. Because Destiny is his. His body awakened for her. And if his new mate thinks Nix will stand idly by as she suffers without his skillful lover's touch, she is very, very mistaken… Ardor or not, she's hunting a killer. Nix is going all protective, alpha male, claiming she's his mate just because she had a few mind-blowing moments in his bed. And she's trapped deep undercover in the most dangerous place on the planet. If anyone discovers the truth, she'll be dead. But if she gives up now, her mother will be lost forever. Every time they get close, their enemy slips through their fingers like a thousand grains of sand. The hunt is on. The end is near. And if Nix dies protecting her, she'll never forgive herself.

Leseprobe

Destiny: Ascension Saga - 3

Interstellar Brides® Program: Ascension Saga

Grace Goodwin

Interstellar Brides®: Ascension Saga Book 7, 8 & 9

Copyright © 2019 by Grace Goodwin

Interstellar Brides® is a registered trademark

of KSA Publishing Consultants Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electrical, digital or mechanical including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning or by any type of data storage and retrieval system without express, written permission from the author.

Published by KSA Publishers

Goodwin, Grace

Interstellar Brides®: Ascension Saga Book 7, 8 & 9

Cover design copyright 2020 by Grace Goodwin, Author

Images/Photo Credit: Deposit Photos: .shock, Angela_Harburn

Publisher’s Note:

This book was written for an adult audience. The book may contain explicit sexual content. Sexual activities included in this book are strictly fantasies intended for adults and any activities or risks taken by fictional characters within the story are neither endorsed nor encouraged by the author or publisher.

Contents

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Prequel

Book 7

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Book 8

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Book 9

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

The Ascension Saga

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Prequel

Twenty-seven years ago Queen Celene was forced to flee Alera with her unborn child. Read the story of her escape to Earth in The Ascension Saga prequel — for free!

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www.ascensionsaga.com

Book 7

Prologue

Queen Celene, Aleran Dungeon

Days went by. There were no windows, so I could only tell the passing of time based on the delivery of my meals. My cousin, Lord Wyse, had not returned since his visit days ago, since my captors had transferred me here—wherever here was. He’d said I was no longer his problem, and I now believed it. Yes, he wanted royal power, a privilege that didn’t belong to him. He’d been bent on that for decades. But I had no idea his bitterness had festered and grown into such focused evil.

He might have been the one who ordered men to Earth to kidnap me, drag me out of bed after nearly three decades, but he must not have been the only one involved in hunting me down. He couldn’t be. If he were, I’d either be dead, or he’d still be using me for his own purposes.

Instead, he’d just… walked away.

Then who wanted me here, and why? Had they known about my daughters when they took me?

No. They must not have known. Otherwise, they would have killed my three girls: Trinity, Faith and Destiny. Or kidnapped them as well. Locked them up, as they’d done to me.

Where was I, exactly? I could see enough to know that I was in a prisoner block somewhere. The guards all wore clerics’ uniforms. But there were only a handful, and they rotated four times a day. There was never anyone else. No foot traffic. I never heard them talk to one another or question who they were guarding.

I wasn’t supposed to see any of them, the black hood they’d placed over my head had made that very clear. They’d shoved it over my head, blinding me, and then transported me, marched me, moved me so many times I’d lost count. By the time they’d shoved me into this cell and slammed the door, I had no idea if I was still on Alera or on the other side of the galaxy.

The lack of buzzing and engine noise under my feet assured me that I was, in fact, on solid ground and not in a spaceship. But that was all I knew. Based on the cleric guard uniforms I could see—thanks to the gift I’d been blessed with by the citadel all those years ago—I assumed I was still on my home planet.

And for some unknown reason, I was alive. They didn’t want me dead or they’d have killed me on Earth. Save everyone so much time and trouble. If they wanted me broken and destroyed, they would have kept the torture going. Instead, I was fully healed. Clothed, fed, kept in reasonably restful accommodations. I had a real bed. Fresh water. Food. Comfortable clothing and warm shoes. It wasn’t the Ritz, but I wasn’t suffering any longer either.

Still, with every quiet slide of my prison door, I feared what might come next. Like now, when the Aleran I called Scarface entered. For the first time, he wasn’t alone. A cleric followed behind, his cape swirling around his knees. He was no one special. A low-ranking member of the guard. The insignia on his chest, which had not changed since I’d been gone, made that clear. But he came inside and remained by the door, which closed behind the two of them, locking all of us into the small space together.

Scarface loomed in my tiny cell, the damaged skin on his cheek and along his jaw stark in the glaring light. I refused to rise from the bed, to give him any bit of respect. He’d earned none and he knew it. I lifted my chin, my hands folded in my lap.

Waited.

“I am sure you would like to hear an update regarding your family,” he said, his raspy voice lacking all feeling. Just like his soul. Black. Empty.

I did. I wanted to see Trinity on the throne, ruling. A natural leader, she would be an amazing queen. It had been a dream for years, but was something now I feared I’d never see. Normally, she could only rule Alera if I were already dead or had officially stepped down. But my capture and disappearance was a loophole to that ruling I’d never imagined.

And Faith. The poisoning inside the Jax house. There was a story there and I wanted to hear it. Desperately. Surely it wasn’t true. I’d spun possibilities in my head since Wyse had shared that bit of information. But it was all speculation on my part. I knew nothing.

And Destiny. Wyse knew of her existence, knew her name. But did he know nothing else? Had she been discovered?

I waited in silence and Scarface grinned.

“I am sorry to report that there has been a death in your family.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. Saw little white spots dance across the room. My palms began to sweat and I was hot all over. Scarface was speaking but I couldn’t hear him, blood rushing in my ears.

One of them had died. Oh god! Who? When? How?

Why was I safely tucked in this stupid prison cell while my babies were in danger? Why?

“He was no longer any use, and so he was eliminated. A risk. Gone.”

Scarface spoke in sentences but I only heard words. I could barely process, barely think.

One of my girls was dead.

But then I realized Scarface had said he.

With numb lips, I said, “He?”

“Your dearest cousin, Lord Wyse, is dead.”

Relief coursed through me so quickly I became nauseated. A laugh bubbled out of me. Escaped.

Scarface’s dark brow winged up, but he said nothing.

I was smiling. Broadly. None of the girls were dead. Thank goddess. “He deserved whatever happened to him,” I replied. “I assume whoever is keeping me here wanted him dead.”

Scarface nodded.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked. Coburt was nothing to me but the memory of a skulking, somber boy from my youth, and more recently, my captor. A traitor. He was less than nothing to me.

“Lord Wyse was the Inspector Optimi, father of Radella, the reigning royal, prior to your daughters’ return. He was powerful. Connected. Cunning.

“He’s dead. All that means is he was a puppet, nothing more.”

His smile turned coy, as if I’d figured out something important. “Yes. A pawn. As are you,” he replied. He may have acted in a deferential manner to Lord Wyse when he was alive, but it was now obvious he’d held no true allegiance to my cousin. That was very clear.

So much melodrama. Why bother telling me that Lord Wyse was not the mastermind behind my abduction? He’d been a boy not much older than me when the attack had occurred at the palace. We’d both been little more than children. So, what was this really about? “What do you want? You know I don’t care about Lord Wyse. I’m not afraid of you. But you, on the other hand, should be very afraid of me.”

His laugh was cold, so cold it made me shiver. “We have plans for you, my queen.”

“You mean your real master has plans for me.” I stated it as fact. I’d been sitting in this cell long enough to figure that out, and he knew it. “So take me to him. Or her. Let’s get this done. Why keep me here?”

“Your usefulness will have a time and place,” he replied. “When the k—”

The sound of ion fire filled the room. Scarface’s sneering lips opened in shock as he fell to his knees, then onto the floor.

He never finished his sentence. The cleric, who I’d completely forgotten since he’d stood so motionless until now, lifted his arm. The long sleeve fell back to reveal the ion pistol. Before I could even blink, he had shot Scarface in the back.

My mouth fell open as my torturer, my warden since I’d been kidnapped, rolled on the floor. His eyes remained open and fixed on the ceiling, unseeing. Dead. Blood slowly pooled about him. No ReGen wand or pod was going to save him.

Belatedly, I gasped, the shock catching up to me. I stood then, slowly, watching the cleric as I did so. I had to be next.

But instead of firing, he lowered his weapon, the sleeve hiding it once again as if it had never happened.

“His usefulness had a time and place. And it is over.”

The cleric’s voice was slow and deep. Calm. He was no cleric, at least no peacefully minded student of the order that I’d ever met.

Coburt Wyse was dead. Scarface was dead. Lord and Lady Jax were dead. Someone was getting rid of loose ends. Killing off everyone who knew about me, or the ultimate plan here.

Who was the puppet master?

As I watched the cleric drag the dead body out of my cell, I had a feeling I would find out soon enough.

1

Destiny, Cleric Fortress, Mountains Near the Capital City of Mytikas

Back home, on Earth, they call midnight the witching hour. But here, inside the walls of the clerical order, it’s more like the chanting hour. In almost every room up and down the long hallways there is a gathering of clerics—either in training or not—chanting. They just didn’t shut up. And when they did, the meditating started. Clerics stayed up late, their bodies somehow becoming in tune to the shimmering glow of moonlight on the Aleran flowers that grew outside the citadel. It was all very communal and hippie-like. Irritating as all hell for those of us who didn’t do very much communing in life. They had more patience in a pinky finger than I did in my entire body.

But since Faith had announced herself to the world, there had been less chanting and more gossiping, and that was just what I’d hoped for. A bunch of introverts finally letting it all out. Discussing the miraculous return of the royal princesses Trinity and Faith, and speculating about the third newly lit spire and the location of their queen.

What was actually bonkers was that the third princess they were all gabbing about was me. If I were caught right now, I’d be in their dungeon before I was given a chance to explain. Or dead. It was possible they’d just kill me on sight.

Breaking into the elder cleric’s office was strictly forbidden.

I’d heard—again from all that pent-up gossip—that a few hundreds years ago, the offense was punishable by death. Since no one had been caught since, I had no way of knowing whether they’d updated their policy or if no one had ever tried.

“Guess I’ll just have to be very, very careful.” I whispered the words to no one in particular as I clung to the vines that grew along the tallest tower within the fortress walls. I was like Romeo seeking his Juliet in the high school play.

Glancing left and right to make sure no one saw me… or for maybe one last moment before I did something execution-worthy, I opened a window and pulled myself up, slung my leg, then knee, then the rest of me, through the opening. The office was at least three stories off the ground, but the vines were thick, and I was small. They almost made it too easy.

I landed with barely a sound on the thin carpeting and noticed the room was still nice and warm. The old woman who ran the show had old bones, and she did not like the cold up here in the mountains that surrounded the royal city. But then, with the fortress built eons ago, she didn’t have much of a choice but to deal with the weather. The clerical order had formed when the royal bloodline did. The first queen recognized by the citadel had accepted the oath of the first cleric, and so it had begun. Generation after generation, the clerics had served Alera in the matters of law and protection for the realm. They were the scribes and record keepers, and trusted with knowledge known only to a few. Both the clerical order and the royal bloodline were linked to the citadel somehow, but each chose to keep their secrets. The clerics had served the royal family—my family—for millennia.

“Bunch of fucking traitors.” Not all of them were bad. I’d been training with them, eating with them, pretending to be one of them for two weeks now. I was a novice. A new initiate. And they’d welcomed me into the fold. Most of them were good, solid people. Kind. Friendly. Supportive.

But not all of them. No, someone—or someones—within was rotten to the core. Yeah, there was a really bad apple spoiling the whole dang bunch. And I would hunt down the traitors if I died doing it. They still had Mom. They’d tried to kill Trinity and my twin, Faith, more than once.

If they knew who I was, no doubt they’d try to kill me as well. It was obvious we were wanted dead. I grinned, thinking our arrival on Alera must have totally fucked up their plans. Ha!

Moving forward swiftly in the dark, I stubbed my toe on an unexpected outcropping from a chair. I hissed and hopped about. “Damn it.” The words were barely more than a grunt, but I heard something move in answer outside. Below me. On the ground.

Then a rustling.

The vines.

Oh, shit.

Someone was climbing the vines. Romeo, himself, this time? I was no Juliet waiting to be whisked away. And fuck it all, they were moving even faster than I had. I didn’t have time to go anywhere, and the room’s door—which normal people used to come in—would be solidly locked. I had to hide and hope whoever was coming would lead me to another clue about my mother. I knew the clerics had her. Somewhere. The rumor mill was buzzing with whispers and speculation about a very top-secret prisoner. It had to be Mom, or to Alerans, Queen Celene. It just had to be.

Because if it weren’t, I’d run into a dead end and we were all screwed. Mom would die. And I just couldn’t live with myself if that happened.

Hobbling on my aching toe, I dashed to a corner so dark with shadows it looked black. There I stood, immobile, and waited to see who my unexpected visitor might be. What were the chances of there being two snooping initiates?

The waiting was an agony all its own. I was in tune with my body, keeping my breathing quiet, to try and still my racing heart—yeah, right—and stand as still as possible. The Aleran half of my DNA had decided last week that it was a good time to go into full-blown Ardor. I knew what it was because Trinity’d had it when we’d arrived. Every inch of my skin was sensitive. My nipples ached, the lobes of my breasts felt too full and heavy. They were small, which suited me just fine for fighting. But they felt double their normal size. My pussy was constantly wet and my hearing seemed to have kicked up into some kind of superpower level annoying. Like I was the Bionic Woman all of a sudden. The horny Bionic Woman.

I could hear insects crawling in the walls. Conversations all over the fortress; that was why I knew every bit of gossip that had been circling about. My own heartbeat had sounded like a conga drum inside my head until I’d learned how to ignore it and somehow, that had helped me figure out how to pay attention to what I was hearing when I wanted to, and feel somewhat normal the rest of the time.

Trinity hadn’t mentioned super-hearing as being part of her Ardor, but she’d been pretty distracted with Leo, as in naked and having screaming orgasms. Stupid Ardor, screwing with me. It was as if I had no control over my own body any longer. And I wasn’t getting off. Damn it.

I was so horny I was close to coming by just rubbing my thighs together. And I heard everything that went on in the place. Everything. Including a few rather sexy encounters that had me squirming and wishing taking care of things myself would actually work. But no. Every orgasm I gave myself just made it worse. I’d quit after two and curled into a ball for a few hours, waiting for the need wrecking me to back off.

It didn’t. But I’d been coping. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would last before I went insane with lust.

Which was why I’d decided to take this last, desperate chance and break into the elder’s office. If I didn’t find anything, I’d have to go to the palace and find one of those consort men to take the edge off. Right now, I just needed and I was nearly to the point that I didn’t much care whose cock I was riding as long as it was hot, hard, and lasted all damn night. Oh yeah. Hot and hard.

I was panting when two large, very masculine hands appeared on the window ledge. Nice hands. Long, thick fingers. Inside me. Rubbing me. Fucking me.

Shit. I had to get myself together.

Focusing on my breath, I slowed things down and waited. My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so I watched the intruder slide through the window like a cat.

God, for such a large man, he could move. He was strong, that was obvious by the way he handled his entire body weight with just his arms and swung silently to the floor. He landed crouched low, one knee bent as if he were kneeling before a queen. But he wasn’t kneeling, his chin was up, his breathing silent—even with my incredible hearing.

He was holding his breath. Listening.

For what?

“Destiny? I know you are in here.” His voice was deep. Sensual. The low timbre slid over my skin and I shivered, literally shivered, the tone going straight to my clit and zinging through my body as if he had his mouth on me.

What. The. Fuck?

I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. And I didn’t breathe, either. Holding the air in my lungs as if my life depended on it. I knew that voice. Somehow, I knew it. But from where?

He rose, but didn’t step in any direction, still as a statue. He whispered, but his voice was full volume to my sensitive hearing. “Destiny. I know you are here. Your sisters sent me. In the conversation you shared, you said you were in danger. Let me help you. I am getting you out of here.”

My sisters? Oh, hell no. This had to be the voice of the man on that comm call with Trin and Faith. The one who’d point blank asked me if I was in danger. And I’d given two taps to reply yes.

I should have lied, but something about that damn voice had made me want to tell him the truth. More than that, it had made me want to claw my way through the comm channel and rub my naked all over his naked. Not that he was naked right now. Oh, it would have been great if he were, but no.

That thought was the last straw. I was losing my mind. Romeo didn’t climb through the window naked.

“Be quiet or you’ll get us both killed,” I hissed.

Instantly, his head turned and I watched as he zeroed in on my exact location. Before I could move, or even think, he was close. Too close. Inches. I could feel his body heat. Smell the musky, male scent of him. My nipples hardened and I swear I had a little mini-orgasm. I stifled a whimper.

“Destiny, come with me. I will take you back to the palace where you will be safe.”

“Not happening,” I countered. “But you should leave. You’re going to get me killed. You move like a giant; big and heavy and slow.” Lies. Lies. Lies. But I needed him to go. Right now. Before I did something really, really stupid. Like breathe in again. Smell him. Climb him like a tree. God help me if he touched me. I was holding onto my control by a thread. And he was hot. Navy SEAL, superhero, movie star hot. I could see his face. Strong jaw. Full lips. Eyes focused on me with such intensity I couldn’t look away. Everything about him, from the way he moved, to the way he gazed at me said he was a predator. A hunter. A protector. He was a soldier.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. If ever I lusted, it was after a stud in a uniform.

“You are in danger here,” he repeated.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

He frowned. “My name is not Sherlock and he will not keep you safe as I will. You need to come with me. Let me handle this. I will find your mother. I give you my word.” His words melted into my skin, warming me like he’d just dipped me in melted caramel. Jesus, he was dangerous. Stupid, eff-ing Ardor.

I was turning into a lunatic.

When I remained silent, his heartbeat sped up. So did his breathing; I could hear both changes easily. A shudder moved through him and I watched, in awe, as he closed his eyes. Clenched his jaw, as if he were in pain. He was in my space. Too close.

“Who are you?” I shouldn’t have asked. I knew it. But I wanted to know. Maybe after I got this job done, and this Ardor business handled, I’d ask Trinity about him. Look him up. Look him up. Ha. I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to slam him up against the wall and take him for a ride. Right fucking now.

2

Vennix Blyndar, Cleric Fortress, Mountains Near the Capital City of Mytikas

“I am Vennix Blyndar, Captain of the Interstellar Fleet, Captain of the Queen’s Guard, and sworn to serve you, Princess. You may call me Nix.”

“Jesus. Are you trying to kill me?”

She was panting, as if she were in pain. I needed more light to see her, to look into her eyes. To try to figure out what she was thinking.

“No. I am here to serve you. To protect you. Let me take you home.”

“Go away.” She moaned as if I’d injured her. Her scent filled my head and her small body put off enough heat to pull at me like a magnet.

No. Terrible fucking idea. More light would destroy me. I was hanging onto my control by a thread when all I wanted to do was lean forward, just a few inches, trap her between my body and the wall. Lift her up. Taste…

Holy fuck. This was insane.

Trinity and Faith were both royal. Both beautiful. But I’d felt nothing more than protective instincts. I’d been protecting people my entire life. Fighting the Hive. Killing our enemies. Hunting traitors.

This time? I’d known the queen’s daughter, or Princess Destiny, was in the room as soon as my feet touched the floor. I couldn’t see her, hell, I could barely see my own hand. But I’d sensed her. I could actually smell her.

Not flowers. Not… something feminine. Just unique and it had made my cock twitch. It had never done that before. Ever. And yet, in the middle of a rescue mission, it had swelled with blood and had been what pointed me right to her.

She’d spoken and my cock had swelled, pressed painfully against my pants. But when I was able to see her face, a slight pale bit of moonlight highlighting her features, I actually spurted pre-cum. A ripple of pleasure had coursed through me unlike anything I’d ever known.

In the past minute, I’d been Awakened. I’d imagined it happening to me many times over the years. In my daydreams, I would see my mate across a room, go to her and then whisk her off to some private spot to claim her for the first time, to sink deep into her waiting, wet pussy.

But not like this. Oh, I’d crossed a room all right and found her. I wanted to toss her over my shoulder and carry her off to my quarters where I could pin her beneath me until my cock was soothed.

But not inside the fortress. Not in some high-ranking cleric’s office. Not with the fucking princess of Alera.

The goddess was having a laugh at my expense right now. Surely, Thor and Leo would too when they learned the truth.

“I’m not leaving without you, Princess. I can’t.”

“Why? Just climb out the window and go back. Tell my sisters I’m fine. Because I am. Just… go.” She looked away when she spoke, her gaze falling to my lips. I could see that much. Was it possible she wanted me as badly as I needed her?

“No.”

“Why not? I am a princess, and I am ordering you to leave.”

“I will never leave you, Destiny. Not now. Not ever. I am your mate.”

“Bullshit. I don’t believe this.” I heard a little huff of a laugh in response and that pissed me off. Everything about this female made me angry. And riled. How dare she put herself in danger hunting some cleric who might have her mother? How dare she climb in a fucking window in the middle of the night? How dare she do one fucking thing that put her life at risk?

My mate needed guidance, a stern hand that didn’t hesitate to turn her ass red for impetuousness. For rash decisions. Oh, I’d spank Princess Destiny if she needed it. But that would be after I fucked her into submission. No, I’d get her on her hands and knees and spank her upturned ass, then grip her hips as I fucked her pussy so deep she wouldn’t know where she ended and I began. I’d come seeing my handprints marking her pale skin. And then my seed would mark her, coat her so thoroughly she’d know she was mine.

“I. Am. Your. Mate,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “I’m getting you out of here.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, and I saw her eyes flare. They were dark, that was all I could tell. She had high cheekbones, a pert nose and full lips.

More pre-cum seeped out at the thought of those lips stretched wide around my cock. Oh, I might be a virgin and her pussy would be the one I’d sink into for the first time, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know what to do with her, what I wanted to do to her.

“No.”

That one-word reply made me fucking hot, and angry.

“No?” I countered.

She shook her head, her long, dark hair swinging. There was that scent again. I fisted my hands, tried not to grab her.

“I’m here to find my mother.”

“I know, but someone could come in at any time.”

She shook her head again, the temptress. “They won’t. This is the administration building and the elder’s office is locked because she attends evening meditation and chanting at six. They keep her office locked until dawn. I’ve been keeping track of her schedule for two weeks.”

That was true. I’d learned that from an informant. I’d spotted Destiny outside, at the start of her climb. But I’d been too late to stop her ascent up the side of the building and through the window. I’d watched from below, ready to catch her if she fell, my heart in my throat every moment. And that had been before I knew what she was to me.

Mine.

Indeed, it was the best of luck. Instead of this confrontation happening below, on the lawn, we were safer here. If the lights remained off, our presence would be undetected as long as we were gone before dawn.

“You believe this room holds the answers you seek?”

I saw her shoulder rise in a small shrug. “I’m not sure, but the gossip is that a high-level prisoner is being held. I want to know who arranged it, and where, exactly, they are holding her.”

“It could be anyone.”

The look she gave me made my blood turn to molten lava. Challenge. “It’s got to be her and you know it.”

Thank the goddess she hadn’t stormed into the dungeons and demanded to see the queen. Based on what I’d heard from her sisters, and the fight I’d seen in the apartment the day she had arrived on Alera, she was ballsy enough to do it. She’d been magnificent that day. Deadly. Efficient. A skilled fighter.

Good thing I hadn’t scented her that night, had only caught a quick glimpse of a male and female fighting, the female winning. Had no idea she would awaken my dormant cock, that my body would belong to her for all time. I didn’t want her doing anything with those strong legs right now but wrapping them around my back and holding on for the ride.

“You will stop your searching and return with me to the palace. I will investigate with others who are properly trained to do so.” Yes, she would be safe and protected while others saw to the dangerous work.

“I’ve been here almost two weeks, you asshat. I might not be properly trained”—she raised her hands and made weird curling motions with her fingers—“but I’ve been doing just fine. This place is huge and they aren’t the most talkative bunch. Besides, you think I’m going to trust someone else to find my mother? No fucking way, caveman. Trust me, I can take care of myself.”

“No. I will take care of you.” I put my hand to my chest, over my heart, which now belonged to her.

“What are you, a Neanderthal, thinking women are only good for one thing?” Her question had bite to it. Astonishment and anger, too.

I was not used to someone talking back. If it were a subordinate, they’d be on kitchen duty for a month. With her, I was at an impasse. Technically, as a member of the queen’s guard, I had to obey her commands. But as her mate? As a male who needed to strip her naked and fill her with my aching cock, I had to tread very carefully. She was a hunter, a fighter, like me. I’d seen it in the way her body moved as she climbed the vines to this room. I’d witnessed her ferocity that very first night when she’d battled my men to protect her sisters. She was magnificent. Beautiful. And deadly. I had to proceed with caution, but she would be mine. “As princess, you may say what you wish, and I will bow to your commands. But you are my mate, and you will bend to my will.”

It sounded as if she actually growled. I could barely see her hands come up, and she pushed me, hard, in the chest. I only moved back a step, but I was stunned. I’d never been manhandled by a woman before, and it… it made me so fucking hot.

“Your will?” she hissed. “Get the hell out of my way.”

“No.” I moved in closer, so close her heaving chest brushed mine when she inhaled. And it was then I felt her need, her body so desperate for mine that even now she drained my energy, my strength, across the distance, the slightest touch shooting through me like a rocket. The sensation was heady, providing for this female. Giving her what she needed. She would take my energy and feed her Ardor with me. Only me. No one else would touch her. “You need me right now, Princess, and we both know it.”

“I don’t need you.” She shuddered and her eyes closed as I felt a surge of my strength move to pour into her.

Oh fuck. She was desperate. Dying of Aleran Ardor and she hadn’t said a thing. I’d never heard of a female being this close to death, her body this starved for bonding energy, out of pure stubborn will. But if anyone would push her body too hard, fight the Ardor no matter the cost, it was this stubborn mate of mine. But I could not allow her to do this to herself. Not when I was here to provide.

I lifted my hand slowly and touched her face. Wrapped my big hand around her small cheek, fragile neck, moaned as our connection clicked into place, the magic of the Ardor mixing her life force and mine. She held completely still, frozen in shock perhaps. Or lust. Heat poured from my hand to her, the pleasure so intense my knees nearly buckled. “You need me right now, Destiny. Let me take care of you. Let me strip you naked and fuck you raw. Let me touch you.”

“Why? Why you?” she whispered.

“Because you’re mine and I’m yours. I know you feel it, too. You’re my mate, Destiny. Mine.” The darkness closed in around us like a blanket, like we were the only two people in the universe. Like we were alone. Totally. Completely. Alone.

“Mate, my ass. I don’t even know you,” she countered, continuing to fight what her body needed, what I could give her. Always a fighter, it seemed. “You followed me like a stalker and climbed in here to attack me. I’ve asked you to leave. I ordered you to leave. You are stubborn and annoying and it’s obvious that you only see me as useful for one thing.”

“Oh, what is that, Princess?” I spoke slowly, each word whispered against the skin of her neck, my lips hovering at the edge of her perception, teasing her. Teasing both of us. I should have kept my distance. This wasn’t the best place to take her for the first time, but I couldn’t let her leave. Not like this. She was too close to the edge. Pushing herself too hard. Every instinct I had insisted I take care of her. Feed her body with mine. She needed me, and no one had ever needed me before. Not like this.

“Sex. Just sex. That’s all you want.”

That was it. Her sass, her scent, everything, pushed me over the edge. She was making me insane. Why didn’t my cock rise for a biddable, mild female? Why did it have to want her?

And it wanted her now. Right. Fucking. Now.

I reached out, gripped her about the waist and lifted her off her feet. Hands gripping her round ass, I leaned in so our foreheads touched. Our faces close. Breath mingling. I watched as her mouth opened in surprise, her lids lowered and her gaze fell to my mouth.

3

Nix

I kissed her then. As if I could stop it. There was no fucking way I couldn’t kiss her.

She tasted like sunshine and fire, so bright and hot my blood all but boiled. My cock was so big my pants were sure to rip. My balls ached, filled with cum that wanted out. That needed to be deep inside Destiny.

Her hands went to my shirt, tugged at it and pulled it from my pants, her fingers then settling on my belt.

“Yes,” she murmured against my lips. Her breathing was ragged, which completely matched mine.

Lowering her to her feet, I tugged her shirt off over her head. I pulled her black pants down and off over a pair of the smallest feet I’d ever seen, her boots not much larger than a pair of slippers, they remained on her feet. She tugged at my belt, freeing my cock and then ignoring the rest. I’d never had another hand on my cock before. She couldn’t close her grip; I was too big. I looked down, saw how huge I was now. I’d never seen my cock like this. Full. Ripe. Engorged. Oh, I’d worked it before, tried to soothe the subtle need that had simmered for years, but it had only raged to life now, with Destiny. She had truly awakened me. It was a miracle.

She pumped me a few times, but I gripped her wrist, tugged it away. I was going to come, but I wasn’t going to do it for the first time all over her hand.

I lifted my hands to her breasts, small and firm, and I felt the hard nipples against my palms. I wanted to spend time playing, sucking, tugging, but my cock had other plans. It wanted inside her. Now.

Five minutes ago.

I lifted her up, her back to the wall. She clung to me, her legs wrapping around my thighs, her hips undulating, searching for my hard cock. She locked her mouth on mine, taking what she wanted. Goddess, she was intense. Demanding. Every touch urgent and desperate and full of need.

I couldn’t fucking get enough. She buried her hands in my hair and pulled, using the leverage to lift herself and settle her wet core over the tip of my hard length. Mouth still locked on mine. Nibbling my lips. Sucking. Biting gently, just enough to sting. Just enough to make my entire body shiver with the urge to fuck her so hard and fast she’d forget to breathe.

She was nearly naked, her bare chest touching mine. Her legs locked around me. Claiming me as her lips did, as her hands did. She said she didn’t want me, didn’t need me, but her body had other ideas.

Before she could lower her body and take me, I gripped her hips, hard, and pressed her to the wall, my cock hovering at the opening of her wet pussy, and held her there. Drank her in. Enjoyed the moment I knew would never come again, the moment I made her mine. I couldn’t miss the pale glimmer of her in the soft moonlight. Yes, her breasts were small. High. Her waist trim, her hips wide. And her pussy. Fuck.

“Hurry up. What are you doing?”

“You’re mine.”

She moaned, the sound so raw and hungry I nearly gave in and gave her what she wanted. But this was too important. She was too damn stubborn. She was mine. I needed to hear it. I needed to know that she knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed from her. She. Was. Mine.

“Are we going to talk about this now?” she asked as she wiggled her hips, her wet folds sliding back and forth over the sensitive tip of my cock.

“Oh fuck.”

I saw a grin spread on her face just before my eyes fell closed. I kissed her. Hard. Deep. Thrusting with my tongue the way I wanted to fuck her with my cock. When I pulled back, she whimpered, pulled my hair hard enough to keep my lips hovering above hers. Her breath was my breath. Her heat was mine.

“God, just do it. Please. I need you.”

I need you. The words were like an arrow in my heart and I groaned, kissed her again. Gently this time. But I couldn’t give in. This was too important. “Destiny, you’re mine. Say it. You’re my mate.”

“God dammit.” I felt her pussy lips part, as if opening in invitation. I watched every expression, savored the way she writhed in my arms. Her need was as great as mine. “Fine. You’re mine. You’re fucking mine.”

Pushing deep, I watched her face as I filled her, one slow inch at a time. She tilted her head back, her long neck open and exposed in an unconscious sign of trust I wasn’t sure she knew she was making. But I pushed deep. Fucked her. Filled her.

“Miiiine.” Her cry sounded like that of a wounded animal. Primal. Instinctive. She was claiming me. Riding my cock. Taking my energy and easing her Ardor the way she was meant to. I didn’t even try to stop the massive force of heat swirling between us. Giving to her like this was erotic. Intimate. So much more than fucking. I would be part of her forever. Locked in her very cells, making her strong. Me. No one else.

“Mine.” My word was clear. Short. A demand.

In response, she pulled my lips to hers and invaded me again. Taking. Demanding. Needing me.