Read Marked for Danger for Free Online Page B

run into Leo Eyler. This was the confrontation he both dreaded and anticipated. After all, he had a bone to pick with his old friend, the newly made general. But he was reluctant to get more involved than he had already become. Even as he negotiated the busy streets, keeping Shaun in sight, he wasn't sure if he was looking for answers or just looking for vengeance.
    The hotel where the princess stayed was the most lavish place in Muerte's capital city. The lobby was all marble, white and gray. The stone was one of Muerte's most abundant exports, and the hotel showcased it perfectly. The human colony had never become a major shipping stop because the politics on the planet were in constant flux.
    He hadn't realized Placidians were here. The refugees from the odd planet had invaded many other cultures, but they didn't assimilate. With the princess back on the home planet, he thought the Placidians would flock back to Placido. Some had, of course, but many, like this population, hadn't come back. He wondered if it was because there were rumors that the princess had strange powers.
    Shaun led him to a huge suite on the ground floor. They passed at least eight guards. All of them looked like Nyral military.
    When Shaun approached the door of the suite, one of the guards nodded and knocked on it briskly. Xandros heard a low, husky “Come in,” and the door opened.
    His first impression of Princess Sera Placido was that she was blindingly beautiful. She was dressed entirely in white, and her flawless skin and red hair seemed to light the whole room. Still, Xandros was aware of the tall, blond man beside her, his gaze cold and unfriendly. It wouldn't do to stare at the princess with her marked mate beside her.
    "Xandros Jasper, I'd like you to meet the Princess Sera Ellysa Placido and her consort, General Leo Eyler.” Shaun bowed as he introduced Xandros to the infamous couple.
    When Xandros focused on Leo, he gritted his teeth. The man had changed somewhat since Xandros had seen him three years earlier. The scar was still there, but Leo had let his hair grow out and wore a casual flight suit rather than the severe black Primarian uniform. It made him seem less intimidating.
    Something in Leo's acknowledgement of Shaun caught Xandros's attention. There was electricity between the general and the other man.
    Xandros pressed his lips to the princess's hand and shot a side long glance at Leo. The man watched him like a hawk. When he straightened, Xandros grinned. “General, eh? Last I heard, you were a disgraced corporal."
    "It's been a long time, Xandros.” Leo didn't smile back. “How's the smuggling business?"
    "Booming. How's the consort business?"
    "Complicated,” Leo said calmly. “Things have changed."
    Xandros narrowed his gaze on Leo's face, trying to read it, and got nothing. “Oh?"
    "We were friends once,” Leo said.
    "That was a long time ago. Before I was a mercenary and before you fucked me over with the Primarians.” Xandros hadn't forgotten.
    Princess Sera put a hand on Leo's arm and seemed to send him a silent message. Leo stepped back, and the woman walked closer to Xandros. Even though she was sex incarnate with her perfect skin, her brilliant hair, and her killer curves, Xandros wasn't attracted to her. Not the way he was obsessed with Rina.
    The princess came to a stop directly in front of him and stared up into his face. “Since Shaun asked for your help, we made a few inquiries."
    Xandros glared at Shaun, and he shrugged. What Xandros had thought was a personal favor to the man turned out to be something else. Princess Sera smiled. “Shaun wanted to protect me, but I found out he'd gone to you."
    "Oh?” Xandros wondered if she spied on her bodyguard. Well, why not? She probably should be paranoid.
    She lifted her hand, and he noted a remote in it. When she pressed a button, a screen on the right side of the room lit up.
    Xandros saw the image of him dancing with Rina. Stars, she was sexy, so