Mikel’s Wrath
Worlds Apart Series Book 3
by Bonnie Rose Leigh
copyright 2008, eXtasy Books
Genre; Shapeshifter/Sci-fi/Fantasy/Series
Available now
Life has been anything but easy for Maryann Wilson. The only human living among Lionese shifters, her life on Earth, though miserable, had been safe. Now, light-years from home, mated to a Manruvian Merman, and on the verge of war, her life is anything but secure.
Mikel Logann, High Prince and sole heir of Manruvia, had waited years to find a mate. He didn’t know she’d be one of the women rescued from the Black Rose or that his Earth woman could teach stubbornness to a toddler. But now that he has her, he won’t let anyone take her from him and live.
When a civil war erupts on Manruvia’s shores and he must take up the Triton of Ascension, it will be with Maryann by his side. The only question remaining in his mind is at battle’s end, who will still be among the living and who will not?
Excerpt
Mikel Logann, High Prince and heir to the throne of Manruvia, glanced through the transomani at the planet below, his hands fisted at his sides. Maryann could feel the anger coming off him in turbulent waves, so, for now, she kept silent. “The planet is devoid of life. Either the Black Rose has left no survivors, or she and her followers have taken everyone and moved to another planet. Do we waste our time on the surface below looking for the bodies of the dead, or worry about locating the living?”
He turned around, facing her for the first time since she entered the room. “I will leave this room once again, Maryann, because I know you think it is my fault we are in this situation and you are angry that your body is making demands upon you that you do not like. But I warn you-One. Last. Time.” He turned to face the door. “If you follow me again, I will not be held responsible for my actions. If you follow me from this room and into my quarters, I will take it as your consent to start my seduction. And if you think your suit is painful now, wait until I begin to touch you.”
Shame filled Maryann Wilson as she watched Mikel storm off. She’d purposely provoked the Manruvian prince, hoping he’d do exactly what he’d accused her of just a few moments ago—take the decision out of her hands and seduce her. She didn’t want to take responsibility for her neither her emotions nor her actions. She didn’t want to feel at all, because feeling anything at all brought back the memories of pain and torture, rape and abuse, betrayal and starvation—all things she’d rather never remember again.
Now, her body had betrayed her, choosing Mikel as her mate when she’d not been looking for a man-not now, anyway. She didn’t blame all men for the actions of her rapists. In fact, she wanted a healthy, normal relationship-someday. What she objected to was that her body-and the symbiotic suit she was living in-could arbitrarily choose someone for her without one word passing between them, not even an introduction.
If the Black Rose hadn’t attacked, hadn’t forced them to take refuge in the symbiotic Manruvian pressure suits that conformed to the body like a wet suit from Earth, she would have at least had time to meet Mikel, find out his name. But, no, once the suit went on to protect her from possible air contamination in the ship’s atmosphere, it took over monitoring and controlling all her bodily functions. Then, within seconds of getting word it was safe to take off the facemask, she inhaled Mikel’s scent. The Symbiotic suit immediately bonded with her skin, making it impossible to remove until she accepted her mate-bond with Mikel both emotionally and mentally.
She couldn’t lie to her suit either, couldn’t pretend to want to become his mate-she’d tried that already and failed. A sentient, symbiotic being, it knew her every emotion and thought, fed off them if fact. Until she truly accepted him as mate, the suit would continue to stimulate her sexually, feeding off her frustration and need. After nearly a week of non-stop arousal, she was about ready to give in, but she didn’t want to tie herself to a virtual stranger.
Whatever happened to getting to know someone first? Dating? Finding out if you even like each other before deciding to do the horizontal mambo? No, her body liked the smell of his, and that was that, it wanted no other for the rest of its life. And from what little she’d learned this past week from the ship’s sentient computer, Skalldari, once his super semen made it’s way inside her and started her conversion—whatever that meant—she’d live for a very long time.
Goddess. Why couldn’t her life be simple, like any normal human? But, no, she’d gotten mixed up in a shifter breeding/sex slave ring when the Black Rose kidnapped her from Earth, was on the verge of war with said slaver, and about to become the mate to a merman Prince. Life couldn’t get any more complicated than that.
Well, the time had arrived to strap on her big girl boots and take a leap of faith that the Manruvian’s Symbiotic suit-and she really needed to find out the proper name of the sentient material-knew best when it chose Mikel as her mate.
She couldn’t run or hide from her future. They were mates. She needed to face that head on. If she continued to provoke him, she’d never get to know the real man, which would totally defeat the purpose behind her decision to put off mating with him this long. Knowing that it wouldn’t be any easier to take this step by waiting until morning, Maryann headed toward Mikel’s quarters, fully aware of just where it would lead. Except, instead of him seducing her, he’d be the one seduced. He’d damned well like it, too.