by Presley Hall
I smile at that, snuggling against him. It’s a bold promise, and I’m not entirely sure he could keep it—but I know he would try, and that means everything to me.
“This is real?” I ask hesitantly. “You’re sure? I’m your Irisa?”
Druxik nods. “I have no doubt. You are mine, as I am yours. And now we’ve consummated it. There’s no going back.” His brows draw together, his face suddenly troubled. “You don’t regret it, do you?”
I shake my head quickly. “No! Of course not. It’s just… since we were rescued, I’ve watched the other women form mate bonds with the warriors. And all this time, I never expected it to happen to me. I knew I couldn’t get pregnant, so I just thought that the bond would… skip over me. That it wouldn’t choose me.”
Druxik’s arm tightens around me, and he kisses my forehead gently. “All of us Kalixians have been given hope because of the offspring on the way, thanks to our pairings with the Terran women. But, Cora, that’s not what the mate bond is.”
Surprise ripples through me. “It’s not?”
His fingers trail through my hair, and he shifts slightly so that he can meet my eyes better. “No. It’s not just a means to produce children. It’s about connecting two halves of a whole, about finding two separate pieces that fit together more perfectly than they ever would with anyone else. You were always meant for me, no matter what. The bond is about more than children. It’s about finding a true partner.”
He leans down and kisses me again, stroking my lower lip with his thumb when he pulls back. He hasn’t stopped touching me since we finished, as if he can’t bear to have his hands off me.
“That’s why we say ‘my soul has recognized yours,’” he murmurs. “Because it goes that deep. As deep as the soul.”
Tears burn my eyes as I look up at him. I can see the sincerity in his face, the devotion, the certainty that this is right. And it feels right to me too—more than anything else ever has.
“I love that phrase,” I whisper softly. “I always thought it sounded like such a beautiful thing to say. But I never expected to hear it said to me.”
“I’ll say it to you as many times as you wish.” He kisses me again, a soft brush of his lips, and I relax into his arms.
I struggled so much back on Earth, after my illness and recovery, with how to even go about dating. It went beyond just my insecurities with my appearance. How do you broach that subject with someone you hardly know? How do you tell them that you were once deathly ill, that a part of you has been removed? That if they want children, you can’t give that to them?
It’s tough stuff for a first or second date. But by the same token, it feels deceitful to go very far into a relationship with anyone and not tell them something so vital. Too soon, and guys acted as if I were trying to trap them into a long-term relationship, mentioning babies and commitment already, even if I was just giving them a heads-up and not really asking for it. Too late, and they behaved as if I’d been lying to them, hiding things all along.
To have someone accept me so completely and choose me despite everything? It almost blows me away. I stopped hoping for it long before my abduction. And afterward, on Kalix—I tried my best to accept that romance and love and a mate weren’t in the cards for me. That I’d have to find happiness in other ways.
I reach up, stroking my fingertips over Druxik’s face, feeling the strong line of his cheekbone and the solidness of his jaw. His dark hair is thick and soft, and it’s a startling contrast to the slight roughness of his horns. I have a lifetime now to learn every inch of this man—he’s mine, entirely mine. And I’m his.
The idea still feels so foreign to me, but in a good way. Like being given a gift you never expected to have.
“My soul has recognized yours too,” I whisper, my lips close to his. He draws in a breath, his eyes brightening again as they meet mine. I can feel his cock responding, hardening against me as he drops his head to claim my mouth.
He rolls me onto my back once more, his body stretching out atop mine, one leg slipping between mine as he kisses me slowly.
“I was just inside you, and already, I crave you again,” he murmurs, his voice rough with desire as he strokes one hand down my waist and hip. It’s the robotic hand, the metal warmed now, and I hardly notice it—it’s just another part of him.
But even as my body responds to his touch, my nipples hardening and goosebumps spreading across my skin, I remember what I wanted to tell him—what I noticed earlier.
I pull back slightly, breaking the kiss, and grin up at him.
“You know,” I say, biting my bottom lip, “in the heat of things, you used your new arm without any struggle at all. All the movements were smoother and more natural than they’ve ever been before. It’s as if when you’re not thinking about it, it really is a part of you now.”
Druxik freezes. He blinks, as if he’s slowly processing my words. Then he smiles.
“You’re right,” he says cautiously, flexing his hand. With a broadening grin, he reaches up to caress my breast, squeezing it gently. The metallic fingers wrap around my flesh as if it were his natural hand, and I moan softly, my lashes fluttering as I look up at him.
“Do you like that?” he asks.
I nod fervently, biting my lower lip as my toes curl against the rumpled sheets. “Yes.”
His smile turns sinful as he releases my breast and glides his hand downward, toward the apex of my thighs. When the fingers of his robotic hand brush my clit, I yelp at the sensation, arching my hips to meet his touch.
“Krax. You’re so responsive,” Druxik rasps, swirling one silver fingertip around my sensitive little bud.
I want to make some crack about how our physical therapy sessions are about to get a whole lot more interesting, and about all the ways I can think of for him to practice his fine motor skills with that hand, but I can’t seem to get the words out. My breath is already coming faster, my body writhing restlessly as pleasure builds inside me like a swelling tsunami.
But Druxik’s mind has apparently been running along the same lines as mine, because he grins down at me as he slides a finger into my wet channel.
“You’re right. My connection to my arm is improving—thanks to you.” He hooks his finger, thrusting it in and out as he massages the perfect spot inside me. “You helped me every day. You pushed me to have faith in myself when I doubted I could do it. You stayed by my side even when you thought there was no mate bond between us.”
“God, Druxik,” I groan, my eyes practically rolling back in my head as he plays my body like an instrument built just for him. “Oh fuck…”
He adds a second finger, and the metallic digit slips in easily as his thumb finds my clit. “I owe you so much, my Irisa. I owe you everything. And I intend to show you how grateful I am that you’re mine.”
My body is already spiraling, on the edge of another orgasm that feels like it will erupt from deep inside me. All I can do is hold on to Druxik’s horns as he pushes me relentlessly toward the height of my pleasure.
And even as the first shudders of release shake my body, I know that this isn’t the end of what my mate will give me tonight.
It’s just the beginning.
16
Druxik
It’s late when Cora finally falls asleep next to me. We haven’t left the bed since the moment we both accepted the mate bond and I carried her to my bunk, and in this moment, I never want to. I’ve never felt so happy and content in all of my life.
Even my new arm, which I’ve despised since the moment I woke up and saw it, doesn’t seem so bad anymore. Having Cora as mine seems to bathe everything in a new and happier light.
Before this, the Alpha Force was my entire life. Being the best pilot on Kalix—maybe even one of the best in the universe—was the most important thing to me. But now, there’s something more. My life doesn’t begin and end with training, with missions, with battles.
Now, it begins and ends with Cora.
&
nbsp; And now that the destruction of the Orkun weapons base has given us hope for peace, I can imagine a life with her. One where I don’t have to fight and can dedicate myself to making my mate happy. One where we can travel together, exploring new worlds before returning home to Kalix.
Endless possibilities seem to stretch out before me, and I revel in each one of them as the thoughts drift through my head.
There’s no chance of a family for us, of course, but I meant it when I told Cora I don’t care about that. I never considered having children. Before the arrival of the Terran women, it was widely accepted as fact that there would never be any more Kalixian offspring. But even now that things have changed, I don’t feel as if a part of my life will be missing if I don’t have children.
In fact, the idea of having Cora all to myself forever doesn’t sound all that bad. Just me and her. And if she’s right, and my arm is becoming more synergized with my body, eventually my flying will improve. I’ll probably never be the master at it that I once was, but one day, Cora and I can go on the explorations that I’ve always dreamed of.
I feel a surge of hope in my chest, as if my world is expanding, bigger and full of more potential than I ever allowed myself to imagine.
My mate shifts against me in her sleep, and I look down at her. She’s so beautiful, her light brown hair curling around her face, her full lashes long and soft on her cheeks. She looks small next to my muscular body, but I know that her spirit is fierce and strong.
She might look fragile, but she’s as bold and brave as any warrior.
My perfect match. A spirited, adventurous woman.
I lean down, softly brushing a kiss over her lips. I don’t mean to wake her, but she stirs at the touch, her eyes fluttering open. As she registers me leaning over her, a smile curves her lips, and she reaches for me with no hesitation. She tilts her chin up, deepening the kiss as she moves against me, clearly ready for more.
My cock hardens immediately, pressing between her thighs, and she moans, her hips arching against me.
“Is it morning?” she mumbles against my lips, her hands tangling in my hair.
“A bit past that.” I chuckle softly.
The lights in the cabin began to brighten automatically quite a while ago, signaling the beginning of the day. I turned them down again to allow my Irisa to sleep, but it has to be near midday by now.
I know I should pull away, get up and find us some food and check in on my men. But her body is soft and warm, and she fits so perfectly in my arms…
Desire rises up in me sharply, my cock stiffening to its full hardness, prodding insistently between Cora’s legs. I can feel the urge to claim her again, the mating lust making itself known. If I give in to it, I’ll keep her here in bed for another day, and possibly another after that. I’ve heard of it going on for as long as a week before it begins to abate.
She reaches down, encircling my length with her long, delicate fingers, and strokes me gently.
“Mm,” she whispers, pressing herself against me. “I love feeling you like this.”
“Oh, gods.” I groan aloud, my hips thrusting into her hand without my meaning for them too.
My cock throbs in her grasp, desperate to sink into her body again. I can already imagine the velvety tightness of her channel, the blissful pleasure as I sink into her heat, the wild ecstasy as I spill myself inside her. I want it—no, I need it.
But there are others who need me too.
With a groan, I pull away from her, a pulse of desire that’s almost painful shooting through me as she lets go. I don’t want to leave her for even a second. But I’m the leader of this mission, and that comes with responsibilities. Ones that even the mating lust can’t excuse me from.
“I’ve got to check in with the others,” I tell her regretfully. “I need to make sure all is well and that we’re on track to reach Nierra safely. Will you stay here and wait for me? Just rest. I’ll take care of what I need to and come back with food.”
Cora grins at me, a wicked gleam in her eye as I slide out of bed, giving her a full view of my nakedness as I search for my loincloth. She sits up as I finally find it and begin to tie it on, leaning forward to stroke my cock underneath it as she tilts her head up for a kiss.
“Yes,” she murmurs deviously. “I’ll be here waiting. Don’t take too long, or I might start without you.”
“Krax.” I groan again, my body responding to both her hand on my shaft and the image of her touching herself. I bend to kiss her, carefully extricating myself from her grasp, and brush my knuckles over her cheekbone.
“I’ll be back soon, my Irisa,” I promise, then tear myself away so I can see to my duties.
Zhori is easy enough to find. He’s at the captain’s deck looking over the controls and he glances up as I walk in.
“Oh! Druxik.” He chuckles. “There you are. We’d begun to wonder if you were ever coming out again.”
I press my lips together, evading the obvious hint in his words. “Are we still moving smoothly along toward Nierra?”
“Yes. Everything is going according to plan,” Zhori assures me. “We’re monitoring it very closely, but it looks as if we’ll arrive on time with no issues. Of course, we’ll still need repairs before we can take off again. And there’s the small matter of the asteroid field between us and them. But as of now, there are no problems.” He looks over at me and grins. “You seem different. More cheerful. Been getting a lot of use out of that new hand?”
I narrow my eyes. “It’s behaving much better, yes.”
“None of us seem to have seen Cora either.” Zhori shakes his head, his dark blue eyes gleaming with amusement. “I hope she hasn’t gotten lost.”
“I can assure you, she’s perfectly fine.” I try to keep a straight face, but his mischievous teasing is too much. It’s impossible to keep my happiness hidden, and I’m certain he’s guessed the cause of it.
“I’m glad to see your rehabilitation sessions are going well,” he says. “You must be getting better with your new hand.”
“Just focus on the flying, all right? I could do a better job one-handed than you do with two,” I tell him, laughing as I turn back to the door.
“Don’t stay gone too long!” he calls out after me as I leave the captain’s deck. “Or I’ll send a search party.”
Over the next few days, it’s hard work to stay focused on the mission.
I make sure I’m out among the crew enough that Zhori doesn’t have to make good on his joke about the search party—although he has plenty of other jokes ready to go every time he sees me—but it’s torture to be away from Cora.
Every moment that I can be, I’m naked in bed with her, exploring her sweet body. I want to know it as well as my own, and at the rate we’re going, I will by the time we reach Nierra.
In the spaces of time when we’re not in bed, she keeps helping me with my arm. My progress takes a sharp turn, improving faster than ever, and I secretly suspect it may be because I’m not wasting so much mental energy fighting the mate bond. My acceptance of that seems to fuel my acceptance of my new limb, and Cora tells me daily how proud she is of the strides I’ve made.
It’s easier now, to see myself as she sees me. Easier not to hang all of my self-worth on one aspect of my life. My world seems so much brighter, so much better now that she’s a part of it.
On the day that we’re scheduled to reach Nierra, however, I have to face the true test of how far I’ve progressed.
As the ship approaches the asteroid field between us and the planet, I step onto the captain’s deck, my chest tight with apprehension as I ready myself at the controls. Cora stays at my side without my having to ask her, as if she knows that her presence will make it easier for me to get through this.
It’s just us at the controls, but I can feel the tension throughout the ship. It’s not that the crew doesn’t believe in me, but the flight through the asteroids would be dangerous even with perfect command of my hands. Now, there’
s an added element of danger.
Cora lays her hand over my natural one and looks up at me. “You can do this,” she says softly. “Just trust yourself. The way I do.”
I let out the breath that I’ve been holding, feeling the fist in my chest loosen slightly, and send the ship forward.
It’s not easy. I falter more than once, narrowly missing the asteroids as we weave through them. But I relax into the familiar sensation of my hands on the controls, remembering my time with Cora this morning—the way I touched her without thinking, my robotic hand moving as naturally as my other.
Allowing muscle memory to take over, I fly the ship the way I have a thousand times before. As we approach the docking bay on Nierra, I can practically feel the pride radiating from Cora.
“You did it,” she whispers. “I knew you could.”
We’re not quite there—I still have to land the deshing thing.
It’s a bit of a rough landing as we come in, both because of the mechanical issues the ship experienced and my new hand. Landing takes fine motor controls that I haven’t quite mastered yet, but nevertheless, we wind up on the dock in one piece. The ship settles into place with a sound that’s a bit alarming.
As we disembark, I eye the outside of the vessel. She’s a bit worse for wear, having taken a few scrapes coming through the asteroid field. But the biggest issue is, of course, the engine. I send Zhori and Vrexen ahead to bargain with the dock workers to have them fix it before we leave, since once we have the women, we’ll have to make a quick escape.
We have some extra tokens to barter with, and that will help convince the dock crew to do a quick job and keep their silence once we’re gone. They’ll be used to receiving bribes to keep their mouths shut, no doubt. On a planet like this, plenty of people are conducting illicit business or hiding something.
The workers agree to have it done within a day or two, which should give us time to do reconnaissance and carry out our rescue mission.
