“You are mine.” His arms came around me and he held me there for long minutes, both of us fighting for control, both of us trembling, our breaths ragged. His arms were like bands of steel around me, and I’d never felt safer or more connected to another being. Was this love? I didn’t know. Love felt like such a tame word for what I was feeling. This was obsession. Devotion. Need clawing its way through my body like a wild animal, threatening to tear me open from the inside.
He held me until my trembling passed, until I relaxed in his arms, content to let him hold me, his hands roaming my back, tracing my curves, learning my body as I surrendered to his touch.
“Have you ever been with a man, Dani?”
“No. Not in the way you mean.” I was grateful that my cheek rested on his shoulder, that he couldn’t see the dark crimson heat I knew stained my cheeks. “I kissed a few boys in high school, but never…you know.”
“Then my first objective will be to wipe the taste of all other men from your lips.”
Whoa. But that wouldn’t be a big deal. It wasn’t like any of those fumbling…
I didn’t finish the thought as Gage’s hands lifted to cup the back of my head and he gently lifted my face to his once again. His touch was gentle, but the kiss was not. His lips claimed ownership, his tongue diving deep to taste me, conquer me. Make me forget who came before.
Melting. That was the only way I could describe what happened to my body. I kissed him back, the deep moan that came from the back of my throat a sound I didn’t recognize. But he did, his mouth became more aggressive, more demanding, and I gave him everything, eager to taste and be tasted.
He tore his lips from mine and lifted me to the edge of the tub so I sat facing him. Panting. Ready for more.
His hot hands lifted to my knees, slowly pushed them apart. “Spread your legs, Dani. I want to claim what’s mine.”
My knees were wide before my brain could scream a protest. I wasn’t like this. I was not this wild, uninhibited lover.
But I was.
With a grin that made my nipples pebble and my pussy throb, he placed a hand between my breasts and slowly pressed me back until my back was on the smooth tiles that lined the tub area. I expected to feel cold, but there were towels laid out, thick and soft, and I realized he’d been planning this moment from the beginning. Had thought of my comfort, even as he…
“Oh, god.” The words burst from my lips as his mouth clamped down on my clit. No sweet seduction, no slow build or teasing. He sucked me into his mouth like I was candy, then fucked me with his tongue, his groan, the trembling in his hands all the proof I needed that he wanted this. Wanted me.
Mouth on my clit, tongue flicking over the sensitive nub, he slid one finger deep into my pussy, filling me, and I gave up trying to watch him. My head fell back on the towels and I arched my back, lifting my hips, buried my fingers in his hair, silently begging for more.
He worked my body like a master, and I held nothing back as the world exploded again and again, my pussy clamping down on his finger like a fist, the muscle spasms making me sob, then beg, then scream. It was too much. Too intense, the feelings that coursed through my body overwhelming. My ears tingled, colors danced behind my closed eyelids.
When I had nothing left, when I was shaking and spent, my voice raw from screaming, he slid his finger from me, kissed my clit and pussy gently one last time and pulled my sated body from the edge back into the water and into his arms. Held me to him, arms wrapped about me, as if he was what kept me from floating away. His smile was filled with pure male satisfaction, but his eyes held something more. Something tender and real I’d never seen before. I couldn’t look away. “Gage,” I whispered.
With a soft order for me to hush, he lowered his lips to mine, the spicy taste of my arousal on his tongue making me wild once more. The dazed, sated feeling faded and I hungered. I had no idea if this was the Everian in me coming to life, the Huntress needing her mate, but I needed to know his true taste. I needed to conquer him as he’d conquered me.
I spun us in the tub and he let me have my way as I kissed him. Devoured him, pressing him back until he was where I had been moments ago, his back to the edge. “Out, Gage. It’s my turn.”
He said nothing, but the lust in his eyes was pure, aroused male as he lifted his body and sat on the edge of the huge bathtub. He didn’t lie back, and I was grateful. The water running over his rock-hard chest and defined abs made me want to follow the trail with my tongue. So I moved close and did just that.
Rising up onto my knees, I reached for him, kissing him one more time before tracing a drop of water from his neck, down, over his collarbone. His chest. I lingered, tasted his hard nipple. The musky scent of man, my man, filled my head, making me dizzy. These huntress senses were overwhelming. Powerful.
Heaven.
My entire being filled with his essence. I drew him into my lungs. My gaze lingered over every inch, making sure the ReGen wand hadn’t missed any bruises or cuts. I recalled a particularly bad burn and some black bruising I’d seen over his right ribs. My hand traced the lines of his body, inspecting him as my gaze followed suit.
“I am healed, mate.”
“Hush.” It was my turn to fuss. To worry. To reassure myself that my mate was alive and well. Whole. Mine. I kissed the area where I knew the wound had been, over and over, telling him without words how important he was to me. He groaned, his hands coming to bury themselves in my wet hair, not to hurry me, but to connect us, to acknowledge my gift.
When I was ready, I worked my way down over his stomach, admiring every inch of this Elite Hunter and his hard body. He was too beautiful to be real. Definitely too beautiful to be mine. But I wasn’t going to argue with fate, or Warden Egara’s matching protocols, not now. Not when the hard tip of his cock was inches away from my lips.
I licked the tip, the drop of pre-cum glistening there. That was mine, too. He was mine. All of him.
“Dani.” My name was a plea and I was only too eager to give my mate what he needed.
As he had done, I was not gentle. I swallowed him down, took him into my mouth with an aggression that shocked me. But his growl, the shift of his hips, the tightening of his fingers into fists in my hair let me know he was under my control now. Mine, just like in the last dream we’d shared.
Wrapping my hand around the base of his shaft, I worked him with my mouth. My lips. Sucking. Licking. Tasting him. He was silk over steel. Big. Hard. I gave a moment’s thought to how this huge cock would feel in my ass. Stretching my pussy. The very idea made my pussy ache, my breasts feel heavy and full, my breathing quicken. I’d just come, yet I wanted it again. I needed more.
God, he tasted perfect. Wild and musky and all man.
I took him deep and lifted my free hand from his thigh to his balls, rubbing and playing with them. Claiming them as well. They were mine. His seed was mine. I would carry his child. I would be his everything.
My name burst from his lips, his hands buried in my hair held me to him as he came, his seed spicy, different. Mine. I swallowed it down, every single drop.
Spent, he slipped back into the water and pulled me into his arms. He held me like that for a long time, neither one of us speaking as his breathing slowed, his heartbeat calmed. We didn’t need to talk.
When I was a wrinkled, pruned thing, he lifted me from the tub and dried me off first before tending to himself. The pattern continued as we readied for bed. He made sure I brushed my teeth. Watched as I combed and braided my hair. When I asked for pajamas, he frowned and refused, saying we would always sleep skin to skin.
That was just fine by me.
And when he wrapped himself around me, every hard line of his body pressed against mine, and we drifted to sleep, for once, I didn’t feel the need to dream.
4
Gage
The bed was soft, the sheets cool and smooth, the pillow like a cloud. The sun was bright and it felt so good to be—
Dani!
“Dani!” I shouted as I went, my feet slapping on the cool wood, the soft carpeting as I ran. Coming out of the hallway, I stopped, practically skidded at the edge of the center room of the home. A comms unit was on the wall and a large seating area faced the screen. I recognized the official news and information channel on display, the talking head known all over the planet as a beautiful, highly intelligent and respected female of our race, but I only had eyes for Dani.
There she was. My heart was in my throat, my breathing ragged. My mark throbbed. She was nearby. If I hadn’t panicked, I’d have sensed her, known she was close.
Dani, Lexi and Katie were all sitting on a large sofa, their backs to me, obviously watching the news. Their heads whipped around at my shouting and bold entrance. Kate and Lexi stared at me, eyes wide, mouth open.
Dani shifted about so she was kneeling, her elbows on the back of the sofa. Her hair was loose and down over her shoulders and I remembered what it felt like tangled around my fingers. She wore a pale blue shirt, the neck high, the sleeves long. She was well-covered, but I could see the hint of her slight curves. But in my mind, I knew what was beneath. The small, upturned breasts, the pale pink nipples. The creamy skin.
“Um, Gage, are you all right?”
I put my hands on my hips, looked down at the floor and took a moment to calm myself even more. That was when I realized I was stark naked. “Fuck me.”
“She already did that.” The one called Katie called over her shoulder in a sing-song voice I found far from amusing. Dani laughed and threw one of the small pillows at the other woman’s head.
“Behave.”
Katie laughed. “Bryn wouldn’t like it if I did.”
“True,” Lexi supplied, but she didn’t turn away from the screen as the other two laughed. Dani’s happy eyes locked with mine, and the love I saw beaming there knocked the air out of my lungs. No one had ever looked at me like that.
With a grin, I spun on my heel and went back to the bedroom to get dressed. I never acted this irrationally. Reactionary. Insane.
It was all because of her. I knew her scent, her taste, the sounds she made when she came. I knew everything I needed about her. The rest would be discovered over the course of our lives.
I just had to wonder if I would ever calm down, would ever get past this feeling of panic at her absence.
I doubted it. I looked around, tried to figure out where my clothes were when I realized I had none. Only the ruined uniform I’d worn when trapped.
“Fuck.”
Stomping over to the bed, I ripped off the sheet, wrapped it around my waist, and went back down the hall, kicking the long tail of it out of the way.
“Dani!” I shouted again. This time she met me at the end of the hallway. She stood before me—I could see she had on black pants that were rolled up at the ankles—with a smile on her face that she wasn’t trying very hard to stifle.
“I have no clothes,” I growled.
“You’re awfully cranky when you wake up,” she replied. “Not a morning glory, then?”
“Time of day is irrelevant when my mate isn’t in bed with me.”
She clucked her tongue, went up on her tiptoes to kiss me. She was so tiny, so much smaller than me that I leaned forward to meet her lips.
I growled, wrapping my arms about her, pulling her in for a real kiss. None of this peck on the mouth shit.
I didn’t stop, didn’t lift my head until I heard Von growl. “Put some fucking clothes on.”
I felt Dani’s smile as she pulled away. “Um, Gage. You’re naked again.”
“I don’t care. I have you in my arms.”
“I care,” Bryn growled. “I don’t want my mate to see your junk.”
Sighing, I put Dani back on her feet, reached down and picked up the sheet I’d let fall to the floor and wrapped it back around me again. “It’s not my fault your junk isn’t adequate for her needs.”
Bryn laughed. “Nice,” he replied, his tone sarcastic. “Come with me, I’ll get you something to wear.”
I cupped Dani’s chin and she nodded. “I’ll be right here.”
“Where did you find those clothes?” I asked, my gaze roving over her.
“They’re Katie’s. A little big, but at least I’m not naked.”
I growled then, low and deep, thinking of Von or Bryn seeing her bare. Seeing what was mine.
“Gage,” Bryn said, prompting me to follow him.
With one last look, I turned and followed the Hunter down a labyrinth of hallways until we came to the master suite. I stood just inside the doorway as he walked into his closet and returned with a handful of clothes.
I dropped the sheet and dressed. This time, Bryn offered no complaint, only leaned against the wall and asked. “Who do you think is responsible?”
I knew to what he was referring. “I have no idea,” I tugged on the pants, knew that since I didn’t wear underwear he wasn’t getting them back. “Someone close to me had to have given them my location. Someone on the inside. Most likely one of the security detail, but that team is vast. One of us.” The pants fit well and I adjusted them on my hips as Bryn sighed.
“We’re looking for an Elite Hunter. And one assigned to the Seven. If you’re right, he won’t be an easy target.”
“No, he will not.”
Silence stretched as my mind listed possible suspects. New guards. Old. Men I’d known and trusted for years. None were above suspicion, not with Dani to protect.
Bryn cleared his throat. “Not to sound like an ass, but I don’t pay much attention to politics. Who would benefit the most from your demise? As prince, and the last of your line, your death would completely change the dynamics of the Seven. There would be an epic battle for power to claim your seat. I assume you have enemies.”
“Many.” The list was indeed long, some family rivalries dating back hundreds of years, but not blood feuds. As far as I knew, none had stooped so low as to assassinate a member of any royal family, not in centuries.
“So, who wins if you die?”
I shrugged. I had spent many hours in the cold, dark cave thinking of little else. “I am the last to carry the bloodline. The only heir. If I died, as you said, a massive shift in power would occur. There are several families who might be strategically positioned to claim my familial seat on the Seven.”
“What about your sister? Can’t she inherit the seat?”
My denial was instant. “No. Rayla is a sister by marriage, not by blood. Her mother, Mauve, married my father when Rayla and I were both very young.”
“Well, that’s not helpful,” he muttered. “Is there anyone you can trust?”
I shook my head, sure that my face looked as grim as I felt. “Danielle. Mauve and Rayla. And now you. Von. Your mates. No one else.”
“Short list.”
“So be it.” I thought of Dani, of her golden hair and soft skin, and something dark and feral rose up within me, snarling at the threat to her. “And I do not like the idea of my mate being in danger. But I have the ascension in a matter of days. By Everian law, the ceremony must occur, or my claim is forfeit. Dani must remain here, where she is safe, until this is resolved. I hate to part from her, but while I am her Marked Mate, I am also a prince. I have a duty to my people.”
His chuckle caused me to lift my chin and glare, which only made his smile widen.
“I do not envy you. As for Dani remaining here? She sneaked out of the Touchstone, Gage. She took food and weapons, clothing and gear, and none of us could track her. She found her way into the air ducts and littered the entire building with clothing she’d worn so her scent would randomly appear and disappear when the different sections kicked on and off. If you think I can keep her here, you’re wrong. She outwitted an entire building of Elite Hunters. There will be no keeping that woman anywhere she doesn’t want to be. And based on the way you had her screaming her pleasure all night, I assume she will want to be by your side. Or under you.”
He grinned, slapped me on the shoulder.
A dark rumble went through my chest. Ferocious pride and a depth of fear she would put herself into such risks. “I don’t want her to be in danger. That is not acceptable.”
Bryn crossed his arms. “I understand. I didn’t want Katie following me to Rogue 5, but she did. And she saved me, in the end.”
“No.” The thought of Dani, my Dani, in danger was unacceptable. “And your breach of protocol on Rogue 5 will be discussed before the Seven upon my return.”
He slowly shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Hard ass ‘til the end, Gage? Take it up with Katie and see how far you get.”
“You don’t deny the breach in security? Your failure to follow protocol? Endangering your mate?”
Bryn had the good grace to look sympathetic instead of amused as he walked to me and settled a hand on my shoulder. “These are Earth women. Marked Mates. They’re different. Trust me. You can’t win this battle. Dani will follow you. She’s got Hunter blood. She tracked you when no one else could. It’s better for you to keep her close, where you can maintain a watchful eye on her. The safest place for her is by your side, not chasing after you all alone.”
I growled at the image he painted. Dani alone, in potential danger, all because she was adamant to be by my side and I refused. Giving myself a moment to control my ire, I shrugged on the shirt. Bryn and I were of similar size and it fit well.
“I would like to have her close,” I admitted. “But it is not to be. I return to a life of politics and enemies. I am used to the attention, the pressure. But Dani, she is not. I do not like the idea of putting her on display for the world, of making her a target. Not yet.”
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