Claimed by Prince Daddy

4

A werewolf and a shadow fae? It was simply lunacy.

The male shrugged one broad shoulder. “Yet here we are,” he said simply. “My body recognizes you as mine.” I winced. Prince Drake invaded my space even more, stepping close till our bodies were flushed from head to toe; our hands bracketed between our heaving chests. His gaze sharpened. “Don’t deny you can feel it too. The bond.”

I closed my eyes briefly.

There it is.

The bond was luminescent, spanning from my psyche in a brilliant flame. It spread outward; the crimson thread melded into another, this one a dark lavender ice—the male’s bond webbing through mine. The bond had yet to circle around each of us; the cord wouldn’t be complete until the willing consummation of the mating bond.

I whimpered at the reality of my plight. The male pressed a soft kiss to my brow. My eyes snapped shut. Then I felt his index finger hook underneath my chin, angling my head back. My eyes fluttered open to find his boring into my soul. His gaze dropped for a moment to my lips before flitting up to collide with my gaze once more. I was no fool. I knew Prince Drake sought permission to kiss me.

Indecision warred with desire within my tightly coiled muscles. He lowered his head a fraction, then awaited my reply—my move.

My breathing became labored. What does he taste like? Do I want to find out?

Ever so slowly, I closed my eyes in defeat, my lips parting in anticipation of the wet heat of his lips pressed against mine. My heart pounded so hard that I heard the beats ringing in my ears. One heartbeat passed, then two. Two turned into three, then five.

Nothing.

My eyes cracked open, peeking up at Prince Drake. The male’s lips hardened into a thin line. The warmth I had witnessed in his eyes only a moment ago was replaced by frigid ice. My eyes flew open as I sensed the change in the prince. My inner wolf c****d its head, letting out a whimper of confusion. What had come over our mate? The she-wolf wondered.

He withdrew his hand and took a step back. The lack of heat, feeding between our bodies, sent shock rippling through my veins—like ice water dousing my body.

“You’re right,” Prince Drake said, his tone flat. “We are enemies. We can’t—” he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “This can’t happen.”

My heart shattered at his words. A tear slipped unbidden from my eye to spill down my cheek. The male’s face twisted with regret. He swiped the tear away with a thumb, then let his hand fall to his side.

Nodding shakily, I said, “Y-yes,” I sucked in a ragged breath. “You’re right…I should just—yeah—I should go.” I hooked a thumb back to the castle looming above us, to my quarters.

The male nodded with reluctance. His eyes shone with longing, and as I pivoted, I felt the heat of his gaze burning through my back. My steps quickened before I lifted my skirt and set into a flat-out run. Racing back to the castle doors that led into the garden, I sought to put as much distance between myself and the male—my mate—as possible. Though with each step, the shards of my heard fractured into smaller pieces.

“I can’t,” I panted to myself. “I can’t feel this way. He’s the enemy, dammit!”

I paused around the corner of the doors, the castle’s elven guards still stationed at their posts. I allowed the tears to fall freely. My mate, my life. The shadow fae prince’s life. My brother’s life snuffed out too soon.

This world is so screwed up.

Swiping at my cheeks to rid the tear stains, I straightened, smoothed out my skirts in an attempt to gather my composure, and slipped inside the castle to my room.

That night I dreamt of amethyst eyes calling to me and my body cocooned in a warm protective embrace.

CHAPTER ONE: DECISIONS

DRAKE

M

y heart twisted inside my chest as I walked down the long corridor leading to the Great Hall. The dawn’s rays peeked over the hilly horizon beyond the windows and gilded everything in dusty lavender hues.

Blue eyes, the radiant shade of sapphires, plagued my mind, erasing all other thoughts. The female werewolf I had encountered last night not only possessed my waking hours—she visited me in my dreams the night before. Her shapely body had drawn my mouth to flooding with moisture in want of her. Her scent of jasmine and spring rain had caused my c**k to go hard.

I was no i***t, not by a long shot. When I had laid eyes on her at the summit, I knew who she was to me, what she was meant to be—my mate.

And when I’d held her last night in the elven gardens—hell, nothing had felt more perfect. Had been more wrong…

Dammit…

I couldn’t be with her. She was the enemy. Her kind had rended my soul in two when they had snuffed out the life of my best friend. Gallax was as close to me as my own kin. We had ridden into battle together on numerous occasions; we had saved each other’s asses too many times to count. Then, we had ridden into one battle, which he didn’t walk away from. Instead, his lifeblood had soaked the hard earth as he had died in my arms. He had shielded me from a werewolf lunging for my throat and had gotten his throat ripped out instead.

My heart squeezed impossibly tighter as I thought back to his final words.

“Promise me,” he’d rasped, blood bubbling from his mouth. “Promise me you’ll look after my sister. She has no one left in this world.”

I had squeezed his hand tightly and had sworn, “I’ll do more than look after her. I’ll marry her.”

I’d watched the relief that had washed over his bloodstained face. Then, his eyes had turned glassy, vacant, as his last breath passed from his lungs. With that, he’d gone forever still.

Both Gallax and I had known how his little sister, Rosalana, had bore a crush on me for many years. Though I hadn’t returned her affections—viewing her as no more than a little sister—I knew it would make my friend happy if I were to be bonded to her by a marital bond. The relief in his eyes at my declaration had proven it.

Yet now…now that I had found my life mate…

“s**t,” I hissed, raking a hand through my dark hair.

“Drakegeon,” a deep voice called from further down the corridor.

My head snapped up, my gaze landing on my father. King Tridar loomed ahead, his brow hardening, nostrils flaring. His eyes flashed.

Lips peeling back, he growled, “Follow me.” Then, he whirled on his heel and stalked away down an adjacent corridor, his cape billowing behind him.

My heart pitched into my stomach.

What the hell was that all about?

Back muscles rigid, I followed after my father. Rounding the bend, I spotted him at the door to his quarters. He opened the wooden door and gestured for me to enter first. Raising a brow at him, I swept past, and my father trailed me inside, closing the door behind himself with a solid thwack.

My gaze did a quick sweep of the room. Soft light slanted in through the bay windows at the far right of the room, the window seat beneath it unoccupied. The large king bed was made, the thick crimson covers tucked neatly over the corners of the mattress, beneath the bed’s frame, spanned an elk’s pelt that covered most of the hardwood floor. An oak dresser stood at the far side of the room, and to the left of the room spanned a luxurious bathroom with marble flooring and a deep freestanding tub. There was no sign of my mother anywhere. She must have stepped out.

“What is this about?” I demanded, my scalp prickling.