In the Flesh (11 page)

Katie dipped her head in an elegant acknowledgment of his threat. “You will do as you wish, Your Majesty.”

He glared at her for a long, tension-filled moment, then spun in a flurry of robes and stormed away, the guardsmen filing out behind him.

A moment later, the Guardian advised,
“His Majesty has departed, Mistress.”

Dalen released Wulf just as Katie sank to the ground.

Wulf went to her. “If you hadn’t stopped him, I would have.”

Dropping to his haunches beside her, he tried to pull her into his arms, but she recoiled. He frowned. “Don’t be afraid. No one will take you against your will.”

She didn’t meet his gaze when she spoke. “Go home, Your Highness. The Guardian has the information you’ll need to cross the border safely and she will arrange your transportation.”

Wulf yanked her toward him. “Talk to me.”

“I’m no longer in the mood to take you to bed,” she said without inflection. “You should go.”

He tensed, insulted. “Don’t punish me for another man’s faults.”

Katie opened her mouth to argue and he took it, gripping her by the elbows and lifting her to meet him halfway.

For endless moments she hung motionless in his arms, her lips unmoving beneath his. He changed tactics, revealing his need in soft, deliberate licks. Soft, coaxing sounds rumbled from his throat. He rubbed his furred chest against the softness of her
breasts until her nipples peaked hard, and strained for his touch. He obliged, lifting one hand to cup the full flesh, his thumb and forefinger tugging the taut point in just the way she liked.

Katie surrendered. She opened her mouth to him with a growl of hunger, sharing a passion so potent it enslaved kings and princes alike. Wulf’s tongue swept inside and tangled with hers.

His hands cupped her buttocks and pulled her into his lap. She whimpered. He tore his lips from hers, pressed her to the ground, and settled between her spread thighs.

Wulf gazed down at her flushed features and sad eyes, and asked, “How can you send me away after last night?”

“You act as if there’s a choice, as if there’s an option for us to be together. You know there isn’t.”

“I know I want more. So do you.” He suckled and nipped along the column of her throat. Rolling his hips, he urged the hard length of his cock between the damp lips of her pussy.

He didn’t want her thinking right now.
He
didn’t want to think right now. It was impossible to want something this badly and not have it.

“The time when we could’ve walked away has passed, Katie.”

“You would give up your kingdom and your freedom for sex?” she argued in a husky voice. “You’re not the man I thought you were.”

Wulf lifted his head to meet her gaze. “I wouldn’t give up D’Ashier for my life. But you…Nothing you have is truly yours, not even your body. The
king can come for you at any time. You’ll never be free as long as you stay here.”

Katie snorted. “Don’t act as if life with you would be better. I wouldn’t be free with you either. You would treat me just as he does. You are no different.”

“I am entirely different, because you crave me and what I can do to your body. I see the way you look at me, I feel the way you touch me.” His mouth lowered to her ear. “I promised I’d leave today. And so I shall.”

His tongue swirled around the shell of her ear. “But I’m taking you with me.”

“My father would hunt you down,” Sapphire snapped, “and finish what the mercs started. The king would use my abduction to incite a call to arms. All hell would break loose—”

“If they knew where you were,” he murmured, “you might have a point.”

Wulf’s hands moved together at the side of her neck and suddenly the ground beneath her back was cold. Startled, her head jerked to the side, her wide eyes taking in her surroundings. She was pinned beneath him on a transfer pad; her atrium and the familiar surroundings of her home were gone. Panicked, she noted the shield on the wall and recognized the same crest that embellished Wulf’s signet ring—the D’Ashier royal family crest.

“I’m going to kick your ass,” she bit out.

Wulfric shielded her with his body until a servant came forward bearing a thick talgorite-red velvet robe, then he rose and covered her. Gaining a
seated position, Sapphire clutched the rich material to her breasts. Royal guardsmen dressed in red and gold uniforms lined the walls of the transfer room. As they prostrated themselves respectfully, she realized that Wulfric’s return had been expected, as evidenced by the ready availability of the royal garment she was draped in.

“What the hell have you done?” she breathed.

He extended his hand to her. Sapphire ignored it, jumping to her feet and deliberately leaving the robe on the floor.

Stepping in front of her, Wulf blocked her nakedness from the guards behind him. He kicked up the robe with his bare foot, caught it in his hand, and held it out to her. “Cover yourself.”

Her chin lifted. “No.”

He moved so quickly, she had no time to avoid him. Within the space of a gasp, Wulfric had her swaddled in his royal robes and tossed over his shoulder.

“Damn you, Wulf.” She struggled to free her arms. “You’re starting to piss me off!”

He ignored her. Moving toward the exit, he barked orders en route. “Send a platoon to the return coordinates. I’ve adjusted the Guardian system to allow transfers from this pad’s signature, so you’ll have to instigate the engagement from here. Collect the servants and guards, and bring them to D’Ashier. Retrieve the home’s computer chip—undamaged. Nothing and no one that would betray my recent presence in Sari can be left behind.”

Sapphire screamed in frustration. “Put. Me. Down. Before I hurt you.”

Wulfric’s voice rose to drown out hers.

She bit him.

He swatted her buttocks with his free hand. “Stop that.”

“You
know
you can’t do this, you arrogant ass!”

She felt laughter rumble through him and saw the shocked expressions on the faces of his men. She glared at them.

“Tell the king I have returned.” He strode toward the door. “But I am not to be disturbed until tomorrow.”

Wulf cupped her backside possessively. “I’ll be busy a while.”

Wulf’s long-legged stride ate up the seemingly endless length of white stone hallway with ease. The guards stationed at various intervals bowed at the waist as he passed, their eyes wide as they stared at Katie squirming and swearing loudly over his shoulder. She had the vocabulary of a hardened soldier and she didn’t hesitate to use it. He’d never been so verbally abused in his life. Coming from Katie, he found he enjoyed it immensely.

The doors to his
seraglio
slid open when he approached. He entered to a chorus of eager greetings and sighs at his half-dressed state. As his concubines rushed toward him, he kept them at bay by holding up the hand not currently caressing Katie’s buttocks.

“Your Royal Highness.”

He turned to the elderly woman prostrated just to the right of him.

“Sabine.” He greeted his chamberlain with a smile. Once, she had been his father’s concubine. Now retired, she served Wulf by maintaining order in his harem. “You may rise.”

“Who is that you have there?” she asked, rising gracefully to her feet.

As he started toward the large rectangular pool that dominated the center of the room, she fell into step beside him. Three fountains broke up the tranquil surface of the water, the splashing sounds mingling with the melodious voices of his concubines and the sounds of birds chirping in the various cages that decorated the perimeter. The humid air was redolent with lush hothouse flowers, various perfumes, and luxurious bath oils. Jewel-encrusted doors lined the walls, each portal leading to the private quarters of a concubine. Drenched in the sunlight pouring from the massive skylight above, the expensive and precious gems winked and flashed to glorious effect.

He slid Katie from his shoulder, careful to keep his hold on her while maintaining her confinement within his robes. “Sabine, this is Katie.”

“Sapphire,” Katie corrected testily.

Grinning, he told Sabine, “She needs a bath and suitable garments. I want her body jewelry changed from sapphires to talgorite. I prefer her hair down. When she’s ready, bring her to my rooms.”

Sabine was eying the disheveled Katie appraisingly when the import of his words registered. Her gaze darted to meet his.
“Y-your
rooms, Your Highness?”

“That’s what I said.” With a flourish, he yanked
the voluminous fabric of his robe from Katie, causing her to twirl outward from the enveloping folds.

She recovered her footing several feet away and glared at him. “Afraid to do it yourself, Wulf? We both know I can take you.”

His concubines gasped at her insubordination and her use of his given name, but he laughed.

“Yes. I’m quite taken.” His tone was a husky murmur, his gaze riveted by the sight of her bare body.

Enamored of her beauty, Wulfric watched her gaze roam. Her dark eyes paused briefly on each of the women surrounding the pool, all of whom eyed her back with curiosity and/or suspicion. Her expression grew taut, her hands fisting at her sides. It was only then that he registered his error in bringing her
here
. To the
seraglio.
Distracted by lust, he’d considered only the fastest way to get her ready for the long hours of sex he intended for them to enjoy.

He opened his mouth to reassure her, but before he could speak, Katie spun on her heel and fled.

Chapter 8

“Guards!” Sabine sounded the alarm before Wulf could react.

The doors slid open and four guardsmen charged into the room.

“Lock the door,”
he roared as Katie leaped through the air to attack the nearest soldier. Naked as she was, the man was stunned and vulnerable to her assault. She kicked him dead center in the chest, knocking him flat on his back, then turned to engage the others.

Wulf raced after her.

“Don’t touch her!” Fear roughened his voice. Images of her injuries from the holo-room knotted his stomach. “Hurt her at your peril.”

Katie’s head turned at the proximity of his voice. Her grim expression betrayed her determination to find another way out.

Almost there…

He was a hair’s breadth away from catching her when she darted out of his reach and deserted the locked exit. He cursed. She backtracked into the
room, heading toward the opposite side of the pool. Squeals and screams rent the air as startled concubines scattered out of her way. The birds in their cages cried out their alarm, their wings flapping frantically and littering the air with feathers.

She rounded the corner of the pool. Wulf vaulted diagonally across the small gap, his body stretched out as he flew over the water. He caught her, twisting in midair to absorb the impact when they crashed onto the marble floor and slid several feet.

“Let me go.” She struggled against him. He rolled, pinning her beneath him.

Their chests heaved together; his heart raced with the excitement of the chase. The scent of Draxian lilies filled his nostrils and relief at holding her after her frantic attempt at flight heated his blood. As Katie’s naked breasts pressed to his skin, his focus altered. Desire for her acted like a potent drug in his veins, making his entire body hot and hard.

Wulf lifted his head. “Everyone,
out!”

His mind distantly registered the sounds of footsteps fading and doors slamming shut, but his focus was on the woman in his arms.

Taking her mouth, Wulf groaned his pleasure when she returned his kiss with equal fervor. He loved Katie’s body, so strong and lithe. She could fight and injure him—she had the knowledge and stamina—but she touched him with tenderness. She was toned by years of combat training, yet still soft, with generous curves and valleys that fit perfectly against him.

Katie began to struggle again, even as her tongue swirled greedily in his mouth. She didn’t want to
want him, but couldn’t resist. That affinity stoked his lust to a fever pitch.

Wulf broke the kiss and buried his face in her throat. “Don’t fight me,” he murmured against her flushed, scented skin. “I’ll make it good for you.”

Gasping, she arched into him. “Release me.”

“I can’t.” He grabbed her wrists, and pinned her arms above her head. He drew a taut nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue before suckling her with hard, deep pulls.

“Oh!” Katie twisted in an effort to deter him. “No…”

Wulf moved to her other breast, nipping the hard peak with his teeth before soothing the sting with gentle licks. “Stop wriggling,” he rumbled, then he curled his tongue around the straining point of her breast.

Katie tried to buck him off but the movement only forced her legs to spread. His hips dipped between her thighs, settling perfectly into place because she was made for him.

“Wulf. No.”

“Remember last night?” he crooned. “How good it was?” His hips swiveled against hers, rubbing his rock-hard cock against her clitoris. “We were meant for this…you and I.”

As he rocked into her, massaging her pussy with the hard length of his dick, she moaned, “Give me the top.”

Wulf growled, remembering the way he’d felt last night when she plied her trade. “Why? So you can work?”

Holding her wrists with one hand, he reached
between them to loosen his drawstring. His wrist rubbed against her and she hissed in pleasure.

“Isn’t that why you stole me?” she challenged. “Isn’t that why I’m here in your
seraglio
with all your other women? To work?”

Rough and impatient, he shoved his waistband down and his cock sprang free. With a deft twist, he pulled her over him, his legs kicking until he was freed from his pants. “It was a mistake,” he said gruffly. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“You’re not thinking now.” She gasped as he positioned his dick between her petal-soft folds and pushed into the tight, plush clasp of her pussy.

She held herself aloft with her hands on his chest, the slick walls of her sex sucking on the head of his cock.