The Alpha King (14 page)

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Neither shifter noticed the grim-faced man who stood completely hidden in the shadows, his scent masked, his eyes narrowed and his hand resting on the butt of his molecule phaser. They didn't notice when he followed in their direction. An hour later after having a reluctant orgasm while screaming out Percy's name as Eyole lay on top of an abandoned table in the alley, Buck didn't notice him when he walked away.

Eyole noticed him however, seconds before the molecule phaser turned him into a shell of his former self.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Tal came awake slowly and he winced at the harsh light shining in his eyes. Lifting his arm to cover his face, he turned his head when the bathroom door opened.

"Good morning, beautiful! I trust you had a nice nap?" Blaze smiled.

Tal could tell his big mate teased. He and Blaze had spent the entire night before with Mailon and then Percy, who had promptly left when Buck showed up later on. They had gone over where Josie could be and the best way to find her. They discussed Tal's parents and then Buck had taken Blaze out of the room, while Tal and Mailon chatted. Tal had shared his fears with Mailon about the children, being pregnant, his sister, his parents, and the weird dreams he'd been having about two young boys since he'd crashed and woken up in the clinic. Each time the dreams had come Tal felt as if the two meant something to him and his heart always pounded when he struggled to remember who they were. They weren't his children, but they felt tied to his past. He wished he knew why.

Mailon left soon after Blaze had returned, promising him and Tal they would have lunch together the next day, reassuring him that his sister would be fine. He nodded towards Blaze and mentioned he would look into 'that situation'. Blaze had been in a playful mood ever since, which didn't upset Tal. Blaze seemed like the type to take things a little too seriously, so Tal found himself glad he could change that, even if only when they were alone.

Tal grunted before flinging the pillow next to him towards his semi-nude mate. Blaze laughed and dodged the object before making his way over to the bed. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Tal's lips that soon turned deeply passionate. Scion, his mate could kiss and he tasted like the sweetest of berries and the thickest of creams. Tal thought he might be addicted to the flavor and smell of Blaze and could probably spend forever in his arms and never grow bored. But he had a feeling Blaze wanted to talk about something. Pulling away from his mate's delectable lips, Tal lowered his hands from Blaze's hair—how did they get up there—and made room for Blaze to sit down on the side of the bed.

But first, Tal had a question he needed to ask. "How are you not freaked out by the thought of us having five children at the same time?" His fingers nervously tangled in the silver sheets of the bed, his eyes downcast as he nibbled on his bottom lip.

Blaze grinned widely and gently tugged Tal's lower lip from between his teeth. Tal rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. He wanted to know why Blaze hadn't curled up into a ball in the corner to bemoan the fates he'd been mated to a Vermithian who would be giving him five children.

"I'm nervous and excited, but I've always wanted to have a whole lot of kids. I knew I was gay, so I merely hoped my mate would be a woman and that I could endure laying with her once in a while to get her pregnant, maybe while I fantasized about being with a man the whole time," Blaze confessed, looking ashamed.

Tal's eyes widened. He found Blaze's admission shocking and a little sad. Blaze had been willing to mentally cheat on his expected female mate, just to have some children. Tal couldn't remember a time he wanted something so much he would have been willing to settle just to have it. The only thing he'd ever wanted had been to live, to survive… He looked over at Blaze, okay, not completely true. He'd also wanted someone to love him, but how far would he be willing to go to have that love and what would he sacrifice to keep it?

* * * *

Blaze prepared himself for his mate's words of scorn. Instead he ended up being surprised by the smaller man.

"You're gay? Oh my gosh! How could it be? How will I ever deal with being mated to a gay male Tumaron?" Tal asked dramatically. "How will I ever hold my head up high when all of the other queens talk about their straight husbands when I, Alpha Queen Talon Versuthion, am mated to a gay Tumaron?" Tal placed the back of his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon.

Blaze's mouth hung open at his mate's teasing before he threw back his head and laughed. He thought Tal amazing. Only Buck and Percy teased Blaze, and they did it sparingly, always respectful of the position and his title. But it seemed as if his mate didn't care one twig about the 'Alpha King' and Blaze found that utterly refreshing. Gathering his mate close in his arms, he kissed him before releasing him so he could laugh again. He'd laughed more in the last few days with Tal than he ever had before. Definitely something to be said for mating the right person, regardless of race or gender, and Blaze would be a much better man with Tal in his life than without him.

* * * *

Tal lifted his head and smiled. His mate's face still brimmed with amusement. Tal might be slightly freaked out about the thought of being pregnant with five babies who were half Vermithian and half Tumaron, but the shock slowly faded and teasing his mate went a long way towards easing the frantic beating of his heart. He lifted his lips when Blaze lowered his, yearning for the kiss when a frantic knocking sounded at the door.

"Fuck!" Tal groaned, grinning when Blaze growled.

Glad to know someone else got frustrated with their interrupted lovemaking. Quite annoying. He wondered if romance readers knew that when someone mated to a king or a prince they were always getting interrupted. He should write a letter.

And he might well become a virgin again if his mate didn't fuck him soon.

Tal glanced down at the obscenely large erection protruding from the loose gold silk drawstring pants Blaze wore. It looked like Blaze's cock might fall off.

"I'll take care of that later," he promised the still growling man when the knocking sounded again, this time a little more frantically.

"Promise?" Blaze asked, placing a quick kiss Tal's lips before quickly snatching up his black silk royal robe, trimmed in gold, and jerking it on, not bothering to tie the belt.

Tal nodded at his mate's back, thinking it a shame that all of his man's gorgeous body had to be covered up by clothes. Noticing the wide grin on his mate's face when the man turned back around to look at him, Tal realized the wolf had heard his thoughts. He smiled and shrugged. Only the truth, after all.

Blaze strode angrily to the door, wrenching it open to yell in the face of the person knocking. Thankfully, Buck stood outside and the Beta Prince could take it. If it had been Percy, Tal feared the little blond man would burst into tears, or if it had been Mailon… well, something about his friend seemed a little scary. If Blaze had yelled at Mailon, Tal had a feeling Mailon could slice the man's throat before he had a chance to finish.

"You better have a damn good reason for knocking on my fucking door so early in the goddamn morning when I am trying to spend some time with my pregnant mate before court," he roared.

"Yes, Alpha King, I do," Buck snapped back, clearly annoyed with Blaze for yelling. "I've just been informed the female prisoner, arrested close to the crash site, is indeed the Alpha Queen's sister, Josepire."

Tal's mouth dropped open. "You found Josie? Where is she? I want to see her."

Buck reddened. "Well, um, she's been sedated in the infirmary. She wouldn't tell anyone her name or how she got inside the palace walls, but she kept asking if anyone else had been found. She was actually quite… um… insistent that we give her answers. We thought perhaps she was the Alpha Queen's sister, but…" He glanced in Blaze's direction. "The guard kept her arrest from you and the Alpha Queen until they could verify her identity. No one is taking any chances with your safety, especially with the royal heirs involved."

Tal opened his mouth to blast Buck for keeping secrets, but a quick head shake from Blaze made him settle down. Fine. The whole royalty thing could be a big pain in the ass.

Tal needed to know if Josie had been injured. "Is she okay? You said she's in the infirmary."

He would never forgive himself if his sister had been hurt. He might be younger, but his parents would be disappointed with him if anything happened to Josie. He really needed to contact them, they were probably worried.

"She's there because of the sedation. Once the Elders had verification, they ordered the medical team to let her wake up." Buck squared his shoulders and shot a look of apology in Tal's direction. "She's demanding to see you. Very loudly. Your sister is loud and demanding… and… loud."

Tal chuckled in spite of being upset with the secrecy. "She's a bitch. You can say it. She knows she is." He laughed at the look of shock and apprehension covering Buck's face.

Apparently, Josie had been her charming self again and had Buck scared of her. She had intimidating people down to an art form. It would take a very special man—or woman—to handle Josie. Tal wanted to leap out of bed and race to his sister. He bounced anxiously as he wondered what to do. He wanted to tell her all about his mating and the children he'd be having, but he could already guess her reaction to his new position and his new, what should he call Blaze? Husband? Partner? Alpha Lover?

Blaze made the decision. "Good job, Buck. Why don't you have her brought here?"

Tal leapt naked from the bed, unmindful of his nude state, excitement overcoming him. He couldn't wait. His sister survived, she was alive and looking for him. He knew Josie. If she didn't see him soon, she would tear the palace apart.

Luckily for Buck, he averted his eyes as Blaze swept his mate into his arms.

"You are never to allow someone to see your nudity besides me! Never, Talon! Do you understand me? My wolf will not allow anyone to look upon his mate's nude flesh and live. I'm extremely possessive and jealous and allowing Buck to see you this way would have caused me to want to kill him, my own brother, had he not wisely lowered his eyes," he explained furiously as he dumped Tal back upon the bed like a sack of potatoes.

Tal's eyes widened. "Really? But yesterday he and Percy both came in while we were in bed together naked," he pointed out.

"Yes, together. And we had just coupled. My scent was still heavy upon your skin. Besides, they were together and my wolf could smell their arousal for each other. This time Buck came alone, I was clothed and you were nude," Blaze struggled to explain.

Tal nodded, feeling nervous and extremely anxious as he mentally warred with himself over not biting his lip and consciously keeping his hands at his sides. "I'm sorry. I didn't know," he apologized.

"I know, baby, I know. That's why I'm telling you." Blaze kissed his temple. "Now, get dressed please, so you can see your sister properly."

Tal smiled up at his mate and smoothed a hand over his still flat stomach. He didn't know why he suddenly had the feeling his reunion with his sister would be life-changing for each of them.

* * * *

Blaze chuckled when all trace of nervousness fled Tal's face and was replaced by excitement at the prospect of seeing his sister again. Buck left to retrieve Josie and bring her to Tal. Grateful for the brief reprieve, he didn't understand his own nervousness at meeting the woman whom Tal so admired. But perhaps he'd stumbled upon the reason. He wanted to make a good impression on his sister-in-law and that definitely counted as a new thing for him. As the son of the former Alpha King and now as the current Alpha King himself, he'd never needed to impress anyone. Everyone tried to impress him. The tables had turned and Blaze found himself overcome with a need to look his best and be on his best behavior. His mate smiled before racing over to grab one of the outfits Percy had bought for him. A pair of green silk pants, a brown silk tunic, gold slippers, a gold necklace that bore the crest of Tumaro on it, a wolf with a crown upon its head, and a pair of gold bracelets with the crest emblazoned on them, were all placed upon his mate's beautiful form.

Blaze decided to change and dress similarly to his mate, wanting to present a united front when they entered and presided over court that day. He'd be honest and admit he also did it for when he met Tal's sister for the first time. He pulled on a pair of brown silk pants, a green silk tunic, gold slippers, and his gold necklace with the crest of Tumaro, the medallion resting between his pecs. Instead of a pair of bracelets, he added his gold armband, the symbol of the Alpha King. He also wrapped the gold sash, signifying his right to rule the planet of Tumaro, around his waist and pulled his long black hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He turned to watch Tal brush his extremely long brown and blond streaked hair until it shone in beautiful waves down his back. Tal smiled shyly, his golden eyes shining with happiness. Blaze's blue gaze reflected that happiness right back.

"I can't wait for you to meet Josie. She's the strongest, fiercest, warrior woman I know. But she's hilarious! She has a wicked sense of humor," Tal babbled.

Blaze grinned at his mate's excitement.