The Pirate Prince (3 page)

“Zài-jiàn, Shan Gung Din,” she said under her breath, happy to be leaving theMountainPalace .

“Goodbye, Singhai Empire.”

Haun glanced over his shoulder with a smirk and she realized he’d heard her talking to herself. Without a word, he turned forward. Mei smiled at his back as she continued on in silence.

Chapter Two

“What in the blazing star trails are we doing here, Cap?” Evan Cormier grumbled, running his fingers through his short black hair. His eyes were focused on the great Líntianese palace before them. “What has that space cadet gotten us into now? I told him to leave that woman alone. I told him she was trouble, but can Rick ever see past his own lust? No! She batted her eyelashes at him and off he went like a little remloch mindlessly following a grishelm floral dragon.”

Jarek glanced at Evan and hid his smile. Evan was a good man to have on a crew, a hard worker and a hell of a smart guy. The man was part telepath—a fact he didn’t share

with too many—and it was those skills that Evan was referring to now. Rick was the pilot on their ship,The Conqueror , and every inch a playboy. Evan had warned him against going with the dark haired enchantress who had flirted with him on Leinad’s star port where they’d stopped for fuel, but Rick hadn’t listened. The enchantress had kidnapped him, for some reason still unknown to them, and taken him with her to the far reaches of the planet of Líntian. Though, knowing Rick, he’d opened his big mouth and said something stupid to insult her. It wasn’t likely she’d taken him with her because she couldn’t live without him.

So, now they were on Líntian to save him. Jarek knew Evan was irritated by this detour. They were all irritated by the detour, but Rick was their friend and they would never leave him behind—no matter how stupid he acted by getting kidnapped by an intergalactic drug trader.

“We’re here because we’re rescuing Dev’s best friend,” Lochlann teased, dryly.

He was the only crew member aboardThe Conqueror from Jarek’s home planet of Qurilixen. Jarek was a Var, a cat shifter. Lochlann was a Draig, a dragon shifter. Usually the Var and Draig were at war, but Jarek had never seen a reason for it. It was why he’d left his homeland and it was why his good friend, Lochlann, had come with him. In the wide open skies of space, things like race didn’t matter. Everyone was different.

Dev snorted at Lochlann’s comment but said nothing. The group of men tried to contain their laughter. Dev was half Belvon, a demonic looking race with red skin and a very stern temperament. Aside from the intense coloring, he appeared humanoid, only larger. He was the ship’s muscle and a bit of a loner. Rick was the polar opposite of Dev.

The Belvon was all about maintaining order. Rick was all about breaking it. It often led to humorous fights. Sometimes when the crew was bored, they’d provoke them into an argument for the sake of entertainment. But, when it came down to it, if Rick was in trouble, Dev was there just like everyone else to bail him out. They were like a family

that way.

A family of misfits, Jarek thought with a small chuckle. He wouldn’t trade his life of freedom for anything in the world.

“I say we let Rick rot,” Lucien mumbled, pouting. “Would serve him right for breaking my Virtual Girlfriend. Does he even realize how long it took me to get her breasts just right? And then he goes and melts all three of them off. Poor Fanessa!”

“Did you drink more Torganian Rum?” Viktor, Lucien’s brother, demanded. The two constantly bickered, but were really quite close. If one said the sky was white, the other would swear it was black just for the sake of disagreeing. They were half human, half Dere, and had a milky white complexion that contrasted with the strangest red-brown and red-green of their eyes. Lucien was a communications genius and Viktor was one hell of a mechanic. The man could rig anything. “We can’t let him rot.” Viktor paused.

“He owes me space credits from that last card game.”

“Yes,” Jackson, a dark blond security officer, agreed. “And you owe me.” “Oh, right, yeah.” Viktor cleared his throat. “I forgot about that. Well, how ‘bout we cut out the middle man and just say Rick owes you?” “Not likely,”Jackson said. “He’s not good for it and I’d rather not take your loss.”

“Can we please concentrate on saving Rick? Then we can argue about who gets to kick his ass first,” Jarek ordered, wondering briefly how he’d ever come to captain such a crew. Fate was funny that way.

They hid behind a long stone gate, looking up at the palace which was on top of a miniature mountain with a flat top. Long rows of stairs led up from the base, carved from the tan stone of the planet’s earth. Their position was halfway up so they could easily see the front entrance. Platforms were carved intermittently along the stairs on the way to the top, decorated with black pots and golden statues inlaid with precious jewels. Jarek tensed. The Song Dynasty was a wealthy one. They must indeed have no fear of intruders if they put their treasure within plain view of the city below.

“One of us has to go in,” Lucien said, eyeing Dev.

“Yes, I would make the obvious choice,” Dev drawled, his tone heavy with sarcasm. With his giant red body, he was the farthest thing from the slender humanoid culture of Líntian.

Jarek tried not to laugh. Dev had been around Rick too long in space if he’d picked up sarcasm. Usually the man was completely sober in nature.

“He’s right, guys,” Jarek said, “one of us needs to get in there and find out where the secret purple jade mines are located. My sources say that’s where they’ve taken Rick.”

All eyes turned back to the palace. The location of the mines wasn’t known, no matter how much money he’d thrown down for the information. Most things about this planet were a mystery. Jarek could respect their desire for privacy. Qurilixen was the same way. However, at the moment, it wasn’t serving his purpose in finding Rick. “Are you sure your sources are right? I hear tell that not even the greatest thieves can slip into this place,” Lochlann said.

“Yeah, they guard their purple jade like the Tog women protect their men,” Viktor added. “Rick would have to get his ass dragged here.”

Jarek frowned. He’d heard much of the same thing. Líntian was an isolated planet that many stayed clear of. The fact that its position was a long way off, combined with the rumored impossibility of breeching the security made it a daunting place, little worth a space traveler’s time. Even if purple jade was valued quite highly, a pirate couldn’t spend a fortune if he was dead. But they weren’t here for jade. They were here for their friend.

“Why couldn’t he have gotten kidnapped by Lord Maximus and taken to the Galaxy Playmate mansion?” Lucien asked. “That way we could fight off half-naked playmates instead of these lethal warriors.”

“Rick wouldn’t want to be rescued from that,” Lochlann said. “Who would?”Jackson added under his

breath. All of their eyes were still trained on the palace.

“I slipped through the city just fine earlier,” Jarek said, hoping his men would take that to mean it was possible to get through. “Stealth is the key. This isn’t the kind of place that you go in blasting. We’d never stand a chance against all those guards in a head to head fight. We’re too outnumbered. Ideally, it’s best if they don’t know we’re here.”

The men nodded.

“Besides,” Jarek continued, “no one has tried to breech these walls for centuries.

They should have gotten lax in their guard. They won’t be expecting us, especially not looking for a plain map. It should be a simple slip in and slip out type of job.”

One long building made up the palace. It had tiled roofs with wide eaves that tilted up at the ends toward the sky. A long open walkway supported by columns was across the front of the large structure. An entranceway opened up in the center, leading inside the building or down a long row of steps to the outside world. Guards stood along the columned walkway, their loose fitting clothing very reminiscent of the Draig casual wear. It looked comfortable, yet militant at the same time. The building seemed to grow out at the side into an enclosed hall, slowly working its way from the very top of the mountain down the side until joining to a lower building that had its own columned entrance and guards.

“It doesn’t look like walking up to the front door and slipping in is going to be an option,” Jarek said, eyeing the dark skinned warriors. Their long hair was pulled back in a single braid, keeping it out of their faces. They were slight in stature compared to the Var warriors, but he wasn’t fooled. He’d seen some of them practicing in a field as they had sneaked into the city. They moved with such graceful ease and deadly precision when they fought, that Jarek knew they would be formidable opponents.

“I’ll do it,”Jackson said. “I’m the best climber and if the inside of the palace is

constructed like the outside, I should be able to make my way across the ceiling without notice.”

“No, it’s too risky. All someone would have to do is look up,” Jarek denied the offer. “There are too many guards. Besides, we have no way of knowing what the inside looks like. The ceilings could be smooth with nothing to grab on to.”

“That doesn’t leave us too many options. If we can’t infiltrate, we’ll have to fight,” Dev said softly. He opened his mouth to continue, but Lucien’s voice interrupted him.

“Oh, my....” Lucien let loose a soft whistle. “Would you look at that tempting piece of Líntianese culture?”

Jarek automatically found what had caught Lucien’s attention. A slight female shuffled out of the palace, meekly following a taller man whose hair was knotted on the top of his head. The topknot seemed to be a popular style amongst the people. Jarek could instantly tell the man was royalty, or at least a nobleman, by the way he carried himself and by the way the guards bowed in respect in his direction. However, the guards ignored the woman.

Jarek couldn’t look away from her. His heart sped in his chest and his breathing deepened. She was lovely. Silken robes hugged close to her small frame. Her long, dark hair was plaited and pulled up on both sides of her head.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Viktor added, his voice soft.

“Yeah, no wonder you two like her,” Lochlann teased, eyeing Viktor and Lucien.

“She even makes you look muscular.”

“We don’t have time for concubines right now,” Jarek said. Even as the words left his mouth, he found himself still staring at her. His gut tightened with desire. How could it not? She was gorgeous. Her downcast gaze lifted slightly and Jarek let his eyes shift

with the power of the cat as he narrowed in on her. Like her people, her eyes were brown-

· a soulful color that begged for a man’s protection—and shaped in such an exotically alluring way that he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was so delicate, like a flower. The woman even looked like a flower, dressed in flimsy silk. Small, circular patterns were spread over the robe she wore, intertwined with floral designs. It was a simple motif, yet captivatingly beautiful. Truth be told, Jarek found the whole planet beautiful. The landscape outside the palace was lush and green and inside the city was clean and designed to enhance the beauty around it. Beneath the palace, the streets of the city were clean and the people were immaculately dressed.

A tightness developed between his thighs, as Jarek became aroused just looking at the slender woman. Too bad she was obviously this other man’s whore.

Maybe you could liberate her,his libido seemed to tell him.

And do what?His inner reason argued. It’s not like you want a woman on the ship
with you. You’re not like your brothers. You’re not meant to settle down.

It was true. Jarek had felt it since he was a young prince. Even then he would stare up at the stars, feeling their pull. He wasn’t meant to be contained on one planet. He needed more than that. He needed adventure, change, a sense of danger. Women liked things like stability and a home. Sure, he’d met a few who didn’t, but they were no one with whom he’d like to spend his long years. And, usually, in the end, even those women settled in one place.

Jarek had four brothers and they’d all found mates. Three had just had babies, and his twin brother’s wife was expecting. It wasn’t like heneeded to find a wife and have children. The family line didn’t depend upon him. He was free to do as he willed.

“She’s so tiny,” Dev said, his voice not holding as much masculine appreciation as the others. He grunted, before adding, “And delicate. She wouldn’t last five seconds in

the VR fighting a Huthin.”

“I don’t want her as a sparring partner in virtual reality, space cadet,” said Viktor.

Dev’s black eyes narrowed in warning. Viktor quickly patted Dev’s large shoulder in reassurance. “And by space cadet, I mean my very big, mean, tough warrior friend who would never think of crushing someone smaller than himself like me.”

Dev grunted. Jarek bit back a laugh, but didn’t look away from the beautiful woman for more than an instant. She was close. The Líntianese man’s body blocked her partially from view and he leaned to the side to better see her. Soft laughter broke into his daydreaming of the woman. A hand on his arm pulled him back down. “Uh, Jarek, you still with us, Captain?” Lucien asked. “Or is your plan to get seen and captured? ‘Cause if it is, please count us out.”

Jarek motioned the men back and they instantly crawled along the stone to stay hidden as the woman and her escort passed near by, going down the overly long row of steps. Jarek watched from within an inlet in the wall as she moved away from them.“I have an idea.”

Jarek grinned, still staring at the woman’s backside. “I know just how one of you is going to get into that palace.” “How?” Viktor asked, leaning over to take his own peek at her. Jarek’s grin widened as he looked at Viktor and his brother. “Or should I say, the two of you.”

* * * *

“I can’t believe you let Jarek talk us into this,” Viktor hissed, pulling on his silk sleeve. “Me?!” Lucien demanded.

“Yeah, you!”

“Hey, this wasn’t my idea,” Lucien huffed, touching his cheek. “How’s my paint?”