Marauder Aegus Read Online Free PDF

to think on this. I’ll hear what you have to say, but I don’t know if I can trust someone who uses my daughter to gain an audience with me. Now see yourself out.”
    He pours himself another drink and shoos me away with his hand.
    I step outside the door, and the guards walk me down the hall toward the room I’ll be sleeping in. Anya and I are engaged—not yet married—so the room is mine alone.

7 Anya
    “ H e’s my fiancé ,” I say, “Let me through!”
    The guard starts to open his mouth to protest, but I shove past him.
    He refrains from letting me open the door, meaning he wasn’t explicitly ordered to prevent me from entering the alien’s chambers.
    When I step inside, Aegus is buck-naked and reading a tablet. When he hears me enter, his armor begins to form across his body like teal liquid, but not before I get a good eyeful of his perfectly sculpted ass.
    “Your father will be difficult,” Aegus says.
    “Yes,” Anya sighs. “It seems you know him now.”
    “He wants me to end the engagement.”
    I frown. “Of course he does, but you fought him, right?”
    “I’m going to make my case to him after dinner,” Aegus says. “I will include our marriage as a non-negotiable term.”
    I smile. “Good.”
    “Does that mean we will actually get married?” Aegus asks. “Or–”
    “Of course we will,” I say. “I’ll take you over the baron. Marriage doesn’t mean a whole lot when you’re the Tsar’s daughter, we don’t have to...you know. Unless you…”
    I’m blushing. I let my voice trail off, realizing I’m making an idiot of myself. I don’t know what I want from this frustrating alien. He can protect me, he can get me out of the marriage with the baron, but what does marrying him even mean? He’s a total outsider, and when his race arrives, what will that mean for us?
    “Aegus,” I say, suddenly realizing something. “You’re not just using me, are you? I mean, I know you kind of are, to talk to my father, but you realize marrying me will give you serious standing here?”
    “I do not have to marry you,” he says. “This was your idea, and my shame debt compels me to see it through.”
    “Shame debt…” I say, not quite sure what to make of that. “If you can put that aside, how does marrying me make you feel ?”
    I bite my lip and watch for his reaction. I’ve seen the way he looks at me, and I know I’m really just fishing for some kind words out of him. But I also don’t want to force him to do this for me if his heart isn’t in it–if it’s not something he wants.
    “I’ve not allowed myself to find a mate,” Aegus says. “The weight of leadership is too great...there will be time for that when I’ve fulfilled my purpose.”
    “That doesn’t answer my question,” I say, taking small steps toward him.
    “Not every question must be answered, woman,” he says, ears shaking.
    Anger flares up from deep inside me, and I back away from him.
    “Fine then,” I say. “You don’t have to marry me. Once you find a way to get both of us off this hellhole planet, you take it. That will absolve you of any debt to me. Shame debt...whatever.” I wave my hand dismissively.
    “Anya,” he says. “I didn’t mean–”
    There’s a loud knock at the door. An incessant and urgent pounding that doesn’t stop.
    I give Aegus a quizzical look, and his muscular body tightens.
    I shake my head at him. It seems serious, but there’s unlikely any danger. He stands back as I open the door.
    It’s Donovan, one of the royal guards who is at least friendly to me. The others treat me like a very important and valuable sack of potatoes.
    “Tsarevna,” Donovan says. “Your father would like to speak with you prior to dinner.”
    “Why the urgent knocking?” I ask.
    Aegus has come up behind me. He’s towering over Donovan, scowling at him, his ears pulled back.
    Donovan lowers his head. “Please, I was meant to deliver the message. I don’t know anything