Page 6 of Royal Mate

6

A ddan

Fuck. As much as letting her go tore at my soul, the idea of her taking Prince Martainn as her mate made my blood boil.

“Paige.” I corrected myself. Fuck. “Your Highness, the laws are clear. You cannot leave.”

“This is insane,” she replied. “He’s wrong. That Zeus guy has to be wrong.” Her foot moved as if her body held too much energy to remain still, the odd white shoes making a tapping noise as she lifted and lowered her toes over and over again. “Has this ever happened before?”

“No. Not once since the accords were signed.” Not since Paige’s mother was murdered and her aunt, Alienor, was forced to assume the throne. At that time, Queen Alienor had approached the Coalition and negotiated The Coalition Accords. She did what she needed to do to protect the planet without committing us to being full members of the Interstellar Coalition of Planets.

So far, we’d been lucky. Commander Zeus and his battlegroup protected this sector of space, and we’d had very little threat from the Hive invaders. I could count the number of times we’d eliminated Hive Scouting ships on one hand over the last twenty-five years. I’d only been in command for a few years, but I knew our planet’s history.

I also knew Queen Alienor had proclaimed the female who stood before me to be dead, murdered along with her mother all those years ago.

Now that I knew the truth, Paige’s resemblance to her mother was undeniable. The same dark red hair, pale green eyes and heart-shaped face. Paige was the same age now that her mother had been when she’d been murdered. In fact, they could be twins.

How had I not seen the truth? I’d seen countless images of the former queen. Fuck me, a large portrait of Paige’s mother hung in the entryway of this very building.

I hadn’t wanted to see the truth, too consumed with fucking Paige and feasting on her sweet pussy to acknowledge her true identity.

Still, why had the queen lied all these years? Not just to the public, but to me? Was it to protect her claim to the throne? Or had she feared planetary unrest if our people knew the truth, that an infant princess had not been murdered, but taken? Gone missing?

Did she truly believe the princess was dead? How would she have come to that conclusion without proof? Without seeing the infant’s dead body? If there was any doubt, why keep the possibility a secret?

The answer came to me before I’d finished thinking the question. The former queen’s loyal guardians would never have given up the search. We would have turned the galaxy inside out to find the missing princess. They never would have stopped looking. I’d been young then, a lad of ten, just entering my training at our military academy. Even then, I’d been devastated by the loss, as had the entire planet. The noble houses had erupted. We’d been on the brink of civil war.

Queen Alienor had been a steadfast and responsible leader. She’d routed out the filth who’d attempted to end the royal line and stabilized the planet in a time of extreme unrest. Her son, Prince Martainn, had only seen five summers at the time. The fact that he’d grown into a spoiled, arrogant ass was irrelevant to the law. If Paige was who Commander Zeus claimed, Prince Martainn was, in fact, her betrothed.

He didn’t deserve her. Yet I knew the laws of Insuri better than most. The only way for a royal princess to break a betrothal was if she found and claimed her Resonant, the male whose energy signature and DNA both activated and resonated with her own. Her perfect match.

The day before, when she was between my thighs and her hand stroked my cock, I’d asked her if it was her intention to claim me. She’d said no.

I was not hers. I was not her Resonant, not her perfect match.

There was nothing either of us could do about that biological fact. I had failed to activate her mating instincts, her need to claim me, the primal, instinctive need all Insuri females experienced when they met the male destined to be theirs.

It was not me.

The queens of old were not cruel, they allowed their offspring twenty-five years to find or select a mate of their own. However, to ensure the continuity of the royal bloodline, all female heirs were betrothed at birth, just as Paige had been. Should they fail to find and claim a Resonant mate by their twenty-sixth birthing day celebration, they were wed to their betrothed.

A few females grew to love their betrothed and eagerly awaited the day. Some were lucky enough to stumble upon their Resonant mate before the deadline.

Most hoped, but did not claim a male for their own, and had no choice but to obey the Queen’s law. Paige, though, was different. She didn’t seem to know the rules. Didn’t know anything about Insuri. Didn’t know about her betrothed. Living on Earth, she’d had no time to know him or find her true mate.

The female before me, whose sweet pussy and cries of pleasure drove me mad, would not only remain on this planet, but share another male’s bed within a matter of days.

Lost to me forever. Not gone, where I would mourn her as a memory. Right fucking here, in front of me, where I would be forced to watch Prince Martainn put his hands on her. Watch his child grow in her womb. Know, every night as sleep eluded me, that his cock stretched her tight pussy, his seed filled her, his lips kissed her skin. Made her scream in pleasure.

I would go mad.

I knelt, head bowed, before the female who would never be mine as my mind raced with dark thoughts. Dangerous possibilities. Rage and hatred for Prince Martainn swelled to fill my black heart. Days ago, my opinion of him had been nothing more than mild disdain, if I bothered to think of him at all.

“Addan? Stand up. What are you doing?” Paige walked to me and placed her hand under my chin. With a gentle touch, she lifted my chin and forced me to look up into her pale green eyes. “What happens now?”

I rose, as ordered, and towered over her soft body and luxurious curves. The need to protect her rode me hard. Mine or not, she was vulnerable and confused, about to enter a political arena she was not prepared for.

One question persisted, one dark suspicion I could not quell. “Faolan, erase all records of contact with Commander Zeus. Also, delete transport records of the princess’s arrival. I want every image, every report, every bit of her existence deleted from our system immediately. Do you understand?”

The guard glanced from me to Paige as if asking her permission, as if he truly believed she was going to be his queen.

I wanted to smash his skull for daring to defy me, but he was a good male, upholding the law and respecting the wishes of a royal princess. No, make that queen. Her mother had been queen, and upon her death, the role fell to Paige’s shoulders. It only went to Queen Alienor because Paige had died, too.

Except, here she stood. Alive. Our rightful queen.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand the importance of my words. The predicament she was in was perilous. Her return would unbalance the entire planet.

“Do what he says, please.” Her small hand wrapped around my forearm, and I looked down into the eyes of the most beautiful female I’d ever known. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I trust you know what you’re doing, but why? What am I supposed to do now?”

“Your existence will upset the balance of power on the planet. You will need time, my queen, to gather your allies and make plans.” I rolled my shoulders back. “Now, I take you somewhere I can keep you safe until you are ready to claim the throne.”

“Where? Isn’t this a military fortress? Where could be safer than here?”

I imagined she finished her statement by saying… with you.

“My mother was Queen Madallaine’s best friend and confidante. For centuries, our family has served the true royal line. If anyone harbors any ill will toward you, my family estate is the one place I am sure could withstand an attack.” My mother, in fact, my entire family, was extremely wealthy with a large military force and the latest weapons. My mother was not shy about purchasing advanced Coalition weaponry. We were not part of the Coalition, but Prime Nial and the Coalition Fleet did not want us to be defenseless in the event of a direct Hive attack.

“My mom and your mom were best friends?”

“Yes. They grew up together in the palace. They were separated when my mother married my father and moved onto the ancestral estate, but they remained close until Queen Madallaine’s death.” Those were dark days. “My mother mourned for months.”

Saying the words made me once again feel like the young male desperate to help his sobbing mother. I’d tried everything. Sweets. Flowers. Begging her to walk with me in the gardens. We’d lost the queen, who had been like a cherished aunt to me. My true terror had been fueled by the fear of losing my mother as well. She’d become a shadow of her former self, having taken years to recover.

“I’m sorry.” The hand she’d placed on my forearm slid down until her fingers laced with mine. Fuck. I should let go and stop tormenting myself.

Like a fucking heartsick fool, I wrapped my hand around hers and accepted the comfort of her touch. “You were an infant.”

“Did we know each other? Do you remember me?”

“Yes. I was a boy of ten on The Day of Steel and Blood.” I couldn’t look away from the longing in her gaze, her need to belong so strong I wondered what type of life she’d lived on Earth to make her so vulnerable. “The queen would spread a blanket in our garden, and I would dangle Moon Blooms over you as our mothers gossiped. The sparkling petals always made you laugh.”

“Do you still have those flowers in the garden?”

“Yes.”

“I’d like to see them.” She squeezed my hand. “I know it’s stupid, but maybe I’d remember something.” A shudder passed through her and we both turned as the guard, Faolan, interrupted.

“All traces of Princess Edelene’s arrival have been deleted, General. I have deactivated all security between here and the vehicles for ten minutes, so there will be no record of her leaving with you.” He cleared his throat as he glanced at the princess before quickly lowering his gaze. “There is one potential problem, General.”

I did not need problems. “What problem?”

“Peadair, General. He disappeared last night, and we have not been able to locate him.”

Fuck. The guard who’d fired his weapon at Paige, claimed he’d been following the queen’s orders. Why would Queen Alienor order one of my men to shoot any female who transported to the planet? Unless she knew the truth, that Paige was alive and a threat to her throne.

“Alert the others. If he attempts to enter the facility, have him detained and notify me. I would very much like to speak to him.”

“Understood, General.”

“Fetch my car, Faolan, and wait for us. I trust no one else.”

“Yes, General.” Faolan bowed to Paige. “Blessings, Princess. I mean, Queen. Welcome home.”

Were those tears in Paige’s eyes? Why would such a simple statement drive her to tears? Unable to resist the urge to comfort her, I released her hand and placed my palm on the small of her back. “Come, Princess.” I paused, added. “You are the rightful queen, however I shall in the interim until we reestablish you on the throne, call you princess, if that is acceptable.”

She blinked, then nodded. “I’m Paige.”

“Yes, to me you are, but you are now more. I will take you to meet my mother. You will be safe in her home.”

“Isn’t it your home, too?” Paige leaned into my touch as Faolan left the transport room. Damn my stupidity. I should not have ordered him to leave me alone with her. My control was in tatters. She leaned to one side and peeked around me, making sure we were by ourselves before speaking. “What am I going to do, Addan? I’m not a queen! I’m a maid. I work three cleaning jobs. Need a toilet to sparkle, I’m your girl. A queen? I can’t balance my checkbook, let alone rule a planet. I can’t.”

She turned and pressed her forehead to my chest, leaning on my strength. If she were mine, I would be beside her every moment, guiding and protecting her. Now that duty would fall to her betrothed. I would be nothing but a soldier. I could do nothing but serve her in that way. “I will keep you safe, Princess.”

“Paige,” she corrected.

“Paige,” I agreed. “You have my word.”

I wrapped my arms around her even as my conscience screamed at me that she belonged to another. I was not her Resonant. She had not claimed me. Would not. And in a matter of days, on her birthing day, she would take Prince Martainn Ailbeart Seppani, the pompous ass, as her mate.

If I didn’t kill him for touching her. Fuck. I couldn’t control the violence of my thoughts. How would I react when he touched her in front of me? Kissed her?

“This is all a huge mistake.” She pressed her curves against me, her warm arms wrapping around my waist as if in my arms was exactly where she belonged. “I just want to go home.”

Her words were like ice in my veins. She did not want me, did not want to stay and claim her throne. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to let her be mated to the Prince, just as she had no choice but to remain on Insuri and rule. “You are home, Princess.”

I stepped back and cursed myself for wanting to pull her into my arms once more as she wiped a tear from her cheek. “Paige,” she whispered.

“Come. We need to leave before the security system resets.” I led the way out of the transport room, stopping just long enough to grab one of my dress coats from its hook. I wrapped the heavy garment around her, pleased that it fell past her knees—and hid her very alien attire. Now that I knew who she was, I needed to be more careful about safeguarding her. The fewer people who saw her, the better.

She snuggled her nose into the neck of my coat and breathed in my scent, making my cock instantly hard. She looked perfect wearing my coat, wrapped in my scent, my protection. Ignoring my body’s reaction, I led her down the long corridor toward the vehicle I knew would be waiting for us with Faolan at the controls. The Coalition had complete dominion over transport technology throughout the galaxy. If Commander Zeus would not allow her to transport, she was going nowhere unless I took a spacecraft and flew her myself. I had no idea how far Earth was from Insuri, but even with a long-range spaceship, the journey would potentially take years. Decades. Fuck, centuries, depending on the distance.

I chose a path that would take us through the grand entrance, past the portrait of her mother, Queen Madallaine Edelene Peigi. When we stood directly in front of the archway over which her mother’s portrait hung, I stopped and pointed so she would look up.

“You look exactly like your mother. I cannot believe I didn’t see the resemblance. I should have known. My apologies, Princess. I have already failed you.” I never should have touched her. Never fucked her. Never tasted the addictive flavor of her wet pussy.

Paige lifted her gaze and gasped. “Oh my god.” She swayed on her feet, her cheeks deathly pale. “That’s my mother?”

“Yes.” When her knees collapsed, I lifted her in my arms and resumed walking. “Do you not see the resemblance?”

She shifted in my hold, craned her neck so she could look back over my shoulder at the portrait of the female whose blood ran in her veins. “Yes. I can’t believe it. We could be sisters.” Her words slipped away like sand sifted through open fingers. “I—I’ve never looked like anyone before. I was adopted.”

“There will be no doubt, Princess. Your mother’s allies will rally to your side. You will not be alone.”

What I could not promise was that I would be at her side, protecting her, pleasuring her, holding her in the dark when her duties became too much.

I turned a corner, the room with the portrait no longer visible. Paige shifted in my arms, her delicate face lifting, her vulnerable green gaze focused on my face. “You can put me down. I can walk now. I’m sorry. It was just a shock.”

“We are nearly there. I will carry you.” This might be the last time I would ever hold her in my arms. I was in no hurry to let her go.

If an attack came from Queen Alienor trying to keep her seat on the throne, my family estate was the only stronghold with enough soldiers and weapons to keep Paige safe from a direct military assault. As word of Paige’s existence spread, more allies and friends would rally to her side. I hoped a civil war would not be necessary. I hoped Queen Alienor was innocent of any wrongdoing in Queen Madallaine’s death.

If Queen Alienor stepped aside peacefully, surrendered the throne, there would be no need for violence. Until I was sure, I would protect Paige with my life. “You are Princess Edelene, you are now the rightful queen. You must be protected. Your mother, Queen Madallaine, had friends and loyal allies on Insuri. Even after all this time, they have not forgotten her. They will protect you and help you claim your throne.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to claim the throne. And I am not marrying some guy I’ve never met in less than a week. That is not what I want to do on my birthday. No way.”

I held her tightly to my chest, tormented by the small, chilled hand that rested against my neck, and spoke the truth neither of us wanted to hear. “I’m afraid, Your Highness, you have no choice.”