Dark Prince (20 page)

"How worth?" she asked like a true pirate. Doc grinned in appreciation of her, as his hand trailed leisurely over her neck to rest lightly above her breasts. She didn’t flinch as he touched her, but she wanted to. His embrace was nothing like Yusef’s--even if her body still ached from where he’d skewered her.

"Name your price." Doc moved his hand to flick the cigar before puffing. He dropped his hands from her chest. "Ah, damn, it’s too bad I’m a married man."

Olena ignored the confession as his gaze moved over her like he wanted nothing more than to press her into the earthen floor. Feeling the twinge Yusef put in her body, she said, "Passage off this rock."

"Done." Doc nodded.

"Fifty thousand," she continued to barter, as was expected.

"Done."

"My own spacecraft?" she questioned, letting an impish smile cross her features.

"I appreciate your greed," he chuckled heartily. "Don’t push it."

Knowing he wouldn’t be trying anything, she shrugged. Pursing her lips together she affected a sultry pout. "Can’t blame a girl for trying."

"Especially one as devious as you, my dear Captain," the Doc said. There was only pleasure in his tone, no disapproval.

Passage and fifty thousand? Not to mention immunity from the Medical Alliance for her and her crew. This deal was too good to pass up. The only drawback was that she had the feeling she would be going back inside the palace. If what he wanted was outside the fortress, he would have just taken it himself. She did not relish facing Yusef again. She was too mortified. But, if she refused Doc Aleksander’s direct request, she’d end up dead.

Better humiliation than torture, she thought.

"So, boss, what you looking to get?" she asked with a vivid smile and a sparkle to her mischievous eyes. "If it can be lifted off the ground, Captain Olena can rightly steal it."

The Doc’s smile wavered from his features, as his face lost all its delightful charm. Cruelly, he said, "My daughter."

Chapter Fourteen

The palace keep was a dazzling place. For a palace designed and decorated by a race of antiquated, warrior men, it was fantastic. There was five wings built into, up, and around the tallest mountain on the planet. Olena was told that each Prince had designed his own section. Too her amazement, and judging by their homes, she discovered that the brothers were anything but carbon copies of each other. Whereas Morrigan’s home with Ualan was all fire, marble, and fur, Zoran and Pia’s wing was constructed with a wood finish, giving the place a real oriental lodge feeling to it. Yusef’s home was too plain, though she had a feeling the Outpost is where he spent most of his time.

Prince Olek and Princess Nadja’s home teemed with lush plant life. It grew out from a sunroom to vine around a door and part of the trellised ceiling. Giant fish tanks took up an entire two walls. One was clear with an oversized pink sucker fish adhered to the glass and blue fish with big, blinking eyes. The second had dark murky waters that Olena couldn’t see into except for hints of life that fluttered past the glass.

In the center of the hall was a natural water fountain, relaxing and calm in its resplendent beauty. It too had plant life growing in its stone crevices. It did nothing to soothe the sour temperaments of the four gathered Princesses.

Olena didn’t go back to Yusef in the medical ward, choosing to do the cowardly thing and hide out. He was trapped in the hospital and so couldn’t go to his palace home. She took advantage of that fact and quarantined herself from the rest of the family. Only by the grace of Queen Mede was she fed when a servant brought her a tray of food. The Queen had come to the home once to give her a tour of the palace and to introduce her to her new ‘sisters’. It had been extremely awkward.

She was surprised to get Nadja’s invitation to join her and the other Princesses at her house for a visit. But, thinking of Doc, she knew she had no choice. She had to go, if only to judge his daughter for herself. She didn’t see a way around it. If she didn’t retrieve the woman for him, he would find a way to get to his daughter himself and Olena’s body would never be found.

Looking around at the other high-backed chairs, Olena noticed the others looked as dismal as she felt, especially Morrigan whose unusually pale face and red eyes screamed that she was hung-over. Stretching her arms over her head, Morrigan yawned. It was the most movement she had made in awhile.

"So, have any of your husbands lied to you about who they were?" Olena tried to encourage conversation. Her hair was pulled back into a bun and her eyes flashed with purposeful mischief to hide what she was really feeling. Maybe the Doc’s daughter would want to be rescued and returned to him. Maybe she’d be doing the woman a favor by taking her back.

"I thought mine was a prison guard," Pia chuckled darkly. Olena glanced at her. Okay, there was one unhappy Princess.

"I used to call mine a gardener," Morrigan said, tucking her hand beneath her head on the high-backed chair. Mumbling softly, she said so as not to disturb her delicate head, "And a caveman."

The women chuckled. Olena frowned slightly. Morrigan didn’t appear to be too unhappy, though she was obviously miserable. Olena couldn’t tell if it was because she didn’t like Prince Ualan or because she’d drunk to excess the night before.

Nadja just blushed shyly. "I call mine a dragon."

Hum, Olena thought, that answer was vague.

"They’re all dragons, if you ask me." Morrigan winked at Nadja.

Nadja halfheartedly laughed as she rose to answer a summons from the door. It was the Queen.

Mede stepped into the intimate circle of women and nodded. "I heard you all were hiding out here."

Olena didn’t move. She kept her expression veiled as she watched the three women. Nadja smiled in genuine kindness. Morrigan miserably refused to move. Pia looked guarded, as if she didn’t know how to take the Queen.

"How’s Yusef?" Olena asked, before she could stop to think. She suddenly blushed at the outburst and refused to glance at the other women.

"Still awake," the Queen answered. "And still with his brothers. They speak of fighting and fighting always makes warriors happy, for it is something they know how to do."

Olena nodded, leaning back in her chair and trying to pretend she didn’t care either way. No one was fooled.

Mede glanced at the hung-over Morrigan and raised her delicate brow slightly. Morrigan had to turn away. To her credit, the Queen said nothing.

Nadja suddenly asked if anyone wanted something to drink. Morrigan balked and instantly declined, turning a shade paler. They all laughed, despite their mood.

"No, dear, we’re fine," the Queen answered. Silence followed. Mede was disappointed that the women weren’t going to continue to talk freely. She had heard their soft laughter and had been anxious to be a part of it. But, she also knew the women were troubled in their own ways. She couldn’t blame them. Her sons were great men, but were sometimes too stubborn for their own good. "Daughters."

The Princesses looked at Mede expectantly. The Queen came forward and took a seat amongst them, looking them over in turn.

Olena saw the woman’s cunning and wondered what she was up to. When she had given the palace tour, Mede had tried probing her. Olena had given the woman nothing, artfully avoiding all her veiled questions.

"Enough of this. This planet is in desperate need of more women and I intend to see that each one of you explore the power you possess," the Queen said. "Your husbands are warriors. I expect now each of you has a clear idea now of what that means. But just because they made the rules, doesn’t mean you can’t use them. You have more power than you think. So, tell me your problems with my sons and I’ll give you the Qurilixen solution. I think it’s time that the royal woman had the upper hand for once."

Slowly, one by one, the women smiled, growing more and more trusting of the earnest Queen--all but Olena who only smiled because it was expected of her. The Queen nodded, happy. Yes, Mede thought to herself, that was how it was supposed to be with daughters. She had waited too many years to let her sons ruin her plans for a giant family.

"Pia." Mede looked pointedly at the woman. In that moment, Pia was well aware the Queen knew her hesitance for her, but was being patient. "Why don’t you go first?"

Before Pia could answer, Olena slowly stood, drawing all eyes to her. Quietly, she said, "I should go check on Yusef."

The Queen nodded. The Princesses were silent, all except for Nadja who ordered the door open. Olena silently trailed out of the home.

"Has she said anything about her kidnapping?" the Queen asked when she was gone and the door was shut.

The others shook their heads in denial.

"Poor, poor woman." The Queen turned her sad eyes back to her daughters. "I can’t imagine the horror she went through."

* * * *

Yusef was surrounded by his brothers. He grinned and laughed with them, as they made jokes about the blow his manhood had received from his wife. Yusef was still sore about having to put her in chastisement. However, discovering that she was a virgin at the time lessened his irritation with it enough that he could receive his brother’s jests in good humor.

"On the way back to the palace," Zoran stated, "she almost unseated our little brother from his ceffyl."

Olek frowned. "I don’t envy you a bit, brother. I almost did you the favor of dropping her back off at the Var doorstep."

Yusef chuckled, knowing Olek jested.

"I owe you all a great debt in retrieving my little firebird." Yusef turned serious. "Her medicine is just what I needed to come around."

"Oh," Ualan laughed wryly. "I don’t want to hear any of that!"

Yusef just grinned, proud and unashamed.

"So how are your wives?" Yusef asked. Instantly, the Princes’ expressions faded. Yusef sighed. They didn’t say a word. Then, to lighten the mood, he said, "Well, at least they didn’t try to dismember you."

The brothers laughed anew.

* * * *

Olena came quietly to the medical ward door, her heart hammering in her chest at the sound of male laughter. She paused, not understanding what they said as they spoke in their own tongue.

She had left Nadja’s about an hour ago, only now getting the nerve to face Yusef. She only came now because the doctor had seen her out wandering the halls and told her to retrieve him. He was free to go home, but the doctor wanted him supervised for the walk and thought his wife the best one for the job. He then rattled off a bunch of care instructions, which Olena was sure she would never remember.

Suddenly, a servant rushed past her into the medical ward and the laughter stopped. He came back, followed by Prince Zoran. Olena lifted her jaw at the Prince. He nodded distractedly back in return.

Olena stepped forward to face her husband. It didn’t take but a moment for his eyes to find her. He looked almost completely recovered, except for the sling around his arm. It lay against his delectably naked chest. Olek and Ualan looked at each other and quickly stood to leave. Olena glanced at them both, returning Olek’s slight frown with one of her own.

When they were alone, she asked softly, "Are you ready? They said for me to come and get you."

Yusef threw his legs over the side of the bed. She looked lovely. He devoured her every curve of her with his eyes, itching to touch her, hold her, kiss her. He lurched with a curious possessiveness to know he was the only man to have ever had her.

"Olena," he began.

Olena scowled. His tone was too tender for her. Turning her back on him, she said, "Mention it and I’ll do more than earn chastisement."

Yusef had to grin at her fighting spirit and at the view he was given of her very firm backside when she walked away from. He limped slightly to keep up with her and his back spasmed and strained. Olena hastened ahead of him into the passageway leading to his palace home.

"Hey," he called, needing to stop from the furiously growing pace. Olena turned to him at the grunt of his voice. He leaned against a wall, resting. To his husbandly pleasure, her face fell as she forgot everything else to rush to his side.

Olena looked over his grimacing face. She lightly moved her hands to the folds of his bared chest in concern. All embarrassment at seeing him again left her as she ran her fingers over his sides in an effort to see his back.

What she found when she looked made her blood run cold. Over a dozen long, angry gashes slashed over his skin. They were healed shut, but Olena knew that they must hurt him terribly. Blinking, she looked up at him.

"What happened to you?" Her voice was hoarse, weak.

Yusef was taken aback by her tormented whisper, as the arm that wasn’t in a sling reached up to touch her face. He met her cheek with his fingers, stroking her gently.

"Didn’t they tell you?" he asked.

Olena nodded. "But you really didn’t see who did it?"

"No. But, we will find them." Yusef’s thumb moved to trace her lip and to his delight he felt her shiver. Suddenly, his eyes turned sad.

"What? Are you hurting?"

Yusef merely smiled and she wrinkled her nose at the obviousness of her question. Instead of answering, he asked a question of his own. "Did you mean it when you said you meant to leave me?"

Olena had almost forgotten who she was until those words. She drew herself up, straightening away from him. Her eyes clouded once more, the delicate bond between them severed by her will.

"I’m not Princess material, knight." She slipped an arm around his lower back to help him walk. He leaned slightly on her as they took a slower pace. "How about we leave it at that for now?"

Once back in Yusef’s palace home, Olena let him go. They had walked in silence. Yusef was tormented by her words. Olena, hating herself for what she would do to him and his family, couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

Eyeing him, she said, "I was told to see if you needed help bathing."

No, he didn’t need help, but he wouldn’t admit to as much. A small plan forming in his mind, Yusef decided that maybe there were ways to convince his stubborn wife that she belonged with him. Anything was worth a try.