Dark Prince (5 page)

Staring at Yusef, she nodded her head at the prone man and professed, "To the Pirate’s Code, Yusef. You won’t best me again."

* * * *

After cleaning up her mess and washing the knife, Olena spent the entire night dozing on the bed. Occasionally a loud, passionate cry from a nearby tent would jolt her awake. Sleep never claimed her completely as she watched Yusef’s chest rising and falling in the torchlight. The ache he stirred in her gave way after about an hour to leave a pain much worse than the one in her injured arm.

Yusef didn’t move. Olena knew he was going to be sore when he woke up from being in the same awkward position all night--not to mention livid. She couldn’t really blame him. She’d be livid too if he had done it to her.

As dawn crept into the tent, the torches had all but burnt out. Olena had memorized every line of his face and shoulders. The more she looked, the more handsome she thought him. It didn’t matter. The throbbing in her arm served to remind her that she couldn’t let him affect her.

Hearing a shuffle outside the tent flap, Olena yawned, pushing her tired body out of bed. Taking the fur coverlet, she pulled it around her shoulders and stumbled to see who was there. As she pulled the flap aside, the waiting manservant seemed surprised to see a half-naked woman answering him. Blinking, he tried to see over her shoulder.

"He’s taking a bath." Olena smiled naturally for the man, letting a blush she didn’t feel fall over her features. The lie came a little too easily to her, as she continued, "He should be along in a moment."

"Very good, my lady," the servant mumbled. His kind brown eyes drew down, politely refusing to stare at the beautiful but married woman. He was dressed in a simple tunic and brown breeches, his hair pulled back from his face in a queue. Lifting his hands laden with garments, he said, "Your clothes, my lady. The council bid me to tell you they are ready to see you as soon as you are dressed."

"Me?" Olena squeaked, mistaking his meaning. How could they have known what she did? Were these shifters telepathic too? That hadn’t occurred to her.

"Yes, my lady," the servant said. "You and his lordship."

"Lordship?" Olena asked, looking over her shoulder. She took the black cloth from him the best she could save her coverlet attire. A quizzical smile came to her face. A lord, eh? "Yes, yes, I’ll be sure to tell his … ah … lordship to hurry."

"Very good, my lady," the servant answered. The gray tent flap fell in his face before he even finished.

Olena turned, looking at her husband with renewed eyes. What exactly had she stumbled into? So Yusef was a lord, was he? That meant he would have money and men with money usually had things--things like spacecrafts and jewels and other valuables that could fetch a good price on the black market.

If her crew still looked for her, as she knew they did, then they would be much happier to greet her if she were laden with gifts. It would be a nice gesture to them as a thank you for their loyalty. Maybe she could afford to take them to Quazer for a well-deserved vacation. Maybe she could even get the slave brands removed from their backsides as well. She tried not to grin.

Setting the clothes on the bed, she dug through the pile with one hand. Her injured arm still pained her when she moved it. On top was a black tunic jacket, too big for her to wear. It was made from a soft cotton-like material, woven fine with simple edging. A silver dragon clasp held the jacket together in the front. The jacket went over an undertunic and a pair of tighter pants that were also severely black in color. On the jacket’s chest was the emblem of a dragon embroidered in silver.

Olena grimaced, as she came to her clothing. "Ugh, another dress."

Her gown was of a matching shade. Before putting it on, she carefully peeled the bandage from her wound. The cut was angry and red but, for the sake of her honor, she wasn’t allowed to do anything about it for three days. Only then could she disinfect it and help it to heal. Ripping her wedding dress on the floor, she tore the black silk into strips and tied up her arm.

The tunic gown hugged tightly to her waist, dipping low at the chest in a very elegant way. Silver overlay fit at the shoulders and bodice, moving to trail over the back portion of the flared skirt. She too had the dragon on her chest, a smaller version than on Yusef’s tunic. The sleeves swung wide from her elbows to the floor, leaving her forearms exposed. She was glad her cut was high enough to be hidden from view by the sleeves.

Slipping into the boots that had been delivered with them, she sighed in comfort. If she never saw a pair of slippers again, it would be too soon. Everything fit perfectly, but she took little time to wonder about it.

She combed her fingers through her hair, pinning the bulk of it into a serviceable knot at the back of her head. It was slow going with one arm injured, but she did manage to get it back. Then, as she was placing the firefly into the top of the coiffure, she heard a low growl.

Olena froze, gulping in sudden fear. She dropped her hand to her side. Slowly, she turned. That was not the sound of a man.

Chapter Four

Spinning just in time to see a flash of brown skin, Olena gasped in fright. Yusef had awakened in a dragon-like mood. Well, dragon-like wasn’t necessarily true. He was literally a human dragon. She had suspected he was a shifter, but she hadn’t been ready to see it firsthand.

Golden eyes of fire stared at her as Yusef’s talon like fingers gripped her arms. She cried out in pain as he pressed into her cut. His beautiful black hair was the same, but his forehead had stiffened and pulled forward, bringing a low ridge down from his hairline to his nose. His breath came out in ragged draws of breath, rumbling with a growl in the back of his throat. All his flesh had turned as hard as armor and would be near impossible to pierce with a knife blade. Still, she wished she had a knife. She would have liked to give it a try.

"Ah," Olena gasped as he squeezed harder.

Olena clenched her eyes, trying not to cry out as he hurt her. Moisture pooled her vision and she squeezed it back, refusing to show weakness. His breath hit against her skin, skin that was too easily becoming excited by his show of power.

Yusef’s nostrils flared. Glancing over Olena’s pale face, he smelled her fear. It didn’t stop him. He tried his best not to rip her treacherous head off, as he crushed her arm in his palms, bruising her flesh. Then, catching the scent of blood, he stopped. He leaned forward, sniffing at her neck.

He continued to follow the scent of blood, moving down her arm. Discovering that the source was beneath his hands, he stopped. He fought for control, thinking he might have gouged her with his talon.

The grip became less rigid on her arm and Olena could again breathe. When she opened her eyes, he was back as she knew him. She had seen shifters before, but never like him. He was so powerful, so strong. It did something wicked inside her to see it. Her heart was racing and not all in fear. She had the strangest urge to jump on him and kiss him.

Yusef was staring at her arm. His face contorted with anger, he demanded hotly, "Why?"

Olena didn’t waver in light of his voiced outrage. She could handle this better than his tenderness. The throbbing in her arm brought her comfort and normalcy.

"You drug me, I drug you," she declared. "We’re even. Fair is fair."

"What?" he demanded in outrage.

Yusef let her go before he shifted again and ripped the delicate throat from her neck. His arms ached from his awkward night in the bath, but he wouldn’t give her the pleasure of seeing him stretch the muscles. "I never--"

"Don’t lie," Olena said in warning. "I know exactly what was in that drink. A little Maiden’s Breath mixed with just a dash of Last Ember’s root. It makes the victim nice and malleable. Too bad for you, I know what it does and can fight it."

"It’s a traditional drink," Yusef defended, "not a drug."

"Nice tradition, dragon. Why don’t you just skip the drugging and get straight to the rape?"

She didn’t think it was possible, but his look blackened.

"Listen, we’re even," she growled. Her arm throbbed and she wanted nothing more than to grab it. She refrained. "You don’t try to drug me and I won’t drug you, deal?"

"We do not rape," Yusef growled forebodingly, deeply insulted by the insinuation. His hair fell forward over his shoulders as his naked chest heaved. "The crystal chooses the pairing. With the crystal, the wine makes the mind open. That is why it’s against the law to come together this night. The woman’s will must be left free, so that she may choose freely. The wine helps to connect, to start the foundation of a good life. It helps to…"

Yusef stopped. He didn’t want to tell her it opened the ports between their minds so that someday they would be able to read each other’s thoughts and feelings. Already he could feel the beginning stirs of her emotions, though they were too tumultuous to get a good reading on them.

Olena raised a brow. "Pray, please continue with this lovely lesson on male dominated logic."

Yusef frowned. Instead, he stated, "I smell blood."

Olena paled. She tried to hide the look but he caught it.

"You are injured?" Yusef asked, afraid he had done it to her in his anger.

Olena looked towards her sleeve. A trickle of blood made the slow journey down the back of her arm. She gradually turned her hand so he couldn’t see it.

"No," Olena lied. "I’m fine."

"Let me see."

"I’m fine," she said, growing uncomfortable. "Listen, it looks as if we are going to be spending countless hours together, so do you mind if we cut this pleasant little scenario until later? I didn’t sleep too well and I have a wicked migraine. Besides, a servant came by and said to tell you that the council is ready to see us as soon as we are dressed."

Olena motioned to his clothes on the bed. Yusef realized he stood before her completely naked. He was beginning to feel a chill. She kept her gaze averted while he donned his clothing. Yusef would have laughed by the show of modesty after having witnessed her little performance last night, but he felt too drained at the moment.

Looking down, Yusef saw his crystal still glowed. She shouldn’t be able to feel such pain this morning, unless it was like she said and she was immune to the drink. Come to think of it, it might be her headache he was starting to detect inside his brain. It would make sense if he could feel inside her.

This damned thing might be broken, he mused, again eyeing the crystal.

But when he looked at the red-haired vixen keeping her back to him, he saw her tremble. He felt their connection as strongly as the first moment he’d seen her. She was his life mate. She was his perfect match.

Damn perfection anyway, Yusef thought.

"You are not frightened?" Yusef asked, noticing how she said nothing about his dragon form.

"Of what?" she returned absently. She had been flicking absently at the dragon on her chest and stopped to inquire, "Of you?"

Sure she was scared of him. She was scared of what he’d made her feel the previous night in his arms. She was scared that even the wound she’d given herself wouldn’t be enough of a reminder for her to fight him--to not fall for his handsome face and fierce dragon eyes.

"Of me, yes," he said quietly. He came up behind her, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder. There were many stories of brides going insane with the realization and leaving their mates to hundreds of years of lonely torment.

Olena flinched but did not back away. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw his eyes were serious. He drew his over her back, resting on the opposite shoulder as she turned to look fully at him.

"You mean because you’re a shifter?" she asked, with a light, unconcerned shrug.

"Yes, because of that." Yusef was awed by her easy acceptance.

Olena wanted to laugh but didn’t. Lufa, a member of her crew, was a walking amphibian and left a slime trail whenever he was near her. MoPa was a hairy yeti from the Bogylands. Hedge had prickles on his head instead of hair. In a pinch, he made for a damned fine needle. No, she wasn’t scared of a little shifting.

"No," she said truthfully. The ache in her heart replaced the ache in her arm. She really did miss her crew. They were the only family she’d ever really known. Olena pulled away from him when he would have pulled her into his arms. Turning to study him, she said truthfully "I have no fear of different creatures. So what if you are a shifter?"

"But, the other brides…" Yusef tensed. Her sadness washed over him and he wondered about it. She was so lonely. For a moment, he forgot about her drugging him.

"I won’t say anything. Besides, I don’t want to be the one to catch them when they faint," Olena said, forcing up the smiling mask. "Let their husbands deal with them."

"But they are your friends."

Friends? Olena thought in surprise. She’d never had a female friend before. No, a friend was someone who had your back. Those girls on the ship would turn their backs as soon as they found out what she was.

"No," she said, with a calmness that made him pause. She closed herself off to him, not letting him feel anything within her. "I just traveled with them. I didn’t have any friends on that ship."

Sighing, Yusef pulled on his boots and held out his elbow for her to take. "Shall we?"

"Sure, why not?" she mumbled, not really thinking about where they were going or what they were going to do. None of it mattered anyway and her mind was elsewhere.

It was not the enthusiastic response a husband expected, but then again, this woman was not the bride Yusef expected.

"By the way," he said as he led her out of the tent. "Do I have your promise that you will never drug me again?"

"Sure, why not?" Olena repeated. But, this time, she flashed him a bright, impish smile. Her eyes shone with disobedience. "So long as you don’t deserve it."

* * * *

Olena stood before the council leaders, bowing her head regally to the King and Queen in the center. They nodded back, their crowned heads tilted pleasantly as they smiled at Yusef and his bride. The royal couple was dressed in matching purple tunics. Looking over at Yusef’s black outfit and then hers, she frowned. They weren’t going to have to dress alike every day, were they?