The female before me, whose sweet pussy and cries of pleasure drove me mad, would not only remain on this planet, but share another male’s bed within a matter of days.
Lost to me forever. Not gone, where I would mourn her as a memory. Right fucking here, in front of me, where I would be forced to watch Prince Martainn put his hands on her. Watch his child grow in her womb. Know, every night as sleep eluded me, that his cock stretched her tight pussy, his seed filled her, his lips kissed her skin. Made her scream in pleasure.
I would go mad.
I knelt, head bowed, before the female who would never be mine as my mind raced with dark thoughts. Dangerous possibilities. Rage and hatred for Prince Martainn swelled to fill my black heart. Days ago, my opinion of him had been nothing more than mild disdain, if I bothered to think of him at all.
“Addan? Stand up. What are you doing?” Paige walked to me and placed her hand under my chin. With a gentle touch, she lifted my chin and forced me to look up into her pale green eyes. “What happens now?”
I rose, as ordered, and towered over her soft body and luxurious curves. The need to protect her rode me hard. Mine or not, she was vulnerable and confused, about to enter a political arena she was not prepared for.
One question persisted, one dark suspicion I could not quell. “Faolan, erase all records of contact with Commander Zeus. Also, delete transport records of the princess’s arrival. I want every image, every report, every bit of her existence deleted from our system immediately. Do you understand?”
The guard glanced from me to Paige as if asking her permission, as if he truly believed she was going to be his queen.
I wanted to smash his skull for daring to defy me, but he was a good male, upholding the law and respecting the wishes of a royal princess. No, make that queen. Her mother had been queen, and upon her death, the role fell to Paige’s shoulders. It only went to Queen Alienor because Paige had died, too.
Except, here she stood. Alive. Our rightful queen.
Thankfully, she seemed to understand the importance of my words. The predicament she was in was perilous. Her return would unbalance the entire planet.
“Do what he says, please.” Her small hand wrapped around my forearm, and I looked down into the eyes of the most beautiful female I’d ever known. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I trust you know what you’re doing, but why? What am I supposed to do now?”
“Your existence will upset the balance of power on the planet. You will need time, my queen, to gather your allies and make plans.” I rolled my shoulders back. “Now, I take you somewhere I can keep you safe until you are ready to claim the throne.”
“Where? Isn’t this a military fortress? Where could be safer than here?”
I imagined she finished her statement by saying… with you.
“My mother was Queen Madallaine’s best friend and confidante. For centuries, our family has served the true royal line. If anyone harbors any ill will toward you, my family estate is the one place I am sure could withstand an attack.” My mother, in fact, my entire family, was extremely wealthy with a large military force and the latest weapons. My mother was not shy about purchasing advanced Coalition weaponry. We were not part of the Coalition, but Prime Nial and the Coalition Fleet did not want us to be defenseless in the event of a direct Hive attack.
“My mom and your mom were best friends?”
“Yes. They grew up together in the palace. They were separated when my mother married my father and moved onto the ancestral estate, but they remained close until Queen Madallaine’s death.” Those were dark days. “My mother mourned for months.”
Saying the words made me once again feel like the young male desperate to help his sobbing mother. I’d tried everything. Sweets. Flowers. Begging her to walk with me in the gardens. We’d lost the queen, who had been like a cherished aunt to me. My true terror had been fueled by the fear of losing my mother as well. She’d become a shadow of her former self, having taken years to recover.
“I’m sorry.” The hand she’d placed on my forearm slid down until her fingers laced with mine. Fuck. I should let go and stop tormenting myself.
Like a fucking heartsick fool, I wrapped my hand around hers and accepted the comfort of her touch. “You were an infant.”
“Did we know each other? Do you remember me?”
“Yes. I was a boy of ten on The Day of Steel and Blood.” I couldn’t look away from the longing in her gaze, her need to belong so strong I wondered what type of life she’d lived on Earth to make her so vulnerable. “The queen would spread a blanket in our garden, and I would dangle Moon Blooms over you as our mothers gossiped. The sparkling petals always made you laugh.”
“Do you still have those flowers in the garden?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like to see them.” She squeezed my hand. “I know it’s stupid, but maybe I’d remember something.” A shudder passed through her and we both turned as the guard, Faolan, interrupted.
“All traces of Princess Edelene’s arrival have been deleted, General. I have deactivated all security between here and thevehicles for ten minutes, so there will be no record of her leaving with you.” He cleared his throat as he glanced at the princess before quickly lowering his gaze. “There is one potential problem, General.”
I did not need problems. “What problem?”
“Peadair, General. He disappeared last night, and we have not been able to locate him.”
Fuck. The guard who’d fired his weapon at Paige, claimed he’d been following the queen’s orders. Why would Queen Alienor order one of my men to shoot any female who transported to the planet? Unless she knew the truth, that Paige was alive and a threat to her throne.
