Perhaps the biggest shock of all three was when the stoic commander of the cat-shifter armies, Prince Falke, life mated to the space captain who’d abducted him. But Samantha had captured his brother’s heart somehow, making the big bad warrior feel. Sam was also highly intelligent, but she was no ex-undercover agent like Ulyssa and no overachiever scientist like Tori. She was, on the other hand, a bit of a hardheaded smartass and the brothers could more than appreciate that quality in her. In fact, to Falke’s irritation, they all liked to encourage it. It was payback from when they were younger, and he’d been in charge of their warrior training.
“You know this, but you know not if they have had their babies?” Mei let loose a soft sound of disbelief.
“My sisters were all happy last time I saw them,” Jarek defended.
“Ah,” was all she said.
Thinking it best to finish his list, he said, “And my twin brother, ah, that means we have the same mother.”
“I understand the word.”
“His name is Reid. He married a woman who had no place to go and nothing to give up. Her name is Jasmine.”
There, he thought, that should make her happy.
Jarek had been with Reid when he’d met Jasmine. The woman had been abused and drugged by a man who had forced her into marriage, a marriage that was later proven illegal. Reid had saved her from that and Jasmine in turn had saved Reid from himself. Her illegal first husband was beheaded by the Medical Mafia.
“I wonder if she would see it the same way,” Mei grumbled under her breath. Jarek opened his mouth to defend his family further, when she rushed on. “And the boys?”
“My nephews?” Pride welled in him at the thought. Jarek was happy for his brothers’ blessings. He liked children, and they seemed to like him. He would be proud to hold his nephews in his arms and to help raise them, as was the cat-shifter way. “What of them?”
“Do any of them have names?” she asked.
“Ah, I only know two.” He ran his hand lightly over her arm, pulling her closer as they talked. The words flowed naturally between them.
“And they are?” she prompted, nudging his chest with her head. Jarek picked up a strand of her hair and rubbed its silky texture between his thumb and forefinger.
“For Kirill’s son, they picked Korbin. For Quinn’s son, they chose Roderic.”
Mei was quiet for a while as she lay in his arms.
“They have life mated to them,” Jarek said. For some reason he thought he read disapproval in her. “Not half mated.”
“I don’t understand what that means.” She laughed.
“Life mates are when one of my kind marries and is mated to only one woman for the rest of his life. It is a great sacrifice. If a Var’s life mate dies, they will be forever alone. Hundreds of years would be a long time to be alone. It is a great sacrifice to be made.”
Mei didn’t answer. Jarek frowned, wondering why she was bothered by this. It wasn’t as if it affected her. His brothers were another story. He worried about what might happen if they ever lost their wives. They would be destroyed.
Life mates were a privilege best reserved for the lower classes—tradesmen, farmers, even hunters and lower ranked soldiers, all men who could ill afford to keep many mates on a planet so barren of women to begin with. His home planet of Qurilixen suffered from blue radiation, which made female children damn near impossible to conceive.
“And let me guess, half mates don’t get the courtesy of being the only wife?” Mei asked.
“No, they don’t. A Var might take one life mate or many half mates, never both. My father had many wives and all but my twin and I have different mothers.”
Okay, why was he sharing so much? It was as if he couldn’t stop talking. What had happened? Did he orgasm all his brains out?
“It is a great sacrifice, what my brothers have done.”
“You mentioned that,” Mei said dryly.
“It isn’t wise for us to life mate. Once it is done, it cannot be undone. We live a long time and pass that long life on to our life mates.”
She glanced at him, frowning in confusion.
“We are aided by a mystical power that guides us and our long life is due to the radiation from our blue sun.” Jarek paused. He tried to force himself to be quiet, but his mouth wouldn’t listen. It was as if a part of him was desperate to tell her everything about himself. Great, now he was like a chatty woman after sex. “But a lot could happen in the hundreds of years a Var lives. If a life mate dies, the widower would be condemned to centuries of heartache. Many have died from such a fate.”
Was he repeating himself? It felt like he was repeating himself. He waited for her to speak.
“And what does this family of yours do? Aside from the housewives who bear your brothers’ sons?” Mei’s tone was low.
Jarek sat up, turning to look her in the eye. There was more to Var women than the way she described it. But, how could he defend what went on in a Var marriage? King Attor wasn’t a fine example of it and he’d never been life mated. He’d never even been half mated.
“Well?” she asked.
“They are...” he hesitated, and she lifted a brow. Carefully, he finished, “In politics.”
It wasn’t a complete lie.
“Ah,” she whispered. “Politics. I understand now. They are politician’s wives. You are right. For the right person, that can be a full-time job. May they all be blessed with luck in their choices.”
Jarek nodded. “Did I ever mention I liked the dinner you cooked? That I was just giving you a hard time when I said I didn’t like it?”
He smiled. Mei laughed.
“I knew you liked it!” She jabbed him in the side with her finger. It didn’t hurt.
“So, what does your family do?” He’d been monopolizing the conversation with talk of his family. He wanted to know about hers. “All chefs?”
Mei again laughed. It was a sweet sound. “No, I lied. I am no chef.”
“Then?”
She smiled secretively and said, “They are also in politics.”
Jarek wondered if she was telling the truth. She was too difficult to sense, especially when his libido was in full force. Just feeling her naked body in the bed, so close to him, made it hard to concentrate.
“And you decided to go the other way,” she laughed. “I assume that’s why you haven’t been back. Being a pirate, you aren’t good for the family reputation, are you?”
“Something like that,” Jarek said.
“So, what, qin ài de? You didn’t like staying put? No arranged life mate or half mate waiting for you?”
“Mm, sorry, fea, I like moving around. I like adventure.” He grinned, glancing down at her breasts. “There was nothing for me there. I wasn’t needed.”
“Any jealous half mates anywhere that I should know about?” she asked.
“Mm, no, none of those either. Anywhere.” His tone dropped, and he couldn’t help his wandering gaze as he narrowed in on the thatch of hair between her thighs. “I’m free as a solar, whose trilling call echoes over the forests near my childhood home.”
“Ah, the pirate captain is a poet.”
He shrugged.
“And do you think you’ll ever find a woman to tame you?” Mei asked coyly. Just looking at her, he knew she wasn’t asking to be that woman. Funny. He had a feeling she was the first woman he’d met who would be up to the task of trying.
“A man does need to have sons,” Jarek said quietly.
“Ah, but he does not need to marry for those,” Mei said.
“Very true,” Jarek answered, though for him it wasn’t. To carry his son, a woman would have to be claimed by him. He couldn’t bear the idea of taking a baby from its mother, and he wouldn’t let the mother take the baby from him. Though, finding a woman willing to sail the high skies was going to be a challenge. Spaceships and alien ports were no place to raise a child, and he wasn’t ready to give that life up yet.
“
Well, my naughty pirate, what do you say we forget about marriage and life mates and all things serious. They have no place in our bed.” Mei turned on her side and reached for his thigh. He was still sitting, and she slid her hand easily up his leg to his rising shaft.
Jarek felt a moment’s regret at her easy dismissal of there being more than sex between them, even though he knew she spoke the truth. Pumping her fist over his length, she worked it to a full, pulsing erection. He groaned, tossing back his head in approval.
“Before we go any further, qin ài de,” Mei said. “I must have your word on something.”
“What’s that?”
“I am your woman on this ship, no one else’s. I will not be passed around.”
Jarek touched her face gently to calm her worry. They had never mistreated a woman in such a way. “Have no fear of that, fea, on this ship you are mine. Just mine. And, as long as you are under my protection, no harm will come to you.” His voice lowered. “I will protect you, Mei.”
I will protect you with my life.
Mei smiled. It was a shy, beautiful smile. Her eyes dipped to his mouth. Jarek watched her in wonder. How was it that she could look so innocent and yet knowing at the same time?
“You have my word of honor on it.” He brushed her soft hair back from her face, liking the idea of possessing her in such a way, of being able to declare her as his, even if it was only mistress of his ship. In truth, he couldn’t claim her for more even if he’d wanted to. He knew too little about her.
Keep telling yourself that, Jarek.
“Tell me about you, fea.” He cupped her cheek. “Why were you running?”
“Shh,” she shook her head in denial. “Later, qin ài de. Now I want you to take me again.”
It was a command Jarek could not disobey. He pulled Mei into his arms, kissing her deeply. Her mouth was a drug he couldn’t get enough of. Her velvety hot tongue slid against his, tangling in a deep, breath-stealing kiss.
Mei pushed him back on the bed, kissing along his throat as she pushed his head roughly back. She ran her hands over his flesh as she licked a wickedly delicious trail down his neck, licking at his nipples, biting lightly down the center of his chest and stomach. Rimming his navel before crawling lower, she finally reached his stiff erection.
Mei kissed along the shaft, working down to the thick base and back up again, before taking the tip into her mouth. Jarek watched as she worked her mouth and hands over him. It was sheer, erotic bliss. When he was close to climaxing, she pulled off and came up over him.
Her hair spilled over her shoulders. It was a glorious sight. She lowered herself onto him, whispering words he could barely understand. Jarek let her have her way, as she set a fast, needy pace. She was a vixen in bed, as insatiable as he was. He couldn’t help but stare in wonder as he imagined he’d finally met his match in the bedroom.
Jarek came again with her on top of him, surging everything he had into her warm, trembling body. Afterward, she collapsed against him, their bodies sated. He held her close, not minding the lightness of her weight pressing into him. She fell asleep on his chest, and he let her lay there, as he stayed awake watching over her.
17
Jarek eased Mei off his body, lightly kissing her temple before letting her go. Rolling off the bed so as not to wake her, he swiftly got dressed. He needed to join his crew in repairing the ship. As he left her in his quarters, he took one last, long look. He felt close to Mei on a primal level, but he didn’t feel as if he knew her as well as he wished to. He wanted to learn everything about her. It was odd, but not knowing the woman in his bed had never bothered him before. Maybe it was because he needed to trust her to read the map and save Rick. Maybe it was something more, something he didn’t want to admit fully to himself quite yet.
Jarek frowned as he walked down the long empty corridor. He took a deep breath before joining his crew. To his surprise, everyone was up and working. They shot him knowing looks.
“Decide to skip your shift, captain?” Lucien teased, even though he didn’t stop what he was doing.
“Argh, I told you to wake anyone who didn’t show. That included me,” he grumbled, giving them a forced smile. Guilt hit him hard. Now was not the time to let distractions in. Rick depended on them. “Someone fill me in. Where are we at?”
“You’re doing what you need to do to help Rick,” Evan said quietly, so only he could hear. “She’s important.”
Jarek bit back a weary laugh, wishing not for the first time, that Evan wasn’t so astute.
“Communicators are almost finished,” Lucien said. “Testing them now. The ship coms should be up and running and good to go. After that, it won’t take long before the ship’s mainframe is up and running, at least good enough to get us by until…well, until after.”
“Excellent,” Jarek acknowledged.
“Ugh, there is one thing,” Viktor said. “We ended up using a part from the food simulator, so it’s permanently broken until we can get to a port that sells spare parts.”
The men groaned. Jarek felt like joining them, but refrained.
“Good thing we have Mei,” Evan said softly, studying him. Jarek knew he was trying to sense where things were between the captain and his guest. He nodded once at the man and Evan relaxed.
“That’s no lie,” Dev said.
“She is one stellar cook,” Viktor agreed.
“Do you think we can get her to program that stuff into the unit for us before we drop her off wherever she’s going?” Lucien asked.
The men turned to him, their expressions hopeful. Jarek chuckled, saying, “I’ll see what I can do.”
Their sounds of appreciation rang over the engine room. He shook his head. The simulator programming was hardly a high priority, but he understood their desire. It became old eating in space with limited programming.
“We’re about done in here,” Dev said, bringing the conversation around to business. Jarek studied him. He might be at odds with Rick most of the time, but he was awfully testy about having him missing. Jarek nodded in his direction. They were all worried and worked as fast as they could.
“We should be able to fly out of here in about twelve hours,” Lochlann said. “I’ll take this ship straight to a space dock station to fuel up, and we’ll be on our way back to Lin…tian.”
Jarek nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to answer but stopped when he realized everyone was looking over his shoulder. Turning toward the door, he saw Mei.
She was wearing one of his shirts. The loose black linen was tied at her waist, showing off a narrow strip of skin along her midsection. She’d transformed her gown into a skirt that wrapped her hips with a decorative ruffle down the side from the old neckline and sleeves. If he hadn’t seen the robe-like gown before, he would never have known. Jarek licked his lips. His shirt had never looked so good. Black ground shoes covered her feet, and her hair hung over her shoulders in thick dark waves. There was a flushed look to her features, the look a woman got after she’d been in a man’s bed. Her eyes were clear, sparkling and unashamed.
Jarek swallowed, at a loss for words. He glanced back to his men. They seemed to suffer from the same thing he did. Their jaws were slack in awe, as they stared at the pretty woman in the doorway.
Dev broke the silence. “Welcome, my lady.”
“Thank you,” Mei said.
“Ah, G-gax,” Lucien stuttered, managing to step forward even as he stumbled over his feet, “gax-ìng jìan-dào…um…n-î. I am Lucien. I run communications on the ship.”
“Pleased to meet you, too, Lucien,” Mei answered, taking a step into the engine room. She tilted her head to the side and studied them. Lucien nodded dumbly as if he’d never seen a woman before.
“Oh, hey,” Viktor put forth, moving in front of his gawking brother. “I’m Viktor. I’m the ship’s mechanic. I can fix anything you need fixed, my lady.”
“Pleased to meet you, Viktor,” Mei said, a small laugh in her voice. “You are the
one who…made me cook?”
“Yeah,” Viktor said, his voice airy. Then, as if finally comprehending what she said, he added, “I mean, no, Jarek broke the food simulator. I was going to fix it for you.”
Mei lifted a delicate eyebrow.
“But, I can’t now,” Viktor rushed. “We had to use a part…and… You are really pretty, my lady.”
“Mm-hmm,” Mei said, thoughtfully. “I do not mind the cooking.”
“Ah, Jarek,” Lucien sighed, “Can we keep her?”
“Yeah, captain, can we keep her?” Viktor asked, just as breathless. “Please?”
Jarek chuckled. Mei’s eyes had narrowed some, but she didn’t look concerned. She looked irritated.
“You are the women I saw running?” she whispered, staring at Lucien and Viktor. The crew began laughing, all but the two Dere brothers who looked sheepishly at the ground. Jarek watched, impressed by her quick observation. “You are, aren’t you? You are the pu ren I saw running away from Emperor Song’s palace.”
“Ah, well, you see...” Viktor began.
“It’s not what you think,” Lucien inserted, kicking at the floor. “We didn’t like it.”
“We don’t do that,” Viktor added. “You know, wear women’s clothing like that.”
“We had to,” Lucien said.
“You two appeared to enjoy it to me,” Lochlann teased wryly. “You begged us to let you keep the gowns.”
“We did not,” Lucien protested at the same time his brother exclaimed, “No!”
Mei stepped closer, studying all of them intently. Finally, her dark eyes turned to Jarek. His gut tightened in response. She just had that effect on him. He couldn’t breathe when she looked directly at him. It was a shock of electricity through his system, as if someone had taken a phazer to his heart.
Sacred cats, she was beautiful! Everything seemed to go into slow motion as he stared at her. His body ached just to be near her. And she intrigued him too. Everything about her utterly and completely fascinated him.
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