The Running Mate

by Georgia Thorne, Georgia Thorne

  Tork said nothing. All he could do was stare at the beautiful woman before him. He would keep his lust in check tonight and try to show her she would be losing nothing by being mated with him. He walked towards her and took her hand. He then reached behind her and picked up a wreath of flowers he had woven for her. He put it on her head and slowly kissed her. He kissed her slow and soft and she responded. He tongue reached out and rubbed against his. He moaned and pulled away.

  Britta was confused and delighted. The flowers, torchlight and bed were all wonderful gestures, but it was the look in his eyes that took her breath away. If she had doubted his feelings for her before, she did not anymore. This was the first time she had seen him vulnerable, his heart shining in his eyes.

  "Tork...” she began

  "Quiet” he said and kissed her on the lips. “I want to tell you something. If we had met on my world, and I had seen you in different circumstances this is the night we would have had. Let me give this to you."

  Britta shook her head yes and sat back. Tork got up for a moment and brought over a makeshift tray made out of a panel covering from one of the runners. On it was food, fruit, and a mug of something.

  Tork was way more nervous than he wanted to admit. The Ritual of Bonding was sacred and would bond them, to one anther forever; it was something that had to be done willingly. He would begin the ritual, but it would be up to her to finish it. After that there would be no going back. He placed the tray between them and sat opposite her, while silently praying she would accept him and the freedom loving him would give to her.

  "This is the ritual of bonding. It is much like the ritual you know as a wedding, which I know they perform on Malach. The only difference is it can be started and finished at any time.” He paused to make sure she understood.

  "But I thought we were already married.” Britta asked confused.

  "There is a difference on my world between claiming and bonding. When a female is claimed she has no choice. It is the biological imperative. The Ritual of Bonding is done between mates to signify their love for one another. I would like to begin the ritual and leave it up to you to decide whether you want to finish it.” He paused to look into her eyes. He saw tears, but he also saw her smile. It was enough incentive for him to keep going with the ritual.

  "First I will give you the armband I am wearing, it carries the seal of my family. This is the first part of the ritual. When we get to Rara we will have your band made. When you are ready you can give me yours."

  Tork took the mug of Rowtan, the only fermented drink in the cabin and offered it to her. After she took a sip, he took his turn. He then took the large golden armband off of his arm. He slid it up her arm and with a small click, the band shortened fitting snuggly around her considerably smaller arm. With that he pulled her toward him, kissing her on the lips.

  The kiss soon spiraled out of control as Britta took charge. He had opened himself up to her, and it made her want him badly. Putting her hands on his shoulders she pushed him back onto the bed. Tonight she was going to show him a good time. Still kissing him, her hands began to trace a path down his body to his pants. She felt his hard cock straining at the material. She slipped a finger in side to tease him and was rewarded with a heartfelt groan from him. His cock had already begun to leak, and with the tip of her finger she rubbed it all round the head of his erection. Tork's hips began to move to the rhythm she was establishing. When she paused, Tork pumped his hips at her to get her moving again.

  Britta lifted her lips from his and began a path down to his belly. She paused at his stomach and looked up. Tork's eyes were mere slits as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to speak, but Britta gripped his cock hard and ran her hands up its length. As her hands moved upon him she watched in fascination as his member began straining against her hand without his moving. This was the first time she had been up close to it and it was amazing. The head was large and purple. It throbbed of its own accord, slightly bobbing with each harsh breath he took. Large veins ran up each side and at the base were two spheres that made her mouth water.

  She pumped his length, with both of her hands, loving the velvety smooth texture of him, and marveling at the heat emanating from his swollen member.

  Tork could only guess at what she was going to do to him next, could only hope. He waited with his breath frozen within his lungs, waiting for her sweet mouth to descend upon his swollen cock. She could hear his shallow breathing, a silent plea she could see forming in his eyes and upon his lips. Britta knew without words what his silent plea was, she could feel it in the twitch of his penis and in the way his hips were straining, craving her every touch. She had never felt so powerful.

  The taste of him was incredible. Hot and salty, he was a pleasure to feast upon. The taste of him was a heady aphrodisiac and she began suckling from him in earnest gaining as much pleasure from the act of giving him pleasure as she had experienced when he had suckled from her body.

  Running her tongue under the head of his cock, he groaned and thrust his hips at her. She knew she had found his sweet spot when he let loose a primal and very barbarian roar of pleasure. Britta bobbed up and down on him furiously, pressing her tongue to the spot that had given him so much pleasure. His hands had moved from griping the bedcovers to gripping her head, timing the movement of her head to his thrusts.

  Britta decided to put him over the edge. Without any warning she took her mouth from him and took his balls into her mouth. The smell of his musk almost overpowered her. Quickly she rubbed her tongue against the balls and was rewarded with a hoarse shout. Knowing he was cumming, she moved her mouth back over the head of his straining cock and drank him up, taking his pounding thrusts into her mouth. Tork was in a near primal state, and she had brought him to it. It was the realization of what she had brought him to and the smell of his release that sent her cunt pulsing with her own release.

  Tork waited until his breathing had slowed before opening his eyes. He could not believe his Britta had done that for him. He looked down at her and saw her smiling up at him. He wanted her again. Growling he grabbed her by her arms and lifter her up over him. Still hard he sat her down on his cock, her tight channel gripping and pulling at him the whole way. She gasped when she sank all the way down. There was no extra room for her. He could feel himself pressing up against her womb. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to give her his child, a piece of both of them to last forever.

  Grabbing her hips, he lifted her until she was almost off of his cock and then dropped her back onto it. Already he could feel the contractions in her channel signaling her orgasm. It was causing him to come close as well. After a few more thrusts, she took up the rhythm and bouncing on his cock with abandon. Tork's hands cupped her breasts and pinched her nipples. The pain turned into pleasure, pushing Britta over the edge. Gasping his name, her entire body arched and locked as her orgasm washed over her. Tork barely heard her scream as her channel milked him to another completion. His roar joined hers as they came together.

  * * * *

  In the morning Britta woke up feeling better than she had in the year since she had left home. After last night how could she leave Tork? He had given her everything she had ever wanted, including the freedom to be herself. She didn't doubt he would always be a protective of her, but she could live with it. Not only that, it was hard to ignore the love and caring he was showing her. He didn't need to perform this ritual, but he was doing it for her, because he loved her.

  She looked over to find Tork awake and looking at her. She realized he had pulled the covers from her completely during the night. Reaching down she grabbed a sheet and pulled it up over her naked body.

  "So, where do we go from here?"

  "The first place we are going is to my home. It sits in a valley where I like to spend most of the year, I know you will love it there as much as I do. It has large gardens and pools, many rooms and a fine stable of Ronars to ride during the day."

  "Hmmm” Britta c
urled up around him and closed her eyes, picturing a peaceful place like that. “When can we go?"

  "In the morning I will call Karn and let him know we are on our way. It will take a few days to get there."

  "What do you want to do about the runners?” Britta asked. “Should we leave one here or take both separately?"

  "I will not stand to be separated from you for even a few days, so we will have to leave one here. Karn or Jorn can come back to pick it up. They have to make another trip to Tul soon anyway. They can pick them up along the way."

  Britta laid her head down and thought about tomorrow. It would be a new beginning for her. A new home and a husband! She would have to talk to Tork about her family soon. She hoped he would take it well. It was not every day you found out you had married into the family of a notorious pirate, even if he was retired. In a day or two she would call her parents and let them know she was safe. In the morning they would get up, set off for Rara and everything would work out.

  Chapter 7

  The next two days passed in a blur for Britta. Soon after they landed in the countryside, Tork took her to his home. It was a large house with its own small garden and wall which ran around the entire house. She barely had a chance to see it before Tork dragged her to the bedroom for another round of hot sweaty sex.

  The next morning Britta peeled herself away from Tork's warm body long enough to find something to eat and take a short walk around the gardens. As she walked back into the house she found Tork, fully dressed, waiting for her.

  "You should have told me you wanted to explore the house.” He said arms folded over his chest.

  As she approached he drew her close to him. “I can't forbid you to do anything because I know you won't listen. But until you know my world better, I would prefer it if you asked me to escort you anywhere you want to go."

  In light of her good mood Britta could hardly say no. He wasn't being unreasonable, just cautious.

  "I think I can live with that.” She said, smiling up at him. “Do you think we can go out and explore? Maybe there's a market or something else to see?"

  "I just received a call from the capital and I'm needed there for a meeting. I need to be there in an hour or so. We can go together and then I'll take you exploring."

  "Sounds good, let's go.” There was an eagerness in her to embrace her new life with this wonderful man she had chosen as a husband, even if the choosing was somewhat unconventional.

  The trip to the capital was a quick one and Britta waited in a receiving room while Tork had his meeting. In no time at all they were on their way to the market. It had been a long time since Britta had done any shopping and Tork was in the mood to indulge her every whim. He purchased clothes and perfumes for her as they talked and laughed at all the furious bargaining going on around them.

  It wasn't until they came upon a jeweler's booth did the mood turn serious. There in the middle of the table lay dozens of armbands. Britta stared at them and knew what she wanted to do.

  Tork's breath was warm against the side of her face.

  "Do you see anything you like?"

  She could feel the heat from his body pressing into her from behind. His arms looped around her waist. She felt him stiffen as she pointed to a large armband with green stones embedded in it.

  "I want that one."

  Turning around she looped her arms around his neck and leaned in.

  "I think there's something I want you to have.” She whispered, leaning in for a kiss. Just then, a sudden movement caught her attention. It took her only a split second to recognize the ugly face of Tolpek, the bounty hunter she had escaped from a few months before. He was pointing a blaster at the two of them. Tork had noticed the man as well and turned to protect Britta. Thrusting her behind him his hand went to his waist where he would normally carry a weapon. Being home he had not thought to bring any weapons for protection with him on a simple trip to the market.

  Britta watched in horror as Tolpeck shot Tork. She screamed and panicked shoppers and merchants scrambled to find cover as she dropped to her knees beside Tork, but she barely had a chance to even touch him before Tolpeck's shadow fell over her and her world went dark.

  * * * *

  Karn made his way through the busy spaceport looking for the items they needed. What rotten luck being only a few days away from home when this happened. The engine had broken down and they had limped into the nearest port looking for parts. Tork and Britta had already made it home.

  He had talked to them yesterday and found out the situation on Tul had gotten progressively worse. The fanatics, now calling themselves the Soolmar had overrun a spaceport in an armed rebellion and had shut it down. Negotiations had been started and the family wanted him to get back to Rara as soon as possible. He entered the area set aside for the trading of parts and machinery when he noticed a commotion at the end of the hall. Voices rose as people gathered around something posted on the wall. Walking over to inspect it he could see it looked like a wanted poster.

  They were fairly common in places like this except it seemed the wanted individual was a female. When he pushed his way to the front of the crowd, he stared at the rotating holographic image and froze in shock. It was only his warrior training that prevented his jaw from dropping to the floor. The woman on the picture was Britta, and there was a 500,000 credit reward for information on her whereabouts. That wasn't the shocking part though—it was her last name which caused him some alarm. Britta was the daughter of Klist del Mar

  The girl sleeping every night in Tork's arms was none other than Britta del Mar, the youngest child and only daughter of the most dangerous arms trader in the galaxy. Karn had no idea how she got on the ship, but he sure as hell knew she needed to get off it as soon as possible. Her father had been a privateer, taking commissions to raid ships in space and rob them of their cargo until he decided to go legitimate. That hadn't softened the man though, and he was still very feared and respected. Karn groaned and rubbed his hand over his face. This would not end well. He could just feel it.

  Karn got out of the spaceport as soon as he could. He was only a few hours away from Rara and he wanted to tell Tork in person. That way he could run interference when Tork lost his temper. He knew Tork would never hurt Britta, but once he found out he had just married the only daughter of the most fearsome ex-pirate ever to have crossed the five galaxies, there would be hell to pay. Karn also knew from experience words could do a lot of damage.

  Karn arrived back on Rara and made his way directly to the palace hoping to find Tork. He came just in time to see him being carried in by the palace guards. His heart dropped. Tork looked to be dead. When the palace guards finished putting him in the med unit he cornered the captain.

  "What happened?"

  "The prince and his mate landed earlier today at his summer home. From what we could gather they went into Moola, when an off-worlder attacked them in the market. The prince was hit by blaster fire and his mate was captured. Fortunately, there was a contingent of guards nearby doing exercises, they did not get the off-worlder since the prince was our first priority, but brought him back to the palace med unit."

  "He's not going to like that when he wakes up.” replied Karn “Ready a light cruiser. We will need one contingent of palace guards ready to go in two hours."

  "You know where to find the princess?” the Captain of the Guards asked, somewhat shocked.

  "Yes, go get the guard ready. When Tork comes out of the med unit he will want to leave immediately."

  Tork's eyes opened just before the med unit finished. For a moment he was confused until what happened in the market came rushing back ... the stranger, how he talked to Britta, then being hit by a blaster. Tork roared as he jumped out of the opening lid of the unit. He was quickly grabbed by Karn, who was waiting for him.

  "Britta. Where is she?” Tork Demanded, his voice made hoarse by fear.

  "Calm down a moment.” Replied Karn

  "NOOO!” yelled Tork. He
knew then something had happened to Britta. She should have been waiting for him to come out of the med unit, not Karn. He had failed her. He had sworn never to let anything happen to her and she had been hurt in his own home world. It was almost too much for him to bear.

  "Tork!” Karn shook Tork to get his attention. “I need you to calm down. There is much you do not know. I have to fill you in before we can go after her."

  Tork took a deep breath and struggled to contain himself. He needed to be calm or he would be useless.

  "She's alive? What happened to Britta? The last I remember I was pushing her out of the way and the off worlder shot me with his blaster."

  "He was a bounty hunter sent by her father. Do you know who she is? Who her father is?"

  "She is my mate. That is all that matters to me, not where she came from. Why? What do you know?"

  "Well, apparently, half the galaxy knows. You seem to be the only one brave enough to kidnap the only daughter of Klist del Mar. Do you have any idea what he will do when he finds out you had her? He will kill us all merely for the pleasure of it. I've called for a light cruiser to be made ready with a contingent of palace guards."

  "She wears my band. The tracking chip should help us."

  "Our only hope is that we can catch up to the bounty hunter before he reaches Malach. If not, then you must be prepared to deal with her father.” Satisfied he had made his point, Karn stalked out of the room to make sure everyone was ready to go.

  Tork sat back in shock. He knew she'd been hiding something from him, but never did he think it was her father. As much as he wanted to avoid dealing with Klist del Mar, he would do anything to get his mate back, even if he had to deal with her family. All of it would be worth it for the one he loved. His mind made up, Tork went to his rooms to gather some things, including his weapons. He would not give Britta up. He had failed her once, it would not happen again.

  Chapter 8

  The effects of the drugs Tolpek had given Britta were beginning to wear off. Her arms and her legs hurt her as she tried to move. She tried to turn over and realized she was restrained. Her arms were tied at the wrists, her legs at the ankles. Tolpek had taken plenty of precautions and had put her in a cell inside the small confines of the runner he was piloting.