by Megan Alban
“Linza, it’s T. I’m here with Khiron. It’s time. You knew this was coming. Call us back.”
Teseo’s voice was clipped and harsh—sending a clear message, sure, but not the way to win over a reluctant bride.
“T? What’s this ‘T’?” Khiron took two steps toward his brother, and folded his arms across his chest. “You know her?”
Teseo didn’t look round. “We met when I was stationed with the military in their sector. Her father likes to know who’s in his backyard, so he invited some of us over.” Teseo’s fingers drummed on the windowsill. “That man has way too much power. You’ll have to do something about it when Dad’s gone.”
Khiron ignored the change of subject. “And you saw her again?”
“Yes. She wanted to hear about you, and our family, and the palace—it was only natural. Her father had kept her close by him always, and she’d met nobody but local dignitaries and their wives and daughters.” Teseo’s voice softened. “She was full of questions. She wanted to know if you liked to travel, and if you’d let her go on with her aid work. She was already doing that in her local star system.”
“And then?”
Teseo’s drumming stopped. He stared out at the sunlit rooftops. “Then we started talking about ourselves, instead of you. We were carried away by our emotions, and things went further than we planned.”
Khiron probed again. “What do you mean, further than you planned?”
Teseo turned, his eyes blazing. “You want me to spell it out? Okay, here it is. We fell in love, and I fucked your fiancée.”
Injured pride stabbed at Khiron for a second, and was gone. His brother could have been talking about two other people.
“We spent one night together. The next day we both panicked, and she fled. She staged a huge fight with her father and let him think that was why she was leaving. She took a cousin as a chaperone, and some of her father’s personal staff for bodyguards. I hear about her from time to time through a friend of the cousin’s, but we agreed Linza wouldn’t contact me. The pain of not seeing her is nothing to how I’m going to feel at your wedding, so I accepted that. And if you think your miserable affair with some Terran girl compares—”
At the mention of Mia, Khiron lost his cool. “Don’t bring her into this!”
He grabbed Teseo’s arm. Teseo jerked it away, and his shoulder slammed into Khiron’s chest. Khiron stepped away, and Teseo charged at him, head down.
Khiron leaped to his left and clutched at Teseo’s arm again. This time he held on. Teseo’s own momentum twisted him around, and he landed a punch on Khiron’s back. The breath shot out of Khiron’s lungs.
“I’ll kill you!” Teseo yelled. “You don’t deserve her!”
Just like when they were kids, only now they weren’t fighting over a game—and Teseo had grown up. Khiron used to win because he was bigger. He couldn’t rely on that anymore.
He didn’t waste his breath on insults, but spun around and ducked down to grab Teseo’s knees. He yanked, and Teseo crashed to the floor.
Before Teseo could react, Khiron dropped on top of him, forcing Teseo face down on the thick carpet.
Khiron went for an armlock. Teseo jabbed him with the other elbow, but Khiron dodged and caught that arm too. In seconds, he’d neutralized Teseo, just like when they were kids.
Teseo stopped struggling. As a child, the only time he ever cried was from frustration, in this exact situation. From the way his shoulders shook, he was struggling not to cry right now.
So there was no Terran man in Linza’s life. Her lover was Khiron’s own brother. The solution to all his pain—and Teseo’s—was within their grasp.
Khiron relaxed his hold. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know this engagement isn’t important to me. It never was, even before I—before I came here. Linza didn’t have to cross the galaxy to escape her feelings for you. You could have been together all along.”
Teseo rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling. His voice was dull. “No, we couldn’t. She has to marry you. Her father called off a military coup fifteen years ago because your betrothal meant his daughter would be empress and his grandchildren would be the legitimate heirs to the throne. Now Dad’s ill, the empire is unstable. Her father has complete control of the sector he’s governing, and powerful allies in many others. The galaxy will be in turmoil if your wedding doesn’t happen, even if it’s Linza’s choice. The destruction of worlds, the annihilation of species—if you think I’m exaggerating, you don’t know Linza’s father.”
Khiron rolled over to lie on the floor beside his brother, their heads almost touching. “But you’re second in line. If she married you, her children might still succeed to the throne. I might never have kids.” Or his children might be half Terran. Could they rule? Nobody had put it to the test.
Teseo said, “Her father would make sure of that, by having you assassinated. Simpler and cleaner than war, but I’d prefer it didn’t happen. I only have one sibling. I might miss you.”
Khiron smiled. “Thank you. Same here.” They fell into a comfortable silence. The ceiling fan whirred above them. A scrap of lint danced around the blades of the fan, and everything fell into place in Khiron’s mind, like mist clearing. He let the idea ripen in his mind for a minute before he spoke it out loud.
“What if I abdicated—if I quit being crown prince? Then Linza could marry you—in fact, she’d have to—and I’d be free.”
Chapter 9
Mia
Mia looked around the suite. “Where are your crew?”
“Gone to New Canaveral to talk rocket science with the head of the space agency. So we’re alone.”
She twisted her hands together. “I don’t understand. They said on TV you’d flown to Europe. I saw you at the airport.” Or had she? He’d looked different, even from behind. His walk was wrong.
“My brother,” he said. “He’s gone to find Linza. He took Bickli, thank the powers.”
His fiancée. The name was like a weight, crushing her.
“Don’t worry,” Khiron said softly. “I’m not engaged. It’s all off. I want to be with you, not her.”
“Me? But you can’t. I mean, you’re going to be emperor, and—”
“Not anymore. I’ve given up my place in the line of succession. It’s not official yet, but it’s a relief. I don’t want to spend my life being a big shot on Delina. I’d rather travel, explore the galaxy, and try to improve life on other worlds.” He started toward her. “Will you marry me? Do you mind that I’ll never be emperor? Mia—”
Suddenly he was right there, in front of her. The familiar warm scent of him invaded her nostrils. He put his strong arms around her and pulled her against his chest. It was like coming home.
He buried his face in her hair. “Say you will.”
Before she could answer, he rained kisses over her hair, her cheek, all the way to her mouth. She laughed and turned her head away, but he chased her around, teasing at her lips with his tongue, sending shivers through her until she found herself responding, in spite of everything her mind was telling her. Her head wanted her to hold back, but it was losing the fight against her body and her heart. She desired him more than she’d ever desired anything. She gave in to the pressure of his mouth with a passion she’d never felt before, opening to his kiss and pressing her body close up to his.
“Oh, Mia,” he murmured in her ear, “I thought you were never coming back. I needed you so much it hurt, and I didn’t know how to find you.”
“I’m here.” He wasn’t royalty to her now, he was a man, her man.
“And this time, you’ll stay,” he growled. “I’m going to make you so happy, you can’t leave me again.”
She didn’t tell him he’d already done that. Her heart sang in his presence, and her body cried out for his touch. As if he sensed her need, he slid both hands down her back, smoothing the crisp cotton of her plain but well-made shirt. How different she’d felt this morning when she pressed it, wanting
to look like she belonged in this elegant hotel! She’d have worn something prettier for him, if she’d known..
He took her hand and drew her onto the black leather couch. There, he cradled her head in his hands and brought his mouth back to hers. His tongue probed between her willing lips, sending a rush to her head like the heat of strong liquor, making her dizzy with need.
“I missed you,” she whispered. She didn’t intend him to hear, but she needed to say it. The words didn’t come close to expressing the desolation she’d felt.
He heard. He pulled away from her, and for a moment she panicked. But he’d only freed his mouth to speak, looking into her eyes. “You didn’t have to miss me. I was right here.”
She reached out to stroke his silver cheek, his skin smooth under her fingertips. She arrived at his mouth, hesitated, and let her fingers move on over his lips. He trembled as if this simple, light touch had sparked an earthquake deep inside him.
“Mia,” he murmured, and then his mouth was on hers, her tongue seeking hers, hard now, and insistent. The force of his kiss made her slip down sideways onto the couch, and he gripped her waist—not to help her back up, but to reposition her so she lay with her head on a cushion.
She moved her legs to end the discomfort in her twisted hips, and he took this as an invitation. Maybe her body had meant it that way. He was on top of her in a second, crushing her against the squeaking leather, and for the first time she felt the long, hard length of him pressed against her thigh. Her body responded with a pulsing need deep in her groin.
His mouth came back to hers, licking and sucking at her tongue, drawing her out. He caressed her hair, then her shoulder, exploring around the supple mass of her breasts. She no longer minded his fascination with them. She even tipped back her shoulders to give him better access.
“You like that,” he said in wonder, as his fingers found the bud of her nipple through her clothes.
“Yes, it’s—” She couldn’t find the words. Breathless, she thrilled to his touch as his hand slipped inside her shirt. He undid buttons and pulled it out of the way.
He hesitated at the garment of pink satin and lace beneath. He’d probably never seen one before—except maybe on TV in the last six days. She reached behind her back and unhooked it. She’d demonstrate its secrets another time. She couldn’t let him fumble at the fastening like a teenager.
This practical thought brought her back to earth and broke the spell. A giggle bubbled in her throat. His gaze flashed up to her face.
“Isn’t that right? What do you like? Show me.”
She calmed at once, seeing her laughter for what it was—nerves. What did she like? She barely knew, but she cupped his face in her hands and brought his mouth to her nipple.
At the feel of his lips and tongue on the sensitive bud she lost all sense of where she was. He licked and sucked, sending waves of heat and desire all through her. He shifted his hardness from her thigh to the place between her legs, and at once she caught fire, arching up to meet it. He pulled up her loose skirt, and before she had time to think, her legs rose to grip his hips, so he would rub at a place that seemed to need him more than life itself. It was all she had dreamed of and more—so much more.
When she could hardly bear the need in her, he pulled away. She cried out, wanting him back, but he was determined to free her of the rest of her clothing before he would touch her again. Her skirt went, then her panties. She pushed those out of reach herself, embarrassed at their dampness.
She tugged at his shirt, wanting that gone. He pulled it off, but when she reached for his pants he pushed her hand away.
“Not yet,” he said. “Not too fast.”
She wanted it all, and she wanted it now, but he caught her arms and pushed them down onto the couch. He didn’t hurt her, but he made it clear who was in charge. He kept hold of her wrists while he looked down at her body, spread naked for him. She tensed—would he like what he saw? Then his eyes met hers, and the hunger in them told her she had nothing to fear.
“You’re beautiful, Mia.”
His bare chest rose above her, sleekly silver and smooth, free of nipples, but muscled like a strong man of her own kind. All her self-consciousness was lost in wonder at the shining beauty of his body.
He let himself down onto her. The friction of his skin against her nipples was like flint on tinder, hot enough to burn. She moaned and opened up to him as his mouth came back to hers. His hand reached down to touch the place of throbbing need between her legs. His fingers slithered over the welcoming wetness, and desire flamed through her. She knew what she wanted, but not how to get it.
“More … yes, there!” She pushed up against his hand. The words came without thought.
“Like this?”
His voice teased her, but his fingers did exactly what she wanted. She answered with a moan, tipping her head against the couch. She gripped his back, fastening on the ridges of muscle either side of his spine. The thick line of hair there reminded her he was alien, strange. At the same time he felt familiar, as if she’d spent her whole life waiting for him.
He sucked at her neck—would he bite? Of course not. They weren’t vampires, whatever people said. His teeth closed on her skin, and a thrill ran through her, though he didn’t draw blood. His mouth there, coupled with the insistent friction of his hand, gave him possession of her whole body.
He rubbed her harder and faster, until she felt the pulse of pleasure rising in her core. She gasped and stiffened. Then everything broke apart, and she was utterly his.
His hand slowed and stilled for a moment, pressing on the center of her bliss. He began to move it again, stroking her softly. She winced and tried to pull away. It was too sensitive.
“It’ll be fine,” he said softly. “In a minute you’ll want more.”
She didn’t believe him—didn’t she know her own body?—but when his hand left her for a moment, she found he was right. She wanted it back.
She reached for his hips and pulled at the waistband of his pants. Alien pants—she couldn’t get them open. He had to help her, pushing them down roughly and kicking them off onto the floor, along with his underpants.
Now he was as naked as she was. She found herself holding and stroking the hard, hot member that would give her a different kind of pleasure, one she’d never known before. A deep, aching need overcame the prickle of anxiety that teased at her when she felt its size. Without thinking, she parted her legs, reached for his hips and drew him toward the source of her slick wetness.
“You’re sure?” he gasped, his breath hot in her ear.
“Yes—oh, yes!” The words tumbled out as he pressed against her, seeking entrance. It wasn’t working. She pulled her thighs up. Was there something else she should do?
“Relax, my Mia.”
She hadn’t asked out loud, but he’d answered her. Relaxing wasn’t easy, when she was so tense, but she concentrated and let go. He pushed in. She felt nothing but the weirdness of it for a moment but then, at his second thrust, he went deeper, filling her, and a stinging, burning pain stabbed at her. She gasped, and her fingernails dug into his warm, solid back.
“All right?” His voice was uneven, ragged.
Whatever pain she was in, she couldn’t have said no to him now—and the burn was already almost gone. She made herself relax again.
“Fine.” It wasn’t a lie.
He began to move, slowly at first, then faster and harder as his own need overtook him. This was why he’d made sure she had her pleasure first. This, together, was something very different. He was all the way inside her, taking her, possessing her. She was his, joined to him, as she’d longed to be.
She began to move to meet him, matching his rhythm with an effort that fell away as she gained in confidence. It’s like dancing, she thought. He reached down to her most sensitive spot, and rubbed. Then it overtook her, the rhythm of his thrusts controlling her body. Waves built up inside her, swelling and breaking with his movements,
until each one brought her closer to something tantalizing, something that stayed out of reach even as she strove for it.
He gasped out her name. The words I’m yours formed in her mind, and then she was beyond conscious thought. Nothing existed but their single joined body. A voice cried out—it could have been hers—and his back tensed beneath her hands. She was lost, the waves washing through her again, but deeper this time, pulsing out from her very core, as he gave one last thrust. Then all was still.
Much later he said, “You still haven’t answered me.”
“Answered you?” She was too blissfully sleepy to think what he meant. They had made their way to his bed, stepping through the clothes on the floor as if they were remnants of a forgotten life, and now she lay curled against him, with his hand closed over hers.
“Will you marry me?”
“Didn’t I say yes?”
“You didn’t, and I can’t read your mind.”
“You’re not going to be emperor?”
“No.”
“That’s a relief.”
“For me too.”
“Okay.”
“You will?”
“I will.”
He bathed her with kisses once more. She snuggled closer. She’d found her prince, and he made her feel like a princess.
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About the Author
Megan Alban loves cats, coconut, chocolate, and curling up with a good book on a winter’s night—or anytime. However, she rarely has a minute to herself because her mind is a seething tangle of fictional characters who appear from nowhere to meet, talk, yell, fight and love each other in her head, while demanding she write down their stories. All of them. Now.
She’s currently working on the next.
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