Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1

by S. E. Smith

  Vox grinned in triumph as he felt his cat stretching and rolling over inside him. The mating was complete. Riley had been marked on the inside and the outside. She was bound to him forever. There was no going back and no way she could escape him now. She belonged to him.

  “You have been claimed!” Vox declared with a satisfied grin. “My cat and I have released our essence into you. Soon, you will be able to mate with both me and my cat. You are also close to your heat. When you go into it, we will both fuck you every which way we can and as often as we can. We can’t wait to see you rounded with our cubs,” he growled out again before reaching up and hungrily latching onto her breasts.

  Riley jerked as a combination of pleasure and pain exploded through her. Her body heated up, fire coursing through her from where Vox was feasting all the way down to where they were still melded together. Moisture pooled, making her slicker than before. She felt Vox’s cock swell again as he began the incredible rhythm that had shattered her before. Her mind blanked as pleasure seared her from head to toe. Her fingers kneaded his shoulders where she still held herself up giving him access to her aching breasts. She whimpered as he drove into her over and over until she couldn’t hold back any longer. Throwing her head back as another climax shattered her body and soul, she cried out his name over and over as he devoured her.

  Chapter 13

  Riley whimpered as she stepped into the hot shower. Vox had been insatiable last night. For a girl who had held onto her virginity like it was the Olympic Torch, she really knew how to drop the damn thing at the worst possible time. There hadn’t been one damn word in any of the magazine articles that she had read that said a guy could keep it up as much as Vox did. Once was the average, twice if they were lucky, three if they were fucking Hercules, but Vox had taken her at least that many times in an hour! Not only that, he had done it every hour on the hour until she had finally passed out in exhaustion. Now, she was so sore it hurt to think much less move. She blushed as she ran the soap over her tender breasts and down between her legs. She was going to either have to neuter his ass or drug it because she really didn’t think she could survive another night like last night, not that she planned on there being another one.

  He had thankfully been called to a meeting with the new guys she had met when they were brought aboard. Creon Something or other and Ha’ven the Dark. That was about as much as her brain could remember. She did remember the blond-haired human female she had been introduced to, Carmen. Riley felt like crying when she saw the other woman. She didn’t know if it was because there was a chance the woman could help her get back home or because it meant she really might have a way of escaping the big lummox that had her so totally messed up in the head.

  Riley let her head fall forward as she thought about what had happened. “I am so totally screwed,” she whispered out loud. “I have to get away from him before I become a total schmuck. A dead schmuck at that, Riley girl. Remember, you are just the supporting character. They always get killed before the end of the movie.”

  She turned off the shower unit and stepped out. A blast of hot air circled her, drying the moisture from her skin and hair. She looked in the mirror, staring at her huge blue eyes for a moment before her gaze narrowed on the symbol of a leopard’s paw on her neck.

  “There’s nothing you can do about what has already happened but you can prevent it from happening again. It was only one night, Riley girl. Make sure you keep it to that. He wasn’t wearing a condom and you aren’t on birth control but he is an alien so that has to count as a natural contraceptive. His DNA and mine are totally incompatible. Just think positive. Don’t think about what happens to the poor schmucks in the movies. The aliens did all kinds of weird shit in them before they could get the girl pregnant. He didn’t do anything except bite you.... and..... lock his you-know-what inside you ..... and said some weird shit about essence and claiming and heat ......” her voice faded as she began to shake. “I am so totally screwed!” She whispered again as tears formed in her eyes.

  *.*.*

  Several hours later, Riley felt like she had her life back under control as she sat down at a table in the dining quarters. She had scrubbed at the mark on her neck repeatedly trying to get it off but nothing she did worked. So she did the next best thing, she pulled out her makeup bag and hid it. Then, she put on a soft pink angora turtleneck sweater and matched it with a flowing white skirt. She decided a pair of silver slip-ons would be better than wearing her boots. Fluffing her hair once more time she decided she was ready to at least face someone other than herself. Taking a deep breath, she left her soon-to-be former living quarters and set out to complete the second part of her plan. She needed support - female reinforcement, so she hunted down Carmen. It turned out fate was finally working in her favor as Carmen was heading down to see her.

  Carmen had taken one look at Riley and tugged her down to the dining quarters. Riley hoped that didn’t mean she looked as bad as she felt. Heat flooded Riley as she sat down gingerly in the seat. She glanced at Carmen to see if she noticed that she had slid into the seat a little more carefully than was normal. Riley released a relieved sigh when Carmen didn’t appear to notice anything amiss.

  “Would you like something to eat and drink?” Carmen asked as Riley settled into the seat across from where she was standing.

  Riley pushed her heavy mass of curls behind her ear and fought the urge to fan herself as the furnace inside her increased another couple of degrees. “Ice water and something light, no seafood,” Riley said with a forced smile.

  “They actually have a pretty good replicator. How about a ham and cheese sandwich and chips?” Carmen asked.

  “That sounds wonderful,” Riley replied as her stomach gave a loud growl.

  Carmen laughed as she turned away. Riley watched Carmen walk over to the other side of the room where the replicators were located. She glanced around noticing with relief that there was hardly anyone else in the room. The warship was a lot different from anything else she had been on to date. Between the trader’s small ship, the asteroid, and the old freighter Riley had been anything but impressed with the idea of space travel slash alien worlds. This ship could make her change her mind, though. Everything on the inside gleamed. There were over a dozen silver round tables with matching swivel chairs bolted to the floor. The flooring was a polished black offset by the white walls. On the far wall were a series of replicators inset into the wall. In the far left corner was an opening where dirty dishes disappeared into a cleansing unit. Riley sighed and rested her chin on her palm. She wondered if she could fit one of the replicators in her suitcase. She would love to never have to cook again. That was another thing that she didn’t excel at. She loved to eat - out. Her cooking skills were basic at best.

  There were probably only about a dozen men in the room. Riley was surprised that there weren’t any women. She would have thought with all the Star Trek episodes she had seen that the crew would have been about half and half. She was so deep in thought that she didn’t even notice the shadow that fell over her until the sound of a clearing throat drew her attention from her thoughts.

  Riley turned and smiled up at the handsome young man staring down at her. She sat up straighter, raising an eyebrow in amusement as she observed that he was focused on her curly mane of hair. She reached up and twirled a few of the strands around her finger before she said anything to the silent figure standing over her.

  “Yes, I am a natural blonde,” she drawled out in her best Midwest accent. “But don’t try any of the blond jokes if you want to live,” she added with a dimpled smile.

  “Can I touch it?” The man asked hesitantly.

  Riley chuckled as she held out her slender hand. “I think we should at least introduce ourselves before you start feeling me up,” she replied with a grin. “My name is Riley St. Claire and I’m from the mile-high city of Denver, Colorado.”

  “I am called Mondu,” he replied. “I am from the Curizan star system. You are
the female from the freighter, the one with five mates?”

  Riley blushed and looked over at Carmen who was talking to another male. Riley frowned when she realized he looked like the same guy who had been shadowing Carmen last night when they first came on board but there was something different about him. Whatever Carmen was saying to the guy, he didn’t look like he was very happy about it.

  She looked back at the male who had slid into the seat next to her. She leaned back a little in surprise when he moved into her personal space. She opened her mouth to respond to him but the words died as he wound his fingers in her hair, pulling it closer to his face.

  “It was the only way to prevent them from being someone’s dinner,” Riley said with a slight squeak in her voice. “I mean, it wasn’t real or anything. Besides, those stickmen really pissed me off. It was worth saying I’d take the guys just to see the expression on their faces.”

  Mondu smiled down at Riley. He was enjoying watching her nervousness. He had been captivated by her the moment he walked into the room. Some of the other men had been talking about the beautiful female with the white hair. He wanted to see if she was anything like Lord Creon’s mate. Few things surprised him but this female had definitely done that. He was expecting her to be slender like Lady Carmen but this female - this female had curves that a male could hold onto. If she was not truly mated to any of the males then he would make his move.

  “So you are not mated to any of them?” Mondu asked with a satisfied curve to his lips.

  Riley nervously pulled her hair away from him and scooted over as far as she could without falling out of her seat. What was it with these guys? Sure she got the occasional stare or comment back home but these guys were like in your face, here I am, not the nice wolf whistle she could shoot a bird at.

  “No, I’m not mated to any of them,” Riley said in exasperation waving her hand at him. “Listen, do you mind - like - sitting back. You are crowding me and I don’t like it when people get in my personal space and all.”

  Mondu chuckled but leaned back in his seat. “What do you like?”

  Riley looked over to where Carmen was picking up a tray full of food. “I like food that I don’t have to cook, warm beaches, good movies, and ....,” she paused to look at Mondu with a dimpled grin. “Shopping for great deals.”

  Mondu’s chuckle turned to a laugh as he picked up one of her waving hands. “What do you not like?”

  Riley tilted her head as she tugged unsuccessfully to remove her hand from his grasp. “Spending my own money, liars, murders, and cheats but most of all,” she said with a pointed look in her eyes, “pushy men who don’t know their places.”

  “Like me?” Mondu asked with a lazy grin caressing the back of her hand with his thumb.

  “Like you if you don’t let go of my hand,” Riley replied with another tug.

  “What if I don’t want to let it go?” He asked raising it to his lips.

  “Then you die,” a dark snarl sounded behind him.

  Riley looked up startled to stare at Vox’s dark face. Dark wasn’t the word for it. Truthfully, she didn’t know a face could be that frightening. Mondu slowly released her hand and stood, turning to face the furious ruler of the Sarafin. He appeared to be relaxed but Riley could tell from his stance that he had moved into a defensive pose. Vox must have realized it as well because a menacing growl escaped from him as he focused his narrowed eyes on the huge male standing between him and Riley.

  “Move away from my mate or I will kill you,” Vox demanded, flexing his fingers.

  “The female says she has no mate,” Mondu replied calmly.

  Vox’s eyes narrowed and he took another step closer. “I have claimed her. She wears my mark.”

  Mondu glanced over his shoulder at Riley who was looking back and forth between the two of them with huge, bright wary eyes. “Show me his mark,” he said.

  “What?” Riley asked puzzled.

  Vox glared down at Riley. “Show him my mark before I kill him, Riley.”

  Riley stood up and glared at Vox. “Which one? You frigging left bruises all over me, you big ape! I am not in the mood to deal with your mangy ass right now, especially if you think you can talk to me in that tone of voice after what you did to me.”

  “What did he do?” Carmen demanded dropping the tray on the table with a loud bang. “Did he hurt you?”

  Riley’s eyes brightened with furious tears. She was so not having this conversation with everyone staring at her. This was worse than the high school dance because this time she had been the idiot who said ‘yes’ to going behind the building instead of remembering her dear Grandma Pearl’s words of wisdom. She angrily brushed a tear that escaped down her cheek, turned on her heel without another word and strode out of the dining quarters.

  Vox took a step to follow but Carmen stepped in his way. “I don’t know what you did to her but you need to step back now before I put you on your ass,” she hissed out in a cold voice.

  Vox looked down in surprise at Creon’s mate. Her eyes glittered with a deadly promise of retribution if he should try to move around her. “She is my mate,” he explained quietly. “I will see to her needs.”

  Carmen shook her head. “Right now what she needs is a little breathing room.” She looked over his shoulder at Calo who was glaring at her. “You guys don’t realize we Earth girls aren’t used to all this claiming bullshit. It can be a little overwhelming. Just back off for a little while and give her time to collect herself. She would not appreciate you breathing down her neck right now.”

  Vox swore darkly under his breath. He nodded briefly to Carmen before looking at Mundo. He would only tell the Curizan male once more that Riley was his. If he saw the male near her again, he would kill him.

  “Stay away from my mate,” Vox growled out in a low, cold voice. “Let the others know she has been claimed and I will kill any who touch her.”

  Mundo studied Vox for several seconds before bowing his head in respect. “Your claim will not be challenged by me, my lord.”

  Vox turned back to Carmen with a frown. “You will go to her?”

  Carmen raised an eyebrow and stared at the huge male in front of her. Nodding her head, she couldn’t resist making a jab at Calo. Creon had assigned the twin brothers to be her shadow despite all her protests. Calo was on duty today. She had a feeling Riley might be able to help her figure out a few phrases she had missed calling them. If nothing else, it would give her something else to think about.

  “Yeah, me and Fido will make sure she is okay,” Carmen said before grabbing the tray she had dropped. “Come on, boy. That’s a good boy, come on.”

  “One of these days, Carmen....” Calo muttered darkly as he followed her out of the dining quarters. “One of these days.....”

  Vox listened as Carmen laughed at the huge male following her. He shook his head in wonder that such a small, delicate species could be such a big pain in the ass. He couldn’t help but marvel what his family was going to think of his mate. Or what his mate was going to think of his family.

  “Do you think there might be more of them?” Mundo asked, coming to stand next to Vox.

  Vox gave a dry chuckle. “Gods, I hope not. I’m having a hard enough time with the one I’ve got. I can’t imagine what would happen to our worlds if there were more of them.”

  *.*.*

  Riley stared out the viewport without really seeing anything. Her mind and her body kept drifting to a certain irritating fur ball that had gotten not only under her skin but into her heart. Every movement of her body reminded her of his touch. She had to admit it had been an incredible night but it would have to be the only incredible night. She couldn’t take a chance of letting herself fall any further.

  “Are you alright?” Carmen’s soft voice asked as she entered the small conference room she had been directed to thanks to Calo’s inquiries.

  Riley wiped at her face to make sure her cheeks were dry and quickly put on her I-don’t-give-a-
damn mask. She had learned a long, long time ago how to perfect hiding her feelings. No one cared anyway. Even her Grandma Pearl said feelings were for drunks, weak men, and wimps. None of those were allowed in their house when she was growing up.

  Riley turned with a grimace and a shrug. “Yeah, hate it when I’m PMSing.”

  Carmen set the tray down on the table near the viewport and sat down. “We never did get a chance to eat. I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”

  Riley gave a short laugh and nodded. “Me too. So, how did you end up in the Twilight Zone?”

  Carmen looked around and shook her head in amazement. “My sister and my best friend were piloting a client of the Boswell’s back to California along with another friend who was a mechanic for the company. I hitched a ride. The client, Abby, was kidnapped by the local sheriff who had the hots for her. Trisha, Cara, my sister Ariel and I took off after them with the hopes of rescuing Abby. Turns out her boyfriend was not only hot but ‘out of this world’ hot,” Carmen explained with a grin. “I don’t remember much. I had been stabbed a couple of times and was pretty much dead by the time Zoran and his brothers got there. They transported me and the others up to their ship after toasting the bad guy. I woke up and the rest is history,” she muttered before taking a big bite of her sandwich. “What about you?”

  Riley picked at her sandwich not really sure she was hungry anymore. “I found out my boss and his daddy were running drugs and guns among other things. When my boss made a pass at me, I clobbered him,” she smirked at Carmen. “He probably will never be able to give himself a hand job or have kids. Anyway, I had found out they also had a dead guy buried under the shed out back. I decided it was in my best interest to get out of town before I ended up joining him. Needless to say, my car broke down, I got in a truck with a major asshole, and the lights did NOT belong to the dwarf biker gang as I had hoped.”

  Carmen choked at Riley’s vague explanation of events. “So, how did you end up with five mates?” She sighed heavily when Riley lifted her eyebrow at her. “I promised Creon I’d find out.”