“Stay away from me, you winged freak!” She held her hands out in front of her to ward off his advance. It was one thing to dream about a guy with wings, but it was definitely another to actually see one.

  He stepped closer, ignoring her command. “You’re being silly. It is not becoming of a future princess of Zerus, my lovely The’Ran.”

  “What on Earth are you talking about?”

  “We are not on Earth. We are on H’trae.”

  “Whatever! I don’t care where the hell we are. I want to go home!” She lashed out at him this time, her hand connecting with his chest with a loud stinging slap.

  Enough, woman!

  Raven clutched her head. The sound of his voice reverberated through her, but he hadn’t moved his mouth to speak. This was beyond weird. Her eyes welled up with tears of frustration. Now she understood why Hope had been such a watering pot. “Get out of my head. Just let me go home,” she pleaded.

  He stepped closer, pinning her against the wall with his hard body. “You are home, jihar.”

  Raven’s eyes widened at the tender endearment. She wanted to run away, pretend this was all just a dream, but she couldn’t move. She stretched to look at his face. His intense silver eyes looked down into hers. She gulped, and her body began to grow hot as images of that dream flooded her mind. It had been a while since her body had reacted to a man’s nearness. Was he a man? No man she knew had wings.

  “Are you an angel?”

  His face was only inches from hers. “I know not what that is. I am Ceyan.” His eyes scanned her face, as if he could not get enough of the very sight of her. She flinched when he leaned forward to brush his lips against hers as if it were his right to do so.

  “No,” she whispered. Out self-preservation, she pushed against him, disturbed by the feeling of her naked skin against his bare chest. Having been a model for several years, she was comfortable with her own nudity, but to have him look at her so intensely, she felt as if he were looking through her very soul. She had the urgent need to cover up. One arm crossed her breast while another hand crossed her now quivering mound.

  Please don’t. Your body is far too lovely to be covered. Remove your hands and let me see all of you.

  There it was again. He was communicating with her telepathically. “Stop that!” she said, maneuvering herself sideways in order to get away from him.

  “Stop what?” He frowned.

  “Stop talking to me in my mind. It’s creepy.”

  “I see that you are in distress. What is it that I can do to put you at ease, jihar?”

  Raven hesitated briefly. For some strange reason, she could feel that he was sincere. She also sensed something else, something that she did not want to dwell upon. “Well, I would like something to wear.”

  “Getting you something to wear is easy enough. What else do you require?” He lifted a black brow.

  “It would be nice to know why I’ve been brought here, and why the hell you have wings. That is definitely not normal.”

  “You have a sharp tongue, Raven. I like my women with spirit. My brother Rohman, however, would not like a woman speaking to him in such a manner. You should remember that when you are presented to him.” Thane’s eyes gleamed in amusement. A lazy smile spread across his face.

  Raven glared at him. She was torn between hitting that smirk off his face, and throwing herself into his arms. She was so confused, and anger seemed to be her only outlet. “Do you think I give a shit about what your brother does or does not want? Why should I care?”

  The smile left his face. “I’m sure that you don’t, but you will cease this tirade, woman. My brother is king, and he is due the respect of all subjects in his realm. I will send you servants with something for you to wear and when I return, I will explain all.” He turned to leave.

  She called to his retreating figure, needing to know the answer. “Why have I been brought to this place?”

  He turned to look at her for a moment. “You were brought here to save my people, but first, you will be my bride,” he said before walking out of the room.

  Raven’s jaw dropped. She was quite sure that if this were a dream, now would be a pretty good time to wake up.

  “Wait a minute! Now just wait one damn minute. You can’t just tell a girl something like that and walk away, for Pete’s sake!” Raven yelled at his retreating figure.

  Thane turned around with an amused expression on his handsome face. “I find it hard to comprehend your surprise about becoming my bride, when you have dreamed of me each night.”

  She gasped in astonishment. “How did you…?”

  “For many moons I have longed for my heart mate. Someone to be my companion, share my bed and produce my heirs, but for the many H’trae years I have lived, I had not found the one. It was not long ago however, that I began to dream of a woman with hair like the night and beautiful white skin with eyes like tela. I called out to you. That is why you have dreamed of me. You knew who I was the minute you saw me, did you not?”

  Raven could only shake her head in agreement, unable to speak to save her life. “I can see the confusion on your lovely face. And I promise, I will explain everything, but I will give you something to think about before I take my leave. In your heart, did you ever truly feel like you belonged anywhere when you lived on Earth?” Thane asked before departing.

  Raven wished she could say that she had, but she couldn’t.

  Chapter Five

  “Are the women comfortable?” Aarik asked Thane as he entered the hall. A pretty serving wench was massaging his feet.

  Thane sighed. “As well as can be expected. Raven is now in her room raising havoc. She’s not pleased with what she was given to wear and she is giving the serving wenches quite a time. She is confused and frightened, but she will soon adjust to our ways.”

  “And the others?”

  “Kal is currently with the one called Genesis. She has still not overcome the mind lock. The wee one is with them.”

  “That is odd. I have not known Kal to be overly forceful with a woman. She will have a mighty headache when she regains consciousness.”

  “That she will, and a mighty temper, judging from what I have seen of her. I suspect Kal has an interest in her. Her feistiness will never bore him at least.”

  “And the one with the golden hair?”

  Thane picked up the odd inflection in his brother’s voice, and he raised a dark brow. “Ah, so you have interest in the golden wench.”

  “I know naught of what you speak.” Aarik turned to the serving wench, who seemed to be listening to their conversation intently, and told her to be gone. She bowed her head to the prince. Aarik gave her a playful whack on the buttocks as she scurried away. The serving maid blushed with an attractive rose-colored hue to her cheeks before leaving the two princes alone. When she was gone, Aarik turned back to his smirking brother.

  Aarik’s face turned red. Among all his brothers he was the most sensitive and was teased quite mercilessly for it. “I inquired about the status of all of the women, not just her. Besides, you know that Rohman has first pick of the women at the feast.”

  “Hope, as I have learned her name to be, is doing well. She was a bit hysterical in the beginning, but she was administered a calming tonic and is resting now. As for Rohman having the first pick among the women, he will not stop me from claiming Raven. She is the one I desire.”

  “I only hope for your sake that she is not the one that Rohman desires as well,” Aarik countered.

  Thane was not going to let his precious Raven be handled by his brother, who held most women in contempt. As spirited as Raven was, Thane knew that Rohman would make her miserable with his arrogant and abrupt ways. As he had warned Raven earlier, Rohman would not tolerate anything but obedience to his word. Thane had come to admire Raven’s spirit, and he hated the thought of it being broken. The punishment was harsh for any Ceyan woman who disobeyed her lord and master.

  His thoughts drifted back to her beautiful face and body. He had wanted to throw her on the floor and fuck her until she couldn’t walk for days. Her very scent made it hard for him to think clearly. He could hardly wait until the Feast of the Flesh. There, he would claim her, but until then, he knew he must gain her trust in him. “Damn Rohman.”

  “Exactly what am I being damned for, Thane?” Rohman walked into the hall, a blond eyebrow raised in amusement.

  Thane had the good grace to look embarrassed, but when he regained his composure once more, he lifted his chin with defiance, his wings flapped in challenge. “I was telling our brother that I wish to claim the one called Raven.”

  “I see, but what if I say she is the one I want?” Rohman asked his youngest brother.

  Thane stood his ground. Too many times before, Rohman had used his position as king to run roughshod over their family, but not this time. “I would challenge you for her.”

  “Hmm, what you speak of is treason, brother. Does the wench stir your cock so much you would go against your king? I’ll tell you this, Thane, no woman is worth it. As it stands, I will sample all four women at the feast and then we shall see.” Rohman turned to Aarik. “Do you wish to challenge me as well, mehier?”

  “No, but don’t be so harsh with him. He believes he has found his heart mate. He does not mean to be so defiant,” Aarik answered.

  “I am sure Thane would not appreciate your defense of him. He means exactly what he says, and I admire that. As for finding his heart mate, I don’t believe in such foolishness. That illusion was destroyed for me long ago.”

  “Rohman --”

  “No! Don’t try to convince me otherwise. If I am to take a bride in order to save my people, then so be it, but I’ll have no more talk about heart mates. All that I require is a channel to plant my seed in and complete obedience. I do not even want to see any of these women until the feast.”

  Aarik protested. “But --”

  “But nothing! Keep them out of my way until the feast.”

  Thane’s temper was close to exploding. He hated that the two of them had talked about him as if he weren’t even in the room. He watched in frustration while his two older brothers began to communicate telepathically, wishing he knew what they were discussing, but his mind-reading abilities were not as strong as the twins’. Whatever they were saying, neither twin looked too pleased.

  Before exiting the hall Aarik said aloud, “If you’ll excuse me, I have some duties that I must see to right now.”

  “I will not be dismissed, Rohman. She is my heart mate and therefore it’s my right to claim her, and I will.” The room seemed to radiate with his anger.

  Rohman turned to Thane, silver eyes glowing. “And as I said, we will see.” He spoke in a low, soft voice filled with dead calm. Everyone knew to steer clear of him when he used that tone, but Thane would not be deterred.

  “That we shall. I don’t know what happened to make you the miserable creature that you have become, but don’t think that because you are king I’ll let you stand in the way of what is mine!”

  “What is yours? This is my castle, and everything within it belongs to me. Everyone who dwells in my castle is here on my sufferance, so don’t forget it, Thane.”

  Queen Daliah joined her sons. “What goes on in this hall?”

  Rohman glared, but it was Thane who answered. “We were discussing the upcoming feast.”

  “I see. I thought I heard raised voices in here. Rohman, you’re the one with whom I wished to speak.” She squared her shoulders to face her oldest son.

  Rohman looked bored. “Yes?”

  “I’m in need of an escort into town. Can I make use of some of your men?”

  Rohman shrugged. “You need not have applied to me for that. You’re queen here.”

  “Really? I would never have known. The last time I took a few of your men with me into town, you were angrier than a sitla beast.”

  “That’s because you took my men while they were in training. As I trust that you aren’t addle-brained enough to make the same mistake, you may use my men at your discretion.”

  Daliah turned a deep scarlet. “How dare you! I’m your mother. If you don’t respect my status as queen, at least give me the respect due to me as your mother.”

  Rohman gave his mother a crooked grin. “I give respect where it’s due. You may be queen and you may be my mother, but they’re both meaningless titles because you are not worthy of either!” He stormed out of the hall.

  Daliah stood there in stunned silence, watching Rohman’s retreat. When he was gone, Thane went to his mother and pulled her into his arms to comfort her. “I will talk to him, Mother. He shouldn’t speak to you in such a manner.”

  She sniffed, looking on the verge of tears. “No, don’t go to him on my behalf. It will only make things worse.”

  “Why do you put up with him? I would very much like to give him the thrashing of his life but each time, you stay my hand. Why, Mother? Why do you let him do this to you? He continues to hurt you, yet you endure it.”

  The sad look in Daliah’s eyes broke Thane’s heart. “What choice do I have? I may be queen, but I’m still only a woman, and in Rohman’s eyes, women are the lowest form of creatures.”

  “But why? I do not understand. If he holds all women in such contempt, why does he continue to invite that wicked Ani into his bed?”

  “Don’t be fooled, my son. He sees her exactly for what she is, which is probably why he keeps her around. With her, his heart will never be at risk.”

  “Will you not tell me what has passed between you and Rohman?” Thane asked, not knowing what exactly had happened between the king and queen that caused Rohman to hold their mother in such contempt. At one time, they’d been closer than he and Daliah. Thane had always assumed the power of his throne had gone to Rohman’s head. It was not that he didn’t make a good king, because for the most part he was a fair and just ruler who cared about the welfare of his people. After hearing his mother’s comment, however, he wasn’t so sure that it was the power that had changed his brother.

  She sighed. “I don’t think I have the heart to go into the details, but perhaps one day your brother will tell you.”

  “As things stand now, Rohman does not seem to be in a sharing mood.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know that we swore to the Ancient Ones we would take the The’Rans as our brides?”

  “Yes. I’m aware of this. Are they not to your liking? They’re all a little on the puny side, but they are all fair of face.”

  “That is not the problem. They are all very fair indeed, but Raven is the one who makes my heart beat faster. I believe she is my heart mate, and our destinies are intertwined,” he confessed with reluctance. Ceyan men were not known for expressing their more tender feelings. His cock pulsed at the very thought of the lovely Raven.

  Daliah smiled, giving her son a hug. “And you shall have her, my son. I hope she proves worthy of the love I know that you’ll shower upon her.”

  * * *

  Raven paced the floor. There was no way she was marrying that big brute, no matter how sexy and devastatingly handsome he was. She tried to push thoughts of her dream lover out of her mind, but it was hard not to think about how his body had felt against hers.

  He wanted her to marry him, for goodness sake. By God, she already had three ex-husbands. Her first husband, Danny, was a photographer who had basically been a good guy and a lot of fun in the beginning. Danny was the one who’d discovered her, and she’d never really known if she had married him because she loved him or because she was grateful to him for jump-starting her career.

  Raven thought she might have stayed with him if he hadn’t made noises about her giving up modeling and settling down to have his babies. Raven had nothing against children, but she had been twenty-one at the time and practically a baby herself. Her career had only just taken off and she was starting to make a lot of money.

  Growing up poor without all the little luxuries in life had made her want to hang on longer so that she could secure her financial future. She didn’t want to set herself up again to be dependent on anyone, as she had been on her drunken father. Coupled with the doubts of her actual feelings for him, adding children to the equation would have been a disaster, so she’d left him. She’d hated hurting Danny, but she knew she would have only ended up hurting him more had she stayed.

  She had married her second husband, Harry, when she was twenty-three. Harry was British, and Raven had always been a pushover for accents. He’d been the lead singer of a popular rock band. Harry had been charming and loving, but he had two vices she discovered after they were married -- his five hundred dollar a day cocaine habit and young girls. Really young girls. Raven had stuck it out with him as long as she could, not wanting to go through another divorce, but the day she found Harry in bed with a fourteen-year-old groupie, she had to admit defeat. That marriage had lasted for two years.

  Not one year later, she’d impulsively married Guiseppi, an Italian count whose family owned an international chain of hotels. He was thirty years her senior and swept her off her feet. Unfortunately for Raven, Guiseppi was controlling and domineering, a side that she hadn’t seen in the beginning, but when it came out, it was ugly. Guiseppi was not beyond using force to get his way.

  The first time he’d hit her for conversing with an old male acquaintance for too long, she left him. He’d begged her to come back to him, blaming his Italian temper. Like a fool, she’d given it one more try. It wasn’t long before he hit her again for daring to even look in another man’s direction with him standing beside her. He’d hit her so hard that he had busted her lip and loosened a tooth. Raven had been so angry she picked up the first thing she could get her hands on, which had happened to be a priceless Ming vase. She’d smashed it over his head.

  They were both arrested for domestic assault in their Las Vegas mansion. Raven’s career had barely survived the scandal, especially when Guiseppi had gone around the talk show circuit telling everyone that Raven had treated him badly. He claimed he’d put up with a promiscuous wife, and that the night of the infamous incident he’d been provoked. Raven had never cheated on anyone in her life, but she’d refused to refute the ridiculous allegations from Guiseppi, so the media had made their own assumptions. She could have sued him for slander, but she’d wanted to move on with her life. Because of this, she earned the reputation for being a gold digging, bitchy, good-time girl who had played with poor Guiseppi’s affections. Her lucrative contracts slowed down.

 

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