Surprise Mates

by Grace Goodwin

  The woman in my arms glanced at me, then at the woman. “Maybe!”

  I had no idea what that meant. “My name is not Vegas, my lady,” I told her.

  Rezzer looked to me, to my arms where they remained wrapped around the female. “Lucy, has this male harmed you?”

  “Of course not,” she replied, her voice melodic and filled with happiness. Her name was Lucy.

  The huge Atlan crossed his arms and stared me down. This imposing action caused Sambor to stand quickly and move in close to my side, just in case the beast decided we’d harmed his mate or challenged him.

  “Really, Rezz, I’m fine. I promise,” Lucy added. “I tripped and he caught me. That’s all.”

  The Atlan tilted his head as if deciding whether or not to believe the female. His gaze narrowed. “Then why are his arms still about you?”

  A Hunter bumped into the back of the Atlan, which did nothing more than make him frown. Huge fucker. And with the Hive tech implants I’d caught glimpses of, he was probably even more dangerous than the average Atlan, which was downright savage.

  “Because you aliens can’t dance to save your lives. That one tripped and was about to run me over,” Lucy countered, pointing at Sambor, who actually turned from his usual golden tone to a much darker brown, closer to my coloring than I’d ever seen him, even in the heat of battle.

  My second was embarrassed.

  I wasn’t sure if I was saving her life, but I’d go with that if it kept her in my arms. “I would never harm a female.”

  The Warlord grunted in agreement, and his stance relaxed. “I gave my word to Warlord Wulf to protect her while he is on Earth with his mate.” His neutral face gave way to a frown. “I knew bringing an unmated female to this planet would be a mistake.”

  I heard one word… unmated. Setting the female gently on her feet, I kept my arm around her as I bowed low to the Warlord whose next words might very well determine my fate. “I am Lord Niklas Lorvar of Prillon Prime. Cousin to Battlegroup Commander Lorvar. Ambassador and trusted advisor of Prime Nial.” Warlord Wulf was this female’s protector? How had that happened? “And this is Captain Sambor Treval, close cousin to Hunt Treval of The Colony.”

  “You are Hunt’s cousin?” He looked to Sambor, who nodded gravely.

  “Hunt and I grew up together. He will confirm this. I am a warrior of honor. I would never harm a female,” Sambor assured him.

  The Atlan paused as if considering. Around the room, several more Atlans and more than one Prillon duo had begun to take an interest in our conversation as well. Fuck. Attention was not what I wanted, not with this beautiful female in my arms.

  “I assure you, Warlord, I am a male of honor. Lucy is safe with me,” I tried to ease the overly protective beast and nearly held my breath as I waited for his decision. Would he leave Lucy in my care? Or steal her from my arms before I had a chance to learn what might please her? Make her sigh? Moan? Scream in pleasure?

  “Leave Lucy be,” the Atlan’s mate said to him. “These guys will take care of her.”

  I didn’t miss the way she grinned when she said that, although I wasn’t exactly sure why.

  “Come on, Rezzer. Dance with me,” she continued, tugging on his uniform shirt. “I’ll show you the moves.”

  With one last glance at me accompanied by a snarl of warning—as if I didn’t know that to harm a single hair on Lucy’s head would mean my death—he allowed his mate to lead him back into the steps of the strange dance.

  Lucy melted against my side once the Warlord moved on.

  “That was intense,” she said, then looked up into my eyes, and I forgot we were standing in the middle of a roomful of people. “Thanks for catching me.”

  “My pleasure.” The words were idiotic, but I didn’t care. Touching her was a pleasure. As was looking into her gaze, tracing the outline of her lips with my fingertip.

  “Really, Niklas?” Sambor asked, jostling me enough to break the hypnotic hold the female seemed to have on me. I looked up to find him grinning. “Starting fights? I thought you were a diplomat.”

  “I believe it was you who said something about enjoying ourselves.” My gaze locked with Sambor’s, and I tipped my head down to indicate the human in my arms. This female was beautiful. Stunning. My cock remained hard despite every attempt my mind made to reason with the insolent organ.

  She was here as a friend of the queen. She was human. How was it possible she did not have a mate?

  Or two?

  Or three? Surely she belonged to someone.

  I’d seen more than one group of Viken fighters escorting a female tonight, including the queen and kings of Viken carrying their two precious daughters. Both with dark red hair like their mother.

  Like Lucy.

  “Holy fuck,” Sambor murmured just above a whisper when he got a good look at the female in my arms. He went rigid, and when one of the kings of Viken stepped on his foot and offered apologies, he didn’t even blink.

  I looked down and drowned in her gaze, my entire body going as rigid as my cock. She wasn’t squirming or fighting to be somewhere else. It seemed she liked being held as much as I liked holding her.

  “Are you not frightened?” I asked, my voice loud enough to be heard over the music.

  “Of you or your terrible dancing?” She actually laughed, setting the fiery curls around her face to bouncing. The rest she had twisted up on top of her head in some strange configuration common among females. “Either way, the answer is no. You’re actually kind of smaller than I’m used to.”

  I wasn’t sure if I should laugh at her boldness or feel insulted. I was nearly seven feet tall, by no means small.

  “Only Atlans are larger than Prillons. You are mated to a beast then?” Sambor asked. Had he not heard the Atlan, Rezzer, grumble about her being unmated? Or was he simply seeking confirmation? Our gazes dropped to inspect her wrists, which were bare. No mating cuffs.

  When the Viken king bumped into Sambor again, I’d had enough. I picked her up and walked out of the dancing throng. Lucy did not resist. But when we reached the side of the room, I had no choice but to set her back upon her feet.

  Her smile was open, welcoming and curious as she glanced up at the two of us. “To answer your question, no. I don’t have a mate.”

  “Based on the ring in your nose, I assumed a mate from Trion,” I said, looking again for the outline of similar adornments in her nipples.

  “Nope, no Trion mate, nor am I seeking one. From any planet.”

  “You’re not? I understand that human females were only allowed to leave your planet to mate or fight in the war,” Sambor said to her. Earth was one of only a handful of all planets that allowed their females to fight, a decision both Sambor and I disagreed with, not because a female couldn’t hold her own in battle, but because we were more than willing to sacrifice our own lives so they did not have to.

  Apparently Lucy did not approve of Sambor’s words. She frowned and I did not like to see the crease mar her smooth brow. “Wow. Know everything about us, do you? I understood that a Prillon male got tested for a bride because he couldn’t find one on his own.”

  I couldn’t help the smile at the way Sambor’s eyes widened at her well-countered words or the way he bowed his head slightly.

  “My apologies. Lucy, correct?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Then if you are not here to acquire a mate, why are you here?”

  Her bright green eyes glanced between me and Sambor with… unhidden desire. Lust. Open and blatant appreciation.

  Need.

  My cock punched against my pants, eager to get to her, to fulfill any need she might have. I envisioned her in bed between Sambor and me. Naked. Our hands and mouths on her. Our cocks in her. I could almost hear her moans of pleasure, screams of satisfaction.

  She set her hand on my chest, and I felt the heat of it through my tunic. Fuck, she was a contrary thing. Tiny and frail, yet a tongue sharper than a Viken’s most
ruthless blade. Lightness and now this… heat.

  Taking a step closer, she placed her palm in the same spot on Sambor. “I am here to enjoy myself. To have some fun.”

  “Please do not let us stop you from dancing some more.” I would deny her nothing, and I had to admit watching her dance would be quite erotic. “Unless the queen bids otherwise, we will remain here and watch.”

  “I want you to do more than watch me.” Or at least that’s what I thought she said—her voice had dipped almost to a whisper. “So you’re a lord?” she asked, louder this time, her thumb sliding back and forth across my chest, distracting me.

  I imagined that thumb sliding over the crown of my cock, and I was ready to toss her over my shoulder and carry her off to an empty room in the palace so she could do so.

  Her scent filled my head, and my heart raced as if I’d just outrun a Hive scout in a stealth fighter. “My name is Niklas.”

  “Nik.”

  I’d never heard anyone shorten my name before, but the abbreviation made me want to yell mine so everyone could hear me over the thrum of loud music. Gods, she was a bold little thing. No Prillon female would make such forward contact with a male. She licked her lips in Sambor’s direction.

  “And you?” She looked up at Sambor, who was armed and had to be almost two heads taller than the petite female, yet she appeared unafraid.

  “I am Sambor Treval.” He set his hand over hers and bowed slightly at the waist.

  “Sam and Nik.” She sighed like we’d revealed the secrets of the universe and filled her with bliss. I suddenly wanted to hear more sounds from her small throat. I wanted to hear her beg, hear the soft cries of her release. Sighs of surrender. I imagined stripping the wispy green fabric from her body, unwinding the golden strands that crisscrossed her waist and breasts as if unwrapping a gift.

  “Are you two together?” Her green gaze flitted between the two of us. “You know, like a warrior and his second?”

  Fuck. My cock jerked to attention as Sambor nodded. “Yes, I am his chosen second.”

  “How can we assist you, my lady? A beverage?” I asked, trying to regain control of my body after the gut punch that was this small, human female. Bouncing red curls, pale skin too even and perfect to be real. Her green eyes were lined with dark accents that made them appear larger, more innocent. Obviously the work of magic as she was not acting as an innocent would.

  She was pure seduction. Beauty.

  “Orgasms.”

  I coughed, stunned by her boldness. Sambor laughed.

  “Orgasms?” Sambor repeated.

  “I’ve spent too many nights alone in my bed.” She looked us up and down; then her gaze remained on down, on our cocks. Mine was rock-hard and pressing against my pants. I had no doubt Sambor suffered a similar affliction. “I was hoping that maybe, while I’m here, you two might want to join me?” Her words were bold, but her gaze was averted, unsure—now that she’d offered herself to us.

  Yet there was no denying her sincerity. Or her need. I inhaled deeply, scented her feminine heat, the sweet perfume of her skin. Her pussy, hot and wet and eager. For me and Sambor. Together.

  “You want us to see to your pleasure,” Sambor said. Everyone but the guards were dancing. Still, he kept his voice low. “Touch you. Fuck you. Make you scream your release?”

  Leave it to Sambor to be crude, but her eyelids flared in shock, then dropped to hide her desire. Her pink tongue flicked out to wet her lower lip. “Yes. That’s what I want.”

  I lifted my palm to cup the side of her face and gently angled it toward mine, waited with what felt like infinite patience for her to open her eyes. When she did, I nearly groaned. Her green gaze was flooded with honesty. Need. Trust.

  Submission.

  Unable to resist, I ran my thumb along her plump lower lip, imagined it wrapped around my cock.

  She offered herself. The raw hunger that slammed through my body made my decision a simple one. I chose to accept. The party continued all around us. It seemed Sambor and I would have a party of our own. A smaller, more intimate one with just one guest. Who needed to sample the Earth cake that was on display when we could eat Lucy from Earth?

  3

  Lucy

  * * *

  I tried to remain calm. To keep my gaze on theirs as I waited for their answer to my question. If they rejected me, I’d die. Okay, not really, but a little bit inside. Living on The Colony with several other women from Earth and watching them all hot and heavy with their mates was hard enough. Especially seeing my BFF Olivia with Wulf.

  I thought for sure I’d have a mate of my own by now. ’d been spending too much time with my vibrator and none with a real, live, flesh-and-blood male. If I bombed at propositioning two Prillons into a one-night stand, then I was going to be devastated. That vibrator I was tired of would need an upgrade because my lady parts were only going to see mechanical devices from now on.

  This was the trip to go wild. Sure, the palace of Prillon Prime was a far cry from Las Vegas, but it was the time for me to get drunk, flash my boobs and wake up with a sore pussy and the inability to walk properly.

  These two Prillons were gorgeous. Seriously out-of-this-world hot.

  Sambor was like a golden god, every inch of him gleaming like he’d been touched by King Midas. Golden skin and hair, a darker gold in his eyes. His angular Prillon features made him striking, like a perfect beach model someone would use for a cologne ad. A sun god.

  Then there was Nik. Hair so dark it was nearly black, his eyes a startling and very alien bright copper, and his dark, smooth skin reminded me of melted milk chocolate chips when they were warm from the oven. I would take a golden cookie and tear it in half and lift the dark, dripping chocolate onto my tongue.

  What did a Prillon’s cum taste like? Was it salty? Sweet? Did Nik’s skin taste like chocolate? Did Sambor’s golden skin taste like metal? Like vanilla? Like sunshine? I was an artist at heart, and color palettes were my life. I had dozens of names floating in my head, ideas to describe these two males and their unique coloring. I wanted to see more. No. I wanted to see everything.

  I wanted to touch. And taste. What did their kiss taste like? Their skin? Did they growl or bellow or moan when they came? What did their cocks look like? How human was the rest of them?

  Were they having similar thoughts? Because they continued to stare and stare, as if I’d said I was actually a Hive Scout.

  Okay, I had my answer. Or a nonanswer. My anticipation drained out of me like I was a helium balloon and they’d just stabbed me with a knife. Yeah, it was time to go before I wilted completely and sank to the ground in a puddle of embarrassment. Time to go strip off this gorgeous gown and put on my usual sweats and transport back to The Colony.

  I tried to pull my hands away from their muscled chests, but neither allowed it. They held on tight.

  “I do not have a problem with giving you pleasure,” Nik said. “Do you, Sambor?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Relief coursed through me and I sighed. I couldn’t help the smile. “Good.” I glanced over my shoulder at everyone dancing. “Now would be the time to duck out. Rezzer’s not the only one keeping an eye on me.”

  Nik’s eyes lifted and looked out over my head at the guests, scanning.

  “I am pleased to hear you are protected; however, you have nothing to fear from us,” Nik vowed.

  They might stand like two huge giants, but I was used to Wulf’s hulking size and I wasn’t scared of him. Sure, Wulf might bluster and be a pain in my ass, but he’d never hurt me. Same for Braun, who was huge, cyborg, and, I suspected, fighting a serious case of Atlan mating fever. Not that he’d said as much. Braun would not pressure a female that way. In fact, not one alien I’d met would ever harm a female. As for these two Prillons, I wasn’t afraid of either of them. I was nervous as hell. Horny, definitely. I had never, ever propositioned a guy before. I wasn’t a virgin, but I’d never gone up to a stranger—two strangers—and s
aid I wanted orgasms. These weren’t boring, tame Earth guys either. They were Prillons. Bossy, protective and dominant. They ran battlegroups without breaking a sweat.

  I wasn’t sure if I was crazy good or crazy bad. When I looked them over again, I was definitely crazy bad. I waggled my finger at the front of their pants. “Except for those. My pussy is a little afraid of what’s in there. Got ion pistols in your pocket or are you very pleased with my offer?”

  They frowned in tandem. Yeah, I used sarcasm as a defense mechanism when I was nervous. It seemed, though, that I confused these guys. I laughed. “Do I make your cocks hard?”

  I watched Nik swallow hard. “Fuck, yes.”

  I licked my lips and said, “Then we should go to my room.”

  “Fuck, yes,” Sam echoed.

  This time, when I tried to move my hands from their chests, they let me. I wrapped my fingers around theirs and led them from the room, the music and everyone else at the party fading away. The country music anthem we’d all been line dancing to faded into the song from Pretty in Pink’s prom scene. I wasn’t going to be missed. And if I was, all the girls would think I’d found my Las Vegas–style fling.

  I might be a little bit crazy for leading two huge aliens to my room, but I wasn’t stupid. I’d stay at the palace with guards around. All I had to do was scream and I’d have an entourage of royal guards swarming.

  The farther we got from the public area of the palace and closer to the guest wing, all that was left was me and two Prillon hunks… and their huge, hard cocks. By the time I closed the door to the beautiful bedroom I’d been given, I’d lost some of my boldness. My brain was trying to slut shame me into changing my mind, but my body was ready. My panties were ruined. My nipples were hard.

  I’d planned this. A weekend away, although there was no such thing as a weekend in space. Wulf wasn’t in the room to rip Sam’s and Nik’s heads off to protect my honor. He wasn’t even on the planet. Or in the same part of the galaxy. He was on Earth with Olivia, doing talk shows. Ha!