Mated to the Jardan Warrior

by Aria Bell

  The raft reached a critical point where more of it was under water than above it.

  “Get ready to jump,” Ryrke said. He was breathing hard from exertion. “Swim as fast as you can for shore.”

  He didn’t have to tell me twice. Quickly, I looked behind us into the water, hoping nothing was chasing us. I didn’t see anything, but that didn’t reassure me much. Dread filled the pit of my stomach, but I only gritted my teeth and said, “Ready when you are.”

  Ryrke turned, grabbed the orange survival kit box, and hurled it toward the shore. It spun wildly through the air and slammed into the pebbles on the lakeshore. Then it tumbled end over end before coming to a stop against the big rocks.

  “Follow me!” Ryrke yelled. Then he drew his blade and pushed himself over the front of the sinking raft. I moved to the side of the raft, did a last check for monster fish, and jumped in. The water was cold. I immediately turned, trying to look in all directions at once.

  Ryrke grabbed my free hand and pulled me to the surface with him. “Swim!” he commanded.

  We both started for shore. He stayed beside me the whole time, although I knew he could swim much faster. Finally, we reached the shore and stumbled our way out of the water. I staggered to one of the rocks far from the water and leaned against it, gasping for air. All my muscles were trembling. That had been too close. My body was shaking from adrenaline.

  “Are you hurt?” Ryrke asked, taking me by the shoulders and turning me to face him. He examined me quickly from head to toe. My wet flight suit clung to my body, so there was no way I could’ve hidden my injuries from him, even if I’d wanted to.

  “I’m not hurt.” Thanks to him. Otherwise, I might be human-chow for that ugly water monster right now.

  “Good shooting back there,” he said, cupping my cheek and giving me a smile that warmed me all the way through.

  “We lost most of the salvage though.” It had all sunk to the bottom after the raft went down. I cast a look out at the lake. From here, the lake appeared so calm. There was no way to tell it was full of hungry predators.

  “The most important thing is safe,” he replied. I thought he was talking about the emergency survival kit, but a look into his face showed me that wasn’t what he meant at all. He was looking right at me. I realized he had meant I was the most important thing. This Jardan was earning so many points with me. He had already earned the fuck of his life, plus a bunch of enthusiastic blowjobs.

  He led me to the safety of the rocks far from the lake’s waterline. Then he took me in his arms and kissed me. It was another of those soul-wrenching kisses he specialized in. The ones that left me delightfully dizzy and weak and aching for him.

  He ended the kiss and stepped back from me, never taking his eyes off of mine.

  “Mate,” he growled, drawing himself up to his full height, although I could see both the lust and the good humor twinkling in his eyes. Mostly desire. And it was an impressive sight, especially how his long, thick cock pressed against the fabric of his pants as if desperate to burst free. The sight of that had me drooling a little. “I intend to claim you here.”

  “You couldn’t claim baggage on the space tram, husband,” I teased, secretly hoping he would make me pay for the teasing.

  His smile said different. His smile told me I would soon be proven wrong in all sorts of wicked ways.

  “I want you naked,” he commanded.

  With trembling hands, I began to strip off my flight suit. But I couldn’t help a glance around at our surroundings. We were alone, and the sweet scent of the plants Ryrke had burned filled the air around us. “Will we be safe here…?”

  He set his blade on the flat, wide rock beside me, then nodded. “The smoke-scent will keep away predators.” His eyes narrowed, and I gulped at the heat in them. “But I do not care one way or the other. I must have you. Now.”

  My nipples immediately pebbled. Hunger roared in my body. My pussy flooded. I finished stripping out of my clothing and stood naked before him.

  Ryrke regarded me with single-minded focus so intense it made me feel like a goddess. He did not make a move toward me, only seemed to drink me in with his heated gaze.

  I wanted his hands on me. I needed his cock in me. Now.

  “Fuck me, Ryrke,” I begged. “Make me feel alive…”

  My words seemed to shatter any restraint he had. His green gaze burned even hotter. He came to me and I felt a surge of triumph.

  I leaned back on the flat stone behind me, pushing my breasts out to him. He cupped them greedily. His mouth found my nipples, his tongue flicking over the hard, tight nubs until I moaned. My sounds of pleasure seemed to drive him on.

  He gently pushed me back until I fully reclined on the flat surface of the sun-warmed rock. I soon forgot about the hard surface as he covered my body with kisses, his big hands stroking and caressing me. My pleasure was building fast. I wasn’t sure how long I would last, but I ached for it to last forever.

  At his urging, I spread my thighs for him, exposing my glistening pussy. He seemed to revel in the sight, the hunger in his gaze growing even more intense. Slowly, he dipped his head down and traced my slit with his tongue. The sensation drew a gasp from me. I nearly shot off like a rocket.

  Ryrke began to torment me, to drive me wild. He traced my clit with his tongue, flicking the hard nub, circling it, sucking it. He soon had me lost in a daze of pleasure, and then his fingers pushed past my slick pussy lips and sheathed itself in my warm core. He began to work his finger in and out of me, stretching me, exploring me, fucking me with it, all the while tonguing my clit until I couldn’t think.

  I came all at once, so hard I screamed his name. My body clenched around him. Shuddering. I broke apart. Lost to his touch.

  When I opened my eyes, I found him staring down at me. He had stripped off his clothing and his cock thrust out from his big, muscular frame. The tip of his cock was weeping precum. I reached for it with a trembling hand, intending to suck him, to give him the same pleasure he had given me, but he only caught my hand and pulled me to my feet.

  My thighs were trembling and I was unsteady, but his strong arms kept me up as he turned me around. He ran his hands up my thighs, to my ass cheeks, then around the front of me to cup my breasts. He carefully titled me forward a little. I smiled, spreading my legs for him as he admired my backside and my pussy, still dripping my honey from what he had done to me with his tongue and finger.

  He positioned his big cock and entered my pussy with a gradual push, allowing me time to stretch to take him. It felt incredible. I loved when he was inside me. I wanted him there always.

  His thrusts started off slowly and then built steadily as his pleasure grew. My body surprised me, climbing right back to the crest of another orgasm. The sound of our flesh slapping filled the air with a frantic rhythm.

  I came again, surprised into orgasm, when he suddenly lifted me off the ground and held me balanced aloft. He was so strong that he could hold me with one arm under me, his other hand on my hip and ass, as he pumped into me over and over again. I held on to him tightly, my eyes half-lidded as I stared at the horizon. He was behind me, holding me up, thrusting into me, filling me completely. I felt like I was flying. Every part of me felt alive and flooded with ecstasy.

  I lost track of my orgasms. I broke apart after each one, undone by him completely, and even as I thought I was too exhausted for more, his cock drove me again to new heights.

  Finally, his thrusts grew frenzied as he pounded into my wet pussy. The sound of our flesh slapping grew erratic with his cresting desire. My body was still shuddering and clenching around his cock when he began to spurt inside me, filling me with his essence. Making me his.

  When his pleasure had faded, he withdrew from me and helped me to the rock. I could only lie there, exhausted and pleased and breathing hard. He moved beside me and took me into his arms where I felt safe. Warm. Loved.

  “Was that too intense for you, d’mura osefei?” he asked
, watching me closely, his expression concerned.

  “No, it was wonderful. Overwhelming.” I searched for another word in my pleasure-fogged brain. “Wonderful,” I finished lamely.

  He chuckled. “I wanted you so badly. After the fighting and thrill of battle, we Jardan just want to fuck. Hard and fast and dirty. It was difficult to control my desire for you or hold myself back.”

  I hadn’t been frightened. Not in the least. Instead, I had been enjoying every instant of it.

  “I was…wonderful,” I finished with a dazed grin.

  His smile grew wider. He was definitely pleased with his performance, as he should have been. “I shall guess that it was wonderful, because you have used that word three times now.”

  “I know,” I said softly, running my finger over his bottom lip. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

  He laughed. I realized that I cherished his laughter. It did not come often, but when I made my usually grim warrior laugh, I felt a surge of triumph and joy.

  I hugged him hard, fighting back the silly urge to cry that took hold of me. He held me, but this time I managed to keep the depth of my feelings hidden.

  Ryrke Zo’dan was dangerous. But not in the way I’d first believed. He was dangerous because I was starting to lose my heart to him…

  Or maybe I already had.

  And I suddenly realized that terrified me.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Ryrke Zo’dan

  We made it back to the Voltuni settlement by the evening. I was feeling both elated and preoccupied, the strange mixture of emotions making me unsettled. My body was still on the battle and fucking high. Killing dangerous creatures, the danger, the risk, and the high followed by the primal pleasure of burying my cock in my mate and reveling as I drove her to the heights of ecstasy.

  But Nena was strangely quiet on the hike back to the settlement. I guessed it was because of her near miss with death. I never felt fear for myself, but I realized that I now felt fear for her. I could lose her. It made me want to protect her even more. I would have upbraided myself for taking her on such a dangerous outing, but the truth was that her shot with the blaster pistol might have saved me from injury…or worse. So even as protective as I felt toward her, I was grateful she had been at my side. I honored her bravery. With every passing day, she showed she had the heart of a true Jardan.

  Chief Moppo sent a Voltuni servant to tell us he had planned a feast for tonight. As we waited for the sunset song and then the feast, I looked over what we’d managed to scavenge. It was not much. Wiring. Batteries. Two emergency broadcast beacons, one from her ship, one from mine. A small survival shelter. Some simple tools. Some scrap.

  I didn’t think I had the right parts to boost the beacon signal enough to penetrate the interference in the upper atmosphere. Which meant we had taken a lot of risk for little gain today. Although at least we now had the beacons at our dwelling place. If someone did come looking for us, they would be able to head straight for us. I knew someone would likely come looking for Nena before anyone searched for me. She was a galactic police officer after all. When she failed to check in, they would send investigators. I would not be missed for much longer. Eventually, another of my clanmates would take up the blade if I disappeared. Then another warrior would be looking to avenge me and Ko’dal.

  Still, it would be a mark upon my honor if another warrior completed my vengeance quest when I had sworn my own blade to it.

  Nena remained very quiet all through the feast. The Voltuni danced and sang. The berry wine flowed freely. I ate my fill of the roasted meat they served, mixed with strange vegetables that tasted sweet, and plenty of greens with a salty-sour taste. It was good, even if not as tasty as standard Jardan food. I appreciated it deeply, however.

  Afterward, we headed up to the canyon ridge to watch the stars again.

  “We’re going to be here forever, aren’t we?” Nena asked after a few moments of us sitting in silence, watching the sky.

  I wouldn’t lie to her. She deserved better. “We may be here for longer that we would both choose. But I would venture a guess that the galactic police will send another officer after you if you do not report in.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Eventually. They’ll track my flight signature to the station. But they’ll be looking for me. What will you do? You’ll be arrested.”

  “Wasn’t that your original intention?” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. “If I am arrested, I am dead.”

  “What do you mean? You’d be safe in police custody. Then you could give your evidence to a judge of the Galactic Imperium, who will be unbiased.”

  “That is not the Jardan way.”

  She glowered at me. “Then change your way. You can’t just charge into a space station, kill your way to a judge, and then kill him too. Even if he is a corrupt murderer. We have to do it the legal way. Even on the outer rim, this isn’t a free-for-all.”

  I clenched my jaw. I had thought she was beginning to understand me and the ways of the Jardan. Clearly I was wrong. “I have sworn a vengeance quest to avenge my friend. I cannot continue my life until my quest is complete.”

  “So what am I supposed to do? If another officer finds me, are you just going to hide out here on this planet forever?”

  “I will find another way off this planet,” I said, not knowing if it were true or not. One thing I could not allow was my arrest. No one in the government would believe a Jardan. To many, we were seen as uncivilized and barbaric. It was even less likely the courts would believe my word against a judge’s word. Besides, much of the evidence I had on Judge Yordal had come from the assassin he’d sent to kill me. The one I had killed instead.

  “You are a stubborn son of a bitch,” Nena said. She stood up while I remained seated, the only time she would ever be taller than me, and put her hands on her hips. “You’re willing to rot here on the off chance you can continue this…this vengeance hard-on you have, just because you don’t believe in the galactic justice system?”

  “Are you humans always so dramatic? I will either find another way off this planet, or one of my clan will take up the vengeance quest for me and come searching for news of my fate. The emergency beacons will last for months. All I need is to be patient.”

  My words only seemed to incense her. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who comes first, won’t we? My people or your people.”

  “That is true,” I said evenly. I was not certain why she was so upset. Today had gone relatively well up until this point. Battle. Sex. Food. What more did she want?

  “Did you ever think that next time, this judge Yordal or his assassins might succeed in killing you?”

  I nodded. There was always the risk of defeat. But a warrior had to face the possibility without flinching. “I do not fear death.”

  “You gorn-headed idiot. You…you vix-farming, knuckle-dragging buffoon. I can’t believe we’re having this discussion.” She began to pace, her agitation clear in every part of her, from her tone to her gestures. “I…I think it might be best if we put some space between us for awhile. I need some time to think. And maybe you do too.”

  “I need no time to think. My mind is made up.”

  “Maybe that’s your problem,” she said, this time very quietly. Then she headed for the stairs leading from the top of the canyon down to the dwellings in the cliffside.

  I let her go. She was upset. But I should have expected that. She was a human. I tried not to be too hard on her about it. Tonight I would sleep elsewhere to honor my mate’s request for space. Perhaps she would find wisdom if she mediated on what it meant to be a Jardan warrior.

  Still, as much as I wanted to lift my blade to take up my vengeance quest again, I did not look forward to Nena’s comrades coming to find her. I wanted her safe, but I also did not want to lose her. I wasn’t sure when I had decided that, but I could not deny it now.

  I stood and began to walk toward the distant watchtower I had helped build. There at lea
st I could spend the night beneath a roof. Although I already knew it was going to be a very long night. I was going to miss her warm, silken body. Just thinking about her already had my cock stiffening.

  Yes, it was going to be a very long night indeed.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Nena Brax

  I didn’t sleep well and spent most of the night tossing and turning. My brain kept going over everything that had happened, everything we’d said to each other. I was so frustrated with him, and frustrated with myself. But what did I expect? He was a male and he was a Jardan warrior. So of course his head was as hard and thick as plate steel.

  But what would I do if another galactic police officer came to save me? I couldn’t abandon Ryrke here on this low-tech planet. I wouldn’t do that. But how would I get him to come with me if he was convinced he would only be arrested? How could I convince him that using the galactic law was the best way to go after corrupt scum like Judge Yordal?