by Kyle, Celia
“Only moments ago you had a wire…”
She patted his chest again, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his skin. “I’ll be fine.” Another kiss just because she could. “I promise.” She returned her attention to Taulan. “It wasn’t a crash. It was sabotage. Someone hacked into the shuttle system and took over control. Someone didn’t want us landing on Earth. Or if we got here, they didn’t want to leave us breathing.”
Lily closed her eyes, the code from the hack dancing across her vision. The ones and zeros that turned into orders for any computer system consumed her every thought. “They knew exactly what they were targeting—the exact outcome they wanted.”
“Who?” Taulan snarled. At least he wasn’t snarling about the transport anymore.
Lily’s words came at the same time as Argan’s.
“I don’t know.”
“Engineering Master Vende.”
Yeah, they were on two different pages of the same book. She shook her head. “I don’t think he could—”
“It would take one intimately aware of a shuttle and ship’s systems to alter programming without alerting Penelope. Isn’t that correct?” Taulan had lost some of the harshest rumbling edge to his voice.
“Yeah, but I just can’t see it.” She nibbled her lower lip. “He doesn’t seem the type.”
“Shaa kouva, he threatened you once already,” Argan murmured.
She hated that he made sense. “I understand, but…”
But her gut told her it was something—someone—else.
“War Master, will you ensure the investigation proceeds?” Argan had returned to his professional self. Not the lighthearted male she’d seen not so long ago.
“Of course.” Lily had hoped that’d be the end of his visit, the need to crawl back into bed growing with every second. Except he paused and returned his attention to her, fury still lingering in his expression. “And your ‘redirection protocol,’ Knot of Liquid?”
She gritted her teeth when he purposely messed up her hacker tag but kept the words to herself. She didn’t have the energy to keep arguing with him.
“I’ll provide Penelope with an approved exception list, so you’ll at least arrive close to my quarters.” She pushed the words through gritted teeth, hating that she’d have to add vulnerabilities to her code. Anytime an exception rule was created, it established a security risk.
“Good.” Taulan spun in place and stepped into the hallway, the doors sliding shut behind him.
The war master was never big on conversation when he was cranky.
The moment they were alone, she found herself the focus of her mate’s intent gaze. “Redirection protocol?”
“Ugh.” She slumped against Argan, taking comfort in his embrace. “Anyone who asks to be transported into my quarters is placed somewhere else.”
That was enough detail, right?
“Which means?”
Apparently not.
“Which means that Taulan may or may not have appeared a mile off the coast and two thousand feet above the Gulf of Mexico.” She nibbled her lower lip and snuck a peek at her mate, waiting for him to get mad over her lack of respect for blah, blah, and blah…
Except all she saw was the small twitch of his lips and lightness in his eyes. He shook his head and released a long sigh. “You will be the death of me, shaa kouva. I will spend eternity defending you against angry Preors.”
“Well, if they weren’t trying to come into my home without knocking first, that wouldn’t happen.” She crossed her arms. “Not my fault he was rude.”
“He could have died if he had met the water.”
Well, there was that. But, still… rude!
Chapter Twelve
Lily’s scent surrounded Argan, permeating his entire world. The soft mattress beneath him, the pillow he rested his head upon… Everything brimmed with Lily’s flavors. The sweet, delicate aroma that was wholly her now coated his skin, his scales, his wings. Then there were the Bindings… They allowed her to creep inside him as well. To tie them beyond the physical until emotions freely flowed between them. Because she was his just as he was hers, even if the Knowing had not manifested to proclaim them mates.
No, the Knowing had not provided him with the full blood history of his people, but he did not feel the lack. Not when he had Lily in his life.
Though he did not have her at his side, which was unacceptable. Only yesterday she had nearly died and already she was up with the dawning. Stubborn, stubborn female. She should be resting—coddled and cared for. Not doing… whatever had drawn her from their bed.
Their. Bed. The two words whirled in his mind and tendrils of smoke drifted through his thoughts—his dragon announcing its nearness. Announcing its excitement at sharing the space with Lily. Though it also expressed its annoyance at her absence. It grumbled, his skull vibrating with the beast’s displeasure, and Argan rubbed his temples and then pinched the bridge of his nose.
Cease. I will find her.
Another wave of smoke consumed his senses and then retreated as quickly as it’d arrived.
Argan rolled from the bed, his wings tucked close until he planted his feet on the cool floor. He stretched his arms high above him, wings spreading widely to work out the tightness of sleep. The first good sleep he had experienced since…
Since he had threatened Engineering Master Vende on Lily’s behalf.
His dragon prodded him. Thinking of Vende was not hunting Lily as he had promised.
Barefeet silent on the smooth wood, he padded to the bedroom door, senses alert as he stepped into the common area. The Bindings fed him her emotions—happiness, a hint of frustration, and excitement edged with a hint of worry. Yet the Bindings didn’t identify her location.
Alert, he moved throughout Lily’s large quarters, the expansive space such a change from Penelope’s brig. Here he could move freely, stretch his wings and enjoy the room to simply walk unhindered.
A soft, lilting sound reached his ears. A delicate humming to a rhythmic beat. He followed the tones through the space, turning left and then right through a nearby arch. The closer he drew to the source, the more his ears caught.
And the more he wished he would perhaps lose his hearing. What started as a hum was now… not.
It was a screech, followed by a scream, then a moan, and more screeching. If he were not staring at his mate at that moment—comfortable in the knowledge that she was well—he would guess she were being tortured. Painfully.
“Girls just wanna have fu-unnnn…”
Then she jumped around while swinging some sort of weapon. One he had never seen before. The end was bent at a shallow angle and he did not believe it would be an effective blade.
She then lowered the device and placed it near her mouth while the screeching continued. “They just wanna! They just wannaaaaa…”
The moment the last shout left her lips, she brought her weapon to some sort of device in front of her, bent metal scratching against a round shining object. The two scraping against each other did not create a debilitating sound. He wondered how they came together to battle an enemy.
Then all thoughts of weapons and enemies left his mind because his mate…
Argan swallowed hard and fought to think of anything but the luscious, curvy female standing so near. She focused on her task, no more shouts escaping her mouth, but that did not mean the rest of her was idle. She was anything but motionless. Now her hips swayed from side to side, her plump ass and lush curves tempting him with her sensuous movements.
Damn himself to the stars, but she was a gorgeous female. One who called to his mind, yes, but also his body. He ached for her. Simply watching her movements called to him, made him throb and burn with the desire to touch her. He was not worthy to lay a finger on her, but that truth could not stop the inevitable cravings for his mate.
Lily laid her weapon on the counter and moved to a nearby cabinet, her back turned to him. Her back and her round ass.
; She tugged open a cabinet, pressed to her tiptoes, and stretched for some item within the cupboard’s depths. She growled low, reaching higher, and the rumbling sound snapped him out of his hunger-filled staring.
Argan strode forward, ignoring all else in favor of getting to Lily and easing her troubles. He did not stop until his chest met her back, his aching cock brushing her backside. He ignored the way his length throbbed with that quick touch and focused on assisting his mate. “Allow me, shaa kouva. What do you desire?”
Lily squeaked and spun in place, palms on his chest and his hardness now pressing into her hip. “What—? Argan?” One hand went to her chest to rest between her breasts. “You scared the hell out of me. You can’t—”
She froze in place, eyes widening for a split-second before her gaze dropped to focus on where their bodies met. To the spot where his length rested against her hip. “Uh…” Her cheeks reddened, a flush that made him want her all the more. Instead of returning her attention to him, she stared at his neck. “Hi?”
It was obvious she was uncomfortable with his nearness or his desire for her, so he took a large step back to put space between their bodies. “You were attempting to reach something, shaa kouva. Allow me to help you.”
Allow him to begin repaying her for his life. One he did not deserve but one he would welcome all the same.
Lily’s eyes drifted to his hips and then her focus shot back up to his face, another squeak escaping her. Argan was not sure if one could find a sound attractive, but he did enjoy Lily’s. “I, uh, needed a couple of plates for us,” she waved her hand at the still-open cabinet. “Out of there.”
She did not move once she finished speaking, so he leaned over her, reaching past his mate’s smaller body to grasp two of the ceramic round objects the humans called plates. The move brought their bodies together once more, his length pressing into her softness, but she did not shy from his touch. Her breath caught, breasts teasing his chest while her hardened nipples tormented him.
Then there was her scent. The musky sweetness that was purely Lily. The delicate, floral aroma tinged with the first stirrings of arousal called to him in a way that nothing ever had in the past. He breathed deeply as he leaned over her, drawing more of her into his lungs, and savored every snippet of her that he gathered.
Fingers closed over the cool ceramic plates, he gathered two before forcing himself to retreat no matter if he wished to remain in place and explore her body. If she wished to delve into a true mating, he was more than happy to tie them together in such a way. But he would not push. No matter how much he yearned for her.
“Are these acceptable?” he murmured and held the round dishes out for her. Their presence acted as a physical barrier between their bodies. A necessary barrier.
“Huh?” She stared up at him, pupils wide and lips softly parted—desire stealing her thoughts.
Like they nearly stole his own. “You requested two plates. Are these acceptable?”
She fluttered her eyelashes with rapid blinks and nodded. She scooted sideways and edged past him, keeping several feet between their bodies as she moved around.
“Yeah,” she cleared her throat, gaze averted, and she looked anywhere but at him. “These are great.”
Argan should not smile, but he did like that she was not unaffected by him. He simply saved those smiles for when her back was turned.
She set the plates on a counter oddly placed in the center of the space before returning to her weapon and lifting it from the shiny circle of metal once again.
Now that he was so near, he did not hesitate to question her. “What is that weapon? What are you battling inside the metal bowl? I would gladly face any opponent for you, shaa kouva.”
That earned him her attention once more, Lily whirling to face him. “What? You?” She stared at the device in her hand with a frown on her full lips. “Weapon?” She shook her head. “It’s a spatula.”
He sounded the word out in his head. Spa-too-lah. “Is it a sharpened blade of some type? The end is bent oddly. How can it be effective?”
Lily squinted at him, lips pursed and nose wrinkled. “You haven’t spent a lot of time on the surface. Have you?”
Argan shrugged and pushed away memories of the times he had traveled to Earth. Of the times human females shied from him while other Preor males sneered. “More than some, less than others.”
Her eyes remained narrowed for a moment before her expression cleared. She waved her weapon toward the odd counter. “Take a seat at the island and I’ll explain as I cook.”
He opened his mouth to question her further, but she had already turned away from him. Since it allowed him to stare at her ass once more, he did not complain. Instead, he did as she ordered and sat at the “island.” It did not look like any Earth island he had seen, but he decided he would not argue with his mate.
“So,” she glanced at him over her shoulder. “You know about plates. What you’re sitting at is the kitchen island on a stool. I figured it’d be easiest to sit on during meals until I get some new furniture in here that’ll be comfortable for you.”
Argan’s heart warmed. When had someone last thought of his comfort?
“The new stuff should be here in the next couple of days since Taulan took away my zapping privileges.” She grumbled the last few words, telling him she was unhappy.
Unacceptable.
“Would you like me to discuss the issue with War Master Taulan?” Already his dragon puffed up and released a blast of smoke in response. Perhaps the Binds could be altered temporarily so he could stand up against Taulan without harming Lily.
She snorted in response. “You guys don’t discuss anything. You beat at each other until one of you wins.”
He shrugged. That was not a lie.
“An-ee-ways…”
The way she drew out that single word until it nearly formed three individual words on its own teased his mind. It stirred a memory that remained just out of reach. For now, he brushed it aside.
“A spatula is used during cooking to flip things over. This way whatever you’re making will cook evenly in the pan.” She pointed at the shiny metal object. He assumed that was the pan she referenced. “To heat the pan, I use the stove.” She pointed once more at the metal box and he frowned.
“I do not see a flame.” And there could be no heat without flame.
Lily quirked a brow, her lips twitching as well. “The stove runs on electricity.”
Argan grunted merely because he did not have a response. “What have you made yourself with your spa-too-lah, pan and stove?”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I made us mosene kaa seilei.” She frowned at the pan and poked it with the spatula. “Maybe.” She huffed. “I had to replace a few ingredients with what we have on Earth, which might have been a tiny mistake.”
Argan was aware that she continued speaking, but he could not give her words the attention they deserved. Mosene kaa seilei. No one had… He had never tasted… For Lily to…
His heart thundered, pounding so hard he believed it would burst from his chest at any moment. Surprise mixed with awe, the two feelings battling inside him, and he was not sure which would be the victor. Surprise was not strong enough. Astonished. Amazed. Those words would be more accurate.
He did not care if her attempt at making mosene kaa seilei with human ingredients failed. The mere fact that she attempted to prepare the meal for him was enough.
“Should it be green?” That pert, perfect nose wrinkled, and she tilted the pan so he could see its contents.
“It is perfect.” A grin tweaked his lips, the corners pulling up into a smile.
“You’re lying.” Her glare returned, and he still did not care.
Argan shrugged one shoulder, his wing rustling with the movement. “You have prepared the meal. It is perfect.”
“I should have followed through on sending you to the jungle.” Her voice dropped lower but he still heard her words.
He did not appreciate her wish to transport him elsewhere, but that was not what focused his attention to a laser point. It was her mention of a jungle and a threat he had received not so long ago.
From Penelope. Not Lily.
“You sound like Penelope when you—”
“And… done!” Lily spun, smile wide though it did not reach her eyes. She scooped some of the green meal onto one plate and then the other. “Give it a try and if it’s horrible I can try something else.”
Argan allowed her to distract him but kept the thought near the front of his mind. He wouldn’t be dissuaded forever. The way she spoke, it was as if Lily had been the first to threaten him, not the ship.
He pulled one plate closer and lifted his fork. At least he could identify a fork. He gathered a bite and brought it to his mouth. She seemed so hopeful, so much joy and anticipation in her gaze. He prayed the meal was not so horrible he was immediately ill. He wished to at least pretend the meal was wonderful. He closed his eyes and slipped the fork into his mouth, closing his lips around the utensil before slipping it free.
At least his stomach did not immediately rebel. No, it waited until he swallowed the mouthful and then announced its objection to the poison Lily used on him. It had to be poison. He had never tasted something so disgusting. No, the word disgusting was not strong enough. Deadly. Rotted. Decayed. His stomach clenched, and his body heaved, curling in on himself as it sought to expel Lily’s meal.
“Oh, God, it’s bad.” Horrified eyes met his. “I’m so, so sorry.”
His belly objected once more, tightening as if a fist squeezed him and fought to wrench the organ from his body. But still he did not expel her meal. His mate had made him mosene kaa seilei and he would not reject the gift.
Even if it killed him.
Argan pushed the plate away, hoping the absence of its close smell would help—and it did, slightly. Unfortunately, not enough to calm his stomach entirely. It gurgled and grumbled, spasming and twisting in his abdomen.
“No, it is fine.” Sweat peppered his brow as his mouth flooded with saliva. “You did well.”
