by Gail Koger
“He ran a scanner over Cason.”
“Oh.” I tapped Cason’s nose and pointed to Soval. “No bite.”
Cason gurgled at me.
I made a frowny face. “Biting makes Momma sad.”
“Sad?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Very sad.”
Cason kissed my chin. “Ax.”
“Is that Rodan for sorry?” I asked Trayon.
“The word sorry is not in the Rodan vocabulary.”
“Huh? I didn’t know that.”
Soval walked over to us and bowed slightly. “Commander. My lady. Dway’s injuries are not serious. He will be fit for duty tomorrow.”
“I will adjust the roster,” Trayon said.
“I want to apologize for Cason biting you.”
Soval smiled. “No apology is necessary. Our children tend to bite at that age. I will have his DNA results in an hour. You need to provide him with an Izix bone to sharpen his teeth on.”
Cason’s teeth were already razor sharp. “Okay. Thank you.”
Soval bowed again and left.
Juri sauntered up to us. “I want to formally request permission to travel to Earth so I may hunt a soft skin.”
Hunt? I literally saw red. Zzzzzt! An energy ball formed above my right hand. “We are not prey to be hunted or sold like animals.”
“To claim a human female as a mate Juri, you must first win her heart.” Trayon’s mouth fastened on mine in a soul-singing lip lock. His forked tongue slipped between my lips, stroking me until pleasure lit up my nerves like lightning. My ability to think vanished and so did my power ball. All I wanted was him.
“Owh! Owh!” Cason patted my cheek.
I broke the kiss and looked around. Juri, Dway and Soval were gone. “Sneaky move.”
“Askole warriors are hunters who will stalk their prey for as long as it takes.”
Something they had in common with the Coletti. I gave him my death stare. “I’m not prey.”
An unwavering determination filled Trayon’s eyes. “All my life, I have been waiting for you. Now that I have found you, I will not let you go. Together we will journey through life and build our dynasty.”
I had to admit I was surprised by his romantic streak. Trayon also knew what to say to win me over. I wanted a partner who would stand by my side no matter what happened and a family of my own. “What’s the next step in this trek?”
“After our bond has been completed, we locate where your brother is being held and free him. If you wish, you may kill the one known as Giovanni Dragos.”
“I do.”
He inclined his head. “Then we liberate his prisoners and destroy the Rodan base.”
That worked for me. “And take Chiara home.”
He nodded. “And return Chiara to her family.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“My lady warrior are you ready to become one with me?”
Butterflies danced in my stomach. I liked kissing Trayon, but doing the nasty? I knew it was part of the deal, but how did I tell him I had never been with a man before. I eyed his crotch. I wasn’t even sure our parts would fit.
Trayon gave me his toothy grin. “They will fit, and I am eager to teach you the art of a thousand delights.”
“Mentally eavesdropping again?”
“Your happiness is important to me. Teaching you to give and receive pleasure will be my gift to you.”
I raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Our priest had always ranted about the evils of fornication and when Sister Sarah caught me kissing a boy, her expression of disappointment had stuck with me. By Askole standards, I was married to Trayon and not breaking any of the church’s doctrines. Even I knew how important sex was to men. “Okay. Show me these thousand delights.”
Trayon snatched us up and zoomed out of the mess hall.
Cason giggled insanely.
“Wahoo!” Laughing with glee, I clung to his neck as we streaked down the corridor at Mach 1. This was better than a wild roller coaster ride at the carnival. We zipped into our quarters. To my astonishment the rooms were spotless. “Where are the kids?”
“They are with Bey.” Trayon’s mouth moved over mine, demanding, sensual and full of carnal need.
A growl escaped Cason.
Trayon let out a grunt and raised his head. “No bite Father.”
“Momma.” Cason patted my chest. “Me.”
A laugh escaped me. “I think he’s jealous.”
Trayon placed me on my feet and took the baby from me. “I had our engineer fabricate a bed for Cason.” He walked over to a metal crib and laid Cason on the thick pad. “No bite Father.”
A feral glint in his eyes, Cason pointed to me. “Me momma.”
My gaze fell on a large black bone in the corner of the crib. I picked it up and gave it Cason. “Trayon. Ours.”
He babbled something and stuck the bone in his mouth.
“Smart move. The Izix bone will keep him busy.” Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Trayon’s armor shrank down to metal jockey shorts.
My jaw dropped. Trayon’s torso was sculpted perfection. Thick muscles corded his arms and legs. Who knew black scales could be so hot? What would they feel like against my skin?
“Open yourself to me.”
I climbed on the bed so I could look him in the eye. “Before we do this, I want to be honest. You said you loved me, but I don’t love you.”
“Yet,” Trayon’s tentacles clamped tightly around my head. “Once our bond is completed, we will be one mind, one soul.”
I had always dreamed of finding my soulmate, but I never imagined my Prince Charming would be an alien. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my shields and winced when his tentacles stung me repeatedly. Before I could vocalize a protest, Trayon’s powerful mind surged into mine. Whoa! A vortex that held millions of images, and memories suddenly spun through my head. I reeled as every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Suddenly our minds fused together, and we became as one. His memories became mine. His knowledge became mine. In that instant I knew Trayon was my soulmate and he would love me until the end of time. I opened my eyes and smiled. “Out of all the star systems in the galaxy you found me. What are the odds?”
“I would have found you if I had to search for an eternity. You have my promise that for a thousand nights and beyond, I will give you utter ecstasy. I will love you as you have never been loved before.” There was a tantalizing tenderness in Trayon’s touch.
My hands roamed over him, learning the texture of his skin, the feel of his thickly muscled chest. “I like the way you feel.”
Heat flared in Tihar’s eyes. “You are wearing too many clothes.” The tips of his claws shredded my tunic and leggings. The pieces fluttered to the bed.
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Ditch the jockey shorts.”
“As my lady commands.” Trayon tapped on his gauntlet and his shorts shrank into a thin metal belt around his waist.
I glanced down and did a double take. Holy Mother Mary of God! His penis was huge and covered in glistening black scales. “That’s never going to fit.”
His long, forked tongue slid across my lips, making my entire body shiver. “To complete the physical bond, I must prepare you first.” Trayon lowered me to the bed. His hands wandered over me greedily. He caressed every inch of my skin, heating my blood until I focused only on the sensation of his touch.
“I want to learn your body. What gives you pleasure. I want to make you come over and over again until you are screaming my name and begging me for more.” His tentacles slid over my breasts, delivering nipping stings to my nipples.
My pussy clenched and a starburst of ecstasy shot through me. “That’s a…” My body bowed as the pleasure pain from the stings grew stronger. “A good start.” My fingers closed around his ginormous penis. I wanted the thick, hard length inside me. I felt it twitch as I explored the ridges lining the tip.
Trayon’s tentacles flared out from
his head. “Do that again and I will lose control. I need you too badly.” He removed my hand. “Let me show you the thousand delights.”
“It gets better?”
“It does.” Sliding down my body, Trayon spread my legs apart, and pressed his forked tongue deep into my pussy.
I almost shot off the bed. “Holy Mother! That’s awesome. Do it again.”
Trayon dragged his tongue upward over my clit; again, and again and again.
I writhed, squirmed, and moaned. Raw want flooded me. “Please, Trayon. I need you inside me. Now.”
“You are not ready.”
“I am ready. Really. I am.” My breath caught as he thrust two long fingers inside me, stretching me, filling me. The unbearable fullness had me arching against him as my body caught fire. Two fingers became three as he pumped into me harder and deeper. I screamed as the world exploded around me.
“No hurt.” Cason threw the Izix bone at Trayon. “Momma.”
With a low growl, Trayon snatched it out of mid-air and tossed it back in the crib.
“He’s not hurting me, Cason. He’s making me feel good.” Really good.
Cason stared at us doubtfully.
Talk about a buzz kill. “Go to sleep and when you wake up, I’ll get you some more bloos.”
“Bloos. Bloos.” Cason curled up on the mattress.
“A big bowl of bloos.”
Cason closed his eyes. “Ax.”
I met Trayon’s irritated gaze. “Kids. What can you do?”
“The thousand delights I promised you, might take longer than I planned.”
“So, what are you waiting for? Get to it.”
“Yes, my lady.” Trayon sucked my clit between his teeth and nibbled gently.
My eyes crossed as a tsunami of sensations hit me. Passion and desire turned into mind-shattering bliss. “Holy Mary. Holy Mary,” I groaned.
His long, hot tongue lapped my juices. “Pure ambrosia.”
“Too much,” I cried as ecstasy lit up my nerve ending like wildfire.
Trayon’s tentacles suddenly slithered up my channel, stinging me. My core pulsed as another orgasm rolled over me, leaving me trembling helplessly. “I can’t. Take anymore.”
“You can. You will.” His tentacles nipped my butt cheeks.
I writhed as an insane pressure built between my legs. He was going to kill me with sex. I squeaked when a tentacle pressed against the tight flesh of my anus. “Hey! Wait!”
“Every part of you will know my touch.” Trayon’s tenacious tentacles jiggled their way inside my opening and did the Cha-Cha.
“Even there!” I felt myself softening, opening for them, and a curious hunger built.
“Yes.”
To say I was scandalized would be an understatement. Our priest would have me saying a hundred Hail Marys. I felt the tentacles slip deeper inside me, creating an exquisite torment almost too much to bear. I tried to wiggle free.
With one lightning, fast movement Trayon buried himself deep inside me. My pussy throbbed as I was impaled on his thick cock. “Holy Mary Mother of God!” I gasped. “You’re too big.”
“You will take every inch of me.” He flexed his hips and I gasped as the delicious slide of his flesh sent pleasure sizzling through me. He withdrew and drove forward with a steady rhythm.
I could still feel his tentacles stroking my anus and clit simultaneously. How was that possible? Was mental sex part of the thousand delights? A throaty mewl escaped me as the delicious friction in my ass combined with Trayon’s hard thrusts. Ripples of white-hot ecstasy had me thrashing beneath him.
Trayon bit my neck. “Mine.”
I moaned as a brain jelling climax hit. I couldn’t move as spasm after spasm shook me. These thousand delights would be the death of me, but what a way to go.
Trayon took my mouth in a hot opened-mouth kiss. “You are perfect. All the warriors will envy me.”
After Toothless and his goon’s reactions to a soft skin, I found that hard to believe. I patted his chest. “You do know how to show a girl a good time, but I don’t think I’ll be able to walk for the next week.”
He kissed my nose. “You are becoming Askole. You will heal faster and become stronger.”
I perked up. “Am I going to get taller?”
A rumbling laugh broke from Trayon. “No, you will not.” He stroked my neck. “You now carry my mark.”
“Mark?”
He grabbed a mirror off the side table and held it out to me.
I took it. Small green tribal markings encircled my neck. “Is this the Askole version of an ownership band?”
“It is a symbol of our love,” Trayon said quickly.
“You and the Coletti have a lot in common.”
“We both cherish our mates.”
I snorted. “Too much testosterone and you think you’re the masters of the universe.”
“We are.”
The battle cruiser’s klaxon horn sounded, and a computerized voice announced, “Battle stations. All warriors report to your battle stations.” To my amazement, I now understood Askole gobbledygook. “What’s wrong?”
Trayon tapped his gauntlet. “Rodan ships are approaching.” His armor formed around him. “I am needed on the bridge.”
“What can I do?”
Pulling a black belt off the wall, he fastened it around my waist and hit the control button. Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Black armor formed around me. “Protect the children. Your gauntlet is in the second drawer of your closet’s storage area.” Whoosh! He zoomed out the door.
I gave a little yip of excitement. I had never been able to steal one. With a gleeful smile, I hurried over to the closet and slid open the drawn. The gold gauntlet was a high-tech wonder with all sorts of useful gadgets. I hit a button and the armor disappeared from my left arm. I removed my old comm-link and fastened the new one on. One tap and it meshed with my body armor. Awesome!
Glowing red eyes stared at me. I jumped about a foot until I realized I was looking at myself in a full-length mirror. My helmet resembled the jackal headed God Anubis. The demon eyes were scary as hell, but I loved them.
The black battle armor made me look like a badass warrior. I did a roundhouse kick followed by a lunging punch. The armor fit perfectly and was effortless to move in. The heads-up display reminded me of the vid games the kids loved to play. With my new knowledge the battle computer was simple to use and provided an easy flow of visual data and tactical information. It also showed me where Bey and the kids were.
“Momma?” Cason peered warily from his crib.
I touched the gauntlet and the helmet melted away. “It’s me. Your father gave me this armor for protection. Do you like it?”
Cason gurgled and held his arms out.
I picked him up. “Let’s go find your brothers and sister.”
Chapter Nine
As soon as I showed up at Bey’s quarters, he skittered past me. “I am needed on the bridge.”
“To do what?” I yelled after him. “Hurl web balls at the Rodan ships? I’m sure they’ll be properly terrified.”
Bey raised a leg in the air.
Had he had just given me the Tabor version of the one finger salute?
Pepe and Adoz busily sniffed my armor. LooLoo and LeeLee zoomed up my body to the tip of the pointed ears and giggled. I let out a sigh. Who knew spiders could giggle?
Chiara curled around my leg and stared up at me anxiously. “I am sensing many Rodan ships.”
“Father Trayon will deal with them.”
“I can feel their hunger.” Chiara shivered. “They want to eat us.”
“That’s not going to happen. Ever. The only ones dying is them but let me see what’s going on.” I linked mentally with Trayon. On the view screen was a large, battle-scarred Rodan in a spiffy leather uniform. Hisses, clacks, yawps, and grunts spewed from the Rodan. The universal translator converted it into Askole, “Surrender or be destroyed.”
“If you destr
oy our ship, your son will also die,” Trayon responded.
That creep was Cason’s father?
His reptilian eyes full of rage, the Rodan commander roared, “That thing is not my son.”
Hmmm. Had the little missus been sleeping around? That would explain why he gave her to the Yagga. Either way it didn’t look good for us. There were seven Rodan battle cruisers against Zarek’s warbird and our ship. There had to be a way to even the odds. My gaze settled on Chiara. “Can you port us onto a shielded Rodan ship that’s one thousand meters away?”
“I can,” Chiara said.
“Are you sure? I’m not going to lie to you. What I have planned is going be dangerous.”
“I will do what I must to stop them.”
I scooped Pepe up. “Good. Now all I need are some weapons.” I jogged back to our quarters with Adoz flying beside me.
The battle cruiser’s laser cannons fired. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Our ship pitched radically as the enemy ships’ torpedoes struck the shields. Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!
I staggered off balance and hit the wall.
“How long can the shields hold?” Chiara asked nervously.
My stomach knotted. “A really good question.” I hurried into our quarters.
Another salvo shook the ship.
With one tap on my gauntlet a panel slid back to reveal all sorts of weapons. I slid a laser pistol into my holster and loaded up on thermite grenades.
Pepe whined. “No like boom booms.”
“Me either.” I put Cason in his crib and hugged Pepe. “I need you to stay and protect Cason. Can you do that for me?”
“Where go?”
“Chiara is going to port me onto the Rodan ships and we’re going to blow them to kingdom come.”
“Me help.” Pepe wrapped his paws around my arm. “No leave me.”
“If the Rodan breach our shields, they will teleport their soldiers onboard. Once they find Cason, they will kill him. I need you to keep him safe.”
“No like.”
“I promise I’ll come back.” I ruffled his fur. “Please. Family looks after each other.”
Pepe licked my face. “Me stay. Guard Cason. No die.”
“Father Trayon gave me this awesome armor that will shield me against laser blasts and other nasty things.” I gave Pepe a big kiss and put him in the crib with Cason.
