Dark Prince (11 page)

Olena jerked. Her hips bucked against him. Her eyes grew wide in shock of the sensations he stirred with just his hand.

Emboldened as her fingers roamed over his neck for support, his lips let her mouth free so he could incinerate her breasts with his lapping kisses. Her head fell back, arching into his expertly sucking lips. He held her to him. He licked the sensitive tips hard, feeling her quiver beneath the stroking touch of his hand to her heat.

Olena let her hands experience every niche of his body, roaming his back and strong arms, claiming his chest, his neck, his stomach. Hitting the barrier of his pants, she searched eagerly for the drawstring ties to free him and worked the material from his hips.

Yusef growled in enthusiasm and did not slow his assault. As her hand grabbed hold of his arousal, he slipped a finger up inside her. She nearly screamed, squeezing him painfully tight in surprise. Yusef tried to pull back, wanting to study her face. Her body flexed unyieldingly against his finger. She didn’t let him look up, letting go to grip his head to her chest.

"Yusef," Olena breathed, panting hard. The one word stopped his inquiry.

He took his fingers from her so that his hands could cup her backside, firmly squeezing the cheeks as he lifted her up. Olena felt herself land on the top of the dresser. Her eyes opened weakly.

Across the room she could see Yusef’s strong backside and legs in the mirror. She saw the length of his black hair over his commanding shoulders as his face buried in her chest to feast on her breasts. Her eyes stared at every inch of him, liking the way his muscles flexed when he moved. His hips artfully slipped between her thighs, forcing them to spread for him.

"Ah," she said, a soft feminine cry of approval and submission. Her head tilted back on her shoulders, spilling her hair back over the dresser. She grabbed onto his arms. He took up her hips with his hands, forcing her to come forward as he prepared to enter her.

"Tell me your name," Yusef demanded hoarsely, stopping his kisses to listen for her answer. "I must have it."

"Olena," she breathed, unable to stop the pant of honesty and too far gone with desire to care. His body was poised on the brink of conquering her. His manhood was readied, aimed for possession.

"Tell me you want me," he commanded, edging to the brink of her. "Admit that you want me."

Olena froze. A thin shred of sanity enveloped her. Her body fought the clarity of her mind, but Yusef was demanding an answer. It was an answer she couldn’t give.

His erection pressed intimately to her opening. She grew scared, never having let things get this far before. She could feel his hard tip digging slowly, into her. It was too fast. What was she doing? She needed time to think, to reason. He was going to hurt her with his size. Horror stories, told to her by her pirate father, came to mind in a rush.

Just then, her hand fell on the dresser. She felt the bump of his carving knife. Her mind latched onto the most familiar--fighting. She gripped around the handle of the small blade. Her chest heaving, she lifted it to his manhood. She had to buy herself some time, time to think and reason these strange feelings out.

"No," she ground out. "I don’t want you."

Yusef froze. Her chest heaved for air and her breasts dipped before his astonished eyes. The blade hand quivered. She accidentally nicked him on the side of his shaft. He pulled back defensively, getting his most sensitive area away from her attack. His body pulsed with the agony of denial. But, as he looked down, he saw the blood tricking where she had dared to cut him. Rage overtook the passion in him.

Olena stared at him wide-eyed from the dresser top. Her lips were stiff and her eyes burned with tears she couldn’t shed. She was unable to move. Her legs were like jelly from his touch.

Shifting furiously, Yusef went straight for her. His body hardened. His face pulled forward as his eyes glinted with a dangerous golden fire of outrage.

Olena wielded the blade in automatic defense. It scraped against the thick armor of his dragon chest, but did little harm. Wrenching the blade forcibly from her hand, he tossed it aside. Then, taking her up, he threw her onto the bed.

Olena landed, knocking her head on the carved headboard. She blinked, blindly trying to scurry off the other side, away from him.

Yusef pounced on top of her. She screamed, wildly thrashing against his barbaric hold. It was no use, she couldn’t get free. Tears came to her eyes, shaming her as they spread fearfully over her cheeks.

Yusef, who had no intention of taking an unwilling or treacherous woman to bed, growled at her. His talon like claws ripped the pillowcase near her head, spreading feathers over her sweating body. They stuck to her flesh. Grabbing the strips, he tied her hands to the bed.

Olena trembled. He was too powerful to fight.

"Please, Yusef," she cried, desperate and scared. "Please don’t do this."

The whimpering words, so unlike her voice, brought him up short. His face shifted, but his human form was no less threatening than his Draig one had been. His hard face came into hers, as he spat, "I wouldn’t take you now if you begged me, wife."

Olena gasped at what she read in his eyes as hatred. She felt his blood smearing her thigh. She shook. Her arms weakly worked to loosen her restraints. It was no use, they were too tight.

"What will you do?" Olena asked, past the point of terror. To her amazement, he stayed true to his word and got off her. She laid there stunned.

"I’ll do what the law requires me to do," Yusef said, ignoring the cut on his bloody member. His tone was hard. "You are in chastisement, Olena, if that is even your real name."

Olena shivered but didn’t dare to speak. Whatever this chastisement was, it didn’t sound pleasant at all. At least not the way he spat it at her.

He snarled viciously.

"What will you do?" she asked, her tone wavering again when he continued to stare at her naked form. At that moment, her body didn’t seem to be bringing him pleasure.

"Law requires that I punish you. If I don’t, the royalty you love so much will have to decide a fitting punishment for you in my stead." Turning, Yusef grabbed his pants and jerked them on with angry, stiff movements. "They might have been more lenient on you, until it was reported what you say about them."

"What is this chastisement?" she mumbled faintly, still shaking.

"You will have to obey everything I say."

"And if I don’t?" she asked, fearful. His jaw hardened at the question.

"You die." Yusef knew it was not likely his family would choose death for her, but she didn’t need to know that. Let her fear for her life for now. The King and Queen would more than likely concede to anything he planned.

Yusef closed his eyes to her and turned his back. He couldn’t face her right now, not in his turbulent mix of outrage and denied passion. He needed time to cool down and to think logically before he did something he regretted. He had to go tend to his wound.

"I’m a slave," she said in alarm, as he walked out the door. Her words were barely a whisper.

Yusef heard her whimper and glanced back as the door shut between them. In that moment he almost relented completely. He saw the scared eyes of a woman staring out at him from her emerald gaze--vulnerable, afraid.

Olena’s eyes rolled wildly in her head as she was left alone. Her feet dug into the mattress to push up beneath her. Her limbs shook violently as she worked her mouth to gnaw at her wrists. It was high time she got off this forsaken planet.

* * * *

Yusef stormed up the path to the village, barefoot and bare-chested. It was dark and the village was quiet so none saw his ascent to the castle. He left Olena tied to the bed, not knowing what else he could do with her.

The wound to his pride was much larger than the wound to his manhood, but he thought it best to tend to the latter. He grimaced darkly. It wasn’t exactly the area he wanted an infection setting in.

What the hell was wrong with his wife? She had wanted him. He was so sure of it. Her reaction to him had been real. Or had it? Her wetness against his hand had been real. The heat in her and the scent of her body’s longing had been real enough, too. Women couldn’t fake things like that. Was he so blinded by his own passion for her that he’d missed her deceit?

Slipping through the raised gate, he ignored the guard who stood to salute him. He strode down the passageway, stopping at the medical wing. Grabbing a laser off the shelf, he ignored the sleeping woman at the front desk. Quietly going to the back room, he lowered his pants and sealed his wound up. It stung horribly, but he didn’t pay it any mind as he left the laser where he’d found it and went in search of his father.

He didn’t have to look long. His father was in his royal office, looking over a stack of papers. Glancing up, he was surprised to see his son.

"Yusef," the King began, but the greeting died from his voice when he saw Yusef’s dark look and half-naked state.

"I came to inform you that my wife, whose name may or may not be Olena, is sentenced to chastisement," Yusef stated, using the more comfortable feel of their native tongue.

"Chastisement?" the King gasped, answering in kind. He stood from his desk and came around it to study his son’s dark face. "She attacked you? She tried to kill you, harm you?"

Yusef nodded wearily.

The King grew worried. His eyes turned very sad. "Have the Gods cursed you with … with a touched bride, my son?"

Yusef laughed bitterly. "No, she is very much sane, father."

"Well, that’s something at least," the King said in gruff relief. "What happened?"

Yusef growled and took a seat. Resting his wrist lightly over his knee, he waited for his father to sit back down behind his desk.

"She turned my carving blade against me," he stated.

"And I assume she drew blood if she is in chastisement. Could it have been an accident?" the King inquired hopefully. "Maybe she did not know you were there."

Yusef’s eyes only darkened. "She took it to my erection while we…. It was no mistake."

The King cleared his throat, knowing how hard such an admission was for his son. It would be for any man.

"Was she, ah, perhaps playing a game? She seemed very spirited," King Llyr admitted. "Spirited women are known for their … bedroom mischief."

"It was no game," Yusef said, frowning.

"Was she scared?" his father asked, trying to understand.

"I didn’t smell fear on her," Yusef answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Although, that hadn’t been the particular scent he was looking for at the time. "I did smell desire for me--potently. But she turned. I don’t know what caused it. I doubt it was fear. That little firebird is afraid of nothing."

"By royal decree, it is decided," the King said as a mere formality. "I agree to leave her in chastisement as long as you see fit."

Yusef nodded. "It will be until she admits she wants me as I want her."

"A good plan," the King said, pressing his fingers to his lips. He suddenly smiled. "The sexual tension might be what she needs to bring her around."

Yusef’s body lurched despite himself. Such a punishment would undoubtedly be worse for him than for her.

"I’ll inform your brothers," Llyr said, "but it will go nowhere else."

Yusef nodded in appreciation, knowing law stated all the royal males of age had to know of such things. He was sure he was in for a few good-natured jibes at the hands of his brothers, but he didn’t care at the moment.

"I was planning on having a celebration in about a week to coronate the Princesses. There have been rumors that our brides have not been seen within the castle and I fear the Var have spies within our walls. If anything, we need to keep up the appearances of being a united family."

"She is stubborn," Yusef said in dejection. "I do not know if a week is enough time to make her behave. You saw how defiant she can be and she hates royalty with a readily voiced passion. Bringing her out in public might do our reputation more harm than good."

"I understand," the King said thoughtfully. "As long as your other brothers can get their brides to come around, yours can be excused. All saw how she bled on the morning of your wedding. I’ll have your mother make something up and spread it through the maids. At least those gossiping girls are good for something. Give me a manservant anytime over a bunch of chattering women. With all the headaches they cause, I can see why our genetics weeded them out."

Yusef chuckled. It was an old joke, but still extremely fitting.

"Are you staying in your wing tonight?" the King asked.

"No," Yusef felt somewhat better after speaking to his father. "I’ll go back to the Outpost. I have Olena there tied to a bed. She may be a bit angry right now and I don’t want her screaming awake the neighbors."

The King chuckled. "Fair enough. I know you’ll deal with it fine. You always had a level head son. It works fairly well with your hot temper."

* * * *

Yusef was tired when he arrived home. His ears turned to listen at the bedroom. All was quiet. He hesitated, wondering if he should just leave it alone for the night. Then, unable to stop himself from checking on her to make sure she was unharmed, he went to the door.

Knocking lightly, he called, "Olena?"

He was answered by silence.

"Olena?" He pushed open the door and looked at the bed, expecting her to be there. She was gone. His heart skidded to a stop. Her restraints looked as if they had been chewed through.

Seeing dots of blood on the floor, he frowned. He instantly went forward and dipped his fingers into the drying spots. Ribbing his fingers, he sniffed. It was hers.

Fear gripped him and he shifted, running with a supernatural speed out the back patio. He picked her scent faintly on the wind. She had been gone for some time. Dashing into the forest, he ran down the red earthen path, flying past the east pond. His bare feet sped over the crushed leaves of the forest floor. His eyes, enhanced in the form of Draig, scanned through the trees, searching her out.

She was nowhere to be found.