The Arcav Prince's Captive Read online

  The Arcav Prince's Captive

  Hope Hart

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Korva

  I watch as the female fights, a smirk on her face as she taunts her opponent. She’s trigger happy and violent, crass and foul-mouthed. But, when she thinks no one is looking, she’s also generous and kind, always looking out for those weaker than herself.

  I don’t understand my fascination with this female. The last time I watched her like this, she called me a stalky stalker and informed me that if I expected another night between her legs, I was an idiot.

  I simply stared at her until she rolled her eyes and walked away.

  Even watching her is a betrayal to my mate, who has been lost to me for two centuries.

  So why can’t I stay away?

  Eve’s lush mouth beneath mine, her throaty laugh sounding as she rises over me, her smooth, golden skin glowing in the soft light.

  My mood turns even darker.

  Eve

  I circle, knife in my hand, eyes on my target. He smirks at me and I grit my teeth, hand clenching slightly on my knife.

  His eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, and then I’m moving, lunging forward, my knife high, drawing his attention. His eyes flick to it as I come closer, and then I duck, punch him in the solar plexus and follow it up with a kick to the knee.

  He curses and I grin, even as he steps forward with a backhand. I duck and then I’m the one cursing as he catches my arm and my knife goes flying. I stumble as he almost takes me down.

  The guy’s got eighty pounds on me. If it turns into a wrestling match, I’m toast.

  I do something I never do, because it’s a stupid move, but it works because it’s also unexpected. I snap my head forward, aiming for his nose, and he’s forced to let go of my arm, throwing a hand up defensively, even as he wrestles with me for the knife. I punch him in the throat and he punches me back, slamming his fist into my gut, even as I hear a low growl from somewhere behind me.

  “That hurt?” Blake grins at me.

  “Not as much as this will.”

  He’s right where I need him, and I let my elbow fly, smashing it into his nose. He roars, eyes darkening and I grin back, dancing out of the way.

  Blake’s a good fighter but we’re both exhausted and I want it more. He lunges forward, nose dripping blood and I wince. Thankfully, the medi-center is fully staffed on this trip.

  I pivot and then he’s moving, faster than I’d anticipated. Damn it, he always gets me with his wounded bear routine. I block two of his punches, turning my body, but the shock still reverberates up my arm. He’s fucking strong.

  But I’m faster.

  I duck under his next swing, twist to the side, and drive my knee up into his gut. His breath leaves him in a whoosh and he folds. I follow it up with a punch to the face even as I know he’s messing with me again. Blake doesn’t crumple that easily.

  I’m right, and I have a moment to think ‘oh shit’ before his giant fist meets the side of my face.

  My cheek explodes with pain and I let out a stream of curses as I shake it off.

  “Ring your bell?” He asks and I lunge forward as a snarl rips through the room and Blake’s eyes widen slightly as he glances over my shoulder.

  “Your boyfriend’s here.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “Huh?”

  The moment of inattention costs me, and Blake sweeps my legs out from underneath me, following me down to the mat, even as I attempt to get my leg around his neck for a choke hold.

  It’s too late though, and before I know it, I’m on my stomach, Blake’s knee on my back as he holds my arm in a lock that guarantees a nasty break.

  “Uncle?”

  I lift my head and scowl at the giant, menacing distraction in the corner, who lifts his lip in a snarl as he meets my eyes.

  Blake adds a little more pressure and I grit my teeth. If I could just...

  “This’ll hurt if I break it, Small.”

  The nickname infuriates me, just as he knew it would. Blake has long been trying to teach me to not let my rage control me. To think before I act.

  I’ve been trying to teach him to stop dropping his left arm when he hits with his right.

  I spit out a hunk of hair that’s fallen loose from my ponytail.

  “Uncle,” I say.

  “Good job. Didn’t even choke on it.”

  I stay silent. I’m not the most gracious loser, and I grit my teeth as I get to my feet. The side of my face is on fire, but Blake doesn’t look any better, his nose swollen and already bruising.

  Nathan walks into the gym and winces. “Can’t believe I missed it. You two look like you need to go see Brin.”

  I frown. Brin’s great. But he has a tendency to fuss over injured women. Last time he healed me he tutted like a concerned mama.

  All of my instincts are exceedingly aware of Korva, still looming in the corner, and it makes my already dark mood darker.

  “Thanks for the distraction,” I mutter to him as we walk out the door, and he simply stares back at me, a warning in his eyes.

  I’d needed this workout. The days after we land back on Earth are going to be some of the worst I’ve experienced. Dealing with the FBI after everything that happened…

  No, don’t think about it now.

  I narrow my eyes back at Korva but walk away, again wondering why the fuck he’s on this ship. When Varian said this trip had to be done, I wasn’t planning on going. Arcavia has been good to me, and I have no desire to revisit the past.

  Unfortunately, Varian’s currently low on people he can trust, and even lower on humans who can be trusted to work on behalf of the Arcav.

  Talis, one of his most loyal generals, turned out to be a traitor— something we discovered when he was already on a trip to Fecax with Methi. When their ship disappeared, we were left trying to figure out where the hell he would’ve gone, until Meghan got tired of waiting and went after Methi herself.

  Where the hell are you, Meghan?

  Guilt stabs through me.

  If I’d been paying more attention, I would’ve known exactly what the determination on her face meant. Instead, I failed her. So did everyone else who made it possible for a teenager to steal an Arcav ship.

  It’s been five months, and none of them have been found.

  Now that Varian’s using his resources to find Methi, Meghan, and the Fecax Queen, along with sniffing out anyone who could be remotely loyal to the Grivath, he had to pull some of us from Harlow’s guard.

  Luckily, Harlow has more than enough people to keep her safe— what with the Arcav members of the guard we left behind and her protective Arcav King sticking closer than ever.

  Now that she’s pregnant, Varian jumps to his feet, practically wringing his hands every time she turns green and runs to the bathroom. He glares at anyone who gets too close and spends hours in meetings with members of both his and Harlow’s guard, constantly updating security protocols.

  It would be cute if he wasn’t a 7-foot Arcav with a growl that can clear a room.

  I follow Blake into B
rin’s domain— the large, fully-stocked medi-center, complete with what I like to call his ‘magic wand.’

  I’ve seen Arcav with critical injuries come back from the brink of death thanks to Brin’s medical instruments and expertise.

  The long, slim wand is like pressing rewind after a vicious fight, and it allows us to actually hurt each other when we’re fighting. It sounds brutal, but when you’re fighting for your life, you need to know that you’re not going to freeze when your arm snaps or vomit when your nose breaks. We don’t always fight rough, but when we do, we no longer face weeks of healing.

  As far as I can tell, Brin’s magic wand does something to promote healing within the body. It sometimes hurts like a bitch, but it’s worth it when a broken bone turns into some swelling and bruising which is gone a few days later. We tend to pay for our accelerated healing in different ways though. Blake will spend the next few days eating everything in sight, while I’ll probably sleep for the next twenty hours.

  I’ve been working on convincing Varian to provide this technology, or something like it, for the first responders on Earth. When the Arcav invaded Earth, they had only one goal— get their mates and get out. Thanks to Korva, they were forced to find their mates on Earth, and they tried to keep interference to a minimum. Of course, any interference mostly sucked for me. I went from picking up a Glock with my badge each day to taking a Taser instead— something that Harlow also had to deal with when she was a cop. She still gives Varian shit about it today.

  When it comes to medical technology, the Arcav are hesitant to share their toys. I get it to an extent— after all, the Arcav are extremely long-lived, with low fertility rates— basically the opposite of humans. But the number of lives that could be saved… let’s just say that Varian’s under a lot of pressure from Harlow’s new Earth Council.

  Brin takes one look at me as we walk into the medi-center and his nostrils flare dangerously. I gesture at Blake.

  “He’s just as bad.”

  Brin simply shakes his head, pointing to a chair while Blake sniggers behind me. The Arcav are more than a little overprotective of women. Apparently, they never used to be this way, but when female Arcav were no longer born, Arcav society changed, and the Arcav gradually became more and more determined to protect the women they had left. One more thing to thank Korva for.

  Don’t think about him.

  I wince as Brin pokes at my cheek, tutting as he turns to find his wand.

  “A hit like this could cause brain injury,” he tells me, shooting a glare at Blake. “Why would you two be so stupid? My services are for actual injuries, not those you cause yourselves. I should make you heal these the long way.”

  “We needed the practice,” I tell him. “Harlow’s currently about as quick on her feet as a baby hippo.”

  Blake snorts. “Don’t let her hear that.”

  “We’ve had to change up our strategies accordingly.”

  It’s true, and it sounds good when I say it. If Harlow’s attacked, our entire focus will be on fighting off the threat while another member of the guard gets her out of there. If she wasn’t pregnant, Harlow would be right there beside us, blaster on high. But she’s not an idiot and she’s also well aware that her value as a hostage has tripled now that she’s carrying the future Arcav heir.

  Brin raises an eyebrow. “And I am sure you two find no pleasure in making each other bleed.”

  My mouth trembles as I hold back a smirk. He’s not wrong.

  Brin runs the wand over my cheek, and it explodes with pain.

  “Jesus fucking Christ.”

  “If you can take the pain when you’re hit, you can take the pain when you’re healed,” Brin says, reading whatever information is on the wand as he uses it to torture me. He slides a glance at Blake, and that’s quite enough.

  “Don’t act like he beat me up. I gave as good as I got.”

  “I have resigned myself to your foolishness. I had greater hopes for Blake.”

  My mouth drops open as Blake chuckles, and then my teeth clamp together as Brin starts on my forehead.

  “Have you been tested?” Brin’s voice is mild, but the question gets my back up.

  “No.”

  When the Arcav invaded, we waited on the edge of our seats to learn what they wanted. It seemed almost simple when they demanded blood tests from human women. Unfortunately, those blood tests determined whether they were mates, and if they would be taken back to Arcavia.

  When Harlow was announced as the Arcav King’s mate, she went on the run. I was cheering her on internally, even as I listened in at meetings about the importance of cooperating with the Arcav.

  Personally, I think forcing human women to give blood is bullshit. But I’ve also lived on Arcavia for over a year now, and I’ve seen first-hand how the lack of mates has affected the Arcav males.

  “You may want to consider—”

  “I’m gonna stop you right there doc. I know you’re not going to damage our successful working relationship by implying I should keep myself safe so that I’ll still be around for a potential mate.”

  Brin sighs. “I would not dream of saying such a thing.”

  “Mmmhmmm.”

  I get to my feet, stiff and sore but no longer actually hurt, and Blake takes my seat.

  Mating is biological. The Arcav males are born with silver mating bands around their wrists and sometimes up to their shoulders. When they find their mates, those mating bands appear on the females’ wrists too, although they’re usually black until the mating bond is completed.

  I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself, but the mating bond is an incredibly intimate connection, one that the Arcav consider to be a completion or quite literally finding their other halves. Harlow once told me that she and Varian can feel each other’s emotions and even each other’s pain- something that will be interesting when she goes into labor.

  Anyway, human women were given a number and expected to show up and submit a sample of blood when it was their turn. Opting out wasn’t an option, especially if you wanted to keep your job. I was due to give my sample by now but thankfully, moving to Arcavia has given me some leeway— after all, the chances of a human woman stumbling across her mate are higher when she’s on Arcavia.

  I’ll still have to give my blood at some stage though, and if I’m honest, it worries me a little. I have no desire to be a mate. Although, I can’t deny that seeing how happy Amanda and Jaret and Harlow and Varian are makes me wonder if I could ever be that happy too.

  Unlikely.

  I leave Blake wincing like a giant baby and thank Brin on my way out, grinning over my shoulder at his put-upon expression.

  Slam.

  I bounce off a hard chest and meet Korva’s eyes.

  My heart pounds and my skin is suddenly hypersensitive, even as I take a step back.

  “What are you doing?”

  Korva says nothing, simply runs his eyes over my face, something shifting in his eyes before they meet mine.

  If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was checking up on me.

  “Checking up on you,” he growls.

  I almost choke, and Korva’s eyes lighten in amusement. He thinks this is funny, playing with my emotions like a kid playing with matches.

  Korva’s hands on my skin, his lips on my mouth, his arms cradling me.

  I shake myself out of my daydream

  “Well, don’t.”

  Korva

  I had no intention of coming on this trip.

  The idea of being trapped on a ship with Eve, or even on a ship at all made me want to regress to that feral, insane male who had to be restrained.

  But I made a bargain.

  I watch as Eve walks away, her long-legged stride taking her out of reach.

  It’s for the best.

  My hands itch to touch her skin even as my throat thickens in shame. I must control these urges.

  I’ve spent months listening to human women tell
me their problems, analyzing their speech patterns and eventually becoming able to carry a conversation. I’ve fooled almost everyone into thinking I have accepted the past and I’m ready to embrace the future, after spending years locked away by my brother.

  My claws extend. I accept nothing.

  Two weeks ago, Varian came to me, finding me in my lab where I spend the majority of my time. His face was hard, and yet I could almost feel the guilt radiating off him.

  My big brother was so eager to brand me a monster. So quick to lock me away, deciding it was more merciful than the death his subjects screamed for.

  It wasn’t.

  I would have preferred death. Death would’ve reunited me with my mate.

  Unfortunately, I was unable to think logically. All that mattered was making everyone around me finally understand why mating was a weakness that should no longer be tolerated.

  It backfired spectacularly.

  Now, I am once again at Varian’s mercy. I need access to my lab. Varian’s voice echoes in my head as I stalk back to my quarters.

  Prove to me that you are committed to the Arcav. We both know what happened last time you spent too much time alone and working on your experiments.

  His cold gaze had flickered around us, at the priceless equipment I rely on for my work. The threat was in his voice. Either I fall in line, or I risk losing my only chance at happiness.

  I ground my teeth even as I nodded. If Varian needed to swing his cock around, I would comply, for now. As soon as I succeeded with my plans, I would no longer need to worry about him or anyone else on this planet.

  His eyes lightened, and I almost showed my teeth. He believed he had me cornered, reliant on him. Now the invitation would come.

  “Harlow would like for you to come to dinner.”

  His voice is stilted, robotic. We both know I will never eat at his table. But he still makes the offer, because of his devotion to his mate. The mate he would not have if not for me.