Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1

by S. E. Smith

  He had roared for the others to go secure a ship for them while he, Tor and Lodar shifted into their cats and went after Riley. They could move faster and clear a larger path in this form. Vox burst down the corridor that housed the medical unit and control room. His sharp claws digging gouges into the stone floor. He slowed as he saw the pile of bodies outside of the control room door which stood open. He pulled back on his cat, slowing it down. It hissed at him, fighting for control as fear threatened to overwhelm caution.

  Vox moved silently toward the door. Tor and Lodar had shifted behind him and were moving up the sides, checking each room for any guards that might remain. His ears twitched back and forth as he picked up Riley’s husky, tear filled voice. His cat picked up speed at the sound of its mate. He jumped over the pile of dead bodies and froze, his eyes narrowing on where Riley was sitting with the laser pistol pressed against her chest. Time seemed to stand still as he watched her draw in a deep shaky breath. A silent curse tore through his mind as he realized what she was about to do. With a burst of speed he hit her sideways, whipping his huge paw out and knocking the pistol out of her hand as he stumbled over her rolling as the pistol fired mere inches from her.

  He knew he hit her hard enough to knock the breath out of her but he had been so frightened he could barely restrain himself. Gods! He had almost lost her again. He didn’t know if his heart would ever beat calmly again. He shifted, rolling until she was trapped underneath him. His hands were framing her face as he frantically looked down at her.

  “Riley,” he croaked out desperately. “Where are you hurt?”

  Riley opened her mouth as she stared up in a daze at the huge figure above her. She couldn’t breathe. He had her pinned under his huge body and had knocked the frigging wind out of her. She finally drew in a huge breath as dark spots began dancing around the edges of her vision.

  “You aren’t supposed to be here,” she said confused. “You were supposed to have already escaped.”

  “Are you hurt?” Vox tenderly growled out again as he ran the palms of his big hands down over her hair and cheeks.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Riley said before she let out a loud squeal as she found herself flung over Vox’s huge shoulder as he jumped to his feet.

  “Good! Once we know for sure I’m going to tan your ass for this little stunt, female!” Vox growled out turning back toward the door.

  “My suitcase!” Riley cried out looking over at her big, pink suitcase upside down. “I need it!”

  “I’m on it,” Tor said hurrying into the room and grabbing the huge case with a grunt. “Damn Riley, this is heavy. What do you have in it?” Tor asked as he jogged down the corridor behind Vox.

  “Can we talk less and run faster?” Lodar asked coming up the rear. “We have less than two minutes to get far enough away from this rock we don’t get blown up with it.”

  “Sor….ry…ab…ou….t….th…tha…that!” Riley finally got out as she bounced up and down. “I….hit….the….wro…ng….butt..on. Damn it…. Vox. Will…. you…. quit…. bouncing…. me!”

  Vox’s large hand tightened around Riley’s legs while his other one landed on her ass with a satisfying whack. He couldn’t help the grin that lit up his face at her outraged yelp followed by a long string of colorful curses and threats. He let his hand rest there enjoying the soft, heated flesh under his palm.

  Gods, but he loved this female! He thought almost tripping as he bolted down the steps and charged across the landing bay. I love her!

  He never thought he would feel this feeling for a female but he realized he did. His cat rolled deep inside him in disgust as the revelation spread warmth to every inch of his huge frame. He never expected love to feel like this! He felt wonderful and terrified at the same time. He, Vox d’Rojah, ruling King of the Sarafin was terrified of a little alien female from a species he had never even heard of before. She scared him to the marrow of his bones and he loved it. She drove him nuts, was totally oblivious to just who he was and the power he had, and he never knew what in the Guall’s balls she was going to say or do next. He was also terrified that something might happen to her. He and his cat needed to protect her, even if it was from herself. Speaking of which….

  “What in the hell did you think you were doing?” Vox growled out as he charged up the loading tube to ….. “What in the hell is that?” He croaked out in dismay as he got his first good look at the dilapidated freighter.

  “It is the only thing left,” Banu snarled out. “Move your asses. Titus and Adur have the engines primed as much as they could without blowing them. We have less than a minute to get as far from this place as possible.”

  Vox’s curses echoed as Banu sealed the door behind them and barked out to Titus to get them the fuck out of there. Vox reached out and grabbed the bar along the side as he felt the old freighter groan and shake as Titus and Adur pushed it to the maximum.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Lodar muttered under his breath as he hung on tightly to the bar next to Vox.

  “I’m going to go see if I can’t get this rusted piece of dragon dung to move faster,” Tor snarled, holding onto the bar as he worked his way down the corridor.

  “Ah, hello,” Riley said blowing her hair out of her face. “Is it possible to be put down now? The blood is like flowing to my head and I am definitely getting a head rush here. Not to mention, you have a very uncomfortable shoulder considering how much meat you’ve got on you. Let me tell you, muscle is not soft!” She complained.

  Vox snarled at Banu who had his eyes glued to Riley’s ass. “Mine!” He snapped to the younger Sarafin warrior.

  Banu grinned at Vox. “If we are about to die at least give me something nice to look at,” he said with a shrug.

  Cross grinned at Banu. “I couldn’t agree with you more, my friend. If I have to die I wouldn’t mind having her in my arms.”

  “What are they looking at?” Riley said trying to walk herself up Vox’s back with her hands. She turned and looked at Banu and Cross who were grinning mischievously at her. “What is nice?”

  “They are staring at your big ass,” Vox snapped in irritation. “It is mine!”

  Riley’s eyes widened before they narrowed to dangerous slits. “I know you did not just say I have a big ass, you hot-headed, no-good, two timing piece of kitty litter trash!” She snapped. “Put me down right this minute.”

  Vox slid Riley’s succulent body down along his own solid form with a loud purr. Gods, she had curves on top of curves and was so soft he could feel his hands sinking down into the creamy flesh as his hands slipped under her shirt. His cat rumbled in delight as her sweet scent overwhelmed his senses and his eyes actually rolled back in his head when her huge breasts caressed his cheeks.

  “Gods female, you are potent,” Vox purred against her ear as he leaned into her.

  Riley opened her mouth to let him have it but before she could the entire freighter shuddered violently, creaking and groaning as the asteroid exploded. Her arms flew out, wrapping around his neck at the same time as she tried crawling back up his huge frame. She had too much to live for to die now. She had to find a way home, she had to lose her virginity, she had a big, gorgeous smelling lummox to kill.

  Vox turned pressing Riley’s shivering figure between his body and the wall. She had her long legs wrapped tightly around his waist and her face was buried in his neck. He didn’t know whether the groan that escaped him was because he could feel the old freighter struggling to move through the shockwave or because he could feel the heat of his mate’s pussy pressing against his cock which decided it didn’t care that they were in mortal danger of dying right now. He pressed her against the side of the corridor as his arms strained to hold onto the metal grip bar that ran along each side of the long corridor.

  “Brace for impact!” Titus’ voice came over the communication’s system. “Adur, see if this piece of crap’s shields can be increased to the stern. We have debris coming at us.”

  “Shields are
at ninety percent. I’m rerouting power from life support to give it additional power,” Adur muttered tensely.

  “I’ve got the engines primed,” Tor’s voice came in. “Give it full thrust, Titus. She can handle it for a short period. Just get us the fuck out of here.”

  “Hang on,” Titus yelled as he pushed the freighter past its specifications.

  Banu cursed as he was jerked almost off his feet as the freighter lurched before surging forward. Cross reached out and grabbed Banu, pulling him upright at the last second. Banu muttered a quick thanks under his breath as he grabbed for the bar again. Vox whispered quietly in Riley’s ear as she whimpered. His heart beat heavily against his chest as he turned his face into her silky hair and pressed his lips against her.

  “It will be alright, Riley,” Vox promised in a soft, husky voice. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. It will be alright. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Riley didn’t answer. She just closed her eyes and held on as tight as she could to the anchor holding her. She could always kill him later but for now she needed his strength and calming presence to keep her from having a complete meltdown.

  Riley pressed her lips against his neck, hoping for that plane of total oblivion until the wild ride they were having was over. She had always hated roller coasters. She never understood why anyone wanted to go on something that scared the shit out of them and thought it was funny. That was why she kept the damn old Ford she had. It couldn’t go faster than fifty miles an hour without shaking apart. Slow was good, slow was safe.

  Vox chuckled as he listened to Riley whispering. That was something else he loved about her. She was totally open, there was no deceit in her. But most of all, she could make him laugh even in the face of danger.

  “Yes, my sweet mate,” Vox murmured. “Slow can be very, very good. But I still want to show you how wonderful fast can be as well.”

  Chapter 9

  Vox muttered another curse as he wiped the sweat from his eyes. He and Tor had been working on the engines for the past two days. He had to hand it to his chief engineer, the man knew his engines. He had rebuilt the main engine while Adur and Cross worked on the defense systems with a little help from Bob and Fred. The damn Curizan was just as impressive when it came to his knowledge of electronics. He knew the species loved their toys. Hell, Ha’ven the Curizan prince and his brother, Adalard, loved to show off the damn things they had invented. They had a racing bike he really wanted but Ha’ven refused to give him another one after he crashed the first one into a tree less than an hour after Ha’ven gave it to him.

  “So, is Riley talking to you yet?” Tor asked as he walked up to where Vox was working. He was wiping down another sleeve that needed to be fitted into the new cylinder that attached to one of the boosters.

  “No,” Vox grunted out as he slammed the cover on the panel he had been working on closed. “Why she is upset that I said she had a big ass I’ll never understand. I love it but she won’t listen to me when I try to tell her that I like her being big and soft,” he complained as he looked up in frustration at Tor.

  “Well, Adur is having to adjust the environmental systems to handle the extra power he needs for the shields and weapons systems. It is going to get chilly in here. We can handle it since we run hotter but our mate will need to be kept warm. Maybe she will be more receptive to some cuddling,” Tor said turning away with a grin as Vox snarl at his use of the word ‘our’ mate.

  “She is MY mate,” Vox responded in a low voice. “I will be the only one to keep her warm.”

  Tor grinned at his friend and leader. “I am not the one you have to convince.” He chuckled as he worked the sleeve onto the booster module and tightened it down.

  Vox ran his hand over the back of his neck tiredly. Once they had made it far enough from the exploding mining asteroid to be sure they would be safe, Riley had demanded that he release her. She had smacked his chest and informed him with an inelegant sniff that she did not have a ‘big’ ass, she had a maturely figured one and he better never forget it! She had then grabbed her large pink case that Tor had dropped and marched off to find her a room of her own. He hadn’t seen her since as Tor needed assistance trying to keep the damn piece of dragon dung they had appropriated from falling apart around them. Banu and Titus were working on the system controls, while Adur, Bob, and Fred worked on the weapons. Lodar was working on the single replicator that was malfunctioning and inventorying the medical supplies.

  “Well, I think I have the replicator working temporarily,” Lodar responded tiredly as he walked into the engine room. “Just don’t order anything elaborate. There is no telling what the damn thing might do. Oh, and don’t get hurt. The equipment on this piece of shit is downright barbaric. I wouldn’t operate on my worst enemy with it. There isn’t even a stolen Curizan portable regen machine, which by the way I would give my right arm to appropriate, and all the medicine is out of date by at least twenty years.”

  Vox grimaced. “Have you heard if Titus or Banu were able to get the communications system up yet? I want to contact the Shifter.”

  Lodar shook his head and lean back against the wall. “Not yet but Banu thought they should have it fixed in another couple of hours. They are having to dismantle some of the non-essential control panels to get the parts they need to fix it. We are going to be operating on the bare minimum until we get off this death trap.”

  “Have you seen Riley?” Vox finally asked reluctantly.

  Lodar laughed. “Yes, she has been like a small storm sweeping through the upper living and dining quarters. The only thing that works on this bucket of rust is the laundry unit. She has washed every piece of cloth on this thing. We all have nice clean linen on the beds that are available, any clothing she found was also washed and neatly hung up for our use, and she has refreshed all her clothing,” Lodar added, raising his eyebrows up and down with a wicked smile.

  Vox’s eyes narrowed. “Why did you do that?” He demanded.

  “Do what?” Lodar asked innocently.

  “The eyebrow thing,” Vox growled in a low voice. “What did she wash that makes you smile like that?”

  Tor stopped what he was doing so he could hear what Lodar had discovered. It had to be good if Lodar got that look in his eyes. It really took a lot to get a reaction out of his friend.

  Lodar leaned forward excitedly. “She has these undergarments she wears that are all lacy and sexy. I’ve never seen anything like it before. There was this one set that looked like your cat’s coat, Vox. It had the same coloring and spots. I would kill to see her in it. There were two pieces to it. The top had these sheer cups that molded to her breasts and they were like....” Lodar held his big hands out with his fingers spread wide. “I swear they would overflow both my hands easily! The piece that she wears over her mound was like....” his voice faded as his eyes glazed over.

  Vox rose to his feet, grabbing the front of Lodar’s shirt in one of his fists. “Like what?” He growled out in frustration.

  Hell, he was too damn aroused to care that it was Lodar telling him what his mate wore under her clothing. His curiosity was about to kill both him and his cat. The idea of his mate wearing something that looked like his cat was enough to make him want to hunt her down and strip her to see for himself. His cat was panting, wondering what Riley would look like in cat form.

  “Lodar, tell us! This is killing me,” Tor muttered.

  “It is this little thing with two, pretty little bows on each side and one long little strip of material up the back. I asked her what it was for and she told me it was called a thong. She liked to wear them because they didn’t leave panty lines under her clothes. I asked her if she would model it for me but she just rolled her eyes and told me to get out or she was going to put me in the laundry unit so she could clean my dirty little mind,” Lodar chuckled as Vox’s face turned dark with envy.

  “Damn, my cat and I have been dreaming every night about drinking milk,” Tor muttered as he
turned away to hide how aroused he was. “Now we are going to be dreaming about her wearing nothing but those little pieces of cloth.” He threw a pained expression at Vox who turned to glare at him. “Sorry Vox. It’s been too damn long since my cat or I’ve had sex.”

  “Well, quit thinking and dreaming about my mate,” Vox ordered roughly. “Dream about another female.”

  Lodar barked out a resigned laugh. “Yeah, like Titus’ purple mate?”

  Tor shuddered and felt his desire cooling at the idea of the slender purple female. There was just nothing sexy about making love to a stick. Now, after meeting Riley, he wondered if even the females back home could stir his cock the way they used to. The Sarafin females were attractive and they were definitely always in the mood for a sexual romp but they were hard and muscular due to their cat. Now, he wanted something he could actually cuddle up to without getting bruised. He looked at Vox, barely hiding his grin. Vox’s nose was still a little swollen from where Riley had boxed him yesterday. Well, there might be some bruising involved but it would definitely worth it.

  *.*.*

  Riley shivered. She was freezing her ass off. She needed to talk to the guys about working on the damn heater. She pulled her suitcase out from under the bed and unzipped it. She didn’t unpack her things. The biggest reason why was she was afraid they may have to evacuate the old tub they were on in a hurry and she wouldn’t have time to repack everything. She dug around until she felt the soft fur lining of the jacket she had bought herself for her birthday two years ago. It would have cost her a pretty penny at that boutique where her sister worked if it hadn’t been on the seventy percent off rack. Even with Tina’s employee discount it had still cost her a small fortune but she loved the damn thing. It was gaudy to the point of being chic. The rich, dark purple dyed rabbit fur offset the glittering silver sequins all over it. The damn thing practically glowed in the dark and when she wore it to the bar with a pair of her black leather pants she screamed ‘unavailable rich bitch’. Of course, the one and only time she wore it to the bar Pearl had threatened to shoot the damn thing. She said nothing that ugly should be allowed to live.