by Meg Xuemei X
“By the way, Princess,” I added, “the book you’re reading is upside down.”
“I used to read books upside down for fun,” she said. “There is no need to change a habit now.”
“Then you must be a genius,” I said, “to read an upside down book that isn’t written in any Earth language. It isn’t even in an angelic language. Do you have linguistic training from another universe that I am not aware of?”
Her ladies-in-waiting sent me death glares.
With a civilized smile, the princess leaned forward and looked up at me through her lashes. I shifted my legs again. The last thing I wanted was for her to know about my hard-on.
“Well, Prince, if you’re so knowledgeable,” she drawled in her lovely Mysthian accent, “why don’t you translate the writing and prove to me my ignorance of alien languages?”
She thought I couldn’t read the book either.
“I don’t take joy in proving you or anyone ignorant, but I’ll take pleasure in reading the Luciantian book.”
“Luciantian?”
“One of the worlds we conquered in another galaxy,” I said, “not too far from Earth. It’s only seventeen light years away.”
An icy look fleeted in her eyes.
“They’re magic wielders,” I said. “This book describes their elemental magic. It details the origin, awakening, and disappearance of their old magic in their world.”
“That’s most interesting,” her true lady-in-waiting chimed in. “Princess, we should let the high prince translate it, so we can all learn about other cultures.”
“May I?” I stretched out my hand toward the book on her lap.
The princess lifted it, and our hands brushed at the transaction.
Pleasure hit me at the electric feed. I hadn’t known a mere touch of hands could be so delicious. I regretted that she jerked back her hand.
I peeked into her eyes and saw interest there too. But of course, it wasn’t for me but for the content of the book—the magic from other worlds.
As I started translating the Luciantian book, the princess leaned closer. In order for her to move even closer, I hushed my voice. She inclined another inch toward me, her sunset-auburn hair cascading down. A lock of it fell on the side of her cheek. I fought an urge to brush her curls aside.
I wanted to wrap her thick hair round my hand while I fucked her.
I balled my fist to prevent myself from pulling her up from the chair and forcing her to sit on my lap so I could thrust into her.
I stuttered in my translation.
The sun moved across the sky, bathing the princess in its light.
The breeze and the sunlight spread her scent everywhere.
My cock throbbed painfully, straining against the fabric of my trousers.
I cursed myself for luring her closer and inconveniencing myself. Yet I couldn’t retreat an inch from her. I detected what her scent was now—honeysuckle, a faint flowery fragrance that came from snowy high mountains, and her female pheromones.
Primal male instinct roared in me.
I stopped in the middle of the paragraph and gazed into her eyes. “What soap do you use?” I asked, my voice coarse.
The princess blinked, then frowned. “Soap?”
“Yes,” I said with gritted teeth. I needed know why her scent could make me snap. “The one you use when bathing.”
“You want to know what kind of soap I use in the bath?” Now convinced she hadn’t misheard, a mocking tone entered her voice.
“It’s better you tell me,” I said.
The princess regarded me with a weary look. She’d really had enough of me.
“Why must Her Royal Highness tell you the secret related to her bath?” the lady-in-waiting demanded.
“Is there a secret then?” I asked. So there was a reason that her scent worked on me like a charm. “I must know,” I added, even though it sounded ridiculous even to my ears. But when I knew the soap or whatever she used, I could advise against her using it. If she refused, I could at least get a remedy to cure my all-day-long hard-on.
“If you must,” the princess said, wickedness dancing in her whiskey eyes. My male need snarled for me to pin her down and claim her, and I had to shove the impulse aside almost violently. “My ladies-in-waiting will brief you,” she continued, “but I must excuse myself to avoid the embarrassment at the revelation. While you’re at it, I’ll take refreshment in the lady’s lounge.”
Maybe it was better for her to be absent for the moment since her scent had grown too aggressive. Even after I leaned back in my seat, it hit my nostrils at full force. With every breath, I inhaled more of it. If I didn’t breathe, her scent pumped my lungs into action.
My cock expanded at least an inch more, which I hadn’t known was possible. While I clenched my jaw, cursed under my breath, and gripped for a control, three pairs of eyes stared at me, and none of them were friendly, sympathetic, or understanding.
My self-control had never been a problem before, but now it was slipping. If I didn’t get out of the room in the next second, I might just lunge at the princess and force myself on her with her maids watching.
You can kill her maids first, the wild beast in me advised.
I was better than that.
I folded the book and stood abruptly.
The princess stiffened on the edge of her seat, but her shoulders drew back only an inch, showing me she refused to be intimidated.
The female guard stepped toward me.
I arched my wings over my shoulders and flew toward a side gallery that had automatic arch ceiling. After I put a few yards between the object of my torment and me, I looked over my shoulder and shouted, “I apologize for my manners, Princess. I just recalled an urgent affair I need to attend to. I’ll return shortly.”
I fled once again.
I desperately needed fresh air from the high sky to diffuse and purge her scent.
“Take your time, Prince Seth,” the princess called after me in her silvery voice. “We’ll read the Luciantian book later and talk more about the soap.”
Had she detected the lust in my eyes?
Chapter 16
PRINCESS ROSE
I had just realized that I had a certain effect on the High Prince of All Angels.
He responded to me, but mostly negatively, as if my presence could either draw him in or repel him. It often repelled him.
He’d asked about the soap I used in such a harsh tone, as if I really stank. While I was shocked to silence by his new offense, he’d abruptly soared into the air. He could barely stand the sight and scent of me.
This was the third time that jerk had done that to me.
Do I smell? I sent the thought to Souline.
Sweetly, Souline answered.
No, I need you honest opinion! Do I have an odor?
You smell like honey and lily, Souline insisted, the best scent!
Better than honey and lily, Lexa chimed in.
I might need a third opinion.
But then I got it. My scent of honey and lily, which appealed to a Mysthian, could be repulsive to an angel. However, his brother king wasn’t so sensitive to my scent.
Fine! All the better that the high prince was allergic to my natural perfume. He could quit staring at me like a hawk. I’d been worried that this one would be extremely difficult to get rid of, but it seemed not so much now. All I needed to do was to apply the same soap all over and not wash it off.
Prince Seth might be allergic to something fluffy, too, like a feline. I’d get Souline to carry a cat wherever we went to keep the prince away.
My scent plus a cat’s fur. Peachy.
I silently ordered Lexa and Souline to stall the angel guards if they entered the king’s library. They were both reluctant to let me venture out in the enemies’ realm alone, but danger lurked at every corner for any of us. And I needed them to stay here as decoys.
I must take this chance to seek the angel’s lethal weapon. The high pri
nce might return soon. When he returned, my ladies-in-waiting would handle him.
According to the Dragonian’s blueprint, both the king’s study and the high prince’s library had secret doors to tunnels, and one of the tunnels led out straight to the angel’s vault.
The engineer race might have given up their capital city to the angels, but they had revealed only to me the secret passageways beneath Atlantis. Even now, the Dragonian rebels were building an underground city to prepare for future warfare against the angels and to take back Atlantis.
When I had proposed an alliance, the Dragonians had been more than cooperative. But if I failed to locate the Forbidden Glory or collect the intelligence on the angels’ most advanced weapons, then we still stood no chance against the angels, combined forces or not.
Following the blueprint by memory, I found two archways in the middle of the king’s library.
I took a breath and made a left turn, and then another left turn.
Chapter 17
PRINCE SETH
I flew above the storm, the violent wind screaming beneath my wings. The wet, chilly air finally cooled me off and seemingly dispersed her scent.
I inhaled deeply.
The bliss of my freedom was short-lived as anxiety hit me next.
I shouldn’t have left her alone. Though the princess meant nothing to me, she was my charge. Besides, she’d been trying to throw me off her tracks. She had used her scent to drive me away while acting innocent.
A foxy female with the vicious nature of the wildest wind.
I had to hurry back to Earth to catch her.
When I landed where I’d been before in the king’s library, the Princess of Mysth was nowhere in sight.
Her ladies-in-waiting, however, had stuck around. One of them had her hands on her hips, as if ready to take on anything, especially me.
“Where is your princess?” I growled.
“Her Royal Highness wants us to brief you on the soap she uses for bath,” the true lady-in-waiting answered, the other one watching me tensely, about to back up her friend if I tried something.
I wasn’t going to try anything. They didn’t hold my interest.
Cold menace came off me.
Sensing that, the lady-in-waiting widened her eyes, her heartbeat erratic. Yet she approached me with the thick hardcover book, determined to carry out whatever task her mistress had assigned her to. “High Prince, Her Highness also had a few questions for you.”
“She can ask me the questions in person,” I said. “Where did she go?”
“Privy,” the lady-in-waiting said, putting the book on a long desk near her and bending forward to expose her cleavage. “We’d love to know more about the magic in the other world, High Prince,” she said in a sexy voice, turning the page slowly and licking her nervous bottom lip.
As if it weren’t enough, she shook her ample bosom.
That was a laughable effort. Hadn’t she heard that I was immune to seduction?
Though things had changed. I’d had my first erection in millennia, but no one knew about that, and my body only responded to Rose. The irony was that in the whole universe no one but the fey princess, who considered angels her sworn enemies and who was forbidden to me, could arouse me.
“Your princess mentioned she needed refreshment, but that was a while ago,” I demanded. “Shouldn’t she be back already?”
“A gentle male should not ask ladies things like that,” said the lady-in-waiting.
These Mysthian females were truly annoying. Then the truth struck me. The princess must have ordered her maids to stall me. Had she tutored them how to use their sexual appeal to distract me?
“I’m not a gentle male,” I said, “and never will be.”
“That’s fine, Prince,” the maid said. “I have a few more questions myself regarding the magic of the other world, if you’ll be so kind to indulge me.”
She kept her seductive look. Unlike her mistress, she was actually afraid of me, like all the others. Angels were lethal predators. We could smell the fear of our prey.
“Your clumsy feminine wiles won’t work on me, wench,” I grated. “Many have tried before you. So save my time. I need to find the princess.”
The maid flushed in humiliation, then pursed her lips in defiance, indicating she’d never tell me a thing. She’d die for her princess.
As Rose’s lingering scent waltzed around me, my anger ebbed. My eyes brightened at the new prospect. I did not need the maids. I had my own means to track down the princess.
Her scent called me.
I answered it. The chase excited me.
I strode along the hall and followed her path through the archway on the left that opened to a long hallway, then stairs, then a small bridge, then another archway.
The princess seemed to know exactly where she was going, and she’d headed toward my brother’s private study.
She must have a map of the king’s palace and possibly the blueprint of Atlantis.
What was she looking for?
Who had supplied her with the intelligence? Was there a traitor among us?
I would get to the bottom of this.
Her scent grew stronger as I drew closer to her.
A thrill pumped in my blood. The chase came to an end.
Then my erection returned.
Chapter 18
PRINCESS ROSE
This could be the only opportunity for me to get in the king’s study while every angel was in the court, drunk, scheming, or dueling. The noises of their carousing in the distance were an odd comfort compared to the drumming of my heart.
I stopped at the door, sweeping my gaze left and right in the quiet hallway, before I pulled a one-inch metallic column—the device provided by North— out of my bra and pressed it against the lock.
A faint chime sounded and I pushed the door open, sliding in and closing it.
The king’s study presented like a luxury suite with over-sized chairs that were custom-made to accommodate angel’s wings. As I scrambled toward the inner room, my gaze skimmed over the paintings that the angels had robbed from Earth kingdoms.
I started looking for any hidden safe or secret cabinet. I checked behind two paintings.
There was no vault, so where did the king put his real treasures and classified information? The Dragonian had marked three primary targets for me, and the first one was the king’s study.
As I went through drawers and shelves, the lock clicked outside and the door quietly opened.
The king was here! Wasn’t he with his mistress?
I dove toward a large V-shaped desk, went under it, and shut my eyes to quiet my heartbeat.
Footsteps came straight toward the inner room.
While I’d searched the study, I’d been extra careful to make sure nothing was misplaced. I prayed for the king to grab whatever he came for and be gone.
I opened my eyes. My heartbeat had returned to normal.
The king wouldn’t stay long. I offered myself a small comfort. From what I’d gathered, he wasn’t much of a scholar. He’d be insane to come to read in the middle of his own party.
He’d entered my space now, whistling an angel’s melody. If I were in the mood, I might appreciate the music that marked their “advanced taste” in fine art.
He finally stopped whistling, picked a book from a shelf, and flipped the pages loudly.
I rolled my eyes when he started pacing the room and reading a poem with his deep, seductive voice.
I bit my lip. It wasn’t the king. It was his brother.
Damn him!
I pictured picking up the silver poker from the fireplace behind me and ramming it into his guts so he’d stop reciting the never-ending poem. But without the offensive magic the prophecy promised, I wasn’t his match in a hand-to-hand combat.
Drop dead then! I clenched my teeth and added a bitter curse.
He paused his quoting and yawned.
A relief rippled over me. He was bored
. He was going to leave.
He slammed the book on the desk, and I almost jumped to the ceiling.
Must he bang the book so hard? Bastard!
A thought occurred to me. Did he know I was there? It couldn’t be. No one saw me. The prince couldn’t know that I had a device that stored the king’s bio signature.
No, I wasn’t busted.
A small smile tugged on my lips as I heard him retreating to the outer study.
Holding my breath and counting, I waited for him to open the door and exit.
He started reciting another poem!
A second later, he returned to the inner room.
“It’s nice and quiet here. I like it.” Now he was talking to himself.
Great. Just great!
“Something or someone smells good.” He sniffed, just like how he’d sniffed at me when I’d marched across the bridge. “I can stay here forever. I’ll never leave. Not even my despicable brother king can drag me away. I mean it.”
He knew I was there. He knew I was under the desk. Did he have x-ray vision besides his black lightning power? But I still held a slim hope that I was mistaken, so I stayed very still.
The prince heaved an exasperated sigh. “You can come out now, Princess. I doubt it’ll be too comfortable to crouch under the desk for eternity.”
I ducked out, rose to full height, and stared at him in defiance. Then I realized that my hair was messy curls, and they were all over my face, which didn’t give me much dignity when I stared hard at him. I brushed them aside and peeked at him again with inner strength and deep contempt.
His gaze roamed over me, growing hungrier. Then an instant later, he was glacial again.
We didn’t speak for a moment as we were busy glaring at each other.
Ideas swirled in my mind. What excuse should I tell him? He wouldn’t believe me if I nicely explained to him that I’d stumbled upon the king’s study. This angel was too ancient and powerful to be naïve, and he hadn’t been impressed with me from the beginning.
He broke the impasse and stalked toward me like a predator closing in on a prey, and I suddenly got the idea. I would confess that I’d come to seek out the king due to my unyielding jealousy about seeing the king and his whore walking away together.