Delivered by the Defender (Kindred Tales)

He expected her to be angry with him for touching her without any kind of permission first, but she only looked up at him with wide eyes.

“I understand,” she said in a low voice. “I’m not upset with you. I…I know you were only doing what you had to do.” She nibbled her lush lower lip, which made Valen want to grab her and crush her to him for a kiss. “And I would much rather have you touch me than the Emperor…Master,” she added, her eyes flicking up to his again, as if to see his reaction to her words.

“I’ll have to do more than touch you, now that you’ve caught the royal eye,” Valen warned her, frowning. “You have no idea what it’s like here at the palace, Selena. I’ll be forced to stroke and caress every part of your luscious, curvy body and there’s nothing either one of us can do about it!”

“Why did you come back for me, if it bothered you so much then?” she flared at him, surprising him with her sudden anger. She stared up at him, her brown eyes blazing. “Why did you say you’d be my ‘Master’ at all?”

Valen clenched his teeth.

“Because I couldn’t bear the thought of any other male claiming you,” he admitted in a low voice. “I know we haven’t even known each other a day, but I couldn’t stand the idea of someone else touching you like that.”

“Oh, well…” She looked less angry and more uncertain. “Well…thank you. I can’t stand the thought of…of any other guy doing that to me either,” she said at last. Her cheeks went pink with the admission, but she didn’t drop her eyes.

“You may not be thanking me before your time at the palace is through,” Valen told her grimly. “Because this is going to be a business arrangement, little one—Mastery for blood. I’ll pretend to be your Master but every night, when we are alone together, you must submit to my bite. Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Her gaze never wavered, though her breathing did quicken and her cheeks flushed. Was she embarrassed? Possibly. But embarrassed or not, she didn’t seem apprehensive or frightened. She sounded perfectly willing to submit to him—though she probably didn’t understand everything that could entail at the palace.

Her reaction, considering the circumstances, surprised Valen exceedingly. Then he remembered the strange book she’d been reading on the shuttle—the one he had picked up and packed with his own luggage before sending it on to his residence. Perhaps he had better study it some more to try and understand her.

But in the meantime, he needed to make one thing clear.

“This is a business arrangement,” he repeated. “One that will end after the gala is over and I see you safely back to the spaceport. I have sworn a vow before the Goddess never to take a bride. So this is strictly temporary—do you understand, Selena?”

This time, her face betrayed what looked like regret. But then she lifted her chin higher and met his gaze even more forcefully.

“That’s fine with me. You pretend to be my Master to get me through this gala, and I’ll let you bite me every night and…and submit to you, no matter what.”

Her voice didn’t waver and Valen was surprised that she didn’t display even a bit of fear. Ka’leesa had cried and cringed away from his fangs, begging him not to bite her…

He pushed the thoughts of his troubled past away. It didn’t matter that the little Elite showed no fear now—he was sure she’d show plenty the first time he bared his fangs to sink them into her flesh.

But for now, they had to get to the royal harness maker.

“Come,” he said abruptly. “The harness maker is this way.”

And turning, he stalked off, not waiting to see if she would follow.

22

Selena’s whole body still seemed to be tingling from the way Valen had touched her in the reception hall. God, his hands were so big and warm and he had been so masterful—touching her exactly the way she’d always wanted a man to touch her. The thought that there was more of the same coming made her pussy feel wet and hot and achy between her thighs.

It seemed to make Valen angry though, for some reason. Maybe he resented being put into this position?

Well, it’s not like he’s not getting anything out of it, Selena told herself. I’m going to let him bite me every night, after all.

Which, to be perfectly honest, also turned her on. Her interest in BDSM had begun as a teenager, reading erotic vampire novels. She had traded for them at school and smuggled them into the house, hiding them under her mattress because she knew her mother would just die if she found them. The idea of the hot, dominant vampire sinking his fangs into the helpless heroine’s throat had always sent shivers of lust down her spine.