In the Flesh (25 page)

Helpless mewls of pleasure poured from her. It had been so long. Too long. The feel of him was exquisite, so thick and hard, pumping between her thighs with latent power.

“Yes…you feel so good…”

He mumbled something that sounded arrogant, then shifted his mouth to her other breast. Sapphire pushed her heels into the mattress and fucked him back, needing him to be where she was—lost in lust, desperate for orgasm, hopelessly in love. She loved that he was so self-possessed, loved that she was necessary and important enough to him that she was his one and only vulnerability.

He took control, rising above her, hooking his arms underneath her legs to better ream her. Her nipples were swollen, too tender, distended from the passionate assault of his mouth. He took her fiercely then, his hips pistoning, his massive cock shuttling through greedily clenching tissues.

Fast and hard, grinding and rolling his hips, Wulf deliberately drove her beyond sanity. The sight of
him was stirring. His handsome face contorted in a grimace of pleasure.

Because he was connected to her in the most intimate way possible.

“I love you,” he groaned.

His passion-slurred words pushed her over the edge, her spine bowing in climax. She whimpered as she convulsed around him, her entire body wracked with endless shivers.

“More,” he snarled. The pounding of his cock into her heat was relentless. “Come again.”

“No…” she moaned, certain another orgasm would kill her.

Wulf reached between them, rubbing her clitoris with deftly skilled strokes. Her next orgasm came even more powerfully than before. As she writhed beneath him, she felt him swell. He shouted her name, clutching her to his shuddering body, lewd love words and praise tumbling from his lips as he spurted heavy and thick deep inside her.

Gasping, Wulf twisted over, pulled her to drape over him without separating from her. His strong arms held her tightly to him as their breathing slowed.

He kissed the top of her head. “I want to handfast with you, Katie.”

She lifted her head and met his gaze, astonished. “Handfast?”

“We can make it work. We love each other, Katie. I never expected it or even wanted it, but it’s happened. And I’m not sorry.”

“Handfast?” she repeated.

“I’ve been doing some research. In the first years
after D’Ashier established sovereignty, the monarch and his family were in great danger. To stabilize the throne, preserving lineage was a priority that took precedence over ceremony. If a member of the royal family wished to marry, they couldn’t always wait to do it properly. Not in times of war and treachery.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

Wulf caught her hand and held it over his heart. “The tradition of the handfast was established—an informal, yet binding agreement as strong as a marriage. It doesn’t require the blessing of the king the way a formal joining would. It only requires that both parties be willing.”

“Wulf.” She bit her lower lip. “You would circumvent your father in something so important?”

His grip on her hand tightened. “He would still have the last word. If he never gives his blessing, the binding would become a morganatic marriage. You’d be my consort, not my queen, and our children could never attain the throne.”

“Our children…” Longing pierced her chest with such force she shivered with it. Her eyes and throat burned. She would lose all that she had now, but gain something so precious she hardly dared to dream of it. Marriage. A family.
With Wulf.

His green eyes were brilliant and laser-focused. She’d rarely seen him look so determined. “You deserve more, Katie. I wish I could promise you more. But this is all I can offer now—my heart, my bed, the respect and prominence of royal consort, and the promise that I will do everything in my power to sway my father and gain his blessing. I believe it’s possible. And if he never concedes, you would still
belong to me. I would belong to you. Nothing could break the vows we make to one another.”

Sapphire linked her fingers on his chest and rested her chin upon them. “I don’t want to be responsible for causing a rift between you and your family.”

Tucking a pillow beneath his head, Wulf locked his gaze with hers. “I need you in my life to be happy. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. I can deal with anything, as long as you’re mine. As long as you love me back.”

Tears fell. “My father…If there was another war…”

“I’ve made overtures to the King of Sari,” he said swiftly. “And he has agreed to meet with me to discuss the possibility of cease-fire agreements and new treaties. I won’t say there will never be another war, but I swear to do my best to prevent one.”

“It’s impossible.”

“It isn’t.” Wulf’s strength of will was so powerful it charged the air around them. “I won’t lie and say things will be easy. I can’t promise you a happy ending, where everything is wonderful and our families coexist peacefully. I can only promise to love you, to make time for you, and cherish you. I’ll never give you cause to regret the sacrifices you’ll make to be with me. We’ll survive the trials together. We’ll find a way. And when we can’t, we’ll still have each other.”

Her heart ached. “I love you.”

“That’s all we need. Say yes.”

Sapphire nodded, her throat too tight to speak. He wanted to bind himself to her, at great personal
and political cost. She couldn’t refuse. She wanted him just as badly.

He flopped backward in an exaggerated collapse. “Good.”

She managed a smile. “You look so relieved.”

Wulf’s returning smile was sinful, yet ardent.

She sat up, taking his thickening cock to her deepest point. “What would you have done if I’d refused you?”

Wulf flexed inside her. “Moved to Plan B.”

“Which was?” Though she suspected she knew.

“Kidnapping you again and keeping you trapped in my bed until I convinced you to marry me.”

She released a mock sigh. “I should have held out for Plan B.”

One black brow rose. Wulf gripped her hips, lifting her. “Well…” He pumped upward in a breathtaking thrust. “Just because Plan A worked doesn’t mean we have to forgo Plan B.”

Her head fell back on a low moan. “I’m all yours.”

“Yes,” he purred, taking her. Loving her. “You are.”

Wulf was starving. Seated at the small metal table in the sitting area, he plunged into his meal with gusto. He looked at Katie and his heart ached. Her lovely lips were curved in an indulgent smile, her dark gaze filled with love as she watched him. He thought about their future and how he would see this same vision every day for the rest of his life. He hadn’t thought such joy was possible.

There was a soft beeping at the door. He called out
permission to enter. The captain and Dalen walked in. They bowed, then straightened, looking grim.

“What is it?” he asked. “What did you learn?”

The captain stepped forward. “Your Highness. We have identified the target.”

Katie stood. Her voice was tight when she spoke. “The prince is in danger, isn’t he?”

Wulf rose and went to her, drawing her into his arms.

The captain shook his head. “Gordmere was hired to capture
you
.”

Chapter 18

“
I’m
the target?”

Wulf looked down into Katie’s pale face and his gut knotted. He held her tighter, his gaze moving between Dalen and the captain.

“It’s extremely fortunate that you left the terminal before the courier from Sari arrived,” the captain continued. “Gordmere was given a disk with video footage of his target, whom he knows only as ‘Katie Erikson.’ When he views the data, he’ll realize Dalen’s
mätress
and Katie Erikson are one and the same.”

“I don’t understand.” She frowned. “They were after Prince Wulfric before…”

“That was a different assignment, which was interrupted when Gordmere was captured by Sarian troops. Smithson exchanged His Highness for Gordmere, forfeiting that bounty.”

“Who hired him?”

“I don’t know. That information is something Gordmere guards very carefully. I believe he’s the
only one of the group who ever knows where the money is coming from.”

“So someone out there still wants Prince Wulfric?” Katie asked.

Dalen nodded. “Gordmere intends to use the credits he earns with your capture to finish that previous job.”

“How many buyers are there?” Wulf asked. “Is it one person after both Katie and I?”

“Why would anyone want me?” she queried. “I’m not important.”

“You’re important to men of importance,” Dalen pointed out. “However, my understanding is that these are two separate assignments.”

Wulf looked at the captain, who nodded. “I agree, Your Highness.”

Katie’s hand clutched his forearm where it crossed beneath her breasts. “So what do we do?”

“Dalen’s out of commission now that his motives are known,” the captain said, “but I’ll remain with Gordmere and learn what I can. I don’t think he’ll give up the job, even though his group has been infiltrated. Once he watches the disk and sees how well his quarry can fight, he’ll realize she’s the one who killed Tor Smithson. From what I’ve gathered of his personality in these last weeks, Gordmere will hunt her merely to avenge his friend.”

Wulf stared at Katie. The forthrightness in her returning gaze answered his unspoken question. He reeled at the knowledge that she’d killed a man for him. The man who’d tortured him until he prayed for death.

Pride swiftly overcame his shock. He would kill
for her, die for her, do anything necessary to keep her safe. She’d proven again and again that she felt the same way. He gripped her convulsively, his insides squeezed in the grip of fear. He hated the feeling of having so much to lose. “Does Gordmere know
why
this person wants her?”

“No.” The captain exhaled harshly. “Frankly, he doesn’t care. His orders are to bring her to a drop-off point that has yet to be specified and that’s all he’s concerned with—where, and how many credits are involved.”

Wulf pressed his lips to the crown of Katie’s head, holding her extra tight in response to the surprising way she clung to him. He was out of his depth here, away from his home and the safety it represented. “If we have to battle a malicious force, I would prefer to do it on ground I’m familiar with.”

“I agree. It’s not safe here on Tolan.”

“Go back to Gordmere. Katie and I will depart in the morning.”

“As you say, Your Highness.” The captain bowed. “I’ll contact you whenever I find the opportunity.”

Wulf turned to Dalen. “It’s too risky for you to return to your previous lodging. You’ll stay here tonight. The servants will see to your comfort. I owe you a great deal for your support.”

Dalen bowed. He looked at Katie and offered a reassuring smile. “You’re in capable hands, Mistress. Not that you need them. Your own hands are sufficiently capable.”

Katie managed a faint smile. None of them understood what was happening.

Wulf wouldn’t rest until he knew.

Crown Prince Wulfric Andersson of D’Ashier was handfasted to Katie Erikson, a common citizen of Sari, with little fanfare in the Interstellar Council Embassy on the foreign planet of Tolan.

He wore no crown, only a simple travel robe. The consort-to-be wore a deep red gown with long bell sleeves and slender waist. A golden girdle hung low on her hips with a length of chain that fell to her knees. Dangling from the end was the jeweled crest of the royal house of D’Ashier. They’d bought the gown and girdle off the rack at a local shop. The jewel-encrusted crest had been brought by the prince from his homeworld.

The only other person in attendance was the embassy cleric, a thin man with a bored expression which altered when he reviewed the license.

“Your Highness.” He bowed. “I am honored to preside over your marriage. Come with me. I have a much more suitable venue for such a momentous occasion.”

They could have been wed in a transport cargo bay for all the prince cared. It was the bride herself who mattered to him. But he followed with a hand at her elbow, eagerness lightening his steps.

The massive embassy ballroom stole Sapphire’s breath away. The ceiling rose at least four stories above them. The chandeliers that lit the room were the size of small antigrav-crafts. Silver and gold satin ribbons crisscrossed the skylight above them,
dappling the sunlight, which glittered on the marble floor.

The brief ceremony passed in a daze. She remembered little of the proceedings, only the soothing timber of Wulf’s voice as he vowed his troth and the sharp prick of the needle in her fingertip as they placed their palms on the blood collector to seal their marriage in the interstellar records.

Awareness began to set in when Wulf lifted her hand and slipped the gold and talgorite promise ring on her finger. On her right hand she wore a signet ring like Wulfric’s, only much smaller—her means to transfer back to the D’Ashier palace, just as Wulf had done when he’d first stolen her away.

Then he was kissing her with passion, his arms wrapped around her, warm and protective. Everything came into crystal clarity. Wulfric was hers. Forever.

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I love you, too, my darling Wulf.”

D’Ashier, the Royal Palace

“Nervous?”

Sapphire nodded in answer to Wulf’s gentle query, although nervous didn’t come close to describing the turmoil she felt.

He pulled her closer to his side, offering her the support of his powerful frame. “Just be yourself.”

“The last—and only—time I met your father, it didn’t go well,” she reminded him.

“You were an enemy’s concubine then. Now, you are a Princess Consort of D’Ashier.”

“I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to make me more likeable,” she muttered, her slight confidence faltering.

He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “Every time you start to have doubts, I’m going to remind you that it’s too late to change your mind.”

“It’s never too late for a woman to change her mind.”