The Barbarian's Captive

by Maddie Taylor

  He released her hair and grabbed her hand, hauling her through the door and into the hallway. “We’re wasting time arguing.”

  “Wait. I didn’t know all of this. I didn’t know I’d transformed, and he certainly didn’t tell me if we were apart we’d get sick and die!”

  Trask stopped and pulled her up on her toes, his eyes blazing down at her. “He is my closest friend, like a brother. It hurt that you didn’t feel for him immediately what he felt for you. He told me the moment he saw you that you were his, before you could communicate, before you had touched. But he knew you were struggling to accept it and wanted to give you time to accept him, to want to be with him too. Science, fate, chemistry aside, he loves you that much. That is the only reason I can think of why he wasn’t clear on how this all works.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I didn’t know…”

  “Hopefully, your realization hasn’t come too late. The separation was already taking its toll when we left to find you. The fever was upon him, he was sweating buckets, and couldn’t keep anything down. That’s why he didn’t come after you himself, and turn your defiant ass over his knee. I’m not sure why it isn’t affecting you as strongly, but he is Primarian and can’t escape it.”

  “Jarlan. He can help, surely.”

  “There is no cure for the sickness — except his mate. And considering how fast it came upon him, he will die if you don’t get back to him soon.”

  “Take me to him, please.”

  Without another word, he led her quickly through the halls of the ship, and down to the lowest level, where the shuttles and transporter were housed.

  As they stood in the transport room, waiting as the technician plugged in the coordinates, she asked the question that had been nagging at her for some time.

  “Trask.”

  “What?”

  “Anisa meo, it doesn’t translate. What does it mean?”

  “Kerr said that to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “My love.”

  She blinked. “Pardon?”

  “Anisa meo means ‘my love,’ in old Primarian. Your mate called you his love, Eva. What other proof do you need that he wants you?”

  She said no more for a moment, the burning at the back of her neck, the churning in her stomach, and the hot tears rolling down her cheeks enough to make her sick with regret and self-loathing.

  “I didn’t know. I don’t have golden eyes, or bronze skin, or black streaks in my hair like the others.”

  “You have more. The strongest, unbreakable bond that a male and female can have. You are one with your mate.”

  “I need to be with him.”

  “He needs that too. So, let’s get you there.”

  * * *

  The transporter set them down in the receiving unit in the lounge of Kerr’s residence. The place was crowded with people. As soon as they saw her, their worried expressions turned to ones of condemnation.

  Udo, who had been vocal in his doubts over an alien mating with their Princep, stepped forward.

  “If his condition wasn’t critical,” he said, his voice cold. “I’d take you straight to the Council to face judgement. They are angry, even Mordrun, Aylan and Valkerr. No matter the outcome, you will face them one day and when that time comes, you won’t have any friends there. You’ll be punished for this betrayal.”

  She pushed by the angry old man, heading for the door. “I don’t care what you do to me, just take me to Kerr.”

  Trask guided her through the angry throng and into the corridor which was also full of people, physics, elders and many of the warriors who’d also taken human mates. Mordrun was exiting the room when she arrived at the door.

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside.

  “You’ll need to strip bare and get in bed with him,” Jarlan ordered from Kerr’s bedside. “The oils on your skin will help, and you must share your other fluids immediately.”

  She barely heard, her gaze fixed on the once strong, vital man who laid pale as death on the white sheets.

  “Eva,” the usually calm healer barked, making her glance up. “Your bond has been severely weakened while you’ve been apart. You need to use your mating fluids to reestablish your bond. We can only hope it will save him at this late hour.”

  Seeing Kerr quiet and motionless, when he had always been so much larger than life, made her tremble with fear. She choked back tears as she moved closer. His breathing was shallow and there were no signs that he was responding to anyone or anything around him. “But how?”

  “You’re a smart female,” Mordrun sniped. “Surely you can figure it out.”

  Aylan and Valkerr stepped aside to let her in. She ignored their wary looks; she’d deal with that later. At that moment, Kerr had to be her sole focus. Not caring that a crowd of men encircled his bed, she began stripping off her flight suit.

  “Clear the room,” Aylan ordered.

  The others turned to leave, except Mordrun, who pointed at Trask. “I insist the general stay to protect him.”

  Eva didn’t care about any of it. Lifting the sheet, she slid in naked beside Kerr, running her hand up his barely moving chest to his darkly bearded jaw. Vaguely, she heard his angry kinsman add, “Watch her closely. If she doesn’t get to it, and quickly, we may need the Council to order extraordinary measures.”

  She didn’t know what that meant, but it wouldn’t be necessary. If it was in her power to bring him back to her, she would do it willingly.

  Easing over top of him, she straddled his hips so that her sex cradled his dormant cock. It was one of the few times since she’d known him that she’d not seen him visibly aroused. She laid her belly atop his, pressing her breasts against his chest, skin to skin, as they’d said. He was on fire with fever. But he didn’t stir, not even when she slid her hands up his neck and cupped his jaw, kissing his lips gently.

  Still nothing.

  She feared it was too late.

  “Soft and tender won’t do it,” Trask told her from the door. “He needs you wet, Eva. Both your mouth and the wetness of your cunt. He needs to feel you, taste you, feed from you. It’s the only way.”

  “Kerr,” she sobbed, against his mouth. His lips were dry so she licked them, her tongue dipping inside. She thought she felt him sigh. Spurred on with hope, she sealed her mouth with his as her hand slipped between her thighs. Her fingers probed between the seam of her pussy, finding little moisture.

  She made herself think back, remembering all the times he’d brought her to ecstasy with his fingers and mouth, or when his rigid cock drove into her channel. She thought of the time in the clinic where he’d bypassed a swab for a tube, so confident that he could stir her wetness.

  And he had.

  Even now, her memories stirred her arousal, as did the feel of his naked form against her own. Her fingertips were suddenly drenched with her juices. She drove her fingers inside and coated them fully, then lifted her hand to his mouth where she painted his lips until they were glistening. She then licked herself from his lips and drove her tongue inside him. She did this repeatedly, sobbing when it didn’t help.

  “You’ll have to ride his mouth. Direct contact is what he needs.”

  Nodding and crying, she did as Trask instructed, climbing up his chest and planting her knees in his pillow on either side of his head. Then, she spread her lips with one hand while the other played over her clit.

  “Please come back to me, Kerr.” Her sobbing pleas tore painfully from her chest as she worked her clit furiously, needing an orgasm more than ever.

  “It’s working.” Trask observed. “Keep at it.”

  She looked down at his face, eyes still closed. Her tears dropped onto his eyelids and he didn’t so much as flinch.

  “How do you know?” she cried. “He didn’t move!”

  “Because his cock is making a tent pole in the sheet,” Trask said, laughing with unabated joy. “Leave it to Kerr to prove he’s come back to life — with a hard-on.�
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  Though doubtful, she continued to work her clit, not daring to turn around and see if what Trask said was true, diligently making herself wet for the man who needed her so badly. She shuddered as the realization hit her. He was her mate, she loved him, and she wanted to be with him. Always.

  “Maes eternium,” she whispered as the thought of being in his arms, loving him, being loved by him, made her find her release. She trembled over him, her body convulsing as she came.

  The first sign he had come awake was his tongue lapping at her pussy, then his hands as they palmed her ass. Her eyes flew wide and she looked down between her thighs. A sob of relief bubbled up when she saw his glorious golden eyes staring up at her, his mouth opening wider as he latched onto her clit.

  “Kerr,” she whispered, smiling through her tears. He didn’t let up, surprising her with the strength of his hands holding her down as his tongue dipped lower, driving up inside her channel to drink deeply. Her body stirred instantly, her hands coming up to her breasts, rubbing her painfully tight nipples.

  She didn’t turn when the door opened and shut behind her, or when a ripple of sound, like muted sighs of relief, drifted in from the hallway. Writhing atop his mouth, she sank a hand in his damp hair as she gave herself to him, letting him take what he needed as her body responded, a flood of wetness accompanying her orgasm.

  He kept at her, lips and tongue busily licking and lapping at her until his strength waned and his hands fell away.

  “Kerr,” she said, panic threatening once more.

  “Come down here, mate,” he managed, his voice a raspy growl. She moved back, straddling his waist as she leaned over him.

  “Eva…” His voice was little more than a croak.

  “Shh.” Her fingers touched his glistening lips. “We can talk when you’re stronger.”

  “No, it must be said.” His eyes were bright with the fever, and an urgent intensity. “Across the galaxies you came to me, my one perfect female in the whole vast universe. I’ve waited for you, and when I found you, I could think of nothing except claiming you. But to make you so unhappy has hurt…” He swallowed.

  “Kerr, no—”

  He shook his head, his hand in her hair staying her words. “I wouldn’t keep you if there was any other way. I love you enough to let you go, but I can’t let you die from that love either. It cannot be denied that our chemistry has aligned and that we need each other to survive. If I don’t kiss you, taste you, and fuck you every day, it will be like going without food or water. In the end, we would perish. I’m sorry, sprite.”

  Tears welled and his image wavered through her tears. “I’m the one who is sorry. Had I known, I’d never… I no longer want to leave, Kerr. I want to stay.”

  He retained enough strength to fist his hand in her hair and pull her head back. His eyes searched hers for the truth. “You’re certain?”

  “Never more so. I swear.” She lowered her mouth to his, tasting herself strongly, as well as the salt of her tears. “I love you, too,” she breathed out on a shuddering breath.

  He didn’t reply, his hand having fallen lax in her hair, his mouth soft in sleep, and she couldn’t be sure he had heard her. She slid off him, curling against his side as she rested her head on his shoulder. Her arm encircled him as her top leg angled across his thighs, the hard presence of his desire making itself known even while he slept. A sob of happiness escaped her lips, and she whispered a prayer of thanks.

  As she snuggled against him, she realized she would have plenty of time to tell of her love for him, every morning, noon, and night, if the pattern resumed as before.

  She smiled, and for the first time in days, she slept.

  Chapter 18

  The following morning, while Kerr rested peacefully, she snuck off long enough to bathe in the pool. She needed it, her muscles achy, her skin salty from sweat. For a man coming to from a coma, he’d roused with incredible stamina, taking her three times during the night, both of them sharing plenty of mating fluids to nurture his recovery. One of those times took place with her ass in the air while straddling his face once again. This time, she reciprocated with her mouth working his cock at the same time in what on Earth they would call an over-under, or an inverted sixty-nine.

  He hadn’t said much, except to give husky orders, “Spread,” “Suck,” and “Come for me,” mostly. When he woke next, she intended to make sure he heard what she’d told him last night while he slept. That she loved him and would stay with him, forever.

  One doubt still lurked in the back of her mind though. Was he staying with her, fated mates for life, because the alternative was a morbidly final proposition? No matter what it took, she vowed to earn his trust back. Maybe she was brainwashed, like Eryn had said, or perhaps the transformation itself made her feel that way. But she knew at that moment, that not only couldn’t she live without him — she didn’t want to.

  Smiling to herself, she stepped out of the pool and dried off quickly, anxious to get back to Kerr should he awake. He was far from full strength and she didn’t want to risk a setback should she be away from him for too long. As she tied her flowing robe around her waist, she was startled by a knock on the door from the private lounge. She opened it, finding Janus.

  “Excuse me, prima. I heard the water and didn’t want to disturb the Princep. You have visitors asking for you.”

  She nodded. “Let me get dressed.”

  “I think you should come now. They seem, uh, impatient.”

  He stepped aside and revealed the three men waiting in the lounge. All wore the tunic of warriors, though she had never seen any of them before.

  “Prima, we are here to escort you to the Council.” Two moved forward and took hold of her arms.

  “But my mate—”

  “We were informed by physic Jarlan that the Princep has recovered sufficiently to tolerate a two time-cycle separation. You will be returned to him before that window is up.”

  She looked at Janus, his worried eyes and downturned mouth showing he felt as she did. Then they walked her forward, three warrior guards flanking her and leaving no choice except comply as they took her to face her fate —and the angry elder Council.

  “Call Trask,” she said over her shoulder. They turned her down the hall, the chamberlain scrambling after them. “Janus, get Trask!”

  * * *

  Escorted to a large chamber on the first floor, her feet stopped moving when she saw the twelve Council member’s seated behind a long table. At its center sat an empty chair, which she knew without being told was reserved for the Princep, conspicuous in his absence.

  Valkerr and Aylan flanked Kerr’s empty chair. They stared at her sadly, their disappointment palpable.

  Udo stood and pointed at a round platform with a railing. “The accused will stand and await judgment.”

  It was like an old Hollywood drama — and she had top billing. One of the guards moved her forward, then retreated, falling in line with the large group of other warriors in the room. She recognized a few, Lothar, Ramekin, and Rothke, all looking decidedly uncomfortable. Her eyes scanned the men lining the perimeter of the room, searching for Trask. But he was missing too.

  “Kerr would not want this,” Valkerr declared vehemently. “My grandson would want to address his mate’s behavior himself. In private.”

  “He is not able, so we must act in his stead,” Udo responded. “Punishment is swift and decisive, as is our way. The prima should not be an exception to that rule.”

  “This is a rush to judgment, Udo,” Aylan accused. “Specifically to avoid Kerr’s interference.”

  “Our Princep almost died. His sickness brought about by his mate’s betrayal. As severe a betrayal as an assassination attempt would be.”

  A rumble arose from the men, some in protest, others in agreement.

  Eva couldn’t remain silent. “I did not know of the separation sickness. I would never have—”

  “Silence, female,” Druan, Udo’s staunc
h supporter ordered with contempt. “You Earth females don’t know your place, and have been nothing but trouble. If found guilty, I will happily call for a vote of dispensation for the use of the whip.”

  * * *

  Thick-headed and groggy, Kerr woke up. His mouth dry, he licked his lips, tasting Eva. He reached for her, finding her pillow cool and her side of the bed empty.

  He sat up, weakness making his head swim. His hand came up to his brow, rubbing at the dull ache. The last few days were a fog of jumbled images; never had he been so ill.

  “How do you feel?” He looked up to find Jarlan sitting in a chair near his bedside.

  “Like I’ve gone ten rounds each with Trask, Rothke, and Lothar. Then dumped on a mountain top for a month without food or water.”

  “That good, huh?”

  Kerr chuckled, groaning as his muscles protested. “Don’t make me laugh,” he said, shooting his healer a quelling look before his eyes swept the room. “Where is my mate?”

  Jarlan’s smile faded.

  “What is wrong now?”

  The door swung open and Trask appeared. “Udo has accused Eva of treason against the Princep and ordered her before the Council. She is there now. Without you there, they have enough votes for a dispensation.”

  “Faex.” He rolled to the side of the bed and pushed himself up, as weak as an infant. His eyes rose to his closest, most loyal friend. “I’ll need your help, brother.”

  Trask didn’t flinch as he walked quickly to the closet.

  Jarlan approached with his wicked-looking medicinal gun. He pressed it to Kerr’s shoulder, injecting him.

  “What is that?”

  “Fortifying nutrients. You haven’t been eating — except of your mate — these past few days.”

  “And I crave her still. But I can see to that after I save her from the lash. Trask, we need to go now.”

  * * *

  Met with reproachful eyes and hostile stares, their anger was a tangible force. It seemed to bounce off the walls and ripple in waves across the room, so enraged were they on behalf of their beloved leader. The thought of leather striking her skin from any one of them, instead of Kerr’s caring hand, made Eva’s knees buckle.