She saw herself the way Rykaur saw her.
Her eyes flew open to find him staring back at her with raw emotion.
Rykaur lifted her, sitting her on the table before him, and pulled the giant T-shirt she still wore over her head.
He laid it behind her and gently pushed her back onto the tabletop.
Mary’s body came alive with need. She’d seen herself the way Rykaur saw her, knew how badly he wanted her.
Her hands automatically went to his hair to guide his face where she wanted it most.
He lifted her legs, rested her bare feet on his powerful shoulders, and buried his tongue in her wet opening. And she was wet. She had been since the moment he’d set her on his lap.
Mary wondered if it would always be this way with him, or if the passion would simmer as time went on.
Rykaur growled against her, telling her without words that he would never stop wanting her.
“Open for me,” he whispered through her mind.
She accepted him into her mind, even as his tongue penetrated her body.
Mary felt beautiful, desired, and on the verge of a release more powerful than the last one she’d had, if that were possible.
Rykaur licked and sucked her into a frenzy, bringing his fingers into play.
His mind connected with hers in such a way, she wasn’t sure where her thoughts ended or his began.
Mary’s release went deeper than the physical. She felt her soul shatter, only Rykaur was there, piecing it back together.
Tears slipped from her eyes, so beautiful was the experience.
Her orgasm seemed to go on forever, when suddenly Rykaur stood, jerked his shorts down his legs, and penetrated her with one deep thrust.
Mary came again.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Rykaur rolled over in bed, propping his head on his hand. “You are insatiable.”
“Me?” Mary touched her chest, feigning innocence. “You’re the one who woke me up every half hour with an erection. I was simply obliging my husband.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
“Rykaur?” Vaulcron called from the hall.
Mary grinned. “Are we always going to get interrupted?”
“Most likely,” Rykaur retorted, blowing out a frustrated breath. It seemed every time he tried to be alone with his Mary, someone invaded their space.
He snatched the covers up over Mary’s body. “You may enter!”
Vaulcron entered the foyer, trailed through the kitchen, and stopped at the bedroom doorway. “Naura is in labor. I would like for you to be there in case there is trouble with Zyen. I do not trust that one.”
Rykaur threw back the covers on his side of the bed and rolled to his feet. “Perhaps you should wake Thrasher. He seems to be able to handle the entire lot of them.”
Vaulcron grinned. “He is a force to be reckoned with, that is for certain. The name sure fits him. Since I am next in line to become king, I have decided to blood bond with Thrasher. I feel that he should bond with all the Bracadyte warriors. If he is to be a part of Aukrabah, it is best that he be able to communicate with us.”
Rykaur paused in getting dressed. “Have you spoken with him about this?”
“Not as of yet. But I will speak with him when I return to Tony and Naura’s room. I cannot imagine that he would refuse.”
“Do not be too sure,” Rykaur sarcastically muttered. "It is not always a good thing to feel the emotions of all that surround you.”
Vaulcron tilted his head to the side. “Is something the matter, my friend?”
“Not at all. But Melvin is human. He might not handle the mental intrusion as well as a Bracadyte.”
“Thrasher is no mere human, Rykaur. Other than Vaughn, I have never known anyone quite like him.”
Rykaur pulled on his boots. “And what of Vaughn? Have you discussed this with him also? Perhaps he would participate.”
Vaulcron nodded. “Tony thinks it wise, and he will be a part of the bonding ritual too.”
Mary touched Rykaur on the arm. “What is this ritual?”
Rykaur leaned over the bed and kissed his mate on the lips. “It involves blood and vows. Nothing you would be interested in watching.”
“You’re wrong,” Mary quietly responded. “But I understand it’s a male-bonding thing. May I come with you for the birth?”
Rykaur wanted nothing more than to crawl back beneath the covers with her and make love to her until she carried his child. But that would have to wait. “Of course you may come.”
Vaulcron gave a quick smile and spun on his heel. “I will see you down there.”
Mary slid from beneath the covers and stood next to the bed, wearing nothing but her red hair and soft gray eyes.
Rykaur’s shaft stirred to life. “You are the most beautiful creature ever born.”
“Hardly.” Mary laughed, snatching up her clothes.
She pulled on her shorts. “Do you really want a baby with me?”
“You are getting rather proficient at reading my thoughts,” Rykaur answered with a grin. “And yes, more than anything.”
Mary returned his smile. “But we have four children to take care of as it is.”
“So, what is one more?”
Her tinkering laughter filled his heart with such emotion he thought the beating organ would burst from his chest.
“We’ll talk about that later,” Mary conceded. “Much later.”
Once she finished dressing, Rykaur rounded the bed and took hold of her hand. “We will wait until you are ready to be a mother. I realize that you are young and have many years of fertility left. There is no rush.”
Mary brought their joined hands to her face and kissed his fingers. “You’re right. I would like to spend a couple of years with my husband before thinking of having kids. I want you all to myself for a while.”
“I am good with that. We will wait for as long as you want.”
“I suppose I need to visit the clinic and have Abbie put me on some kind of birth control, or it’ll happen sooner than expected.”
Rykaur lifted his free hand and cupped her cheek. “I will support whatever decision you make.”
Pulling her in close, Rykaur wrapped her in a hug and then led her toward the kitchen.
They walked to Tony and Naura’s apartment in silence, both sifting through each other’s thoughts and emotions.
Rykaur glanced down at the top of Mary’s beautiful red head, and a smile touched his lips. She was his mate, his confidant, his heart.
“I love you too,” she whispered through their connection.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mary sat on a bench outside Tony and Naura’s apartment, listening to the sounds of a difficult birth in progress.
She lifted her head from Rykaur’s shoulder and met his worried gaze. “Is she going to be okay?”
“I do not know,” he answered in a low voice. “But Zaureth and Abbie are both with her. I cannot think of anyone more qualified to help her than those two.”
A scream rent the air, and Mary jumped to her feet to pace. “That didn’t sound good, Rykaur. I’m not sure I can ever go through anything like that.”
Rykaur stood and took her hand, forcing her to stop pacing. “Not all births are difficult. I do not know what is happening in there, but I am sure that Zaureth has it under control.”
Mary flinched as another painful cry rang out from the apartment. “Dear God.”
A gorgeous older female stepped into the hall, her face pale and tears sparkling in her light green eyes. “Naura is having difficulty dilating, and the baby is becoming distressed. If she has not birthed him in the next hour, he will have to be cut from her womb.”
Rykaur moved to console the elder female, tugging Mary along with him. “Abbie is a good healer, my lady. Naura will be okay. I know she will.”
The tall regal-looking female gave a watery smile. “Thank you, Rykaur. And who is this you have with you?”
“Mary, my mate.” He glanced at Mary. “This is Laurel, our queen.”
Laurel extended her hand. “I am pleased to meet you, Mary.”
“The pleasure is mine, my lady,” Mary responded, mimicking Rykaur’s words. She accepted the queen’s hand.
The queen gently squeezed Mary’s palm. “Under better circumstances, I would offer an invitation to dine with us. Perhaps once the babe is born…” Her voice trailed off.
“Of course, my lady. If you need anything, please let us know.”
Laurel nodded her thanks and returned to Naura’s room.
Mary and Rykaur moved back to the bench to wait. They sat there for what seemed an eternity before Zaureth appeared in the doorway. “We need to move Naura to the clinic, Rykaur. Go fetch an ATV large enough to hold her comfortably. Abbie and I will need one as well.”
Mary jumped to her feet and began running toward the great hall without waiting for Rykaur to answer.
She grabbed the first big four-wheeler she came to and climbed on.
Rykaur rounded the corner behind her, his gaze scanning the ATV’s in rapid succession.
“Take that one.” Mary nodded to a mule sitting on the end. “It has a back seat with enough room for Tony to hold her. Can you drive that thing?”
Rykaur was already sliding behind the wheel and turning the key.
“I guess that’s a yes.” Mary gassed the four-wheeler and spun back toward Naura’s apartment as fast as it would go.
Tony came through the doorway, holding his pregnant mate in his arms. His face appeared pale and gaunt, and his eyes were red with unshed tears.
Mary’s heart went out to the man. But not as much as it did for Naura.
Naura’s damp hair hung loose around her shoulders, and several strands stuck to her perspiring face. A cry suddenly wrenched from her throat, and her body arched back in Tony’s arms.
Rykaur came around the corner, hell bent for leather. “Get in!”
Tony rushed across the floor and climbed onto the back seat as quickly as possible without causing his mate any more pain.
Abbie jumped on the back of Mary’s four-wheeler while Zaureth boarded the mule with Rykaur and Tony.
“Drive,” Tony growled as another hoarse cry burst from Naura.
Mary took off with as much speed as the ATV possessed.
“Hold on!” she yelled to Abbie, damn near taking the first corner on two wheels.
Abbie’s arms came around Mary’s waist, her chest pressing against Mary’s back. “Don’t worry about me, just drive!”
Mary maneuvered the corner and blasted down the hall with the efficiency of a dirt track driver.
They arrived at the clinic ten minutes later. Abbie jumped off the back and ran to a table situated in the center of the room. “Turn on all the lights you can find.”
Doing as Abbie demanded, Mary hovered nearby, watching as Abbie grabbed numerous objects and set them up on a long stainless steel table.
The sound of the mule stopping in the hall caught Mary’s attention.
Tony came barreling into the room, his now unconscious mate held high against his chest.
“Put her on the table,” Abbie snapped, readying an IV bag.
Once Tony had Naura on the table, Abbie started the IV in her hand and pulled out a syringe. She injected the contents of the syringe into the IV, grabbed some scissors, and began cutting Naura’s clothes from her body. “Everyone out but Zaureth.”
Mary and Rykaur immediately moved toward the door.
“I’m not leaving,” Tony snarled, staying by his mate’s side.
Abbie barely spared him a glance. “Fine, but I need you out of the way. Move up there behind her head.”
Out in the hall, Mary and Rykaur stood in front of the open doorway, holding hands and watching as Abbie attempted to save Naura and her unborn child.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Rykaur had never seen anything like what took place before him now. He’d had no idea what some females had to endure to give birth.
He would never allow Mary to endure such torment. No matter how much he might want children someday, he wouldn’t do that to Mary.
He glanced down at her worried expression, and his stomach clenched. What had he been thinking, taking her without thought of her becoming pregnant? She was human, a tiny human at that. She would never be able to birth something that came from him. His baby would kill her.
Nausea rolled, and he sucked in a deep breath.
Mary peered up at him. “That doesn’t happen to all women, Rykaur. Abbie had Hauke’s child, and she’s not much taller than I am.”
“I am not willing to risk it, Mary. I could not bear it if I lost you due to my selfishness.”
A small cry rent the air, just as Mary opened her mouth to respond.
An overwhelming emotion came over Rykaur, and he stumbled into the room a few steps.
Zaureth lifted the crying baby into the air as Abbie cut the cord. “Your son, Anthony Vaughn.”
Rykaur watched as Zaureth cleaned the child’s face and cleared his airway before handing him to his father.
Mary’s body heat seeped into Rykaur’s arm, telling him that she’d moved up to stand by his side.
The sight of Tony holding his newborn son in his arms, tears dripping down his face and his shoulders shaking with emotion humbled Rykaur. He was grateful to able to witness Anthony Vaughn’s miracle, even though it scared him to his core.
Klause, Laurel, Hauke, and Vaulcron came barreling into the room, all of them stopping as Zaureth held up a hand. “Please remain back until Abbie has finished working on Naura. It is for sanitary reasons.”
“Let us go,” Rykaur whispered to Mary, who had a suspicious moisture in her eyes. “I am sure they would like some privacy.”
Mary nodded, blinked several times, and followed Rykaur into the hall.
He mounted the ATV she’d driven to the clinic, sliding back to give her some room in front of him.
“You want me to ride in front?”
His shaft twitched at the thought of her bottom pressing against it. “If you will.”
Mary climbed before him, settling herself in the small space the ATV afforded her. She leaned back against him.
Rykaur bit back a moan, wrapped an arm around her waist, and started the ATV. He leaned down until his lips brushed against her ear. “I want inside you.”
“Now?” Mary breathed, wriggling her bottom against his throbbing erection.
He brushed her hair aside, taking in the pulsing thrum of the vein in her neck. “Now.”
Pressing the gas, Rykaur drove north instead of turning back toward the Bracadytes’ living quarters. Thoughts of Mary writhing beneath him tormented him with every mile he traveled.
He came to a stop outside an empty cavern, scooped her up into his arms, and quickly dismounted.
“Where are we going?” The breathless sound of her voice wasn’t lost on him.
Rykaur strode to the back of the cavern, set Mary on her feet, and unlaced his vest. “Remove your clothes.”
He knew he sounded guttural and desperate, but he didn’t care. Mary’s blood called to him almost as much her body did. And Rykaur intended to take both.
Mary’s hands trembled as she yanked her shirt over her head and toed off her shoes. Unzipping her jeans, she peeled them down her legs and stepped out of them.
Rykaur removed his own boots and shorts, his shaft springing free in aching relief.
Without speaking, he stepped forward, backing her against the smooth rock wall behind her.
“I cannot get my fill of you,” he growled his fangs descending at a rapid rate. “You have become an obsession, an addiction that I cannot get enough of.”
Mary’s eyes glittered with lust. “Then take me, Rykaur. Hard. Don’t hold back. Do what comes natural to you.”
“I do not want to hurt you.”
She reached out, gripped his hand, and brought it to her hot, wet sex. �
�You won’t hurt me. I’m more than ready.”
Rykaur felt as if a fever raged inside him, so great was his need for her.
He pulled free of her hold, spun her around, and pressed her against the wall.
His foot slid forward to kick her feet apart. In a guttural voice he didn’t recognize, he demanded. “You better hold on.”
Wrapping a fist in her hair, Rykaur jerked her head to the side, sank his fangs into her throat, and entered her with one swift thrust.
Mary cried out, her hands flexing on the rock wall in front of her, and tilted her hips for his next downward thrust.
Rykaur drove into her again, hard enough her feet left the ground. He kept a suction on her throat to prevent his fangs from tearing her skin.
“Oh God,” she gasped, fueling his lustful frenzy. “Yes!”
That was all Rykaur needed to hear. He released his hold on her hair and gripped her hips tightly in his big hands.
With a snarl of possession, he held her immobile, pistoning into her with sure, powerful thrusts.
She was so hot and wet that Rykaur couldn’t contain the frenzy he’d fallen into.
And then her sweet, tight vaginal walls clamped down on him, ripping a snarl from his throat.
He could feel her contracting around him, hear her cries of surrender, echoing throughout the cavern.
Rykaur lost control.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Mary’s orgasm tore through her without warning. The thickness of Rykaur’s driving shaft created a pressure in her lower abdomen—a pressure she’d never experienced before.
It built with every thrust he made, until Mary couldn’t contain what happened next.
Had Rykaur not been holding on to her, she would have collapsed at his feet.
A deep, throaty moan slipped from her throat, followed by another. Mary’s abdomen tightened, her body began to shake uncontrollably, and an explosion of warmth expelled from her in a gush of orgasmic bliss that stole her sight.
Animalistic sounds filled the cavern, and Mary vaguely realized they came from her.
It took her a moment to grasp that she’d ejaculated as a man would.
Rykaur: A SciFi Alien Romance (Enigma Series Book 8) Page 14
