The Prince snarled as he pumped into her a few more times before lowering her legs. “Thank you, Madeline. That was wonderful.”
“Always, my Prince. I pray to the gods that this time I will conceive with their blessing.”
He nodded, but I saw it,
t
hat slight tension in his shoulders.
Interesting
. He pulled out of her and sat back on his feet, reaching for her.
“Oh, you do not have to tend to me, my Prince,” she quickly rambled as if he weren’t trying to kiss her but check on her. Daft woman.
Nice try, but only an idiot wouldn’t catch she didn’t want him but only the prestige of bearing his child.
“I will leave you to your busy day.”
“Yes, thank you.” He watched her throw on a robe and hurry out the door, sighing when she was gone. “Did you enjoy the show, owl?”
Busted!
I jumped down from the ledge, shifting as I did, and picked up the USB drive. “I apologize for interrupting such a private moment, Prince Folkvar, but this is of the upmost importance.”
“You know it’s a death sentence to interrupt
The Rite of Lineage
,” he hissed quietly as he looked at me over his shoulder. I was struck stupid for a moment, locking gazes with the most magnificent lime green cat-like eyes I’d ever seen that could still pass as human. “It’s the week of a decade cycle where I bed all willing single felines in the hopes of making heirs. It’s how a king has consorts and children of all lines without influence of outside pressures.”
“No, I didn’t know that, your grace.” I dropped to my knee once I was in the room with him, making sure to close the balcony door so we weren’t overheard. “I beg your forgiveness. The owls were sent out with information of a situation that is detrimental to all the races. My director was very specific that you were one of the highest priorities. I was sent to make sure you, and you alone, received the information and to protect you until we can get you to safety.”
“Well that’s one I didn’t expect when you said it was important. I mean, it’s
always
important,” he muttered as he rolled out of bed. I watched as he went over to the dresser and cleaned his groin off with what looked like ceremonial towels and water from a basin that had a royal-looking crest. I licked my lips as his cock started to get hard from the attention. “What flock are you from?”
He had a delicate nose, a sexy contrast to his defined chest, washboard abs.
Right, pay attention, Hadley
. “Dayton, your grace.” He motioned for me to stand as he finished and set the towel down. I did and extended my hand with the USB drive.
“You’ve flown a very long way then,” he surmised as he studied me closely. He gestured to sideboard where there was a full bar and stocked refreshments. I nodded that I would accept the offer—after he took the drive. “All right, you have proof, now what’s the deal? If it’s as important as you say, I don’t want to find out the punch line after filtering through file after file.” He’d taken the USB drive though, and I watched as he walked over to his desk.
He was
very much
a feline. It was obvious from the way he walked on the balls of his feet. Not that pompous, bouncy way some gay men or women did as if showing off their assets. No, it was ingrained in him as if always ready for whatever and able to land on his feet no matter what life threw at him.
I honestly wished I could have that talent. I always seemed to land on my ass… Or my head. Or both when my head was
up
my ass.
I quickly told everything I knew in between chugging two bottles of water. After the first few sips, I saw him reach out for the closest chair and guide himself into it since his legs were shaky.
Yeah, that was kind of how everyone reacted to finding out our way of life was ending and every human government was plotting to exterminate us. Understandable?
Oh yeah.
“And our
glorious
PP? What are those bastards doing about this?” he inquired after a few minutes of silence when I was done. I watched his slender fingers move over the muscles in his thighs as he tried to rub the sweat off his hands. “My asshole father most of all?”
“They are in on it, your grace,” I mumbled, waiting for the messenger to get killed. So color me confused when he threw back his head and let out an angry bark of laughter.
“Of
course
those sons of bitches are. They’d trample cubs to save their asses.” He got himself back to his cool composure before meeting my eyes. “My people are in your debt, owl.”
“Hadley, your grace. Hadley Burgess.” Now my hands were sweating.
He nodded and shot me a covert glance from under his hair. “Fitting. Very fitting.” A thrill went through me. Maybe he was bi? “How much do you know about the royal rules of felines, Hadley?”
“To be honest, not much, your grace.” I realized then how bizarre it was that we were still naked for the duration of this conversation. He hadn’t gotten dressed or offered me clothes. I licked my lips at the flashes of ideas that fact gave me.
Odd much? And how much longer did I have to keep calling him
your grace
every time I talked? Was there a limit? After five times I could be normal?
“Any member of the paranormal community who aids the feline races is allowed to ask the ruling or heir feline any favor or have any request granted to them in line with the amount of aid. Your director would have known this, sending you on a long journey with such extreme news. Thus I would allow you
any
favor without question.”
I swallowed loudly as my eyes raked over his body as if having a mind of their own. “I see.”
“Do you? Do you
really
?” He got to his feet and moved closer in that graceful way that made my blood boil. I shrugged. I understood the concept but there was a specific point he was making and
that
I didn’t. “You could ask for my head on a plate or my first born and I could not deny you, Hadley. So I have to ask myself, why did your director send
you
?”
“Your grace?” I whispered as he moved around me, stalking me like a predator feline. I finally got a good whiff now that I wasn’t distracted from the sex scent of early. Lynx.
Nice.
“Did your director send you with a specific request of me? Is that why? Would you ask for something on
his
behalf and not for yourself?”
That raised my hackles a bit. “Director Woodrow was concerned for the felines and the chaos that would ensue if they lost their leader. That’s
all
, I assure you. He’s a great, moral leader.”
“I have always known him to be so, but you have to understand the position I’m in and—wait,
leader
? I’m
next
in line.” He grabbed my arm and spun me to face him, our bodies barely a breath apart.
“We know the PP to be traitors, Prince Folkvar,” I murmured, trying to swallow my lust and focus. “You will be ruling soon if not already. I’m sorry.”
He searched my eyes, then sighed, his shoulders moving as if accepting a heavy weight. “I’m not, only because my father is a horrid man. I never really wanted to take over but I hated him being in charge. My taking over is better for my people. That doesn’t make it any easier of a burden, and with the days to come, that’s not exactly how I wanted to start my rule.”
“I understand.” I lifted my hand to comfort him and then dropped it. “Directors Woodrow and Fabian have the utmost faith you’re the man for the job though.”
“Thank you. That means a lot from two noble leaders.” He gave me that piercing stare again and then tilted his head. “What will you ask of me then, Hadley? If not on behalf of your director, he chose you for a reason. Are you noble as well? Selfless? Why would he allow you such a gift?”
I shook my head for a moment, not sure, and then flinched. Slowly I met the Prince’s gaze and felt my heart flutter.
Control. I never had control of any situation, always thrown into something of not my making or trampled by others. Director Woodrow was giving me the chance to have complete control of a situation for once.
I licked my dry lips and went with a different answer. “I’m one of our best flyers and he knew I could protect you until we got you to safety. He asked that we not tell you
where
until we know we can trust all your people and they’re not loyal to your father.”
He stared past me and gave a barely perceivable nod. “I would agree to that mostly because my father has his claws everywhere. They won’t believe that he was complicit in something so foul until they hear it from multiple sources. But we will be taking all of them.”
“Agreed.” I was so lost in his eyes that I didn’t realize he’d asked me something until he had to repeat it.
“So what is the request you will ask of me?”
“You,” I breathed. His eyes flashed desire and that was
all
the cue I needed to give him the full court press. I moved my hand to his hip and trailed it around to his back as I circled him, turning the tables so
he
was the prey. “I want you, your grace.”
“And what would you want me for?” I heard the speed of his heartbeat increase and smiled widely as I leaned down and smelled his neck.
“Have you ever been with a man, your grace?”
“Torrance. I think if you’re talking about forming a sexual relationship, you can use my first name, don’t you?” His voice cracked as his muscles quivered under my touch.
“Yes, but that doesn’t answer my question.”
“No, no, I haven’t.” He shivered as my fingers traced the line between his ass cheeks. Gods, I so wanted to see his tight pink hole. Plunder it.
“Ever wanted to? And remember I can tell if you’re lying.”
“I would never lie over something that there is no need to.” He jumped slightly as my other hand moved to trace his hip bone and then leaned into it. Oh, he liked all right. “I’ve looked a few times and wondered, but no, never
wanted
to make that leap.”
I glanced over his shoulder and couldn’t help but smirk at what I saw. “It seems you do now, that magnificent cock standing proud and leaking from a few simple touches, Torrance.”
“It would seem so.” He cleared his throat and ducked his head, hiding behind his hair.
“Is that why you didn’t dress or offer me clothes? You liked looking at me naked and the way I stare at you?” He nodded and I yanked him against me. “You want me.”
“There has never been a gay leader of the felines, and with the chaos coming, now is not the time to make that change,” he hedged.
“I would never ask you to mate because you owe me a favor,” I growled, pushing him away.
“Then what
are
you asking of me?” He spun around and moved his hands to his hips as he shook his head. “
Forgive me
if I’m handling this badly but this is a new one for me. You just told me the end of days is coming. My father is a traitor. He’s to be killed for his crimes and I’m about to be King.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” I pulled him into my arms and offered the comfort I wanted to give earlier. He accepted it, his arms moving around my waist. “You rob me of all my normal sense.” And for the record, I was very aware of his hard body against mine—and even harder cock.
“Thank you but you did not answer the question. What are you asking of me, Hadley?”
I mulled it over a few minutes, trying to figure out what was the line not to cross. I mean, he was offering me
anything
I wanted. He sighed and it wasn’t a happy one before moving out of my arms.
“This is not the time to play games and—”
“You are mine and mine alone for anything and everything I want of you while I’m here and until we reach the stronghold,” I blurted before I could truly formulate a plan. I saw the sliver of fear in his eyes and amended that. “Just not publically. I am to be your guard and at your side, taking your orders as one, but the moment we are alone you will obey my every command. You will not bed another either.”
“But the cycle—”
“You
really
think trying to make an heir
now
is the best idea?” I fumed, the idea of him fucking all the willing women he could pissed me off beyond words.
“No. No, it’s not,” he conceded with a sigh. He bit the inside of his mouth before answering, as if thinking all options over. “As you wish, Hadley of the Dayton flock. Your request is granted as the royal heir of the felines.”
I would have been excited—except he wasn’t looking at me when he said it. He was staring at his feet and his cock had wilted.
I practically choked on his lack of interest. “No. Forget it. I can’t do this if you’re not remotely into it. I thought there was something here, and with everything going on, there was no way you’d take the chance. I wouldn’t force this on you no matter what your honor requires.” I let out a growl as I spun away and fisted my hair. “I thought maybe Director Woodrow gave me this gift because he saw something.