Dark Prince Ch. 03

Remien's lips kicked up into a twisted smile. "You like me too."

Angel snorted. "I don't like men."

He laughed. "Bullshit."

"What?" she gasped, then sneered.

His eyes narrowed again, his grin growing broader. "You lie."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Believe whatever you wish," she scoffed with a dismissive wave of her hand, resisting the urge to slap that smug grin off his beautiful face.

He gasped, eyes wide. "Oh, God yes, do it!"

Angel jumped back when he suddenly dropped down mere inches away from her face. Instantly she drew her dagger and pressed it against his chest.

"That's even better," he exclaimed with a shudder.

To Angel's shock, his shirt disappeared and he stared at her with an expectant expression.

"Cut me," he prompted, desperation lacing his voice. "I'll self-heal before we reach Alpha 7."

"What is wrong with you?" Angel pressed her free palm against his chest to push him away, but he grabbed the knife from her and darted back to the other side of the Viper.

She blinked at him, stunned.

He gazed at the blade wide-eyed, his hand trembling. Biting his lip, he brought it to his forearm and Angel watched in horror and disgust as he split his skin from the crook of his arm to wrist. He closed his eyes in bliss, and moaned.

"What in Hades are you doing?"

"Making sure I'm still real," he whispered drawing the blade across the middle of his chest. He hissed, arching into the pain as if he were pressing into the caress of a lover. Blood poured from the wounds, but he didn't seem to care. He licked his lips and pressed his free hand to his crotch. The damned were-dragon was aroused and erect.

"Stop it! Give me back my knife."

"But I don't want to," he frowned.

Angel lunged at him when he would have sliced his chest again. Her fingers gripped his wrist as she attempted to pry the blade from his grip with her other hand. He wouldn't release it. His eyes were riveted to where her hands clutched his.

"Hit me," he goaded.

"You're sick," Angel seethed, but put her mouth to his arm and bit down.

Finally, he released her dagger. She scooted over to the other side of the Viper glaring at him. He stared at the red marks her fingers and teeth left around his wrist, tracing them mesmerized.

He smiled, not looking at her. "I can still feel your touch."

Angel blinked. He was insane.

A loud thumping on the glass made her jump. Remien sighed, his shirt appearing over his torso again. He looked back up at her with sad eyes.

"Don't tell them what I did. They wouldn't understand."

Again he became consumed with tracing the marks on his wrist, lost in thought.

They?Shedidn't understand!

Again, the thumping, loud, angry. She squinted her eyes, but the glass covering Remien's viper was almost opaque.

When the glass rolled open, Angel found herself surrounded by the three awakened Edenian Master Guardians. Lucien's eyes darted from Remien to Angel, his expression remotely curious. Rowie's brows arched high over her wide eyes, blinking rapidly, but upon seeing that everything was fine, she scowled and turned on her heel. It was only when Zak placed his hand on Remien's forearm did the red-haired were-dragon look up.

Zak gave him a small smile, "everything okay, man?"

Remi smiled back, his eyes a bit glassy. "Everything's great, bro."

A strange sound caught Angel's attention. They all turned.

Devon rushed at them, his smile showing his molars. As he reached out to grab Lucien, Zak stepped in between them, holding Devon back. It didn't matter. Lucien had scrambled across Angel, his back pressed up against the small part of the glass that still protruded from the side of the Viper. The look on his face was one of abject fear, and rage.

He hates men, doesn't like to be touched—Angel remembered Devon telling her. She could feel him trembling where his long legs made contact with hers. His breath hammered in and out of his clenched teeth.

"Luke," Devon's voice broke, his hand still reaching out to the blond Master Guardian.

"Hey, it's okay," Zak soothed, catching Devon's attention. He laughed when Devon pressed his forehead against his shoulder and hugged him tight.

"Zak," he whispered.

Angel could see his biceps bulge as he squeezed Zak. He was all dressed in black, now, his legs encased in heavy boots, laced up to his knees. Looking back at Lucien, she saw he'd closed his eyes, still trembling, a fine sheen of sweat over his brow. Why so much terror at being touched by a man? Her eyes darted to Remien. He stared at Zak and Devon as if in a daze. His arms slipped around his own torso, hugging himself. She could see his fingers digging into the flesh of his upper arms.

Devon's head jerked up. He released Zak, and without warning, jumped into the Viper to grab Remien. Again, Lucien stiffened, and he almost shrank behind Angel.

"Remi!' Devon hugged the were-dragon tight. Remien remained limp in his arms, his green eyes staring out over Angel's head.

"What's..." Lucien's jumping out of the Viper and taking a few steps away startled Angel. Zak put out his hands in a friendly gesture to help her out of the pod. She looked at him, puzzled.

"What's wrong with him?" she finally finished saying, gesturing to Remien's obvious stupor.

"Sensory overload," Zak told her, swinging her out of the Viper to the shiny black floor of Alpha 7's hangar. "Rem has sensory issues. He's just soaking up the sense of being touched firmly. He'll be fine."

"Where's Annie and Seth?"

Lucien's voice caught Angel's attention. She turned to look at him before looking back at Devon.

Devon released Remi reluctantly, cupping his cheeks before letting go completely. Remien closed his eyes with a sigh and touched his face with his fingertips.

Devon looked at Angel, then Lucien, his expression unreadable now. "Annie's under the care of a physician. Seth is waiting in the training room for the rest of us."

Angel frowned. Hadn't the Utuduodian Master Guardians said there were three more suspended animation orbs? Looking around, she made a quick tally of the Edenian Master Guardians. There were five here, and two more that Lucien mentioned. Who was the eighth awakened? There were only seven known Edenian Master Guardians.

Devon looked at the others, then back at Angel. "Go on ahead of me. I need to speak to Angel."

They all faded away.

Devon slipped out from Remien's Viper, his glowing eyes never leaving Angel's. His body, swathed in the Edenian Master Guardian's black uniform, looked impressive. Gold wings glinted on his left pectoral and the overhead lighting made bluish highlights in his midnight hair.

He stepped right up to her. The heat from his body felt like a magnet, pulling her. Her arms ached to wrap around his neck, pull him down to her, and ravage his mouth with her own.

"I'm going with you... to Venushti. I just need to convene with the others to settle one last thing."

"You're abandoning them?"

Devon stared at her, his eyes going over every feature of her face. "We'll all always be one no matter where I am."

His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her to him as he slanted his lips over hers. Angel melted against him. Her arms held him fiercely, mouth devouring mouth, biting, sucking, moaning, until they both gasped for breath.

"Angel," he sighed, his lips wet and rosy from their brutal kiss. "You don't want to go back, do you?"

She swallowed. Not knowing how to answer yet, she opted to take his mouth again in another deep kiss. His hands slid down to her ass, cupping her, grinding his erection into her belly.

***

The need to have her was overwhelming. All he had to do was teleport them into the enviro-level, spread her out on the grass and...

With a sigh, he stepped away, holding her back at arm's length. When he opened his eyes, he almost succumbed to his desire to take her to the enviro-level and just ravish her. Her plump lips were red from his kisses, her pale-blue eyes dreamy with lust.

"I want you," he growled.

She closed her eyes and whispered "yes."

Devon blinked. "What?"

"Yes. Take me."

His jaw dropped. As he stared at her, she began to scowl.

"So, are you just going to stand there gaping?"

"Angel... I..." He couldn't believe she actually wanted to mate with him. What happened toI don't sleep with menand the whole priestess thing? He swallowed again. Her body stiffened and she tried to break free of his hold. "Yes, Angel, but the others are waiting for me right now. We still don't know who the traitor is. Let me talk with them and then we'll go off... just the two of us... together and decide what to do."

"What to do?" She looked suspicious.

He chuckled. "Whether you want to take me back as your prisoner to Venushti, or keep me as your prisoner anywhere else."

Because he wasn't able to help himself, he kissed her again, but this time tenderly, cupping the back of her head with one hand as his other hand held her face tilted to his. His tongue caressed the silkiness of hers, savoring her like forbidden fruit. His whole body ached to posses her, he could hear his racing heartbeat amidst their sighs.

When Angel stiffened against him, he drew back with a pout, wondering what she was going to tongue lash him about this time. Her eyes were wide, roving over his face and body, a mixture of fear and bewilderment.

Devon heard the faint snickers echoing in the cavernous, dimly lit hangar. What had she seen or heard?

"Angel?" he prompted, searching her eyes. "What is it?"

She opened her mouth, and blinked, then shook her head with a frown. "It's nothing. I must be tired."

She looked away, but Devon wasn't fooled. He held her upper arms and pulled her back to him when she tried to distance herself. "What is it? Please... tell me."

He waited, terrified yet desperate to hear her answer. "As you kissed me..." she began, "I heard your own voice whisperrelease me." Devon frowned. It wasn't what he expected her to tell him. She hadn't finished. Her eyes looked over his face again. "When I looked at you, it wasn't really you I was looking at. I mean, it was your face I saw, but you looked like you were made of light... or fire."

Devon stiffened. "Did I have wings?"

Angel's hands opened on his chest. Her brows furrowed over her pert nose. "I-I couldn't tell. The light was so bright. Like a flash. Then it was gone."

The snickering grew louder, making him look around. They skulked about in the deep shadows, grinning at him with their sharp teeth and glowing, yellow, cat-like eyes. Would they hurt her? Could they hurt her?

Massster...

Devon tugged her against him, feeling her tense in annoyance. Before she uttered a word of protest, he teleported them into the training room where the others waited for him.

"Stop yanking me about..." She gasped, her knees buckling and her arms going around Devon's waist for support.

***

Angel panted against the solid warmth of Devon's chest. She closed her eyes feeling herself on the verge of blacking out. It was very close to the feeling she'd had when they were in his Viper after she'd resuscitated him from the stasis unit. He'd used his powers to propel the Viper from the hangar through space to Utuduo.

Grasping handfuls of the stretchy black fabric that hugged his muscular torso, she blinked her eyes open slowly. They were no longer standing in the hangar. His hands rubbed her back in slow circles giving her chills.

"Are you okay, Angel?" he asked, kissing the top of her head. "I teleported us..."

"You dimwitted Orgward, "she hissed pushing away from him. Her next scathing words were silenced by the sound of snickering behind her. She turned wide eyes to take in a large, steel-colored room, with a rubbery grey floor, surrounded by Devon's precious angels.

The red-haired dragon-man coughed into his fist murmuring "sorry."

Rowie, who stood next to him, arms folded over her chest, rolled her eyes.

Angel blushed seeing Zak trying to hide a smile, but Lucien only stared at her and Devon with slightly narrowed eyes.

There was someone else with them she had not yet been introduced to. Sethaliel. He looked like a young boy, barely coming into manhood. Almost as tall as Lucien at his side, he was lean and sinewy, with pale blue eyes and silvery blond hair cut so short, the top of it stuck straight up on his head. The young man scowled at her, so she scowled right back. This seemed to shock him, but for just a second, before his eyes narrowed and he actually growled.

Angel tensed, ready to do battle with this... tiger—Devon had said he was a shifter and could turn into a tiger.

"Easy now," Devon laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "Seth always looks like that. Don't take offense."

To that, the were-tiger's pale eyes shot to Devon, "Always looks like what?"

"Like an ass," Remien interject with a smirk. "Ready to crap on everybody."

Seth growled louder. "Shut up, you prick."

Remien's smile only grew wider. "Yeah, I'm a prick. Better than an ass that can be fucked over."

Seth roared and lunged at Remien, making Lucien jump out of the way with a gasp. Luckily, Zak stepped in between them to hold Seth back. Rowie had her back against Remien's chest, her arms spread out and her eyes wide in fright.

Angel blinked at the dark-haired girl. She was protecting Remi.

I told you she liked me.

Angel's eyes snapped up to Remien's. He gave her a wink before Rowie rounded on him and raised her hand to strike.

Remien stared at her in utter adoration. She lowered her hand with a snarl. "Oh, what the hell. You'd only enjoy it if I slapped you."

Remien pouted.

"Enough," Lucien spoke, looking at all of them as he walked over and stood next to Devon. "There's business to attend to."

Devon released Angel, his gaze going over each face with a tentative smile. "It's been hell for me," his voice wavered and his eyes glittered with moisture. He took a deep breath, lowering his head. Immediately his hair slid forward hiding his face for a moment, but then he shook the satiny locks back. His expression had no warmth now. "One of us made a pact with the Utuduodian hunters... three hundred years ago. We were to be used as studs for their women. It seems we have the capability, because of our powers, to breed males with them."

"But the girls were taken too. I don't get that." Lucien crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Devon with a frown.

Devon shrugged. "The hunters probably botched up the coordinates."

"There's got to be more to it than just that," Seth snapped, "A galactic summit was being celebrated that week. Thousands of dignitaries, kings, and queens were coming into the solar system."

"Mercenaries swooped in when they took us out. Lots of rulers were killed and wars started. Whole planets were destroyed." Devon shook his head, lowering his eyes to his boots once again.

Angel tore her gaze from him and looked around her. Which one was it?

Seth was glaring at Remien, who in turn was looking at him through narrowed eyes, nostrils flaring as one side of his lip began to lift in a sneer.

"Go on," Remien hissed. "Say it!"

Seth clenched his fists and snarled through gritted teeth, "you were blocking us."

"So it was me, right? I'm the fuckin' traitor?" Remien took a step toward Seth who also took a step toward him.

"Who else could it be?" Seth spat.

Angel's eyes widened when she realized that Seth's pupils had changed. They had become elongated. Devon gave a little start and put his arm out to push her back away from them.

"Stop it," Lucien warned, only to be ignored.

"How about you?" Remien looked Seth up and down. "Mommy and daddy couldn't stand the sight of you." Seth hissed at his words his growling growing louder. "You hated everything the Galactic Guardian Soldiers stood for. Our being taken out for a while would have proven to the Edenians how indispensible we were. Who the fuck knew we would be out of commission for three hundred years."

"Only an insane idiot would do something like that." Seth snarled.

"My point exactly," Remien barked out a humorless laugh. "I'm sure no one's forgotten the time you turned and almost killed Zak."

All the color from Seth's face drained away, along with his emotions of rage. His eyes opened wide, his pupils returned to normal but for a split second before, with an unholy roar, his body blurred, becoming almost liquid, and expanded into the shape of an enormous white tiger.

Devon's hand shot out into the air, his fingers closing into a tight fist. His eyes glowed brighter as he stuck out his finger toward Remien. "Don't," he grated angrily, "shift into dragon form." Meanwhile, the white tiger struggled to lunge at the dragon-shifter. In shock, Angel realized that Devon was holding him back with his power.

Remien was panting, his eyes also aglow with elongated pupils. Through his parted lips, his teeth had become long and pointed. He flinched back at Devon's command, an angry growl rumbling in his chest and a little smoke curling from his nostrils.

"It could have been anyone of us."

They all turned to the sound of the new voice.

Angel looked at the woman walking toward them. Her skin was dark, like the Venushtian warriors. Feline gold eyes showed bright under delicately arched brows. Her hair tumbled in soft waves to her shoulders, deep, rich brown. The woman was built like the Utuduodian queen, all sinew, and muscle.

"Annie," Devon began, but she lifted her hand to silence him.

Her eyes, red and puffy from crying, surveyed the Master Guardians gathered before her. "It could have been anyone of us." She looked at Rowie. "You told me that a very close friend of yours was captured and staked on Earth last year."

Rowie nodded, looking down at her feet guiltily. "He was a vamp. A sweet boy. They killed him for no reason at all." When she looked back up, her gaze brimmed with fury. "For no reason at all. I also said that I really wished there was a way to get even with those hypocritical fuckers of the council that sentenced him to death just because he was a vampire."

"I told you I understood you, because..." Annie choked back a sob. "My son is half Seraph. He was born with one wing and he's not allowed on Earth. My mom had to move to Venus with him, especially after they found out she was also a shifter. Edenians do not accept were-wolves amongst their kind." Her eyes turned to Zak. "Nor do they accept were-dragons."

Zak bowed his head in shame.

Remien snorted, drawing everyone's attention again. "I say they got exactly what they deserved. Fuck'em. They hated us anyway. Why the fuck are we arguing about this? What difference does it make now anyway?"

"Are you for real, man?" Lucien shook his head slowly.

"Are you?" Remien spat. "What the hell do we know about you, mister blond and beautiful?"

Lucien snickered, crossing his arms over his chest. "So it was me?"

Remien shrugged. "As far as I know, you showed up out of nowhere, with these amazing powers and big fear of being touched by males."

Lucien scowled. "Fuck you. You don't know anything about me."

"Exactly my point." Remien took a step toward him, even though Devon warned him back. "What's the big deal?" His smile grew broader as he continued to close the distance between himself and Lucien.

Angel stared, Lucien held his ground, but his eyes had turned to ice.

"Did daddy find Lukey-boy's ass a little too tempting to resist?"

Remien gasped when a sword appeared, the sharp edge of the blade up between his legs. Lucien's smile was more like a sneer. "Maybe my ass was tempting to my daddy, but if you take one more step toward me, I'm going to turn you into a girl and then I'm going to fuck you."

Remien raised his hands in surrender.