Marek (The Vartik King Chronicles Book 1)

by Liza Probz

  “I have no room on my ship and it looks like you bring company with you.” He nodded toward the guards. The girl turned and looked over her shoulder before slipping her hand into her pocket and pulling out a small bag. She dumped the contents onto her palm and glanced up at him, her small pink tongue darting out to lick at her full red lips.

  “Please. The next galaxy is just two weeks travel from here. I’ll give you most of these if you’ll just get me out of here and to the next place.” She glanced behind her again, her long hair billowing out as the hot winds of the north caught hold of it. The warm smell of vanilla rolled over him and he stifled a growl.

  Reaching out, he ran his fingers through her locks, wanting to pull her closer. The mere thought caused his body to harden painfully. It had been more than six months since he had enjoyed a woman in his bed. Too many odd species roamed the worlds and his parents would be devastated if he brought back any of the strains of viruses possibly contracted through sex with them. It wasn’t worth it… until now.

  She turned and jerked from him, her eyes narrowing. “I can pay you, but you need to make your decision fast. These fuckers are headed our way.”

  “I’m not interested in your money.” He looked up as a smile brushed across his lips. “I would love to know what you’ve done to bring death upon your head, but it looks like you’d better go if you hope to survive.”

  He turned to go and she reached out to grab his arm, her fingers soft and warm. He glanced down at her hold on him and then back up to her.

  “Please. Please, please, please. I’m going to Killian, but wherever you’re headed is fine. I just need a lift to the next place. I can clean and cook. Anything. Please.” She turned around again and he leaned in, breathing in deeply. She was human, or something close to it. He knew how her body worked, what made her tick, how much he would enjoy the vision of her pressed beneath him. She seemed to be a fighter, which was even better.

  “Only on one promise.” He moved back, pulling his arm from her as she walked toward him, her hand pressing to his chest. They moved into the darkness of his ship. The sound of the guards screaming filled up the small space and she glanced up at him.

  “Anything. Whatever. Just get us the fuck out of here.”

  “You become my concubine until we reach Killian.”

  Her breath caught as she choked softly. Her eyes moved down his body and he simply waited in silence. The smell of her interest washed over him and he pressed his hand to the front of his pants, his cock bouncing as if trying to grab the girl’s attention. It had been far too long since he had the overwhelming desire to strip someone bare and ravish them for hours.

  “Fuck no,” she growled and took a step back. A guard’s hand wrapped around her throat and pulled her back. She reached out.

  Marek moved quickly, his hand wrapping around her wrist. He tilted his head to the side, not struggling at all against the strength of the cats.

  “No? Then I shall let you go to your death.” He loosened his grip on her slightly as the guard pulled hard.

  The beautiful creature grabbed his wrist with her free hand and pulled him toward her, the fear in her jade gaze palpable. “No. Fine. Concubine. Yes. Just save me.”

  “Duck.”

  Chapter 2

  “Duck?” Jazmine asked as the handsome male reached for her, his hand pressing hard on the top of her head. She bent over as he’d beckoned her to do. The sound of a gun firing several times caused her to yelp.

  The hand around her throat slipped off and she found herself falling forward. The large humanoid grabbed her and tossed her behind him as he pushed the bodies of the guards from the ship. She rolled over and sat on the floor of the spacecraft as he closed the door and moved past her to the captain’s chair.

  “I wanted an adventure. I’m thinking you’re going to give it to me.” He chuckled, the sound pleasant to her ears.

  She stood up slowly and looked around, noticing the bathroom in the back part of the cabin. “I’m an adventure all right. Can I use your restroom?”

  “Yes, but there is no escape from the ship, so no need to use your mental energy looking for one.” He glanced over his shoulder.

  She nodded and turned, walking to the back of the craft as it began to move. He smelled human and didn’t show signs of being anything else, which was good. The only planet that had humans was her birthplace, Territh. Surely, he was from there, and once they made that connection, she could talk him out of the concubine thing. He was beautiful, but being someone’s sex slave was out.

  She closed the door behind her and sat down on the toilet with her clothes still on. Pressing her face to her hands, she let out a long, shaky sigh. Her encounter with the Vanfia guards had been too close. She needed to be more prepared and plan her robberies better. She hadn‘t found the treasure she was after, though she had searched high and low for the last few months. It wasn’t on Vanfia, but hopefully, she could locate it on Killian. The two-week trip would help to calm her nerves and give her a chance to think through her plan of attack—if the handsome owner of the spaceship didn’t plan on taking all of her time with sex.

  It could be worse—a lot worse. She thought back to the vision of the Vanfia king mostly naked and his missing genitals. A wave of nausea rolled over her as she stood and leaned over the small sink, splashing cold water onto her face.

  She could do this. She would simply put him to sleep if she had to. Anything to keep his hands off of her.

  Walking from the bathroom, Jazmine moved through the small bedroom and kitchenette area and took a seat beside him in the cockpit. They were already a few miles from Vanfia, but her heart was still racing in her chest.

  “So, I assume you stole those jewels?” He glanced over at her, his eyebrow lifted.

  His dark chestnut hair wasn’t too long or short, but curled up all over his head, giving him a sensual playboy appeal. His lips were deliciously full and dark pink, accenting the richness of his tanned skin. His eyes were dark brown, almost black, which wasn’t something she had seen on any of her people before. Perhaps he was a different species.

  “They were originally mine and were taken from me. Not sure you would call it stealing to simply take back what was rightfully yours.” She shrugged and turned, looking out the window and watching the dark purple world of Vanfia disappear behind them. She had stolen everything she had on her back and much more over the last year and would continue to do so. She was after one thing and would do anything necessary to retrieve it. No one would understand and she wasn’t willing to divulge any of her secrets to anyone.

  “All of those jewels were originally yours?” The sound of his voice told her that he didn’t believe her story at all.

  “Yep. Where are you from?” She glanced over at him, her eyes moving down to the shifting of his slacks. Realization rolled over her and she turned to look out the front window, her breath catching in her chest. He was turned on, and his body was working hard to make sure that she noticed.

  Mission accomplished.

  “I’m on a trip for the next six months and have been traveling for the last six. Somewhat as a gift from my parents before I take on more ownership of the family business.” His voice was deep and rich, the sound of it almost hypnotic now that she was able to concentrate more on it.

  “I didn’t ask that.” She glanced over at him, working hard to keep her gaze on the top half of him. By the looks of things, he was well endowed. The last thing she needed was to be interested in what lay beneath the tight fabric of his breeches when she was fully ready to refuse him access to any part of her. She wasn’t anyone’s slave.

  “I realize that, but that’s the answer you got. Hush while I finish the coordinates for our trip. Killian is my next stop, so it’s yours now too. I recall that’s what you were looking for in the first place.” He pushed a few buttons on the dial as she huffed softly and got up. He was an ass no doubt. First wanting a concubine and then telling her to hush after not answerin
g her question.

  “Hush,” she mumbled and walked to the bedroom, sitting down on a small chair beside the twin-sized bed.

  What had she done? She didn’t know him at all. He might be a worse villain than the Vanfia king, but he couldn’t be worse than death, right?

  “You think too much.” The sound of his voice surprised her as she glanced up to see him standing in the doorway of the bedroom.

  “You’re bossy and too dominant for your own good.” She shrugged and leaned back, resting in the chair as she watched him. Jazmine tucked away her internal thoughts and tried to focus on a conversational topic that might keep them talking and him across the room instead of pressed to the top of her.

  Something about that didn’t sound so bad at all actually. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed the company of a man. At least four years.

  “Why would you want to travel the worlds instead of just enjoying the beaches and mountains of Territh?” She crossed her legs and hated how his eyes followed her. He moved closer, kneeling in front of her and reaching out to touch the side of her face. She jerked back and held up her hands. “We can talk for a few days, and then if you’re not a total creep with four dicks and a tail, we can see about the concubine thing.”

  He smirked and pulled her toward him, lowering his knees as she sat in his lap thanks to his efforts. “I’m not from Territh and I don’t have anything you’re not used to.”

  She pulled back, but he tightened his grip on her. “I’m serious about talking first. I’m not getting naked for you. Period.”

  “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, little girl.” His eyes darkened, the color completely gone as a deep pulsing red ring formed around his iris. She gasped at the sight of it, her hands sliding around his face as she brought him in for a closer look.

  The space between them was just enough that she didn’t have to feel the hardness of his body against her, but she could almost sense the heat coming off of him. He was magnificent, but she had rules, and those rules kept her alive. No sex with strangers simply because great sex led to want, and want led to need, and needing someone left her loving and losing.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” She laughed and rubbed her fingers along the soft skin beside his eyes.

  “Never seen a Vartik before?” He slid his hands down to her hips and tightened his grip on her, pulling her flush against him.

  The shock of being in the presence of a ghost was nothing compared to the overwhelming desire that flooded her at his nearness. He smelled like the rain mixed with male sensuality, the aroma teasing her to need more. She growled softly at him and pulled back but didn’t go far.

  “You’re not supposed to exist,” she whispered, the air suddenly hard to breathe. Her hands slid down his face to cup his throat, the thickness of his muscles beckoning her to push their position farther. She ground her teeth and pulled back hard. He let her go and she pulled herself up in the chair in front of him while he remained on the ground.

  He glanced up at her with his dark gaze, his need apparent and beyond sensual. “And yet, here I am.”

  “How?” she asked, tucking her hands under her thighs to keep herself from reaching out to touch him again. His people were known for many things, their healing properties only one of them. The greatest stories of erotic pleasure stemmed from their touch, their taste, their ability to drown their lovers in ecstasy. Was he real?

  “That’s not important right now. What is important is that you and I made a trade.” He reached up and slid his hand along her thigh, squeezing where her leg met her body.

  She groaned softly, not wanting him to know how good it felt to simply be near him. He was using something on her. Hypnosis? She pushed at his hand, but he simply tightened his grip, brushing his thumb over her sex as he moved closer.

  “No. I’d rather die.” She pushed his hand away again, hating how badly her body reacted to him simply being in front of her, on his knees, ready to use her for both of their pleasures. She wasn’t willing to sleep with anyone simply as a way to protect her heart, but mating with someone who wasn’t from her own planet or possibly not even human under his clothes? Never.

  He smiled and ran his other hand up her other thigh, pulling at them to open her legs. She pushed at his head as he leaned over and pressed his face to her lap, breathing in deeply and giving a sound of appreciation.

  “Fuck,” she groaned as the room spun around her. Images of him naked and sweaty, fucking her all over the ship swept past her vision, each more wickedly delicious than the last. “Stop. Please.”

  He pressed his teeth into the softness between her thighs and tugged carefully once before moving back. The color of his eyes had shifted to the most brilliant blue she had ever witnessed. “Soon. Prepare yourself because soon, you’ll be the one on your knees, human.”

  She couldn’t respond as he moved back and walked to the front of the ship. She waited for relief to flood her system, but it didn’t. Desire for him burned her and she sat in the darkness of the room for what seemed like forever, trying to get over it. He was going to have her. She had no doubt. It was only a matter of time.

  Chapter 3

  She was perfect. Exactly the type of woman that left him craving more of her. Feisty and full figured, mouthy and dominant, not to mention how fucking good she smelled. He wanted to bathe in the essence of her arousal but would wait for the right moment. Mating was a dance, one that he enjoyed far too much. He knew it wasn’t the same as his mating would be with the woman who would carry his sons, but it felt so damn close to it that he would delude himself with pretending as if this time was the time.

  He brushed his palm down his erection, the thickness of his cock most likely too much for the girl, but he would find out soon enough. Marek sat down and turned on the night lights in the cabin and the outside of the ship, and the darkness illuminated around them. Small planets of every shape and size littered the view out of the front window. Good thing the ship was capable of running on its own. He didn’t plan to spend much time in his seat now that she was on board. How good it was going to feel to press his lips to hers, to lick and kiss every part of her.

  He growled softly and tugged at his pants, suddenly uncomfortable with the clothes that rubbed roughly against his body. It probably wasn’t a good idea to have her on board with him for the next two weeks. He had a million books he wanted to read through and a handful that his father forced him to take on the trip, mostly around the history of his people. He glanced over his shoulder, hoping to hear her moving around but understanding why she wasn’t. She was at an unfair advantage due to his potency. He smiled at the thought of her suffering.

  A bright blue button blinked to the left of the control panel. A call from his planet. He got up quickly and walked toward the bedroom, leaning into the dark doorway and speaking at her instead of to her. “I’m going to be on a call for a few minutes. Don’t come out and don’t interrupt me.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll fuck you up.” He turned around and walked back to the front, reaching over and pressing the button to start the call. The girl wasn’t anything to him, but his parents’ opinion of him meant the world. If they knew he had picked up a stranger, they would fall apart. The secret of his people’s existence was far too great to allow for anyone to know of them. Someone riding on his ship would figure him out sooner than later. The Vartiks were a very particular type of people.

  An image of his mother appeared on the dash, her blue dress fitted and making her appear as regal and feminine as she was.

  “Marek, son. How are you?”

  “I’m good, Mother. I just left the land of the cats. Always an interesting place to go.” He shook his head and scooted back in his chair, ensuring that he kept his posture.

  “Did you pick up anything of value from them?” She tilted her head and smiled. Marek chuckled at her cheeky joke.

  “Nothing of that sort. I’m not interested in getting near the bodily f
luids of something that should have a collar and drink milk from a saucer at my feet.”

  “Well, I hear that it’s quite potent.”

  “Not that you need anything more potent than me.” The king moved in and scooted Marek’s mother over.

  “Come on, guys.” Marek rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “I picked up a few dried fruits and a few jewels that I thought might work well for a wedding present for my bride.”

  He hated the thought of having a bride, but keeping his parents out of his business and far out of his head was imperative. If they ever knew how much he dreaded the thought of ruling their nation, they would be crushed. Talking about the impending doom or the wedding would keep everyone on the right path.

  “Oh lovely. I want to see them. Show them to me.” His mother clapped and bounced slightly in her chair.

  “Fine. One moment.” Marek got up and walked to the middle of the ship, working to get his safe open. He glanced to his left, the girl having moved to the edge of the doorway. He turned and pressed his gaze on her as his vision darkened a little. A light blue ring of energy buzzed around her. “Interesting.”

  He turned and walked back to the front, sitting down and pulling out the rubies as he held them up for his mother to see. His father began his usual conversation on politics and concerns. Marek listened intently, wondering what the female behind him might be up to. He wanted to end the call quickly and turn his attention back to her now that she was moving around again.

  “How is the ship doing? Nothing causing you trouble, right?” His father glanced around as if he could see the confines of the ship. The view was limited to whatever was directly in front of the camera, which Marek filled up quite well.