by Eva Priest
18 SOLANA
I had been barely holding it together.
The intense waves of desire and longing rippled just beneath the surface. I didn’t want to burden Cade more than I already had. Thankfully, he was able to transport us directly to our suite of rooms.
When we were alone, I thought he would rip the cloth away from me and get down to business. Instead he held me tight against his body. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“You didn’t. You can’t. You’ll always find me, remember?”
“Yes. I will find you. Always.” He nipped at me.
I hadn’t realized I was so close to the edge. The emotions and desires that I had tried to keep under wraps burst free from my tentative hold. It was like I was falling. Except I was safe with Cade. He was there to catch me and to hold me along the way.
His rumbling purr soothed me back into a level of sanity and control. I would succumb to my hormones, soon, but not yet. I wanted to remember this moment, remember him as much as possible.
Somehow, we tumbled out of our clothing, and stumbled into a sanitation station. We kissed as the cleansing blue lights scanned over us, taking the blood and grime off of our bodies. When the machines deemed us clean, Cade scooped me up into his arms, leaning me against the wall as he wrapped my legs around his hips.
For all that I’d been through, all that I experienced in such a short time—abducted, experimented upon, nearly abducted again, nearly killed—I was an emotional mess.
I had thought needing someone would be like tying myself to an anchor. But with Cade, he had been my buoy. A life raft that kept me afloat. That kept me alive.
He proved over and over again his devotion and commitment—he belonged to me and would follow me anywhere. Find me anywhere. He was honorable and a man of his word. That he would willingly die before I came to harm. How could I not offer him the same?
“Cade, I know that soon we’re going to enter into a crazy haze of sexy times when nothing else matters outside of our den.”
He nipped at my bottom lip. “Soon? We’re already in it.” He grabbed my hips and pressed his hard length against my core. “Your slick already bathes my cock. I will dive deep into you, you won’t remember your name.”
“Is that a promise?” I teased.
He answered by pushing against me some more.
Focus. I wanted to ask him something. “I want this, you know I want this. But I also want to remember the moment I bond with you. So, could we do that first?”
“What my mate wants, she gets.”
Cade carried me out into the living room where he reclined on a modern-looking chair. It cradled his large body, while supporting me comfortably as I straddled him. “Bonding starts with you, and so you willingly take me inside your body. And when you feel that pull of our bond, that’s when you mark me as yours.”
The fervor in his gaze, and the near desperation of his touch set my soul on fire. I was so hot, so wet for him, that I didn’t want to wait a moment more. I leaned over him, aligning my body over his, then took his length inside of me. Though drenched with slick, I still needed to adjust to his massive girth. The feel of him stretching me, filling me, made me cry out.
“You’re so beautiful, Solana. Look at how you’re taking me.”
He angled me so that my clit brushed against the ridges at his base. Between that and the ridges on his cock pressing against my g-spot, my pleasure became desperate. I was frantic for him, wild and untamed. I didn’t even have the excuse of an inner beast. He made me unhinged.
His cock seemed to grow even more inside of me, harder, longer, and wider. He filled me up more than I’d ever been. I threw my head back riding the intense wave of pleasure all the way down. I didn’t even have the strength to scream as my mouth opened in awe.
A searing cramp twisted in my stomach, pulling me forward atop Cade. When another wave of pleasure hit me, I dug my nails into his body, and clamped my teeth into his shoulder.
He bellowed a triumphant roar as a knot began to form in his cock. He hooked it behind my pelvic bone, locking us together as jets of cum splashed inside of me. He wasn’t done. He supported me with a firm grip around my waist as he drove his hips up into me, grinding against my clit. “Oh God, don’t stop.”
“You’ve convinced me to name my cock, God.”
My laughter turned to gasps when he pressed his thumb against my clit and flicked against me, fast and light. I tightened my muscles around his knot, milking him for all I was worth. When I began to unravel once more, he bit down on my shoulder and marked me as his, bonding us together.
Our first knot lasted for hours as we reveled in each others’ pleasure. If I’d known that being bonded would mean being able to feel the other’s pleasure as well as our own, I would have signed up to do this much earlier.
To think I delayed at all, made me want to go back and smack my past self in the face.
No matter. I was here with Cade now, and as he liked to say, we had time to figure everything else out. As long as we were together, we were home.
EPILOGUE
Solana
A few months later…
* * *
Not so long ago, I had thought that being in outer space was surreal. I was uprooted from all that I knew, threatened, tortured, and ultimately saved.
Now that I was back on Earth surrounded by verdant jungle, it felt crazy to be on planet.
Cade helped me to fulfill a promise to myself, which was finding closure for my expedition team, and find out why they died. Cade and his team did one better. They somehow uncovered the entire cartel operation, and cut the head from the snake. The families of the expedition team were compensated with huge sums of money, which I donated to them in secret.
I donated my portion to the university, along with my area findings and research. What the university did with my research, well, that was up to them; I was just happy to be able to finish it and wrap up loose ends. Earth was my past, but it wouldn’t be my future.
I made the decision to quietly disappear. Nothing so dramatic as fake my own death. But, with Tal’s help, I was able to erase myself from nearly all government databases.
Cade had been promoted by Commander Batair, and was given a warship. Now, his squad would have a centralized base where they could dock and fuel up in the Savage Lands Sector rather than pulling the long haul across the galaxy.
Speaking of which, I was due to meet Legion command in person. Commander Batair was eager for me to start compiling a database about omegas, especially now that more of them were appearing. He was inspired by the gift of information that Zann had sent me, and thought to go a step further.
The most important area of research he wanted me to focus on was sexual compatibility and fertility. How very alpha of him. Considering all that he had done for me, I would entertain Commander Batair’s request. After all, other omegas, especially a newly awakened one as I had been, would likely want to know all about their history and physiology, too.
As for me, I already knew human omegas were compatible with other alphas. I was ninety-nine percent sure that I was pregnant, but I didn’t tell the commander about that little nugget. Not yet. If I decided to make a special announcement, Cade would be the first to know.
So far, I’d held off telling him. He’d been getting better at not smothering me. I didn’t want him to revert back to being overprotective when he discovered I might by carrying his kit.
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “Are you ready to leave, my love?”
I nodded up at my beautiful mate. “Yes. Let’s go home.”
Check out Scorched, the next book in The Legion: Savage Lands Sector.
(books2read.com/Legion-Scorched).
* * *
If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. I would appreciate any kind words, even a short sentence or two.
* * *
The feedback and support would mean the world to me!
* * *
Click HERE for a direct link to leave your review
About the Author
Eva Priest writes otherworldly romances with strong heroines and the dominant alpha males who claim them.
You can sign up for Eva Priest’s newsletter HERE or enter this link into your favorite web browser:
* * *
(https://evangelinepriest.com/newsletter).
She is excited to share excerpts, cover reveals, and exclusive content every month.
Follow Eva Online
www.evangelinepriest.com
Amazon
Bookbub
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Excerpt: SCORCHED
1/Talus
I swung my Reaper-class prowler in a low-flying arc before settling down among the wreckage of a junkyard. It would be safer here with the scrap metal waste than parked in the shiny streets with the other tourists.
At least this way, no one would be tempted to steal a light-wing craft that looked to be a derelict. I turned on the cloaking tech for good measure. No need to tempt fate, given the shithole I needed to check out for the next few days.
Erebus.
Known for all manner of debauchery that anyone would be willing to pay for, it also served as the home base for the Tane syndicate.
Starships zipped above the buildings; their screeching could be heard over the repetitive boom of the electronic music wafting from the surrounding bars. The scents of pollution and grime assaulted my nose. Robotic screens hovered over the main thoroughfare, flickering advertisements for scantily clad females promising happily-ever-afters for the right price.
Rusted androids limped brokenly, cleaning the busted pipes, wires, and bolts piled high in the streets.
I turned my gaze up to the holographic force field surrounding Erebus and protecting the outpost from space. It was the only thing I truly enjoyed in this rundown place. The holographic plates portrayed clouds and a full moon, occasionally flickering, yet still reminding me of a night sky I had gazed upon when I was a kit.
Two small starships swerved around each other, one crashing into the street several feet away. Alien juveniles took turns kicking a wrecked android, before running toward the small ship. It didn’t take long for more opportunists to come out of the shadows and see if they could run off with anything of worth.
My lip curled in disgust and I swallowed my base instincts with a growl. This was neither the time nor the place to intervene. The entire outpost was full of parasitic scum, and leaving a trail of bodies would not help me while I was on this cloaked op.
I leaned against the wall of a building I could only presume was a bar. It was the only area not illuminated in neon and I allowed the darkness to mask my features.
A Ceresian female, her shimmering blue scales illuminated in the neon lights, leaned against an entrance to a building flashing neon yellow. Her scales covered her ample breasts, which were barely concealed by the simple pink bralette she wore. She raised her hands over her head as if she were dancing to the music. Her hands travelled down the length of her body, tugging at her matching pink thong.
The Ceresian reached out to a potential customer, stroking his shoulders while rubbing her breasts against his arm. She pouted when he shook his head at her, pushing her away as if she were a diseased creature. For a moment she watched him leave before her serpentine gaze flicked my way. She looked me over, crossing her arms and parting her legs. She flicked her long tongue across her lips. Her serpentine eyes blinked sideways, and she turned, smacking her well-formed ass.
I chuckled at her subtle invitation.
Funny how a few months ago, I’d have taken her up on it, hunting her down after a reaping mission. A hot, willing body to warm my den for a night. But ever since my reaper commander, Cade Lonza, had met his fated mate in Solana, I felt restless for more. It gave me hope that maybe one day, I would find my own fate-mate.
Hope was a dangerous thing in the Savage Lands.
Two Redbacks exited a blue neon pub, swinging at each other with their eight arms. The taller of the two pounced, its fangs ripping into the shorter one’s neck, whose wild screams were lost amid the city’s noise.
Several customers spilled out in their wake, goading on the fight. They were a motley group of various races cheering and placing bets.
“Get him!”
“Bite him!”
“Hit him harder!”
I watched each of them, looking for the marking, anything that indicated they were branded with a Tane tattoo. It was turning out to be surprisingly difficult. Though everyone on Erebus seemed to work for the syndicate, not many were actually part of the gang. I needed a true member, one high enough in rank to sport a tattoo. Only one like that would know drop sites and other trade locations.
The fight reached a fevered pitch. The taller Redback clamped his jaw down on the shorter one’s forearm, and with a quick jerk of his head, ripped it completely off his opponent’s body. It landed in front of a large, beefy man who had chosen to leave the pub at this inopportune time. The man scowled, the red thorns all over his face emphasizing his annoyance as he clutched a black bag closer to his body.
Curious, I scanned his face and brought up any information I could on my retinal display. He was a Kuzra, no known affiliations or any other biological information. For all intents and purposes, Mr. Thorny Face was pure as a virgin.
Yeah, and I was a kit born yesterday.
The brawl ended as the taller Redback straddled his opponent and sank his teeth in his victim’s neck. With a sickening crunch, the shorter Redback went limp and the onlookers cheered in horrifying joy, moving back toward the pub.
The Kuzra made way for the party. He kicked the detached arm toward the dead Redback as he strode past. His yellow gaze darted about before he turned on his heel, revealing a black spade tattoo seared into the back of his neck.
I smiled in the shadows. Target found. I kicked away from the wall, tugging my hood over my head before I was bathed in garish neon lights.
I trailed behind the Kuzra, watching how he kept the bag close to his body. It could be anything, really. His laundry. A collection of severed heads. Library books for a needy orphanage.
But my gut told me that it was what I’d been assigned to find—evidence of black-market tech from the Kridrins. Also known as the fuckers who trafficked in slaves.
Legion command wanted more intel on them. They didn’t exist in any database, which meant they were good at hiding their tracks.
Didn’t matter how good they were, though. We would find them. Rodinians found everything, no matter how well-hidden. It would only be a matter of time.
A drunken group stumbled out of a bar, laughing and jostling each other before ramming into me. Quickly, I hid myself in an alley. I didn’t need to get involved in what looked to be another bar brawl.
I glanced around, my tail twitching when I couldn’t find the Kuzra’s red, thorny head. “Dammit,” I muttered. I couldn’t lose this bastard now.
I dodged the fighting gang members, who were busy rolling around on the ground. Meanwhile, the Kuzra looked around, sniffing the air. I was careful to keep downwind, but couldn’t be sure as to his scenting skills. His yellow eyes looked in my general direction and I lunged, hiding my large form behind a stall steaming with meat sautéing in a skillet.
“Squiddle?” the stall owner asked, a grey Morsei with six tentacles for hands. He grabbed one stick, the meat still squirming on it, and offered it to me.
I shook my head and tried to keep myself from making a face. Damned Erebus, attracting volatile creatures who liked disgusting cuisine. “No, thanks,” I muttered.
I glanced back at my target, who was flirting with yet another Ceresian female, this one dressed in a shimmering silver thong and bikini combo. She tilted her head to the side, smiling while she stroked his arm with one tentacle.
The Kuzra leaned in, whispering something in her ear, and I watched her face go f
rom seductive to horrified.
She smacked him and turned on her heel, slamming the door in his face.
"Not the ladies’ man, I take it,” I mumbled to myself, sliding into a dimly lit alley and watching him turn down another street.
I jumped on a dumpster, kicking from wall to wall until I landed on a rooftop. He was a slippery fellow, weaving in and out, his hands moving into passing pockets and snatching credits. I followed him, watching from above, jumping from one rooftop to the next. He occasionally stopped to feel around in the bag.
Whatever he carried, it was important.
Cade’s voice spoke through my comms as I jumped onto another rooftop. “Reaper One to Reaper squad. Call in.”
“Dorn.”
“Lyova.”
“Talus,” I replied, keeping my voice low. I crouched and leaned over the edge of the rooftop as I watched my target enter into a large square with a broken fountain.
There weren’t as many neon lights in this area, but there was one club with a large female holographic display lit up in neon pink. She was squatting over the entrance with her hands touching her breasts.
“Tal, have you found anything on Erebus?”
I growled low in my throat. “Too fucking much. Long story short, the Tanes are terrible with women.”
I heard Lyova’s chuckle over the line. “As bad as you?”
“I’m lovely with the ladies,” I said, jumping from the rooftop and landing fluidly on my feet in the streets. I circled the club, keeping my form in the darkness despite the flashing neon pink lights. There must be another exit, I thought, finding a back alley.
I sighed, my tail twitching as I approached the back door of the club. “You just couldn’t make this easy for me now, could you,” I muttered, rubbing my chin as I wondered if I could watch both exits from the rooftop.
