His Virgin Princess (Interstellar Brides®: The Virgins Book 3)

by Grace Goodwin

  But not before I found my mate.

  Moments later, I was rewarded as Dani’s sweet scent carried to me on the breeze, fresh and vibrant. Alive. And not alone. My mother was with her. Thank the gods.

  Moments later, I heard her whispered voice. “Come on, Mom. I’ve got you.”

  Mom?

  “Thank you, honey.”

  I nearly tripped. Was that frail, kind voice coming from my mother?

  Distracted, the attack came out of nowhere, Geoffrey’s body barreling into mine from the side, knocking me into the rocks. I felt a rib crack, but I was no child to be beaten so easily. I twisted in mid-air, made sure his body struck with as much force as mine.

  The explosion of sound made my mother scream, but I ignored the women. The threat was before me, I was locked in combat with the enemy, the man who’d tried to kill me, who’d threatened my family.

  He’d hurt Dani.

  For that alone, he would die.

  The battle was short but feral, two Hunters in their prime. I knew that Dani and my mother appeared on the ridge overlooking our position, that Thomar approached, that Bryn would be here in moments, the sound of our struggle bringing him to the fight.

  None of it mattered. Nothing mattered but killing Geoffrey. Ending the threat to my mate.

  He pounded me with his fists, but I felt nothing, striking hard and fast, over and over. I wasn’t a man. I was a predator, a Hunter. The scent of my blood and his mingled, driving me to the brink of madness.

  Geoffrey threw me, his strength beyond anything I’d faced before, even in training and I hit the rocks hard, fell to the ground below. I was back on my feet in seconds. Covered in dirt, blood, rage, we circled each other.

  Above us, Dani and my mother watched, safely out of his reach. He couldn’t get to them without going through me.

  “Don’t kill him, Gage. He’s your brother!” My mother’s voice carried like an ion blast through the night and Geoffrey blinked, distracted. Shocked.

  “You knew?” His roar of rage was deafening and my mother screamed as he leapt for them.

  We collided in mid-air, my hands around his neck, twisting with a ruthlessness I barely recognized. When his bones snapped, I dropped his limp body to the dirt below me and leapt again, clearing the ridge, landing in a crouch in front of my mate.

  “Dani.” I had no words, I just needed to feel her. Smell her. Touch her.

  She threw herself at me and I held her as she shook, as the beast that I’d become receded now that she was safe in my arms. Taking a moment to collect myself, I looked up at my mother. “Are you unharmed, Mother?”

  “Yes, Son. Your Dani saved us both.”

  Thomar stepped into view, his gaze locked on Geoffrey’s still form. I saw betrayal in his eyes, and disgust. He knelt before my mother, head bowed in shame. “Can you forgive me, my lady? I trusted him, endangered you. I am ashamed, and beg your forgiveness.”

  My mother scoffed and ruffled Thomar’s hair like he was a child. “Nonsense. He had us all fooled. Even Gage’s father.”

  “He killed your father, too, Gage. He told me on the balcony. I’m so sorry.” Dani’s whispered confession hurt, but the sting of losing my father was nothing compared to the thought of losing her. My life. My blood. Mine.

  Bryn reached us as I growled. The beast was back, the animal that needed his mate.

  I held Dani, not letting go as Bryn called for a shuttle to pick us up and take us back to the palace. I carried Dani onboard and we left Geoffrey behind. The traitor’s body would never again occupy the same space as my mate.

  The moment we landed in the courtyard, Bryn opened the shuttle door. The entire palace was blazing with light, buzzing with activity. Teeming with Hunters. The party was over and it seemed every loyal Hunter who served me was on the ground, waiting to greet us. Protect us. Hover. Apologize.

  Gods, I did not have time for this.

  “Go,” Bryn said, his eyes dark, his stance rigid. “We will see to the guards, and to your mother.” He had the same adrenaline flooding his system that I did. He knew the best outlet to release it was to fuck and fuck hard. But his mate hadn’t been kidnapped. Mine had. Besides the need to bleed off this excess energy, I needed to know, to feel, that Dani was alive. Whole. Safe. And having her in my arms, holding her, touching her, being buried deep within her, would eventually let that sink in.

  I had no doubt that Bryn would drag Katie to their bed as soon as this mission was complete. For now, he would see it to the end, take care of Geoffrey’s body, the relocation of the traitorous guards to the prison on Incar, and ensure that Von and Elon had a new, rested squad of guards brought on for my family’s protection.

  Von strode forward and I felt a moment’s relief at seeing him, a friend. A Hunter I trusted. “The grounds are secure, Gage. Every single room has been searched.”

  “And the traitors?” I could not allow the men who’d betrayed my mate to roam free this night.

  “In chains.” The satisfied look in Von’s eyes, and the smear of blood on his cheek gave me a sense of satisfaction as well.

  “I hope they resisted.”

  “Oh, they did indeed.”

  “Men are so weird.” My mate’s voice was soft, feminine, and totally out of place in this moment of death and darkness. Vengeance.

  I looked to Dani, her once fashionably-styled hair now a wild, snarled tangle. Her golden gown was snagged and torn in spots, dirt smudged. Her makeup was gone, sweat and dust coating her skin in a sheen of brown. She’d been through so much, and yet to me, she looked stunning.

  This was the real Dani. Protective. Fierce. Ruthless in her own way. She didn’t need diamond dust and fancy ball gowns. She didn’t need anything at all to be perfect. I needed her. Now. My cock was hard, throbbing, the excess energy engorging it with the wild need to rut.

  I nodded to Von, who stood waiting. I was no longer needed here. My task was complete. My mate was at my side and safe.

  “Come, Dani.”

  She frowned. “Where are we going?” she asked.

  I didn’t know exactly, just away from everyone else.

  “Take my hand or I will toss you over my shoulder,” I warned. I would, too. I was in no mood for an argument. I just wanted her. Now.

  She must have heard the truth of it in my tone, seen it in my direct gaze, for she closed the last few feet between us and put her hand in mine, our marks touching.

  I started walking, pulling her along. The last time I had done this, she’d forced me to stop because of her injured ankle. Not this time. I didn’t have to pull her for long; she was readily keeping up.

  “Where are we going?” she repeated.

  “The first dark corner.”

  “God, yes,” she murmured.

  I looked about, leading her down long, empty hallways I hadn’t ventured in since I was a boy. I turned left, then right, spurred by her words, my cock starting to take over my thoughts. I needed to be inside her. Now. Nothing else. Must. Fuck. My. Mate.

  I was turning into that caveman after all.

  There! An alcove, poorly lit, no one about. And if they were, I didn’t care at this point. I was fiercely protective of Dani, and while I would usually not allow anyone to see or hear her screams of pleasure, this time it didn’t matter. The sound would ring out and everyone would know she was alive and whole, that her mate was taking care of her, filling her. Giving her the orgasm she needed.

  Alive.

  We were alive.

  “This won’t be gentle, mate.”

  “No,” she repeated, her breathing ragged and not from exertion. Her pale gaze raked over me with a need that was palpable.

  I walked toward her. She retreated until her back was against the wall, her hands at her sides. I watched her chest rise and fall, her pupils dilate.

  “This will be fast.”

  “I just want you in me,” she said. “Fill me. Fuck me.”

  It was the first time she’d spoken so carnally.
I loved it, but I wouldn’t do as she wanted. Not yet. She wasn’t in control here. I hadn’t had it the entire time she’d been taken, but I would dominate now.

  I dropped to my knees before her, gripped the hem of her skirt and lifted it above my head, diving underneath. I ripped her panties from her pussy, baring it for my pleasure. And hers.

  At her gasp, I shoved the gown to her waist, looking up to see her looking down at me, watching my bold actions.

  Her long, lean legs were pale in stark contrast to the dark alcove. And between them, her pussy, was like a beacon to me. The plump lips with the trimmed pubic hair were wet with her arousal. I could see it, smell it. With one quick glance up at her, I licked my lips, my mouth watering at what I was about to do.

  “You’ll come, mate, hard and fast. Then I’ll fuck you. While I might be a caveman, I want you ready.”

  “I’m ready now,” she replied.

  I slowly shook my head. “You’ll do as I say and come.”

  Hooking my hands about her hips, I gripped her bare ass and pulled her to me. My mouth was on her a second later. She cried out, her fingers instantly going to my head, tangling in my hair.

  Her flavor exploded on my tongue. Hot, spicy, sweet. Her folds were plush and soft, her clit firming and plumping as I sucked and laved it.

  I plunged two fingers into her, feeling the liquid depths of her pussy. She was drenched for me. She hadn’t been wrong when she’d said she was more than ready for my cock. Her walls rippled and clenched as I found the little ridge deep within, curled my fingers and pressed. I knew her, knew what made her gasp with desire, what would taunt and tease her to the brink of climax but not tip her over. Knew exactly where to set her off on the left side of her clit.

  There was no time for the slow burn. She’d come and now. Know that I was in control, that I ruled her body, her heart and her mind. That I could do with her what I wanted, and that meant pleasure. Nothing but pleasure. Love.

  Feeling.

  “Gage!” she cried as I didn’t relent, didn’t give her any quarter. Within seconds, I had her up on her tiptoes, her fingers nearly tugging out my hair. Tensing, tensing like a bow, but I pushed her over. She melted on me as she screamed, her body writhing with the bliss I gave it. Her sounds were something I elicited from her. The juices I swallowed were a sign that her body submitted, succumbed and accepted what I gave it. And it wanted more.

  I didn’t wait for the spasms to stop, but left her in the throes of her passion as I stood, ripped open the front of my pants, bent my knees and thrust deep.

  She cried out as I lifted her up, directly off her feet so she was impaled on my cock. I held her up with my cock buried to the hilt and the wall at her back. Her inner walls continued to milk me, this time around my cock. She was so tight, her swollen core nearly strangling it. But one deep thrust wasn’t enough. I had to move, had to use her pussy to ease the ache in my balls, to soothe the frustration, the fear, the desperation I had for her.

  Leaning forward, I kissed her neck, breathed in her scent as my hips shifted, thrust. Pounded.

  “My mate. My love. My heart,” I murmured as I fucked her hard.

  She just kept saying yes, yes, yes over and over as I took her.

  I didn’t last thirty seconds. The pleasure built at the base of my spine, my balls drew up to my body and the tingle and pressure wasn’t something I could hold back. I came on a growl, a nip at her neck as I groaned, filling her with pulse after thick pulse of my seed.

  The pleasure was so great I saw stars, felt as if the top of my head was blowing off. I pulled from her, set her back on her feet. We were still panting, trying to catch our breaths. Dani hadn’t come with me. I’d sated her once, but that wasn’t enough. I needed to hear her again. I was desperate for it. For her.

  I spun her about, set her hands on the wall by her head, wrapped a hand about her waist and pulled her back. Her ass was out and I could see everything, her swollen and dripping pussy, her pale thighs coated with my seed.

  My cock was still rock hard, even though I’d just come, a ruddy red and angry looking. It glistened in the dim light, coated in Dani’s arousal, my seed. Once wasn’t enough.

  I put my hand beside hers, leaned my body over hers. “Again.”

  “Yes,” she whimpered, wiggling her hips.

  I took that as invitation and filled her again.

  “Gage! Fuck, you’re so deep.”

  I was, I felt her womb nudge the head of my cock.

  “You’ll come, milk the seed from my balls and take it all,” I breathed.

  I was lost in her. God, if there was an earthquake, I’d never know. If the palace caught fire, I’d not be able to stop.

  I had one mission. Make Dani come. Fill her with my seed. Make a baby. I knew this would be the time. Wild and abandoned. Nothing hidden. Inhibitions gone. In this moment, as I fucked her raw and wild, we were our true selves, our basest natures. And nothing would keep my seed from taking root.

  Sweat coursed down my brow, the sound of our bodies slapping together as loud as our ragged breaths.

  The pleasure was so intense, even after coming just seconds ago. She was so wet, my seed made her impossibly slick. I slid my thumb over where we were joined, felt my cock piston in and out of her, collecting our combined juices. I found her tempting ass, worked the tentative hole open until I breached it with my thumb.

  I took her, pussy and ass, fucking her with my cock and digit.

  Her head lifted, her hair flying down and over her back. She was wild, lost in it. So beautiful. Gorgeous in her abandon.

  “Come, mate. Now,” I commanded.

  I felt her inner walls clench once, her body go tense, just before she cried out. Her pleasure was so great her palms slipped on the wall. I hooked my free arm about her waist, held her up, lifted her off her feet with deep thrusts, fucking her as she needed.

  I followed her over, filling her with even more seed, knowing with each rhythmic pulse of her inner muscles, that she was taking it all into her womb.

  She was boneless in my arms, her breathing ragged.

  Carefully, I pulled from her, spun her about and pulled her into my arms. I kissed her, wild and fierce, tasted her.

  Her pale eyes, hazy with passion, met mine. She smiled almost dreamily. “That’s all you’ve got, caveman?”

  My lips a fraction of an inch from hers, I shook my head. “We’re not done, mate,” I growled before my lips crushed hers again as I pressed her back against the wall and took her again.

  17

  Dani

  Holy shit, that had been hot. I now knew what wild monkey sex was. I’d had an idea, but it hadn’t been anything like the real thing.

  I smiled, snuggled in closer to Gage’s side. My head was using his chest for a pillow. I didn’t remember exactly how he got me back to our rooms. He’d kissed me the whole way, banging into walls. Doors. Neither one of us wanting to stop or come up for air.

  God, he was intense. And hot. And dominant. And powerful. And mine.

  He’d quickly showered us both, soaping and rinsing us of all that had happened, then tucked us into bed. He didn’t make any move to take me again, only pulled me into him so we were as close as possible, my head resting on his chest, then fell promptly to sleep.

  He’d spent hours trying to find us. I’d seen a blur in the darkness, moving toward our hiding place. When Geoffrey had pounced, and I realized that moving blur was Gage, I’d gasped.

  I’d known Hunters were fast, but holy shit, I’d never seen anything like that. I’d never even heard of anything like that, other than in a romance novel I’d once read where the hero was a vampire.

  Maybe the superhero Flash?

  Maybe.

  He’d been hunting, running, moving like lightning. And in all that time, I hadn’t slept either. Between the monkey sex and the tenderness in the shower, I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes open much longer than he did.

  But now, hours later, I was awake and fe
lt better. Rested. My mind eased knowing his arms were around me, his steady heartbeat beneath my ear.

  The traitor was gone. Geoffrey. A long lost—deranged—half-brother, dead. God, just thinking about Geoffrey, how his mother had been passed over for duty and wealth, for political power, instead of love. But all sympathy for her died when I thought about what she’d done to her son. She’d given in to hatred and anger, and spread that hatred to her child like a cancer. Geoffrey had deserved better, but he didn’t need to go about getting it by killing his father, for leaving Gage to die. For wanting me and Mauve dead, too.

  It was too much. He’d been so far past redemption, I had to believe death was best for him. The end had been violent, but he was finally at peace.

  While I doubted Geoffrey would be the last threat to Gage’s life, or mine, I didn’t think my mate had any more skeletons, or unknown relatives, in his proverbial closet.

  Mauve, who at first I’d thought was a lunatic, wasn’t half bad. Perhaps it took a kidnapping and vengeful man to put it all in perspective.

  And that included how I felt for Gage. For the child I carried. I realized then that he still didn’t know. I squeezed Gage, the need to hug him to me, even though I was lying on top of him, was too great to resist.

  “I love you,” I said aloud, though I knew he was asleep and couldn’t hear. I’d say it again when he was awake, but I couldn’t hold the words in any longer. They were for him, and for our son.

  “I love you, too,” Gage replied, startling me. I felt the rumble of the words in his chest.

  Lifting my head, I looked down at him. He looked well-rested, the tension gone. In its place, a soft gaze, a tender look, a small smile.

  His eyes weren’t dark with need, but with a longing that went deeper than sex.

  “You do?” I whispered.