by Tana Stone
A flash of pain made him jerk back against the seat, gripping the armrests tightly until it passed. Even if he could overcome the thoughts that had been drilled into him, he could not escape the device they’d implanted in his head.
Releasing his restraints, he stood and headed for the back of the ship, ignoring both females staring at him in silence. Maybe there was something in a med kit that could help him.
When Vox reached the center of the ship, a round space with short spokes leading off it, he tilted his head back to the steel mesh that held supplies strapped to the ceiling. Even though he was over six and a half feet tall, the Kronock were taller, so he needed to stretch his arms high to pull down the black box.
Another pain seared through his brain, causing him to stumble and drop the kit.
“Why don’t I help you?” Shreya said, picking up the kit and holding his arm to steady him.
“I was looking for pain inhibitors,” he said, watching her snap open the box.
She nodded as she bent down, opening the box and pawing through the contents. “I don’t suppose these pain inhibitors look like Advil.”
“Ad-vil?”
She waved a hand over her head without looking up. “Never mind. Another Earth thing. So what do they look like?”
Vox rubbed his temple. “Black needles with a red tip.”
“Seriously?” Shreya held up one long, dark syringe. “You guys are hard core.”
“It needs to be injected in my neck. Can you do it?”
“My test subjects are usually significantly smaller, but I should be able to do this.”
He didn’t understand her words, but steeled himself for the pinch as she counted out loud and then jabbed him in the neck. The chemical was cool as it entered his system, and his muscles immediately relaxed.
She packed up the med kit and clamped it shut, eyeing him as she handed it back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“You are worried about my well-being?”
She cleared her throat. “That, and I don’t exactly want to be flying through space without a pilot. Cerise is great, but I think she knows about as much about spaceships as I do, which is not much.”
He tucked the med kit back under the steel netting overhead. “I promise I will not leave you to captain the ship.”
She peered up at him from under dark lashes. “And thanks for not holding me to the other promise.”
Vox tilted his head at her. “What other promise?”
“You know.” She looked down at her feet. “The one about me letting you…”
He stepped closer to her. “The promise that I will not force you, if you will let me touch and taste you as much as I want?”
She backed up until she was against one of the textured, gunmetal-gray walls. “I thought since you weren’t keeping me in that house and you weren’t going to turn me over to the Kronock…”
Vox brushed her hair away from her face. “You are right that I have no intention of letting the Kronock use you for their plan, but that is because I want you for myself. When I claim you, it will not be for the Kronock empire, it will be for me. I want every moan and every gasp as I take you to be for me alone.”
Her mouth fell open, and his gaze went to her soft, pink lips.
“When I thought you might be hurt, I felt something I’d never felt before.” He took her jaw in his hand, dragging his thumb across her bottom lip. “I knew that you were meant to be mine, and it is my destiny to protect you. I also knew that you were meant to be my mate for life, and I would never let anyone else touch you.”
Her breath was shallow as he lifted her face to his. “That doesn’t sound like a Kronock talking.”
“You seem to have brought out the Drexian in me.”
Her dark eyes flashed, and he saw the hunger in them. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, although he could tell she was fighting her urges.
“I wasn’t even a tribute bride,” she said. “I’m not supposed to be a Drexian’s mate.”
“Do you think I care about any of that?” He was so close to her, he could feel her soft, warm breath against his own lips. “All I know is that you will always be mine.”
Before he could give her another reason, Shreya crushed her mouth to his. It took him a moment to realize she was kissing him wildly, her tongue parting his mouth, and her hands raking his hair.
Vox reached down with both hands and lifted her so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, pressing her against the wall, his cock throbbing. Long-buried emotions swirled in his head, as he drank in the taste of her.
This human with the long, dark hair and soft, brown skin was his to claim. His hunger for her felt raw and primal as he ground his body against hers and heard her moan. Whatever part of him was cybernetic, it was not the part that was flooded with blinding desire. He was aware of nothing but the feel of her lush body, the taste of her sweet tongue tangling with his, and the sound of her desperate breaths.
He pulled back, her pants filling his ears. “Tell me.”
She tipped her head back, her eyes dazed. “Tell you what?”
“Tell me you want me to claim you.” He saw her pupils dilate, and he lowered his head until his lips touched the petal-softness of her ear. “Tell me you want me inside you.”
Her body jerked, but he did not release his grip on her. “I can feel how much you want me. Why are you fighting it, Shreya?”
“I shouldn’t want you.” Her words were barely a whisper.
“But you do. You know that you’re mine, and I was meant to be inside you, claiming you as my mate.” His tongue flicked the edge of her ear. “Fucking you hard.”
Her entire body convulsed, and her fingers bit into his back. “Yes, Vox.”
“Yes, what?” he prodded, arching his back as her fingers scraped over his fiery nodes.
She took his face in her hands, her gaze molten as their eyes met. “I want you. Now.”
Chapter Seventeen
Shreya could hear nothing but the roar of blood in her ears as he pulled her dress off her, his large hands ripping at the straps and tugging the layered fabric until she stood naked in the middle of the ship’s entryway.
The thought of Cerise floated briefly through her brain. Where was she? As a veteran of an alien whorehouse, Shreya suspected she’d grown accustomed to staying out of the way when things got hot and heavy, although she doubted many clients got it on in the foyer of the house.
Her cheeks flamed as she realized she was in the middle of the ship with nothing on, but the moment of embarrassment passed when she remembered only three beings were on board, and one of them was the gorgeous, ripped alien who’d practically torn her clothes off her.
Vox’s gaze raked over her body, and she barely noticed the red flash of his cybernetic eye. All she could see was the vein pulsing in his thick neck, and the fierce set of his jaw as he looked at her like a predator about to strike. He ran both hands down the sides of her body until he reached the swell of her hips, and he jerked her toward him. “You are mine. No one else’s.”
Normally, the straight-A, overachieving, women-can-do-anything-men-can-do version of herself would have bristled at the caveman sentiment, but she reveled in her surrender to him. She knew she shouldn’t savor the feeling of this huge, part-cyborg alien declaring that she belonged to him, but she did. She loved the way he looked at her and the way he wanted her—desperately and without any hesitation.
Something in him had changed since he’d first stolen her off the Drexian ship. She could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice. Maybe it was a result of the Kronock DNA degrading and the Drexian DNA asserting itself, or maybe it was his real personality bubbling up from under the layers of brainwashing, but whatever the reason, she knew he was different. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, or let anyone else hurt her.
This was what she’d never had, a man so mad for her that he’d sacrifice everything to be with her. She’d never experienced anything close to this type
of passion and obsession and desire, and she wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything.
Her body melted into his. “Only yours, Vox.”
His mouth crashed onto hers. If he hadn’t been holding her, Shreya’s knees would have given way. Though his mouth was insistent, his lips were soft and his tongue gentle as it stroked hers, sending ripples of pleasure down her spine.
Through her daze, she felt his hands move down to cup her ass. He lifted her, and she let her legs fall open before wrapping them around him.
Vox moved her so that her opening pressed again something thick and hard. Bloody hell, was that his cock? He rocked her against the length of him as he let out a low moan. Panic fluttered in her stomach, and she pulled back.
“You’re really big,” she said, catching her breath.
His own breath was ragged. “You do not like big?”
“It’s just…” Her cheeks burned. “I don’t know if I can take all of you.”
“We will start small,” he said, sliding his hand so that his fingers teased her wet opening.
She gasped as he slipped one thick finger inside her. “Nothing about you is very small.”
“You are small.” He buried his face in her neck with a groan. “And so warm and wet for me.”
She couldn’t help moving up and down on his finger, loving the sensation of stretching around him as he slid a second finger inside her. Moaning, she swiveled her hips, her hands gripping the slick, taut muscles of his shoulders for leverage.
As she moved faster, she reached around and found his nodes. Her fingers brushed one hot, hard bump, and Vox nipped her neck in response.
“You like that?” she whispered, circling a node with her fingertip and feeling it pulse.
A growl built deep in his chest, and he matched her pace as he pumped his fingers inside her. She rocked into him, her breaths jagged gasps as need and desire overtook her.
The curved metal of the ship echoed their moans and panting back to them, and the magnified sounds of their pleasure aroused her even more. She was already teetering on the edge, when he slipped one finger out of her, sliding it up to stroke her clit. The pad of his finger circled her slick bundle of nerves quickly, while also pivoting the finger still lodged inside her.
Her body detonated, her legs clamping him in a vise and her nails scoring his back as her muscles tensed around his finger again and again. Vox held her, his finger still caressing her clit while the other moved inside her until she sagged in his arms.
Her heart raced, as she reached down and started unbuttoning his pants.
“You are ready?” he asked, his own breath uneven.
She nodded. What she’d gotten was just a taste, and she needed more. She needed to feel his cock inside her, even if it was huge. When she unfastened his pants, he lifted her so that they dropped to his ankles.
Shreya was startled to see that he wasn’t wearing underwear, and wondered if it was a Drexian thing—although she felt sure she’d have heard a whisper about that on the Boat if going commando was a species trait—or a Kronock thing, or just a Vox thing.
Once she’d gotten past the no-underwear situation, she got her first full glimpse of his cock. She couldn’t even try to play it cool, as her mouth fell open. Standing out ramrod straight, it was long and thick, with veins running down the dark-bronze length. She felt a moment of relief that there was nothing cybernetic about it, although that didn’t make it less intimidating.
“I will go slow,” he murmured into her ear, then kissed his way across her jawline before capturing her mouth in his again.
His deep, sensual kisses distracted her, and she was only vaguely aware of being pressed harder against the wall. Her heart hammered in her chest as Vox dragged the tip of his cock through her slick folds. Panic mingled with desire, and she tried to pull away, but he kissed her more deeply, his tongue swirling with hers as he slowly pushed into her.
Even with only the crown of his cock inside, Shreya felt herself stretching painfully. Thoughts flooded her mind as she tried to move away from him. She couldn’t do this. He was too big. She didn’t know what she’d been thinking to try to take an alien as big as him.
She finally wrenched herself away. “Vox, I can’t.”
He met her gaze, drawing one finger over her bottom lip. “Shreya, you are mine.” With his other hand, he held her body steady as he thrust into her.
Air rushed out of her lungs as his cock filled her. She could feel herself stretching to take all of him, and her legs instinctively clamped around his waist. He held himself inside her as she grasped his shoulders, her arms shaking. After a moment, the discomfort went away, and then there was only the amazing feeling of being completely filled by him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She let out a deep sigh. “Better than okay.” She shifted, feeling his girth thick and hard inside her. “You feel so good.”
The veins in his neck pulsed, as he clenched his teeth.
“Are you okay?” she asked, watching a bead of sweat trickle down the hollow of his throat.
“You’re so tight.” The words escaped him in gasps.
Even though he didn’t move, Shreya lifted herself and sank down again. Vox dropped his head back and let out a guttural sound, spurring her to do it again. She’d thought being filled by him felt good, but this felt even better.
He grasped her hips and lifted her even higher, bringing her down hard on his cock. “You like this?”
She couldn’t speak, she could only moan in response as they moved together to pump her up and down, moving faster and harder until the sound of skin slapping skin was almost as loud as her cries of pleasure.
“I want to see.” His voice was raw as he stepped back and tilted her body out so he could look down and see where his cock impaled her.
Instead of being embarrassed, Shreya loved the idea of him watching and she dropped her own eyes. “See how tight I’m stretched around your huge cock?”
He made a strangled noise, dragging himself almost all the way out and then slowly plunging back in. “You are mine.” He pumped again. “All of you is mine.”
“Yes, Vox.” She couldn’t imagine anything ever feeling as good as this, as a scorching heat tore through her and she reared up, bucking as she clawed at his shoulders.
He pistoned into her a few more times until he let out a roar that rattled the walls, and a warm heat pulsed inside her. After a final tremble, he braced one palm against the wall and leaned her against it.
Shreya sagged forward, resting her cheek on his chest and hearing the knocking of his heart. Her entire body shook, and she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to walk for days. She also knew one thing for sure. There was no going back now.
Chapter Eighteen
Vox held Shreya to his chest with one arm, even though he was afraid his legs might buckle if he did not release her. He didn’t want the feeling to end, and he loved feeling her heart beat and hearing her panting for breath. It was enough to make him want to start moving her on his cock again, since he was still inside her and still hard.
“You can let me down if you need to,” she said, her breath coming out in soft puffs against his chest.
“I am fine,” he said.
She laughed. “I can feel your legs shaking, Vox.”
Only when she mentioned it did he notice the trembling in his legs, his muscular thighs twitching as if he’d run a long race. “If I do, can you stand?”
She lifted her head from his chest, and he immediately missed the warmth of her cheek. “Stand, yes. Walk? I’m not so sure.” She gasped as he shifted his grip on her hips. “Do Drexians not go soft, or is it a Kroock thing? Or a cyborg thing?”
“Soft?” He saw her eyes dart down and realized what she meant. “Oh. I guess it is a Drexian thing. We can go several times before losing hardness.”
She murmured something under her breath he thought might be a human curse, but she did not sound angry.
&n
bsp; “Does it bother you?” he asked, hoping he was not hurting her.
“Bother me?” Her already flushed cheeks became pinker. “Not exactly, but I don’t know if I’ll survive several more times. At least not right now.”
“We do not have to.” His gaze wandered to the hard points of nipples, the skin dusky but flushed. He wanted to take them in his mouth, but he knew then he would not be able to stop himself from pinning her to the wall again. Even the thought of tasting her made his cock twitch and made Shreya suck in breath.
Although he hated the idea of not being inside her, he gingerly lifted her off his stiff cock and lowered her feet to the floor. She leaned into him as she regained her balance, and he wrapped both arms around her. Being inside her had been the best thing he’d ever felt, but he also liked holding her like that, her small body pressed against his.
After a few deep breaths, she cleared her throat. “I can’t believe we did that.”
“Did you not like it?”
“Oh, I liked it. I didn’t know I could like it that much.”
He tightened his arms around her. “Then you would like to do it again?”
She laughed again. “Do you want to do it again?”
He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she was looking up at him. “You are mine, Shreya. I plan to take you so many times you will forget there was ever anyone but me.”
She blinked quickly, her eyes shining, then she pulled him down and into a deep kiss that he felt in the tips of his toes.
“I hate to interrupt.” Cerise’s high voice broke the spell, and Shreya jumped back.
Vox could see the back of the alien’s pink wig as she faced away from them in the passageway leading to the cockpit. Shreya darted around the circular space, snatching her dress off the floor and pulling it on quickly.
