Ascension Saga, Book 7: Interstellar Brides®: Ascension Saga

by Goodwin, Grace

  “Hurry up. What are you doing?”

  “You’re mine.”

  She moaned, the sound so raw and hungry I nearly gave in and gave her what she wanted. But this was too important. She was too damn stubborn. She was mine. I needed to hear it. I needed to know that she knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed from her. She. Was. Mine.

  “Are we going to talk about this now?” she asked as she wiggled her hips, her wet folds sliding back and forth over the sensitive tip of my cock.

  “Oh fuck.”

  I saw a grin spread on her face just before my eyes fell closed. I kissed her. Hard. Deep. Thrusting with my tongue the way I wanted to fuck her with my cock. When I pulled back, she whimpered, pulled my hair hard enough to keep my lips hovering above hers. Her breath was my breath. Her heat was mine.

  “God, just do it. Please. I need you.”

  I need you. The words were like an arrow in my heart and I groaned, kissed her again. Gently this time. But I couldn’t give in. This was too important. “Destiny, you’re mine. Say it. You’re my mate.”

  “God dammit.” I felt her pussy lips part, as if opening in invitation. I watched every expression, savored the way she writhed in my arms. Her need was as great as mine. “Fine. You’re mine. You’re fucking mine.”

  Pushing deep, I watched her face as I filled her, one slow inch at a time. She tilted her head back, her long neck open and exposed in an unconscious sign of trust I wasn’t sure she knew she was making. But I pushed deep. Fucked her. Filled her.

  “Miiiine.” Her cry sounded like that of a wounded animal. Primal. Instinctive. She was claiming me. Riding my cock. Taking my energy and easing her Ardor the way she was meant to. I didn’t even try to stop the massive force of heat swirling between us. Giving to her like this was erotic. Intimate. So much more than fucking. I would be part of her forever. Locked in her very cells, making her strong. Me. No one else.

  “Mine.” My word was clear. Short. A demand.

  In response, she pulled my lips to hers and invaded me again. Taking. Demanding. Needing me.

  She was hot. Wet. Tight. Her walls clenched and rippled around me, as if she’d never taken anything so big, so thick before. I bottomed out, my hips slapping against her ass.

  “Holy fuck.” I was going to come. Just like that. The pleasure was so intense, the sizzle of my orgasm simmered already, on the edge, at the base of my spine.

  “Please,” she moaned. “Move.”

  I pulled back, thrust deep. Hard. She moved up and down along the wall but I held her thighs, spread them wide. Took her again. And again.

  Her pussy clenched down on me like a fist, swelling around me until her core was so tight I couldn’t breathe. She bucked, biting her lip to keep in a scream as her pussy spasmed around me, milking me of seed and energy at the same time, the sensation like nothing I’d ever imagined.

  I came unexpectedly, as if the pleasure were too intense and my body knew what to do before I did, knew exactly what she needed. I gripped her tightly as I held myself deep. Filled her, hot pulse after pulse. Like an animal, I fought down a primal yell of victory as my seed pumped from me for the first time, filled her. Mine. My seed. My energy. My cock. She needed and I provided. No other male would ever touch her. I’d kill them. Skin them alive and enjoy the screams.

  Mine.

  She remained still, but only for a few seconds. Her breathing still ragged, her skin coated in a sheen of sweat as I returned to myself. Barely.

  “More.”

  “Your wish is my command, Princess.” I grinned at her, never feeling so fucking good in my life. I wasn’t done. Not even close. My cock was still hard as a rock. I had no idea how long I could keep this up, but I would fuck her as long as I could. As long as she needed me, her pussy a little piece of heaven on Alera and all mine. But now that I’d gotten that initial release out of the way, I was determined to give her so much fucking pleasure she’d never doubt who she belonged to. Hell, I wouldn’t relent until she blacked out and I could carry her back to the palace, unconscious. Sated. Safe.

  She tilted her hips, grinding her clit on my body. She moaned, reached for me… and froze.

  “Fuck. Someone’s coming.”

  I listened. Heard nothing. Pushed deep. Kissed her.

  She tore her lips from mine, panting. “Someone’s coming. Shit. Move. We can’t be here.”

  I didn’t hear anything, but she was distracted, which was not what I wanted. Grinning, I held her body impaled on mine and kicked her clothes around the corner into a dark side room. It was some sort of library, with books lining every wall. I found a dark corner, nearly black, and pressed her to the wall there, buried deep. Breathing her breath. I couldn’t find the will to leave her body, leave this paradise. Not when I had heard nothing. We were alone, and I wasn’t finished with my mate. Not even close.

  * * *

  Destiny

  God. He was going to kill me. His cock was so big. So deep. So fucking perfect. Muscles on muscles. So strong. Hot. So hot. His heat poured into me and my body gobbled it up like I’d been stuck in the Arctic for a week with no coat. I was starving for him.

  Aleran Ardor sucked.

  And it was fucking amazing, at least now that I was riding a nice, big cock. He felt so good. I never wanted to stop. Never.

  And then my weirdo ears heard Elder Cleric Amandine and one of her aides talking quietly as they made their way to her office.

  This office.

  Shit. “Someone’s coming.”

  He listened, then ignored the warning and kissed me. Deep. Rough. Exactly the way I wanted it.

  But those damn voices intruded. Again. The elder’s voice. What was she doing back up here? And with Crayden? I’d seen him around, always within a few feet of the elder and with a bored expression on his face. He was another set of eyes and ears. Protection. Although, if he had to take on a real threat—like me—I wasn’t sure he’d be much help to the older female he protected.

  There were more of them, the clerics, both male and female who watched over the planet’s elder. They were security. I recognized their true purpose despite their ordinary uniforms and unassuming presence. But they were not like Leo, or his father. They didn’t strike me as real soldiers. More like rent-a-cop variety security.

  The elder’s next words made me tense, which didn’t help my situation, making Nix’s cock rub harder against my rigid body.

  “I want to know what’s going on with the Optimus Unit. Do you understand? I know you’ve heard the rumors, that Lord and Lady Jax are dead, that Lord Wyse is as well. I need you to investigate, Crayden.” Elder Cleric Amandine’s voice was matter of fact, but what she spoke of weren’t rumors but reality. She was in her seventies and sharp as a tack. No one wanted to mess with her. Including me. I just had to wonder why she was here, in a building that was supposed to be locked down for the night. She didn’t work late. Ever. Well, not once in the two weeks I’d been stalking everyone in this fortress.

  I was one to talk, being out in the middle of the night. But I was breaking in. The two of them were here on purpose.

  “I don’t know where to start, my lady.” That male voice belonged to Crayden. “With Wyse dead, they’ve closed ranks.”

  Wyse? Why were they talking about the asshole who tried to kill Faith? And Trinity? And who was closing ranks?

  “I can give you a contact, on the inside.” The elder cleric’s voice was easy to recognize. I’d been listening to her sermons every morning for two weeks. Well, not sermons, exactly, but reminders—that’s what they called them—reminders of the responsibilities of the clerics on Alera, their duties and the honor they carried in serving the royal family and all of Alera. They weren’t a religious order as I’d first assumed, but something else almost holier. Strangely reverent in their devotion.

  The voices were coming closer.

  Dammit. I didn’t want to stop. I needed more. More of this man. More of his energy. More kisses. More cock. Just mor
e.

  But as my dad liked to say, Want in one hand and shit in the other. See which hand fills up first.

  Homegrown, small town wisdom of the first order. And he was right. He was always right. I tore my mouth from Nix’s and grasped at enough air to talk. “Someone’s coming. Shit. Move. We can’t be here.”

  He didn’t let me go, as I’d expected. Instead, he kicked at my clothes, moving the discarded things into the elder’s study. Once my clothes were gone—he still had his on because I’d been so damn impatient—he carried me into the study and pressed my back to the wall in a dark corner. And he’d stayed nice and deep the entire time.

  I should insist he let me go. Get dressed. Get the hell out of here.

  But damn. I needed more. All of his movement, the kicking, the walking—my pussy was riding the edge of another orgasm. I wasn’t calming down. I was spinning up. Out of control.

  And the closer the voices got, the more I liked it. The danger of being caught heightened my senses, made my pussy clamp down even harder. Tighter.

  One thrust. He moaned and pushed deep. That was it. I came apart in his arms, the orgasm even more intense than the first, his hand covering my mouth to keep me quiet. His seed filled me, and it was as if my body craved him like it needed food or air or an essential nutrient. I hungered for him. For his body. For his heat. For his kiss. His touch. His seed.

  I was out of control, and I hated being out of control.

  Nix was the most dangerous man I’d ever met, and here I was impaled on his cock, naked, risking my life for a quickie. And every orgasm made me worse, not better.

  I’d lost my damn mind.

  The outer door opened and Nix froze, pressed me harder into the wall once he realized the danger was real.

  “Told you,” I whispered.

  “Hush.” He whispered the word back, his lips lingering over my ear. He inhaled deeply, taking the scent of my hair into his body. It was erotic and I imagined his face somewhere else. Inhaling something else.

  My pussy tightened again, the muscles clenching in preparation for another orgasm, for his cock was still hard, still deep, even though we’d both just come.

  God. No. I needed to listen.

  The lights came on in the next room and the elder cleric and her guard entered the outer office. I heard the creak of her chair as she took a seat, the soft padding of his feet as he paced in front of her desk. She spoke first.

  “They are keeping an unauthorized prisoner on Optimus Cell Level C. I want to know who it is and who authorized it. Do you understand? The queen is still missing. Her daughters, the revered princesses, aren’t talking, and we don’t know anything about the third female who entered the citadel. I assume it’s another one of Celene’s daughters. But we can’t protect them if we can’t find them. And neither Princess Faith nor Princess Trinity trust me enough to talk. The fact that they have reason to suspect the clerics is not acceptable. I will not allow our order to fall, is that clear? The role of the clerics is to protect the queen, and her daughters now that we know they exist, whether they trust us or not. Which means I need answers. At any cost. Do you have any questions?”

  “Are you authorizing the use of deadly force?” The question was quiet, but not alarmed, and my opinion of the man in the other room shifted. He was not what I’d thought he was… which hadn’t been all that much. I had assumed he was a standard mall-cop. Mild. Not much more than a pencil pushing assistant who checked video feeds and followed the elder around so she was never alone. If he were this deadly, that meant none of the elder’s guards were as harmless as they seemed. He sounded like a soldier. A hunter.

  “Yes,” the elder replied. “You have one day because the triad is coming.”

  I heard Crayden’s swift intake of breath. Who the hell was the triad and why was he surprised?

  “Here?” he asked.

  “Yes. Elder Clerics Marna, Forge and Severil want updates about the queen in person. Since Princess Faith announced the queen had been kidnapped—and not just missing—they want answers. They are demanding I set up an audience with Princess Trinity for them.”

  “Doesn’t Elder Cleric Forge live in Corseran?”

  “Yes, and if she’s coming from that great a distance, then you know the trip is not an idle one. Having the queen missing was one thing, but knowing she’s been kidnapped and at someone’s mercy is another. It goes against every principle of the clerics. I want answers and I don’t care what you have to do to get them. I must give the triad something. They are militant and unforgiving in the wilder regions. They won’t be satisfied until we have answers. And neither will I.”

  Damn. The old woman’s tone was hard and unforgiving, full of rage. In one breath, she spoke of the principles of being a cleric. Peaceful and full of reverence for the crown. Eons of protection and honor, and in the next, carte blanche to do whatever was necessary to learn the truth, even violence. And yet, I was reassured. She was one of the good guys.

  “I’ll kill them all if I have to,” came the male’s reply, confirming they would not remain passive to find their queen, or at least answers.

  But kill who? I wasn’t sure. But his tone held no mercy and I could respect that. More danger.

  My pulse skyrocketed. Excited. My pussy fluttered, and I held back the orgasm with a force of will. Big. Hard. Cock.

  Nix shifted. His cock slid deeper. Opened me up. Wide.

  Fuck.

  Too late. I came. My body lost control, draining Nix dry in every way I could. Skin on skin, taking his energy, his heat. His seed pumped into me and he threw his hand over my mouth again to muffle the small sound I hadn’t realized I was making. We were insane. Hard core insane to be fucking like this. Coming like this. Who came from just standing still? No thrusting, rubbing, moving?

  After a few minutes that felt like hours, the elder and her guard left. Turning off the light and locking the door behind her. We were safe.

  I kissed Nix again, thanking him the only way I could at the moment, with slow, deep kisses. Gentle kisses. Thank you kisses. I felt almost… human again. Sexy. And the fact that the energy pouring off his body and into mine was like a drug didn’t hurt either. I could do this for hours. Hell, for days. But I knew what he was going to do. He was going to insist I go with him so he could keep me ‘safe’ and feed my Ardor again.

  I’d come three times and he hadn’t even tried. I could only imagine what he could do to me if we weren’t interrupted and had a bed. If he was this skilled just wielding his big cock, what could he do with his hands… or mouth? My pussy clenched at the thought. But, I felt better. Cooler, calmer. My mind was clearer. Yeah, I was thinking about Nix’s head between my thighs and his tongue on my clit, but I wasn’t feeling the Ardor haze I’d been in for days.

  Well, this hot sex fix would be enough to keep my body under control for a while, and safe was a word I had no interest in, not with my mother still missing and Lord Wyse dead. Not after hearing the elder mention someone important was kept in Optimus Cell Level C. I had no idea where that was, but I was going to find out. And find Mom.

  “I need to get dressed, Nix. We can’t stay here.”

  “Agreed.” Slowly, he pulled out of my body and set me on my feet. We both moaned when he slid free, my pussy grasping after him like a greedy little bitch. I mentally told her to get herself together—that Nix wasn’t that hot. But as he stepped back I got a good look at those pecs and abs peeking at me through his open shirt, at that big, hard cock—glistening with cum and my arousal—still straining forward as if it was reaching for me. Chiseled jaw. Dark eyes. Silky hair I loved to pull. Not that hot?

  Oh, hell yes he was.

  And if I were being completely honest with myself, I loved his alpha male, chest pounding, mine-mine-mine business, too.

  Talk about messed up in the head. I didn’t need a man. Didn’t want a man. Not for more than hot sex, anyway. I did not need a man trying to run my life, telling me what to do, trying to keep me safe.
No. No fucking way. And Nix had proved he was all for doing that. He wanted me safe and secure and eating chocolate bon-bons and giving my sisters pedicures, while the men went out and saved the world. As if.

  I had to get out of here. And if I crawled out the window and down those vines he’d be right on my tail. Which meant that was not an option. I needed another way out of here, a way he couldn’t follow.

  I pulled on my black cleric’s uniform as quickly as I could, ignoring the sensual glide of the smooth black pants over my thighs and hips. My skin was sensitive. Too sensitive. Worse than it had been before. But at least my pussy was temporarily satisfied—albeit dripping with his seed—and my body didn’t feel weak and lethargic. I had probably pushed the Ardor thing too far. I’d have to be careful in the future and not let it get that bad.

  But then, that’s what the royal consort was for. All I’d have to do was sneak into the palace, ask Trinity for a hookup, get my fix, and sneak back out. That would be the easy thing to do. No strings. No complications. No expectations or Neanderthal claims on my person.

  But the thought of another male touching me made me nauseated. And if that was Nix’s fault, I might have to strangle him later. Being dependent on a man was not my thing. Not now. Not ever.

  “I’ll check the door and make sure it’s locked.” I moved away before he could answer, using my speed to my advantage when he reached for me. If he kissed me—hell, if he even touched me—I’d never want to leave this stupid room.

  Once I reached the door, I held perfectly still and listened. My new ability was uncanny, and I felt like a bat, but that didn’t stop me from using it to my advantage. I listened for footsteps and tried not to imagine what was going on in the other room as the rustle of Nix’s clothing sent all kinds of naughty images into my mind. I didn’t want his pants closed or his shirt covering that meaty man chest. The only thing that should be covering all that magnificent male was me.