Claimed (11 page)

The relief of his acceptance was overwhelming. She shuddered, pain slicing through her yet again. Her legs shook so hard she thought she was going to collapse.

Sorvar’s hands were on her before she realised what he meant to do. He grasped her wings along the bony top edge and lifted, pushing them up and together, like how he held his own wings and every other Morgath male held theirs.

Tina screamed as her muscles wrenched, the agony driving her down to her knees, but Sorvar was there to hold her up and support her.

“I’m sorry,
pavri,
it was necessary. If your wings aren’t in the right position, the muscles will grow in wrong and you will never gain use of them.”

Choking sobs were all she could manage as she clung to him, her claws digging into the scales of his sides. He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He picked her up, cradling her in his huge arms, and started down the hall. The pressure against her wings was almost torturous, the skin ultra-sensitive.

His scent swirled around her, and she buried her face in his chest drawing in deep breaths. Heat bloomed low in her body, but Tina chose to ignore it. The ache in her new teeth and the overwhelming urge to bite him was harder to ignore.

The steady clicking of his clawed feet on the floor was strangely soothing after the silence of her cell. Tina couldn’t see much more than vague shapes, but she could feel, and she could hear.

Sorvar made a strange movement that jostled her and ripped a gasp of pain from her, but he didn’t slow, he kept on going, repeating the strange movement two more times, his claws clicking on the stone floor.

A string of Morgathian came from the male who had thrown her into the cell. She would never forget his voice. Then Sorvar was climbing a set of steps. Warmer air brushed across her face as they climbed higher. Not as hot as the air outside, but it was definitely warmer than the cool, damp confines of the dungeon.

Tina’s eyes slowly started to adjust, the sting fading the further they went. She began to see things clearer instead of them being amorphous blobs. Colours started to differentiate until she could almost see.

“Sorvar, where are we going?” God, her voice sounded like crap.

His arms tightened around her, dragging a hiss to her lips before he relaxed again.

“To see my father,” he replied.

That shut Tina up, but she couldn’t stop her stomach from quivering or her heart from starting to pound. She looked like, smelled like, and felt like the scum that had coated the floor of her cell, and Sorvar wanted her to see his father.

“I won’t let him hurt you ever again,
pavri.
”

She stroked a hand over the smooth scales of his chest. “I know. I trust you, and I know if you’d been awake, you would never have let him put me down there.”

“Open the doors,” Sorvar barked in Morgathian, and Tina turned to find them walking towards a set of towering wooden doors with what looked like intricate carving. She would love to study the details, but with her vision still blurry, she could only make out vague details, like the two huge circular handles.

Three guards stood on either side of the door. The two closest to the door hesitated until Sorvar growled at them, then they hurried to reach for the handles and swing open the doors.

Sorvar stalked into what Tina discovered was the throne room. Bright sunshine spilled in through high arched windows that ran down the length of the throne room and lit up the polished white stone floor to blinding brilliance. The ceiling soared so far above them that with her watering eyes, she could barely tell where it stopped. She hid her face in Sorvar’s shoulder, squeezing her eyes closed. A low growl started in Sorvar’s chest half way across the room, and Tina could feel the rage that had been on low simmer start to build inside him again.

She turned, blinking her eyes, trying to adjust to the glare. Stupid sensitive eyes. She almost growled, but bit it off at the last second. It was an odd choice for such an aggressive species, having the entire palace built out of white stone. It must be a pain in the ass to keep clean.

Sorvar’s father wasn’t lounging on his massive white stone throne like she expected him to be or admiring the statue that stood, by her estimate, at least fifteen feet high, to the left of the throne. He was off to the right looking at a screen on the wall with four other males who cut off their heated conversation in the middle and turned to watch them approach. All but one male, the tallest male—Sorvar’s father.

Two sets of yellow eyes stared at Tina, not with the disgust and hatred she thought she would receive from Sorvar’s brothers, but with shock. Their gazes skimmed over her, lingering on the arches of her wings that were visible above her shoulders.

The third male was staring at Sorvar, who towered over all of them. Calculation shone in his eyes and a grim sort of respect.

“Father,” Sorvar said, his burning rage sending pulses of fire through Tina’s body.

“Why have you brought that abomination in front of me, Sorvar?” The king didn’t even turn around as he rasped his question.

An uncomfortable silence fell as Sorvar’s rage swelled and almost engulfed them both.

Tina’s heart pounded so hard she could hear it thundering in her ears, her body stiffening in Sorvar’s arms. She was not an abomination! She stared at the back of Sorvar’s father. Oh, how she would like to get her new claws on him.

“Father, perhaps Sorvar’s choice of mate hasn’t made him as weak as we thought,” one of the yellow-eyed males said as he eyed Sorvar.

“Bah! I have seen what he has become. He is weak and needed to rely on other males to protect his mate. I have no use for males who cannot protect their females and young, and I have no use for females who steal my warrior’s strength. You should have given her to the Crasgich, Sorvar, and avoided restarting the war. Now, my warriors will die because of one useless female. Get her away from me, or I will do what I should have done five days ago and rip her throat out.” The king still refused to turn and look at his son.

Sorvar roared, vicious, furious, and deafening. Oh, god, so much rage! The ground trembled under his rage. The windows closest to them shrieked as fine cracks spread across their surfaces, and cracks spread across the screen mounted on the wall. Sorvar’s wings snapped out and wrapped around them, enclosing Tina in the warmth of his embrace.

“I should kill you for what you have done to Tina, but I won’t. Our people need you. However, if you ever lay your hands on my mate I will—”

Tina thumped a fist into Sorvar’s chest before digging her claws into the scaled muscle, halting his threatening words. “Sorvar, you cannot threaten the king. He could have you killed for treason,” she hissed.

A low rumbling growl rolled up through his chest, cutting through the shocked silence that filled the throne room.

“If you kill my mate, Father, you will kill me. We are soul bonded, so whatever plans you had to separate us, you can forget. I will not be separated from my mate. Not now, not ever,” Sorvar said.

Tina went still in Sorvar’s arms as her breath caught. Oh, he was in
so
much trouble. She was going to rip into him when they were alone.

Claws scraped across the stone, a shriek in the silence of the throne room. The angry hiss of a male accompanied it.

“You have thrown away your life for this piece of garbage?” the king demanded.

Sorvar didn’t answer but simply turned on his clawed foot and stalked away. That was answer enough, wasn’t it?

He stopped after a dozen strides. “Perhaps in six months’ time when I welcome my first son, you will look back on this time, Father, and remember how you have treated my mate. She will not be the last human female to mate with a Morgath, and the son she grows in her belly for me will not be the only Morgath-Human male in the royal family. Sedric is already planning to find a human of his own.”

A furious roar followed them out of the throne room.

* * * *

Sorvar stalked through the palace, determined to take Tina to Medical. The rage inside him was a fierce, fiery wild thing that blazed out of control. He wanted to rip his father to shreds for what he had done to Tina.

He wanted to see his father’s blood spray across the ridiculous white throne the males of Morgath had presented him with at the arrival of his first son. If only they could see their precious king now, see what he had done to a mate.

The males he passed in the corridors of the palace stopped and stared at him. He was an anomaly, and many of them would be wondering who he was. A few inclined their heads in respect. If they could see Tina, they would be staring at her, and whispers would spread through the palace like wildfire.

A mate with wings. A mate with claws and the teeth of a Morgath. It was unheard of. Sedric would not be the only male who would want a human for his mate. The last test would be the birth of his son. If the child was strong and healthy, his father would not be able to stop other males from seeking out human females.

“Sorvar.” Tina wiggled in his arms, a small hiss of pain escaping her.

“We’ll be there soon, Tina. I know you’re in pain. Bavric will be able to give you something to help.” He wanted to squeeze her tight, but refrained. She was in enough pain without him making it worse.

The soft stroke of her hand across his chest cut through the rage filling him. Soft little scratches of her claws on his scales sent a spark of lust jolting through him.

“Sorvar, I need a bath before we go to Medical. I know you want the medic to make sure I’m all right, but if he wants to do a pelvic exam, I... kind of... I need a bath. I smell, I feel uncomfortable, and it’s embarrassing.” Tina wiggled in his arms.

Her embarrassment flared inside him, heat working its way up his neck into his cheeks. Sorvar stopped in the middle of the open walkway and loosened his wings so that he could look down at his mate. He took in the dishevelled hair and dirty smudges on her face. Fresh and dried blood stained her mouth into a dark pout, and angry scratches marred the pale perfection of her skin. Dry, cracked lips showed her dehydration, and he hesitated to give her what she wanted.

He wanted her to be comfortable and happy in her new home. Forcing her to suffer through the invasive tests, scans, and examinations a new mate went through when they first arrived while embarrassed about the state of her body was no way to show her how much he cared about her.

“Anything for you,
pavri,
” Sorvar said and meant it with all of his heart.

He would do anything for her, give her anything she asked for to make her life here more comfortable. He turned to find three males from the palace guards walking towards them, all older males, all ready to take a mate. Aggression rolled off them, making a low growl roll up his throat. So his father had sent males after him. Or maybe his oldest brother, Sinder, had sent them. He and Sinder had never had a good relationship.

Sorvar unfolded his wings, exposing Tina to them. It was a calculated risk, but he was willing to take it. He could take the three of them with ease in his current form, but it would mean leaving Tina defenceless, which he wouldn’t do. A little trickle of apprehension slid through their bond, and he squeezed her gently.

He wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt her ever again. He would defend her to the death with every last breath in his body.

The males stopped in the middle of the corridor, their gazes zeroing in on Tina. Wings fluttered, low growls and a hiss showed their agitation. Females were not treated this way. Males found mistreating their mates would lose them, and punishment was swift and fierce.

No matter what his father or brother had instructed them to do, they would not risk hurting a female. It went against everything they stood for. It was bred into them to protect females, especially those carrying young.

He knew they would want to ask what she was and where she had come from, but they would not question one of the royal family, and he was not in the mood to stand in the corridor talking while Tina was in pain. If they weren’t going to attack, then he had nothing to say to them. He walked forward, and the males hesitated only a second before splitting to let him through.

Halfway down the corridor, the beginning of a quiet conversation started behind him.
Let them talk, let them spread the news of his mate.
His father could deal with the fallout of his actions.

His apartments were on the other side of the palace from the Medical suites. The path led them close to the throne room and the roars of his father. Tina let out a little sigh that blew against his scales in a gentle dance, her breath warm and moist.

The memory of feeling that warm breath blowing across his thinner softer human skin would forever be burned into his brain, as was the feeling of her lush lips wrapped around his cock. A surge of lust speared through him, pushing more of his rage into the background.

A heavy weight settling on his shoulders slowed Sorvar’s steps as they reached the doors to his private apartments. He shook his head. It would be a while before they could resume their vigorous coupling. Gravid females couldn’t have intercourse, but he could wait, even if it drove him insane to have her near him and not be able to touch her the way he wanted to.

His mouth fell open, his hands tensing around Tina when he ducked again and walked through the wide door into the spacious lounge area of his apartments. Normally, he had every available surface including the multitude of tables in the room covered in devices and technology from all over the galaxy. Somebody had been in his quarters since he’d left to collect Tina.

He’d have to ask Carter if he’d cleaned up for him. The palace’s major-domo was efficient and always seemed to be one step ahead of the princes. He’d even ordered new furniture suitable for a female with no wings. They wouldn’t need those after all. Sorvar would have them removed.

Sorvar could feel Tina’s curiosity as he headed for the door to his bedroom and the large bathing chamber beyond. Her bags were sitting at the end of his bed. One of the palace servants would have put away his own belongings on his return.