I bet my accent could use work.
Okay, I need to switch lanes here.
The Celestial Mates guy said a name, what was it? The name of the place I was being teleported to...it was something with a...
"Viir," I say, triumphantly. "I need to go to Viir! House Viir?"
I look at him hopefully.
His expression clears as he seems to understand.
But then he frowns, shaking his head as he says something else, gesturing back at Elorshin's home like he's telling me to go back.
I cross my arms and shake my head, hoping he can read my body language.
"Viir," I repeat. "I can wait here all day," I add, even though he can't understand. And even though I most definitely can't wait here all day. I'm sure Raloven will give me an earful if he catches me before I get out of Do'ana.
I feel bad for the driver, his expression pained as he looks back, hoping someone will bail him out of this situation.
But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.
"Viir," I demand, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.
He lets out a long suffering sigh and nods, making a strange clicking sound to urge the beetle thing on.
I breathe out a silent sigh of relief as we move.
All right. Progress.
I nod at people as they give me respectful bows, feeling like an utter impostor.
But what am I going to do? Yell about how their Prince rejected me? Or I've had enough and am leaving?
I'm sure that would go over well.
And it's not like I can hide. My skin makes me stand out like a sore thumb.
My shoulders relax a little as we pass through the brightly lit border wall and out into the open, flat space before the tunnel that leads out of the massive cavern.
I'll feel better once we pass through and are out of sight of the guards at the wall.
We reach the tunnel without incident though I feel like my reluctant driver might be going deliberately slower than necessary.
But we're going at a fast enough clip that I don't complain.
These beetle things might look off putting but they sure are useful.
We're nearing the exit, the tunnel not as bright anymore.
And that's when all hell breaks loose.
The driver shouts something as I hear a rumbling sound so deep I can feel it in my stomach.
What is that?
I look up as the driver, pulls backwards on the reigns. His eyes are wide, his mouth open and yelling as he tries to bring the carriage to a halt.
I glimpse something in the dim light.
Something huge.
It's at least as big as three train cars, its hide scaly and fleshy, almost wet looking, with patches of sharp, bristly hair. If it has any eyes, they're lost in the folds of its odd shaped face with a twisted snout.
Oh shit.
I get a good view of its enormous, sharp front teeth as it rears up on its hind legs and smashes its massive claws into the tunnel ceiling just behind us.
There's a deep cracking sound then the earth is shaking underneath and I'm bouncing off my seat. Flying up then crashing down hard. Dust clouds my vision as the tunnel behind us collapses.
Blocking our way back and preventing any help from arriving.
I think I might have just jumped out of the frying pan and into the ugly monster fire.
Chapter Eleven
Elorshin
Nobody inside has any knowledge of where she could be.
A tight knot grows in my stomach as I buckle my sword belt around my waist.
If she is not in the House Mansion, I am hoping she is simply exploring Do'ana, though I cannot shake the feeling the answer is not so easy.
Out in the courtyard, I speak to the stable master.
"Oh, yes, my Prince. The Princess left recently in a carriage. I overheard her repeating House Viir's name," he tells me, his face ashen in the face of my own grim panic. It is still odd to hear Margot referred to as Princess, but that is her title now. "My apologies. I did not know I was to stop her. I thought she must have been leaving under your direction."
I give him a sharp nod.
He could not have known.
I question him further and learn she had her bags with her. Stupid! I didn't think to check and see if her things were still in the bedchamber.
If he is correct about when they left, I might reach them on foot before they reach the tunnel leading outside. They could not have gone at full speed until the flat space in front of the border wall, and even then the driver would see no reason to go faster.
The juntta are good for longer distances, but they can sprint only for short periods of time. If they are going to House Viir, it would be unwise to tire out the juntta so early.
"My thanks," I say, feeling grim, my mind already calculating the quickest route out of House Do'ana. If I keep to the narrower back alleys rather than the main thoroughfare, I can avoid being delayed by the bustle of people at work.
I move quicker, eating up the distance from the courtyard to the border through the lesser used paths, reaching the border wall faster than I ever have.
When I reach it, I raise my hand in acknowledgment as people greet me. "Did the Princess pass through the wall?" I call out to the stationed guards, still running and starting to breathe heavily from exertion.
Multiple voices confirm that she did, only minutes earlier.
I can still catch them.
I do not stop, not wanting to waste any time.
"My Prince! I can come with you!"
I turn to see one of my trusted guards, his face concerned as he follows.
"My thanks, but I need to get to the tunnel entrance," I say.
"I know you do not need me, but you should not go alone," he insists as he runs to keep up.
"I appreciate your concern," I say. "But we need all guards here to ensure our defenses. I will reach them before the end of the tunnel." I have hope. My feet feel as if they have grown wings. "I will not be in any danger."
He does not argue further as he nods and turns to go back to his post.
I close the distance to the bright tunnel entrance just as I hear a deep, ominous cracking sound.
There is a hoarse shout, cut off by a loud rumbling and the ground trembles.
My heart skips a beat and digging deep, I run even faster, reaching for my sword as I race forward.
The brightness of the lights at the border wall and the tunnel entrance reduces my vision, making me night blind, so I do not know what I'm running into until I'm almost upon it.
My sight clears just in time to see the mooli tear my man in half with its razor sharp teeth, its eyeless head catching much of the spray of blood as it kills him.
Margot scrambles out from the remains of the broken carriage, but I cannot go to her yet.
I need to strike while the monster is distracted.
I rotate my wrist, loosening it as I draw close. The creature rises on its hind legs, focused on its meal, exposing its underbelly.
It cannot see, but its hearing is excellent and the patches of bristles on its fleshy hide can detect movement in the surrounding air.
I have to act quickly.
I am but a few feet away when it realizes something is moving toward it.
Pieces of the dismembered body fall to the ground with meaty thumps as the mooli lets out a shrieking roar, attempting to grab me with its enormous, yellow claws.
But I am already at its belly.
I use both hands to raise my sword above my head, using all my strength to puncture the still thick hide at its vulnerable underbelly. It shrieks again, the tone angry this time as I brace my feet and jerk the blade to the side before pulling it out and rolling between its hind legs. I do not make it unscathed, the tips of its claws scrape down my back in painful lines as I barely escape its deadly grip.
I dodge its hairless, thin tail and leap onto a pile of rock fallen from the ceiling. I draw my shorter bl
ade with my free hand.
It turns toward me, its body agile for its size.
But I've already left the pile, crouching and propelling myself onto its broad back, stabbing my knife into it and using the handle to hold on as it roars its fury, whirling around in its attempt to get me off its back.
Margot cries out.
The mooli stops turning, its head swinging over toward the sound.
No.
With a grunt, I grab some of its rough hair to climb up farther, pushing up with my foot on the handle of the deeply buried knife.
It is lumbering toward Margot, distracted by what it sees as easy prey.
I slice its back with my sword, the blade too long to be very effective in such close quarters.
It barely twitches, focused on its new target.
Growling, I climb up using those hairs until I reach its neck, the rough texture of its skin and its coarse hair scraping my hands.
Margot darts to the side as its claws swing down at her and keeps moving.
Smart.
I wrap my legs around its neck, ducking close to the back of its head to avoid its frantic claws as I regain its attention.
I wait while it tries to take a hold of me again, a claw scraping down my leg in a painful line.
Its claws swing back and away.
I have only a moment to make this count.
Sitting up, I rotate to move on to one of its shoulders, balancing myself with one leg on either side.
I swing the sword with all my might, know if I do not cut through, it will have me in its grip with its next try and Margot will die.
The blade cuts deep into the mooli’s neck, lodging itself into the creature's spine hard enough I cannot pull it out quickly enough.
Abandoning the blade, I slide down its back to avoid its flailing claws, blood spurting from the deep wound as it gurgles, lumbering around the tunnel in panic.
It hits the part of the wall it had already weakened and I hear another ominous rumble.
We need to move.
I bend my knees to absorb the impact as my feet hit the ground.
Then I am running to where Margot is staring at the beast with wide eyes.
"The tunnel is caving in!" I shout, then remember she cannot understand.
Wrapping my arm around her waist, I force her into a run, propelling both of us away as the tunnel collapses behind us, the ground shaking beneath our feet as the mooli lets out a death howl.
I stop only when we are a safe distance away, the sound of rock shattering and tumbling settling down.
I turn, breathing heavy, to survey the tunnel.
The situation is grim.
It's impassible now. We're trapped outside the safety of the Rakennus.
I turn to Margot, fury rising inside me at her rash decision and its consequences.
I take a tight grip on her arms, my anger bursting out uncontrolled.
"What were you thinking! Your insane desire to run has resulted in the death of one of my people and the blockage of the only safe tunnel we have!" I yell, expecting her to shout back with the defiance the defiance I have come to expect from her.
But she says nothing.
I watch in dismay as her face crumples and tears gather in her eyes as she shakes her head.
Feeling monstrous for raising my voice, I let go of her arms.
I do not know what to do with a weeping female.
I watch, helpless as tears slide down her dirty cheeks. She wipes them away with harsh, angry gestures as she looks away. Its as if she doesn't want me to see her vulnerability.
She seems embarrassed by it.
I step closer, then pause, making certain she does not want to get away from me. When she does not step back, I gingerly wrap my arms around her small form. My human bride buries her face against me and wraps her arms tightly around my waist.
I let out a sigh of relief, resting my cheek against her messy hair, rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles.
If she was hurt, I don't know what I would have done.
Or killed.
I quickly move away from that gut wrenching possibility.
Just the thought of her in danger caused sheer panic.
I squeeze her even closer against me, breathing in her scent, reassuring myself that she is alive and unharmed.
Unfortunately, my body doesn't care what horror she has just witnessed. The adrenaline from the battle, coupled with the press of her warm curves against me, has part of me stirring.
My cock hardens against the softness of her belly, insistent and single minded.
I have absolutely no defense against the lust she incites.
Chapter Twelve
Margot
I can't believe I'm blubbering like a baby.
I need to get a hold of myself, act like the adult I'm supposed to be.
But I keep leaning against Elorshin. The sturdy warmth of his body against mine, the steady beat of his heart, his hand rubbing my back- it's too comforting to leave.
I let out a shaky sigh as I rub my face against his chest, shuffling my feet to move a little closer.
And that's when I realize he has an erection.
There's no way to hide it even under all the layers of clothes we both wear.
When I lean back to look up, he's already looking down, his face almost hard as his eyes drop to my lips.
I tip my head back farther in invitation.
Losing myself in the physical sounds like an excellent idea right now.
Never mind that we're in this position because I was trying to leave him.
Or that because of my actions, a man died, right in front of me.
I'm not ready to deal with any of that yet. I want to forget about the situation, about everything. Just for a little while before I have to face reality and deal with it.
Luckily, Elorshin seems to be on the same page.
He mutters something under his breath and hoists me up with his hands under my butt. I wrap my legs around his hips, under his cloak, and take a firm hold on his shoulders as he walks us a little farther down the tunnel, his eyes scanning the area.
He somehow finds a small, protected nook in the rubble.
His eyes come down to meet mine as he presses me against the wall.
I take off my gloves and slide one hand behind his neck, the other into the silky soft hair at the back of his head, taking a handful and using the grip to pull him down.
He doesn't fight.
His lips are almost hot in contrast to the cold, soft and mobile against mine as he kisses me with intensity, desperate.
I can taste his desire to forget for a few minutes, to lose himself in this, this one perfect thing between us when everything else feels wrong and insurmountable.
I kiss him back with the same desperation, meeting him, eating at his mouth, thrusting against the firm hump behind his pants as he groans.
He pushes his hips against mine, then makes a frustrated sound at the way my skirt is bunching up between us, the fabric preventing him from getting as close as he wants to.
As close as I want him.
He reaches between us and roughly pulls the cloth out, pushing in against me again and making firmer contact with just my leggings and his trousers between us now.
I suck in a sharp breath as he strafes his hardness against me right where it counts, the sensation sharp and perfect.
He braces my hips and slowly thrusts and rubs himself against me as I break the kiss to gasp in some much needed air.
He kisses his way down my jaw and to my neck, burying his face against the side, his breath hot against my ultra sensitive skin as one of his hands slides under my skirt to pull my leggings down to my thighs, the fabric just stretchy enough to make it.
I watch as he rips off his gloves and tosses them to the side.
And then his fingers are between my legs, sliding through the wetness already there, and finding my opening.
I suck in a breath as he slowly
presses two fingers into me, their thickness meaning I really feel it.
He raises his head so he can watch my face as he pushes those fingers in and out, his thumb expertly searching out my clitoris and rubbing it in slow, deliberate circles.
My eyes half close as a warm wash of pleasure flows through me.
It feels just about perfect.
He leans down to kiss me again, gently biting at my lower lip.
I feel the press of his fangs against me and it sends another rush of heat between my legs.
He groans as he feels it, the sound of his fingers going in and out of me embarrassingly loud because I'm so wet.
He says something in a hoarse voice and I wish again that I could understand what he's saying.
Maybe now is a good time to learn some words I'd like to know.
Reaching down between us, I grab a hold of his rock hard erection.
"Cock," I say, speaking slowly and he groans, distracted. I catch his eye and say it again.
He frowns.
Hmm.
Reaching up, I cup my breasts through the heavy material of the dress.
That sure gets his attention.
"Breasts," I say.
Realization dawns on his face and he says something.
I repeat the word carefully and he nods enthusiastically.
I reach down to his erection again and wrap my hand around it in a firm grip, giving him a questioning look.
His eyes go to half mast as he rumbles out a word.
I repeat it a few times until he nods, panting.
Letting him go, I slide my hand to my clitoris, where his thumb has stopped rubbing those wonderful circles.
He watches in fascination, his eyes glued to my middle finger where I press it to myself.
He growls and pulls me away from the wall.
I let out a small squeak in surprise.
He shoves his forearm under me to hold me up as he reaches up to undo the fastening of his cloak.
I watch as he spreads it out on the ground while holding me up.
That's downright impressive.
I almost want to clap.
He takes us down onto it, me on my back and him on top.
He doesn't waste time as he throws my skirt up and pulls my leggings down farther. But he still doesn't take them off all the way, clearly too impatient.
A Baby for the Alien Prince: Celestial Mates (The Alva) Page 6