Page 7 of Taken By the Barbarian King

I get the sense he doesn’t mean a verbal reprimand.

Thunder stalks over to a padded platform raised a foot above the floor that I now realize is some kind of bed, and throws himself on it. All sprawled out, he groans as he flings one arm over his eyes.

If there’s one thing he’s not lying about, it’s that he’s royalty. He got spoiled and entitled written all over him. Princess Alexandra isn’t nearly that bad, but her younger siblings definitely are.

The dog hops onto the bed and spins in a few circles before settling himself down into a furry little ball. Thundar turns his head just enough to glare at it before falling back again.

“This is a disaster.”

He thinks this is a disaster? It’s my day he’s fucked with. I march over to him and kick his foot. “Then do something about it. You’re the prince, aren’t you? Tell them to let me go.”

He lifts his arm off his eyes and frowns down at his foot like he can’t believe I actually kicked it. And yeah, if I tried that with any member of the British royal family, I’d find myself in handcuffs, but he thinks I’m Princess Alexandra, right?

Thundar lifts himself up onto his elbows and a traitorous part of my brain notes the way his shoulder muscles bunch and flex, the way his abs stand out in sharp relief, the way his little loincloth is folded up, revealing tantalizing dark shadows underneath.

Nope. Don’t look at his body. Stick to his face. Remember he’s the abductor, the bad guy. I’m supposed to be angry at him.

“Have faith. I do not wish to be here any more than you do. I’m afraid neither of us has a choice.”

“Why the fuck not?”

Instead of answering, he flops back onto the bed.

“Hello?” I kick his foot again. “I asked you a question.”

He moves lightning fast, bolting upright, jumping into a crouched position in front of the bed faster than I can blink.

With a yelp, I jump backward, stopping only when I hit the wall.

He snarls at me, looking ready to pounce. “I will overlook that action since you are an alien and untrained in our ways. But be warned, I will not tolerate such disrespect again.”

Fuck. Note to self, don’t piss off the giant alien prince, Lottie. Not a smart move.

But Thundar’s aggression evaporates as quickly as it emerges, and he sits himself back down with a heavy sigh. He plants his feet in front of him and holds on to the edge of the bed with both hands as if they’re the only thing holding him upright.

“The royal council is not convinced that I am fit to be king.” For once he’s not growling. “They’ve decreed that I must be married before they will approve my coronation. In order to be married, I must first liberate my bride–” he gestures to me, “–and pass the isolation interlude with her.” He gestures to the room.

“What the hell is the isolation interlude?” Because that doesn’t sound sketchy as fuck.

“It’s a period of five sun rotations where the bride and the groom are locked in the mating chamber together, during which time we… copulate.”

I sputter and wrap my arms around me. “Copulate? You mean have sex? With you? I don’t fucking think so.”

And even as the words leave my mouth, my pussy clenches at the thought. The guy is huge all over and if whatever he’s hiding behind that loincloth is anatomically proportional, his dick is going to be a monster.

Thundar’s brow furrows as he rises to his feet. He advances toward me, slow and predatory. My back is already against the wall. I have nowhere to run.

He stops a hair’s breadth away from me, red eyes darkening to mahogany. “You object to copulating with me?”

His voice is barely audible, more a series of rumbles that vibrate through my body to settle between my legs.

“I–I don’t even know you,” I stammer.

He lifts one arm, placing it against the wall by my head, boxing me in. “I told you. I am Prince Thundar of Aysgoth. It is the highest privilege to copulate with me. Many a woman would covet your current position.”

“Th–then why didn’t you abduct one of them instead?”

He leans down, tilting his head to the side to fit it against the crook of my neck. I try to turn away, but that only gives him more room to get closer. He takes a deep breath and lets out a moan as if he likes my scent.

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