by Tana Stone
A flash of irritation made me growl. “I thought you were in some kind of distress. I was trying to save you.”
Her gaze lowered. “I thought you never wanted to see me again the way you ran out earlier.”
I thought back to my stormy exit. “I needed to share what you told me with my command officers. I am sorry if I led you to believe…”
“That you hated my guts and were regretting ever asking me to be your mate,” she finished for me, her gaze darting to mine before dropping again.
“I never hated you. I was upset to learn that the enemy knows as much as they do, and I reacted strongly.”
She gave a single nod but did not look up. “I should have told you sooner. I don’t know why I didn’t. It’s all been such a whirlwind and then you mentioned being your mate, and I didn’t know what to think about that. I mean, we hardly know each other and that’s a big step, and then I guess I forgot that I’d promised to tell you everything I knew. Then you ran in talking about the blockade, and I remembered things. I never meant to keep secrets from—”
I put a finger to her lips to stop the nervous chatter spilling from her like water from a Vilidian geyser. “I understand.”
Finally, she peered up at me. “You do?”
“I forget that all this is new to you, and you are still recovering from your escape from the empire. I should not have added my idea to be mates on top of everything.”
“Oh.” She bit her lower lip. “Do you want to take it back? I wouldn’t blame you if you did.”
Even though I’d considered it, looking down at her amber eyes framed with long lashes banished all thoughts of that from my mind. In that moment, I did want her to be my mate—and I knew deep down that strategy had little to do with it anymore. “I did not say I wanted to take it back, but you have also not given me your answer.”
She furrowed her brow. “So, you still want to take me as a mate? You don’t have to. I’ve told you everything I remember, and if I think of anything else, I’ll tell you anyway. Just please don’t return me to the admiral.”
Even with her hair wet and water dripping down her face, she was beautiful. My heart squeezed as she peered up at me. “I promised you sanctuary, and I have no intention of going back on my promise. Just as I have no intention of taking back my request that you be my mate.”
A smile teased the corner of her mouth. “In that case, yes.”
“Yes?” Was she saying what I thought she was?
“I’ve decided I’ll be your mate.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest, taking me by surprise. “I am glad.”
Rachael eyed me and my soaking wet kilt. “Are you sure this isn’t one of your moves?”
“My moves? I do not understand.”
Her tentative smile widened. “Saving the damsel in distress isn’t part of the Vandar seduction playbook?”
I did not know what the female was talking about, but I did know that I was soaking wet in my battle kilt and still standing in the bathing pool. “The Vandar do not have a seduction playbook. We do not need one.”
She gave me a look that told me she didn’t believe me.
I hoisted myself over the stone ledge and landed on the floor, droplets splattering around me. “If you are fine, I will leave you to your bathing.”
Rachael dipped below the surface of the water until only her shoulders were above. “You don’t have to leave.” She moved her arms out in front of her, her hands cutting through the water as if she was swimming. “You could join me.”
Drops of water plopped steadily on the shiny floor beneath me as I stood watching her. Her pupils were wide, and she licked her lips as she eyed me. Was she suggesting what I thought she was? If so, she was embracing being my mate even more readily than I’d expected her to.
I loosened my belt and let it fall to the floor. Her eyes tracked my movements, her pupils widening as she stared at the bulge beneath my kilt.
“I wasn’t sure when the agreement officially started. I mean, I didn’t know when you wanted to…I assume to get mating marks we’re supposed to…”
Her nervous patter of words was a reminder that she was younger than me, and no doubt much less experienced. If she’d been saved to be a bride for a Zagrath admiral, it was possible she was untouched. That thought made my own stomach flutter. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her, even though I ached to claim her.
My gaze shifted to the goblet on the side of the pools and back to her flushed cheeks. “You’ve been drinking.”
She twitched one shoulder up. “A little. Just while I was waiting for you. You were gone a long time, and I was worried.”
“I would not take advantage of a female who has been drinking Vandar wine.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Take advantage? You think I’m too drunk to know what I’m doing?”
I did not know her well enough to know how much wine she could tolerate, but Vandar wine was powerful, and she was slight. “I think we should wait until you have gotten some rest. You have had a long day.”
She stood up fully in the water, smacking her palm against the surface. “You think I’m some kind a child who doesn’t know her own mind, don’t you?”
I wanted to tell her that I didn’t, but my mouth had gone dry as she pulled herself over the stone ledge and swung her legs down to the floor. Water streamed down her naked body as she stood in front of me, her hands on her flared hips. I might have been terrified of the flash in her eyes if I hadn’t been mesmerized by the sight of her perfect curves.
“I may not have traveled halfway across the galaxy like you, but I’m not a child who can be told what she needs.” She closed the distance between us and dipped her hand beneath the sopping wet leather of my kilt, wrapping her warm hand around my cock before I knew what was happening. “I know exactly what I want, Toraan.”
My cock was as hard as it had ever been in my life as her small fingers moved up and down.
Tvekking hell! The female had me by the cock. So much for not taking advantage of her.
Chapter 17
Rachael
I wasn’t sure why I’d decided to grab his cock, but once I did, I couldn’t exactly back down—even though my hand wouldn’t close all the way around the huge thing, and it was even longer than I’d expected.
Not your best move, Rachael. You wanted to show him that you’re a grown woman. Now what?
This wasn’t the same thing as seducing the stable boy. Toraan was a Raas of the Vandar and about twice the size of the boy I’d sweet-talked into taking my virginity in the hay loft. He was the warlord of a violent horde of aliens. Not to mention, he had a tail and carried an axe.
My heart beat fast as I stared up at him. He’d barely flinched since I’d grabbed him, his muscles taut and only the very tip of his tail quivering. He was clearly trying to control himself, as he clenched his hands by his sides, and his molten gaze bored into me.
Even though we’d just made a deal to become mates, I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me. But for some reason, I desperately wanted to prove myself to him—to prove I wasn’t as clueless or inexperienced as he probably thought I was.
Dropping my gaze, I swallowed hard as the blood thundered in my ears. Dropping my gaze, I found the buckle to his kilt and worked it with one hand, the other still firmly gripping his cock. When I got it unfastened, I moved my hand, and the wet leather fell to the floor.
“You should not,” he said, his voice husky and low.
My eyes were riveted to the sight of his cock—thick, and etched with dark swirling marks as it jutted out from his body. I hadn’t known the Vandar mating marks were also on their cocks. I ran my fingers over the curling lines, curiosity overpowering my nerves. “Why not? I thought this was what you wanted. Isn’t this what mates are supposed to do?”
Although my words sounded confident, my pulse was going like a trip wire. Even the Vandar wine, which had made me feel sexy and powerful when I was in the bathing pools, was only a memory
. Touching him had cleared the fog from my head, although heat pulsed between my legs as I stroked him.
He reached a hand down and clamped it over mine, stopping my fingers from feathering over the surprisingly velvety skin of his shaft. “Not when you are drunk on wine and not thinking straight.”
I tried to tug my hand from his grip. “Who says I’m drunk?”
He did not release my hand. “You are slurring your words.”
Shit. So much for sounding sophisticated and sultry. I must have sounded ridiculous. The back of my eyes burned as humiliation washed over me. Instead of making myself look worldly, I must have seemed even more like a child to him. A child who couldn’t hold her liquor.
“Fine. If that’s what you want.” My cheeks burned as I jerked my hand back harder, and he released me. I attempted to walk out of the bathroom with as much dignity as I could, but when I reached the bedroom, it struck me that my clothes were behind me on the floor.
I stifled a groan. No way was I going back for them. I stomped to the bed and pulled back the dark, silky sheets. Even though I was dripping water, I got in bed and tugged the sheets up over my shoulders, turning away from the bathroom door.
Had Toraan actually turned me down? I fumed as I lay in bed. Who cares if I drank a little wine? Anyone would need a few drinks to handle what he had between his legs. My pulse fluttered just thinking about it, and imagining what it would be like inside me. The stable boy had been fun, but he hadn’t prepared me for that.
There were no sounds behind me—not the sounds of the Raas storming out or getting dressed or even splashing in the pools. I lay in the dark room and sleep began to overtake me. As much as I did not want to admit that I was tired, my eyes sagged with exhaustion and a yawn escaped my lips.
Then the bed shifted next to me as Toraan’s heavy body got in on the opposite side. Even though the bed was large, he was so much heavier than me that the pillowy surface sank under his weight, and I rolled toward him. I put my hands out, keeping my body from bumping into his, and my fingers touched bare flesh. The Vandar was completely naked.
“You aren’t wearing anything,” I said.
“Neither are you.”
He had a point. I’d never actually slept naked. On Horl, I’d had a collection of prim nightgowns, and my mother had dutifully packed a collection of new ones when she’d sent me off to marry the admiral. They had long sleeves and high necklines, and she’d instructed me to keep them on and let my husband move them aside as needed. “I don’t have anything to wear to sleep.”
“Vandar do not wear clothes when we sleep.”
“Oh.” The thought of sleeping naked beside the warlord every night sent a thrill through me. “Even the females?”
“Even the females.” His voice held a hint of amusement. “Does it bother you to be unclothed? Would you feel safer if you slept in the Raisa’s chamber?”
I glanced at the doorway on the other side of the room, shaking my head as I thought of the sadness that hung over that bedroom like a shroud. “No way.”
He cocked his head at me. “It is that bad? I have always thought it was an appropriate sleeping chamber.”
“I’d rather sleep naked than sleep in there.” I said, even though sleeping without clothes would take some getting used to. There was a lot on the alien ship that did not feel natural. I would have to adapt to the Vandar traditions if I was to be the Raas’ mate. “Is it normal for Vandar males and females to have separate bedrooms?”
“No, but the Raisa it was built for was delicate and needed a great deal of sleep. My uncle, who preceded me as Raas, wanted to keep her close to him but he was known for his own restless sleep.”
“I guess that makes sense, but it’s also a little sad.”
The Raas looked away from the doorway. “It does not matter. It was never used, and I have no intention of taking a mate and sending her to sleep alone.” He met my eyes. “Is it customary on your planet for mates to sleep apart?”
I thought about my own parents and their separate bed chambers. “Even if it was, I wouldn’t want to.”
“No?”
I shook my head. “I want to please you, so you won’t send me away.”
He was quiet for a moment, then he shifted to face me in the dark. “I will never send you away.”
“You don’t know me. What if you discover that I snore or kick in my sleep? What if I steal the sheets? What if you decide you don’t like me, and don’t want to take me as your mate?”
“Do you snore?”
“I don’t think so, but I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before.”
“I have spent a good part of my life on a Vandar warbird surrounded by warriors. I was not always Raas. For ages, I served as an apprentice, which mean I slept in communal chambers. If I can sleep through the sounds of dozens of warriors snoring and grunting and pleasuring themselves, I can withstand the sounds of a tiny, human female.” He reached out and stroked a finger down my cheek. “Are you afraid I will snore?”
I’d never thought of that. “Do you snore?”
This time he let out a throaty chuckle. “No.”
“That still doesn’t solve the problem of you not knowing me,” I said. “How can you be sure you want me? I know you’re doing this to strike a blow to the empire, but taking me as your mate means you have to live with me. According to my mother, I’m too independent.”
“I like independent,” he said. “I like that you ran from the empire. I like that you are unafraid. You will be a good mate to a Vandar.”
“I’m not unafraid,” I confessed.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Not really. But you are bigger than any other male I’ve ever met. By a lot.”
“That did not stop you from grabbing my cock.”
My face heated, and I was glad he couldn’t see it in the dark. “I was trying to behave like I thought a Vandar female would, and I wanted to please you.”
“You do not need to worry about pleasing me.” He cupped my chin in his hand. “There will be time for that when you are rested, and have not had an entire flagon of wine for yourself. Now, you should sleep.”
The faint light from the fire outlined his face in the dark. Before I’d thought the shadows made him appear fierce. Now I wanted to touch the sharp lines of his face and to feel his skin. I put my hand on his cheek and leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips. “Good night, Raas.”
Instead of replying, he pulled my head to his, deepening the kiss. His lips were strong but also soft, and pleasure jolted through me as they moved against mine. When he pulled away, he dragged the pad of his thumb across my lips. “Good night, Raisa.”
He rolled onto his back, leaving me breathing hard and more awake and aroused than I wished to be. I blew out a breath, feeling the slickness between my thighs. It was going to be a long night.
Chapter 18
Toraan
When I woke it was still dark. I had the lights in my quarters set to illuminate at a set time each cycle, but I could tell that it was long from the time I needed to rouse. For a moment, I wondered why I was awake, then I heard the breathy sounds next to me.
I stilled even more so I could be sure I was hearing what I thought I was. Although the room was dark—even the blue flames of the fire were low—it was clear that Rachael was moving next to me. Not a lot, but enough to explain the uneven breaths and the quiet jerks beneath the sheet.
At first, I was shocked that she was pleasuring herself while I slept. Then I reminded myself that I’d been the one to insist we go to sleep and then had kissed her intensely enough that my own arousal had kept me awake longer than I would have liked. Then I thought about the pretty female touching herself, and any shock evaporated as my cock hardened.
I wanted to be absolutely motionless so I could enjoy the sounds of the female wriggling and panting, but my cock had another idea, tenting the sheet as it rose.
Rachael stopped. “Are you awake?”
“Yes, but you don’t have to stop.”
“Shit. You weren’t supposed to wake up. I was trying to be quiet about it, since you thought I was too drunk on Vandar wine to do anything.” Her voice got louder as she talked, and it ended up as almost a shriek.
“Are you angry with me?”
She exhaled loudly. “No.”
“Would you like me to help?”
She head snapped over to me. “Help?”
Without saying another word, I tore back the sheets so I could see her. The points of her breasts were rock-hard, and her legs were slightly splayed. I rolled over so that I hovered above her, bracing my arms on either side of her.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to…”
I shook my head. “I never said I didn’t want to. I said I should not since you were under the influence of very strong Vandar wine.”
“So, what changed?”
“Nothing.” I leaned close and inhaled deeply at her neck. “I do not need to fuck you to give you pleasure.”
Her body quivered as I moved my lips from her throat down to her chest, brushing them softly over her tight peaks, and then kissing my way down her stomach. When I reached her sex, I breathed deeply again, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her arousal. “Open your legs for me.”
She didn’t hesitate, spreading her legs for me so I could settle myself between them. I dragged a finger between her smooth folds, a low rumble escaping my throat. “You’re soaked.”
“Well, you got me kind of worked up.”
“I did?” I looked up across the curves of her body, silhouetted in the dark. Even without much light, I could see her gaze locked on mine.
“With that kiss,” she whispered. “No one has ever kissed me like that.”
A strange sensation of pride and possessiveness stormed through me. I liked that no male had kissed her like I had. I met her gaze and held it. “You understand what it means to be mine? You know that no one will ever touch you again but me? Once you are claimed by a Raas, it is for life.”
