"By the way," Shaye whispered. "You never told me the most erotic place on a woman's body."
For a moment, he was transported back to bed, this woman splayed underneath him. His blood heated.
Concentrate. "I haven't and I won't." The mystery would, hopefully, occupy her mind and keep her distracted from the war. "Not until you're naked in our bed."
"You are such a jerk," she grumbled.
"You are such a delight."
They had reached the bottom of the steps and entered a new room. He propped his shield against the wall to slip an arm around Shaye's waist and urged her to his side-if only to prevent her from bolting when she spied the prison cell.
"Um, if I didn't know better, I'd say this is a dungeon."
"It is a dungeon."
His gaze skipped over the glowing blue bars in front of cells now bursting with human females. Those bars were made to stop immortals.
"What! No way." Shaye gave a violent shake of her head. "No way you're locking me up like a prisoner."
"I am. For your own good. If any dragons make it inside the palace, through secret passages we haven't yet found, they'll have a difficult time absconding with you." When she opened her mouth to rebuke him, he added, "None of the other women are complaining."
The gaggle of voices suddenly turned into happy coos.
"Valerian, you gorgeous thing! Are you here to pass out free orgasms?"
"Oh! Me first! Me first!"
"Now I understand why royal subjects are supposed to kneel before their king. I'd love to pay homage to your...scepter."
Shaye hurled curses before wrenching from Valerian's clasp.
"Maybe some of the girls are soldiers in the human army," she said. Her dark eyes flashed fire at him. "Did you ever think of that? They can help you. Maybe they are master strategists and they can plan a way out of any battle. Instead of locking them away, use them. Us. Let us help."
"If we weren't fighting dragons, I'd agree with you. You aren't just a pretty face. You have a brain. But we are fighting dragons. You know nothing about the fire-breathing race." As he spoke, he backed her into the wall.
She squared her shoulders and raised her chin, the picture of total defiance. "Try to intimidate me all you want."
"I will. Now that I have your permission," he said, his tone dry.
Her eyes narrowed. "What if you and all your men are killed? Will we die of starvation down here?"
"We won't be killed," he insisted.
"Can you guarantee your survival with one hundred percent certainty?"
"Yes." Fact: Shaye's life depended on him. He would allow nothing bad to happen to himself.
Remaining stubborn, she crossed her arms over her chest. "How can you guarantee such a thing? Are you psychic? Wait. Let me guess. Your nympho visions come only when you're having sex, right? Courtesy of the magic vagina."
Part of him wanted to laugh. The other part of him wanted to howl with frustration. He pointed to the group of warriors standing in front of the prison bars. "If anything happens to me and the others, these men will release you and escort you home. Are you satisfied?"
"No!"
His eyes narrowed. "I'm not surprised. You never are, are you?"
What little color she possessed drained away. "That was a low blow."
"Why? Did I speak an untruth? Because so far, nothing I've done has been good enough for you. You've focused solely on my mistakes, never my successes."
She flinched as if he'd struck her. "Well, you're my captor. What more do you expect?"
Instant remorse. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for speaking what you perceive as the truth, or sorry for kidnapping me?" she asked. "Why do you even want to be with me? If I weren't your mate, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have chosen me."
He softened his tone. "You are a rose worth every prick of thorns. I would choose you always."
Her shields began to drop, pure vulnerability staring up at him. She softened against him.
"Valerian," Broderick called.
He gently tapped the bottom of her chin with his knuckles. "Try to keep the other females calm while I'm gone. Will you do this for me? Please, Moon."
For the briefest moment, he thought he glimpsed sheer terror. For him. For his safety. A master at hiding her reactions, she rallied quickly, blanking her expression. His remorse only magnified.
The ice queen was back in place.
"Fine," she said. "I'll do it. But they aren't exactly upset right now. They're freakishly happy to see you."
"We are, Valerian." A brunette gripped the bars, a buttercup-yellow robe draping her lush body. "We're very happy to see you. Want to make out?"