HeroUnleased

by Anna Alexander

  “And what about relationships? Do you have a lover to share these experiences with?”

  “I have several.” She tossed him a wink as she went into the closet to find some accessories. “The men at my club have you to thank for their pleasure.”

  “You were an excellent student.” The curl of his smile reminded her of the heat they used to generate. “I am sorely tempted to have you give me a personal tour of that club of yours. But I know of at least one person who would gladly cut my cock off if I mention it.”

  “He can’t cut it off if it’s in my mouth,” she teased, knowing he’d never take her up on the offer if she asked. When the illicitness of their relationship had worn off, they realized they made better friends than lovers.

  His eyes widened at her bold statement. “You are so bad.”

  “And you love me that way.”

  He tapped her on the tip of her nose. “I do.”

  The truth in those two words rang clear and strong. Dhavin knew her better than anyone and never hesitated to tell her how he loved all that she was. He was the one person in the universe she felt free to be one hundred percent herself with, and the unexpected freedom that came with that knowledge brought tears to her eyes.

  She leapt into his arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Like always, Dhavin caught her.

  In the stormy waters of court and propriety he was the anchor that put all her troubles into perspective. He held her when she cried, laughed when she dared to say something funny and forced her to see the beauty in her body where she had only seen flaws and differences from those she was held against to be an example to. He taught her passion and gave her an outlet to express her needs. He was a true friend, and it wasn’t until he walked through her door that she realized how much she missed having his companionship.

  “What are you doing?”

  The disapproval in the question matched the severity of Lucian’s frown. Dhavin stiffened, but she clung on tighter, allowing the warm ripple of pleasure she felt in the simple embrace fill the air.

  “It’s called a hug, General. Perhaps you haven’t experienced one before. It’s what you do when you wish to express affection.”

  “Play nice,” Dhavin husked then swatted her on the rear. He turned toward his cousin and stiffened at her side. “What is wrong?”

  “Kristos called. Brett received word that a debris trail was located in eastern Washington. There was no craft, but a quarter-mile swath of wheat field was destroyed. The landowner was questioned. He was wearing a sling and sported bruises, and was exorbitantly adamant that he witnessed nothing unusual.”

  “Bale,” Dhavin growled.

  For the first time in years, Amaryllis tasted the bitter bile of true fear. It was not the first time her life had been threatened, but she had foolishly believed that the practice of constantly fearing for her life was long over. And why? Because of the potential threat she was to a man who lived millions of miles away. The injustice of it all had the well of rage seething inside her.

  “Princess, I said you must come with us,” Lucian barked, oblivious that she was in her own head.

  “I know,” she shouted. She was independent, not stupid. “I have never doubted the seriousness of the situation, General. I understand the danger and will go with you. You have three moons to eliminate the assassin before I return to my home.”

  “Three?” His nostrils flared as he crossed his arms over his huge chest. “Unacceptable.”

  “I also did not exaggerate my responsibilities. I have people who depend on me for their livelihoods and I cannot simply disappear for an undetermined length of time. As it is, it will be a challenge to arrange for my absence on such short notice. Three moons is all I can afford. Is this Bale such a formidable opponent that three Llanos cannot defeat him?”

  “Dhavin. I need a moment with the princess. Alone. Please.”

  As her personal guard, Dhavin obeyed her will above all and waited for her approval before he made a move for the door. “I’ll be close if you have need of me.”

  “Thank you, Dhavin.” Amaryllis straightened her spine. Never would she show a weakness to this man. “I ask you again, General. Are you and your men not up to the task?”

  “We are. But we have to be cautious. I need to know that you are protected at all times.”

  “So you plan to have me tied and submit to your wishes the entire time?”

  His breath caught and a spike of arousal arced across the room to ignite a blaze in her womb as her powers soaked in the hungers he fought to control and hide from her.

  Ah, so her general did want her tied and subservient to his desires. What would it take to get him to loosen his restraint and give in to those needs?

  “Is that it, Lucian? Do you want me under your…thumb to protect me, or for another purpose?”

  A slash of red stole across his cheeks. “My job is to see to your safety.”

  “And I will be oh so safe if I’m within arm’s reach, won’t I?”

  Amazing, she thought, as the heat of his gaze fueled the flames that raced up her body to lick at the undersides of her breasts. She stalked closer and almost smiled as he staggered and backed into the wall behind him. “Is that the only reason you want me close, Lucian?”

  His hands fell on her shoulders to stop her momentum. “Don’t think you can manipulate me as easily as you do Dhavin.”

  She flinched. “You bastard. I’ve never manipulated anyone.”

  His fingers tightened as she moved to draw away. “Stop. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes and let loose with a long sigh. “Why can’t we hold a reasonable conversation? Every time I try to talk to you, I end up hurting your feelings and that is never my intention.”

  “Maybe it’s because you insist on treating me as someone that I’m not.” She leaned into his chest and released her own sigh as the big man shuddered against her. The headiness of the danger of being so close to such tightly leashed control made her dizzy. “Why can’t you see that?”

  A mirthless chuckle rumbled in his chest. His hands slid down her back in a slow sweep then curled around her shoulders again. “What I see is a powder keg of trouble. You—you are unchartered territory, Your Highness.”

  “And I frighten you.” She smiled at the discovery as his hips pressed into her belly. Oh yes, his body knew what he wanted, yet he was going to do everything in his power to fight his attraction.

  “I’m an adult woman, Lucian. I know exactly what, and who, I want. What about you?”

  He trembled again. His throat worked as he struggled for the words. “What I want doesn’t matter.”

  “It does to me,” she whispered.

  His sigh ghosted across her lips as he bent his head closer. He pressed his forehead to hers and breathed in her scent on a deep inhale before gently pushing her away. “I am your guard. My sword will always be yours when you have need.”

  A wide grin stretched her lips as a delightful red flush raced up his neck to the tips of his ears as he realized how she interpreted his statement.

  “I mean, to protect you. That is all I can give.”

  For now.

  The unspoken words hung on the air between them.

  As she looked upon Lucian with new eyes, the humiliation she suffered the night before dissipated.

  Maybe it was his strength, maybe it was his honor, maybe it was the potential pleasure to be found in those massive hands, whatever it was, Lucian intrigued her like no other. She wanted to peel away his armor and experience the man hiding within. The general needed a challenge, and the one thing she excelled at was giving people exactly what they needed.

  “If we are done now, General. I need to make arrangements for my time off, and I still haven’t had my bath yet, so if you’ll excuse me.”

  With a twist of her fingers, the lavender silk pooled at her feet. She sashayed to the bathroom with an extra swish of her hips.

  Those flares of heat washing over her bac
k were becoming incredibly addictive.

  Lucian stared at the princess’s delectable backside with his mouth agape until she closed the bathroom door between them with a knowing smile on her pouty lips. He pressed the heel of his hand into the erection threatening to bust through the zipper of his jeans and stifled a moan.

  Damn the woman! Did she not know she was asking him to tackle her to the tile floor and feed the throbbing length of his cock into her pussy, whether she was ready for him or not?

  Yes, the little witch did.

  The princess was playing with an explosive that would burn them both. This all-consuming need to savor her ripeness was a thousand times more unbearable than it had been on Skandavia. At least then he had the overseeing eye of her father and his other duties to temper the fascination, but Amaryllis in her gloriously bare flesh was too much to withstand up close and personal. And he was not unaware of the fact that she was going to make the time they spent together very personal.

  No! He would not think of his charge in such a manner. They may not be in Skandavia anymore, but she was still royalty and he, her servant. Keeping her safe was his top priority.

  The sound of water flowing from pipes drew his attention to the flimsy door and he thought of a very naked princess on the other side.

  He raced from the room with his hands clenched at his sides and went in search of a moment of privacy.

  Dhavin was in the living room, his attention riveted to the large-screen television. The remote was in his hand and he was laughing as the channels flipped in rapid succession. A pair of breasts flashed across the screen and Dhavin switched back to the channel that showed two women frolicking in a swimming pool.

  He sank on the ottoman and scooted closer to the action. “I love this planet.”

  Lucian backtracked and found sanctuary in the kitchen. Why he thought the space would be full of stainless steel and cold tile was another example of how little he knew about Amaryllis. The warm wood and creamy granite was as inviting as the woman was outrageous.

  He unbuttoned the cuff of his shirt around his left wrist and pulled the fabric back to his elbow. He turned the knob of the stove until the flame ignited, rising tall and white hot. With a deep breath of fortitude, he held his forearm over the fire. The stench of burning hair made his eyes water, but he held firm, biting back a howl of pain. His honor demanded he be at his best. Anything else was unacceptable.

  Chapter Four

  “Look at that!” Amaryllis pointed out her window. Against the bright-blue sky gliders in brilliant reds and yellow spiraled gently from the cliffs down to a wide-open field. “Have you ever seen anything so amazing? Lucian, you must take me.”

  He glanced over his shoulder at her with a raised brow before he turned his attention back to the road. “No.”

  Big surprise there. “Dhavin, you’ll take me, surely.”

  “I’m not too certain.” He gazed up with trepidation from his seat in the front of the car. “I don’t think I can trust a bit of colored fabric to prevent me from plunging to the earth.”

  “Where is your courage? I thought you two were Llanos? I bet you wouldn’t even go bungee jumping with me.”

  “Do I want to know what that is?”

  “A giant elastic band is tied to your waist or ankles, and then you jump off a high bridge. Just when you think you will crash upon the rocks, the elastic snaps you back and you go up and down until your momentum stops.”

  Dhavin’s pallor took on a greenish tinge. “That sounds dreadful.”

  “Oh it’s great fun.” She leaned forward and poked her head between the two sets of broad shoulders. “The adrenaline rush is incredible. It’s almost as good as sex. Ooo, I wonder what it would be like to bungee jump while having sex. Probably not as good as it sounds. Where would your focus be? You’re approaching orgasm and then you’re in the free fall and bouncing all around, jamming and prodding each other, probably rather indelicately. And with my luck, I’d end up puking. Yes, not good at all.”

  Dhavin’s frown deepened with her rapid speech. “What is this word, puking?”

  “Ah, it’s to batkja.When gravity loses and the contents of your stomach come out your mouth.”

  He sighed and shook his head. “I have so much to learn about this world. Intercourse on television, falling from the sky on purpose, this puking. I thought a year spent in a pod learning nothing but languages and politics would be enough.”

  “Do not worry, friend.” She stroked his arm. “I’ll show you the way.”

  Lucian emitted a sound that reminded her of a metal utensil caught in the gears of an industrial garbage disposal. He caught himself and threw her another glance. “Princess, please, sit back and put on your seatbelt.”

  “Why? I trust your skill behind the wheel.”

  “It’s not my skill you need to worry about. Now please, sit back and put on your restraint. It’s for your own good.”

  “I don’t want to.” It wasn’t childish petulance that kept her from wearing the belt, but the vast distance between her seat and the occupants in the front. Even at only a few feet, the loss of their energy left her cold, as if she turned a furnace down to low.

  He pulled over to the shoulder with a quick turn of the wheel. “I will not move us another inch until you put on your seatbelt.”

  Oh, now there it was. Trying to gain some of his control back, assert his authority was he?

  She folded her arms. “Then I guess we’ll be here awhile.”

  Dark-green gaze clashed with lavender in the rearview mirror and the air thickened. With each harsh breath the windows grew cloudy until the entire view became obscured.

  In her peripheral vision she saw Dhavin look back and forth between them then heave a sigh. “Since we won’t be leaving anytime soon, I’ll be searching for a shrub.” He opened his door and disappeared from view.

  A trickle of sweat beaded along her hairline and slid down the side of her face as the interior of the car grew more humid, yet she didn’t do more than blink when it became absolutely necessary. Lucian’s nostrils flared in tiny pulses and a muscle along his jaw twitched.

  Her thighs bunched with the urge to shift in her seat as heat pulsed in her groin. Damn the man was sexy when he was being a hardass. His nostrils flared again as if he could scent her arousal. With a mental smile, she allowed a tendril of lust free to sweep along his emotional barrier, and wanted to giggle in delight when his left eye began to twitch.

  That’s right, Lucian, make me. What else would you like to make me do?

  With myriad lascivious thoughts running through her mind, she swept the tip of her tongue along her lips and almost whimpered when his gaze followed the motion. His hands tightened on the steering wheel and his arms trembled, yet he didn’t make a move.

  Who knew that such a show of strength would hit her like a powerful aphrodisiac? Sure, she might have a streak of masochistic tendencies, but if she continued on like this, she might require therapy.

  Dhavin returned several minutes later. “Ah, still at it. Look, Amaryllis, lebshone,please clip on your belt. I’m getting hungry and I want you to introduce me to the wonder that is chocolate. I promise we won’t discuss anything exciting during the rest of the journey.”

  She glanced at the comforting hand he placed on her knee then back up at his brown eyes that implored her to play nice. “Fine.”

  Lucian swiped a hand over his face while muttering a few obscenities in several languages then put the car into gear the second her belt clicked into place.

  Did she deserve his scorn? Maybe. But whenever he spoke to her in that superior tone of voice she wanted to do the exact opposite of what he said, no matter how stupid the action may be. The reaction was pure impulse, like his voice struck her bitch nerve and the words spewed out. When he pushed, she wanted to shove back with all her might. Childish for certain, but it was her primary response, and the last thing she wanted Lucian to think of her as was a child. She would behave.

&nb
sp; For now.

  Silence stretched with each passing mile and her skin felt tight and constricting the longer she sat still. Her fingers rubbed along the edge of her suede jacket, worrying the knap in one direction then working it the other way.

  Separated again because of her station. Alone with her royalty. No longer a person, she was precious cargo, relegated to the back and away from the “help”. Why did everyone think that if you wore the mantle of princess, you wanted to be left alone? Too royal to consort with such mundane concepts as friendships, and too emotional to be given responsibilities in the court.

  A humorless chuckle lodged in her throat. When she wanted to be left alone, she was dragged into society, and when she wanted to be involved, she was shunned. Thus continued the cycle of her former existence.

  Several more miles passed with nothing but the whirl of tires racing across the asphalt and an occasional murmur between the two men. How she longed to be part of their conversation, no matter how brief and unimportant it might be.

  She leaned forward and the strap across her chest bit into her breasts. She pulled it loose and tried again. “How long until we reach Pinetree?” she shouted.

  “Cedar,” Lucian replied. “The town’s name is Cedar. And about thirty minutes.”

  “And what do you do in Cedar?” More importantly who do you do, she really wanted to know.

  “Kristos and I work for a man named Harlan Kilsgaard. He found us when we crashed landed and took us in, gave us his name and a background. He owns a shop that sells outdoor sporting equipment and runs tours down the river.”

  That brought her up straighter in her seat. “Like whitewater rafting? Really? Take me, please? That sounds like fantastic fun.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because this is not a vacation.”

  “What are you expecting me to do, sit on my arse all day?”

  “Yes.”

  “Completely unacceptable. If you won’t take me, I’ll ask Kristos.”