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  The blond jaguar didn’t even blink as their eyes met. He was on the phone, and Alejandro’s eyebrow lifted in surprise when Stefano started to speak.

  “I’m heading your way. Shut every window in your room, lock the door, and don’t come out no matter what.” His voice was fiercely protective. After a moment, Stefano hissed, “No arguments. Do you understand?”

  When Stefano was finished with the call, Alejandro blocked his way before the jaguar could even attempt to leave. “What exactly is there between you and Calys?”

  Stefano’s stoic face didn’t change. “I don’t believe you’re in the position to ask that.”

  “Does she know?” he bit out.

  “Know what?”

  His eyes bored through Stefano’s. “About the other woman in your life.”

  “That’s not for me to discuss with you. However, if you may, I would like to ask you for a favor. As you have heard, the princess has ordered me to leave her side. I can only rely on you to protect her.” Stefano paused. “You are an honorable man, Moretti, so I hope I am not doing the wrong thing by trusting you to do your duty. She only has you to protect her now.”

  Chapter Three

  CALYS

  It was close to midnight when they reached the edge of the Everglades. Its eerie atmosphere fed the legends surrounding it, and shifter packs that lived within and beyond the forest of towering pines did what they could to keep the stories alive. The more terrifying the stories, the better, for it kept prying human eyes away.

  Alejandro was looking around us warily. “I don’t like this.”

  In truth, I felt the same way. There was just something foreboding in the air, making me feel swallow uneasily.

  “We should go back and leave in the morning.”

  In front of us, Pasquale laughed. “Did you hear that, men? The werewolf is afraid of the dark. A-woo!” Obnoxious laughter from his men followed his joke, which had been one of the many. It was evident Pasquale wanted to make up for the embarrassment he had suffered earlier, and he took every chance he could to pick a fight with Alejandro.

  “We can’t risk going up against Raoul if it’s true he’s set up to ambush us.” I didn’t stop walking as I spoke. Even in the dark, it was easy to navigate my way around the forest. This had been my home for over eighteen years, after all.

  “Why can’t we?” Alejandro demanded under his breath.

  I answered simply, “Because it would mean pointless bloodshed, and I will always do everything to avoid that.”

  Alejandro didn’t answer. When I glanced at him, his eyes bored through me and I pursed my lips. I knew what he was thinking even without him saying a word. Clearly he didn’t think Pasquale’s men would be any great loss.

  I was trying to think of a superhero quote to teach him about the importance of protecting innocent lives when I heard a rustling sound. I froze. “Did you hear that?”

  Alejandro pushed me behind him. “Stay close.”

  In front of us, Pasquale and the rest of his men had also gone still. A line of nervous tension formed around the prince’s mouth as he said stiffly, “I do not hear anything.”

  Another rustle and then—

  “Calys, is that you?”

  A sigh of relief escaped me as I identified the voice and spotted a familiar figure emerging from my left. It was Juriaan, a forest ranger that had been assigned to our territory over a year ago.

  Alejandro still hadn’t budged in front of me. “Who is he?”

  Juriaan came walking towards us, still in uniform, with a backpack slung over his shoulders.

  “Hi, Juri.” Unable to get past Alejandro, I was forced to poke my head out from behind to smile at him. Tall and fair with the same baby blue eyes as mine, he would have passed as my twin if his hair wasn’t more white than gold.

  “Hello, Calys. It’s nice to see you again.” He looked at the men behind me curiously.

  Pasquale was suddenly at my side. “Introduce me to your friend.”

  His suspicious tone made me realize that all the shifters, including Alejandro, hadn’t heard Juriaan coming until he was right next to us. Maybe it was because he was here all the time and able to use the forest’s noises to mask his footsteps.

  Mentally shaking my head at the mystery, I gestured to Pasquale. “Pasquale, this is Juriaan. He’s one of the rangers assigned here and a close friend of the family.” With humans, we always referred to the pack as family since it was safer that way. “Juriaan, this is my…” I faltered. Although it had been a week since our engagement, I realized that now was only my first time to introduce Pasquale as my fiancé.

  He was my fiancé, my future husband, but he wasn’t the one who had me half naked hours ago. His name wasn’t the one I moaned and screamed, and he wasn’t the one who had made me come so hard my body went totally limp after.

  Pasquale took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Your shyness is becoming, princess.”

  His action and words were unexpected. They were also something I wasn’t used to, and I found myself flushing as I felt everyone looking at me.

  Still clasping my hand, Pasquale told Juriaan, “I am her fiancé, Pasquale Hernandez.” He said it like he had announced he was king and he expected Juriaan to kiss his feet for it.

  Unbidden, my gaze strayed to Alejandro.

  His eyes bored through me, like he was begging me for the right to knock some humility into the panther prince.

  I looked away hurriedly before I could end up giggling.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” Thankfully, Juriaan didn’t appear to mind Pasquale’s obnoxious tone. Glancing at me with concern, he asked, “Isn’t it kind of late for you all to be out here?”

  “Umm…” Pasquale had already rejoined his men, leaving me with Alejandro. I looked at him for help, but he only shrugged. “We’re h-here f-for r-research.” Lies always had me stammering. I gestured to Alejandro. “He’s a writer.”

  “Oh?” I could see Juriaan had a hard time believing me, and I couldn’t really blame him. Alejandro, with his in-your-face good looks, appeared too flamboyant to pass as a writer.

  “You’re writing a book?” Juriaan asked Alejandro.

  Fearing Alejandro’s answer, I said quickly, “Yes.”

  “About what?”

  I searched madly for a topic, and all I could think about was reality. “About…vampires?”

  Juriaan blinked. “Really?”

  Beside me, I could feel Alejandro trying to glare me into shutting up. “Yep. Fiction. Like, there’s…umm…Eddie? And he, umm, likes…Bell?”

  “That sounds like Twilight,” Juriaan said.

  I blurted out, “Did I mention Bell’s a guy, too?”

  Juriaan looked at Alejandro with interest.

  “It is…true,” Alejandro finally said.

  Crap. Alejandro was really going to chomp me into pieces after this. As I tried to think of something to say that could prevent my death, Alejandro was speaking again, asking Juriaan about his work.

  “Yes, I know this place like the back of my hand.”

  “I see. Would you mind accompanying my, err, team for the meantime? I’ve just realized I have one last thing to do before I can leave the city.”

  This was news to me, and I couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going?”

  ALEJANDRO

  Calys’ expressive eyes belied her casual tone. She was jealous. It should have made Alejandro happy, but it only pissed him off. Whose fault was it that she couldn’t straight out say what she felt? Pasquale loudly claiming to be Calys Adelardi’s future husband still grated on his nerves, and it was one of his reasons for leaving her side. If he stayed one minute longer in their company, Alejandro would really end up killing Pasquale. He hated it – he goddamn hated it every time he saw Pasquale touch Calys and not have the right to do anything about it.

  But he also had another reason for leaving, one more pressing and one he didn’t want to tell Calys about until he was sure.
r />   To Calys, he gave a mocking bow and said, “It’s my off-duty hours, princess. So I’m afraid I don’t owe you any answers. I’ll come back as soon as I can. Stay close to Mr. Ranger here.”

  Juriaan was frowning. “If you are under her employ and were hired to guard her, you must not stray from her side.”

  Alejandro snorted. “Trust me, she is no shrinking flower.”

  “She is a woman and as such, she must be protected.”

  So this boy not only looked like a fucking angel, but he spoke and thought like one, too. Alejandro knew there was a reason why he hated him at first sight.

  Baring his teeth in a smile, he said, “It’s a good thing you’re here then.”

  Turning his back on the ranger, he bowed to Calys again. “I’ll see you soon, princess.”

  And then he left to start killing vampires.

  He had noticed the bloodsuckers following them the moment they got past the city limits. No one should have known they were taking this route to reach the Adelardi lands in the north. But the vampires had known, which only meant they had a mole among them, and Alejandro was determined to find out who it was.

  Changing to his Lyccan form, he loped through the forest, his preternatural speed turning him into a blur. He spotted them a few meters away from where Calys was and clawed his way to the top of a tree. And then he watched and waited.

  They were young and inexperienced vampires, their powers fed by bloodlust but not much else. It took them a full minute to realize they were not alone, but by then it was too late.

  Alejandro Moretti had already learned what he needed to know. It took bare seconds to decimate their numbers. Blood streaked his thick white fur as he slashed their throats with his claws. The air around him began carrying the stench of death, and soon it would reach Calys and the others. It was Alejandro’s warning to whoever was snitching on them.

  He would be found, sooner or later, and when he was, he would know what would be the end of him.

  Alejandro left one alive for him to interrogate. The vampire was on the ground, trying to crawl away from him.

  Shifting to human form, he landed one light kick on the vampire’s side, enough to have his body flip on the ground and the bloodied creature looking up at him.

  Damn.

  This was no vampire.

  It was a shifter, a hyena, and one of the men he and Calys had fought when they were at The Den.

  “Who sent you here?” he demanded. “Answer me truthfully, and I may not kill you.”

  “A scarred man,” the hyena choked. “Not shifter, not vampire. Something different. But not human. Sometimes, he smells…like he’s decaying…from inside.”

  Chapter Four

  CALYS

  Alejandro arrived on our second night in camp. It had been raining most of the day, forcing us to seek shelter inside nearby caves. Rain didn’t make for good and safe travel. It had the power to wash away both sound and smell, making us blind to incoming attacks. The delay had Pasquale throwing a prissy fit, and the fact that we would need to considerably slow our pace because of having Juriaan – a human – among us only worsened his mood.

  “Good evening, princess,” Alejandro murmured as he took a seat between me and Juriaan, forcing the ranger to move away. I scowled up at Alejandro but he only responded with a lazy smile, one that made my heart beat just a little bit faster.

  Looking around, he asked, “Everyone’s outside?”

  I nodded. It had been so since it started raining. Apparently, if their prince was sulking, everyone had to sulk, too.

  “Welcome back,” Juriaan said politely to Alejandro. “Were you able to do what you were supposed to do?” There was something about his tone that made my head snap towards Juriaan, but his face only showed mild curiosity.

  “Yes. And then some.” Alejandro, meanwhile, appeared extremely satisfied.

  I was instantly jealous. I knew I had no right to, but I was and I wondered if it was deliberate on Alejandro’s part.

  “I was just telling Calys about the recent onslaught of visitors coming from the Bay,” Juriaan was saying. “All of them, apparently, have been personally invited by her cousin Raoul.”

  Alejandro frowned. “Is that normal, princess?”

  I shook my head, Juriaan’s words making me worry. What if all those supposed guests were actually Raoul’s allies – people who were willing to do whatever it took to usurp my father’s throne?

  “Princess?”

  I looked up, realizing belatedly that Alejandro had come to his feet and was gazing at me questioningly.

  “I was asking if we could speak privately for a moment. Stefano has sent word.”

  If that was so, then it must be about Anastasia. “Of course,” I mumbled, trying not to let my alarm show even as I scrambled to get up. It was an unspoken rule in our pack not to talk about Anastasia or do anything that would remind the world of her existence. Only the gravest danger would have made Stefano break the rule.

  “Juriaan’s helped me set up a tent inside here,” I told Alejandro absently as I led him further inside the cave.

  “And did he watch you over your sleep?” Alejandro asked silkily.

  I turned around to scowl at him. “No. I don’t need anyone watching over.” Looking at him, I realized Alejandro appeared tense.

  “And Pasquale?”

  I rolled my eyes. “As you can see, he’s mad at me and has been pretty much since you left.” When we reached my tent, I said, “We can talk privately here.”

  Alejandro pulled the flap open and stepped aside. Bending down, I entered the tent first and Alejandro followed behind me. Seating myself on the sleeping bag, I watched Alejandro zip the door and windows shut. It made me more nervous and I demanded, “Could you please tell me what Stefano said?”

  He turned around. “Nothing.”

  I gaped. “What do you mean nothing?”

  “I lied.” A second later he had me on my back and his body was on top of me, one knee nudging my legs to part open.

  “I just wanted to be alone with you.” And then he was kissing me.

  I tried to struggle at first. “No…don’t…” This wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right when I had already promised myself to another man…and he had allowed me to do so.

  “You promised me,” he whispered into my ear. “Everything I want when we’re alone, you’ll do…”

  His hot breath in my ear made me shiver, weakening my resistance. Passion was clouding my mind, my senses overwhelmed by his warm, hard body and the way his cock just kept getting bigger and harder against my belly.

  Calling on my last reserves of resistance, I managed to wrench my lips away from his kiss and tried shoving him off me. “You don’t really want to do this.”

  Even though I was trying to get him off me with all my might, it was as if my fists had no effect on him. With my lips unreachable, Alejandro only moved down, kissing my neck. “Of course I want to.”

  “No. You don’t. You’re an honorable…warrior.” God, it was so hard to think with his lower body grinding hard against mine.

  He laughed against my throat. “I’m not sure I agree, but even if I did, what the fuck…” He bit my neck, and I almost whimpered. “…does that have to do with anything?”

  I managed to raise myself on my elbows, trying to inch away even as our gazes encountered each other. “You know, deep inside, you want to help me even with nothing in exchange—”

  This time, his laugh was without humor. “You really think that?”

  I said seriously, “I’m like Alfred.”

  He stilled. “Alfred?”

  “Batman’s butler. It doesn’t matter how many times Batman makes a mistake. He won’t ever give up on Batman, and I won’t ever give up—”

  Alejandro clasped my waist and pulled me back down. His eyes glittering down at me, he rasped, “You talk too much.” But there was a look in his eyes that made me blink furiously. Warriors didn’t cry, not even in times like t
his.

  I whispered, “I’m sorry, Alejandro. I’m sorry I was so angry and hurt that I allowed him to call you a dog. It wasn’t what a warrior would do.”

  His lips twisted. “Nor a superhero.”

  I tried to smile at his quip but couldn’t. “Could you ever forgive me?”

  He didn’t answer for a long time, and each second that went by made me closer to passing out since I was holding my breath all the while.

  Alejandro seemed to realize it. “Breathe, princess.”

  I shook my head. “Not until—”

  “No.”

  I exhaled, mostly out of numb shock.

  “I’m sorry, princess, but for both of our sakes, I don’t think I will ever allow myself to forget…or forgive.” Before I could even think of what to say or think, he was swiftly working on removing my clothes.

  By the time I recovered, I was down to my panties—

  “Alejandro,” I hissed.

  Riiiip.

  Make that nothing. I was down to nothing, with Alejandro tossing my underwear aside. I tried to get him off me without causing a sound, but he was and would always be too strong. With just one hand, he captured my wrists and locked my arms over my head. Another hand worked on his pants, and I heard him unbuttoning and unzipping himself.

  My legs thrashed wildly at that. I had to get him off me. It was now or never. If he ever—

  Alejandro shifted over me, and when he lowered his body back to mine, his cock was right between my folds. When he held my gaze the same time he started rubbing the head of his cock up and down my pussy – that was it. I was doomed.

  That I was engaged, that he hated me, that he swore to always hate me – none of it mattered anymore.

  With each stroke, my legs parted open wider and wider and I could feel myself slowly getting wet. When the head of his cock slipped inside my pussy fraction by fraction, I felt my body moving on its own accord, my hips straining up because I wanted more of his possession. Our roles were now reversed, with Alejandro breathing hard as he tried to push my hips down and prevent himself from taking my virginity. That he was doing so should have embarrassed me to death, but no such thoughts were left. All I cared about was having his cock inside me. I had fantasized about it more times than what was right, and I wanted it now. I hungered for it now—