Ascension Saga (Interstellar Brides): Book 3

“Do any of the secret passages lead to the guard quarters?” Leo asked the consort.

All he could do was nod, then throw up some more.

I cringed. Now I did feel sorry for him. What if I’d neutered him?

Then again, he should have listened.

“Know this, consort” Leo began, his voice loud and very clear. “Share this with all who will listen. Princess Trinity is my mate. The only cock she’ll touch, the only balls she’ll fondle, are mine. Having yours practically ripped off will be nothing compared to what I’ll do if someone even breathes near her again.”

The guy fell back onto the pillows and just lifted his hand by way of response.

Leo took my hand and tugged me toward the hidden doorway, then pulled me into the darkness.

This time, surrounded once again in pitch black, I knew I was with the one person I could tr

ust, the one person I wanted close to me while I was naked.

2

Leo

“I’m sorry, Leo. I should have listened to you back on the Karter.” Trinity’s soft admission soothed me as I closed and locked the door to my quarters. I knew for a fact there were no secret passageways in or out of this room. There was no exit or entrance other than the thick door I’d just bolted. And the bolt was heavy. Meant to withstand an assault. A last resort should the guards’ quarters ever be attacked.

Or the next cock-swollen consort who decided he needed to seduce the future queen.

“I know.” I had no doubt the consort was told by Lord Jax to attend to the new princess. But I also knew that many consorts conspired to seduce the matron of his household. Many held more power than all but the head of the house, herself. Rulers were female here, and being welcome in a wealthy patron’s bed was not without additional rewards for the right male. Getting Her Royal Highness, Princess Trinity, to accept him into her bed? It would have been a major boon for the fucking bastard.

Even for the royal consort, Trinity was more than just a job. She always would be. And that was why she needed me. I didn’t care if she wore a crown or a sack. She was mine, and I was in love with her. She’d transported across the galaxy to save her mother and fight for her planet. She’d survived an assassin’s attack, the Ardor, and made it to the citadel. She’d held her head high, walked into her mother’s palace, and faced her cousins who most likely wanted her dead. And she’d done it all without raising her voice or losing her head. She was fearless, strong, in a quiet way. A rock, not the storm.

The labyrinth of dark passageways behind the walls of the main rooms did lead to the guard sleeping area, just as the consort had said. I hadn’t doubted his word, since he knew I was ready to rip off his already bruised balls and shove them down his throat.

When I turned my head and glanced at her, I realized I’d never seen anything so beautiful. My mate with just a sheet wrapped around her, a hand at her breasts holding the ample fabric closed. Her pale shoulders were bare, her blonde hair long and tangled. She looked fuckable, and worried. Her straight teeth bit down into her plump lower lip and her chin was down. Not the regal bearing she usually had. Only with me did she show her true feelings. A princess. And she’s just apologized to the poor son of a soldier.

“Are you mad at me?” Her eyes were round, worried. I’d dragged her the length of the palace wearing nothing but a sheet.

Worse, I’d made her doubt my devotion. My anger at seeing her naked with another male had made her seek to comfort me. It was my job to fix this, to make her happy and whole. She should never doubt my feelings for her. She was my mate. A miracle, if I were being honest with myself. More precious and perfect than I deserved. I had blood on my hands. A lot of blood. Years of war and killing had stained them permanently in my mind.

But she allowed me to touch her anyway, with these scarred, bloody hands. I was the monster guarding the gate, a trained killer, but I was her monster. I served Mytikas. I served the citadel and Queen Celene. But above all, I served Trinity now.

“Mad? Yes. But mate, not with you.”

She sighed and offered me a small smile.

“I admit, I want to go back and rip that consort’s head from his body. Clearly you are irresistible to all males on Alera, and not just me.”

She laughed at that. “He was just doing his job.”

“You are not a job.” I tugged my shirt, lifted it up and over my head. I would not pretend to be the guard sleeping at the door. No. We would now sleep. Together. Where we should have been all fucking along. “Please explain to me why you had your hand on his balls.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not going to forget that, are you?”

I arched a brow as I settled my hands on my hips. “Would you like to find me naked and in bed with a woman with my fingers buried in her pussy?”

Her lips thinned and her eyes narrowed. I had no interest in another female, she had to know that, especially since she’d brought about my awakening. My cock was hers. She ruled it.

“You have a point.” She spun on her bare foot, glanced around the room, picked up a glass of water and took a drink. “Destiny said—”

“Ah, I can’t wait to hear this one,” I murmured, thinking of the fearless and half-mad female. I’d never met a female more aggressive. If Trinity was solid and steady as a rock, Destiny was the storm that raged against it.