The Commander's Fated Mate

by Lily Anton

  Raillar looked over at him. “Commander Ezon is present.”

  “Good.” Ezon could hear the undercurrent of relief in his brother’s voice. “How are the humans doing?”

  Raillar grimaced. He had not been a fan of humans and had been in the quiet minority of those who had not felt the humans had been necessarily worthy of their protection. Why should they protect a race of beings that did not take care of their own planet?

  Ezon had not entirely disagreed with that sentiment.

  On the other hand, Nelo’s fascination (or perhaps fondness) for humans was well known.

  “We are estimating a total of two thousand one-hundred and twenty-two humans present. A task force has been created to minimize panic among them.”

  He was impressed. Raillar had done exactly what he would have had he been here.

  “Good. I will be there shortly.”

  With the comm link closed, Railler nodded at him. “Your shuttle’s passenger information indicated you had a human female on board.”

  The mention of Leila brought a growl to his throat, which earned him a raised brow. For the stone-faced Captain beside him, that was as good as a gasp of surprise from anyone else.

  “Will she be requiring specific accommodations?”

  Ezons’ eyes narrowed, catching the slight upward quirk to the Captains’ lips. “Thank you for overseeing command in my absence. You may return to your duties.”

  Railler bowed his head in acknowledgement as he departed.

  Slipping back into his role as Commander on board the Tyrrhenian was a welcome reprieve from how his life had spiraled out of control within the span of a day. And now he had to do his job with the taste of her lips on his tongue and the scent of her in his nose and the song in his head.

  “Commander.”

  He turned as Nelo approached him, hands clasped behind his back.

  His brother’s lack of informal address (no matter how much he had always admonished Nelo for it) did not sit well with him.

  Nelo was displeased with him.

  “Permission to lead the team overseeing the humans on board.”

  Ezon nodded. “Granted.”

  “Permission to know Leila’s location.”

  “Denied,” he snapped without thinking, realizing a moment too late that he’d walked into some sort of trap.

  “As I’m now responsible for all humans on board, I must--”

  What are you doing?, he hissed quietly, eyeing those around them to ensure no one was close enough to hear them.

  My job. Which you have just granted me permission to do.

  Her location is of no concern to you.

  Is it not?

  Nelo…

  Enough. His brother’s stern tone silenced him. I warned you what would happen. Whatever your actions, you frightened her. And then you dismiss one of the members of my security team and all but force her into the shuttle with you. Simply being your brother had her fearing me as she left. And of course you have no doubt locked her up in your quarters without explanation...

  Ezon shouldn’t have been surprised that Nelo knew where she was. What did surprise him was the level of fear Nelo was describing. He had not thought it had been so bad. And he had tried to explain…hadn’t he?

  Have you even accounted for her need for food or other human necessities? Or do you think you’ve charmed her into waiting naked for you in your bed?

  The comment was so unlike Nelo that it took Ezon a moment to recover.

  You are dismissed, Captain.

  Nelo walked away without further commentary. He was

  perhaps one of the best suited to handling the myriad humans on board; all with varying emotional states.

  Have you even accounted for her need for food or other human needs?

  His brother’s question concerned him. He had left her without any indication of how long he would be, and now that he thought about it, he had no idea what food was currently in his quarters or if there were any other required items she needed.

  The thought of his poor behavior and that she would find him lacking in consideration, chafed him.

  Having a mate was not something he had ever foreseen for himself, and now…?

  He spent the next hour communicating with General Yera back on Debiraan, all the while attempting to internally justify his earlier actions. Leila’s safety had been a priority and everything else took a back seat to that, including her discomfort. Yet, the other humans on this ship would no doubt be receiving better treatment and care especially with Nelo at the helm.

  Nelo would have been much better suited for Leila, and it was that fact that had made him snap when he’d asked to check on her.

  But the fact remained, Leila was tied to him now. Whether she knew it or not.

  If he had to...court her - just the thought of it made him grimace - then he would have to try.

  “Commander,” Rallair called out. “Captain Nelo is requesting that all Debir on board have their translator implants updated with multiple human languages.”

  “Understood. Request granted. Alert all staff.”

  Railler went to give the order, only for Ezon to call him back. “Captain, please take over.”

  A walk would serve him well as he was distracted. And if that walk took him back to his own quarters and to Leila…? Then so be it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  LEILA

  If she were anyone else, Leila would have immediately begun snooping as soon as she’d come to her senses after being left a wreck of sexual frustration, with an emphasis on frustration. Even though it royally pissed her off that he’d locked her away like some maiden, what was worse was that he had done so without any information.

  When she had finally unglued herself from where she’d been standing, she spent the next ten minutes simply staring out the large windows, processing the fact that she was on an actual fucking space ship.

  She also knew she was hungry, the latte earlier having been the only thing she’d had eaten that afternoon. Her appetite was non-existent in light of what was going on, although it now occurred to her that she needed to use the bathroom, which meant it was time to explore her current digs.

  There was nothing to do but investigate, and perhaps figure just who Ezon was. He hadn’t started off in her bad books but it had been a steady thing now, and it appeared as though the feeling was mutual.

  ‘You really think that? Do you not remember how he practically ravaged you fifteen minutes ago?’

  Leila ignored the thought. Nelo had said that the Debir were a romantic people; Ezon was clearly not most Debir.

  Not that she particularly minded; she wasn’t an overly romantic person herself, but she did appreciate those who were considerate and kind, especially when it was tempered with other more pragmatic qualities.

  Ezon was…

  Well she supposed she didn’t really know who he was...except an asshole.

  It’s not like she had expected a powerpoint presentation breaking down exactly what was going on; he obviously was in charge here to some degree, and of course his priority would be to ensure everyone’s safety.

  That was of course the logical side of her brain. The more emotional side was still angry. And honestly, she was a little hurt.

  She got the impression that he disliked his attraction to her, which made sense because she felt the exact same way. Still, it stung a bit.

  That moment they had locked eyes by the water felt like a lifetime ago now.

  Her bladder’s insistent need redirected her thoughts, making her hurry across the room, hoping she wouldn’t have to look through too many doors.

  Thankfully, she found a toilet, similar enough to the normal standard on earth, save for one particular difference. It had taken her an embarrassing amount of time to figure out how to hop onto it. Considering the Debirs and their enormous height, it would make sense that their toilets would be high enough to accommodate that. At least Ezon wasn’t around to hear her struggle.<
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  And at least she had known how to operate what was the Debir equivalent of a bidet, which was a welcome treat considering she felt in dire need of a shower.

  Washing her hands had been interesting as she had waved them under a sensor, her hands suddenly coated in pale green foam that grew quickly in size before similarly colored water turned on and washed it away.

  Immediate needs taken care of, Leila noted that despite only being a half bathroom, the space was large, decorated in light blue mosaic tiles with darker blue pieces creating a patterned border that ran all the way around. Even the floor was elegant, looking to be made of polished marble, or perhaps whatever the Debir version of marble was.

  Another set of double doors, these ones smaller that the main ones in the entryway were too tempting to ignore.

  Pushing down on one of the massive door handles, Leila pushed it open revealing what was obviously the bedroom.

  The floor to ceiling windows from the living area continued on here; space and stars as far as the eye could see.

  A massive platform bed was the centerpiece, larger than anything she had ever seen. It looked absolutely luxurious compared to what she had expected to find; a downy looking comforter and two body-sized pillows, all of it a rich navy blue and definitely an obscenely high thread count.

  It seemed so unlike the little she knew of Ezon, that it made her wonder whether this was all to his personal taste or was this simply considered standard Debir bedding?

  The desire to lie down was strong, and she found herself trying to guess which side he slept on, or perhaps he slept in the middle?

  The thought of being in bed with him -this bed in particular- was not an unwelcome thought.

  “I must be fucking exhausted,” she said to herself, eyeing the bed with longing. As tired as she was, there was no way she was going near it.

  There appeared to be no personal touches in the room at all, or in any area she had been in for that matter, which is why a small framed photo immediately caught her attention as she turned to leave.

  There were four Debir total, with two seated and two standing in the back. She only recognized two of the ones sitting down.

  Ezon was all but scowling, giving her the distinct impression that he was there under duress. Nelo’s familiar face was grinning beside him, like he had been caught mid-laughter. Her eyes then went to the two figures standing behind the brothers. The pair had a look on their face that screamed ‘exasperated but proud’, the warmth in their features so unlike the practically scowling Ezon.

  Clearly he had a loving family, and the fact that he had this photo in his room gave Leila the clear impression that while he wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type, he obviously cared deeply for them.

  It only served to remind Leila how far away she was from her own family. Her two younger sisters lived together not far from where she did, and their parents -who were very much alive- lived on the other side of the planet.

  She worried for their safety now, and unfortunately her phone was only useful at keeping time now as there was no reception.

  The only thing she could do was hope that whatever was happening now would be handled quickly, and then she could get back to her life.

  Despite whatever was going on with her and Ezon, her time in the embassy had been fascinating. Seeing with her own eyes how humans and Debirs had been interacting together, the whole ‘they had come to invade us and make us slaves’ rhetoric did not seem accurate. Then again, a single day at the embassy wasn’t exactly proof of anything.

  Back in the living room, she removed her blazer before deciding to look in the kitchen for something edible, only to find nothing in the fridge or anything in the cupboard. She wondered how long it had been since he had been here. The only thing she could hope for was that the water dispenser worked, and she hoped it was safe for humans to drink. Luckily for her, it was.

  Thirty minutes later and still no signs of Ezon, and the lack of any sort of entertainment system made the waiting worse.

  Curiosity reared its head again, and she was back in his bedroom, opening a door and finding a set of clothes neatly hanging, all pretty much identical to what he was currently wearing.

  Leila looked around just to make sure no one was around before taking a slow step forward, eyes closing as she brought her nose to the fabric, and inhaled.

  She laughed when she smelt nothing, shaking her head at her own ridiculousness, and closed the door.

  The next door, the one that was beside the bathroom, was the only other one she had yet to check, and considering the completionist that she was, didn’t see a reason to ignore it.

  Considering she had yet to see a shower or bathtub, she expected something to that effect when she opened the door.

  What she got instead was absolutely insane.

  The non-descript door had opened to a vast space, almost half the size of the living area. Cream-colored mosaics covered all four walls, its design similar to the bathroom and creating a spa-like effect the likes of which she’d never seen.

  A blue tiled swimming pool took up much of the room, although it was currently empty.

  Was this his fucking bathtub?! How long did it take to fill?! Actually…

  Leila frowned, trying to figure out where the water would come from until she found some knobs near the steps that led down into it.

  She knelt down, trying to figure out how it worked, randomly deciding to push a button and immediately standing up when she saw the water begin to rise from the pool floor. It took less than a minute for the pool to fill, a hint of something floral along with it.

  The water steamed invitingly, and she couldn’t resist leaning down and checking the temperature.

  Perfect bath tub temperature.

  “Lucky bastard,” she thought to herself, as she found some soft towel-like fabrics.

  It was getting harder to walk away from the water now, especially as it would have been such a waste to not use it.

  Playing with some more buttons revealed that she could change the underlighting, the water reflecting an effervescent purple, while another button suddenly had jets of bubbles shooting out and quickly making the whole thing a giant bubble bath.

  “Right. At this point it would be rude not to,” she justified to herself.

  Grabbing one of the giant towels, Leila placed it by the side of the bathtub masquerading as a pool.

  Stepping into the water drew a moan from her lips, half-swimming to the other side of it where a built in bench allowed one to relax regardless of the depth of the water.

  Part of her honestly felt that she was wasting time laying there with bubbles foaming around her, taking liberties when maybe she shouldn’t be. But what the hell else was she supposed to do? Sit on the couch grumbling that he’d left her?

  She let her eyes close, heaving a deep sigh as the heat of the water worked its magic on her tense muscles. All she needed was a glass of champagne, a soft robe, and a 90 minute massage to complete the fantasy.

  Thoughts of a massage slowly gave way to thoughts of Ezon’s hands. They were large to be sure, but with such slender fingers that would no doubt be great in giving her said massage.

  Thinking of him triggered the urge to not think about him. Which of course meant that now all she could do was think about him.

  With only the sounds of bubbles and the waves of water gently lapping at the sides of the massive tub, Leila allowed herself a moment to indulge.

  Her hand slowly made its way down her body, her fingers grazing over her clit and causing her to shudder. She hadn’t even begun and she was so fucking close already.

  She replayed the kiss from earlier, trying to remember exactly what it had felt like to be in his presence, to picture what it would be like to have him hovering over her, his body pinning hers in place as he worked his tongue over her skin before reaching the apex of her legs, gently flicking it over the bundle of nerves…

  Leila sucked in a breath as her fingers circled around it
, the image of his head squeezed between her thighs as he hummed in satisfaction of seeing her lose control.

  She wasn’t going to last much longer, her climax building as her fingers sped up, her head falling back as finally she fell over the edge, her body shaking as wave after wave of her orgasm crashed over her.

  “Ezon…” she moaned, back arched, as all inhibitions fell by the wayside.

  By the time her breathing evened out and she opened her eyes, the realization that she had just experienced one of the best orgasms of her life just by fantasizing about the insufferable Debir brought her back to reality.