Chapter Six
Kason completed his latest meditation session and opened his eyes to watch the door. His warrior’s instinct was on high alert in case Taryn had been bluffing earlier and did send someone to interrogate him further.
However, his primal instinct wanted something else. No matter how many times he meditated, the instant he closed his eyes, Taryn’s form flashed into his brain, and he’d proceed to undress her slowly.
While every Kelderan male knew the basics of destined brides and the process of claiming, the real-life experience was a lot more intense than he’d realized. Lust coursed through his body, true, but the desire to protect the human against every other male or enemy was also prevalent. It was almost as if he wouldn’t be able to think straight until he had her warm, willing body under him, with her swearing off any other male.
If not for the fact he would lose his command as soon as the others found out about Taryn, he would look forward to having a female of his own to tame.
He could keep the secret for a time, but not forever. Even if he could no longer command warriors in the defense forces, he would coordinate the royal guards. His brother and sister would need protecting, especially if he returned to Keldera with a human bride. Not everyone would accept her.
Why do I care? He would use her as a means to an end, nothing more.
The door opened and his heart rate picked up at the sight of Taryn Demara wearing a flowing, floor-length dress. “You heeded my order.”
She raised an eyebrow. “It’s a tactical move only, I assure you. Men tend to underestimate me when I wear a dress and do this.”
Fear filled her eyes as she gripped her skirts. He grunted. “Stop it. Fear doesn’t suit you.”
Taryn dropped the act and smiled. “I thought Kelderans liked submissive females.”
“Fear should never be part of marriage. Any male who causes his female to look that way is hauled away and questioned. If there’s proof he struck his female, he’s executed.”
“That is a rather harsh punishment, but I must say I approve.”
“Females need our protection. A Kelderan male must never forget that.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “That part I do disagree with.” She lifted her skirt to reveal her toned calf, knee, and then upper thigh, where she had a dagger strapped against her skin. “I believe in defending myself. All women on this planet know the basics of dagger-wielding.” She lowered her skirt, and he nearly growled for her to lift it again. However, she continued before he could. “But enough about who defends who. Are you ready to contact your ship?”
“Unless you plan to carry the bed out of here, you need to undo my straps.”
He waited to see if she would release him. For all that she maddened him and challenged him, hell, even tricked him, he’d made it clear he’d never hurt her. The only question was whether she would believe it or not.
Taryn approached his bed, never severing eye contact. The woman was as hard to read as one of his soldiers.
Good thing Kason enjoyed a challenge.
Rather than think about where that thought had come from—she had forced him into taking her as a bride after all—he watched her hand as her fingers brushed against his wrist. They were slightly rough, no doubt from her training. The difference from the soft hands of a Kelderan female sent a thrill through his body.
Her voice was stern when she finally spoke again. “I have several guards ready to take you down if you try anything. Are we clear?”
“You have my word that I will not harm you.”
Taryn undid the buckle around his forearm first before moving to the metal bands on his wrist. Each whisper against his skin sent blood rushing to his cock. Only through thinking of the safety of his men and drawing on his years of discipline as a soldier did he keep his markings a dark blue and his cock from going rock-hard.
When his wrist was free, the female merely stood and waited. He stared back.
In the next instant, she danced her fingers against his ribcage, but he restrained himself from moving.
Taryn sighed. “It was worth a shot.”
“If a Kelderan warrior can’t control his body when tickled, then he would break easily under an enemy’s interrogation.”
She moved to the other side of his bed and worked on his other arm. “I could understand if you were in battle or on a mission, but it’s just me here in this room.”
“What about those watching us from the other side of the mirror?”
“There is no one there.”
“If not, then you were reckless.”
She smiled. “I have people waiting in the hall. If I screamed or failed to check in at the appointed time, they’d come rushing in here.”
“Good. I prefer not to have a reckless bride.”
“That almost sounds like a compliment.” Finishing the two restraints on his other wrist, Kason sat upright, and Taryn moved to his leg. “Glad to see you’re on board about having a bride at all.”
“My condition still stands, human. You must tell me now that you’ll share your body, of your own free will, during the next week. If you do, I’ll swear an oath to bring you back to this planet in one piece.”
“If I didn’t already agree to your demand, you can bet I wouldn’t be here, Prince. Although if you expect me to pay up now, then I may as well leave right this second.”
“I won’t insult your intelligence. Of course you’d wait until we’re out of orbit on the way to Keldera. That’s what any warrior would do.”
“Oh, so I’m a warrior now? Make sure to introduce me that way to your men.”
“Being a representative of a planet is a much higher prestige, and it will better ensure your safety.”
“Given how you wanted to take over Jasvar by force, I’m surprised to hear that.”
He shrugged. “The situation has changed. Originally, we thought you unthreatening. I know better now and adjusted my tactics accordingly.”
“Fine, I’ll be the representative of Jasvar. It might work to my advantage that way.”
He could see the wheels turning in her head and he wanted to ask her what she was thinking.
However, he would have plenty of time to better know his bride-slash-adversary onboard the Kelderan ship. The sooner he was on his way, the sooner his men would be freed.
As Taryn undid one of his legs, he went to work on the other as he said, “If you wish to go at all, then we need to hurry. If too much more time passes, my people will send another contingent down to the planet’s surface. They will be less understanding than I was.”
Taryn snorted. “Can’t say I want to see that.” She motioned toward the door. “Come. I’ll take you to your shuttle and we can get this show on the road.”
He had no idea why she would describe her life and the fate of her planet as a “show,” but Kason didn’t want to waste more time asking about her strange culture.
His bride opened the door to reveal five guards standing outside—three males and two females. Kason could take them if he wished, but he was anxious to reach out to his ship in orbit. He may not have wanted a bride, but now that he had one, he was determined to keep her alive and safe.
As they made their way down a hallway, he watched his female’s hips sway. He loved the way skirts hid just enough of a female’s body that he could have fun imagining her curves underneath. Since Kason had seen Taryn nearly naked, the intrigue was lost, but he rather enjoyed watching the hips that would soon be his.
The human female had no idea what was coming.
~~~
Taryn felt Kason’s eyes on her butt. He wasn’t the first man to stare, but his gaze sent a tingling sensation across her ass cheeks and between her thighs. She still believed he had some kind of special power over her libido.
She would be lying if she said she wasn’t looking forward to sex with the prince. Taryn had spent most of her adult life wondering what it would be like to have a man above her. Maybe once with Kason would sate her curiosity and she’d be able to concentrate solely on the upcoming visit to Keldera.
Yes, she’d get it out of the way sooner. That would also ensure her safety. As far as she understood it, sex all but sealed the deal between a Kelderan male and his destined bride, at least until two years had passed with no children. Then the male could break it off.
In two years, Taryn should have her alliance and maybe even a solution for the doom virus. Provided she didn’t get pregnant with the required unprotected first time, Kason could do whatever he wished then.
Making the final turn, they approached the door that led to a structure built adjacent to the mountain. Since the shuttle’s communication systems wouldn’t work inside so many feet of rock, it was ready to be pulled partially into the special room when needed.
Taryn stopped at one side of the large room, and Kason and the guards did the same. She signaled, and her people scurried to haul out the shuttle. Kason’s deep voice stated, “Keeping the shuttle inside was a smart move.”
She glanced up at him. “How did you know…?”
“You don’t seem the type to waste time bringing me to a pointless location. Hence, the shuttle must be coming here.” As two wide doors creaked open and six oxen-like creatures came into view, Kason nodded. “There it is. I’ll contact my ship as soon as it’s out.”
She faced him. “Don’t try any funny business. I’m going to be standing over your shoulder, with a few guards off to the side. I want you to speak in CEL with someone who understands it, so I can monitor your words.”
He raised his brows. “And if I refuse?”
“I’ll shoot you full of blow darts myself once the call ends.”
“I almost would like to see you try.”
“So, what will it be?”
He leaned down to whisper, “We’ll save the play for later.” Taryn’s cheeks flushed as he stood up to his full height. “My second-in-command, Thorin, understands enough of the language to make it work. However, you’re going to have to learn Kelderan if you’re to survive amongst my people.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” The front half of the shuttle was in view and the oxen-like creatures stopped. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Too bad we’re hiding the fact you are my bride because if we weren’t, you would need to hang all over me. It’s the Kelderan custom.”
She scrutinized him a second before drawling, “I’m sure it is.”
“I’m being truthful. If a male accepts a bride, she wants to make as much a claim on him as he does on her.”
Interesting. Maybe there was more to the Kelderan way of life than merely a man dictating how everything should run. She’d have to look into it. “Good thing it’s our secret on board your ship for as long as possible, then. But in order to keep it that way, at least initially, speak in CEL and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
They arrived at the stairs to the craft and ascended. Since she had no idea where he needed to go, once they reached the interior, she stepped aside. “After you.”
Without a word, Kason moved deeper inside. The sound of the guards trailing them helped to keep her heart rate under control. If she acted nervously, her guards would grow anxious and Taryn would never allow that to happen.
Kason stopped at a large, flat panel on the wall with another smaller panel below. After punching the lower panel a few times with his forefinger, the lights whirred to life and the screens filled with strange writing and a variety of shapes. If she was to learn the Kelderan language, she had her work cut out for her.
The prince looked over at her. “I’m going to send a message now. You need to stand next to me and look as leader-like as possible. It’ll be hard enough for my people to believe a female can be in charge.”
“I’m positive there are other worlds ruled by women.”
“Perhaps, but it’s easy to forget when you want to reinforce your traditions.”
Kason the philosopher. Who would’ve known?
She cleared her throat and stood tall. “Ready, Kason.”
“You must call me highness or they will see it as a sign of disrespect.”
She rolled her eyes. “Your highness, then.”
He nodded as he tapped a few more times on the panel. About thirty seconds later, the screen turned into a picture of a Kelderan with light blue skin and black hair. He said something she couldn’t understand and Kason replied. She pinched his back, and Kason switched to CEL. “As I was saying, the Jasvarian leader only understands CEL. We’ll use it for now.”
The other Kelderan frowned. “Why disappear so long with no word?”
The other alien’s accent was thicker and his grasp on CEL wasn’t as good as Kason’s. Still, he knew a hell of a lot more of CEL than she did of Kelderan.
Kason replied, “I was distracted. This female is actually the leader of Jasvar, and her people hold our warriors hostage. I wish to take her to Keldera to negotiate a settlement treaty.”
The other alien fell back into Kelderan. Judging by his rushed, clipped tone, he wasn’t happy.
Kason said something back in the same language before adding in CEL, “She has my promise to take her to Keldera and negotiate a settlement. Once this is done, we will finally have a planet to colonize.”
Taryn waited with bated breath. With one move, the other alien could merely sever the connection and launch an attack on Jasvar. If he fired any type of weaponry from the sky, her people wouldn’t stand a chance.
The other man finally spoke up again. “Fine. Go to original landing area. Pick you up there one hour.”
The two Kelderans stared at one another for a few seconds, probably having a nonverbal conversation she couldn’t understand. Once Kason nodded, the screen turned black. “Well? Did you two just plot my demise?”
“No. Thorin isn’t happy, but he’ll listen to my orders. However, we need to be careful. If he finds out you’re my bride, Thorin will assume command, and he won’t be as understanding as me.”
If Kason was the understanding one, Taryn might be in over her head.
Not that she’d give up. “Let’s finish the last-minute preparations and head to the site before he changes his mind, then.”
Standing up, Kason met her gaze. “You may be leader here and do as you please, but onboard my ship, don’t wander or be too defiant. They may decide sacrificing our warriors is worth the cost if they could contain you and use you as their own bargaining chip.”
She searched his eyes. “What about your vow?”
“I will still see it through. However, not even I can defeat an entire ship of Kelderans on my own.”
“And here I thought you were the mighty general prince,” she drawled.
He leaned close enough that the heat of his breath caressed her cheek. “Keep pushing me, Taryn. I’ll enjoy taking my payback when you’re in my bed.”
It was the first time he’d said her name aloud, and the deep, husky voice made her want to lean closer until her body rested against his. Of course, she wasn’t going to give in so easily. “Just wait, Prince. I’ll have my payback, too.”
With that, she strutted down the corridor and out of the shuttle. As her guards and Kason followed, she couldn’t help but smile. She was one step closer to helping her people, yes, but she was also enjoying Kason more than she could’ve imagined. Pushing him to the brink while onboard the ship would be icing on the cake.
Taryn picked up her pace. The next however many weeks would be unknown and hence a little scary, but with Kason on her side, she could handle it. She just needed to ensure she didn’t give away their secret. The other Kelderans wouldn’t be required to protect her.