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to relate to your people. She doesn't have to become a
professional dancer, but learning dancing isn't going to do
any more harm than teaching her how to be graceful, which
wouldn't harm her in her future."
"True." The king gave Raven a smile. "But will the
school you chose help her any better?"
Raven nodded. "I reserved a spot for her at an arts
school that I know also has an amazing scholastic program.
I can personally vouch for the owner. You can of course
register her at a different school. That's up to you and
Kaemon. Actually, you might want to get her a tutor for the
political training. I don't think they'll cover that at all."
Kaemon gave him a sweet smile that immediately
made Raven suspicious. A man that buff didn't do sweet
well.
"I'll keep her wherever you think best, my Raven. I
know you have her best interests at heart."
Raven flashed a glance at the king, who gave an
odd cough.
"Are you all right, Your Highness?"
The king smiled at him. Raven felt an odd sense
that he was missing something important.
"I'm just fine, Raven. Just fine."
Raven decided that the men on this planet were just
plain strange. Too bad they were so gorgeous.
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"Are you finished?" Kaemon's voice rolled over
him like a physical touch.
He nodded. It was too difficult to eat while the
prince undressed Raven with his eyes.
"Father, I need to talk to Raven. Could you make
sure Trisha gets everything she needs for school
tomorrow?"
"I have a list." Trisha handed over the packet of
paperwork she'd set beside her plate.
The king opened the folder and scanned the list.
"Trisha, would you like a servant to get this for you or
would you like to go with me and pick them up?"
"I'd like to go with you," Trisha said in a soft voice,
not looking up from her food.
The king beamed. "Excellent. We can get to know
each other better."
Kaemon stood up, sliding his chair across the floor
in his haste. "Raven, come with me." Before Raven could
say anything, an iron grip enclosed his upper arm as the
prince yanked him from his chair. "Come on, darling. Let
me show you around."
Raven waved to the others as he was hauled out of
the room.
* * * *
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Kaemon knew his hands had been made to caress
this man. Watching Raven writhe beneath his touch made
everything bearable. Every irritating politician, every scary
overlord trying to take over the kingdom, every annoyance
vanished beneath the sensation of the silky skin under his
fingers.
Watching Raven's beautiful face in the heat of
passion made Kaemon's life worthwhile. He would do
anything to persuade his mate to stay by his side. Kaemon
licked a line of heat up Raven's neck, letting some of his
innate fire warm the skin beneath his lips.
"Do that again," Raven begged in a whispery voice,
as if he couldn't collect enough breath to speak at full
power.
Kaemon leaned forward and breathed warm air,
careful not to let it out into a flame. It was a rare ability to
breathe flame in human form, an ability passed down
through his family. He should check and see if Trisha could
do that. Even though she couldn't shift, she'd still have a
dragon spirit. It would be an interesting test to see how
much dragon she had.
However, right now, he had to be careful of his
lover. He didn't want to burn Raven's luscious skin.
Raven snapped Kaemon's attention back to his task
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by wrapping those strong dancer's legs around him, pulling
him close.
"I need you." Raven's eyes were wild. The ring of
blue around his widening pupils was three shades darker
than normal.
"I'm yours," Kaemon promised over the lump in his
throat. He took Raven's mouth in a savage kiss, intent on
branding his taste on his lover so that no other man would
ever be enough.
Not passionate enough.
Not strong enough.
Not him.
Raven, his spirited mate, surrendered, and Kaemon
sank into the giving body of his dancer.
"Do you agree to be mine?" He knew asking now
was a bit unfair, but he'd use any edge to his advantage.
"What?" Raven blinked at him, moving his body as
he tried to impale himself on Kaemon's cock.
"Agree to be mine and I will bond with you
forever."
Raven gave him a gentle smile. Cupping Kaemon's
face in his hands, he nodded. "Make me yours."
Yes!
Kaemon's inner dragon gave a triumphant shout.
"There is no changing your mind. If I bite you, you
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will be mine forever."
Raven's eyes filled with moisture, but the tears
didn't fall. "Don't you know? I am already yours."
With a growl, Kaemon gave himself partially over
to his dragon half. He licked the meaty part of Raven's
shoulder to anesthetize it before sinking in his dragon
fangs. He remained impaled in his lover with both fang and
cock, filling his mate with the fluid that would bond them
together for eternity and lengthen Raven's life to match his
own. In that moment, they were truly mated, and not even
time, space, or death could separate them for long.
Power surged through Kaemon's body as he
pumped both his seed and his mating fluid into his willing
lover. Once he was certain he was out of both fluids,
Kaemon removed his fangs and licked over the spot.
Moans and whispers filled the air. The moment was
too powerful, too sacred, for loud noises. When he came,
Kaemon pressed soft kisses along the lithe dancer's
shoulder, unwilling to leave his mate's welcoming body.
With his palms, he absorbed the heat of Raven's skin and
knew his lover would soon carry a tattoo on his back that
would match what Kaemon looked like in dragon form. He
hoped Raven wasn't against tattoos.
With a moan, he pulled out of his lover. Kaemon
wanted to stay inside the warm, welcoming man below
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him, but he didn't want Raven to suffer any discomfort.
Reaching into a bedside table, he removed a towel and
wiped them both down before tossing it on the floor.
"Tidy," Raven teased in a breathless voice.
"That's why we have servants," Kaemon said.
"Keeps people employed."
Laughing, Raven poked Kaemon in the ribs.
"You're so sweet to think of your people like that."
"Yep, that's me, always thinking of others."
"Why did you bite me?"
"It's a mating bite. You belong to me now. Did it
hurt?"
Raven shook his head. "It was kinda sexy."
"Good."
Unable to stand the inch of bed space between
them, Kaemon wrapped his arms around Raven and pulled
him into his arms, letting the dancer's lean body rest on top
of his.
"I always wanted a royal mattress," Raven said,
rubbing his head against Kaemon's chest like a friendly cat.
Kaemon smiled, stroking Raven's silky hair. "You
can have one whenever you want."
Lifting his head, Raven stared into Kaemon's eyes.
"I guess I'm stuck with you now, huh?"
"Yes. We're mates now." Kaemon let everything
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show in his eyes. He knew his love reflected in his eyes
when Raven sucked in his breath.
"I have obligations I have to meet," Raven insisted,
but his voice wasn't as determined as before.
Kaemon could feel victory within his grasp. "We'll
get you taken care of."
* * * *
Raven sat down for dinner with the king, Kaemon,
and Trisha, smiling as he listened to the little girl's patter.
The feast set before them would've fed an entire dance
troupe, much less the four of them.
He flashed a smile towards Kaemon when he felt
the prince's foot slide along his own.
A short melody drew his attention to his
communicator. Glancing at the display, Raven stood up.
"Excuse me," he said before quickly exiting the
room. Once he was out in the hall, he answered the call.
"Hello."
"Raven, sweetness, how are you?" Evan's smooth
voice poured across the line like rich temptation.
"I'm doing well," Raven said. He couldn't help the
smile that crossed his face. He and Evan might be old news
in the romance department, but his ex-lover was still one of
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his favorite people.
"I'm so glad to hear that. Listen, I've got good news.
Remember that dance special we did for the Hyltarian
orphans?"
Raven searched his mind. After so many years of
planet hopping, some of his shows were starting to blur
together in his memory. This one he did remember because
it was the last time he'd seen Evan. How long ago had that
been?
"Was it last year?"
"Yes, we're up for an award by the Galactic Arts
Council."
"No!"
"Yes!"
Excitement made him want to squeal like a little
girl. As many awards as he'd won in the past, the Galactic
Arts Council award was one of the few he'd never won. It
was usually saved for do-gooder humanitarians.
"How did we rate?"
"Someone submitted our names," Evan said with a
laugh.
"And would this someone be the other person I
performed that particular dance with?"
"Maybe."
Raven laughed along with Evan. Although Evan
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was a talented dancer, he wasn't as recognized as Raven,
one of the points of contention in their former relationship.
Evan needed to be the star of any relationship, and Raven
refused to be less to make his lover feel better.
"Well, that's great. Let me know what they decide."
"No," Evan blurted out. "We have to perform at the
awards ceremony. It's a really big deal, and the best part is
that it's going to happen on the dragon planet you're
currently touring on."
Raven was starting to get a bad feeling. "How did
you know what planet I'm on?"
"Baby, just because we're not together anymore,
doesn't mean I don't keep track of where you're
performing."
"How does Myles feel about that?" Raven said,
referring to Evan's lover, a pale blond who worshipped the
ground Raven's ex danced on.
"Myles understands. Besides, you're on every
entertainment news show in the galaxy. I have to stay
current with dance information, and you are it, my friend."
Raven couldn't argue with that, but he still felt a
pang of concern for the fragile Myles.
"Just be gentle with him, Evan. The poor guy really
loves you."
Evan's rich laughter came across the phone. "Raven,
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I know how to take care of my man. Is it true that you
hooked yourself a prince?"
"I am dating Prince Kaemon, yes," Raven said,
knowing anything he told Evan would be on the galacticnet
the next day. He didn't know how far their mating rumors
had spread but he wasn't ready to share that info with Evan
quite yet. He was a horrible gossip.
"Good for you."
Raven thought Evan's cheer sounded a little forced,
but he wasn't going to step on that emotional land mine.
"Now, can I tell the promoters that you'll do the dance with
me?"
Raven sighed. "When is it?"
"In two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Raven felt a trickle of unease. These
shows didn't get planned overnight. "How long have you
known about this?"
There was long silence.
"Two moon cycles."
"And you are just now telling me?"
"Listen, Raven, I don't want to mess up whatever
you have going on with the prince, but I-I've missed you."
Raven felt his heart give a little pang. Evan had
been Raven's first lover and was permanently imprinted on
his heart, but he wasn't going to go there romantically
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again. He wouldn't do that to Kaemon. In the few weeks
they'd been lovers, Kaemon had become everything to him.
"Just friends."
"What?"
"I'll dance with you, but we are just friends. I
wouldn't do that to Myles."
"Of course." Evan's relief was clear across the line.
"I adore Myles and don't want to hurt him."
"Okay. Send me the info and I'll be there."
"Brilliant. Love you, Raven," Evan said before the
line went suddenly dead.
"Who was that?" a low growling voice asked behind
him.