by Marie Harte
Gren interrupted. “As entertaining as this is, I need to take care of this new situation. You two stay here. Sara won’t be waking for hours yet, and I have to handle Vendon before he becomes a problem.” He grimaced and moved to the door. “No one should enter but me, and I’ll let you know when I return. Whatever you do, don’t leave this room. It’s the only place you’re truly safe.”
Gren exited, leaving them alone together. Mara glanced at the bed, where Sara lay bound and gagged and covered by a blanket.
Anxiety she hadn’t been aware she still held eased, and the knots in her stomach released.
“She won’t be any more trouble.” Lurin’s breath fanned her ear, and she started, unaware he’d moved so close.
She turned, caught by the sensual promise in his eyes. Despite her distrust, warmth unfurled in her belly. He stepped even closer and they touched, breast to chest, thigh to thigh. His erection prodded her, and she blinked, amazed he could feel aroused after all Sara had done to him.
“You can’t be—”
“I am, very. My mind is fuzzy about what Sara did, but my body remembers it well. It was hell, because I could feel her touch when all I truly wanted was you.”
His words had the desired effect. Mara’s nipples hardened, her womb clenched, and she fought to press her mouth to his and explore. “You’re making me feel this way,” she accused, but her voice sounded more husky than firm.
He shook his head and brushed her lips with his. “That’s just it, love. I’m not. I know you won’t believe this, but I only managed to persuade you to do my bidding once. To enter my cell the night your crew left the ship. Since then, everything between us has been real, exceedingly, arousingly real.”
Mara wanted to believe him, but something held her back. And then it didn’t matter because he kissed her, and she was lost.
He devoured her, licking and nipping and robbing her very breath. With wicked hands, he removed her clothing and immediately sought her hot, wet core.
“Yes,” he hissed as he penetrated her folds. “You’re ready for me, Mara. Damn, you make me lose all control.” He shook his head. “I can’t wait. I need you now.”
He ripped the trousers from his body and dragged her against him once more. She felt the wall against her back without knowing how she’d gotten there. And then he lifted her and wrapped her legs around him.
He bent to take a nipple in his mouth, and he sucked until she cried out her desire.
“Stars, yes. I need more. Please, Lurin.” She felt so empty, aching for completion.
“Yes, love. Have it all.” He rammed himself deep, pushing through her wet channel into her heated sex. It felt like forever since he’d been a part of her, and as he hammered into her, she could have wept at the perfection of the moment, at the sheer, unadulterated passion.
Hard and fast, mercilessly pumping, he took her. Her weight rested on him, which brought him into the deepest part of her. Mara could only feel, enraptured by his desperation.
“Only you, only you,” he rasped, their enjoyment growing, expanding, spiralling out of control.
His passion fuelled her own. Without meaning to, Mara came suddenly under a shower of ecstasy. Lurin joined her, groaning her name as he thrust, continuing to move until he found his own peace.
They stood entwined, their hearts beating as one, and Mara again felt that deep spiritual melding that begged her to believe Lurin cared for her as deeply as she felt for him. Unexplainable, illogical, and yet so very real.
“I do, love,” he whispered and brushed his lips over her forehead. “I care for you so much it scares me.”
“Are you reading my mind?” She wanted to fault his intrusion but couldn’t help the tingle of belonging, the closeness his foray implied.
“I can’t always tell your thoughts.” He eased from her, leaving her both empty and filled. She wanted him inside her again, to fill the void. But evidence of their joining trickled down her leg. Thoughts of a possible child hit her hard, and it took her a moment to recover from the joy that result might bring.
“When we make love, when we become as one, then I can sometimes sense your thoughts, but not always,” Lurin admitted. He left her to retrieve a towel from an adjoined lavatory. After cleaning them both, he placed a blanket on the floor and lowered them to it.
He leaned over her like a possessive lover, his gaze intent on her features, as if committing them to memory.
Mara wanted to be furious, to deny his right to touch her. But he felt so perfect, she wondered that she’d lived so long without him. “Legend says the Thesha can read feminine minds at will. I guess you’re not as powerful as I’ve heard?”
Her hands drifted to his shoulders and she caressed his soft skin, marvelling at the softness of his flesh over the corded muscle beneath. The stern captain had been conquered by the woman within her, and at this moment, Mara resolved to let her stay. There would be time enough for regrets later.
He flashed her a grin and nipped at her neck. “We are a powerful species, Mara. But something about you…” he trailed and stared at her. “The moment I boarded your ship, I tried persuading you to believe me and let me go. But you resisted.”
“I did?” She hadn’t felt him try anything, nor had she intentionally opposed a psychic attack.
“Twice I tried to bind you to me, in the Theshan way. And twice you denied me. I blamed it on the drugs you’d given me.”
She flushed with guilt under his accusation, knowing she had no reason to feel at fault when she’d been doing her job.
“I’m not blaming you,” he said to forestall her argument. “I’m trying to explain something important here.”
Mara listened, aware that while Lurin spoke, his cock, swollen and thick, teased at her folds. Amazingly, she grew wet again, and wondered at her body’s reaction.
“It’s you, Mara. Until I joined you in that dream state, I couldn’t be sure. But there’s something about you that’s different from other women. I don’t know if you affect other Thesha this way, or if it’s because—”
He stopped speaking, and his eyes widened. Mara waited but he said nothing, merely stared at her with surprise and a bit of alarm.
“Lurin? What is it?”
He glanced away, as if to hide his feelings.
“Lurin, you’re not communicating. Try this.” She yanked his head down and took his breath with a kiss. Mara loved having some hold over him. It put them on an equal level. A Thesha afraid of a bounty hunting captain?
Lust swamped her, and she surrendered to it readily. Despite not understanding how she could want him so badly after the orgasm she’d experienced, Mara claimed Lurin as her own.
He groaned under her assault, and her excitement grew. She might not be Thesha, but she knew Lurin wanted her, needed her as much as she needed him.
“I want everything,” she told him between kisses, not understanding this frantic desire to bind them together. “I want your lips, your cock,” she whispered against his ear and arched into his erection. She swallowed a moan when he slid into her, filling her again. “I want more. I want your heart, your mind.” She captured his tongue and teased it with strokes of her own.
Lurin withdrew from her body then slammed inside her once more, fucking her with a hunger she eagerly met stroke for stroke.
She broke the kiss and flexed her fingers in his silky black hair. “I want all of you, Lurin. Everything you have to give.”
His eyes blazed, and he took her with harder, faster thrusts. “Yes, Mara. All of me.”
He suddenly stilled and poured into her with a devastating heat. And then he pistoned within her again. And Mara became Lurin, full of his thoughts, his feelings, his dreams.
He fused his mouth to hers and withdrew then teased her mound with the tip of his cock. His hand guided his shaft and found her clit. She groaned into his mouth and he thrilled at her pleasure.
Alternatively tender then possessive, he captured her lips, leading her into a
nother realm altogether. Never before had he given so much to another, opening his heart and sharing his spirit, trusting her as much as he could trust anyone.
Mara was no conquest. She had conquered him. Her soft lips melded to his, perfectly joining and parting without him having to lead her. As if she had been made for him, she complemented his body, his wants and needs.
He gave her the whole of his attention, an erotic gift only a Thesha can give to one he cares about.
Lowering a trail of kisses down her stomach, he sent her the warmth of his love in a blaze of heat. She twisted and groaned, begging him to fill her. Still, he caressed her with his lips, seeking her feminine core that he’d been too long in tasting.
When his mouth traced her mound, she ground into his face, and his heart seemed to stop when the spill of his seed and her creamy essence touched his lips.
Full of Mara’s spice, a heady scent of sex and love and strength, Lurin lost control and sucked her clit with a fervour that quickly brought her to climax. As she screamed his name and came in a gush, he continued to suck with another, gentler push, this one to calm her inflamed nerve endings, that he might send her over again and again.
The more he tasted her, the harder he became until he could no longer contain his own release. Wanting to spill inside of her, to share his bliss, he quickly covered her body with his own and thrust deep. Mara clenched him tight as she came. He could see the stars bursting inside her, could feel her squeezing him, forcing him to join her in shared rapture.
He erupted, coating her with everything he had left inside. His essence left his body, that special energy he always kept apart from his sexual partners. A tinge of unease hit him even as he felt Mara’s acceptance, heard her whisper his name in awe as his presence stole through her body.
Mara came back into herself, shuddering in the aftermath of such intense feeling. She loved him, every bit of him. His spirit was pure, his feelings real if buried deep. Trust continued to be an issue, but in time, she knew she could take what rightfully belonged to her.
I love you, she admitted in silence, knowing he wasn’t yet ready to hear the words.
He hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head, their bodies still joined.
“Mara, sweet, you give me so much,” Lurin rasped. “It’s only right I did the same.”
How could he have been blinded to the truth when everything about Mara screamed her importance? The One. The Only. His Forever.
Her dark eyes shone with acceptance as she stared up at him in awe. Though he knew she had yet to declare her abiding love, he felt something that made him hope she might eventually come to care deeply for him.
He couldn’t believe that something so dark and troubling—the death of his good friend—had turned into the best thing in his life. His soul mate, Mara Seni, lay in his arms. She matched his hunger, blossomed under his touch, and gave him such ecstasy as he’d never thought to have.
No matter what happened to him in the future, he wanted to remember this moment.
“Mara, this energy between us, it’s very real. It’s everything I have.” Everything I’m capable of giving.
Mara drifted to sleep with a smile on her face, while Lurin held her tight, fighting the demon of doubt. He knew deep in his heart she was meant for him. Hell, he’d shared his soul with her, an act he’d never before thought to attempt, let alone do.
Yet he couldn’t help wondering if trusting her would prove his downfall, as it had to so many Thesha before him who’d thought themselves ‘in love’.
He had known Mara for such a short time, making their intense spiritual connection something to question. As much as his heart and soul knew her, his mind continued to ponder the potential danger in loving her, a danger to himself and to his people.
Lurin didn’t know when he’d fallen asleep, but he woke sensing someone near. A glance at Sara showed her still unconscious, thanks to Gren’s mindblast.
“Gren?” Lurin sent the message out.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Gren sounded in his mind. “But I’m not alone.”
Damn. “Sweet, we have to move.” Lurin prodded Mara, cursing himself for not being more aware. Hell, he’d claimed his Forever in Sara’s room on the floor.
Mara woke slowly but hurried when he told her about their coming company. Once again dressed, she waited for him to tie her back to the post. When she looked up at him, her gaze reflected a woman thoroughly loved. His energy sparkled in the depths of her amber eyes, and despite his misgivings, he smiled with pleasure and pride.
Mara now belonged to him and no other.
“Play along, love. Know that now I’m in charge. Sara’s merely the puppet.” He lingered for a kiss, praying it would not be their last.
Gren gave him a mental shove. “Hurry the hell up. Vendon won’t wait any longer.”
Lurin flew to the bed, unbound Sara’s hands and feet, and dove under the blanket. He covered her and mimicked the act of sex. He disliked having to get even this close to Sara, but dry humping and groaning was better than actually fucking her. Thank the Maker Gren had that dagger.
“Open your eyes, Sara,” he commanded in a throaty voice that reverberated in her mind. He could feel Mara’s attention and knew she felt the energy pulsing through the room. “Do whatever I tell you. Think what I tell you to think. And do not, under any circumstances, allow harm to befall Mara.”
“Yes, Lurin.” Her voice echoed his, her ringing cadence the only sign of his influence.
He mentally sent her several other commands as Vendon and Gren entered the room. Unlike Mara, Sara didn’t resist at all. She climaxed without his touch, believing herself in charge of him and loving it.
“Still at it?” Vendon asked, his eyes wide. “Really, Sara. Even for you, this is remarkable.”
Lurin guided all her responses.
She pushed Lurin from her and glared at Vendon, not embarrassed about her nudity in the slightest. “He’s Thesha. What did you expect?” Her eyes flew to Gren. “Of course, there’s always room for one more,” she added and licked her lips.
“Very funny,” Gren sent him with a frown. Aloud, he said, “I’m much too busy readying the ship. We’re about to dock on Jaron, Lady Sara.”
After a slight pause, she leapt from the bed and cursed Gren up and down.
“You whoreson bastard! How dare you ignore my command?”
“He follows Lady Cari’s wishes,” Vendon said, surprisingly protective.
“I don’t care!” Sara attacked Vendon with such speed and ferocity that she managed to blacken his eye and split his lip before Gren and Lurin pulled her off. “You’re supposed to be on my side. I hate you! I hate her! I want you both dead!” She clung to Lurin like a lifeline.
“Laying it on a bit thick, eh?” Gren sent.
Lurin refrained laughing. Vendon looked ready to kill. “I need Vendon to report this back to Nobless Cari.”
“Well, wrap it up. We’re nearly there, and Mara looks ready to tear free from her bonds and beat Sara to a pulp.”
Focused on controlling Sara, Lurin had failed to pay Mara any attention. Now that he did, he felt her jealousy pulsating through him. Though absurdly pleased by her reaction, he wondered at it. Hadn’t he told her he had control of Sara? Surely she knew he hadn’t really fucked her.
“No, I didn’t think that.” A feminine voice invaded his mind, shocking him to mental silence. “But if you don’t soon get her under control and away from you, I’m going to smash her face in.”
Lurin coughed to cover the laughter that threatened to spill and mentally ordered Sara to let go of him and dress. He had fun with her dialogue, easily imagining what the damaged female might say.
“We’ll see my mother shortly.” Sara pulled on a Norwali silk dress that probably cost more than the ship’s shuttle. “But this isn’t over. He’s mine.” She turned to Lurin. “You, stay there. Don’t move.” She stared at him with manic possession and then stomped away into the lav. Lurin kept hi
s expression blank and remained standing.
Gren and Vendon shared a nod.
“See what I mean?” Gren said under his breath, loud enough for Lurin to hear.
Vendon’s gaze narrowed on the closed door of the lav and nodded. “I’ll tell the nobless,” Vendon said quietly, listening to the racking sobs and shouts of rage muffled by the closed door. “It’s up to you to see that everything goes smoothly. Another ten thousand beks if you can get Sara to her mother without undue attention once we reach Jaron.”
“Done.” Gren stared at Vendon’s retreating back until the little man left the room. Once the doors slid shut behind him, he turned to Lurin. “We haven’t much time.” Gren suddenly froze and stared hard at Mara.
“What?” she asked defensively as she freed herself from her bonds.
“Smells like sex in here,” Gren muttered. “You bonded with her? In here? She feels like you, smells like you and sure as hell resonates with your power. Must have been some bonding.”
“It was,” Mara answered with a smug smile.
Gren swore. “How the hell did you hear that?” He faced Lurin. “How the hell did she hear that?” he repeated, clearly shocked.
“I have no idea. But maybe I should warn you to watch what you say.” Lurin tapped his forehead.
Mara, finally freed from her bonds, approached Gren with suspicion. “You’re no telepath.” She studied him with an intensity that made Lurin uncomfortable.
Gren turned and headed for the door. Lurin frowned, knowing what was coming next.
“What exactly happened while I was tied up in your quarters, Gren?” Mara asked.
“Ask Lurin. He was there.” Gren, the coward, rushed from the room. “We’ll arrive on Jaron in another hour. Make ready. And try not to be too angry, Mara. Lurin can explain.”
Chapter Eleven
They walked in a single file through the underground tunnels into Nobless Cari’s private wing of the palace.
Unfortunately, the strong mental bond that had existed between Mara and Lurin faded. She could no longer hear his or Gren’s thoughts. And Lurin had yet to explain just what Gren meant when he’d told her not to be too angry.
