He gave a slight shrug as the unit shut off. I wasn’t completely dry—my hair took fifteen minutes with a hair dryer—but Leo seemed satisfied enough to pull me from the tube and into the other room. He grabbed the corner of the blanket that seemed to have been spread across the bed with military precision and yanked it down. “While I do not expect you to have limited yourself sexually before we met, I am the only male you will shower with now.”
He sat, faced me and was still taller. With his knees parted, his balls were big and heavy, hanging down between his thighs, his cock jutting up and out. I could even see a bead of pre-cum slipping from the slit. “I am the only male you will touch. Kiss. Fuck. Do you understand?”
“Of course. I’m not a cheater, Leo. Do you think so little of me?”
He slashed his hand through the air. “The complete opposite. But it appears we need to put some rules in place, for Earth females seem to have notions that their mates are not in charge of their safety and well-being.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Felt slightly ridiculous that we were arguing naked. “You think you’re in charge of… me? Of us?” I, too, waved my hand, indicating whatever the hell we were.
“Of course,” he repeated. “I am the male, the stronger one. Look at our size difference, our skill differences. I protect you. I cherish you.”
“What do I do then, lay in bed all day with my legs spread to service your big cock?”
His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched and I knew I’d gone a touch too far.
With lightning fast reflexes, he gripped my wrist and tugged me forward so I all but stumbled until I stood right between his knees. “You are itching for a spanking, aren’t you?”
“You’re a Neanderthal,” I growled.
He sighed. “You are mistaken, mate.”
“Oh? About what exactly?” I asked, my tone snarky.
“I will make the decisions when it comes to your safety, to your well-being. That is non-negotiable.”
“And I can’t do that for you? Knowing I had the ability to save you from… from torture? That’s your safety and well-being!”
“It is not the same.”
“Because I’m a woman? A princess? This was one of the reasons I didn’t tell you. I might be a princess, but I’m still me.” I placed my hand between my breasts.
3
Leo
I groaned, leaned in and kissed Trinity’s skin directly above where her hand rested against her chest. The spot was warm, silky soft and while she smelled of utilitarian battleship soap, I couldn’t miss her own flowery scent. The scent that made my heart full, my cock throb. My hands tightened on her round hips.
I had to make her understand. I was not insulting her or her intelligence. Far from it. “Mate. We will talk about the future, protecting your sisters and your throne, with Prime Nial.”
“And my mother.”
“Yes. I know she was taken. I heard you and I listened. I will help you find her. I give you my word. But between us. You. Me. You are my mate. My mate!” I did not shout. I wasn’t mad, but riled. Determined to make her understand the primitive need driving me to protect her. “I am not human. I am not like the males you knew on Earth. I can not allow harm to come to you. Ever. Prime Nial is the same way with Lady Deston. Every male on Alera is the same. Are Earth males so pathetic to think you are not worthy of such protection? Devotion?”
“You’re not talking about protection or devotion. What you’re talking about is possession. I’m not a thing, Leo. You can’t own me. You can’t dictate my life.”
“I am not a tyrant, Trinity. I will not take what is not freely given.”
I watched as her sharp mind worked this over. “So, what, exactly, do you want me to give you?”
“Trust. Honesty. Tell me what you need, what you want. Tell me what worries you. Trust me, mate. Trust me to take care of you, to ensure your happiness. Accept the gifts I offer to no other, only you.”
“You are so not what I was expecting,” she said, and I had no idea if that statement worked in my favor or against me. I remained silent and waited for her to work things out. I wanted her hot pussy riding me, milking me. I wanted her to welcome me into her body and her heart. I needed her trust, her surrender. I needed it more than I needed to breathe. I couldn’t stand beside her and watch her destroy herself by giving too much, taking risks she should not take, allow others to harm her, insult her, threaten her. No.
She’d seen the way Lady Deston was with Prime Nial. Surely he was more of this… Neanderthal than me. And Ander, the two of them together were doubly intense. Lady Deston loved her mates, how they were dominant over her. Well, most of the time. She wasn’t passive. And if she laid in bed naked and with her legs spread as vulgarly as Trinity had put it, it was because her mates were good lovers, not because she was weak.
“I… I can’t be subservient to you. I can’t obey. I’m not built that way.”
My hand came up, brushed her damp hair back over her shoulder. “Don’t you see, mate? I am subservient to you. You need, I provide. You are my female, and my princess. You will rule the planet with me standing watch behind you. I will be more than your lover, Trinity. No one will harm you or threaten you during your reign. They will not take more than you are willing to give, not with me there to protect you.”