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  “You shoved me into that damned pod, knowing you could die. Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Kres’ eyes glowed with rage.

  Vohne blocked out the pain. Gripping his mate’s handsome face between his hands, he forced Kres to meet his eyes. “I love you too.”

  Not giving Kres a chance to reply, he crushed his mate’s mouth with his lips. Kres’ unique flavour exploded across his tongue. Licking inside, he wallowed in the taste and scent of his man.

  Mine.

  To have his strong mate in his arms again soothed Vohne’s inner beast. Kres’ heart thrummed beneath his touch. “I’m sorry I sent you away, but I’d do it again if your life was threatened.”

  His mate’s eyes narrowed. “I should’ve hit you harder.”

  Vohne laughed. Wrapping his arms tight around his mate, he breathed in the scent of the one person in the universe who represented everything perfect in his life. Kres smelt like home.

  “Your Highness?” Vohne looked up to see a large Thresl soldier standing behind Kres.

  “Yes?”

  “Your mate is still weak from the bite. He needs to rest,” the soldier scolded with a frown at Kres.

  Vohne leant back to get a good look at Kres. His mate lifted an eyebrow at him. “I’m well enough to kick your butt.”

  He kissed the tip of his mate’s nose. “I love it when you get feisty.”

  “You might like it less with my boot up your ass.”

  Vohne’s sharp hearing picked up the quickly stifled laughter of the soldier standing at attention behind Kres’ right shoulder.

  “What’s your name, soldier?”

  “I am Nelrin, captain of the guard, or at least until you assign someone else,” the soldier replied.

  “My brother said the man who killed his mate would be my captain,” Vohne stated.

  Nelrin nodded. “We are still investigating who killed her. Until then I will be happy to stand in place of your future captain. My mate is one of the contenders for the title.” He waved a beckoning hand towards the crowd, and a blond human joined the other man. Vohne could tell they were a matched pair.

  “We will meet and discuss strategy in the morning. First I need to reconnect with my man,” Vohne growled. No one would get in the way of his bonding with Kres. At that moment, he needed his mate more than oxygen.

  “I’d be honoured to show you to your rooms,” Nelrin courteously replied.

  “I’d be happy for the escort.” He had difficulty concentrating on anyone other than Kres when they were together. Vohne took his mate’s arm, leading his mercurial lover along with him.

  “I’m still mad at you,” Kres whispered.

  “Good, we can have make-up sex.” Nothing would deter him. He had both his home and his mate in the same location—Kres would be lucky if they made it back to their room and Vohne didn’t take his lover on the floor in front of the entire palace.

  Kres laughed. Vohne knew he needed to clear things up with his lover and find out what had happened after his mate had landed, but his body yearned for the man of his heart and he wouldn’t be denied.

  He nodded politely to anyone he passed, dragging Kres along after him.

  “Here you go, Your Highness.” Nelrin and his mate both bowed as the pair passed into the room.

  Vohne slammed the door in the soldiers’ faces, ignoring the snickers from the other side. Juveniles.

  Turning to his mate, he let out a growl. “Why are you still dressed?”

  Kres rolled his eyes. “Because we’ve been here about five seconds, and I didn’t think you wanted me to strip in front of your soldiers.”

  Vohne snarled at his mate. “They are our soldiers, and I don’t care what they see as long as they don’t touch.” He marched over to his mate and ripped Kres’ shirt in half. “You are mine, and I’ll challenge anyone who tries to take you from me.” Possessive before, now his feral nature pushed at him to claim his man. “There is one thing you should learn about Thresls, my love. Humans might form us, but make no mistake, you belong to my beast.”

  * * * *

  Kres melted beneath his mate’s hands and mouth. All the angry words saved for this moment vanished as his mind went blank and his body pliant. Moans rolled up his throat in a fair imitation of a Thresl purr.

  “Yours. Anything.” His bones damned near melted beneath his lover’s onslaught. “Mmmm.” Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Kres’ body tried to mould to his mate.

  A loud tearing sound and a sudden breeze alerted him to the absence of his pants. Pulling away, he glanced down. “How come I’m naked but you’re still dressed?”

  Vohne gave him a toothy smile. “I’m just lucky I guess.”

  Flexing his powerful muscles, the Thresl picked Kres up and carried him to the bed where he laid Kres down with tender care. Vohne looked at him with such love in his eyes that Kres blinked back tears.

  “Don’t cry, my love. I will never leave you, never lose you, and never care for another as long as I live. Our souls were entwined at the dawn of time, and we will be together until it ends,” Vohne vowed.

  Kres gave his lover a watery smile. “Strip, gorgeous. I need to bond.”

  Vohne purred. “Anything for you, my mate.”

  First he peeled off his shirt, exposing his smooth skin and rippled abs, then with a sexy swagger, he unfastened his pants, dropping them with little fanfare. The lack of underwear was almost as sexy as the expression of lust and love on his mate’s face.

  There was no doubt in Kres’ mind—Vohne loved him.

  When the larger man slid across him, Kres’ back bowed with the sensation. Tingles of want and need sparked a firestorm of desire throughout his body. “Fuck me,” he whispered over the lump in his throat.

  The gentle touch of his mate seared his soul.

  A soft rustling had him snapping his eyes open, eyes he hadn’t realised had been closed.

  Vohne gave him a wide smile. “Just getting something to slick you up, my love.”

  “Hurry or I’ll finish without you.” It wouldn’t take much effort either. His body was primed.

  A low laugh met his words. “Hold on, my darling.” Slowly, one finger then two filled Kres, replacing the gaping emptiness he’d felt over their separation.

  “More.” Not enough. He needed more.

  “Patience, lover.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you,” Kres snarled at the teasing glint in his lover’s eyes.

  “You wouldn’t hurt me, because then I couldn’t do this.” Vohne pressed the tip of his cock at the entrance of Kres’ hole.

  “Please,” Kres begged, pushing into the sensation. “I need you.”

  “You have me, always.” Vohne filled his lover slowly as Kres gasped and writhed on his lover’s cock.

  “More.”

  “Shhh. I want to savour this moment.”

  “Savour it any more and I’ll introduce you to my new knife,” Kres snapped.

  Vohne laughed as he entered Kres, causing an odd sensation, but Kres didn’t care. Finally, the Thresl filled him.

  “Fuck me!” Kres demanded.

  “Oh, I will.” Vohne gave a throaty purr. With the same excruciating slowness, he moved in and out of his lover until Kres locked his heels behind Vohne’s back and impaled himself on his mate’s cock.

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  Vohne gave a convulsive pump of his hips. “Sneaky bastard,” he growled.

  “That’s me.” He’d given up everything to be with this man. He deserved a reward. “Fuck me like you mean it.”

  Vohne gave Kres a long, slow kiss. “I always mean it.”

  With Kres urging him on, Vohne’s movements became harder, rougher, until the lovers lost control and the smell of spunk filled the air.

  Kres felt a momentary sense of abandonment when Vohne pulled out of his body. A soft cry of protest left him.

  “Shhh, love, I’ll be right back.”

  Vohne went through a doorway and returned quickly
with a warm cloth. With tender care, he wiped Kres down, letting his love show through his touch. After disposing of the towel, he returned, sliding onto the bed next to Kres.

  Vohne’s eyes were warm and melty as they looked down at him. Kres smiled.

  “I would cross the galaxies to see that smile,” Vohne vowed to his mate.

  Kres couldn’t stop the soft laugh. “You already did.”

  * * * *

  The next morning Kres sneaked out of bed, dressed quickly, and slipped his knife into his right boot. Vohne made a soft sound as he left their bed but otherwise didn’t awaken. Kres blew him a kiss before leaving their bedroom. Yesterday he hadn’t got much of a chance to look over the castle before his mate had arrived. From what Vohne had said, there were enemies within its walls, and Kres was more than willing to flush them out.

  Closing the door, he was startled out of his thoughts by a voice behind him.

  “Going somewhere, King-Mate?”

  Kres spun around. Nelrin and Friln stood behind him, arms crossed in front of their chests as if they were ready to scold a recalcitrant child.

  “Gentlemen.” Kres gave the soldiers a respectful nod. “What are you two doing here?”

  “The coroner declared Friln the winner. He’s your new Captain of the Guard, but as I am the most senior, I came to watch his back. We never travel in less than pairs, preferably with our mate.”

  “Makes sense.” Unfortunately to Kres, it meant two men to distrust at a time instead of one. “Well, go ahead and continue your guard. The king is still asleep inside.”

  Kres spun on his heel.

  Nelrin stepped in his path.

  “Is there a problem?” He didn’t want to hurt Friln, but he wouldn’t be stopped either.

  “I doubt the king would approve of you wandering around the castle alone. Let me call a guard for your escort.”

  Kres gave Nelrin a vicious smile. “The king knows I’m a big boy and can handle walking down the corridor without incident.”

  “But it could cause a problem,” Nelrin argued. “As King-Mate you are the second most valuable person on the planet. There should be a pair of guards with you at all times.”

  “Well, you’d best get back to guarding the first most valuable person and leave me alone.”

  Kres shoved Nelrin aside, only to be stopped by a hard grip around his wrist.

  “Good morning, my love,” Vohne purred. “Going somewhere?”

  He could tell by the look in his mate’s eyes he’d heard everything.

  Vohne saw the determination in Kres’ eyes, and his heart sank to his feet. “You can’t just go into the court and hunt down anyone who disagrees with me.”

  Kres gave him a feral smile worthy of a Thresl. “I can if that disagreement leads to them trying to kill you. Somewhere, someone knows who is behind this entire thing, and we know it wasn’t just Jallryne. She said someone in the castle was going to finish you. She sounded extremely confident.”

  “And you think marching around and threatening people will get you the answer you seek? No one is going to raise their hand and say it was them. Planning a coup takes a great deal of stealth.”

  Kres’ beautiful eyes narrowed. “So what should I do then, hmm? Wait around for someone to stab you in the back? Wait for one of your adoring courtiers to poison your food?”

  Vohne sighed. It would be difficult to rein in his love. “We have to be discreet.”

  Nelrin cleared his throat.

  “Yes?”

  “Pardon, Your Highness, but I’ve asked around a bit. Since most people couldn’t stand Jallryne, I paid attention to those who were most concerned about her death. The royals who expressed the most worry about her demise and your ascension as king were Duke Hellbur and Lady Nelb.”

  “What do you know about these two?” Kres asked with a frown of concentration on his face.

  “There is still the question of what or who prevented me from reawakening. We should’ve been together the past hundred years. Something stopped us.”

  Kres’ brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? I’m human. I get the one life and then I’m done.”

  Vohne gave into the temptation to touch his mate, running his fingers through his lover’s hair. “You are my Thresl mate, and we are bound by fate, time, and the gods to meet in every lifetime. In the next few months, your memories will return, and you will know all that you’ve known before. I’d love to know what you did in those lives where we never met.”

  Kres stepped away from his touch, making Vohne’s heart skip a painful beat.

  “Are you saying I am born over and over again?” Kres’ narrowed gaze warned Vohne he might want to tiptoe around his lover.

  “Yes, but according to my brother, this will be our last incarnation,” Vohne offered, wondering if that fact made things better.

  “So if we die this time and aren’t reincarnated, what happens to us?” Kres asked.

  “No one knows. I’ve always thought eventually we become one with the stars like the other Thresls.” Vohne’s gaze snapped to the guards. Shit, he probably shouldn’t have said that out in the open hallway. His enemies would love to get their hands on that type of information. No matter how many times he reincarnated, there was always some power-hungry idiot who thought they could lead the Thresls better.

  “Don’t worry, the hallway is secure.” Nelrin’s gaze swept the area. “Any words between you won’t pass from me or my mate.”

  Friln nodded his agreement. “I won’t say anything.”

  “Nevertheless, let’s take this into our room.” Vohne pulled Kres along, slamming the door in the guards’ faces.

  “That wasn’t polite,” Kres commented.

  “I don’t want them to know everything. The fewer people who know our plans, the better our odds of winning. We don’t know who’s on our side.”

  “I still can’t believe I reincarnated,” Kres said.

  “Believe it. However, because we’ve reincarnated, some of my enemies hold long grudges. I need to reacquaint myself with my old allies and find out who’s still loyal. Over the years, people change sides and I won’t know until I see them if they’re still faithful.”

  Kres frowned. “So not all Thresls reincarnate?”

  Vohne shook his head. “Kings reincarnate—the rest of the Thresls just live extremely long lives. The oldest living Thresl is three thousand years old.”

  “Wow.” He could see Kres trying to wrap his head around that information. He tilted his head curiously. “How will you know by sight?”

  “Their scent. Deceit has a certain smell. I have the best nose in the palace, or at least I did. Those who want to destroy me will avoid me so I won’t scent their motives. It’s important that you stay by my side. I can’t lose you, and you won’t be able to sort the good people from the bad. Don’t go to anyone I haven’t approved and keep guards with you at all times.” His lover’s stubborn expression made his heart sink. “I mean it, Kres. I won’t survive if anything happens to you. A Thresl needs his mate, which is why my brother is a frozen princecicle instead of by my side. Others will try to harm you to get to me. Don’t give them the opportunity.”

  Kres gave Vohne a wicked smile. “They will find it harder than they think to kill this human.”

  Vohne nodded. “Agreed, but I’d prefer you stayed safe by my side.”

  “Really?” Kres took a step forward, his hungry eyes sweeping Vohne’s body. “Because I’d like to stay on top of you, or beneath you, or maybe even inside you. I think I was hasty in leaving our bed this morning.”

  Vohne swallowed the moisture pooling in his throat as his mate grabbed him, slamming their bodies together. As Kres kissed him with a burning fervour, Vohne’s only thought was that he loved this incarnation of his mate, he really did.

  * * * *

  Two hours later they left their rooms newly showered and dressed. Kres fidgeted beneath the formal clothes his lover had made him wear.

  “Stop wig
gling,” Vohne remonstrated.

  “I can’t help it.” The clothing was restricting. The only saving grace was the high boots that let him bring his knife.

  “You need to walk like a king, not wiggle like a little boy.” Vohne took one step away from his lover as he finished talking.

  “I can still stab you from here,” Kres growled.

  The Thresl laughed. “Yeah, but you’d miss me too much.”

  The guards fell into step behind them. “You look real nice, King-Mate,” Nelrin said.

  “Thank you, Nelrin,” Kres said wryly.

  “He’s right, my mate, you look real pretty.” Vohne flashed him a wicked grin.

  “I won’t miss you when I bury you in the ground,” Kres snarled. He hated comments about his looks. He was a soldier, not a model. He gave an extra scowl towards Vohne, who responded with a smile.

  Nelrin scooted to stand protectively next to Vohne.

  “You can’t get me,” the king whispered loudly with a wink towards his mate.

  “Don’t bet on it,” Kres grumbled.

  The four men walked down the halls until they reached an enormous room with dozens of people milling about. A cheer went up when the crowd caught sight of Vohne.

  One man separated from the crowd. His elaborate clothing put Kres’ outfit to shame, and his blond hair was brushed to a high sheen. He rushed over to Vohne then knelt before the king.

  “My Liege, I’d like to say that I and my house are thrilled at your return. Some said you’d abandoned us, but I knew that day would never come,” the blond gushed.

  Kres gave Vohne an incredulous look. His mate grinned back. “Easy, mate,” Vohne’s voice whispered in his head.

  Releasing his clenched hands, Kres realised his right hand was creeping towards his knife. When had he turned so violent? Although he’d trained as a soldier, it wasn’t until he’d become the Thresl’s mate that his more vicious tendencies had come to the forefront. Anyone who wandered too close to Vohne became the enemy.

  “Kreslan, this is Duke Hellbur.” He helped the duke up, releasing his hold as soon as the man was on his feet. Walking over to Kres, he put his arm around Kres’ waist. “Your Grace, this is my mate, Kreslan Piers.”

  “Nice to meet you again, King-Mate.” The duke gave a low bow.