Page 55 of Dark Princess Emerging

Brandon's arm tightened around her shoulders, drawing her closer, and she gladly leaned against his solid warmth.

Morelle took a deep breath, trying to organize her slightly scattered thoughts. The margaritas weren't helping her usual mental clarity. "So, Aru and his team were searching for the other pods, trying to find more survivors before the evil Igor could get to them?"

"Yes," Jasmine nodded. "They couldn't help the Kra-ell he subjugated because they were not allowed to interfere, but they kept searching for the others."

"How did the Kra-ell find the clan? Was it because of the gods?" She broke off as voices drifted in from the entryway, followed by the sound of footsteps.

"Speaking of Aru's team," Jasmine rose gracefully to her feet, "they're here."

As they entered, Morelle knew right away who was who by their mates.

Aru was with Gabi, Negal was with Margo, and Dagor was with Frankie. She heard their names mentioned countless times during the celebration of Jasmine's transition, but seeing them in person was a reminder of how perfect the gods were, even in comparison to the immortals.

"Princess Morelle." Gabi's mate approached her with a warm smile. "We've heard much about you from your brother."

The god's smile seemed genuine, his manner open and friendly, but years of conditioning had made her wary.

Morelle rose to her feet. "Thank you for helping find our pod and saving our lives."

"We couldn't have done it without Jasmine. If you want to thank anyone, you should thank her."

"I've already thanked her, but I wish to thank you and your teammates as well."

"You are welcome." Aru dipped his head.

Next, Negal and Dagor introduced themselves, and then it was time to adjourn to the dining room.

These gods seemed like good people and nothing like the duplicitous creatures the head priestess had claimed gods were.

As conversations flowed around her, Morelle tried to reconcile everything she was learning. The gods who had helped save them had been implanted with trackers themselves, and that was why they couldn't come live in the village until now. They had to find a way to transfer their trackers into humans who would take up the search for the pods in their stead. It was a lot to process, especially with her head still spinning from the drinks she had earlier.

She made a mental note to ask more about Igor when she was feeling clearer. Anyone who could control Kra-ell warriors through compulsion was a threat worth understanding, even if he was no longer a danger.

What had they done with him? Was he dead?

"I heard that you discovered your talent," Aru said, passing a dish of something that smelled wonderful. "A nullifier—that's quite rare."

Morelle accepted the dish, though her appetite was diminished. "So I've been told. Though I'm still learning how it works."

33

BRANDON

Brandon listened to the conversation around the table, but he was only paying superficial attention to it. His mind kept circling back to Morelle's declaration from the previous night about returning the pleasure he'd given her.

The determination in her eyes had been both arousing and terrifying, and he didn't have the option of escaping to his house because she now demanded that he share her bed.

He'd packed an overnight bag, including silk pajamas he'd never worn because he preferred sleeping in the nude. The thought of wearing them tonight made him feel ridiculous, but he was going to, nonetheless.

Maybe he could pretend to fall asleep early?

The thought was so absurd that he stifled the urge to snort. The immortal legendary Hollywood producer who'd had countless lovers was acting like a damn virgin.

If Morelle wanted to explore, he should just let her.

She was a grown woman, perfectly capable of making her own decisions. But she was also completely inexperienced. Would she even know what to do?

His princess didn't even have the benefit of watching movies or reading books that would have given her an idea of how to go about pleasuring a male, and as he thought about teaching her, he got hard. Worse, everyone around the table could probably smell his arousal.