Dark Prince (10 page)

Yusef grinned, jogging across the house to the bedroom door. He didn’t need to be told twice.

"Ach, now, make sure you don’t take too long in there, or else we might eat without you," Agro yelled, earning him another solid punch from his loving wife. His brow lifted in innocence. "What did I say?"

* * * *

Olena gulped for breath once she was alone. Her whole body trembled, not only at being denied, but with mortification of what she had almost done. She was glad Agro and Cordele had stopped it, for she hadn’t been going to. To her everlasting shame, she had been willing to let Yusef have her--completely. She had given no protest.

Taking the bandage off her arm, she studied the thin pink scar and shuddered. She would just have to be more careful in the future. Obviously, when Yusef kissed her with those expert lips of his she was a goner. Jack would be doing angry somersaults in his grave if he saw her now.

Hell, she thought. It’s possible he’s done dug himself out and is coming to get me for betraying the code.

"Wife?" Yusef asked softly, as he had taken to calling her. Olena jumped, not having heard him enter. Yusef shut the door behind him. He looked down to where she poked at her scar. Olena immediately dropped her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," she said. Yusef’s tanned muscular chest was not helping her inner struggle against him. Her nerves jumped, more than ready to resume where they had left off. She glanced at the bed, swallowing. Weakly, she lied, "I was just going to get cleaned up a little."

"They didn’t mean anything," he said, thinking she maybe was embarrassed about being caught. Yusef went to the dresser, grabbed a clean shirt, and pulled it on.

"I know," she shrugged, unconcerned. She was angrier at herself for needing them to break it up. If she had to cut herself a hundred more times, she wouldn’t be letting that happen again. Suddenly, the memory of Yusef’s naked body in the tent came to mind and she had an unbidden fantasy of him leaning her into a wall and taking her standing up. Taking an unsteady breath that was abnormally loud, she asked, "Why don’t you go start the fire pit? I’ll be out in minute."

Yusef leaned over to kiss her but she turned her face away. Instead, he stroked back her hair, trying to hide his disappointment. His low accent washed over her, as he spoke softly, "I’ll see you in a minute then."

* * * *

"What I’m wondering," Olena announced looking pointedly across the soft fire at Agro, who was cuddled next to his wife. The meal of roasted baudrons was long since finished. It was a fine, dark meat of whose origin Olena was too scared to inquire into, being as she had seen some strange creatures around the village.

They were enjoying the soft light of the evening dusk. The haze would last all night, not getting nearly as dark as the festival evening had been. The men and Olena drank a stout beer and Cordele had water.

Lifting her glass, Olena continued in a murmur, "Is who darkened those daylights of yours?"

Agro chuckled, looking meaningfully at Yusef. Yusef, who was slowly watching his wife get tipsy, smiled at her unique turn of phrase. It seemed the more she drank, the less refined her speech became. Stretching his legs before him, he leaned back.

"Ach, lass." Agro grinned at Yusef, unable to help getting a jibe in at him and his brothers, especially knowing Yusef wouldn’t dare answer back and reveal who he truly was. "It was one of those boorish Princes, the oldest Ualan. He was a bit testy at the festival and needed to vent."

"Oh!" Olena said, sitting straight. "So he took his frustrations out on you, did he? Isn’t that just like royalty?"

Yusef grimaced, his eyes pleading with Agro to let the matter drop. Agro, who had grown up with all four Princes and could rightly call them all friends, did not heed the Prince’s plea. His eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Isn’t it, though?" Agro shook his head sadly. "I should sic you on them, firebird. I bet you could teach them a thing of two."

"I bet without the title behind his name and in a fair fight, you could have taken him easily," she insisted. "I bet you’d lick all four of their royal ass--anyway."

Yusef flinched. Cordele hid her face in Agro’s chest and giggled uncontrollably.

Agro lifted his glass to her and drank to her words. Yusef set his on the ground and shook his head, refusing to toast his insolent friend.

"So are you a dragon, too?" Olena hadn’t seen any shifting tendencies in him. "Can I see?"

Agro choked on his drink in surprise. Blinking, he looked at Yusef who simply shrugged his shoulders and threaded his hands behind his head.

Olena glanced at her husband. Oh, but he was handsome. She had been trying to avoid looking at him all night. His long, thick legs stretched out towards the fire. His lap just begged for her to climb onto it. His mouth parted at her attention, his eyes flashing wickedly to yellow, noting her mild obsession with the shifting. Fire shot through her and she finished off her drink in several gulps.

"Ach, enough of that," Agro grouched.

"I could say the same to you." Yusef was annoyed by the interruption. The stream of fiery passion her face had unwittingly sent to him was almost more than his denied body could take. "What with number twelve --?"

"Music," Cordele broke in lightly, pushing up from her husband’s arms. "Yusef, would you mind playing for us? It has been awhile."

Yusef smiled at the request and nodded his head. Olena blinked in surprise, but said nothing.

"I’ll go with you," Agro said, feeling his wife push at his back.

When the women were alone, Cordele said, "You know, the royalty around here aren’t that bad."

Olena eyed the woman. Was she related to the royal family? "You’re not … a Princess, are you?"

"No," Cordele laughed.

Olena relaxed and was again able to breath. For a moment, she’d been scared the royal family would get wind of her insults. That was definitely some attention she didn’t need.

"I am a dance instructor," Cordele said. "In fact, I am teaching one of the new Princesses a traditional Qurilixen dance in a few days. Prince Ualan came by and asked me just this morning."

"He probably felt bad for doing that to your husband. You should have told him to stick it."

Cordele chuckled. "To tell the truth, my husband probably deserved it."

Olena conceded to the woman’s insight with a nod. "I can see how you have your hands full with him."

Inside Yusef pulled his gittern from the back of his closet and strummed the instrument’s four strings to make sure it was in tune.

Agro leaned on the frame of the door, watching quietly for a moment. When Yusef finished, he said, "She knows about the Draig, yet you say nothing about who you are. Why?"

Yusef wasn’t surprised by the prying question. He let a sad line edge his mouth and said nothing.

"Ah, so you think she would reject you if you told her," Agro stated.

"You heard what she thinks about royalty. What do you think would happen if I told her she was a Princess?" They spoke in their native tongue so they couldn’t be over heard by the women. "There is no rush. If she asks me directly, I’ll answer honestly."

"Your wife has fire, friend, that’s for sure," Agro said, leading the way back to the patio. "I don’t envy you that. My Cordele is as sweet and mild as any man could dream of wanting in a woman." Then wiggling his eyebrows wickedly, he added, "And, oh, can she dance. Drives me nearly insane each time I see her practicing. I swear that’s why she’s pregnant more often than not."

"I always did like fire." A soft smile grew on his features as he thought of the challenge his nameless wife presented him. "Now, if only I could figure out what to call her."

Agro laughed, "You know, the same thing has been bugging me."

Chapter Seven

Soft music filled the evening as Yusef played a simple melody. Olena watched him, enthralled by the movements of his fingers as they plucked deftly at the strings of his gittern. He really a man of many talents.

Yusef felt Olena’s eyes on him. He turned to her, not breaking the song as he winked in her direction. Her heart skipped. Olena flushed and looked away. Her glass was empty and so she couldn’t hide her face in a drink, as she had done all night when Yusef’s heated gaze found her. Her mouth went dry each and every time.

Olena unconsciously rubbed her arm. It didn’t hurt anymore but she could feel the thin scar through the cotton shirt. Maybe if she had been left to suffer it out, her resolve against her dark, barbaric husband would have been stronger.

Cordele suddenly stretched, yawning as she blinked. Olena knew what was coming, they were going to leave. Almost in a panic, she wanted to stop them, but she couldn’t think of a single excuse to make them stay.

"Firebird," Agro began. "Thank you for inviting us, but I think I should get my lovely wife home to bed."

Cordele yawned again, nodding in agreement. "It was a divine evening."

Yusef’s song finished and he stood. He began kicking out the fire pit. Olena gulped, growing nervous. She had seen the look in Yusef’s eyes all night. He was going to want to finish what they started in the kitchen. She couldn’t let that happen.

Yusef said his polite goodbyes as the couple took their leave, arm in arm. Olena dutifully invited them back sometime. They waved, saying they would love it. Cordele’s head leaned against Agro’s shoulder and he swept her into his arms and carried her down the path with ease. Olena could hear the woman’s soft laugh as she hugged to her husband’s chest.

Olena watched them disappear until she was left alone with Yusef. She swallowed nervously, forcing a yawn though she was hardly sleepy.

"Well," she lied. "I think I’m going to go get some sleep. I’m a little tired myself."

Yusef grinned as she walked into the house. He finished smothering the fire and, grabbing the gittern, he followed her inside. Latching the door behind him, he set the instrument on the couch and left it.

Olena blinked, turning to look at him when he moved to follow her. The oddly seducing call of his song stayed in her head. She was besieged by him, captured.

"What are you doing?" she questioned, though it wasn’t necessary. She saw the intent clearly in his devilishly handsome eyes. When his eyes flashed with his power, her heart leapt to dangerous speeds.

Yusef smelled her desire building, knowing his beastly side excited her. He let his eyes shift again, changing to liquid gold. To his pleasure, she visibly shivered. Slowly, he took his tunic from his shoulders and tossed it aside as he stalked forward. "I’m going to pick up where we left off."

"I’m too tired," she lied, thrilled by the look of him. This was a man who wouldn’t be dissuaded with words. Even the pulse in her neck jumped at the sight of him. Weakly, she protested, "Maybe we should hold off."

His nostrils flared. "Your body says otherwise."

Olena shivered. Now that wasn’t fair. She backed up as he came for her, realizing too late that he was forcing her into the bedroom. She looked around in panic, angling her body away from the bed.

"You’re nothing but a race of horny men," she cried in dismay, trying to stop him and getting ready to fight off his pounce. Her legs wobbled with the influence of her drinking. "Invest in a pleasure droid or something, would you?"

That brought a dangerous smirk to his face. "You didn’t seem to mind my attentions at the festival or this afternoon in the kitchen. In fact, I think you actually begged me to --"

"I was drugged at the festival," she defended weakly. She swayed lightly on her feet, tipsy from drinking. "I didn’t --"

"I thought you said you knew what we were doing and could fight the drug," he shot in return, enjoying the game she played with him. He had no problem playing the hunter. Her mouth tried to deny him, but her body ached for his with each and every fiber. It called to him, begging even when her lips would not. Every fiber in his body answered the call most willingly.

"I was faking it," she lied boldly. Yusef laughed. Olena’s hand went automatically to her hair searching for the firefly pin. He laughed harder.

"You didn’t think I would let you have that back after what you did, did you?" He shook his head, his hair spilling forth over his shoulders.

"It doesn’t matter. You couldn’t make me feel if you tried," she spat as a last resort, hoping he’d back down. She really should have known better. His eyes lit up in delight and it was too late to take the words back. The challenge had been issued and he took it gladly.

Olena pulled back in alarm as he sprang forward with a supernatural speed to lift her into his strong embrace. Her feet dangled off the floor. Her arms were pressed into her sides. She struggled to get free but he was too strong. He let her feel the power his body had over her. He let the press of his erection mold confidently into her soft thigh. Her nipples hardened against his heat.

Don’t let him kiss you. Don’t let him kiss you, her mind chanted. Her lashes dipped over her eyes. Don’t let him ki – oh.

Yusef’s lips took hers in rough possession, stealing her breath from her lungs. Her battle was lost the moment she tasted him. She returned his kiss full force, without hesitation, groaning her aching need into his mouth. She found hold in his hair, dipping her fingers into the softness of it. He smelled like wood smoke. He tasted like mint. And he felt every inch of hard man.

Yusef was amazed at how easily her defenses crumbled to him. As Olena melted into his arms, he set her down on the floor. Her mind might hate her for it, but her body was all his and he had every intention of staking full claim. She instantly ran her hands to explore his chest. She tweaked her fingers over his nipples, causing a spasm of intense longing to course through him. He growled a low, barbaric, animalistic sound of domination and appreciation.

"I need you now," he said into her flesh. Before she knew what was happening, Yusef worked her clothes from her body, pooling her pants around her ankles. He moved his fingers to her moist center, spreading her open so he could test her. She was more than ready for him and the discovery made his body ferocious in its response.