by Sadie Carter
“Step-father?” He was unfamiliar with the term.
“He wasn’t my biological father. I’m not actually sure what happened to him. I can’t remember him and Arnold, my stepfather, didn’t speak about him. Or my mom. I remember them having this big fight. They fought a lot. This time seemed to be worse, though. There was a lot of screaming. Glass breaking. I stayed in my room, hid under the covers. My stepfather was a big guy. And when he got mad, it was terrifying. I expected my mom to come and check on me after, but she never did and I must have fallen asleep. When I woke up, she was gone. After she left, my stepfather destroyed every photo we had of her. He took everything she owned and he. . .he put it in a big pile in the backyard and set it on fire.”
His arms tightened around her at the pain he could hear in her voice, a pain he could tell went deep.
“I wish I could erase all those bad memories for you, Keely,” he told her.
“Me too. I was so heartbroken. My mom was gone and then everything that reminded me of her was gone too. I can’t even remember what she looked like. All I can remember is her voice. She used to sing to me.”
“Are you certain she wanted to leave you?” he asked.
“What. . .what do you mean?”
“Are you certain that he did not force her to go? Or that he did not do something to her?”
“You mean, kill her?” she whispered.
“I do not know. Was she a good mom before that?”
“I think so,” she told him. “Yeah, I’m sure she was.”
“Then maybe she did not want to leave you. Maybe she had no choice.”
“Oh God, why did I never think of that?”
He kissed her forehead gently. “You were a child. It would not have entered your head. I am surprised no one else thought of it, if he had such a bad temper.”
“They wouldn’t have questioned him. Not in the village we lived in. He was a man. No, they wouldn’t have questioned him.”
“My mother died,” he told her.
She shifted, rolling to face him. “What happened to her?”
“Illness. It happened over a long period of time. She just faded away. And my father faded with her. He spent almost all of his time with her, watching over her, caring for her. She was never terribly strong and he protected her. Always.”
“So he taught you how to be protective over those you consider yours.”
He had never thought about that before. “Males should be protective of their mates,” he stated. “But yes, I suppose I did learn from that. When she died, my father was devastated. He left the house one day and never returned. We found his body the next day. Most Zerconians don’t survive their mate dying.”
She took in a sharp breath. “Oh, Que, I’m so sorry. That must have been terrible for you. Both of them gone so quickly.”
“It is the way of our kind. Our mates are our world. But at least I had Zandar. Until he died too. Or I thought he had died.”
“And then you were on your own.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“At least I was not a child. I had my parents throughout my childhood.”
“Were they. . .were they good to you?”
“They were. Your stepfather was not.” It was not a question. He knew the answer.
“No, he was not.”
He wanted to demand she tell him what happened to her, but he was learning with Keely that demands only worked around twenty percent of the time, so he remained silent.
“Every time I asked for her or about her, he would punish me. He wanted to erase her from our lives. I didn’t understand. I was only four. I just wanted my mom.”
“How did he punish you?”
She buried into him. More silence. It took all of his control to wait until she was ready to tell him. “He’d lock me in my bedroom. He’d refuse to feed me. I wasn’t allowed in the kitchen. Ever. I had to ask if I wanted to eat. He told me there was only enough food for three small meals a day, but I saw how much he ate. Once, when I reached for seconds of food, he slashed my hand with a knife. Punishment for not asking permission to eat.”
“Keely,” he said in a low, pained voice. He hurt for her. How could someone abuse someone so precious? A child?
Children were revered on Zerconia. He could not imagine one ever being abused.
“The village we lived in. . .it wasn’t a good place. The men pretended to be deeply religious but mostly it was an excuse to enslave the women, to make them subservient. He owned me. He’d tell me that. I quickly learned that if I wanted to eat, if I wanted some freedom that I had to pretend to comply. The boys were taught to hunt and fish. The girls were taught to cook and mend clothes. On Sundays, our religious day, the women were to go to church and then home immediately, they were not to be seen out of the house. They were to read scripture and cook for their men, who spent most of the day in the church drinking the sacrificial booze.”
“Booze?”
“Alcohol. Like Sola,” she explained. “Females were second-class citizens.”
“Nobody ever tried to help you?” he asked.
“When he hit me, he’d lock me in my room until the bruises faded. Which meant there was no evidence. I don’t know what he told people, but they never questioned him. It was his right as my guardian to punish me as he saw fit. He fed me enough to stop me from looking unhealthy or ill. If I didn’t obey him then I would end up alone in my room, with just a small container for a toilet until he was ready to let me out. I once went two days without food, when he finally gave me something to eat, I ate so fast I threw up. He backhanded my face then made me clean it up.”
“Stars,” he muttered. He hated hearing this. Detested it.
“It got easier as I got older and got smarter. I learned to pretend to be what he wanted. Subservient. Obedient. Meek. I did what was asked of me. And I bided my time until I could leave.”
“You lived there with Blue and Jack? They did not do anything?”
“They had it bad as well. Blue, anyway. Jack was a guy which meant he was naturally higher up in the hierarchy. Oxen were higher up in the hierarchy than women. And they didn’t know what was going on, because I never told anyone. I knew if I did and it got back to him that I would be in a world of trouble. So I never said anything. I just waited. Then finally, Blue came up with a plan. Blue was always smart. She’s the planner. The leader. She got us out of there. Of course, we didn’t really end up in a better place for a start. But that led us to Tane, Marc, and Ellie so I can’t regret the time we spent on that slaver planet. Well, I do since it was fucking awful. But you know, good things came from it.”
“You were stuck on a slaver planet?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear about that? Yeah, we left Earth on what we thought was a working scheme on Mars and ended up enslaved on this horrible planet. Blue got us out of there. So Warty-dick was not the first person to enslave me. Actually, not even the second.”
“I was wrong, trouble does not follow you around. You attract it.”
She was silent. He expected her to argue with him. Instead she just wiggled back against him. “Yeah, I think maybe you’re right.”
“And it is now my job to protect you from the trouble.”
She yawned. “You know what? Maybe it is.”
Keely lay there, waiting until he fell asleep. Then, rolling over, she hugged him tight.
She’d nearly lost him. It had been too close. She knew if Emerald’s people hadn’t found them, if Silver Flash hadn’t had his special powers, then this man would no longer be here.
And she would be lost.
It was scary, how much he meant to her. How much she needed him. It had happened so fast and yet all she could think of was how much time she’d wasted being an idiot.
Not all men were him. Her stepfather. She’d known that, and yet she hadn’t been ready for Que. For all that was Que. And he was a lot. Not just the size of him. The sheer personality. She’d tried to convince herself that he was all brawn and little
brain, but he had surprised her completely.
There was a lot under the surface of Que, a lot he hid behind his commanding, gruff exterior. He could be smart and thoughtful. He could also be domineering and ruthless. And when it came to her safety, she knew there was little give in him.
But she also now knew why. These Zerconian warriors were protective of their mates. She’d always figured it was the way they were made. That it was due to the way they’d been brought up. An overdose of testosterone, the fact that they were big and used to being in charge.
But it was more than that. They knew loss. Knew it deeply. Didn’t always show it. But Que had lost so much. He didn’t want to lose her too.
And she felt the same. God, just the memory of him dying was enough to have tears dripping down her face. Her mind turned to her mom. What if Arnold had done something to her? She wouldn’t have put it past him. The bastard. And now she felt guilt over that, for blaming her mother all these years for leaving her.
“Precious?” he rumbled.
“Don’t ever want to lose you, Que.” Fuck, she was in so deep with him she didn’t know where he started and she began.
He rolled onto his back and pulled her with him until she was sprawled on his chest. One hand went to her ass, squeezing tight, the other was a tight band around her waist. Her body heated as she rubbed against him, her nipples tingling, her clit throbbing.
“I know. I feel the same.”
“I’ll try to give you what you need for me to be safe,” she whispered. “So long as you try to give me what I need to breathe, to feel like I’m not being smothered.”
He was tense for a moment and she didn’t think he would agree then she felt the tension release out of him.
“I will try,” he agreed.
“My stepfather had arranged for me to marry this guy, Jerry. He wasn’t a nice man. He was big. He was mean. I was terrified of him. And I was powerless to do anything.”
“You are safe now,” he told her fiercely. “I will allow no one to harm you again. And you have power. Because all I want is for you to be happy and safe.”
She nodded. He wouldn’t hurt her. She believed that. And she didn’t feel powerless. Not at all.
“I know,” she whispered. “Go to sleep. You need to get your strength back.”
“A warrior is always strong,” he stated. She rolled her eyes. He squeezed her ass and then ran his hand up her back. “I can smell your arousal for me.”
“Oh God,” she groaned. “We really have to talk about the things you shouldn’t say.”
“You are my mate, there is nothing I cannot say to you.”
“Yeah, maybe, I don’t know. Telling your mate she stinks might be borderline.”
“I did not say you stink,” he growled at her, leaning it to nip her ear reprovingly. “Your arousal smells sweet. Delicious.”
She shivered. “Okay, well, maybe that’s all right. As long as you don’t say it in front of anyone else.”
“Never,” he told her, his eyes flashing amber. He grasped the edge of the shirt she was wearing that Emerald’s mom had produced for her and whipped it off her body.
“Um, Que, I thought you said we couldn’t do this here.”
“I said it was not a good idea for us to join for the first time here. Your body will react to the mating bond and I need my full attention on you. Also, when I first join with you, I wish to be at fully rested.”
“Thought warriors were always strong,” she teased him.
“We are,” he replied. “Just some days we are stronger than others.”
Then as though to prove how strong he was, he flipped her over so she lay with her back to his front.
“And while we cannot join, I am supposed to give my mate what she needs and right now what she needs is to find her pleasure.”
“I’m sure,” she gasped in air as his big hands cupped her breasts, “I’ll survive if I don’t—” he pinched her nipples, hard “—come.”
“And I believe you will sleep better if your needs have been met. By me. Only me,” he growled.
That possessiveness whispered through her. But it didn’t bring the panic she’d thought it might. Instead, it felt right. She was his. He was hers. And there didn’t have to be anything twisted or wrong in that.
“Well, if you insist.” She pressed her ass against his hard dick. “Then I can do the same to you.”
“You touch me and I will not be able to stop myself from taking you.”
She still didn’t get why that was such a bad thing. She thought they were pretty well protected here with Emerald’s people. Still, she knew Que was worried about how she would react to the mating bond. And that, no matter how he protested, he wasn’t feeling one hundred percent. Which meant she wasn’t going to push.
“Put your hands back, behind my neck,” he commanded.
She reached up and slid her hands beneath his neck.
“Do not move them.”
“Let me guess, you like to be in charge in the bedroom.”
“I like to be in charge everywhere.”
“Get that,” she replied. “But do you always like to take charge during, uh, joining? Or is there some give and take?”
“Give and take?”
“Do I get turns at taking control?”
His chest moved up and down and she realized he was silently laughing, even as his thumbs and forefingers pinched her nipples lightly, making her heart race and her breath catch.
“Give and take? This is you negotiating, yes?”
“I guess so.” She wouldn’t put it quite like that though. . .
“Then you should know, I do like to be the one giving the orders in the bedroom. Always. However, if you wish to lead the way sometimes, I suppose I could give you that.”
Compromise.
It wasn’t an all-out declaration that he’d give that control to her. But he was going to try. She smiled.
“Can I roll over? I want to see you.”
“No.” He slid his hand down her stomach. “You roll over and I shall be tempted to kiss you. If I do that, I might forget that I am not taking you this night.”
“Ooh, so what you’re saying is that I can make the mighty Que lose control?”
“If anyone can do that, it is you.”
One hand remained at her nipple, the other cupped her mound. She gasped as he found her clit, flicking it with the tip of his finger.
“Spread your legs and keep them open.”
Her legs dropped apart without her even thinking about it. His finger slid deeper, moving lower, spreading her open.
“You are very wet here. You want me.”
Her breath was coming in sharp gasps. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“I did say that.”
Right. He did. And it was true. She wanted him. Desperately. He moved that finger back to her clit and she arched up, trying to seek more. He pulled back and gave her pussy a light slap.
“Stay still.”
She groaned. “That’s impossible.”
“You will do this. You will lie still and you will be quiet so we do not alarm our hosts and I will give you a spectacular release.”
“Sp-spectaular, huh?” she managed to stutter out as he lightly bit down on her neck.
“Yes.”
And she lay still, much as it killed her. And she bit down on her lip to stop the cries that threatened to break forth. He flicked at her clit. Moving soft and slow for a start. So slow and soft that it almost killed her.
But he built that fire, stoked it, made it roar. She had never needed to come so badly. Each time he sensed she was close, he pulled back.
The bastard.
Finally, when she was trembling with desire, her breath coming sharp, shallow pants, her body on fire, he moved her past that point, over the peak and she flew.
And. It. Was. Spectacular.
14
“I’m going to miss Emerald,” Keely said to Que as they stood with the funny g
reen creatures stood next to their red sleigh.
They’d just brought them back to the ship, which was thankfully still there and in one piece. They were both dressed in long cloaks that had been given to them. She loved hers; it was warm and soft. Even Que managed to pull his off, looking like some stately God rather than just a big guy wearing a woolly robe.
He stared over at them. “We owe them much.”
“Yeah, we do.” She looked up at him. “Everything.”
This morning, when they’d woken up, Que had been feeling much better, back to his usual self-confident, demanding self. And his first demand had been that Emerald’s people take them back to his ship
Of course, it had taken a bit of gesturing to try and get their point across and she was pretty certain she’d made a complete idiot of herself. Pretty certain, because by the end all of them were watching her and smiling, but here they were back at the ship.
And it was time to say goodbye.
More snow was on the ground down here than there had been before and she was grateful for the fur boots they’d given her too.
“I will go and check the ship and send a communication through to Zerconia to tell them we are well. You may have time to say goodbye to your friends.”
Que gave everyone an arrogant nod. She rolled her eyes. But the ship door opened and he disappeared. It was time for goodbyes. She moved around each of the adult creatures, taking their hand and thanking them even though they didn’t understand a word she said. Then Emerald was last.
The little creature flung itself at her legs. Reaching down, she picked her up and held her tight.
“I will never forget you, little one,” she whispered. Then she kissed her furry cheek and put her down. She walked up the small ramp into the ship. The door slid shut behind her.
Damn. That sucked.
“You are upset, Keely,” Que said when she walked into the cockpit. Then she realized tears were dripping down her face.
“I know I didn’t know her long, but we bonded.” She stared out the window of the cockpit as the green creatures climbed onto the red sleigh. Hmm, the brown animal that pulled it could almost be mistaken for a reindeer.
