Sons of Lyra: Slave Princess Read online

  “What do you want with her?” he said.

  The Minervan laughed, revealing his sharpened teeth. The woman tensed.

  “You’re so ignorant, Lyran. You don’t know what you have.” The Minervan’s attention drifted to the woman.

  Balt looked at her. There was so much fear in her eyes, more than he’d ever seen.

  “I would’ve thought your filthy Lyran hands would’ve been all over her by now... but you must be a fool as well as ignorant... to waste such goods,” the Minervan said with a lewd look at the woman. “Check the back of her neck and tell me what you see.”

  Balt pulled the woman towards him and turned her around. He brushed her hair over her shoulder and frowned when he saw the black intricate mark on the back of her neck. He knew that mark. The woman stepped away and looked over her shoulder at him, a pleading expression on her face.

  “So you see, dear Captain... we want her... hand her over and we’ll leave quietly.”

  He stared into the woman’s emerald eyes. He couldn’t do that to her.

  “No deal. I own her. She’s my property now,” he said and slammed his fist down on the communications panel. The screen went dark and then cleared to reveal nothing but space. He turned to his crew, never relinquishing his grip on the woman’s arm. “Change course. Set coordinates for Lyra Prime.”

  He dragged the woman with him as he headed back to her room. She had some questions to answer. His blood boiled when he thought about how close he’d been to falling for her trick. How dare she use her beauty against him? How dare she make him feel as though she really wanted him?

  The door to her room slid open and he threw her inside. She hit the table and landed on her backside on the floor. She sat there, looking up at him with disbelief in her eyes.

  He sneered at her.

  “Did you intend to kill me?” he shouted at her. She flinched away and shook her head. “I don’t believe you. You would’ve killed me!”

  He grabbed her upper arm and roughly hauled her onto her feet. She lowered her head away from him and then slowly looked up at him.

  “I wouldn’t have,” she whispered, her voice shaking with fear. “I should to avenge my people, but I didn’t intend to.”

  He didn’t know whether to believe her. If she was lying, she was incredibly good at it. From where he was standing, she looked sincere.

  “Tell me,” he said, his grip on her arm increasing. She cringed and whimpered. “How does Terran royalty become a slave?”

  She hit him hard in the chest and broke free of his grasp. She backed away, rubbing her arm. Tears filled her eyes and he regretted his actions. She didn’t deserve his anger. His heart said she hadn’t been out to kill him. She’d wanted that kiss as much as he had.

  “Only the mark saved me from death and made me valuable. The Vegans killed all my friends and killed my family before they realised who they were. Only I was left.” She backed up against the wall and slid down it, curling up and holding her knees to her chest as she sobbed.

  He walked over to her and crouched down.

  “What does the Minervan want with you?” he said.

  She laughed. “You really are ignorant just as he said. I’d be worth a lot on the pleasure market... the last surviving member of Terran royalty... he’d sell me to the highest bidder as a whore.”

  He braced himself when the ship rocked. The Minervans weren’t going to give up easily now that they knew he had her onboard. They wanted their prize as usual, but for once it wasn’t him.

  He looked at her, his chest aching to see the tears streaking her face.

  “What are you going to do?” she whispered.

  Another blast shook the ship.

  She reached out and touched his arm. “If you hand me over, the Minervan will leave you alone.”

  He couldn’t believe she’d just said that. She was willing to sacrifice herself in order to save his ship. He shook his head.

  “I won’t do that. A few more minutes and the coordinates will be set and we’ll be able to lose them when we go into sub-space.” He placed his hand over hers.

  She looked down at it, her expression blank, and then looked back into his eyes.

  “My family destroyed your world,” he said. “I have to repay that debt and protect you.”

  Her eyes widened into a stunned look. “You’re not going to ditch me?”

  “No.” He shook his head again. The plan to ditch her had been ridiculous even before the Minervan had shown up, a ploy to get her out of his sight and his thoughts. Now it was insane. He couldn’t set her down anywhere. He had to protect her. “I will take you to Lyra Prime and my parents... and I will speak to them.”

  Her eyes widened further when another blast rocked the ship. There was genuine fear in their green depths. He curled his fingers around hers and held her hand. With his other hand, he pressed the button on the wristband he wore.

  “Captain to the bridge. How are we doing with those coordinates? It’s getting bumpy back here.” His eyes never left hers. He squeezed her hand, hoping to reassure her that everything was going to be alright.

  She swallowed and screwed her eyes shut when the ship shook. There was a high whine and the front cannons fired. At least his crew had found the good sense to retaliate while they waited. He was going to have to have words when all this was over.

  Another blast hit the ship and the woman was in his arms, curled up with her head against his chest. He’d never met a woman so changeable in all his life. He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her, unable to resist this chance to touch her again.

  “Ready now.” Came the reply from the bridge.

  He closed his eyes, rested his chin on top of her head, and held onto her tightly as the ship jerked and the sub-space engines kicked in. His head spun and his stomach turned. It was never pleasant making the transition between space and sub-space.

  “What was that?” she said, still buried in his arms.

  He knelt beside her and peeled her off him. Dipping his head, he looked up into her eyes. They searched his, pleading him to reassure her. He smiled and brushed the hair from her face. She really was beautiful, and that kiss had been electric. It had made him realise just how much he wanted her.

  “Just the engines making the switch. We’ll be approaching the Lyra system before two days have passed.”

  She uncurled and looked around her. Her gaze settled on the windows. He looked there, at the lights streaming past in a constant blurred line. When he went to look back at her, she was on her feet and moving past him. His eyes followed her as she walked towards the windows. He wondered if she’d ever travelled through sub-space. Not many ships had technology capable of it.

  “What’s your name?” she said and looked over her shoulder at him. A smile graced her lips and her cheeks coloured. Was she embarrassed to ask? She hadn’t blushed when she’d kissed him.

  “Captain Lyra II.” He couldn’t help teasing her, knowing that she already knew his title. He smiled too. “Balt.”

  “Balt?” she said and he nodded. “I’m Kayla.”

  Kayla. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. He remained kneeling on the floor, staring up at her, not afraid of the comfortable silence between them. Looking at her now, he couldn’t believe that he’d thought she’d been out to kill him. There was so much desire in her eyes, so much honesty in them too.

  She walked slowly back towards him and sat on the end of the bed near him. He turned so he was facing her but remained on the floor at her feet.

  The last of Terran royalty.

  She was beautiful enough to be a princess. She was more beautiful than any princess he’d met.

  “Balt?” Kayla said, slightly unnerved by his staring at her with such fire in his eyes. What was he thinking in there? She wanted to ask him but was too afraid of what the answer might be. “What will you do with me now?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “You’re free... you don’t belong to me. All that back on the br
idge was just to throw the Minervan. You’re not my property, Kayla. You belong to no one but yourself.”

  Her chest warmed at his words and the soft way he’d spoken her name. His expression was tender, eyes narrowed slightly on hers and his focus so intent that she felt as though she was the only other person in the universe with him.

  “Doesn’t your crew need you on the bridge?” she said, her nerves getting the better of her. She didn’t want him to leave but she couldn’t handle much more of this meaningful silence. It spoke words to her that made her feel strange. The longer he continued to be close to her like this, the more she began to realise just how attracted to him she was.

  And just how attracted to her he was.

  He shook his head. “They don’t need me to fly the ship.”

  “You said it was two days to Lyra Prime... what do you intend to do in all that time?” She wished she hadn’t said it when he rose on his knees and moved closer to her. His eyes narrowed on hers. She knew exactly how he intended to pass the time. She cursed the fact that she wasn’t strong enough to stop him. Regardless of how attracted to him she was, he was still a Lyran, a son of Lyra no less. She shouldn’t be having these feelings.

  “Kayla,” he whispered, voice low and husky, full of so much desire that she couldn’t help looking at him. He nudged her knees apart and settled between them, his hands trailing fire as they brushed over them and came to rest on her thighs. “You asked me once if I wanted you.”

  She already knew the answer to that question but she got the impression that he needed to say it. He needed to admit that he wanted her—a Terran and a slave. She understood. She was having a hard time admitting that she wanted a Lyran and a prince.

  He leaned forwards, spreading her legs further with his hips, and his hands reached her backside. It felt too good to have his hands on her, dangerously good.

  His mouth neared hers and her eyes fell closed against her will. She struggled to maintain level breathing as anticipation coiled in her stomach. Was he going to kiss her and put her out of her misery, or was he just going to torture her with the idea?

  “I want you,” he breathed against her lips. “Do you want me too?”

  She couldn’t find her voice. Of course she wanted him. She just couldn’t bring herself to say it. She craved him more than food and water, more than the feel of the sun on her skin or the wind of freedom on her face. She needed him more than air itself.

  Unable to speak, she swallowed and nodded.

  His lips met hers, tender and soft, gentle enough to tell her that he’d witnessed her silent reply. She felt light inside, dizzy. She’d never been kissed with so much reverence and affection. Her only experience had been rough and brutal, and against her will. Did he know that? Was that why he was treating her so carefully?

  She leaned forwards, wanting to deepen the kiss. Her tongue swept along his lips and he opened his mouth, his tongue coming to play with hers. It sent tingles sweeping down her spine and she sighed.

  His hands moved to her waist, fingers pressing in slightly as she kissed him. She wanted to touch him too. She hesitated a moment and then placed her hands on his shoulders. He stopped kissing her and moved back. She met his gaze and then looked at her hands. Her heart hammered. Her mouth turned dry.

  Her hands shook as she ran her fingers lightly down his arms, tracing the shape of his biceps. Her gaze slid across to the zipper on his flight suit. It was done up to his neck, the short stand up collar hiding part of it. She licked her lips and then moved her hand to it. One hand held the collar while her other slowly lowered the zip. She sighed quietly and her stomach heated through when the material parted to reveal his collarbones and then his chest. Her other hand left the collar, her fingers grazing his chest as she lowered them to follow the zipper.

  He closed his eyes.

  She’d never seen such quiet pleasure on a man’s face before.

  She lowered the zip to his navel and then coursed her hands back up, over the taut muscles of his abdomen to his chest. When she reached it, she slipped them underneath his flight suit and pushed it towards his shoulders. He helped her, peeling it off his arms and leaving it dangling at his waist. Her eyes drank their fill of his body. The sons of Lyra really were as perfect as she’d heard. At least Balt was.

  Leaning forwards, she pressed light tentative kisses to his chest and neck, exploring his body—rock hard square pectorals, taut shoulders, and deliciously curved abdominals. He kept still, only his head moving slightly to the side when she kissed the spot below his square jaw line. Her whole body ached with desire and instinct drove her forwards, making her touch and kiss him to fulfil the need growing inside her. She wanted more.

  Her gaze lowered to his navel and followed the line of dark hair downwards until it disappeared into the flight suit. She swallowed again as she wondered just how perfect a son of Lyra was. Something told her she’d find out if she found the courage to go through with what she wanted to do. He wouldn’t stop her. She could already see the hardness of his cock against the tight material.

  She looked at his face, checking his eyes were still closed. Her fingers skimmed his waist, ghosting lightly over the muscles there, and then dipped downwards. His lips parted and a small frown knit his brows.

  Her fingers met at the point where she’d unzipped him to. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and then carefully lowered the zipper to reveal dark snug trunks. She wanted to see more. He was going to have to stand.

  She took hold of his hands and stood, forcing him to rise with her. He towered over her, his head bent towards her. She couldn’t resist the opportunity to kiss him. Tiptoeing, she claimed his mouth as her own, plundering it passionately with her tongue. He moaned and a chill chased over her skin. When he did that, she wanted to do even more, she wanted to do whatever it took to make him moan again.

  She pushed the flight suit down over his hips. He stepped backwards and removed his boots before stripping off the flight suit. Her gaze raked over him, absorbing the sight of his long powerful legs and the beauty of his body.

  His hand reached out towards her. Her heart skipped a beat and she kept still as his fingers closed around the zipper on her flight suit. She bit her lip and watched him lower it, revealing her breasts and stomach, and then continuing downwards to her crotch. She didn’t have the advantage that he did. She had no underwear on and he’d already seen her naked.

  That fact didn’t stop his eyes from filling with dark hunger as he peeled the suit off her body. She let him remove it for her, not wanting to interrupt the obvious pleasure he was getting from undressing her. He pushed the suit down her legs and came to kneel before her. She lifted each of her feet in turn so he could remove it completely. When he was done and she was naked, he looked up at her.

  Her pussy throbbed, her nipples hardening at the dirty thoughts coursing through her mind.

  He skimmed his hands back up her legs, tickling her and stirring intense need and desire inside her. She watched his hands and then his face, staring into his eyes. In them, she could see how much this meant to him, and it was far more than she’d expected. He really had wanted her. He did want her. She closed her eyes when he pressed a kiss to her thigh and then kissed across her stomach, his tongue laving her skin and making it tingle.

  His hands cupped her backside.

  Hers ran over his hair, holding him against her stomach. She’d never felt such pleasure before and it surprised her that it could come from something as innocent as a kiss.

  “Kayla,” he whispered up at her.

  She looked down at him, realising for the first time that she had a man on his knees, subservient. No, not just a man. She had a prince of Lyra on his knees and he wore a look that said he would die if she welcomed him inside her. She ran her fingers around his earlobe and then under his jaw. Reaching his chin, she lifted her fingers and was amazed when he followed her silent command and stood.