Rath

by Susan Hayes

  “If you’re making Terran offensive gestures at me,” he rumbled in a low voice. “I should warn you that insulting your alpha is not wise.”

  “I wasn’t.” She lowered her hand. Why wasn’t she? She wasn’t angry or terrified, and she should be both. She was anxious, yes, and irritated with his attitude. But that’s it. Here she was, in an alpha’s lair, in his arms. His very strong arms, cradling her against a massive chest of sculpted muscle...

  She pressed her hand to the hard planes of his chest, letting her fingers trace over the fabric of his simple, loose-fitted shirt. The contact felt good, and every breath she took drew more of his scent into her lungs.

  She shook her head hard. “What’s wrong with me? Did you drug me again?”

  He had to have drugged her with something to take away her fear and make her more compliant. Otherwise, she’d be freaking out and fighting him with everything she had.

  His head moved slightly, as though he could actually see her face and was looking at her expression. His lips curved a little. “No, little shar’ai. I have not drugged you. Although if you need more painkillers let me know.”

  She huffed. “And what price will I have to pay for those?”

  “What would you offer me?”

  She winced inwardly. Her mother was always warning her not to speak without thinking first. “You’d want payment to keep me free of pain? Is that how this works? You hurt me and then make me do things to stop the pain?”

  He came to a sudden halt just inside a bathing room unlike anything she’d ever seen before. She wanted to look around, but the tension crackling off Rath drew all her attention.

  “I am your alpha. I will always take care of you. You may have food, water, and medicine without any payment.” His jaw hardened. “But do not push me, little one, or I might consider charging a price for other things... like clothes. I can keep you safe and comfortable while naked.”

  She clamped her jaw shut in case she said something else he could take as a challenge and use it as an excuse to strip her of her clothes. But he is alpha, the little voice in the back of her head whispered. He doesn’t need an excuse.

  “Thank you,” she said eventually. “For the medicine and caring for me.”

  He stayed utterly still for long moments, the tension still radiating from him and her heart rate began to climb as anxiety set in.

  “I am your alpha. It is my duty and my honor to care for you.” His voice was still hard, but some of the edges had softened now. “This will be more pleasant for you if you stop fighting your nature. Nothing is wrong with you. You are an omega, reacting to her alpha. Your body knows the truth. You are mine.”

  He took two more steps and then set her down in the exact center of the room. It was large. Too large for a human bathroom. He must have knocked out a wall to make it this big. The walls gleamed like they were made of tile, but there was no grout and it looked the same all the way up to the ceiling. She recognized the purpose of everything there—a sink, an open shower, a toilet, and a tub big enough she could swim in, full of steaming, fragrant water.

  It was the most decadent thing she’d ever seen but she couldn’t concentrate on it. Instead, all her attention was on the alpha standing behind her, his hands lightly on her waist. He hadn’t done anything, she realized in amazement. She’d challenged him, snapped at him and he’d done nothing. Not gone into a rage or pinned her down to take her clothes away from her.

  She twisted to look up at him. Nor had he removed the blindfold. It was still in place.

  His lips quirked again and she tried not to notice how full they were. “Are you going to get undressed, little one, or do I have to do it for you?”

  She managed a soft huff that she hoped sounded disdainful and moved away from him. The air was warm and sultry, heavy with steam and the fragrance rising from the water.

  Hot water. Clean. Not a hurried scrub with a damp rag or a rare soak in a shallow, public bath. “You won’t peek. Right?”

  “I will not. But I will stay. You may need help getting out.” That wicked little smile touched his mouth again. “You are tiny.”

  “I’m not. I’m perfectly average… for a human.”

  She stripped away her clothes, the grime and stink of them even more apparent now that she was thinking about being clean. Really, truly clean. Out of habit, she folded her things and set them down carefully before frowning as she looked at the bath. It was too far for her to walk. She’d need his help.

  “You put me down here on purpose so I’d need help to get to the bath.”

  “Are you asking me to carry you, little one?” his expression was so smug she wanted to scream.

  She looked at the distance again. She could crawl, but the idea of getting on her hands and knees with him in the room? No. Better she just let him have this win.

  She squared her shoulders and looked at him. “Yes. I’d like you to carry me to the bath.”

  She refused to look at him and the smug little smile on his lips as he crossed over to her, fixing her gaze on the wall opposite instead. Insufferable man! He’d set this up just so she’d have to ask for his help. In her ire at that, she conveniently forgot that he could have made her crawl... that he could have refused to wear the blindfold at all and just stripped her as he pleased.

  A small sigh escaped her, somewhere between apprehension and relief when he picked her up again. Even with the medication, she could tell the pain in her leg was only being held at bay. She’d need painkillers again soon and the longer she stood, the more weight she put on it, hastened that moment.

  “Hold around my shoulders,” he ordered in a low voice as he strode to the bath. She did, but only just in time. He didn’t put her down in the bath, but simply stepped into it and sat down, fully clothed.

  “Rath? What are you doing?”

  “Taking care of my omega. If you fell getting in, that would be my fault. This way, you’re safe and unhurt.” He reached a dripping hand up to touch the fabric around his head. “And the blindfold is still in place.”

  Oh no. This was not good. Not good at all. “You’re going to be wet and miserable standing around waiting for me to ask for help getting back out again.”

  “I won’t be standing. You may need my help, so I will be staying here, with you.”

  A squeak escaped her at that and she struggled from his arms. The water splashed as she made it to the dubious safety of the other side of the tub.

  “Okay. You can stay... over there.”

  He snorted. “It is my bath, little one. I will move as I wish. However, for now, I am happy where I am.” Rath folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the edge of the tub. His shirt was soaked and clung to every part of him, hinting at a body that was pure muscle and power.

  She decided to ignore him. Instead of answering, she started looking around for soap, or whatever the aliens used instead.

  “To your left,” Rath said.

  “You’re peeking!”

  “No.” he smirked. “But I can hear you moving. You’re looking for cleanser. Yes? It’s to your left. Green container.”

  She ignored the smirk. It was too cute and turned the dangerous looking alpha into something even more dangerous—charming and almost boyish.

  Picking up the container, she looked at it suspiciously and then shook it. Definitely liquid in there. But she couldn’t see how to open it.

  “Problem, little one?” he asked, his voice way too innocent as his eyebrow winged up.

  “No.” She refused to admit she needed help with a stupid bottle.

  “And yet, I don’t smell cleanser.” He slid a little lower into the water and exhaled gently. “Let me know when you’d like my help.”

  “Asshole!” She threw the bottle at him with all the force she could muster. The moment it left her hand she knew she shouldn’t have done it. It was stupid and rash and he was going to kill her in a rage when it slammed into his smug face.

  He caught it in
a move that was both fluid and focused at the same time. “That is no way to treat your alpha. If you throw anything else, I’ll have to discipline you.”

  He wasn’t angry. She’d thrown something at him and he wasn’t the slightest bit concerned about it. “You’re very confusing.” And alarmingly attractive. Had she hit her head at some point? She must have.

  “So are you. Omegas should be obedient. Eager. Submissive.” He twisted the top of the bottle one way and then another, and it came off in his hand.

  “Submissive? See? I’m not an omega. I don’t have a submissive bone in my body. You should just let me go.”

  He smiled. “Ahh, but I am enjoying the game. The chase... the dance between us. It is like combat, of a sort.” He leaned back, his arms resting on the edge of the tub. “A combat I shall win. Now... would you like the cleanser?”

  “Yes,” she bit off the single syllable. This was a trap. She knew it. He thought this was a game. This was her life, and she wasn’t ready to surrender it to him. Obey and submit? Not happening.

  “And what price would you offer me this time?”

  “Another kiss. Same as before.”

  “No. Try again. Something with a bit more value.”

  “Two kisses.” She really wanted that cleanser. The hot water was lovely, but to be clean. Truly and properly clean? She’d sell her soul... to anyone but this annoying alpha.

  “Better. Not enough, but better.” He lifted the jar and rocked it from side to side. “Three kisses. Proper ones, this time. If you don’t know how, I’d be happy to teach you.”

  She stayed where she was.

  “Define ‘proper kisses’?” she asked, hardly daring to breathe. Not because he was in here with her, not because she was challenging him... but because he was letting her.

  “Do you not know what a proper kiss is?” She saw the eyebrow raise, the slightly mocking lilt to his voice, and her temper cracked.

  “I’m a fucking omega, you asshole! You think I’ve let any guy anywhere near me? Of course I don’t know what you assholes consider a proper kiss!”

  He went utterly still. So still she wasn’t sure he was even breathing. It felt like forever before he spoke again. “Shar’ai. Have you never...”

  He swallowed hard, his shoulders tense, his jaw tight. “Come here, Savannah.”

  “I don’t think so.” He was pure predator right now. She could almost imagine a tail lashing behind him.

  “Now,” he growled. “I will not move from this spot. But you will come to me and let me show you what pleasure can be found in a kiss.”

  She shouldn’t be tempted by that offer. What did an alpha know about pleasure? Pain and fear were all any of them offered the omegas they captured.

  But still... he hadn’t hurt her. And he was attractive and strong. Unwanted images danced through her mind accompanied by a surge of desire so powerful it made her dizzy. She’d actually moved a little closer to him, like she wanted to obey...

  “You’ll hurt me.”

  “Oh for—” He broke off and dropped his head back, swearing viciously in his own language. When he lifted his head, a muscle jumped in the corner of his jaw. “I will not hurt you,” he bit out. “And do not insult me again, or I will get annoyed.”

  Setting the bottle down on the floor by the edge of the sunken tub, he reached up and laced his hands behind his head. “I will not even touch you. Satisfied?”

  “I…um. Yes.” She wasn’t really aware of the words coming out of her mouth. She was too busy trying to make sense of what was happening. She’d pushed every button, defied him, argued, even thrown things, and he still hadn’t raised a hand to her. He kept giving her choices when they both knew she didn’t really have any.

  She moved toward him, stopping just out of easy reach. “Was what I said really an insult?”

  “Yes. No honorable male would hurt their omega. It is our duty to protect and cherish our females.”

  “Huh. So, why did all the dishonorable ones get sent to Earth?”

  “Mistakes were made. The L’crav are no longer in charge of this planet. I am H’thor. We have honor.”

  She watched him warily, waiting for him to pounce. He simply sighed. “Would you have me bind my hands as well, little omega? What would it take for you to trust me?”

  There was an edge in his voice, almost like hurt, that made her chest ache. Slowly she eased forward, first touching his thigh with her hand under the water. When that didn’t spark him into action, she slid the rest of the way, kneeling over his lap. Rather than make her straddle him, he’d moved, sliding one leg straight in the water. The quirk of his eyebrow practically screamed, “See?”

  She didn’t say anything as she leaned forward. His body tensed a little as she put her hands on his shoulders to brace herself as she leaned forward.

  “What do I do?” she asked, her lips a hairsbreadth from his.

  “Close your eyes and follow your instincts, little one. When you’re ready, tell me I can move, and I will teach you all you need to know.” His voice was low and rumbling, but there was no threat in it, just the promise of something she didn’t understand.

  She closed her eyes and closed the last small distance between them, pressing her lips to his. She could feel his heart beat beneath her hands as it raced almost as fast as hers. That surprised her. He was affected by all this, too. By her.

  That awareness gave her courage and she kissed him more firmly, her lips moving over his, learning the shape of his mouth. He didn’t move, letting her kiss him and kissing her back softly. But none of it was aggressive, and he didn’t move, didn’t take over. It was... nice. Frustratingly nice. There was more. She just knew it.

  Lifting her head, she glared at him. “I thought you were teaching me?”

  “I promised not to move. I will not break my word, little one. If you wish to learn, you need to release me from my promise.”

  “The blindfold stays on.” She had no idea why she said that. If she agreed to this, a scrap of fabric wasn’t going to protect her.

  “For now.”

  “Okay. Then, I release you from your promise.”

  He lowered her arms slowly and she relaxed a little. Then his hands found hers and he felt his way along her arms to her shoulders, and then into her hair. With surprising gentleness, he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her with a passion and hunger that stole her breath away.

  4

  She was untouched.

  That thought rolled through Rath’s mind as he finally got a proper taste of his omega’s lips. Sweet. Soft. Warm. His. No other male would ever know her the way he would. It was enough to make him want to throw back his head and roar.

  He didn’t. Now that he finally had her in his arms, he wouldn’t risk scaring her off. If she ran now... he would chase her to the ends of the Earth, and when he caught her, he couldn’t be held responsible for his actions. She’d be pinned under him so fast, and he’d be buried balls deep, his fangs in her soft skin to mark her as his own before she could take a breath.

  A shudder of need rolled through him at the very idea and his arms tightened around her. His jaw ached with the force of holding his fangs in check, every muscle in his body tight as he denied the change. He couldn’t show that side of himself, not yet.

  He wanted her acceptance and submission, not her fear. He’d seen the way the L’crav clan treated their omegas. It was revolting. Dishonorable. He wouldn’t break his little omega that way.

  The blindfold helped. It hid the fact his eyes would be pure black by now, a response to her delectable scent—the one that had called to him for days now. The constant torment had him hard and aching to be buried inside her, knotted and bound to this glorious female.

  He rolled his hips, letting her feel the hard bar and raised ridges of his cock press against her bare flesh. She moaned and shivered, her soft fingers taking hold of his shirt and gripping it tightly.

  “Yes. You see? Your body knows. You belong to me, S
avannah. And I will make you feel such pleasure you’ll wonder why you ever thought you didn’t.”

  He savored the little catch in her breath at his soft words and the way her scent swelled with the beginnings of arousal. She was his for the taking, almost. He could feel it.

  Claiming her lips again, he built the tension between them. He was dominant one moment, but before she could tense up, he gentled his embrace, teasing her into coming to play with him. Then he denied her, his lips curling into a small smile at the small start of frustration in her delicate little frame.

  “You want that. Don’t you, shar’ai?” he murmured against her lips.

  “I...” Again, that soft catch of breath. He doubted she was even aware she was doing it... or that he could hear it.

  “Say it,” he instructed. He wanted to hear her admit she wanted him.

  “I like this.”

  The little omega wasn’t done fighting him? Very well. He could be patient a little longer. “I didn’t ask you if you liked it. I can smell that much. Tell me that you want this. Want me to keep touching you.” He stroked his thumb along the slender column of her neck, feeling her pulse leap beneath his touch. “I’d like to keep touching you, little one.” He paused. “Or would you rather touch yourself?”

  He waited, and there it was, the little catch again. It took a supreme effort of will not to smile. “I think you would like that. It’s safer. No? To not have me touch you?”

  He ignored the howl of his alpha instincts to that one. She should want his touch, should welcome it. All omegas wanted and craved the touch of their alphas. So much so that withdrawal of touch was considered a classic way to discipline and control a wayward omega.

  But these omegas... his omega... was different. The old norms did not apply and he had to forge a new path. One that was right for here and now, and the little female shivering so delightfully in his arms.

  “You want me to...”