Bilax groaned and shivered where he stood pressed close to Exeri’s side, his muzzle buried intimately against their queen. The male shifted to reveal that his swollen length had fully extruded and was beading with precum. Pheromones clogged the air as the pack’s sexual excitement fed into itself, drawing their arousal higher, mingling with the sweet scent of their queen’s desire.
Yet, despite her interest, he felt her shiver in his arms, her heart beating rapidly. The slight smell of fear mingled with the scent of her lust, creating a confusing mixture that had him shaking his head in alarm.
This wasn’t right.
His pack was picking up on it too, as they made uncertain noises in their throats and glanced at him for direction. It physically pained him to do this, but she needed to come to them when she was ready. She was theirs—that much was true—but they could not do this unless they were certain she wanted it.
Cuddling her in his arms, he turned, breaking away from his pack. Her head shot up in confusion and she made a small sound of protest, but he walked down the hallway. He could hear them following close behind, the air still thick with musk, as he headed toward a room they had prepared if they ever needed a place for a guest to stay or an ally to hide. He had not planned on putting his mate in a separate room, but it would be best for now. Sleeping next to her was torturous, so this would have to do.
“Do not worry,” he crooned. “This is a spare room. You may use it until you are ready.”
Hayley pulled back, her eyes scanning his features as she frowned in confusion. “I don’t understand. I thought my time was up… Have you changed your mind?”
A low laugh escaped him. “No, my beloved queen, we have not. As you have witnessed yourself… we want and need you desperately…”
“But?”
He sighed as he set her on the bed and backed away. “But not this way,” he said firmly. “We were slaves, without options. Make no mistake: you are ours. We will never let you go… But we will give you time. Whatever you need until you come to us willingly because you choose to. Until that day comes, this will be your sanctuary.”
Her eyebrows rose, and she slowly turned her head, inspecting the room. “Really? You’ll let me have this?”
“Yes,” he murmured.
She glanced shyly at the rest of the pack. “And you guys are okay with it too?”
Exeri wanted to bristle that she asked their opinion when he was the alpha, but he relaxed as the reason hit him. It was not because she saw him possessing no authority as the head of their family. It was not a rude barb such as the Agraak had preferred to use to insult and belittle the alphas until they felt powerless. She was seeking confirmation because she valued each of them. He felt a wave of affection for his queen.
She did not yet love them. He was under no illusion about that. But she saw them each as worthwhile individuals. They mattered to her. Maybe it was the start of their bond, and one day she would come to love them, and their bond with her would bloom. He dropped his head and nuzzled her, giving his pack leave to answer her as they like.
The males fidgeted, glancing toward him repeatedly until at last one of them answered.
“I do not mind,” Bilax said, his glance toward their queen brief but filled with hope. “I want my mate to smile at me and greet me when I come to her. I am happy to wait for that day.”
“I can wait too,” Simah said in a slow, thoughtful tone. “Your happiness is important. It will not make me happy if you do not wish to be with us. I like talking to you and sharing my days with you. I do not want to lose that just to breed.”
“Well, I want to fuck,” Tanji retorted, but then his scowl slipped into a silly smile. “So I guess I will just have to wait and tempt you as much as often until you are just as ready as I am. It is no fun otherwise, anyway. When you are ready, I promise to make you howl as if you were born Arobi.”
Exeri chuckled as Hayley muffled a laugh against his chest, her body shaking against his with mirth. The scent of arousal was still thick around her, but he ignored it as the pack crowded around her again, this time in a show of affection rather than lust. Although they still had swollen sheaths, barely containing the cocks that had slipped back inside, the males were mellowing. They rubbed their muzzles against her, expressing every bit of tenderness and hope for their future in the gentle touches before they each pulled back to the door, one by one.
Exeri was the last to nuzzle her jaw, his hand sliding through her hair before he too stepped back. Hayley sat there looking up at him with a puzzled smile on her lips. Yet it was the warmth in her eyes that stole his breath. He let out a shaky breath and smiled down at her in return.
“Rest, Hayley,” he said. “We will fetch you for the evening meal. If you need anything, just press the comm on the wall beside your bed and it will connect you with the other units throughout the dwelling. One of us will answer.”
Slowly, she licked her lips. “Do you think at some point I can have my own comm? They wouldn’t allow any of the brides to have one when we were processed.”
His brows raised in surprise. “That is strange. Even among mates, usually everyone has a comm that I know of. Even the Mintigi have their own comms.”
Hayley coughed and a flush crawled up her cheeks. “It may be in part due to the fact that I was transferred directly from prison to the bridal facility.”
Drawing back in surprise, Exeri gave her a measured look. She did not appear to be a criminal. “Prison? For what reason?”
He winced at the hard edge he heard in his own voice, but Hayley shrugged as if she expected as much and he felt an instant pang of guilt. He tried to push it back, telling himself that it was possible she committed some grievous crime. The Union reserved the prison planet for only the most heinous of offenses. He knew that looks could be deceiving, but he could not see Hayley doing anything so terrible to warrant it. Not his sweet queen.
Their mate’s jaw tightened perceptibly but she blew out a breath in surrender. “Yeah, I guess you might as well know. I was locked up because I attacked my mama’s husband… umm, mate… when I caught him beating her.” She glanced up, her eyes hardening. “I would do it again too, except if I had the shot, I would kill him this time. At least then I would have deserved my charges. I was defending my mama and she lied in her testimony—said I attacked him out of nowhere. I shot his ass and was sentenced ten years for aggravated assault. I was offered this deal days after the sentence was handed down.”
“So you came to us because you had no choice,” Exeri summarized, his tone wooden.
She peeked at him from beneath her lashes and her face fell, the stubborn mask she always wore crumbling as she stared down at the bedding miserably.
He felt his heart crack because, at that moment, he realized exactly why she had agreed. She came to escape—and to escape her mate for her freedom.
Looking down at his mate, his resolve hardened. He would woo her, and he would keep her safe… but he would be damned if he ever let her go. She was a worthy female for protecting her family.
“You did well,” he growled, startling her into glancing up at him. He nodded to reinforce his statement. “You protected your dam. Though you were betrayed, there is no fault in your actions. I will be honored to wait for such a fine mate.”
“To our mate!” Tanji shouted out happily.
“To our mate!” Exeri called out with Simah and Bilax.
Hayley began to giggle, tears of amusement leaking from her eyes. “You guys are so sweet… but you do realize that toasts like that are usually made with drinks.”
Tanji grinned. “That is not a problem. I will go get Bilax’s stash of fire wine!” he shouted as he bolted from the room.
Bilax’s eyes widened and he took off after the male, his shouts audible even from down the hall. “Not the fire wine, you idiot! You will poison our mate—get the sweet roya wine!”
Exeri chuckled, his eyes meeting the laughing gaze of their female.
One
way or the other, they would win her.
Chapter 15
Hayley lay in bed sometime later, her belly warmed with wine and sexual frustration plucking at her nerves. She couldn’t believe that they got her all worked up—and then stopped! Yet, despite her frustration, she had to smile because their reasoning had been the sweetest and most decent thing she had heard in a while. It was chivalrous. She still wanted to chase them down and fuck, but she also understood that they wanted her to be sure and not regret it. She doubted that she would have any regrets about the sex…
But she knew that it wouldn’t just be sex for them. For them, it would be a bond. Like a forever kind of deal. Her hands clenched the blanket as confusion churned in her belly.
For many weeks, ever since she signed on the dotted line, her goal had been to do whatever was necessary to escape to her freedom. And now she was starting to question it. She bit her lip. Did she have to make a hard decision either way yet? It was oh so tempting to give the males a chance.
She was afraid, though. Terrified of the unknown variables.
If she stayed and mated with them and accepted them as her family… in the end, it could mean nothing. Her past could always catch up to her at any moment, and any bonds she forged couldn’t be counted on to keep her from being locked back up for violating her contract with the Mate Index distribution program. Either they would let her down, or she would let them down. Her breath pushed past her lips in ragged gasps as a multitude of possible scenarios ran back-to-back through her mind, each more heartbreaking than the last.
It wouldn’t be right to stay. It wouldn’t be fair. They wanted and deserved a mate to keep and love, one who wouldn’t be ripped away from them at a moment’s notice. Hayley was a realist. She knew that she could promise nothing more than what she could give right now, for this moment in time. To welcome them under those terms felt deceitful. She would be the worst kind of person to give them hope of any kind of a happy future when a change in circumstances would force her to sneak away and return to her original plan.
She punched her pillow as she flopped onto it, trying to find a comfortable position. This wasn’t working. There was no way she was going to get comfortable. A low hiss of air released from between her pinched lips. Their earnest faces sprang to life in her mind, gentle smiles and rolling growls. Assurances that they would wait until she wanted them as much as they wanted her. That they would give her time because they wanted more than a willing female body to fuck.
It wasn’t what she had expected. Not when she arrived at the space station expecting to be taken as a bride by the Edoka, and even less so when she was turned over to the Arobi. They appeared so savage and relentless. Predators, instinctual to the core. When they had surrounded her, tearing off their clothes, it was like the culmination of everything she’d expected. Oh, she was excited by it, wanted it desperately, but a small part of her instinctively retreated and braced for the uncaring impact of their bodies against hers.
For them to treat her body as their property, as violent men tended to do.
Instead, they had surprised her with their gentle touches. Though sexually excited, their cocks fully extruded from their naked bodies, they had held back their baser instincts and offered her comfort, affection, and understanding. Exeri held her gently, and the males touched her with kindness and warmth. It confused her while sending a bolt of longing straight through into her heart.
What they offered was so tempting: A safe place surrounded by their honest interest, and the raw bloom of affection stirring to life. She had seen that in their eyes. If it were just the physical comforts, she wouldn’t have had any problem sticking to the plan. But their damned kindness and how they looked at her as if she was the answer to everything for them… Even their wild possessiveness, while startling at times, made her feel cherished. They didn’t judge her. They accepted her past without so much as a flinch.
And still, she would betray them if it became necessary. She would break their hearts for her freedom.
She had to be a horrible person then, because, gods, she wanted what they offered. She wanted a taste, no matter how fleeting, of that happiness. She didn’t want to choose yet. She didn’t even want to think of the choice; she just wanted to enjoy being with them for however long they had, even if that made her a terrible person in the end.
Gods, she was never going to get to sleep.
Hayley tossed onto her side and stared out a window, her eyes falling on the clusters of flowers under the soft golden glow of the late-afternoon sun. She stilled, flinching with surprise when something that appeared to be an enormous butterfly, though with three times as many wings, dropped onto a blooming column. The insect’s wings flashed with pearly iridescence. With every movement, a rainbow of colors seemed to roll down its wings, and its body was lit up like a firefly. It sat there for a moment before fluttering away.
This place was incredible.
She watched the play of light and the wildlife until a wide yawn cracked her jaw, her ears popping from the force of it. Watching the flowers move in the wind, it occurred to her that just maybe she would be able to sleep after all.
Pulling the blanket high over her head to block out the persistent beams of sunlight, Hayley sighed in relief. For the first time since her arrest, she was able to let down her guard and truly rest amid the safety and comfort of the Arobi’s home. They would keep her safe… She could sleep.
Chapter 16
Bilax grinned and sniffed over the pot of stew they had assembled. Although it had taken some time for his body to calm, now that he was in his element, he was able to ignore the demands of his body and focus on his passion that was sweetened even more knowing that it would be enjoyed by their queen. Although Arobi did well enough on a diet primarily of meat, he enjoyed variety in his own diet and knew that humans needed a balanced diet for optimal health. That meant more meals would need to be prepared. Not that he minded. He loved to cook—mostly because he loved to eat. Not to mention that he was the only one in the pack who had the patience and interest to familiarize himself with all the various herbs and recipes.
He did not have the patience for most things, but when it came to that his fascination was unending. It was as far divorced from his old life as he could possibly get. He was the male of the pack who was put out to fight and win their master money in contests against other Arobi. His life was filled with one ugliness after the next. When he was not tracking people, he was brutally harming his own. It had nearly killed his spirit before they had gotten free. Now that he was free, he was resolved to fill his life with as many pleasant things as possible.
Not that his pack brothers appreciated his hard work. They would happily feast on half-cooked meat with even a drop of salt for flavoring. He had willingly eaten some horrible things in his time to avoid starvation, but when given a choice, he appreciated the finer flavors. With a human in the house, he relished the opportunity to show off and win over their queen.
“Are you sure humans like that sort of thing?” Tanji asked at his side, peering down into the pot. “It doesn’t look much like food… more like something a creature shit out.”
Bilax shoved the male away with a growl. “It is a human recipe. I had to make some substitutions with the food we have available here, but I believe she will enjoy this. It will also be nutritious for her.”
“We could have had plenty of nutrition with a slab of meat. You could even have steamed some of the vegetables you insist that we eat,” Tanji grumbled.
Bilax resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “If I did not insist you eat them, you would be complaining that your stomach was bothering you like you did in the kennel. Then you would be forced to take medicine to clear your bowels… That is something I prefer to avoid. The stench was bad enough to put me off eating for days.”
A playful grin stole around his pack brother’s mouth. “It was pretty bad. I was certain that Exeri was going to kick me out of our kennel.”
�
�I will personally kick you out of our dwelling if you make a stench like that with our queen here,” Simah said as he sat in a chair at the table, his tail wrapping lightly around his thigh.
“I would be amused to see you try. I seem to recall that I win when it comes to our sparring matches,” Tanji retorted with a snort.
Bilax raised a brow at the boast. Simah was deadly and had an eye for the tactical advantage. It was no secret that Tanji often won in their skirmishes, but he half-suspected that the other male let him win just to get a moment of peace. Bilax had no doubt that Simah would be far more vicious in his method of attack. Truth be told, while the male enjoyed hunting, he did not enjoy fighting. It was therefore no surprise when Simah grunted and turned his attention to his datapad, killing any hope Bilax had that the male would provide a source of distraction so that he could work in peace. Tanji laughed in response and pushed in closer to the pot.
“I think I know what might fix this. Maybe if we add more meat, it will not look so pitiful,” he offered.
“No. You are not touching anything in this kitchen,” Bilax snarled. “Go find something else to do to amuse yourself—something that won’t poison us, or make our food inedible, because I haven’t forgotten about your liberal use of inappropriate spices the last time I made roasted galgabet—and allow me to handle our evening meal.”
“Being a mated male is making you grumpy,” Tanji teased.
“We aren’t mated yet,” a hard voice reminded them as Exeri stepped into the kitchen. His tail whipped slightly with his steps, the only thing that indicated that the male was relaxed—or as relaxed as Exeri ever got.
Although he didn’t know their alpha when they were younger, he had seen plenty of glimpses of young alpha males paraded through the kennel training grounds, their hides scored with wounds from laser lashings. They were always mended and kept in good health… but knowing that the males had suffered in such a way was something that had made an impression on him when he was a pup.
Arobi's Queen: A Mate Index Romance (The Mate Index Book 11) Page 10
