The Princesses (Princess Series Book 5)

by Alexa Riley

  “You’ll meet Prince Nelson sometime next week.” With those words, she departs.

  I lean back against the wall and drop my head. I’ve never even heard of Prince Nelson before, but I’m sure he’s like all the others I’ve met. Self-involved and looking for something pretty to put on his arm.

  I pull myself away from the wall and head towards my room. I want to collapse on my bed and maybe have a good cry. The happiness I was feeling moments ago as I thought about the new life Alena and I could have is draining away. I was living in my head. I wanted Vlad to be true, but I don’t even know if he really wants me or wants to roll around in a bed with me for a night or two. The thought makes my heart hurt even more. It’s all too much to think about at once.

  I open the door to my bedroom, and I’m roughly grabbed by the arm. I’m pulled inside and the door shuts behind me. The lock clicks into place, and suddenly I’m trapped.

  “Vlad,” I say, shocked to see him standing in my bedroom. He’s still wearing what he had on at dinner, but his coat is gone. My heart thuds with excitement for a moment until I pay attention to the look on his face. He’s livid. I take one step back and then another. His eyes narrow on me as if he’s tracking my every movement, waiting to pounce.

  “You’re taking offers for your hand in marriage?” he growls. The playful dominance from before is gone, and in its place is possessive power. It’s coming off of him in waves so strong that I swear I can feel them crashing against my body. “You can keep stepping away from me, Princess, but there’s no escape. I told you that you were mine.” He slowly comes closer, closing the distance between us. “And I meant it.”

  I open my mouth to tell him to get out, but he’s quicker than his size would suggest. He’s on me like an animal, lifting me off my feet and throwing me over his shoulder. He stalks towards my bed and tosses me onto it as I struggle not to squeal.

  His pins me down with his weight, as if to keep me from getting away. But I don’t want to. I spread my legs, letting his big body nestle between them as he sinks into my embrace. The sadness I was feeling melts away. I don’t know how he does it, but I feel safe, even with him looming over me like he’s a lion that’s just caught its dinner. His presence makes everything instantly better.

  He grabs my hands, holding me more securely. I can’t stop myself from lifting my hips, wanting him closer. Wanting him all over me.

  “You’re mine, Princess. Mine,” he bites out.

  “Yours,” I agree. I want him so badly right now. My body aches for it. No, not only my body, but my heart, too. This man is a warrior. He’s a protector, and I know that for once in my life someone will take care of me. He will shelter me, and I want to fall into that. Fall into him.

  A slow smile spreads across his face. “That’s good you agree, Princess, because I’m going to do something that will ensure no one can ever take you from me.”

  In one quick motion I feel my panties being ripped from my body.

  4

  Vlad

  “Do you feel what’s happening between us, Princess?” I toss the scrap of lace away and look down at her bare pussy. “Do you feel my claim on you yet?”

  “Oh God,” she moans, her eyes wild with passion.

  “No, sweet Tabitha. Only my name passes your lips when your pussy is out for me to taste.”

  “Vlad, I’ve never - ” She bites her lip and then shrugs.

  “I’m trying to hold on to my control and you dare tempt me with such filthy talk? Telling me that your pretty little cunt has been saved for me is enough to push me over the edge.”

  She gives me a smile that is both sexy and playful. I can’t deny her or myself any longer, and I move down her body.

  “Strip that dress off and let me look at what’s mine.” I push her thighs farther apart and stare down at her wet pussy. Her pink lips are spread just enough to expose her clit. I lick my lips and slip my hands under her ass and lift her up to my mouth.

  I moan at the flavor of her innocence and bury my face as deep as I can. I feel her thighs come up around my face, and I welcome it. I want to be surrounded by her cunt and all her beautiful curves. There’s no way I can get close enough.

  Looking up, I see her hands grip the sheets beside her, and that won’t do. Reluctantly I take my mouth off of her warm center and give her a hard stare.

  “I said strip, Princess.”

  She fumbles with the material, and I put my mouth back on her sugary pussy. I try to hold back the laugh as I see her close her eyes and enjoy the pleasure but then remember her task. She gives up at some point, and I hear the rip of material. Her body is completely bared to me.

  Her trim waist leads up to her full breasts. I move my hands up her body and rub her nipples. The hard peaks beg for my touch, and I give both of them a little pinch.

  “Vlad. What are you doing to me?” She’s out of breath, and her back arches off the bed.

  I dip my tongue into her innocence and back to her clit before circling the little bud. Her body tightens, and she clenches the pillow behind her. I lay one of my heavy arms across the lower part of her body and hold her down, keeping the steady, even rhythm.

  “No one but me hears your pleasure, Princess. Use the pillow if you need to.”

  I go back to the slow circles and watch as she grabs the pillow and puts it over her mouth. Barely a second later I hear the muffled screams of her orgasm and feel the wetness coat my face. I lap up her honey and drink it down like it’s a prize I’ve won.

  Licking her gently, I pull her orgasm from her and coax it for as long as possible. I kiss the insides of her thighs and make love to her soft skin with my mouth. I want her to remember the first time I ate her and never forget the pleasure I can give her.

  Just when I think the last of her body has given itself up to me, I run my nose along the flesh on the inside of her thigh. I kiss her once and then bite down, marking her. I feel her body tense again, and she shudders in pleasure as I lick the place I marked. I like seeing it there, knowing I did it. I want to claim all of her, and I want the world to see it. I can’t yet, but this will work. For now.

  I strip off my clothes and stand there, letting her look at me. Look at the last man she’ll ever have. Her eyes widen when they land on my cock, the hard length pointing nearly straight up to my belly button. Reaching down, I stroke myself and feel the wetness of the tip. I spread the moisture up and down my shaft as I jerk my cock in front of her.

  Her thighs fall open a little wider, and then her hips rise in invitation.

  “Do you want me, Princess?”

  She nods, but I wait, needing to hear the words.

  “Make love to me.”

  I climb on the bed and kiss my way up her body, stopping at her breasts to pay homage to their perfect sweetness. I can’t wait to taste them when they’re filled with milk for our babies. She’ll be round and ripe and ready to feed.

  I rub my cock through her slick desire, lubing it up and getting it ready for her. It’s a tease for both of us, and I don’t know how long I’ll be able to last.

  “You’re too goddamn tempting. I’m not going to last,” I growl as I slip the tip inside her.

  “I want to feel you, Vlad. All of you. I’ve never wanted someone like this before.”

  “And you never will again. This is it for you. For both of us.”

  I thrust inside her, letting her warm, wet heat take all of me. Her body tenses, and I kiss her lips softly, trying to soothe the pain.

  “I’ll never hurt you again, Tabitha,” I whisper, and rub my nose against hers.

  I don’t want the first time I make love to her to be painful, but breaking her barrier is a reminder that she’s pure, that she’s saved herself for this moment. For her husband. For me.

  “Move,” she moans as I kiss her neck and run my hands all over her silky body.

  “Not yet,” I say against her breast as my mouth covers one of her nipples.

  The feel of the hard peak in my
mouth is almost enough to have me going off inside her. But I hold off and wait until she’s nearly impossible to hold down. I want her begging for my thrusts and on the edge, as close as I am.

  “Please, Vlad. I’m dying.”

  “You think I would let my princess die? No, I don’t give you permission.” I smile down at her, and she tries to scowl. I take the look off her face when I pull out and then thrust back in.

  She closes her eyes and leans her head back as her hips rise to meet every stroke of my cock. I look down between us and see my cock disappearing inside her. It’s too much, and I have to close my eyes tightly to keep myself in check.

  “Harder, Vlad,” she whispers, and I look up to see the intensity in her eyes.

  “There’s nothing I won’t give you, my love,” I say as I answer her request by driving home.

  The feel of taking her, of possessing her, is bearing down on me. Her body tenses with every thrust, and I know she’s climbing as high as I am. We’re moments away from what I know will be the most intense climax of my life.

  “I’m not going to pull out, Princess. This is how I’m going to bind you to me forever. There will never be a day when someone comes for your hand in marriage. You’ll already have my baby in your womb, and nothing can stand in my way.”

  I feel her hands go to my ass and grip me tighter to hold me inside of her. “Do it,” she whispers, and I give us both what we want.

  Her body clings to me as she cries out her orgasm. I take her lips to silence the sound, and I empty my cock inside her. The powerful beat of my heart connects with hers in that moment, and time stands still. Our pleasures mold together into one, and I feel my soul find its other half.

  When I break the kiss, I stare into her eyes and hold her face in my hands.

  “Forever, Princess. You are bound to me forever.”

  5

  Tabitha

  I walk back into the ballroom after making sure everything’s going as planned. The poor wedding planner has been run ragged. I’m surprised the she hasn’t had a heart attack yet, especially with Alena’s new husband moving up the wedding date. Yesterday had been a whirlwind from the moment my toes hit the floor.

  What started out as a day for Alena’s wedding shower turned into a mad dash to have everything ready for a wedding the following day. I barely had time to think about the night before or what Vlad and I had done.

  I move my hand to my belly and wonder if what he said was true. I’d told him last night I wanted five or six kids. He told me the first three or four would have to be boys if the girls were going to come out looking like their mother. He said he’d need the backup. I smile at the memory of the easy conversation we had. We planned our lives without a care in the world, as if I could run away with him and there would be no fallout.

  Alena and I haven’t had much time to talk. She snuck into my room last night with her husband-to-be hot on her heels. It was in that moment that I knew that man was madly in love with her.

  I stand off to the side and watch her sitting on her husband’s lap, smiling at him as he wraps his arms around her in a tight hold. “She’s free,” I whisper to myself. “She’s happy.”

  My eyes start to water with joy for her. I got her away from my mother, and now she’s in the hands of a man who will protect her with his life. I saw that last night when he burst into my room and chased after her. He all but pleaded with her to come with him. I’m sure that before last night he’d never pleaded for a thing in his life.

  “I told you everything would be okay, Princess.” I stand up straight when I feel Vlad’s lips against my ear. I lean back a little, wanting to feel his body heat. “I promised you your sister would be okay, and I will never break a promise to you.”

  I turn around and look up at him. He did tell me that. He snuck into my room once again last night. He was on a mission. A mission to make sure I knew I belonged to him. And to make sure the world knew, too. If he manages to get me pregnant there’s no way of hiding it. I should want to smack him because of it, but all it does is make to cling to him even harder. Something about his primal way with me, along with his bossiness and caveman tendencies, works. Maybe because when I’m with him I don’t have to think. He takes care of what’s happening, and it’s nice. Freeing.

  “She really is, isn’t she? He loves her.” I glance over at them once again and smile when I see him picking her up and carrying her from the room. I have to stifle a laugh. I’m sure my mother wants to die of embarrassment at how her daughter was carried away from her wedding. Everything is about appearances to her.

  “I thought he was crazy,” Vlad says, and I look up at him. He’s watching me, not paying attention to anything else. “He saw a picture of her and lost it. I knew there was no stopping him. Never saw him like that before. So I stood back and didn’t tell him he was being crazy because I knew there was nothing I could do.”

  I watch him as his eyes roam over my face, and then they go soft and sweet. That happens when he gets me where he wants me, usually after putting me there. “Then you walked right into my life, and I got it. You lit up the whole room, and then I saw it. You pulled at a primal part of me. A part of me that I didn’t know was there. It was lying dormant, waiting for you. Because it belonged to you.” He leans down a little more so his breath is against my lips. “You were putting on a show. You were on a mission to protect your sister. I bet you’ve been doing it your whole life, haven’t you? Making sure she doesn’t have attention on her that she doesn’t want. Making sure you take the brunt of your bitch mother’s wrath.”

  His big hands come up to cradle my face. “It’s my job to protect her. She’s my little sister,” I tell him.

  “I know, sweet girl. I know. But who’s been protecting you?” He strokes my cheeks with his thumbs. I don’t have a response. We both know it should have been my mother, but she protected me as much as a farmer protects his cattle. “From now on, your answer to that question is my name. Say it, Tabitha.”

  “Vlad protects me,” I say instantly, the words falling from my lips easily.

  “Damn right I do,” he growls, before his lips are on mine.

  I forget where we are and fall into this moment with him. He always makes me forget my surroundings. When he’s near me, everything melts away and I don’t have a worry in the world. He’s right. I know he will protect me. I can feel it in my bones. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this knight to rescue me. My knight.

  He pulls back, his breathing as heavy as mine. “We can’t do this here. I don’t like people seeing you like this.” His possessive words jolt me back to reality, and I remember where we are. I pull back a little, and Vlad’s hold tightens for a moment before he releases me. He’s giving me a warning. I better not run. I can’t believe I forgot we are in a room of people and I was openly kissing a man. A princess must never behave like that with any man who is not her husband. And even then, public displays of affection aren’t well looked upon.

  I can see Vlad’s whole body tighten. He looks like he’s about to blow. He doesn’t like us hiding. He doesn’t like that for most of the day we’ve had to pretend we don’t belong to each other. Though I’m sure if people looked closely they could see it. His eyes always follow me, and he’s always calling me away to “help” with something, a.k.a. a make-out session in some closed off room. He’d pull me away, insisting he needed me, and I believed him. If I hadn’t given in with those stolen moments I think I would have been over his shoulder and out of here long ago.

  I reach out and touch his arm, trying to get him under control. “Not here. This is my sister’s wedding.” He relaxes a little at my words and touch, but I can still see him fighting himself. I know he wants to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder. Even though I’ve only known him for a brief time, I already know that’s his go-to move to get me where he wants me. He simply picks me up and puts me there.

  “You’ve had me chasing you all day.” I think there’s a hint of pout in
his voice. “You’ve been walking around wearing that fucking dress you have on, which you’re going to pay for when we get home.”

  “You like chasing me,” I say in a tease, seeing him calm down a little. My heart flutters at the word home. I love when he goes caveman on me, even though this isn’t the place or the time. Not tonight.

  He grasps my hip. “I like catching you more.” The fingers on my hips flex and dig into me. “Your bag is already in my car. You’re coming home with me tonight.” A question isn’t being asked.

  “I told you I would,” I sass back, and roll my eyes at him, making him smile. I love how easily our banter comes already. I’m so easy around him and feel more like myself than I ever have.

  “I’m going to make it all come true,” he says, bringing me into him a little more, and I know what he’s talking about. Last night when we lay in bed, he asked me about my dreams. If I could pick my life, what would it be? In the dark it was easy to give life to what I wanted. I didn’t want to be a princess. I wanted to live in a home with a man I loved, who adored and loved me, too. I wanted to have a herd of children. “I’m going to give you everything you ever wanted, Tabitha, but you will always be a princess. Now you’ll only be my princess.”

  I want that to be true, to only be his, but I know it is only a matter of time before people find out what we’ve been up to. We haven’t been careful. It’s hard to be when you’re in love. It’s impossible to feel this and not let it somehow show. I know someone is going to try to take my fairy tale, but I have a feeling my knight will never let that happen.

  6

  Vlad