3013_ALLEGIANCE

by Laurie Roma

  When her gaze locked with his, time slowed until a single heartbeat echoed into obscurity. Energy sizzled in the air, like an electrical current arcing between them. The temperature rose, heat swelling to an almost unbearable level. Then, the silence was broken by a single word.

  “Mine!”

  Suddenly, she was standing in front of him. Her arms wrapped around him, and his body moved with a will of its own, returning her embrace even as he told himself that he was acting crazy. He felt himself falling, being mesmerized by the dark swirls in her glowing gold eyes... until she jerked his head back and sank her fangs into his neck.

  Then, they disappeared from the room.

  Still in the sky dome, Tavius tentatively tested the air. Relieved, he inhaled deeply when he realized the air had reverted back to normal the second Amari and Roman had disappeared. “Wow.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Reva breathed. “That was intense.”

  Malik growled, “What the fuck just happened?”

  Amused, she wrapped her arm around his. “It seems Amari just found her mate. Stars, I’m happy for them, and a little terrified for Roman.”

  When the youngest Rego bent over and threw up, Tavius growled, “Really? All this space—” he gestured with his hands, “—and you had to throw up on my fucking shoes?”

  Lazio groaned. “Sorry, transporting gets me every time, but I feel better now.”

  “Well, then...fuck! You’re cleaning that up, and you can throw those shoes away because I’m never touching them again.”

  Darius sighed. “We really can’t take you anywhere.”

  “I’ll clean it,” Lazio swore. “I’m getting good at cleaning up after myself, though, it’s much easier when Amari’s around to do it for me. It doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon. Hellfire, the Dragon Warrior and the Regent. I didn’t even get to enjoy that, damn it.”

  “Stars, this is going to be good,” Reva said with a laugh. “And the show has only just begun.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  What the holy fuck?

  Roman fought the queasiness that had his stomach rolling. Telling himself to focus did no good. The fog in his head lingered even as the throbbing in his neck quickly faded. Confused, he took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. Why was his neck throbbing in the first place?

  And where the hell were his clothes?

  “Sit. Rest for a moment.”

  Warm air seemed to gently push at his bare shoulders until he was seated. Stars, that voice was fucking sexy. Great, now he was getting turned on by air. He really must be losing his mind.

  He briefly considered the possibility that he had never left Sanctum on New Vega. Maddox could have poisoned him with all of those damn shots. Actually, he’d felt like he’d mixed every one of those weird drinks together, then gulped it down.

  However, the dizziness disappeared, gone as if it had never been.

  And clarity came back like the crack of a whip.

  It had all happened so fast. One minute, he’d been on the Delta Station, then Roman had felt the universe shift beneath his feet, and she had been there. With her arms wrapped around him, he’d felt a sense of belonging, of feeling whole for the first time in his life. He’d held on, even when her fangs sank deep into his neck. He had welcomed the pain, embraced it as it swiftly turned to pleasure...and she was gone.

  Panicked at that thought, his eyes flew open.

  Ah, there she was, and holy nova, she was absolutely magnificent.

  She stood naked before him, bathed in silvery, lavender moonlight. Inky black lashes framed her glowing gold and black eyes, and her long black hair fell in waves down to her small waist. Shimmering gold tattoos covered her arms, shoulders, and trailed down the sides of her long torso in an intricate display of artistry that only made the view of her full breasts tipped with tight, dark nipples more enticing.

  She was tall, with legs that seemed to go on for miles. He wanted to run his hands over her bronzed skin, to memorize every flawless inch of her through touch and taste. She was slim yet powerful, and he remembered how strong her lithe body had been when he’d held her against him. He wanted, no, he needed her back in his arms.

  Just a taste, and his system was already craving her like a fucking drug.

  The very sight of her had his own body going hard as steel, and since he had no cover, there was no way to hide the pulsing erection jutting out from between his thighs. When her gaze lowered there, he was ready to pick her up and throw her on the bed. Like some wild beast, his muscles flexed, and his pulse pounded in a primitive beat that drove him to take and lay claim to what was his.

  Sweet stars, he sounded absolutely crazy.

  What was wrong with him?

  They were in a large bedroom unlike anything he’d ever seen before. There was a black stone floor, and the massive bed was pushed up against the largest of three dark walls. All of the furniture was glossy black, and the two other walls had dozens of built-in shelves with various object highlighted by different color lights, creating a rainbow of color in the otherwise dark space.

  Overhead, pale-gold gossamer curtains were strung through the slats of a black pergola, only allowing a hint of the sky view through the material. The same gossamer curtains covered the space where the last wall should have been, and the fabric danced lightly in a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean beyond.

  He could see lush green plants and silver sand that trailed off into an ocean of liquid gold. Two purple moons with rings shone brightly in the darker purple sky surrounded by millions of sparkling stars. In the distance, there was a white rock formation next to a pink waterfall. The view was extraordinary, but the strangeness of the colors only amplified the feeling of being in some sort of bizarre dream.

  His mind was at war with his emotions, but it was almost impossible to be rational when all of the blood in his body had rushed down to his cock. Considering the most beautiful female in the entire fucking universe was standing in front of him, having a raging hard-on didn’t surprise him.

  However, being transported off of a space vessel to some alien paradise wasn’t within his usual scope of normal...neither was having someone sink their fangs into him. Hell, he didn’t even know her name, but he assumed the gorgeous female in front of him was none other than Amari Nazira, the mysterious Dragon Warrior he’d heard was attending the meeting.

  Roman hadn’t felt this off-balance since...well, ever. He knew he should do whatever he could to hold onto his control, but stars, if she kept looking at him like that, he was going to fuck them both into oblivion before they had a chance to say one more word.

  “What the—?”

  He shot to his feet after feeling something cool and wet on his hand. He looked down at the bed he’d been sitting on and saw nothing. Turning his hand, he checked both sides and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He started to relax, only to tense up again when she spoke.

  “Hydra, you are not allowed to eat my mate. And you know you should not have climbed on my bed without my permission.”

  Roman glanced down at the massive bed covered with a unique blanket that was a mix of every jewel-toned color he could possibly imagine, plus a few he couldn’t even describe. Something on top of the bed began to move, pulling away from the blanket. It slithered down the side of the bed until it fell onto the floor into a transparent blob.

  “I was curious, and only wanted a taste.” The words were projected out of the transparent blob. It rippled slightly with every word, and the voice sounded as if were coming from someone speaking underwater. It shifted, flattening its shape out as it slowly moved toward the wall.

  Roman shuddered. A taste of him? Fuck, no. He’d almost sat on that thing and had to fight the urge to cup his cock and balls in defense. He wasn’t getting anywhere near that blob again while his junk was literally hanging in the wind.

  “I’m going to need...” Fucking hell, he couldn’t believe he was saying this, “...some pants. Just for a—thank
you.”

  Before he’d even finished speaking, a pair of soft black pants brushed with gold stardust appeared on his body while she’d put on a thin-strapped, matching dress that flowed down around her feet. He disliked seeing her covered with anything, but they could get back to being naked once they were alone again.

  Warmth filled him as she brushed her hand down his arm. He turned his head to look at her and didn’t know what to say to that. While standing, they were almost the same height, and he found himself mesmerized by the black swirls in her glowing eyes. Son of a bitch, he was still hard as hell, but the only one he wanted tasting him was Amari.

  “This is Hydra. Do not worry, my friend does not wish to harm you. She was just tasting your cells.”

  “My—?” Oh, man. This was just weird. “Why would she want to taste my cells?”

  “She is Voda.” When he just stared at her, she explained, “It is the way they learn.”

  “They can absorb knowledge through matter?” That was pretty frosty, and it made in question if he was dreaming or awake again. He felt strange talking to a blob of water but tried to keep his voice friendly when he said, “Hello, Hydra—”

  “She will not speak to you yet as she is very shy,” Amari explained.

  A low growl had their heads turning.

  Roman’s hand immediately went to his side where his blaster usually rested against his thigh, but it wasn’t there now. There was a huge lion-like creature stalking into the room through the open doorway. It let out another menacing growl as it stepped closer, its glowing amber eyes fixed on them.

  “Ah, come on!” He shouldn’t have asked for pants.

  He needed body armor.

  Holding his arms out slightly down at his sides, Roman used his body to push back against Amari, shielding her behind him. If he had thought about it, he would have realized how foolish the action was. She had magic and was probably one of the most powerful beings in the universe, but he was running on instinct.

  No matter what, he needed to protect her.

  Amari wanted to snarl in frustration.

  Nothing was going according to plan. Not that she’d had a plan before she saw Regent Roman Newgate of the human Alliance standing on the Delta Station. The moment she’d recognized him, she hadn’t cared about anything but being alone with him. She shouldn’t have bitten him, she knew that. But the moment she’d touched him, the need to form the blood bond with her mate had been too strong to fight.

  It wasn’t like sharing thoughts with her family or what she got when she bit someone for information. This was something entirely new, and puzzling. She’d never been good with impulse control, but that was no excuse. It was done, and he wasn’t going to like that she now had access to his mind, even if half the stuff she was picking up from him didn’t make sense.

  Usually, she could focus, block out any emotional influences from the bond, but with her mate, she had no control. His emotions mixed with her own, and she was having a difficult time separating them. Over the centuries, Amari had fantasized about what it would be like to be with her mate, but the reality of him surpassed anything she could have possibly imagined.

  It pleased her greatly that Roman was a prime specimen in peak physical condition. He had little to no dark-brown hair on the top of his head to detract from his strong facial features. Thick brows slightly dipped down, and a frown line appeared between crystal green eyes the color of sea glass. His prominent cheekbones and perfectly curved lips would have looked regal on someone else, but combined with his challenging expression, he was sexy as sin.

  Dark stubble covered his square jaw, which was something that seemed rare amongst the elites she had seen. It made her wonder what it would feel like against her palms...or any other area of her body.

  Considerably larger than she was, he was tightly packed with corded muscles that bulged on his arms and chest. His abdominal muscles were stacked from his sternum to pelvis where his flat stomach tapered off into fascinating lines near his hipbones, and his thighs were thick as tree trunks. His skin tone was a shade or two lighter than hers, but he still had a golden glow with some lighter areas that hinted of his time out in the sun.

  Seeing him in his full nude glory had excited her far more than she had anticipated. She wanted to touch him, to use her hands, tongue, and teeth to explore every solid inch of him, and wanted to take her time learning what he liked and studying his long, thick cock that had pulsed with life.

  But now that particularly delicious bit of him was covered.

  When her female friends told her that the best way to deal with their mates was to get naked and let them take care of the rest, she had taken them at their word. However, males of any race could be confusing, and they didn’t always do what was expected. She’d thought that stripping them both would be enough incentive for him to just jump her, and when it didn’t happen, she was a little disappointed.

  She’d been hoping for less thinking...and a lot more sex.

  Now, the very thing she had thought herself safe from since her sister, brothers, mother, and fathers were galaxies away had occurred. It didn’t surprise her, not when her friends were to blame.

  She was blocked from his cock, or whatever the saying was.

  Although, her new mate was essentially freaking out, and making sure he was well was more important than sex. For now. Despite his calm expression, Roman’s mood was erratic and confused. She wished she had the right words to relax him. To explain how much he meant to her. Even more, she wanted what was in her heart to matter to him, but it was too soon to dive into such deep water.

  She wouldn’t complain about slowing the pace down. Finding him had been completely unexpected, and she understood the precious gift the universe had just given her. Mostly, she needed to give him time to catch up, but that was easier said than done.

  “Rhys, stop growling like that. What is wrong with the two of you?”

  Another growl was her only answer.

  Roman tried to shove her further behind him, blocking her body with his. It was sweet that he was trying to protect her, but also completely unnecessary.

  He didn’t know that, though.

  “I take it this isn’t the way the natives usually greet someone,” he stated calmly.

  “Nay, they are usually not like this.”

  Actually, they rarely—if ever—had company. Rhys stopped and tilted his head to the side, studying them through narrowed eyes. He wasn’t communicating with her, but Amari figured out what he was doing. Her friends didn’t like that she had brought Roman into their domain without warning and were showing their displeasure.

  Hydra was also acting out of curiosity since she had never been so close to a human before, but for Rhys, it was purely posturing. He wanted to see what her mate was made of, and though he was pleased the human guarded her, he was still not convinced that Roman was worthy of her. Again, sweet, yet totally unnecessary.

  Amari shifted to the side and placed her hand against her mate’s bare stomach. The heat coming off him was incredible, and she wanted to slide her fingertips lower but kept them still. It pleased her to feel the muscles contracting beneath her palm, but she liked it even more when she sensed him relax.

  Touching him told her friends that Roman was important to her, as she would never do such a thing with someone who didn’t matter. She also wanted to make a point to her mate without causing an argument.

  She would never hide behind anyone...even him.

  “Roman, I would like to introduce you to Hydra and Rhys. They have been my companions for many years.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Roman said, wondering if he truly meant the words. Still, he got the message. The Voda and the beast weren’t just companions. They were part of Amari’s family, and they were making that known.

  In response, Rhys stretched his mouth open wide, showing off his deadly fangs. Roman tensed but relaxed again when he realized the gesture was nothing more than a yawn. Great, that wasn’
t exactly friendly, but it beat having those fangs sink into him.

  As if bored with the turn of events, Rhys turned around and walked back the way he’d come. Hydra’s form shifted again, morphing into a smaller transparent version of the lion-like creature. It raced ahead, then came back to wind its way between the larger cat’s legs as they both left the room.

  Suddenly, the open doorway was sealed with a black door, leaving them alone in the bedroom. The soft breeze blowing in from beyond the gossamer curtains reminded Roman there was a whole world on the other side that he knew nothing about.

  “Do not worry, I would never let anyone harm you.”

  Roman’s brows shot up, and he remembered that low sexy voice had spoken to him earlier. “You spoke to me in my mind.”

  “I suppose I should apologize for that,” she said with a sigh. “Aye, a blood bond was created between us when I bit you...” Amari hesitated, unused to explaining herself. Did she have to admit that she had lost control?

  Since she had bitten him, she could sense inside of him and communicate with him in his mind. She was fascinated by his strength of will and unwavering integrity, and there were so many layers of his personality she had yet to explore, but she wouldn’t delve any deeper. Not until he was ready to share his thoughts and memories with her.

  In return, she would gladly share all that she was with him, and would when the time was right, but he wasn’t ready. Amari sensed that, felt it through their connection.

  Humans didn’t exchange all of their information through blood bonds or mating, and she had to respect that moving forward. They had much to learn about one another, but they had time for that. She would have preferred to mate now and figure the rest out later, though, she was content knowing that he was hers just as she belonged to him.

  Now they had found one another, nothing would ever be the same.

  That didn’t mean that any of it would be easy.