Page 69 of Dark Princess: Shadows

Her sheath tightening around his shaft forced his own release.

As always after the bite, Marina was out, soaring on the blissful clouds of euphoria, and he knew it would take a while for her to come down from the high. She didn’t black out for as many hours as she used to when they had been a new couple, but it had been a long day, and she would probably sleep until morning.

He'd already spoken with Wonder, letting her know that Marina was taking tomorrow off as well.

Peter still had plenty of fun stuff planned for the next day.

44

BRANDON

Brandon stood in front of the mailroom's long desk and stared at the mountain of boxes and bags that had been delivered from the keep. Given the long list of charges on his credit card, he had expected it would be a lot, but somehow he'd failed to visualize it.

He picked up several bags and boxes and carried them to the golf cart outside. The clinic was next door to the office building, but he couldn't just bring everything in. There just wasn't enough room. He would have to choose a few items for her to wear today and take the rest to his house.

Now that was an idea. After the tour of the village he had promised Morelle, he could take her to his place. He had a house to himself in the newest portion of the village, which was an indulgence for one person, but he was too set in his ways to live with a roommate. Besides, as a council member Brandon enjoyed certain privileges, like not having to share a residence.

It was too much to hope that Morelle would want to live in his house even if he offered her the primary bedroom to herself, but it would be wonderful if she did.

He sighed and looked at the sky.

The weather was perfect for Morelle's first time outdoors. It was sunny but not too warm, and the gentle breeze would caress her face.

His princess deserved to experience everything beautiful about this world, starting with the simple pleasure of feeling sunshine on her skin and continuing with a luxury wardrobe fit for an A-lister.

"Need some help with those?"

Brandon turned to find Kian watching him with amusement in his eyes.

He adjusted his grip on the boxes. "There are many more inside, and yes, I would appreciate some help."

Kian followed him to the mailroom and whistled. "Are all those yours?"

"Yes. Well, they are for Morelle, but they have my name on them."

"You may have gone a bit overboard." Kian clapped him on the back before picking up a couple of boxes in one hand and a garment bag in the other. "This looks like you bought out an entire department store."

"Morelle needs everything." Brandon picked up two garment bags in each hand and followed Kian outside. "She's never had normal clothes before. All she'd ever worn were ceremonial robes and the suit she wore in stasis."

"True." Kian waited for him to arrange things on the cart before handing him the boxes he'd carried out. "She wouldn't have evenknown what to get. It was a smart move on your part to hire a personal shopper for the task."

"Yes. I've worked with Melinda in the past, and she is not only very good but also knows what I like. I just hope that Morelle approves."

If Kian had known how much everything had cost he would have rolled his eyes, but Brandon wasn't going to share that information, and he didn't regret spending a small fortune on his princess.

He wanted Morelle to feel like royalty every day.

Not that she was his, but he hoped she would be. He had no idea how to court a virgin half Kra-ell half goddess who had grown up in a temple, so the only thing he could do was to be sincere and let her know how he felt.

That wasn't easy after leading a carefully crafted lie in Hollywood for as long as he had, but it was refreshing to be authentic for a change. He wasn't sure who the authentic Brandon was, though.

Trying it with Morelle would be a journey of self-discovery.

"You know," Kian said as they headed back for more, "Morelle won't know the difference between Chanel and Walmart."

Brandon snorted. "Maybe not, but I will." He paused in the doorway, suddenly serious. "I want her to have beautiful things and feel like a princess instead of someone who had to be hidden away and cover her face whenever she stepped outside her room."

Kian nodded. "So, what's the plan after surprising her with this fashion show? Taking her back to my mother's house?"