The Nymph King Read Free Page A

destined to take a mate. A man could hope, anyway.
    â€œWill we travel through the portal?” someone asked, cutting into his thoughts.
    â€œYes,” he said. He splayed his arms wide in surrender. “At last, my friends, I relent.”
    â€œHow soon can we leave?” Broderick.
    â€œThank you, great king.” Shivawn.
    â€œGods, my cock needs some female attention.” Dorian.
    Relief dripped from their voices. Already lust burned white-hot in their eyes, strengthening them. He didn’t blame them for their eagerness to leave the palace. He would have been reduced to a snarling beast had he been forced to go without a woman’s sweetness for as long as they had. But that was something he, as king, had never had to endure. And would never have to endure, he was sure.
    His carnal appeal was greater than any other’s, andquite simply, no woman could resist him. A fact his men had long since accepted—and he himself enjoyed. “Most of you will have to remain here, guarding the palace,” he informed them. “And those who go cannot stay long. No more than an hour, mayhap two. We’ll bring back as many as we can, then decide who gets whom.”
    â€œWe should have gone days ago,” Joachim grumbled.
    Valerian chose to ignore him. He knew frustration spoke for his cousin.
    â€œWhy do we need to return so quickly?” Dorian asked, frown returning. “I want to enjoy a lover or two before coming home.”
    â€œWe know nothing of the surface, their people or their weapons, but more than that we do not know when the dragons will attack us. We must go in, grab the women we want and hurry back.”
    Broderick’s sandy brows arched. “We?”
    â€œI will lead you, of course.” He wouldn’t send his men into uncharted territory without him. “But do not worry. I won’t be taking a woman for myself. The three happily sated and sleeping females in my room provide enough stimulation for me.” For now. “I’ll leave the claiming to you.”

CHAPTER TWO
    A F LORIDA WEDDING . Complete with wide expanse of glistening beach, crashing cerulean waves, magical pink-gold sunset and warm, sultry breezes. White rose petals were scattered along the fine-grained sand, dancing and twirling with every gentle wind. The couple even now pledging their undying love stared deeply into each other’s eyes, their hands clutched together, their lips softly parted in expectation of the coming kiss.
    Was there anything sweeter? Anything more romantic?
    Was there anything more gagworthy?
    Shaye Holling expelled a frustrated breath and gazed down at her seashell bikini top and grass skirt. Who picked this kind of crap for bridesmaids? Someone who wanted them to look like hideous beast monsters, that’s who. The uglier the bridesmaids, the prettier the bride.
    God, she was afraid to ponder what the richly dressed crowd of onlookers thought of her let-me-give-you-a-lap-dance hula outfit. I probably resemble one of the slutty undead.
    Pale, that was Shaye. Pale skin, pale hair. More than one person had teased her throughout the years, callingher Casper, Snow Queen, Vampire, Albino. The esteem-crushing list went on and on. The only color she possessed came from her eyes; they were a deep, rich brown and were, in her opinion, her one redeeming feature.
    She could have used the self-tanner her mom had sent her for this event, but the consequences from the last time she’d tried that type of product were still too fresh in her mind: frighteningly orange skin; diseased-looking, spotty hands and horrified stares. Maybe she should have spent a few hours in a tanning bed. They might blister her from head to toe, but at least she’d have some color. Fire-truck red, of course, but it was a color.
    As she stood there, a new idea for her business, Anti-Cards, popped into her mind. I must admit you brought religion into my life, she thought, gazing at the