The Diamond Heartstone (8 page)

She moved away from him.

"I bet you can. If you’re mated, you’d have to. Otherwise..." He

raced around to the other side of the bed.

Alycia jumped away again.

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The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

"I like this game. Shall we continue? What do I win when I catch

you?" Not if but
when
.

She would not play with him. Not like this. She had a good idea of

what he wanted and she had no intentions of giving it to him.

A voice sounded from the doorway. "My lord, the men have

retrieved the object you requested."

"Bring it in." He smiled down at her but didn’t make another move

in her direction. This couldn’t be good. Not for her.

Three men carried in a golden cage. It stood about ten feet tall and

five feet wide. It reminded her of the strip club cages she'd seen in the

movies except this cage sported a major league lock.

"Set it on the floor," the prince instructed.

The men set the cage down. It clanged against the marble floor.

"You are dismissed," the prince told the men as they stood there

staring past him at her.

When they didn't immediately move, the prince opened his mouth

and roared at them. The sound shook them out of their stupor. They

marched from the room without a word.

"Word of you will spread through the palace by this evening’s meal.

Maybe I will present you to the court tonight." He unlocked the cage and

opened the door. "Now either you get in or I shall put you in.‛ His wicked

smile spoke volumes on which option he preferred.

Bastard. If she moved to the cage, he would know she understood

their language. If she stayed here, he would get to touch her. Alycia got off

the bed and walked over to the cage. Once inside, she held up one finger

and flipped him off.
Screw you, buddy
.

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The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

‚Approaching destination,‛ the autopilot announced.

Barrick hoped she hadn’t left the shuttle. That would make finding

her that much more difficult. He peered out of the large window and

stopped. Even his heart screeched to a standstill. A large wreck lay just

beyond a thicket of trees.

He punched in a series of commands in the console and was

instantly transferred down to the wreckage.

‚Alycia!‛ No one answered. She had to be all right. He’d felt her

sorrow and fear, surely he would’ve felt the pain. That is if she wasn’t

killed on contact. Blood roared in his ears as he licked extremely dry lips.

With unsteady arms, he touched the control watch on his arm.

He started looking around the wreckage again, this time looking for

signs of life. Something to give him hope. He picked up a part of the ship’s

hull and stopped. There was a charred hole in the large piece of metal. She

didn’t crash the ship. She’d been shot down. Whoever did this was going

to pay.

Barrick hit a button on his wrist communicator. ‚Someone shot

down her ship. Check the surrounding area for any trace of an imperial

ship.‛

There was no immediate answer. He held still, betraying none of his

anxiety or relief at finally hearing his brother’s voice pour over the speaker.

‚One emission trail. It ends at the Palace.‛

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He should have expected that. Royals never could keep their damn

word. Neutral zone, my ass. He transported himself back onto his ship. It

took several seconds to input new coordinates. The ship hummed and

zipped as it started on the new course.

* * * * *

Alycia closed her eyes as four men lifted the cage and walked it into

the crowded room. There were tiger women in that same damned outfit

she wore but their thick fur made the outfit appear somewhat decent.

‚I’d like to introduce my new pet,‛ the prince said, standing and

clicking an elongated nail against his cup.

The entire room stared at her. All eating, laughing, even breathing

stopped. She stared back out at them. Not one of the faces looking at her

held a bit of sympathy. Their eyes were sharp with curiosity and their

mouths open in disbelief. She was tempted to flip them all off. She was no

animal to be caged. The questions fired from the crowd—so many she

couldn’t comprehend them all, but most seemed fixated on her skin.

‚Why is she that color?‛

‚Is it natural?‛

‚Does it rub off?‛

Of course, her skin was natural. If she had been home, she would

have considered those racist comments, but here it seemed they truly

wanted answers to the questions. They seemed fascinated.

‚It is natural. And, no, it doesn’t rub off.‛ He took a sip from his

cup, his face a mask of boredom.

‚It looks like dirt. Did you just rub it on her for a show?‛ a female

voice asked from somewhere near the head table. She was short, with an

unnatural looking buzz cut. It set her apart from all the other tiger women

in the room.

‚Fi’on, shall I prove it to you?‛ he asked, turning to his left. He was

talking to one of the women at the head table.

He stalked to the cage. The men holding it sat it on the floor. Alycia

eyed him warily. Did he expect her to just let him touch her? He was

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The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

freaking lucky she agreed to put on the new clothing. But that's where her

cooperative streak ended.

He walked over to her. She did not run around the cage to avoid

him. She would wait until he made his move. He snaked his hand between

the bars. Alycia jumped to the other side of the cage.

Several of the onlookers gasped in surprise. His eyes narrowed. He

walked around to the other side of the cage and tried again. This time it

was harder to avoid his fingers. One skimmed against her elbow but fell

just short of its goal.

This time there were open chuckles and smirks. She watched the

lines around the side of his mouth deepen and his lips thin out. He stalked

around the cage several times before he stopped in front of her. This time

she didn’t try her luck. The second she saw him moving his hand, she

jumped to the other side of the cage.

Laughs echoed through the room, none louder than Fi’on’s. Many

of the guests who had turned around were no longer paying them any

attention.

‚You will not make me a laughingstock,‛ he growled at her.

‚I did not make you a laughingstock. You did that on your own.‛

She whispered the words at him. Chuckles erupted nearby. It seemed her

words traveled to other ears.

‚You need to train your pet better,‛ Fi’on yelled from the head table.

The prince let loose a roar. The nails on his hands elongated into

claws. He reached through the bars and, before she could move, he slashed

one arm and then the other. Pain seared through her. She bit her bottom lip

and held back the scream that burned her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes

but she refused to let them drop. Her future would be short-lived in this

place. She refused to act like a good little pet and it seemed the prince had

no problem rending her flesh from her body.

A roar sounded from behind them. It shook the floor and quieted

the room. She wanted to turn around but to do so she would have to give

her back to the prince. She would never give him that much power over

her.

‚It seems that one of you has kidnapped my mate.‛

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Barrick. He had come. A smile blossomed on her face as she saw

fear in the prince’s eyes. He quickly recovered, hiding it with a look of

disdain.

‚Mate?‛ the king asked.

‚Yes,‛ Barrick growled. ‚It seems that one of your ships got a little

excited and shot her ship down inside the Neutral Zone.‛

‚None of my soldiers would do that. Call the guards,‛ he said to

one of the men at his side.

Barrick’s voice came from nearby. ‚I suggest you back away from

that cage.‛

The prince backed away from her. He was close to the head table

when Barrick rounded the cage. It took several kicks to break the lock. It

fell to the floor in broken chunks. He looked pissed.

‚She’s not your mate,‛ the prince announced to the room in general.

‚How do you figure that?‛ Barrick asked as he pulled her through

the door of the cage.

She winced as his hands squeezed on her arms. Barrick looked

down at her and zeroed in on his hands. He bared his teeth at the sight of

the blood oozing through his fingers.

‚She’s not of our world,‛ the prince stated and walked away.

‚Who has marked my mate?‛ Barrick thundered.

‚It’s not my fault she can’t follow simple instructions. She needs to

be trained.‛

‚I couldn’t let him touch me,‛ she whispered, looking up at Barrick.

‚I just couldn’t stand there and willingly let him do it.‛

Barrick gave her a curt nod and turned to the king.

‚You voided the peace agreement and shot down a ship in the

Neutral territory. You kidnapped my mate and have marred her skin. I

claim the Rite of Challenge.‛

The queen’s gaze swung up to her husband’s. One of her hands flew

to caress the skin at the base of her neck. ‚Surely things are not so serious.

Those are only minor scratches. You would not be foolish enough to fight

to the death over something so inconsequential.‛

‚That is my right. You can’t deny me this time. He had to know she

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The Diamond Heartstone by Leila Brown

was mated. And yet he still put her on display and marked her.‛ Barrick

turned and looked directly at the prince. ‚Do you accept the Rite of

Challenge?‛

‚From a half-breed?‛ The prince sneered at him.

‚You can concede and admit your guilt,‛ Barrick said, crossing his

arms in front of his chest.

‚I accept this little challenge. But, when I win, she will become my

pet again,‛ the prince said, ripping off his pants.

Barrick looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. Was she willing

to take that chance?

She nodded her head at him. She would stand with him. She might

have deserted him on the ship but she would stand with him now. He’d

come for her even though she didn’t deserve it. The least she could do was

put her faith in his fighting ability.

He shrugged out of his clothes, becoming totally naked. He took off

his watch and handed everything to her.

‚If I do not win, press the green button and you will transported to

the ship. Autopilot is set up so, as soon as someone boards the ship, it'll go

directly back to the station.‛

She tiptoed up and kissed him full on the mouth. He stared at her

but did not say anything.

‚If you’re done?‛ the price taunted as he laughed and shifted.

‚Don’t rush to your death.‛ Barrick shifted into the tigon. Barrick

definitely had a size advantage but, from what she knew about the prince,

that might not be enough. This royal family fought dirty.

A female voice sounded from behind her. ‚Two men fighting over

you. What a display.‛

She turned her head slightly. Fi’on. Alycia moved to take a step

away from the female.

‚Oh, no, you don’t,‛ the tigress said, grabbing Alycia’s wrists. ‚Just

a little insurance.‛

Alycia dropped everything but the communicator when Fi’on

pulled her hands behind her.

‚I thought you didn’t like the prince,‛ Alycia said, twisting against

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the other woman’s grasp.

‚Oh, this has nothing to do with him. I’m doing a service for the

crown. A service that will be highly rewarded,‛ the woman whispered in

her ear.

The sound of furniture breaking shocked her. She snapped her head

back to the fight. The prince jumped at Barrick. Barrick kicked him onto

one of the tables. The table crumbled like a box of toothpicks.

Barrick pounced on him and the prince reared up. They slashed at

each other with their large paws. They snapped at each other’s necks but

they were evenly matched.

Barrick shifted back into his humanoid form. He snapped two quick

punches at the tiger’s throat.

The animal backed away but didn’t shift back into his humanoid

form. The prince lunged at Barrick. Barrick side stepped it and kicked at

the animal’s knees. He missed one but connected with the other. The

animal roared its pain. Barrick raced around the animal and grabbed it

around the neck.

‚This is over. Concede and I won’t have to kill you.‛ Barrick

elongated his nails. Blood streamed through the animal’s fur.

Fi’on whistled sharply. Barrick’s head snapped up.

‚Let him go or I kill her.‛ The woman stuck her hands into Alycia’s