by S. E. Smith
*.*.*
Aryeh stared in outrage and shock at the unusual female stabbing him in the chest with her sharp fingernail. He had never had anyone, even his own mate, treat him with such outright hostility before. His pleasure at finding out his oldest son had been rescued and returned was overshadowed by the threat of traitors within the palace walls and now his discovery Vox was mated to an alien female from an unknown species. As far as Aryeh was concerned, the female could join the other traitors in the dungeon.
Two of the traitorous females had been apprehended but the male who had been working with them had not been captured yet. There was also the concern there may be others. One of his younger sons was working to discover who else might be involved. Aryeh wanted to talk with Vox about his two former bedmates to see if he could discover what type of information they might have obtained.
When he was informed that Vox had returned and taken his mate to his living quarters to settle in before he would be available, Aryeh had been shocked. He had not realized that Vox had stopped on Valdier to claim the Valdier Princess Clarmisa who had been promised as his oldest son’s mate. His shock changed to outrage when he discovered it was not the princess, not even a Valdier, but another that Vox had claimed. He listened in growing fury as his advisor explained that his oldest son had mated with a delicate, unknown species that had been on the Antrox mining asteroid where Vox had been held during his captivity. Aryeh had stormed out of his office determined to find out for himself who this female was and eliminate her if necessary. He would not let the treaty be broken by a piece of female ass that had caught his oldest son’s attention.
“You will return her or I will slit her throat,” Aryeh said coldly looking at Vox with determination. “You are promised to a Valdier Princess. This…. This thing is not even worthy of being a bedmate much less your queen.”
“You arrogant son-of-a-bitch,” Riley snarled back. “I’ll show you worthy.”
“Riley,” Vox bit out in exasperation. “Don’t you dare!”
He struggled to hold her back from attacking his father. He knew it was an impossible battle when he felt the soft fur of her cat ripple over her arms where he held her. He growled deeply, trying to get her cat under control but it was too late. Before he could stop her, she had shifted and knocked his father back through the door of their living quarters into the outside corridor, pinning him on his back as she snapped at him in warning.
Aryeh’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared up at the very pissed off white tiger sitting on his chest. The female was hissing and snarling in warning but it was the look in her bright blue eyes that held his attention. She looked like she wanted to cry even as she snapped at him in warning.
“Aryeh, I believe our new daughter is not happy with you,” his wife chuckled from behind him. “I like her. I don’t believe I have ever seen anyone put you on your back before.”
“She put me on the floor twice,” Vox said with a grin to his mother. “She is very resourceful.”
“SHE is listening to you talk about her,” Riley said suddenly, sitting on Aryeh’s chest with her arms folded. “And don’t even think about growling at me again. I am in no mood to deal with your royal-assness!” She snapped at Aryeh with a frown. “Besides, you’ve totally made me mess up my hair! I swear, between you and Vox you both should have been neutered when you were babies.”
Rosario chuckled as she moved forward and held out her hand to Riley. “Hello, daughter. Welcome to Sarafin.”
Riley grinned, reached out her right hand and placed it in the slender palm that was offered. “Hi, I’m Riley St. Claire from Denver, Colorado. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied with a dimpled grin.
A dry cough suddenly lifted Riley up a few inches. “Do you think you could get off me now?” Aryeh asked drily.
“Do you think you can be more polite?” Riley asked with a grin at Vox’s dad. “You know, I think Vox takes after you more than his mom.”
Aryeh grimaced and shook his head in disbelief. His gaze moved to his oldest son who was staring at the female sitting on him like he was a couch as if she was the most precious thing in his world. His eyebrows rose when he realized that she was the most important thing when he caught her scent. He smelled – a cub!
“She is breeding!” Aryeh hissed out in surprise.
Vox reached down and quickly pulled Riley into the protective circle of his arms. “Yes, I have given her my cub. She is my mate and our new queen. You will treat her with respect and not threaten to harm her,” he growled out to his father. “I don’t want you scaring her.”
Riley looked down at the huge bear of a man lying stunned on the floor. She gasped and moved closer to Vox when Aryeh flipped up, landing on his feet silently in front of her. Eyeing him warily, she watched as his nose flared again as he drew in a deep breath.
“Her species shifts like ours?” He asked curiously.
“No, my cat gave her part of our essences,” Vox replied quietly. “We are one.”
Rosario and Aryeh’s shocked gasps filled the air. “Vox,” his mother started to say looking worriedly at her oldest son.
“It is done,” Vox replied in a deep voice. “She is mine.”
Riley looked back and forth between the shocked, pale faces of Vox’s parents and the deep seriousness on Vox’s face with growing alarm. “What? What is wrong?” She asked in a shaky voice. “What has he done that he shouldn’t have?”
Rosario smiled gently at Riley before taking a step closer to their living quarters. “He did exactly what he should have done, daughter. Come, let us have some refreshments and I will explain it to you since my son appears to have left out a great deal of your new world.”
Riley bit her lip and looked back and forth between Vox and his mother. “Am I going to want to kick his butt after you are done?” She asked suspiciously.
“Oh, most assuredly,” Rosario laughed as she stepped through the open door. “I have no doubt.”
Chapter 21
Riley grinned as much as she could in her shifted form as she raced across the meadow with Vox in hot pursuit. She had been on Sarafin for over two months now and she was loving it! Her first meeting with Vox’s parents might have started out shaky but now she could do no wrong and Vox couldn’t seem to do anything right – at least as far as his family was concerned. They expected him to cater to her every whim whether she had a whim or not.
If she didn’t know better, she would think his brothers were having fun making them up just so they could see their older brother running around like a chicken with its’ head cut off. Not a pleasant analogy but truthful all the same. He had come in yesterday morning soaked to the skin and covered in sand from scouring the beaches for little blue stones the color of her eyes. When she had asked why he had done it, he said Pallu, his youngest brother by several years swore she had mentioned she wanted some.
His other three brothers had sent him on different scavenger hunts as well, laughing in delight when he returned at times bruised and bloody from his journeys. He was about to leave on another hunt that morning when Riley begged him to take her to the ancient walled city instead where she heard Fred and Bob were visiting. They had come from the Curizan home world to visit and sell some of their wares.
He had guided her to a strange looking device that looked like an oversized jet ski. After he helped her climb on, he told her to wrap her arms tightly around him before he powered it on and they slowly rose up into the air. Her excited laugh drew chuckles from the surrounding guards who would follow them. Soon, they were gliding through the thick forests.
It had taken them a couple of hours to cover the distance between the two cities. Vox explained they could have made it sooner but he wanted to show her a little of his world. Riley had grinned in delight as he glided through the thick forests, past thundering waterfalls, and over vast fields of flowers and farmland. Before she realized it, they were landing in a small meadow on the outskirts of the huge walled city.<
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“We will leave the gliders here. The city is often crowded with visitors from other worlds and I thought you might like to stretch your legs after the long ride,” Vox said quietly as he helped her off the sleek machine.
Riley groaned as she rubbed her palms down along the back of her thighs. “Thank you. I think my butt has fallen asleep,” she replied with a grin.
“Shift and we can run for a bit,” Vox chuckled.
Riley didn’t need to be told twice. She called to her cat, teasing it that she thought she saw a mouse. Within seconds, her cat stood stretching in front of Vox. With a playful swish of her tail, she took off running in delight across through the high grass. Vox quickly shifted and followed her while the four guards with them secured the gliders.
A half hour later, the loud roar of Vox’s leopard behind her called out to her to slow as they neared the outskirts of the city where Bob and Fred were currently visiting with Titus and Banu. Riley had learned that this ‘zone’ was under the protection of the two brothers. She was excited about seeing them as well but not as much as she was about seeing Bob and Fred. She owed Bob an apology for being mean to him the last time she saw him.
“Riley, shift,” Vox called out from behind her.
Riley stumbled as she shifted in mid-stride. She was getting better at it but she was still a little clumsy. She turned and smiled brightly at Vox as he strode towards her. He still took her breath away just watching him. She had a feeling it would always be like that. She glanced down at the glimmering ring on her finger. After she had explained what a ‘marriage’ was and the symbol of a ring, Vox had disappeared for a short period only to return with a bouquet of flowers - roots, dirt and all - and a handful of rings. He had knelt down in front of her and asked her to ‘marriage’ him. Her eyes softened when she remembered his intense stare as he waited for her reply. They had made love right there on the floor of the living room, rings, flowers, and dirt scattered around them unseen. Later, she had picked out a simple ring that had a swirling bands of color that changed as it caught the light. It was set in platinum if she wasn’t mistaken and took her breath away. It fit her perfectly and she couldn’t help but gaze at it every chance she got.
Vox had not been finished with her though. He said that Viper was on his way back with Tina and her Grandma Pearl. She had been so excited about the prospect of seeing them she missed the underlining sound of strain in his voice as he told her.
“He said he is still picking salt out of his ass,” Vox had said in amusement. “You were not joking when you said your Grandma Pearl would fill his ass full of it. Viper discovered salt pellets will penetrate our fur. He also said your sister is excited about seeing you. They will be here for our marriage ceremony.”
He did not tell Riley what Viper had really said about Tina. He was not sure Riley would appreciate some of the more colorful words, much less the threats, Viper had been shouting when he had talked to him last. Opinionated, stubborn, vicious, hard-headed were just a few of them and those were the nicer ones. He also did not tell her how close she had come to losing her little sister. The information Riley had about her former boss and his father proved to be more dangerous than his mate realized. He had sent copies of the information to Viper so it could be turned over to the proper authorities on Earth. After listening to what happened when that information was shared, he shuddered to think about what would have happened to his mate if the trader had not kidnapped her. He had no doubt she would have perished. Viper had been in an uncontrollable rage as he related what had happened and how he had to take matters into his own hands, otherwise Riley would have lost both Tina and her Grandma Pearl.
“How much further? Are we almost there? Do you think Bob and Fred will be excited to see us? Oh, I hope they are doing well,” Riley said as she bounced up and down.
Vox’s gaze softened as he watched the excited bloom of color flush his mate’s face. It was so much better than the paleness from this morning when she had been sick and threatening to castrate him again for getting her with cub. He had held her pale, shaky form as she lost what little she had in her stomach over and over until she could barely lift her head. His gaze moved down to her belly. He could tell the slight changes in it already. Her waist was expanding ever so slightly and her huge breasts were even larger. His mouth watered at the thought of the milk they would produce. Hell, his balls drew up just at the thought and he was ready to pounce on her again.
I can pounce, his cat purred softly. I suckle from our mate.
Guall’s balls, this is difficult enough as it is! You know she will not be happy if we take her where the guards can see us again, Vox muttered in despair.
He knew because he had done it once already and it had taken him hours to get her to come out of the bathroom where she had barricaded herself. She had sworn she would never come out again as long as she lived. He had to cover his mouth to smother his laughter when she went on to explain how her petrified body would be enclosed in the magnificent bathroom for all to see in the future and historians would explain that she had died of mortification because her hairball soon-to-be-dead fiancée couldn’t control his damn cock! He had totally agreed that he couldn’t and didn’t even want to try.
“Well?” She demanded thumping him on the chest to get his attention. “Do you?”
“Do I what?” Vox asked in confusion.
Riley rolled her eyes and groaned. “You were thinking about sex again, weren’t you? You never hear what I say when you are thinking about it which is like – always! I asked if you thought the guys would be excited to see us,” she huffed out, turning back toward the walled city.
Vox reached out, spinning her around, and brushing her lips with his. “Yes, they will be excited to see you. Both have sent missives asking how you were doing. Fred even threatened to come steal you away if I didn’t take good care of you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Riley asked in shock that her two, dear friends had been checking up on her.
Vox flushed and looked away over her shoulder at the gates leading into the city. “I was afraid you would tell them you were unhappy and they would figure out a way to steal you away from me,” he admitted.
He turned back to face her when he felt her soft palm against his cheek. “I love you, Vox. I won’t let anyone take me away from you.”
“I love you too, Riley. So very, very much it scares me sometimes,” Vox whispered. “I have never felt so vulnerable before or been afraid of anything but the idea of something happening to you terrifies me.”
Riley’s eyes glittered with tears as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down to her so she could kiss him. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips, purring as they parted for her. Soon their tongues were dueling in a furious battle of passion and desire. She sighed when Vox reluctantly pulled back.
“If we do not stop, I will claim you right here and now. I don’t think you will be happy with me if I do that again with the guards watching us,” he grunted out tersely.
Riley chuckled as she pulled back with a deep breath. “I’m glad you have your head screwed on straight because mine is not working right, right now. Let’s go before I forget we aren’t alone,” she said with a wink and a giggle at the responding growl.
*.*.*
They entered the city through the huge gates. Riley’s eyes took in the neat, clean streets filled with merchants, residents, and traders of all shapes and forms. They walked along the beautiful cobbled roads littered with strange beasts pulling carts and wagons.
“Cybris is one of our oldest cities. It retains many of the same customs as it has for thousands of years. The residents voted to leave it as such and it attracts many visitors from other star systems who wish to experience a true Sarafin city. The city was formed around the central palace where Titus, Banu and my other cousins live. The walls were built to protect it from the creatures that live deep in the forests. They do not come near the city now as there is a securit
y field that protects it but in the days of old, that was not the case,” Vox explained as he guided Riley along the walkway, ignoring those that bowed to him as they recognized him. “I have to meet with Titus and Banu about some issues. Will you be alright if I leave you with Fred and Bob? I will post a couple of guards as well.”
“Of course,” Riley assured him. “What could happen here?” She asked, spreading her hands wide at the crowd walking around. “This place is like paradise.”
Vox chuckled as they turned down a side street and stopped at a gate. He pressed the button at the gate and stepped through when it opened. A moment later, the front door to the small cottage opened and a short figure with two heads shot through the door in excitement.
“Riley!” Fred cried out in delight, rushing forward as fast as his little feet could carry him.
“Fred! You look fantastic!” Riley said, rushing forward and dropping down to her knees to hug her friend. She gave him a kiss on both of his cheeks, laughing as both turned a dark red. “You are just as cute as ever. How have you been?”
Both of Fred’s faces beamed. “I have a mate, Riley. She is beautiful!” Fred’s right head responded quietly as his left studied her carefully. “I want you to meet her,” his left head added.
Riley’s eyes widened with shock before she smiled and laid a palm on each of Fred’s cheeks. “I would be honored to meet the lady who could capture your heart. You deserve it and she better realize what a prize she has.”
“I do,” came the soft reply. “I am very fortunate.”
Riley stood up and looked at the small figure that approached her hesitantly. The tiny figure curtsied when she stopped in front of Riley. Riley smiled down and held out her hand in greeting.
“I’m Riley St. Claire, soon to be d’Rojah,” Riley replied when she heard Vox growl out a warning when she said her last name. “The growly bear is Vox.”
