Ruled

by J. J. Lore

  Mal’s eyes fluttered shut, and he slumped his shoulders. “But Corrine might not wish—”

  She reached out to touch his cheek before he even finished speaking. A warm flush filled her body, making her skin tingle like she’d received a slight electric shock along every nerve. “Yes, Mal, please.”

  He seemed too weak to take on the task, so she pressed close, scooting into his lap and straddling him, taking pleasure in the way his solid body supported her. He looked up at her with wide eyes, something in his expression so open it made her want to cry. The mechanics of the act stumped her. Edem had just swooped in and taken her. “Where? How?”

  “I’ve wanted your neck since I met you,” he whispered to her, his hands trailing up her back. Edem caressed her thigh, and she shivered. Could she really lower herself and allow him to bite her throat? It went against every self-preservation instinct she possessed. Mal must have noticed her uncertainty, even in his weakened state, and he smiled at her.

  “Edem, help her. She doesn’t know what to do.”

  Strong arms circled her shoulders and leaned her back against Edem’s warm chest. He cradled her head against his neck and helped her lift her chin. Mal gripped her hips and leaned forward, pressing his lips against the pulse jumping in her throat. She flinched, anticipating pain, but he merely suckled her skin. Goosebumps erupted over her body, and she cried out, a sudden, near-painful bolt of arousal heating her pussy. Edem groaned, and she could feel the vibrations of his chest through her back. Mal grasped her even tighter, and she splayed her hands on Edem’s forearms, somehow knowing it would be soon.

  With a little grunt, Mal bit into her, the tips of his fangs penetrating her skin with tiny prickles of pain that soon gave way to warm waves of pleasure. He moaned against her and licked at the punctures. For one hazy moment she wondered how much blood he was taking, then succumbed to the sense of belonging and comfort, of finally finding a safe haven for her heart and soul. Edem pressed his lips to her temple, and all the muscles in her body melted against theirs. Their love and strength sizzled over her skin and shot along her nerves.

  ****

  “I truly am sorry, Mal.” Edem knew he kept apologizing for the same things, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Knowing how he’d betrayed his bondmates with his rash behavior still gnawed at his innards. He needed to be a better man, more refined in judgment, more willing to sacrifice now that they had Corrine. A child would come, might come, and he needed to be ready for the additional responsibility. A feckless prince wasn’t good father material.

  Mal met his gaze once, then returned to sorting through their jumbled belongings. They’d left Corrine in the bath to attend to mysterious feminine tasks after they’d reveled in a post-bonding soak in the tub, and were now putting their goods to rights. He was polishing the loose gems and jewels to rid them of even the barest trace of Xyran residue, and Mal was carefully packing them up as he handed one over. “I know you’re sorry.”

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “More energized than I have in years. It seems the common wisdom about adding another member to a bond means increasing our strength is true.” Mal closed the lid on a leather box containing a long diamond and red corundum chain they’d been given in India. Humans used far too many diamonds in their jewelry. It was a common stone, but the workmanship in the piece was admirable.

  “She does fit us well, does she not?” Edem allowed himself a small measure of satisfaction. Of course he still owed her quite a bit more obeisance. He’d taken her unawares, after all. But if she wasn’t meant for the bond with them, it would have been a love bite and nothing more. Destiny was a convenient balm he’d accept. Then another thought intruded. “We still have more to reveal to her.”

  Mal sighed and draped a jeweled Russian epaulet along his hand. The elaborate pin would complement a sash or draped scarf very nicely for an informal occasion. “We do. I wished to confess all as soon as my tesak left her flesh, but she was so overcome with the bond, I felt sure my words would be lost.”

  Edem smiled. She had been the most beautiful sight as she lay against their bodies, completely at ease with her limbs a sprawl, aligned so closely with them it was impossible for him to tell his emotions from hers or Mal’s. He admired her courage and determination and was looking forward to teasing and pleasing her for the rest of his life. Some unknown part of his heart had suddenly beaten to life, and he felt as if he could levitate. “Before we speak to her, we need to come up with a plan.”

  “A plan for what? A plan for how to tell her you are the crown prince of Alpha and she will become its first human queen? Or a plan on how to inform your fairly conservative father his lineage will now include Earther blood? Let’s not forget we need a plan on how to deal with all the fallout among the court, most importantly that of your ambitious cousin who’s already produced three pure Alphan children with clear rights to succession.”

  Trust Mal to have already thought it through. “You forgot one plan, the one where I must relinquish my claim and we are banished from the kingdom. We’ll need to find some sort of profession then. Work for a living.”

  This possibility wasn’t so far off the mark. Many powerful factions could put pressure on the council and the king to force Edem away from the throne. They’d be leaving everything he’d ever known, palaces, respect, security, and an ordained future.

  “How do you feel about that?” Mal asked the question gently, putting aside the jewelry to take up Edem’s hand in a comforting gesture. “When you said before, that you were willing to do whatever it took to have her as ours, we both know that’s what you were thinking about. I’m from common stock and can easily return to such a setting, and Corrine knows no different. You will be the one suffering deprivation.”

  Edem nodded. It was all true, and he hadn’t made the decision lightly, despite his rash action in bonding with Corrine. The desire and certainty that she was meant to be theirs had been simmering within him since he’d first met her, and in private moments he’d considered whether he’d be willing to leave it all behind. “You know I’ve never been ambitious, or particularly devoted to the rituals and traditions. I will miss my family if it comes to that, but little else.”

  Mal quirked a smile. “Though you are handsome in a crown, it has never rested easy on your head.”

  “Why would you miss your family?” Corrine’s soft voice interrupted them, and they both turned to the archway leading to the bath where she waited. She was wrapped a thick, absorbent robe similar to the ones they wore, though hers trailed along the rugs as she walked their way. She glanced down at the treasures spread across the table with a slight frown. “And what did you mean about the crown on your head?”

  Mal shot him a look, and Edem took a breath as he gathered his courage. This was his deception to confess. “There’s another thing about us, about me, you don’t know yet.”

  Her eyes widened slightly. “Am I going to grow horns now?”

  Mal laughed, the mirthful sound startling Edem who’d been primed for drama. His bondmate drew her into his lap and nuzzled into her damp hair, clearly delighted she was within reach again. “No, my lady, you will not grow horns though you’d be beautiful with them. Do you not find ours attractive?”

  His teasing provoked a blush on Corrine’s cheeks, and she mock struggled in his arms. “I like your horns, both of yours. They’re very nice to hold on to when you’re, ah…” She trailed off in a stutter of embarrassment.

  “When we taste you? Yes, I do enjoy it when you tug on them as you shudder and squeal.” Mal kissed her cheek as she spluttered. Edem fought back a flicker of irritation that his important confession had been shunted aside for silliness he couldn’t join with yet.

  “Back to the matter at hand, if you please,” he tried in his most imperious tone, one he rarely had cause to use. Corrine stilled, and Mal straightened his shoulders even as he retained his hold on her. “Corrine, I am not who you think I am.”

  �
�You aren’t a gorgeous Alphan warrior who is attentive and kind to me?”

  Pleasure at her compliments filled him with a mixture of pride and nervousness. He loved the fact she adored him for himself, had bonded with him so honestly without knowing his royal status. It made her even more trustworthy and admirable in his eyes, but the time had come for her to learn exactly what would be awaiting her on Alpha.

  “I’m a prince.” There, simply stated, no more veils of subterfuge between them.

  Her mouth fell open. Behind her, Mal waited as he rubbed her back in light, comforting strokes. Edem could sense her shock and confusion, as well as a growing tide of fear. She blinked and shook her head.

  “No, that’s not … I can’t be that.” She swallowed and glanced back over her shoulder at Mal, then returned her gaze to him. Incipient tears glinted in her eyes. “You should have told me before all this happened. It’s not fair you didn’t tell me.”

  “We were silent on the issue while on Earth, out of security concerns. No one was to even know Edem was visiting your planet, no Earthers or the vast majority of Alphans for that matter. Putting the next in line to the throne in danger on an unsettled, insignificant planet would have incensed many of the Alphan population, for good reason.” Mal had adopted a soothing tone, one he rarely employed with Edem but was growing increasingly common for interactions with Corrine.

  “You trusted me enough to have sex with me, do this bonding thing that makes my brain mushy, but not enough to tell me who you are?” Her hurt and anxiety was palpable as she tightened her shoulders and stared at him.

  “I’m telling you now.”

  “This was our first opportunity—” Mal tried to placate her, to no discernable effect.

  “No, you should have told me as soon as I stepped into your cabin. We were alone then, no one would hear, but no, all you wanted to do was get me naked.” Affront forced her to her feet, and she shook her finger in the air. “Selfish, the both of you, putting me in this impossible situation.”

  Edem was taken aback. He’d assumed she’d be irritated by the fact that they’d kept a secret, but this was something more. “Your life will be very good by our side. Every privilege and luxury will be yours.”

  “I don’t want privilege and luxury. I wouldn’t know what to do with them.” She whirled and walked away and for a panicked moment he thought she was fleeing, but instead she turned back, pacing away as she spoke. Her borrowed robe dragged along the dense carpet, and her once combed damp hair snarled around her shoulders. “Are you actually telling me you are going to be the king of some country on Alpha?”

  “The whole planet, actually,” Mal interjected in a dry tone. Corrine made a horrified sound.

  “But it’s mostly ceremonial, I’m sure.”

  “Not really.” Edem rose, wanting to gather her in his arms and distract her somehow. She skipped away and shot him a simmering look.

  “You can’t expect me to put on some robes and play princess. I’m just a cook, and poor on top of that!”

  “Neither of those precludes you being the mother of kings.” Edem could see it, could envision the children they would have, and the thought of his line continuing filled him with joy. “Any woman, no matter her status, could bond with a royal. In fact, my great uncles bonded with a woman who operated a canal boat before they met her. They had too much kvass to drink one night and fell in the water and she fished them out. Very romantic. Aunt Lydee was my favorite aunt, always had a candy in her pocket for me.”

  “But there is the matter of your species to consider.” Mal again made the difficult point while returning the conversation to its necessary course.

  Corrine halted in front of his bondmate and propped her hands on her hips. “What’s the matter with my species, other than that I come from and insignificant and unsettled planet? Are we not good enough for you Alphans?”

  Edem held out a placating hand, but she ignored it, instead glaring from one to the other with hot rage in her eyes.

  “There is a certain prejudice among a few vocal factions that disapprove of the new trend of our bravest warriors finding bonds among your people. One we don’t share, obviously.”

  Corrine raised both her hands in an entreating gesture and made a sound of despair. Edem leapt to his feet and went to her side, cautiously reaching for her to offer comfort. She pushed at his chest and frowned.

  “No. I won’t do this. First you convince me to take this wild trip and promise it’s not going to be a sex romp, then you suck my blood against my will, and now this, this terrible obligation you’ve just thrown on me. I can’t be some royal concubine. I just want off this ship and away from the both of you. I’m unbonding myself right now!”

  She stumbled away and fled to the bedroom before he could formulate a reply. Mal stared dumbly at him.

  “Well, that went better than I expected. I had a suspicion our woman would not be thrilled with the idea of becoming Queen of Alpha,” his bondmate drawled, and Edem wanted to break something. Corrine’s anger and disappointment grated in his heart.

  ****

  Shaking with fury, Corrine lurched around the wide, mussed bed, searching for some way to communicate with the captain of this beautiful ship full of arrogant Alphans. A sudden ping from the closed door behind her interrupted her thoughts.

  “Corrine, please let us in.” Mal’s voice penetrated the thick wood that separated them. Corrine wondered for a moment why they didn’t simply burst in, since it was their suite, but then chided herself. Of course they wouldn’t do that. They might act impulsively while in the throes of coitus, but both were too well-mannered to be rude.

  “No!” Her denial burst out of her with more force than she’d anticipated.

  “Corrine, please speak with us,” Edem wheedled from the other room, and Corrine turned toward the closed door with a frown.

  She marched back over to the door. “Why should I talk with either of you? You just do whatever you want despite what I say or how it makes me feel.”

  “We are sorry, we never meant the deception to include you—” Mal spoke up, but then Edem cut in.

  “I told you as soon as I could. Corrine, love, let me in,” he said, a sad throb in his voice clear even through the wooden barrier. “I want to apologize properly.”

  Despite her irritation, a warm heat bloomed in her lower belly. Oh, she wanted them, wanted them very badly right now. Just being separated from them by the door was making her pussy slippery with need. Why was she pretending? She was going to open the door in just a moment and welcome them into her body as soon as possible thereafter. She blamed the bonding hormones they’d somehow ignited in her. She couldn’t think straight, and most of her motivations seemed to center on getting naked with them, either in reality or her imagination.

  “I’m very upset.” This was a meaningless assertion. She wasn’t upset any longer, unless burgeoning arousal equaled upset. “I don’t want to be a queen.”

  “Let us in,” Mal demanded, and she shivered, ready for him to take charge of the situation. She opened the door and was overcome in a rush of big male bodies grabbing hold of her and warm mouths avidly kissing any bit of exposed skin they encountered. With a sigh of surrender she relaxed, letting them strip her of her too-large robe. The friction of their skin against hers resonated in her nerves, in her soul, and she almost laughed. As if she’d be able to deny them anything, flee them any further than a few feet without missing them so horribly her muscles ached and her head throbbed.

  Mal commenced nipping at her neck, and she collapsed right into Edem’s waiting arms. He whispered reassurances and entreaties for forgiveness as he lifted her up, presenting her for Mal to caress as if she were a sweet treat they wanted to share. A sudden realization intruded past the delightful sensations they were provoking.

  “That jewelry you gave me, it was real, wasn’t it?” Shock and shame filled her. She’d thought the heavy pieces were fake, but they’d been real gems, probably worth more th
an an entire block of Atlanta’s crumbling downtown.

  “As genuine as our regard for you,” Edem whispered against her skin. “We give you those and more, all the jewels in the royal treasury for you to wear.”

  “I’m not regal. I’m not cultured,” Corrine managed to mumble before Mal caught her mouth with his for a deep, demanding kiss.

  “You are our queen, and that’s all that matters to either of us.” Edem lowered her to the bed and sprawled at her side as Mal leaned over them.

  “But didn’t you say you might lose your title, your kingdom, your planet? Because of me?” The idea that something so significant would be taken from them all because they’d bedded her made her shiver inside. She wasn’t worth such a sacrifice.

  “But we have our bond, and that is worth more than anything in the galaxy,” Mal said, as he stared down at them. Edem shrugged out of his robe to reveal his naked body and very aroused cock. This bonding aphrodisiac she was experiencing seemed to be affecting him as well.

  “We can’t be sure what will happen when we land on Alpha. I might have to renounce my claim, but perhaps not.” Edem stroked his hand down her torso, trailing his fingers between her breasts. “What matters now is that you know, and you forgive me.”

  “And that we spend as much time together as possible, before the duties of state distract us.” Mal leaned down and gave her another kiss, then fastened his mouth to Edem’s. Heat bloomed in her pussy as she watched the two men embrace each other. Mal pulled impatiently at his own robe until it fell from his straining body. They were so handsome and imposing, she took the opportunity to study their naked bodies as their muscles flexed and golden skin gleamed in the diffuse light of the bedroom. It was almost unreal that she was mere centimeters from their naked bodies, that they wanted her there, needed her. Flickers of their arousal fluttered across her skin. She could almost feel Mal’s tongue slip against Edem’s, almost sense the weight of their bodies against each other’s. A little begging cry burst from her, and they stopped kissing abruptly, their darkened eyes meeting hers.