by Susan Hayes
He laughed as he bent to kiss her. “I was instructed to hurry.”
Anything else she might have said was lost as his mouth slanted across hers. Her world ignited into a place of lust and fire, and she threw herself into the blaze with abandon. She wrapped her arms around him, deliberately sliding her hands beneath his vest and up his back until she reached his wings.
Kade shivered and then groaned into her mouth as she caressed the sensitive skin there. “Do you know what you’re doing to me? Because if you don’t, I should warn you that—” He groaned as she stroked him again, his cock as hard as hull plating where it pressed against her belly.
“I know,” she whispered.
His only answer was another kiss. His fangs grazed her lower lip and his tongue twined with hers. His touch was possessive, laying claim to her body an inch at a time. She ground herself against him, needing the contact and craving the connection of their bodies with an intensity that stole away her reason.
“Arms around my neck. Now,” he ordered when he finally tore his lips from hers.
She obeyed, feeling a thrill chase down her spine at the command in his tone. It was sexy as hell, more so because she knew that if she disobeyed, there would be no punishment.
Kade swept her into his arms, crouched, and then took flight. Only when they were airborne and she was looking down at the place they’d been standing did she realize they hadn’t been alone on the street. Beneath her were a half-dozen cyborgs, all gazing up at them with expressions of amusement. She laughed and waved to them, and several waved back.
“Every cyborg in Haven is going to know about this before my feet touch the ground again.”
He had to raise his voice to be heard over the wind. “Good. Then none of them will make the mistake of flirting with my mate.”
“I think you’re safe. No one’s flirted with me since I got here.” She frowned. “Which includes you and Denz. We kind of skipped over that part.”
“We did. But I’ll make it up to you.”
“How?”
His smile was so broad she could see his fangs. “I was thinking we could start with orgasms. Lots of them.”
“You have yourself a deal, Kade D’vrayn.”
She gave up trying to talk after that. The view was incredible, and she exalted in the joy of being airborne again. The sea was a dazzling expanse of blue that stretched out to the horizon. One day, maybe he would take her there. Or perhaps the three of them could go together. She’d been to other worlds and seen other oceans, but she’d never been to this one. All she knew about it was its name—the Sithal Sea. The word meant prosperity in Vardarian.
She slipped into a moment of peaceful reflection, the sharhal quieting enough that she could think clearly again. She finally picked up on something that had escaped her notice until now. She couldn’t sense Kade’s emotions.
She pressed herself tighter against him and reached out, but nothing was there. No joy, no desire. Her abilities weren’t all that strong, but she should be able to sense something.
They landed less than a minute later, setting down on the wide tarmac where several ships were parked. This part of the spaceport was relatively quiet, but she could hear the rumble of engines as the colony’s fleet of shuttles took off and landed, bringing down supplies from the orbital platform. Massive hangars lined the outskirts of this area, but Kade set her down and then turned and pointed toward the largest ship on the tarmac. “That’s mine, the Chism’ah.”
She translated the name in her head. “The Wanderer? Rather a lonely name, isn’t it?”
“I suppose. It’s better than the one my mother wanted. She tried to convince my father to name it the Coltaq Ryndor.”
She frowned. “The Heart of Gold? Isn’t that an insult that implies someone loves wealth about all else?”
“Yes, it is. No doubt it was her way of commenting on my career choice.” He shrugged. “My father didn’t take her suggestion.”
“I don’t think I’m going to like your mother very much.”
“Which is one of the many things that prove my ancestors picked the perfect female for me.” He bowed his head to kiss her softly. “I want you so badly right now it’s all I can do not to toss you over my shoulder and carry you inside. We can talk about my family later. Much, much, later.”
“I have one more question before we do this.” She touched his bare chest with one hand. “Are you doing anything to hide your emotions from me right now?”
“I have no idea how to do that. And even if I did, why would I?”
“I just…” she sighed. “I can’t sense a thing. It’s strange.” Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t picked up anything from Denz earlier either.
While she was trying to focus on that revelation, Kade dropped to one knee in front of her, and all her attention fell on him instead.
He drew a dagger from a sheath at his belt and offered it to her, the naked blade resting on his upturned palms. “This is for you, my mahaya.”
The dagger was beautiful. There was no other word for it. The blade was marked with wavy lines that looked like water flowing across the metal, and the hilt was polished wood inlaid with lines of what looked like gold. She took it carefully. “I’ve never seen a blade like this.”
He drew another dagger from his belt and held it up for her to see. The blade had the same pattern, though the hilt of his was a different material and the inlay was black instead of gold. “I know a couple of very talented forge masters. I went to see them today. Among my species, it is traditional to gift a new mate with a weapon. It symbolizes my promise to protect you, now and always.”
“Then I happily accept both the gift and the promise. One day, you’ll have to take me to meet these forge masters so I can buy you a dagger, too. And maybe one for Denz, too.”
Kade rose, chuckling. “It isn’t traditional, but neither is anything else about our situation, so why not?”
She tucked the knife into her bag. “I think ‘why not’ might be the motto for our whole relationship.”
“I suspect you’re right about that.” He drew her into his arms again, but he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he gazed into her eyes, his expression serious for once. “You don’t need to be empathic to know what I’m feeling right now. I’ll tell you. I am honored to be your mahoyen. Proud to have you as my mate. My life is brighter with you in it, my dyna.” He dipped his head and murmured, “And if I don’t claim you soon, that life might be tragically short.”
The sharhal reignited like a booster rocket, dousing her in flames and a need so great she couldn’t resist it even if she wanted to. “Then I think it’s time you followed through on your plan to carry me inside.”
He growled, crouched, and lifted her over one shoulder with one hand clamped across her thighs. “As my mate wishes.”
She dangled upside down. “I meant the way you were carrying me before! This is undignified.”
“It’s also faster.”
“You didn’t think this through. Did you?” she asked, already sliding a hand between the wing slits in the back of his vest. He’d folded his wings when they landed, but she could still reach the sensitive skin beneath with her fingers.
He broke into a run the moment she found her target, cursing in a mix of languages every step of the way.
Kade had been right before. Life with him wasn’t boring. In fact, it was the most fun she’d ever had.
The walk to his room had never felt this long before. It was as if the ship was being stretched by some diabolical trickster. Or maybe it wasn’t his vessel at all. It was certainly cleaner than his usually was. The decks gleamed beneath his feet and the air had been scented with a subtle blend of cinnamon and…
“Ship, why does it smell like apple pie in here?” He’d had the dessert several times in his travels and liked it so much it was even programmed into his food dispenser’s database.
“According to my research, humans find this scent appealing. It creates an
inviting, homey atmosphere.”
“Ship, didn’t we just have a talk about you thinking for yourself?”
“I think it smells lovely,” Shadow chimed in.
He swatted her on the ass. “You’re not helping.”
Instead of protesting, Shadow uttered a needy little moan. That was all it took to break him.
He brought her down from his shoulder and had her up against the bulkhead in seconds, his mouth crashing down on hers. She moaned again, the sound humming against his lips as the taste of her body exploded on his tongue. Sweet. Hot. His.
His fangs extended, the need to claim her here and now almost more than he could resist. He only managed it because he wanted something else more—to be balls deep inside her when he did it. He wanted to feel her orgasm as the mating bond took hold.
He pushed a hand under her tunic, craving the touch of bare skin beneath his fingers. Heat seared his palm, and when he found the curve of her breast, she gasped and arched into him with an eagerness that left him breathless.
“Bed,” he managed to dredge the single word out of his dazed brain.
“Yes.” She gave him a lopsided smile, her lips swollen from his kisses. “To all of it. Everything. You.”
It took every bit of his willpower to step away from her, but he did it. He took her hand and led her the last few steps to his room. The door opened automatically, and he walked through with Shadow only half a step behind.
“I think your quarters are bigger than mine,” she commented with a laugh as she got her first look inside. “And the bed is definitely bigger.”
“I did mention that my family were in the shipbuilding business. Didn’t I?” He wasn’t sure how he was managing to form words anymore, but he was grateful he hadn’t been reduced to incoherent grunts. If she could keep her composure, then by all the winds that blew, so could he.
He held onto that intention right up to the moment his beautiful mate walked up to the bed, dropped her bag on the floor, and then stripped out of her clothes. Rational thought fled as she revealed herself to him, soft curves and pale skin on display as she turned to face him with no trace of uncertainty or doubt.
“Beautiful,” he croaked, his throat as dry as moon dust.
Without a word, she held out her hands to him. It was all the invitation he needed.
He closed the distance between them in a heartbeat, his momentum carrying them both down to the mattress.
She had his vest unfastened in seconds. He shrugged out of it, his mouth already on hers. It would have been faster to stand and strip, but he wasn’t letting go of her again.
By the time he was naked, they were both panting, laughing, and partially tangled up with his clothes and each other. As the laughter faded, he cupped her cheek in his hand, letting his thumb caress her lower lip.
She opened her mouth, sucking the tip of his thumb inside, her gaze never leaving his. Her gray eyes burned with heat, the intensity of her look piercing every layer of his soul. She hummed softly and then released him, settling back on the mattress and then stretching like a hunting cat, all sensuous pleasure and contentedness. She was the most beautiful female he’d ever seen, and she was his.
He moved over her, parting her legs so he could kneel between them as he kissed his way from her mouth to her throat to her breasts. He took as much time as he could, tasting and teasing, wanting to hear her soft gasps and needy moans as he slowly explored her body. By the time he reached the apex of her thighs, her skin was flushed and every breath he took was perfumed with her pheromones and the scent of her arousal.
He’d never been with a human female before. He’d done his research and had been relieved to discover there were surprisingly few differences between their species. He parted her outer lips, feeling the slick, silken heat of folds against his fingers.
Shadow lifted her hips, offering herself to him, and he accepted her offer like a starving male invited to a feast.
He laved her with his tongue, learning what she liked and using each discovery to bring her as much pleasure as he could. When she was panting and bucking beneath him, he slid a finger into the tight confines of her channel.
Her inner walls gripped him tightly, making him imagine what it would feel like when he was finally buried inside her body. Soon, he promised himself. But not yet. Not until she came for him. He added another finger and increased the tempo of his thrusts as he sucked the pearl of her clit into his mouth. He flicked the tip of his tongue across the hard nub until her breath was coming in hard gasps and he could feel her legs tensing, her body trembling as her orgasm bloomed.
She arched her body, hips raised off the bed, and the sound of tearing fabric blended with a cry of ecstatic pleasure. When she slumped back onto the mattress, he lifted his head, grinning when he saw the bunches of shredded blankets she still gripped in her hands.
“Good?” he asked without a hint of humility.
She gave him a dazed smile. “Extremely. Any better and I might have ruined the mattress too.”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and then slowly prowled up her body. “In that case, I hope we break the bed before this night is done. There’s a smaller cabin down the hall. We can try to trash that one too.”
Her eyes gleamed. “I’m game if you are.”
“I’ve never been more game to try something in my life.” He lowered himself down to kiss her. “Tell me you accept my claim.”
“I accept your claim, Kade D’vrayn. You are my mahoyen. I’m ready to take you into my body, feel your fangs on my throat, and have you mark me as yours.”
He had to swallow hard before he could speak again, the weight of her words sinking into his soul. “I don’t deserve you.”
Tears shimmered on her lashes as she dropped a mask he hadn’t known was there. Regret shadowed her eyes and etched itself into the lines of her mouth. “Whatever you’ve done, I’ve done worse. I’ve killed people, Kade. So, if you think you don’t deserve me, maybe no one does.”
He kissed her tears away. “You aren’t to blame for what you did before you were freed. You had no choice. I did. And I didn’t always make the right one.”
He was tempted to tell her everything. The deal with Nesht. How he’d fallen in with them, and what they wanted him to do. All of it. But then she had her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss that was one-part gratitude and two-parts need, and he was lost.
He groaned her name against her lips as they kissed and rocked against each other, but it wasn’t enough. He pushed himself up as she arched her hips, reaching between them to grip his aching cock and seating him at her slick entrance. The feel of her fingers around him was so good it was almost painful, and the moment she released him, he pressed himself inside the heat of her body. Her body gave way to his, but he fought the need to thrust in hard and fast. There’d be time for that later.
In one perfect moment of stillness, the two became one, gazes locked with breaths mingling as he kissed her again. He couldn’t have said which of them moved first. One second they were still, and the next he was driving into her as she was rising to meet him, her inner walls flexing around his shaft. It went from tender to primal in a heartbeat, the mating fever taking them both.
Her nails scored his shoulder as she cried out his name. She was his, and that thought echoed through his mind as he claimed her one stroke at a time. He felt the moment her body started to tighten around him, the way her breathing changed and her voice quavered. It was time.
He dropped his head to her throat, and she turned her head to one side. It was submission without surrender, and it was perfect. She was perfect. His fangs sank into her flesh and the taste of her blood filled his mouth. She exploded into orgasm, arching and writhing against him. He followed her seconds later, emptying himself into her in long, shuddering thrusts with his mouth still at her neck.
They lay together in the aftermath, both of them panting, their skin sheened with sweat. He rolled them both over without
withdrawing from her body. He wasn’t ready to be parted from her yet. The way he felt now, he might never be. He lay on his back with Shadow sprawled across him, her head on his shoulder.
“That was…” she stopped speaking to utter an expressive sigh.
“Yes, it was. We didn’t break the bed, though. I guess that means we’ll have to do it again.”
She laughed and raised a languid arm, showing him her hand. A shredded piece of the blanket lay in her palm along with a chunk of the mattress. “We totally broke the bed. Well, I did. I’ll buy you a new one. Maybe something a little sturdier.”
“We’re still doing this again,” he took the damaged mess from her and tossed it onto the floor for the servo-droids to deal with. “And again. And again. My meeting isn’t until tomorrow afternoon. I don’t plan on leaving this bed until it’s time to go.”
She nuzzled his chest, her fingers tracing the outline of his scales. “That sounds perfect.”
He let himself drift then, his thoughts coming into focus as the sharhal faded. It wasn’t entirely gone. The mating fever would affect them both for days still, but it was manageable. The risk of either of them losing themselves to madness was gone now. Even if things didn’t go well for him tomorrow, Shadow would be alright. Denz would see to that.
Kade pressed a kiss to the crown of her hair. She was the most important thing in his universe now. He didn’t question it. It was as clear and certain to him as the speed of light. Shadow wasn’t responsible for the things she’d done in her life, because they hadn’t been her choices. His situation was different. He’d set his own course. Whatever happened, he would make sure those decisions would never threaten her safety. And if his ancestors were kind, she’d never know anything about it. He’d cut ties with Nesht, pay off his debts, and start a new life with his mahaya—one where he made better choices. If not for himself, then for her.
11
The day had gotten off to a late start, with neither of them wanting to get out of bed. Shadow knew it was wishful thinking, but she couldn’t help feeling that if she stayed curled up with Kade, it wasn’t really morning, which meant he wouldn’t have to leave soon.
