by Kyle, Celia
“I’m fine. I might be a little sore later, but it’s all good.” She pulled her hand from his grasp and he swallowed the whimper that rose in his throat.
He was a strong Preor warrior. He would not whine like a dragonlet.
“So, the Binding?” Lily’s attention moved from Argan to Whelon and back again, and Argan did not wish to answer. Since Whelon remained silent, Argan decided the healing master did not wish to answer, either.
Argan was not a timid, spineless male. He would explain and complete the assigned task or return himself to the brig. He straightened on the med bed and held out his hand. “We would like privacy. The Binds, Healing Master?”
“War Master Taulan stated—”
Argan cut off the rest of Vende’s statement. “That we be escorted to medical. Once the Binding is complete, you are to put us on a shuttle for Earth. There were no orders regarding who places the Binds. So leave.”
A soft, cool hand caressed his chest, fingers drifting over his pecs in a gentle motion. “Calm down. It’s okay. You’re tired, probably hungry, and could use a stretch for those wings, huh? Let’s save the crankiness for later.”
Argan did not understand the word crankiness, but his dragon did not need to understand her words. It merely needed to hear her voice. It was enough to soothe the annoyance building inside him so he could speak without a growl.
“Healing Master, have the Binds been prepared?”
Whelon tipped his head. “As tradition demands and the war master requests.”
Argan grunted. “Then I ask the Binds to be placed on my hand and then given privacy. I will explain the Binds to my mate.” He turned a glare on Vende. “No other shall speak of them to her.”
“As you wish. I must retain the programming comm pad to monitor her response, but we will be in the corridor.”
Good. Then Argan would not have to do more to Vende. Taking a war blade to the male’s neck looked more and more appealing.
Whelon placed the two Binds on Argan’s palm, the tagrium cuffs gleaming in the ship’s light. They had been decorated with the symbols and words of his people—Preor blessings that would never be eroded by daily wear. He held the devices in his hand, splitting his attention between Lily and medical’s entry. He listened as Whelon and Vende exited, and then the door whooshed shut once again. He glanced around the room to ensure they were alone.
He took a deep, calming breath and mentally quoted the war mistress. It was time to “put up or shut up.”
Lily turned toward him, lifting one knee to rest on the med pad between them, but her attention was on the cuffs.
“These,” he held up the two metallic silver Binds. “Are Binds. They are used only for Binding.”
She lifted a single brow and her lips twitched. Based on his interactions with Penelope, he believed Lily now laughed at him. He would search for a pleasurable punishment for her later.
“A Binding is only for two who have searched for their mate and yet have not found them. But, they have discovered love in another.” He rubbed his thumb across a blessing for many dragonlets. Whoever ordered these crafted was more optimistic than him. He did not believe he would get the chance to hold her, let alone make love to her.
“When that occurs, the two will request a Binding. These Binds allow the barest hints of a mating tie to exist between the two Preor. They may share some emotions after a great length of time. These are the tools of the lonely, the heartbroken. They are the tools of those who have no hope.” He shook his head and cursed himself. He had allowed his emotions to creep into the explanation. “Once placed, they cannot be removed. Once placed, a Preor is forever forsaking his true mate should he—or she—ever be found.”
“That’s,” Lily whispered. “That’s a big deal. Like, really big. I did this,” she shook her head. “Even if you make it through almost four hundred years of punishment, you still won’t be able to find your true mate. I,” she swallowed hard. “Do you want me to take it back? I mean, this will save your life short term, but this means you’ll never have a chance for a true mate.”
Argan gave her a soft, sad smile. His scar pulled at his lips, stretching the tissue that marred his appearance. “I never expected to find a mate on Earth, Lily. Nor could I ever find a mate on Preor. These,” he lifted the cuffs, “are the greatest gift to one such as myself.”
She frowned and he ached to stroke her brow until the small lines vanished. “I don’t understand. Why did you come if you didn’t expect to find a mate? You seemed to always be looking. You were always at the mating center to meet women.”
Argan grimaced and hated the explanation he must give. Lily had not yet run from him screaming due to his features and the Binds—once placed—would not allow her to escape. He should place them before answering. Yet his honor would not allow him to remain silent and not explain.
“I am Izz’bara. I am defective.” He lifted his empty hand and traced the length of his deep scar from forehead to chin. “Broken in battle. I should not have lived yet Radoo would not let me die. He dragged me to medical and ordered a healer to attend me.” He grinned. He could not help but chuckle at the memory. It was humorous now. Then it had been a blur of fear and pain.
“Radoo bared his sword to the healer, tip against the male’s throat, and demanded I be healed. Nicely. When the war master came searching for Radoo, that is how he found us three—me on the med bed, the healer bent over my face, and Radoo threatening to dissect the male’s spine.” He sighed and forced himself to return to his explanation. “I have made the attempt to find a mate as all others have, but I never allowed hope to enter my heart. Now, despite the ‘strings’ attached to the Bindings, I am overjoyed to be mated to you.”
Lily snorted. “I’m not a catch. Like, seriously. I…”
“You are beautiful and full of life. You sacrificed yourself for me and I will always be grateful.”
She mumbled something that sounded like “not much of a sacrifice, Mr. Hottie,” but he could not be sure. He did not know anyone named “Mr. Hottie.”
“What I have revealed is the welcome part of wearing the Bindings. Now I must explain the rest. Because these are being used on us in place of my sentence if I did not have a mate, there are additional settings applied.”
She swallowed hard and her eyes widened. The first hint of fear reached out to him. “What?”
Argan prayed she would still consent to the Bindings when he was done. “I am no longer allowed weapons of any kind. Should I touch a weapon with violence in mind, there will be pain. If I attempt to access my dragon, there will be pain.” He closed his eyes and forced the next words out of his mouth. “And because we both wear the Binds, any pain I receive due to violations, you will also receive.”
“Um…” She scrunched her face, nose wrinkling, and he found even that expression on her face to be beautiful. Everything about her appealed to him in ways he did not understand. He would blame it on the Binds but they had not yet slipped them onto their wrists.
And her emotions… he did not understand why he seemed to experience them in addition to his own. But he would not ask while they remained on the ship. He would ask Healing Master Chashan on Earth rather than speak with Whelon and possibly be retained for a greater period of time.
Still Lily remained quiet. And the longer the silence stretched, the more he was sure she regretted her choice.
He looked elsewhere, staring across the room at the far wall while he spoke. He did not want her to see the churning emotions in his gaze. He did not wish to appear weak. “I will have the war master called to inform him circumstances have changed.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” she snapped at him. “I just had to wrap my head around it. Give a girl a second. Geez.”
Argan stayed quiet, holding his breath as he waited for more words from her.
She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Except her fingers tangled with the round device that held her hair in a po-nee-tale. That caused her to grumb
le, growl, and turn her anger elsewhere, and smoke escaped his nose. The dragon liked her burning fury. It didn’t like to be the focus of such anger, but it could appreciate her.
“Okay,” she straightened and stared at him once more so he turned his gaze to meet hers. “It’s not like you enjoy pain, right?”
“No,” he shook his head. How could any being enjoy pain? He did not know and he would not ask.
“And I know you’re honorable and a rule-follower. Otherwise you would have broken out instead of hanging around to be sentenced.”
“Yes,” he nodded slowly.
“So… okay.” She jerked her head in a quick nod. “I’m in.”
He lifted his eyebrows in question. “In what?”
Lily mumbled low but he still heard her thanks to his inner dragon. “Momma told me not to get married on the first date because the guy was likely an idiot, but I never thought she’d be right.”
He did not know the meaning of the words married or date, so he swallowed his questions.
“Let’s put on the cuffs, okay? I’m okay with this. I swear. We’ll figure everything else out when we get to the surface. For now, let’s just put the Binds in place and get out of here.” She stared at him, eyelids drooping and a hint of moisture gathering on her lashes. “I’m tired and I want to go home.”
“Then that is what we shall do.” Argan passed one of the Binds to Lily and clicked the other one onto his own wrist. Another click followed his, Lily’s falling into place, and then it came.
A wild rush of thoughts and sensations. Cold. Hot. Angry. Sad. Hopeful. Exhausted. Furious. Fevered. They coalesced in a tornado of emotions and feelings, each one a new, strange string that twined with the others. They wrapped around each other and whirled, forming a tight mental rope to bind Argan.
He should be enraged at the sudden tightness.
His dragon should be livid at the invasion.
Yet all he could feel was… home.
Chapter Six
Lily fought not to squirm in place, her mind whirling even though she refused to budge an inch. The Bind on her right wrist was warm and cool at the same time, the metal almost like a liquid against her skin. It flexed and moved with her as if it’d melded with her skin. Which was crazy, right? That wasn’t how metal behaved.
Or rather, that wasn’t how Earth metal behaved. This stuff was from Preor so all bets were off.
Argan swayed in place and she was thankful they’d remained on the med bed rather than bolting for the door the moment the Binds clicked shut. A hint of dizziness assaulted Lily, but it was nothing compared to what appeared to be happening to Argan. He listed right and caught himself on the soft surface with one outstretched arm. Barely.
“Argan?” She reached out for him, hands grasping his wide shoulders as she fought to keep him upright. “Should I call Whelon back in?”
“No.” He shook his head slowly and then froze in place, swallowing hard. A distant sense of nausea squeezed her stomach—from Argan—for an instant but soon disappeared. “I am fine.”
“Will you be mad if I called you a liar?”
Argan cracked one eyelid and stared at her. “Honorable warriors do not lie.” Then he winced and dropped his head forward. “I apologize. That no longer applies to me. I will restore my honor, though. I swear it. You will not be shamed by me. You—”
It was Lily’s turn to shake her head as she cupped Argan’s smooth cheek, savoring the warmth of his skin as the heat sank into her body. It thawed parts of her that had felt frozen for years. And next time a back alley biomod tech said the setup would run cold, she’d believe him.
“Stop it,” she snapped. “I get that we’re from different cultures,” so much an understatement… “but defending me was not dishonorable. I don’t care what everyone else says. It’s my opinion that counts.”
“I vow I will never threaten to do violence to you.”
She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Duh, I’d kick your ass with my super amazing skills.”
Argan’s lips twitched, the first hint of a smile creeping across his face. She decided she liked the way he looked when he smiled. Younger. Happier. Lighter as if the pain in his past didn’t weigh him down so badly. The change in him made her forget about the scar and see only a relaxed and pleased version of him. The version of him from before life kicked him in the balls.
Lily wondered if she ever looked like that. Did she ever have a moment when the regret of her past got lost beneath her joy?
Oh, wait. That would require joy to actually exist in her life. Right.
“Why did you do this, Lily?” His gruff voice vibrated through her, traveling along her arm and dancing across her nerves.
She withdrew her hand and twined her fingers together, placing them in her lap. She squeezed her hands and forced herself not to reach for him again, no matter how much she enjoyed his warmth.
Lily shrugged. “Direct actions have direct consequences.” That’d come from therapist eighteen. Or maybe nineteen. They all sorta blurred together after a while. “I refuse to allow someone to take a punishment meant for me. No one will be injured when I’m at fault. I can’t take back my actions, but I can make sure you have the best life possible during your sentence. I…”
She’d done a decent job of keeping the old pain at bay, but now it surged. It fought to take its place in the forefront of her mind. It still plagued her after all these years—punishing her for allowing another to… She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed the ache of tears aside. This drama llama wasn’t about her. This was all about Argan.
When she opened her eyes again, she met Argan’s confused stare. His eyes were narrowed, head tipped to the side, and expression intense.
“That’s just how I feel.” Lily let her gaze be drawn to the medical equipment that lined the wall. Anything to keep her from looking into Argan’s suspicious eyes.
“There is more than that.” They no longer touched but she still felt his voice all the way to her core.
Instead of replying, she simply shrugged. That earned her a rush of frustration from Argan, the emotion burning as it slunk through her body, but she ignored that sensation, too.
“No, Lily.” Those deliciously hot hands caressed her face and he urged her to return her attention to him. He moved slowly, his touch gentle while he encouraged movement, though she knew he could wield so much strength. He treated her as if she was something—someone—special. “Do not ignore my question. I sense these…” He furrowed his brow and his lips pressed together to form a white slash beneath his nose. “I sense these feelings that I know are not mine, but they feel like mine. I cannot separate them, and they tell me so many things.”
Lily opened her eyes wider, surprise stealing her breath for a moment. God, she’d been worried about him reading her thoughts and now she realized him sensing her emotions was just as bad. No, maybe worse.
“Now I feel fear. As if a mosef chases me through the plains of Rai Torr.” He still hadn’t released her, his heat suffusing her blood. “Why are you afraid, shaa kouva?” He grimaced. “Apologies. I will not call you—”
She pressed her fingertip to his lips to silence him. “Quit apologizing for everything. If you want to call me shaa kouva,” meaning my heart in the Preor language and the endearment gave her heart the warm and fuzzies, “then call me shaa kouva.”
“Others will see the Binds and know that ours is not a true mating. They will know the Knowing did not manifest when we encountered one another. They will look unfavorably at us.”
Lily rolled her eyes and chuckled. “If the lack of your people’s genetic knowledge with our mating is gonna make their wings get bent out of shape, they can take a swim in the middle of the Gulf for all I care.”
Which, in Argan’s world, was a big deal. Once water touched a Preor’s wings, he became unable to fly. Taking a dip in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico? Yeah, that was a death sentence.
“You laugh as if you do not care, but the fear
remains strong.”
She huffed and her shoulders slumped. “You’re not going to give up. Are you?”
“I did not die from a killing blow and remained alive through sheer will alone, shaa kouva. I believe waiting for an answer to a question is much easier. War Mistress Lana has said that I can out-stubborn a mule. I do not know about the beast she calls a mule, but I do admit I am quite stubborn when needed.” He tipped his head to the side, his voice soft as he continued. “I believe this is one of those times.”
“I hate you.” She even glared at him. Hard.
“You do not.” His lips twitched. He was laughing at her! The jerk.
“Fine, but I’m less than happy with you.”
“That I believe.”
She sighed and leaned into his touch, allowing his heat and caress to lend her strength. She needed that, needed to be grounded in the now before she let her mind go to the then. She closed her eyes, still preparing herself to go to that time.
“Tell me,” he whispered, his breath fanning across her face and bringing more of his fiery scent to her.
A wave of desire, a bone-deep need, slithered into her body. It crept outward from his palm and caressed her neck before sliding down her spine in a sinuous wave. It sank into her blood and traveled along her veins, teasing her sensitive nerves. Then the need focused on a specific bundle of nerves—her clit. The tiny nub twitched and her pussy grew heavy, aching with the need to be touched by physical hands.
She wanted Argan to stroke her there. To taunt her throbbing flesh with his fingers until she came screaming his name. Until she emptied into… Her mind stuttered over the thought, confusion over the source of her need grasping her for a split-second, but it couldn’t hold on to her mind.
Not when Argan closed the remaining distance between their mouths. It took nothing more than the simple turning of his head and then his lips were there. Then she was there and then…
