by Kyle, Celia
Lily gradually repositioned herself and he released her, his hands ready to catch her if she seemed to stumble. She rolled until they faced one another, inching forward until their fronts touched. Until her plump breasts constrained by the thinnest of cloths pressed to his bare chest. Until their hips met, and he had no doubt that she felt the evidence of his desire.
That thought was followed by a flare of Lily’s own craving through their bands. Affirmation that she wanted him as well. Though that rush of arousal was tempered by… by fear. Of him, yet not. For him, but not.
Argan cupped her cheek, needing the touch of his skin on hers. “You have nothing to fear from me. I know many believe me dishonorable and no longer worthy of the title warrior, but I would never—”
Lily placed her palm atop his. “You’re the most honorable warrior I’ve ever met, and I’ve met a lot of Preors since I was given refuge. I don’t fear you. I fear for you.” She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss to his palm. A feeling of caring and warmth suffused him before she ended that chaste touch. “The shuttle crash wasn’t an accident, Argan.” Her eyelids closed for a moment, eyes moving back and forth as if she read something he could not see. “Someone interfered with the shuttle’s communications and corrupted the programming. I know exactly what they did.” Those eyes opened once more, so intent he felt as if she saw into his soul. “They tried to kill us.”
Chapter Eleven
Exhaustion pulled at Lily—the tiredness tempered by desire for Argan—but she knew rest wasn’t coming anytime soon. Especially after she dropped the “people want us dead” bomb on Argan. The moment the words left her lips, the massive Preor reacted just as she’d imagined. Violently and with a roar that shook the building.
In a whirl of yellow wings and glistening scales, Argan rolled from the bed, body tense as he stood near. His wings spread, their dulled sunshine hue a reminder that up until recently he’d spent day after day locked away from clear skies. And now that she’d gotten him free, someone tried to kill him.
Great first day of freedom, Lily. You’re doing a bang-up job.
His chest heaved, and his body remained tense, hands curled into tight fists. Jaw clenched, his breaths whistled as air passed through gritted teeth. Fury filled him, consumed him, but he kept his beast under control. Kept it from rising and hurting her.
“What? Who? I will destroy the one who dares threaten you, shaa kouva. They will feel the edge of my…” His voice trailed off and she was sure he suddenly remembered he was no longer allowed—no longer had access to—weapons or his dragon. “I will tear them limb from limb. I will make them cry for their dams. I will make them bleed.”
Argan’s promises of death and violence should disgust her. Instead, they sent a new rush of desire for the massive male coursing through her blood. It warmed her from inside out, stroking her nerve endings and sparking a bubbling fire of need.
God, now so wasn’t the time. Seriously. That knowledge wasn’t enough to dampen her feelings, though. Not when his scent lingered. Not when the remnants of his own desire continued to filter through the bands on their wrists. Not when he stood tall before her, every deeply-carved muscle of his chest on display and the katoth pants doing nothing to hide the strength of his thick thighs.
Furious eyes bored into hers, the anger there telling her more than words how hot his fury burned. Not just his expression. The Binds fed her his emotions, the rapidly shifting feelings that ranged from desire for blood to his desire for her.
And as twisted as it sounded, both turned her on. Sure, he was one sexy beast. What woman wouldn’t want to ride Argan like a stripper pole? But his need for vengeance drew her even more. His protective instincts overwhelmed all other sensations. Though as much as she savored his violent response, he couldn’t remain so furious. The battle they faced wasn’t physical. At least the opening shot hadn’t involved bodies and blood. It’d come in the form of catastrophic code.
“Argan,” she kept her voice low—just above a whisper—because her head still carried an ache. “I’m fine. I’m right here.” She forced herself upright, swallowing her groan. Her muscles protested the movement, body wanting nothing more than to remain flat on the bed. She held out a hand, palm up as she reached for him. “They didn’t succeed and now we need to make sure they won’t succeed in the future.”
Argan grunted and she took that for a reluctant agreement.
A pulsing throb of pain slid through her mind, the first hints of a biomed headache coming on. Ideally, she’d crawl beneath the blankets and sleep it off, but she hadn’t been lying about making sure their attacker didn’t succeed. They needed to speak with others first.
“Can you comm Taulan? And maybe Kozav?”
He stared down at her, arms moving from his sides to cross over his chest. “I do not know if they can be trusted.”
She shook her head slowly—gently. The worst of her pain from jacking into the shuttle was gone, but the remnants didn’t appreciate any quick and short movements. Hell, they didn’t appreciate any movement. “Why would you think the war master and primary warrior couldn’t be trusted?”
“You stated that another attempted to end our lives. War Master Taulan and Primary Warrior Kozav were,” he grimaced, “less than happy about those actions. I do not wish to believe they would do anything that could cause harm to a female, yet…”
Lily gathered her strength and scooted to the edge of the bed. She laid her hand on Argan’s crossed arms, savoring the warmth that emanated from his skin. It sank into her body, soothing some of the more persistent aches. She used her mate to counteract her weight and pulled herself upright, tottering forward until Argan pulled her close.
She grunted softly when their bodies met and then let him take her weight. She felt like she could sleep for a year, but that’d have to wait. There were things to do first. She kept her gaze trained on his, her palms flat on his sculpted chest. She tried not to notice his comforting warmth or the way he made her feel with his arms wrapped around her. “Taulan and Kozav didn’t do this.”
“How can you know?” He narrowed his eyes. “Have you not shared all the details with me? What is the identity of the guilty male?”
Lily’s mouth quirked in a small smirk. “Why does it have to be a man? It could be a woman.”
Argan jolted back, eyes wide with surprise. “Was it a female?”
His shock had her chuckling, which sent another wave of nearly debilitating pain down her spine. Lily shook her head as she responded. “I have no idea. I’m just saying you shouldn’t assume.”
Argan grunted and gave her a soft hug. She turned her head and rested her cheek over his heart, listening to the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat. Her own heartbeat stuttered for a moment before falling into a smooth cadence once again, a cadence that matched Argan’s. Odd, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was the Bindings?
“Taulan gave me a chance and protected me when he didn’t have to. He’s stuck to our bargain even if I annoy him every time he turns around and I took over his ship and turned it into a being.” She nuzzled his chest, unable to get enough of the feel of her skin sliding over his. “He may grumble and growl, but I trust him.” She tipped her head back, chin resting on the center of his chest. “If you don’t want to tell Kozav, that’s fine, but you should at least comm Taulan so he can begin an investigation.”
He huffed, eyes narrowed, but she sensed him giving in—sensed the shift in his emotions and the subtle relaxation of his body. “Very well, shaa kouva. I will contact the war master but I cannot allow you to leave your quarters. If he wishes to speak with you, he must come here.”
Lily jerked back and combined a dark glare with the quirk of an eyebrow. “One—it’s our quarters. Two—you cannot allow me what? There is no ‘allowing’ of anything. If I want to leave, I’ll leave.”
Not that she wanted to go anywhere. Her head still ached, and a foreign tiredness continued to plague her. Having her brain hacked sucked.
Argan’s lips curled to form a smile. Probably because his thoughts were stuck on the “our” part of her statement. Then that grin fell, and he matched her narrow-eyed stare. “Shaa kouva…”
“Nope, you don’t…” She shook her head, objecting to whatever he thought to say next. She opened her mouth to speak again but had to pause when a new wave of dizziness caught her. She clung to her mate, fingers digging into his biceps while she held tightly. She closed her eyes and waited for the spinning motion to stop, breathing deeply through her nose to stave off her rising nausea. She swallowed hard and licked her lips. “You don’t get to come in here and issue orders. You’re my mate, not my parent.”
“And a mate’s responsibility is the care and safety of his female.”
“I get what you’re saying, but—”
“Good, then you agree.” He jerked his head in a brisk nod.
“No, I didn’t say that. You can’t—”
“Allow you to come to harm. Thus, you will remain here and all others will come to you.” Another nod and he even grinned. As if he was winning this argument. He so wasn’t. He just didn’t know it yet.
“Argan.” She fought for a calm that seemed to dance just out of reach. “I understand that you’re driven to protect me—”
“I am glad we agree.”
Lily decided she was going to invent something that forced an aggravating Preor male to shut the hell up and listen. Later. Right then, she was too busy trying to keep the contents of her stomach from making an appearance while also fighting against the unending throb of her headache. The pain was winning.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way for now.” She made sure the “for now” qualifier was in there. She didn’t want him thinking he’d won outright.
“Excellent. I am glad you know I am correct.” Argan smiled. A for real, wide and nearly bursting-with-happiness-kind of smile. All others before that moment paled in comparison. The expression changed him entirely, transforming him from fierce, deadly warrior to gorgeous, sweetly tempting male. She wanted him to smile like that always. She wanted those snarling glares and curled lips to be replaced by this level of happiness for all time.
“I didn’t say you were correct. I just don’t want to argue anymore.” Because arguing tugged at what little reserves she still had. “Go ahead and have Penelope get in touch with Taulan. See what he wants to do.”
Lily hoped the war master would be good with a simple written report. Something she could dictate and pass along electronically once her frayed nerves calmed.
“You do not wish to speak with Penelope yourself?” More frowning from tall, yellow, and dangerous.
Lily patted his chest. “I just have a headache. I’ll be fine soon. Just take care of this for me for now?”
She hoped he didn’t ask for a full explanation because she didn’t have it in her to give it to him.
Another grunt. Was it weird she now found his grunts sexy? Probably.
“Penelope, please inform Taulan…” Argan raised his voice.
The ship whispered into the room in return. The two of them had been through this type of thing before. “I have spoken with the war master. He will arrive in five minutes.”
Lily groaned but at least they’d get it done and over with. “All right, let’s get out to the living room.”
“You should remain in bed,” he countered immediately.
“No.”
“Shaa kouva…” He growled the term of endearment as if it was a threat, but she simply found it sexy as hell.
“If Taulan is coming here to talk to us, I’m not having him come into our bedroom.” She even gave him a glare for good measure. “Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t want anyone invading this space.”
It was theirs. Theirs, yet not, yet still theirs no matter the status of their mating.
Argan pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Very well, shaa kouva, but I shall carry you.”
The words had hardly left his mouth when she found herself cradled in his firm grip. Sprinklings of scales teased her skin and she couldn’t resist laying an arm across his shoulders behind his neck. And if her fingers just so happened to touch his wings… Of course, that wasn’t the only part of him she wanted to explore. There was so, so much more.
His long, quick strides didn’t give her enough time to enjoy being held by him and she soon found herself settled on her couch. He hadn’t even withdrawn entirely before he was issuing more orders.
“You will not move from this space.” He even pointed at her. As if that’d make her listen. If she wasn’t affected by his glares, what made him think pointed fingers would do anything? “I am not joking, shaa kouva.”
“I bet it.” She flashed him a smile, ignoring the tightness of the muscles of her face. “This is me staying right here.” She pointed at the couch, not moving an inch.
“This smells of you. I believed it would put you at ease.” Argan disappeared for a moment and returned with her favorite fluffy, ragged blanket from her—their—bedroom, and she hugged it close after he handed it over. She nuzzled the worn fabric, squeezing it tightly as she groaned and wiggled into a comfortable position on the couch. Hell, it was more than just a “blanket.” It had the feelings of safety and security imbued in every stitch.
“Thank you.” She breathed deeply and released a small sigh. “It’s my favorite snuggle blanket.”
Argan placed his hands on his hips and turned a hard stare on the bundle of fabric. “I was told the best snuggling is only to be shared between mates. There were no mentions of blankets.”
His calculating stare held more than a hint of anger and suppressed violence when he looked at her blanket. All righty then. Possessive much?
“Um, it’s for comfort, too. I just feel…”
“A mate’s duty is to provide comfort.” He grunted, the anger slithering and transforming into hate. Dear Gods of gigabytes, she had a big dragon warrior who looked ready to wage war on a piece of cloth.
Taulan, you can show up anytime now.
“I understand what you’re saying, but—”
But the door to Lily’s quarters vibrated in its casing, the booming thud of someone banging on the panel echoing off the walls. Argan whirled in place, spreading his wings, feet shoulder width apart, arms at his sides. A different kind of tension overtook him, the sense of suppressed violence hanging heavily in the air.
The hard pounding came again, the thumping knocks followed by a muffled snarl. A familiar snarl. She’d heard it often enough ever since joining the Preors. She had one cranky war master in the hallway.
Lily used the arm of the sofa to brace herself as she rose to her feet. “It’s just Taulan.” She gently touched her mate’s stiff back, palm resting between his spread wings. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath, focusing her mind before she spoke again. She suppressed the urge to reach out to the ship with her mind, using words to issue orders to Penelope instead. “Penelope, go ahead and unlock the doors. Let Taulan in.”
“That might not be—”
“Oh, it is,” she murmured and her suspicion was confirmed mere moments later when a thoroughly furious war master stomped into their quarters.
Lily peeked around Argan’s still-spread wings and met Taulan’s reptilian glare—his eyes now looking more like his dragon. “You.” He snarled and pointed at her. Now, the war master’s pointing, she’d listen to. “I… You… She… What is the meaning…” Taulan sputtered and snarled, alternating between annoyed and angry, and it took a few more stutters before she finally figured out his problem. “Transport… Nowhere…”
Which had her wincing. She wrinkled her nose and jerked, shoulders rising nearly to her ears. “Um, sorry?” Argan glanced over his shoulder at her, a question in his gaze. “I don’t want anyone transporting into my quarters, so I programmed a redirect protocol. If anyone asks Penelope to drop them in here, she sort of sends them elsewhere.”
Taulan growled and her mate’s att
ention snapped to the male once more, a growl building in his chest and rumbling free as he spoke. “You will not make those sounds around my mate.”
“Your mate sent me—”
Lily didn’t have the strength to listen to the two of them trade growls and snarled insults sprinkled with demands. “O-kay, then.” She shuffled to Argan’s right, peering around the bottom of his extended yellow wing. “Let’s move on to why we comm’ed you.”
That had their attention on her once more. At least it ended the argument. It brought her mate’s focus back to her, though, and just as quickly as she’d stood, she now sat on the couch once more.
“You were not to move from that spot, shaa kouva,” Argan grumbled, pulling her into his arms as he folded his wings against his back. He held her close as he took her seat and then handed over her blanket.
Lily wiggled and pulled against his hold, but he wouldn’t be budged. Those thick arms remained locked around her. “I can sit on my own, you know.”
“No, obviously, you cannot. Otherwise you would not have stood when I instructed you to remain seated.”
It was her turn to grunt, but she kept her complaints to herself. Sitting on Argan’s lap wasn’t half bad.
“Very well,” Taulan’s purple-eyed stare sank into hers. “We will speak of your transport protocols after you tell me why I am here.” He mirrored Argan’s position from only moments ago—arms crossed and weight balanced between his feet. “Now.”
So impatient.
Fuck that, so exhausting. She’d used up nearly all of her energy in the few minutes they’d faced off against one another. “The shuttle crash wasn’t a shuttle crash.” Taulan lifted his eyebrows in question. Lily paused a moment to yawn, fighting to keep her eyes open.
“She is tired. You will speak with her tomorrow.” Her mate moved as if to stand and she patted his chest.
“I’m fine. I can get through this.”
