The Pirate Prince (23 page)

After they’d made love, Jarek had helped her pick a simple red and black dragon silk gown that she tied around her waist as a low slung skirt and one of Viktor’s better linen shirts. The slender man’s clothing fit her better. She wasn’t as nicely dressed as she would’ve liked, but Jarek assured her she was beautiful.

Mei looked around. Qurilixen was hardly like Líntian in landscape or in style.

Whereas Líntian had a civil elegance, Qurilixen had an untamed feel—from the tall palace, to the forest with overlarge foliage, to the fact that the entire planet consisted mostly of virile male shifters. Even the air seemed to fill her with excitement and energy, which pumped in her blood to excite her whole system.

“It smells so sweet,” she said. “And I suddenly feel as if I have a ton of energy.”

“The blue sun,” Jarek answered, pointing toward the blue-green sky. The unique hue of the planet’s atmosphere was due to the three suns—two yellow, one blue. They cast the planet in constant daylight, with the exception of one night a year when everything fell into perfect alignment and darkness fell over the land. “Remember I told you only

about one in a million of Qurilixen births are female?”

Mei nodded.

“It is because of the blue sun. Its radiation gives us a long life and vitality. Over the generations, it has altered our genetics so we create only strong, large male, warrior heirs.” He smiled, touching her stomach. “Like our son. I believe that your visit here will be good for you and him.”

“I don’t want him getting too big,” Mei protested, her thighs clamping shut automatically at the thought.

“Not until he comes out.”

Jarek laughed. Mei didn’t think it was too funny, but let it pass. There would be plenty of time to worry about the size of Jarek’s child inside of her. A breeze stirred around her, making her shiver with a chill. Mei smiled, closing her eyes.

“Do you hear something?” Jarek asked in full acceptance of her gifts.

“It says everything will be fine with this birth,” she said.

“Mm, good wind,” he said, pulling her closer. “Does it say anything else?” “Um,” Mei twisted her mouth in thought. “That you’re the sexiest man it’s ever seen.”

“Really?” He gave her a cocky grin.

“Mm-hmm.” She lifted up on her toes to give him a kiss. Jarek slid his arm around her back and held her steady, supporting her weight. With a light sound of contentment, she pulled back when he would deepen the kiss. “When I told you that I was easily excited these days, I wasn’t kidding. If you want to see your family anytime today you’ll stop doing that.”

Jarek groaned, but pulled back. Offering his arm, he led her up the stairs. Mei tried to focus on the landscape, anything to take her mind, and her hands, off her gorgeous husband.

The forest, which Jarek had Rick fly over so she could see it, was gigantic in size.

The trees were so big around they looked to be about half the thickness of Jarek’s ship.

When he told her his twin brother Reid had built a house within one of the trees, she wasn’t surprised. Their red bark was an interesting shade, one she’d never seen before in

plant life. Yellow ferns dotted the ground, contrasting with the red dirt of the planet’s surface.

Closer to the palace, the yellow fern didn’t grow, but it seemed the stone that constructed the palace had. The castle-like structure stretched high into the sky, with tall pillars and square turrets that reached high into the blue-green heavens. She lost sight of some of it as they walked down the plank to the bottom of the stairwell. Jarek held her arm, walking extra slow.

Her husband was really protective now that she’d started to show in her pregnancy. It was just a little swell, but it made him nervous about her well being all the same. Mei refused to put up with his constant over-protective streak. Every time he made her mad, she’d just disappear into the grates inThe Conqueror’s ceiling. It would take awhile, but she planned on exploring the whole area. Already, she’d found some neat things up there—like an antique taser that had to be at least a hundred years old and a woman’s shoe. None of the men had seen the style before and by the layer of dust caking it, it had to be old.

“What do you think?” he asked.

“Not bad for a bunch of tiger men,” she said, grinning.

“We’re not all tigers.”

“Oh?” Mei asked in surprise. “Do you mean the dragon shifters? You have them here as well? I thought you didn’t get along with them too well.”

“No, the Draig own the northern half of the planet. We rule the southern section.

The Draig are all dragons, but we Var are cat shifters. Reid and I are tigers. Quinn is a cougar, Kirill a black panther, and Falke is a white tiger. It’s really a toss up what kind of cat a child will become.”

“When do they usually shift for the first time?” Mei asked, suddenly realizing

what it was she had inside her. Though, if the baby looked like his father and had his traits, it wouldn’t make any difference to her.

“Within the first year. Each child is different and normally the shifts are for small periods of time. They’re really adorable though, just ornery little balls of fur.” Mei laughed. So long as they didn’t come out like that, she’d be all right.

When they finally made it to the top, Mei smiled as she looked up. A long, wide walkway led to the Var palace. It looked to be as high as the Honorable City was long.

Artfully, getting out of Jarek’s hold, she hurried to the railing to better see the city they’d passed before landing. It stretched out in a valley beyond the front palace gate. The homes were constructed of gray bricks, contrasting to the red earthen streets, which were formed like a bustling maze throughout the village. Stunning woven rugs and blankets hung outside in the sun, drying on lines. Clay pots sat outside doorsteps, some with flowers and other native plants. The walls were decorated with tiles.

“Mei,” Jarek said from her side. “Come, meet my family.”

She turned in time to see a man as large as Dev coming out of the palace door.

Only this man had dark brown skin, not red. Every inch of him bulged with muscles, from his thick arms to his broad shoulders, his hands, his chest. He didn’t smile when he looked at them. The rigid size of him gave her pause and she moved closer to her husband.

Jarek hurried forward, pulling her by her arm. “Mei, this is Falke, Commander of the Guard, leader of the Var military.”

“Falke,” Mei said, bowing her head. “I have heard many things about you.”

“Falke, this is Mei,” Jarek paused. “My wife.”

“Wife?” Falke asked, a smile spreading over his face. It instantly changed his appearance. “You did not tell us of a wife!”

“I wanted to surprise you,” Jarek said.

Falke laughed. “You’re just in time for a surprise of your own. Jasmine is giving birth.”

“Now?” Jarek asked. Falke nodded. “When we got the call that you were coming, they sent me to get

you. Come. We’re waiting in Quinn’s quarters.” “So Reid is here? At the palace?” Jarek asked, following Falke as he moved toward the door.

“He’s been staying here for a month. Our queen demanded it until Jasmine had the babies.”

“Babies?” Mei asked, catching the word.

“Yes,” Falke nodded. “Twins.”

“But,” Mei blinked and touched her own stomach. Twins? She’d never thought of that. Suddenly, she was nervous.

“You are with child as well?” Falke asked, looking at where her hand hovered over her stomach. “This is truly a blessed day!”

Jarek led her inside, stopping when he saw a man to say, “Tal, please tell my crew to wait in the dining hall. Have the servants get them drinks and tell them what is happening.”

“Welcome back, Prince Jarek,” Tal, a palace guard, answered before going out to greet the crew.

“It’s beautiful,” Mei said in awe, looking around the palace hall. If she thought the outside was impressive, the inside took her breath away. She was amazed to find herself staring at the intricate carvings over the arched doorways. There were particularly beautiful, symmetrical patterns of brilliantly displayed colors—blue, red, orange, gold, green—inlaid into the walls

“I will show it to you all later,” Jarek promised. He grinned, clearly excited about the news of Reid’s twins. For a couple of big, gruff warrior men, they really did look extremely excited about the prospect of babies. Mei would never tell them, but she found it adorable.

The brothers led her quickly past two open doors leading to an empty banquet hall. From what she could see, it had a high domed glass ceiling and mosaic patterns on the walls and floor. Flowers swept over the walls in long garlands and over the long tables and bench seats. Mei tried to slow her step, but Jarek pulled her on. “We prepare the celebration for Reid and Jasmine tonight,” Falke said, noting her attention. “And now we will celebrate your mating as well.”

With each step, they seemed to walk faster until Mei was nearly jogging to keep

up with their larger stride. Tripping, she gasped when Jarek swung her up into his arms, carrying her with him.

“I can walk,” she protested.

“Ah, but I’d much rather carry you.” He didn’t set her down until they were at Prince Quinn’s personal wing within the palace. Falke merely grinned as if such things were common place. Considering the almost barbaric air about the men, she assumed it most likely was. With Jarek, she was coming to realize that his people were much more relaxed when it came to decorum.

Without knocking, Falke entered Quinn’s home. “Look what I found!”

Mei remembered Jarek telling her that Prince Quinn was married to Princess Vittoria, or Tori as the family called her. Their home was simple in design, colored with rich blues and creams. The wide tiled floor stretched before the front door, elegant and immaculately clean. A couple of men sat on a low, wide couch near a raised platform before a large fireplace. Long pillows were laid out on the floor near their feet, perfect for lounging, which one man did. The man on the floor played with a toddler. He was obviously the boy’s father, as they looked exactly alike. Next to them, a black animal slept curled into a ball on the floor.

Aside from the front, there were no doors in the home. Tall decorative arches in the wall led to a bedroom, a kitchen, and another room. A wall of glass, so thick Mei couldn’t see through it curved around one side of the room. An inlet next to the fireplace, near the kitchen, led to a large dining room.

At Falke’s words, Jarek set her down on the floor. The men stood and hurried forward, excitedly greeting their space exploring brother with hugs and punches. One even grabbed Jarek by the neck and play wrestled with him A tiny little girl poked her head around the corner of the couch and squealed, “Da da!” She waddled to Falke, lifting up her pudgy arms and grinning with dimples in the

most adorable chubby cheeks.

“A girl?” Jarek asked, in amazement, reaching to touch the child’s hair. She smiled sweetly, sniffing at his hand before letting him touch her. Falke grinned and presented his daughter. “Payton. Payton, this is your Uncle Jarek.”

The little girl made a small noise of contentment and put her face in Jarek’s large hand.

“She really is one in a million,” Mei said. Falke could not have been prouder as he nodded in agreement.

“Mei, this is King Kirill, and over there is his son, Korbin,” Jarek said, motioning to a dark animal asleep on one of the pillows.

Kirill smiled at her. He had the same dark eyes as Jarek.

“And this is Quinn, our official Var ambassador,” Jarek said, pointing to the man who’d come up from the floor. “And the little one with him is my nephew, Roderic.” Roderic held back, growling mischievously in the back of his throat. His eyes lit with the threat of a shift and he grew little fangs.

Turning in her father’s arms, Payton opened her bowed little lips and let out a deafening roar. Mei jumped, startled by the ungodly sound coming from such a little thing.

“Payton,” Falke scolded, though parental pride was evident in him. “I told you, no roaring in the house.”

“Torry, da da,” she apologized, chewing on a finger.

“Did I hear Payton?” Another joined them. Mei stared as a man, eerily identical to her husband, came into the room. The only thing missing was Jarek’s black markings on his arm and neck. “Jarek!”

“Reid,” Jarek said, hurrying to hug his twin. “Congratulations, brother, on this wonderful day!”

“Thank you,” Reid said. “I can’t believe you made it back. And today of all days!”

Mei stood back, smiling. Seeing her, Falke cleared his throat, drawing the brothers’ attention to her.

“Brothers, may I present to you Princess Mei, my wife,” Jarek said.

“And she is with child,” Falke added, as if he couldn’t keep the secret any longer. Mei’s heart fluttered in her chest. He looked so proud as he said the words. The already excited brothers broke out in rounds of congratulations and enthusiasm, demanding to know all about her. It really was a touching scene. Jarek answered for her the best he could amidst the commotion, which wasn’t too much considering everyone was talking at once.

“Reid!” A woman scolded, peeking out of the same room he’d come from moments before. She had red-blonde hair practically gleamed in the light coming from the fireplace. “I told you to keep everyone quiet. Jasmine’s—” A loud baby’s cry interrupted her and the woman hurried back into the room without finishing. Reid ran after her, tripping over his feet to get back to his wife. “Oh, Sacred Cats!” Reid hollered after a pause. “Jasmine?”

Jarek, Falke, Quinn and Kirill instantly were on guard, rushing the door. “Ulyssa!” Kirill ordered. As they tried to go in, the same woman was there to meet them, instantly pushing the brothers out.

“Lyssa,” Payton cooed happily.

“Quiet my little princess, all right?” the woman said. “Hush for Jas-jas.”

“Jas-jas,” Payton repeated, nodding.

“What is it, Ulyssa?” Quinn demanded. “Is Jasmine all right?”

“She’s fine,” Ulyssa, who Mei knew to be the queen, said.

“What’s wrong?” Kirill asked, trying to get past his wife.

“Stay back,” she ordered. “I can guarantee Jas will not be happy if you go barging in there now. And trust me, your own wives won’t be too pleased with you either.”