by Corin Cain
And I need to seed her, because she is not with my child – not yet.
Until she is, the Bond will continue building and building in our minds, until our attraction towards each other reaches a fevered crescendo. Only when she has one our sons in her belly will we be sated – and when that child is born, and she’s fertile once again, the Bond will reactivate.
That’s the cycle of it – the purpose of our species. There’s no greater honor to an Aurelian than to have a biological heir. Every Elite of our society would trade their status in a heartbeat for the chance at their Fated Mate.
I ache for another chance to release myself into Tasha and impregnate her. I can feel her aura on the ship, and that nearness calms me. As long as I have her, I have everything.
I can tell Tasha thinks I’m not as smart as the other two Aurelians of my triad. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t waste my time on useless thoughts when my talents lie elsewhere. With the power of the Bond, our lives and business will become more than just a protection company – working to keep private miners safe. Iunia and Aelon will have big ideas for us. I’ll follow, and I’ll make sure everyone is safe.
As long as I can keep her safe and secure, that’s all that matters to me.
I grunt as I rep out the final push. I’ve done thirty repetitions at a weight I would have been trapped beneath just this morning.
Will my natural-born sons have this gift? I imagine teaching my sons how to wrestle. How to fight. How to kill. How to protect those who are weak – and how to make an honest living out of the violence of the universe.
They’ll be strong – perhaps even stronger than me. Aurelians born of a human mother are more powerful than those born in the cryo-chambers, that’s for sure. My sons will be rulers – generals, captains, and commanders. They’ll forge their legacies across the universe.
Legacies of blood and fire as we claim what is ours.
I roar as I slam the weights back into the rack and finally stand. Even after all that, I’m still not satisfied. I’ve still got all this energy boiling up inside my body – energy that demands a response. I rush to the punching bag and slam my fist into it.
The bag rips apart under my punch, breaking from the chain and slamming against the wall. My eyes widen. That was only a half-powered punch, and it was powerful enough to have crushed the armor of a Scorp like a pork rind.
I’ll be formidable on the battlefield – but that won’t give me the satisfaction I seek. I’ll only have relief when I’m back inside of her.
I can’t lose her.
If I have to tie Tasha up – put her in chains, and lock her in a pleasure room – we shall. I can’t lose her. I ache to go to her now, but she needed to be alone. I have to respect that...
…I cannot lose everything to the Bond.
But I relish in her aura. Tasha is so fresh – so clean. She has stress weighing on her – I can tell that through our Bond – and I want to take it from her. I want to rub her sore muscles and relax her. I want Tasha to know nothing but safety and protection for the rest of her life.
With my triad defending her, she’ll never have to run again. She’s struggled her whole life. I can feel her resolution and her determination and I want to sooth it. Tasha is a fighter – a survivor – and I’m so proud to call her my Fated Mate.
The image of Tasha tied up in a pleasure room is tempting…
…but it cannot be.
Tying her up and keeping her by force would only make a woman like Tasha crave escape all the more. She’s a wild one, that Tasha – and she’s been roaming the universe for years on her own, as the captain of her own ship. She might crave the submission of our frenzied mating, but nothing can change her nature as a born leader.
I grin to myself. Humans are so… brief. A normal human woman comes and goes in the blink of an eye. They aren’t worth getting to know better. It’s just a recipe for pain and heartbreak if you allow a human to mean anything to you.
But Tasha is different. I’ll now be able to learn who she really is over thousands of years. We’ll grow closer together with each year we spend together, as we nurture the Bond over our family – creating new life and saving the future of my ancient race.
She is salvation.
The rage that lurks in me has lost its edge. I still ache for the cleansing of combat, but fighting can no longer compare to the peace I felt when I was inside of Tasha. Finally, the world made perfect sense – only as I claimed my Fated Mate.
I stretch, enjoying my new-found strength, feeling it surge through my enhanced body – ready for anything.
If those Toads come back…
…well, they’re not just dealing with Aurelians any longer. They’re dealing with Bonded Aurelians. We’ll do anything to protect our Fated Mate.
And that’s when a worry suddenly lurks at the back of mind.
I want to keep Tasha safe – and battle is the furthest place from safety. Certainly, we’ve never lost a battle before – not under Aelon’s command – but as much as I like killing Toads, one unlucky shot from their firepower could hit our shields at just the right position…
If they found some weak spot, right above where Tasha was stationed…
Gods!
I’ve never been worried before. If I’d died in a battle, I’d die. That’s karma – that’s fate. Now, however, I feel an uneasy tendril of fear – one like I’ve never experienced before.
I don’t want to lose her.
But could Tasha respect a man who turns from a fight?
10
Tasha
The feeling of their auras going farther and further away wakes me up.
Two of my Aurelians, Iunia and Vinicus, are now leaving The Instigator – descending to the surface of Tarrion, the green giant below.
There, they’ll set up anti-air batteries and wait in ambush for the coming attack…
…wait a second.
My Aurelians?
I can’t think of them like that! Not when I’m going to be leaving them behind like a memory.
I shake my head. It’s so strange to be waking up alone in bed and yet feeling them in my mind. I can still feel them in my body, too. I’m sore from their passionate lovemaking – and I’m probably going to limping for at least a day or two.
The auras of Vinicus and Iunia have the constant feeling of waiting – taut and ready to spring to action. I sense they want a fight, just like their Captain and leader.
But in contrast, Aelon is stressed and on the edge. It’s so strange. Now, I finally understand that his cocky nonchalance is merely hiding the immense pressure he’s under. He’d love to be on the ground with his triad, waiting for the Toads to swoop into their ambush, so he can wipe them out of the sky. Aelon’s hatred for the species burns like a sun.
Speaking of which – my ass is still burning from yesterday. The Bond was nice enough to turn that pain to pleasure during sex, but now it’s just sore.
“Could you give me some relief?” I plead to the Bond, as if it’s something sentient.
Now that’s a scary thought!
The Bond – it’s a completely… alien experience. It’s not like being drunk, or on drugs. It’s just this constant itch. I know it can only be sated when I’m in bed, tangling with the three magnificent warriors.
I’ll guess I’ll just have to learn to deal with that itch if I’m leaving them.
Which means my ass burning is the least of my worries.
I stand up and stretch. I’ve got an escape plan to put into action – one that’s relying more on luck than I’d like to risk. It will require full concentration and fortune’s favor to pull off. I’m just glad we’re a small team of trusted crewmembers. I’d trust Sawoot with my life – and, as for Theme, I know he’ll do as he’s told and can pull through with the proper support.
As for the rest of my so-called crew – well, they tried to rebel before. Not being responsible for Chris anymore will be the one blessing that came from that rough span
king. It was a hard pill to swallow when I realized that I’d hired Chris and his ilk out of insecurity. I’d told myself it was because they were good at their jobs – when, in reality, it was because I needed to feel like I could lead men who didn’t respect me.
I’ve had years of experience dealing with rough men, but I’d need a couple more decades to feel comfortable trying to deal with those three Aurelians. They are masculinity taken to its most extreme – with all the negatives and positives that come with it.
Now, though, I’m only responsible for those who I can trust, and who respect me.
Sawoot and Theme.
We’re getting out of here – tonight.
I don’t trust Captain Aelon. I can sense the possessiveness oozing through his aura and into my being. He’s trying to pull us closer together. He views me as his now that we’re Bonded.
Aelon’s going to experience a harsh realization when I bust the three of us out of here and never see his triad again.
I test their auras in my mind. The more I focus on them, the clearer they feel in my head. Next, I focus on ignoring them, and their auras grow smaller. I feel less of their emotions in my mind, and it even gets hard to pinpoint which direction they’re in.
I can’t quite make them disappear from my mind – but I can mute them out, like I’m putting on noise-cancelling headphones. I bet with practice I could shut the three of them out of my mind almost altogether. It’s going to be a skill I need to learn if I want to make it harder for Aelon, Vinicus and Iunia to chase me down.
I check the cupboards in this bed chamber, trying to find something to wear that isn’t rough and cheap – the only two words that could describe my wardrobe from before I met the Aurelians.
There’s a knock at the door. I know it’s not one of my Bonded triad. I might not be able to pinpoint their exact locations, but I can sense they aren’t on the other side of that door right now.
“Who is it?”
“Garrick. I have a delivery for you from the Captain. May I open the door?”
That might be the most this stoic alien has said to me in all the time I’ve known him. Garrick is a reminder that not all Aurelians are like Captain Aelon, who always seems intent to get the last word in.
“Hold on a second. I’m not decent.”
I jump under the covers of the bed. Garrick has been nothing but respectful, but I don’t want to test his resolve if he opens the door and finds a nude human woman waiting for him. Even the best of Aurelians could snap.
“Okay!” I finally yell, when I’m safely hidden beneath the covers.
The door opens, only for a split second – just enough time for Garrick to throw a bag inside. Then, he shuts the door without looking at me. I smile. He’s an honorable man. It would be so much easier if I was Bonded to him. If he has demons, he at least hides them well.
I throw the covers aside and walk naked to the bag. I pull it open – and smile at the sight of the dozen dresses enclosed within.
I pull one out, and my gratitude sours.
One after one, I pull out the dresses. It would take three of these skimpy outfits to make one modest item of clothing. I’m now left facing the choice between wearing a thin slip of barely-more-than-lingerie, or going back to my uncomfortable, dirty, sweaty old pants – that had seen better days even before I bought them.
“Ugh.”
I pick out a yellow dress at random, slipping it over myself. I’ve worn a dress maybe three or four times in my entire life and it just feels so… unnatural.
When I look at myself in the mirror, I can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous I appear. I don’t look much like the captain of a ship anymore. Now, I look like a little pleasure slave.
Aelon can dress me up for the part, but that won’t make me become it. He’s quickly going to find out that I’m not just some toy for his use. He thinks of himself as my owner, but that’s not true. I’m a free woman. I can’t be held captive, and I won’t submit to him – not unless I want to on my own terms; to experience the sweet release of complete surrender.
Sweet surrender I will never feel again.
But I can’t stop thinking about them. The way the bodies of those three Aurelians intertwined so perfectly with mine. I’ve always like bigger guys, especially more muscular ones, but I’ve never felt an attraction as powerful as this before.
When our bodies molded together in the heat of passion – Iunia, Aelon or Vinicus – it was as if we truly became one. When I felt them cumming deep inside of me, our bodies writhing and moving in the rhythm of our need, I’d felt a satisfaction like I’d never thought possible. Every worry I had disappeared in that moment of sweet release.
“It’s just the Bond,” I tell myself, smoothing the dress out.
I say the words to convince myself, but they fail. The Bond might make it more intense, but if even a fraction of the attraction and pull I feel towards those three Aurelians is real, then it exceeds anything I’ve ever felt before. Their kiss alone made every romantic encounter of my past seem like a shadow in comparison – a cheap reflection compared to the realness of their passion.
So, what am I going to do with myself?
The years are going to be lonely – the thousands of years.
Pushing the three Aurelians out of my mind – reducing their auras to faint circles in my consciousness – is ultimately only going to make things worse. I’ll always know they’re in there, and I’ll always know why we can’t be together.
I can’t let those men raise my children. Not with Aelon’s violence and willingness to take huge risks for a prize as intangible as vengeance against the species he hates. No man with so much hate could possibly have room for love.
But that means I will have no love in my future.
Any human man I marry will grow old and die while I stay young. Any children I bear will wither in front of my very eyes. What horror could there be worse than that? Worse than a mother losing her child? I can’t bear to put that on myself.
I have two choices, then: A life of loneliness, or to deal with those possessive, dominant aliens – the ones who drive me mad with pleasure and yet infuriate me in every other way.
“Focus on your crew.”
This time, I say the words with conviction. I center myself, grabbing the bag of clothes. Sawoot and I are the same size and she’ll like these dresses better than the rough clothes she has aboard my ship.
I open the door, and Garrick’s triad looks away – as if they don’t trust themselves seeing me in such a skimpy dress. They truly are a gallant group. These three aren’t like other Aurelians, who’d be staring at me hungrily, imagining ripping apart the thin fabric of this dress and forcing me hard against the wall.
Why couldn’t I be Bonded to this triad?
These three are so noble – so strong and powerful, yet without any of the bad qualities of other Aurelians.
However, I guess life would be too easy if that were so.
I can hear Sawoot’s snores through the door to her room. Garrick and his triad must be able to hear them too. She’s never admitted she snores, and she’s slapped a couple of guys who insisted she sounds like a ship’s engine when she sleeps, but I know the truth.
I knock on the door three times before it opens.
Sawoot is bleary-eyed and completely naked in bed. The doors close behind me as I step inside.
“What time is it?” Sawoot yawns. I can’t believe she’s so relaxed – especially when we’re going to have the escape of our lives tonight. My own sleep was fitful, and my dreams were filled with the bodies of the three men who torment my fevered mind.
Sawoot yawns, stretching, and then her eyes widen. She starts laughing. “What are you wearing?”
“Captain Aelon has a sense of humor – but you’d better stop laughing, unless you want to get back into your sweaty clothes from yesterday. I’ve got a couple dresses for you to choose from.”
I throw the bag of clothes towards her. Sawoot opens the
bag eagerly, picking out a blue dress that is just as sheer as mine. “Oooh. This is going to look good on me.”
“Really? You go from making fun of me, to wanting to wear something similar?”
She shrugs. “These are nice dresses. I just know you feel like a fraud wearing them, so I had to tease you.” Then, she looks up. “Aelon might be annoyed you’re giving me one.”
“Well, Aelon can choke on that when we’re safely away from him.”
Even though she’s the same size as me, Sawoot looks so much better in the dress than I do. She was always made to wear fancy things.
As she examines herself in the mirror, Sawoot warns me: “A guy doesn’t just give you dresses for nothing. So, you slept with him last night, didn’t you?”
I want to throw up. I can’t meet her eyes.
“I’m… I’m Bonded to them.”
She gasps, spinning around. “You lucky bitch!”
“Sawoot!”
“Sorry! Sorry, I just… Wow!” She steps over, grabbing my hands. “You’re going to live thousands of years, Tasha! Oh, my God, that’s… What does it feel like? I can’t even imagine.”
Tears fill my eyes, and Sawoot suddenly realizes she’s said the wrong thing.
“It means I can never love, Sawoot,” I sniff. “How could I? How could I watch the man I love grow old and die? My children? My grandchildren?”
Sawoot cringes. “Shit – I never considered that. I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
I shake my head, forcing out the bleak thoughts. They’re just distractions, after all.
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change anything tonight. The plan is still on.”
“You’re strong enough to be able to leave when Bonded?” Sawoot’s eyes narrow. “Shit, maybe I’m Bonded to Garrick.” Then, she shakes her head. “No, that would be too much to hope for.”
I snort. “I wish I was. He’s a good guy. Not like… my triad.”
“Your triad? If you think of them that way, it’s going to be even harder to leave them behind.” Sawoot steps closer. “So, what’s it like? Being Bonded? I’ve always wondered.”
