His full lips quirked. “I should've known the Queen of the Realm would be a pain in my ass.”
The queen?
She cleared her throat. “I'm no one's queen, Dage. Not a chance.” She shifted against him, her eyes nearly rolling out of her head at the delicious friction.
Reaching out, he placed one warm fingertip against her chin and traced a path straight down, inch by slow inch until coming to a stop above her left breast. His hand flattened, pressing against her heart. “You sure about that, love?”
The traitorous little organ gave one hard thump against his palm. “Yes.”
He wet his lips. “Well then, how about tonight is just about tonight?”
“Tonight?” She rocked against him. “What about the Kurjans?”
“They're nowhere near us right now.” He lifted his head and inhaled as if seeking answers from the universe. “With any luck they searched toward the eastern mountain range, which is why we made a beeline to the south. We have a couple of hours before we need to move. So, tonight?”
Tonight sounded good, and the added thrill of danger caused shivers down her spine. Dage had haunted her dreams for years, she deserved one night. Just one. “All right. But no marking or invading my thoughts.” He could never know what her visions had revealed.
What might have been.
Grasping her sagging blouse with both hands, he tugged. The remaining buttons scattered across hard-packed earth. She gasped, forgetting all about the future.
Only the present mattered.
He slid her shirt off followed by the straps of her bra. “I think I can entertain us both without marking or invadingâat least for tonight.” His hands went to her breasts, molding, exploring, appreciating. “You're so pretty, love.”
A pure flush of desire rose from those breasts to her face. She ran her palms down the hard muscles of his chest to his tight abs. Finally. She was finally touching him. So much strengthâtruly worthy of a king.
She yanked free the button of his pants, and her gaze met his while she released his zipper. Her breath came in short bursts. She was more than a match for the leader, as he would soon see. Emma leaned forward to nibble on the sizzling skin she'd dreamed about. The reality tasted even better. Smooth, salty man tantalized her when she nipped at his collarbone. Then bit.
He growled low, hands going to her waist to tug her to the ground. She opened her senses to him. His heartbeat echoed throughout her own head, and then ... he stilled.
His head lifted and he scented the air. Slamming his metallic eyes shut, he swore. He grabbed her shirt and yanked it up her arms, holding tight to the front.
“What is it?” Her stomach dropped in fear. “Did the Kurjans find us?”
“Worse.” Dage shifted her to the side and stood, lending a hand to help her up.
Two men crowded the entrance to the caveâthe men from her dreams. “Your brothers?”
“Yes.”
Her mind spun. A hollowness echoed throughout her body that might never be filled. “How is that worse?” She took his hand, holding her shirt together with trembling fingers.
“Because I can't kill them,” Dage said grimly, pulling her forward. He nodded at the green-eyed brother in the lead. “It's nice to know you followed orders and went to secure the facilities as needed.” He shifted his focus to the copper-eyed brother. “One word Jase, and I'll rip out your jugular.”
Jase wisely kept silent, though the twinkle in those eyes laughed hard enough to make sound.
The first man threw caution to the wind. “Hi Emma. I'm Conn.” He clapped Dage on the back. “We couldn't let the king miss the ball, now could we?”
Ball? What ball?
Chapter 3
D
age tugged on his onyx cuff links as he dressed in the family quarters, fury sliding under his skin. To be so close as to actually taste her ...
“Conn and Jase have made themselves scarce somewhere in this damn hotel,” his brother Talen noted, yanking on a black bow tie.
Dage couldn't help but smile. Forcing Talen into a tuxedo was like making a leopard wear a tutu. His brother was made for flak jackets and combat boots. “You look
pretty
in a tux, brother. Your mate will sigh with joy.”
The good natured punch from Talen would've killed a human. “Shut up. By the way, that's a lovely marking on your palm.”
The marking ached like a raw tooth and had since appearing the previous night. It needed to find a home on Emma's flesh. Now. “She doesn't want to be marked.” The words hurt to say. He hadn't seen her since handing her off to Cara for much needed rest because he'd been swamped with Realm business all day.
Talen grinned. “Can't blame her. Branding is archaic, neanderthalic, and absurd.”
“Neanderthalic? Cara makes up her own words, I see.” Damn but Dage adored his sister-in-law. He clasped his long dark hair at his nape, then straightened his black jacket, his gaze sweeping the plush executive suite with its thick carpet and rounded beige chairs. The hotel smell of lemon cleanser began to irritate him.
“Yeah, I know.” Talen snorted in amusement. “But the marking is necessary for their protectionâto give them our defenses as well as immortality. There's no other wayâand there's no other choice.”
Dage chuckled. “Life is so black and white for you, isn't it? You plan, fight, conquer, and go home.” His brother was perfect for his position as head of security for the entire Realm.
“Yes.” Talen double-checked the weapon stored at the small of his back. “You're a fine king and well suited for the crown.” Golden eyes flared. “But in this instance, at this time, diplomacy be damned. Find your woman and mark her as your own.”
While his brother was as subtle as a ten point earthquake, Dage hoped to entice his mate rather than conquer. As a first resort anyway. But whatever the means, the end result would be the same. He'd finally touched his queen. Finishing off his grape energy drink, he rolled his shoulders, his own weapon in place. “We haven't had to arm ourselves for the colloquium in centuries.”
“
You
haven't. I've always been armed.” Talen tucked a knife against his shin. The family quarters were well guarded, but once inside the grand ballroom there would be too many guests to be certain of safety. Vampires, shape-shifters, and witches galore. All of the leaders throughout the Realmâa symposium equal to that of the United Nations. Talen snapped another knife in place up his left sleeve. “You need to stop drinking that stuff.”
“Why?” Immortality had some benefits. “I'm allowed one vice.”
Talen grinned. “That's a stupid vice. At least at the damn colloquium we get scotch.”
Dage shrugged. “I know you wanted me to cancel the colloquium, but we couldn't with us having gone to war with the Kurjans. Diplomacy is at a must right now.”
“I know. Portland was a good choice of location this year. Easy to travel from if necessary.” Talen returned to his main topic. “Are you going to mark Emma or not?”
Dage fought a growl. “Of course.” His pretty blue-eyed scientist would damn well wear his markâsooner rather than later. He'd waited centuries to find her.
The wait had ended.
“Ah, I have news.” Talen shifted his feet in shiny new loafers, no doubt wishing for combat boots. “Cara's with child.”
Dage threw an arm around his brother's thick shoulders. “Congratulations. You'll have a fine son.”
“Are you sure? I mean, have you seen my son in your head?” Talen's eyes held a never before seen uncertainty.
Dage forced a smile. “Noâwhich means there's nothing to worry about.” He hoped. He cleared his throat and sought the right words. “In fact, I'd like you to concentrate on strategy and security for the next while.” His brother was a strategic genius, a talent that would more than serve the Realm.
Talen stilled. “Is that so?”
His brother was also known for a deadly temper. “Yes. We're at war and need to focus on making plans with the shifting nations as well as covens. We need to organize.”
“I'm not sitting on the sidelines.” A muscle began to tick in Talen's jaw, a sure sign punches would soon follow.
Dage readied his stance. He'd hate to have to kick his brother's ass right before the ball. Damn but it'd be a good fight if they both let loose. “You know as well as I that planning for the battle is more important than shooting a gun.”
Golden eyes flashed. “You know as well as I that no battle strategy goes according to plan. I'm as good as Conn on the ground.”
Together the two men were unbeatable. “I know.”
Talen sighed. “Dage, I appreciate it, I really do. But my job is my job and I need to do it right, whether or not my mate's with child.”
“I know. But with Janie and now the new baby, you have a lot to think about.”
“Yes, and if something happens to me, I know you'll take care of Cara, Janie, and the baby. We're at war, Dage.” Talen clapped him across the shoulders. “We can't turn our backs on duty, no matter the reason.” He grinned. “Now let's go find our mates.”
Â
Several suites down, Emma bit her lip as she tugged her skirt into place. One minute she was running for her life through a dark forest with the evil undead on her tail, and the next day she stood in the loveliest blue and silver ball gown imaginable. They'd arrived at the Portland hotel in the wee hours of morning, and she'd even had time to sleep before being reunited with her sister. Now she was pretending to be Cinderella.
She looked down at the pretty fabric and sighed. The corset top pushed her breasts up while the waist cinched in before the skirt flared out. The three-inch silver heels made her feel like a princess. She tried to bring reality back to her mind. “I need to call Henry at the lab and see what's going on.”
Cara glanced up from her perch against the sofa, looking beyond beautiful in a light golden gown that brought out the highlights in her auburn hair. “Why? Dage is having a research lab built. I'd assumed you'd want to work there.”
“My life is in Boston, Cara.” At least it was. “Henry is a good friend and an excellent lab partner. I'm sure he had no idea what Davis was up to.”
“Yeah, good old Davis, your creepy boss.” Cara rolled her eyes. “Great plan hooking up with the Kurjans to conduct research. What could go wrong?”
“I need to find out what's happening at the lab, and no phones would call out from the hotel today. I don't like being kept here like this.” Armed guards lined the halls of the family quarters. Dage had supposedly been conducting business all day and had yet to make an appearance. She'd met her hulking new brother-in-law earlier when Talen had dropped by for an introduction. The guy was dangerous, no question about it. Just like his older brother.
“I know.” Cara smoothed back her hair. “But we're in danger and I guess security has to be tight. Can't you just enjoy the ball tonight?” She flashed an impish grin. “With your black hair pulled up and those blue eyes, you look like Sleeping Beauty.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “At least the dress fits.” In fact, an entire wardrobe had been provided for her. The vampires had some clout. She sighed. “It's just that, I feel trapped like when we were kids. Yesterday, running through the woods, I thought of all the times ...” Pain clenched her stomach.
Cara nodded, losing her smile. “I know. All the times we ran from Daddy and his latest beating. What a prick.” She straightened her shoulders. “But we survived. We're here now.”
Emma nodded. “Yes. This is where you want to be, right?” She focused on her younger sister, trying to open up any psychic power she may own. Was the baby all right?
Cara laughed, fingering an intricate golden cuff winding up her arm. “Yes, Emma. We don't need to plan a big Lucy and Ethel type of escape. I love Talen and want to stay with him.”
Relief washed through Emma. Good. No matter what happened to her, Cara and Janie would be taken care of.
“So.” Cara raised an eyebrow. “Such a strong sense of relief you're experiencing. Making plans of escape yourself?”
Damn empath. “Get out of my emotions, sis. I don't need any plans to walk out the door. They can't keep me here.” She had work to do back home.
Cara straightened her skirt. “Besides relief I'm sensing concern. What has you in knots?”
Emma cleared her throat. If Cara wasn't worried about her pregnancy, no way was Emma going to plant that seed of doubt. “Knots? Seriously? All of a sudden everything we know about genetics, intelligent species on this planet, and reality has been challenged. I mean, vampires
exist
.”
Cara laughed. “Science has always evolved with new discoveries, Em. This is no different.”
Well, that was true. Emma nodded. “I want to take your blood and sequence map your DNA.”
“Now you sound like a vampire geneticist.” Cara snorted. “So, vampires. What about Dage? You've been dreaming about him forever and now he's here. You going to walk away from him?”
No. She'd run. Emma opened her mouth to answer, shifting her attention as her niece skipped into the dressing room wearing a frilly white dress with sparkly shoes. “You look beautiful, Janie.”
The four-year-old clapped her hands together and gave a happy hop, her brown curls bopping and her iris blue eyes sparkling. “I wish my friend Zane could see me.”
Emma gave Cara a reassuring smile, knowing full well her sister was concerned about the friend who only visited Janie in her dreams. Sometimes psychic abilities were more of a curse than a gift. “I'm sure we'll all meet Zane someday, Janie girl.”
Janie grinned. “I know a secret.”
Cara glided toward her daughter, a smile on her face. “What kind of secret?” She turned a questioning glance in Emma's direction, who shrugged.
The giggle Janie gave echoed with fun. “I'm not 'posed to tell.”
Putting her hands on her hips, Cara set her face in a mock glare. “Says who? Talen?” Her voice warmed even as she rolled his consonants.
Janie clapped her hands over her mouth. “Uh huh.”
“Spill it, kid,” Emma said.
A tiny frown appeared between Janie's eyes as she pondered. Then she gave a happy giggle. “Okay. He changed the center ... center ... um ... center ...”
“Centerpieces?” Cara guessed.
“Yep.”
Emma frowned. “What were the centerpieces?”
The silk dress shimmered when Janie shrugged. “Some crystal thingies.”
“What are they now?” Cara tugged one of Janie's curls into place and then smoothed down the little girl's skirt.
“Pretty plants with little flowers.” Janie skipped over to Emma.
“Oh,” Cara said, her cheeks pinkening and her eyes glowing.
Emma smiled. A plant physiologist, Cara was most comfortable with live plants or flowers nearby. “Talen's got a sweet side.”
The door swept open. “I most certainly do not.” Talen, his dark hair loose around his shoulders, strode inside and reached for Janie to envelop her in a hug. “It was a
secret
.” He smacked a noisy kiss on the little girl's cheek, setting her on her feet. “You look stunning, little one.” Janie preened and smiled. Talen zeroed in on his wife.
Emma glanced to his side and fought to keep her mouth from hanging open. Dage stood in the doorway dressed in a black tuxâall powerful male animal. The sharp angles of his face enhanced those amazing eyes. Even in the civilized garb, something not quite tame emanated from him.
His gaze swept her head to toe. “You're wearing my colors, love.” He stalked forward and leaned down to brush her cheek with a kiss. “Soon you'll be wearing me,” he whispered for her ears only.
Desire blasted into her even as she stepped back. She liked things organized, nicely lined up in test tubes. There was nothing nice about Dage, and she sure as hell couldn't predict him. And any outcome she'd envisioned ended with the king destroyedâbecause of her. She shook her head. “No.” Damn but that sounded breathy and unsure.
His eyes hardened but he didn't get a chance to respond because Janie threw herself into his arms. “Uncle Dage. Do you like my dress?”
An astonishing change came over the king. His face softened and his eyes glowed as he caught the little girl and stood her on a cherry wood end table. “You're beautiful, Janie.” His smile crinkled the corners of his mouth.