“I thought I did, but now I’m not so sure. What does Bandar’s and Zilor’s happiness have to do with us?”
“You’re battle born.”
He tugged off his boots, barely able to fight back his smile. “I am. So what?”
Her gaze darted toward him then veered away at the last minute. “Mating with me won’t give you access to your magic. You need someone with human blood.”
He unfastened his uniform top and peeled the sleeves down his arms before he said, “I don’t care.”
She finally looked at him, but the glance only lasted a second. “I don’t believe you.”
After shedding his pants, he climbed into the tub behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso. “My mate is an organic harbinger. Why would I bother with a human hybrid?”
She wiggled within the circle of his arms, twisting around until she could see his face. “You honestly don’t care about magic?”
He sighed. He never talked about Endina, seldom even thought about her anymore. But the story would likely put Chandar’s mind at ease. “Few know, but I claimed a mate once before, when I was very young.”
She pushed against his chest and crossed one arm over her breasts. “Is she… What happened to her?”
“She was a healer, a distant relation to the original Tandori brothers.” He pulled Chandar closer and eased her arm out from between them so her breasts pressed against his chest. “There was a massive outbreak of dengatta fever and for some reason the vaccine wasn’t working. Garin and I were just a few months out of training and we’d been assigned to protect the medics who were attempting to contain the epidemic. It was horrible. I’d never seen such suffering.”
“That’s where you met this healer?”
He nodded. “Her name was Endina and she worked tirelessly to save as many as she could. The ones she treated survived with higher regularity than those treated by the medics, so people began flocking to her. We both felt the pull, but forming a mating bond under such horrible circumstances didn’t make sense to either of us.”
“But you said you claimed her. What changed your mind?”
“Working beside her all day and spending each night with her in my bed, made the need to claim her almost impossible to resist. Then she grew weaker and weaker until she contracted the fever herself.”
Chandar’s eyes widened and tears gathered behind her lashes. “I’m so sorry.”
“She thought forming the bond would give her enough strength to pull through, and it seemed to be working for a day or two.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his throat. Rather than reply with words, she pushed compassion and affection across their empathic link.
“The medics changed the vaccine and people started recovering, but the new vaccine arrived too late to save Endina.”
Pushing back again, she looked into his eyes. “That’s horribly sad, but I’m not sure I understand. Why did losing her make you disinterested in magic?”
“It made me distrustful of magic. I wanted nothing to do with the metaphysical after her death. Technology and practical science saved those people. Magic failed them, it failed Endina, and it failed me.”
She accepted his conclusion with a nod then paused before asking, “If you want nothing to do with magic, how can you love me?”
“I love you despite your gifts not because of them. I love the woman not the harbinger.”
Chandar frantically blinked back tears as she looked into Raylon’s eyes. “That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He laughed and framed her face with his hands. “I don’t want access to my magic. I want you and only you.” His lips claimed hers in a long, leisurely kiss. She tried to straddle his hips, needing him deep inside her, but he shook his head and caught her leg. “We are not doing this in the bathtub. I have plans for you.” After climbing out of the tub, he lifted her out of the water and triggered the drain.
“Do these plans require clothing?”
“Absolutely not.” His voice was low and rough.
“Then I approve.”
“Glad to hear it.” He set her down on the edge of the bed then knelt on the floor in front of her.
They were getting the bedding wet, but he didn’t seem to care so she stopped worrying about it. He caught the backs of her knees and slowly drew them apart, making room for him between her legs. “Brace your hands behind you, but don’t lie back.”
She tensed. It didn’t take much imagination to know what he had in mind. “Can’t we just—”
“No.” His tone was low yet emphatic. “I need this and you’ll like it. I promise.”
The more confident she became, the more he expected of her. She’d known Raylon would be a demanding lover. The progression shouldn’t surprise her.
He kissed her, soothed her with the familiar until she relaxed her shoulders. Then he kissed his way down her neck and caressed her breasts. Every touch communicated affection and tenderness. She tried to touch him, but he guided her hands to the bed behind her and opened her legs even more. She closed her eyes and tried not to tense, tried to remain present.
“Look at me, love. Watch.” Without waiting to see if she’d obey, he lowered his head and covered her nipple with his mouth. The firm pull of his lips sent tingles streaming along her spine and tension wound through her abdomen.
She looked at his face as she absorbed his pleasure. Knowing how much she excited him carried her through her uncertainty. His tongue circled the hardened peak and his gaze shifted to her face. The warmth and hunger in his gaze was almost as arousing as his touch.
“I could do this all night,” he whispered, lips lightly teasing. “Maybe I’ll do nothing but kiss you, taste you, until you beg for my cock.”
She shivered. Desire throbbed across their link, echoing the dark promise in his words.
When a needful moan was her only reply, he ran his hands down her sides and kissed a scalding path downward. The closer he drew to her sex, the more her legs trembled. He was going to touch her with his mouth, lick her and push his tongue deep inside her. Another moan slipped from her throat, propelled by anticipation.
His hands drifted along her inner thighs then slipped under her knees. He pushed her legs up and out, making room for his broad shoulders. “Don’t close your eyes.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her damp curls then parted her folds with the tip of his tongue.
She tangled the bedding in both hands, panting so hard her breasts jiggled. His breath wafted across her hot flesh and sensations sparked all through her body. It felt different than she’d expected, softer, yet even more evocative.
He moved lower, covering her slit with his mouth. She shifted one leg to his broad shoulder and rotated the other out, giving her an unobstructed view of what he was doing. He touched her so gently, almost reverently. It sent arousal spiraling through her body and made her core ache. His longing echoed across their link, assuring her that this wasn’t just for her. He really did need this from her, or for her, she wasn’t sure yet.
He slowly parted her folds with his thumbs then traced her slit from back to front. When his tongue tip circled her clit, she jerked, unable to suppress the impulse. He looked at her and used their link so he didn’t have to stop what he was doing.
Does that feel good?
Not trusting her voice, she nodded.
Then try to relax.
Relax? Each stroke of his tongue sent sensations ricocheting through her abdomen. How in blazes was she supposed to relax?
Her arms shook, so she went down to her forearms, but didn’t lie all the way back. His mouth grew more demanding, gently sucking as well as licking at her sensitive flesh. She squirmed and moaned, beyond caring if this was right or wrong. It felt amazing and he was obviously enjoying himself, so that was good enough for her.
Tension gathered beneath his lips, but she didn’t want him to stop kissing her.
Come for me, angel. To ensure t
hat she obeyed, he pushed two fingers into her aching passage and carefully sucked on her clit.
Chandar cried out sharply as pleasure exploded inside her. Lights burst before her eyes and her inner muscles rippled around his fingers. She collapsed back across the bed as she rode out the sensations. But he didn’t lunge up and over her as she expected. He just kept his fingers sliding in and out of her body.
“Do you want more?” He leaned down and caressed her clit with the tip of his tongue. She arched her hips, pressing against his mouth. Then say it. Tell me you like my mouth on you.
Love it. Please, more. It was as close as she could come to coherent thoughts.
He draped her other leg over his shoulder and pulled her hips to the edge of the bed. Then his mouth was on her and his tongue was in her, and Chandar was utterly lost. She rocked against him and tossed her head from side to side. One orgasm flowed into another as he devoured the proof of her pleasure. It was savage, blatantly sexual, yet wonderfully tender.
Her head spun and her body hummed with energy and sensation by the time he scooted her back on the mattress and joined her on the bed. “Top or bottom?” He was panting so hard the words were hard to understand.
Wanting him over her, filling her as her mate should, she raised her arms while still lying on her back.
“You sure?”
It would make her helpless, but she wasn’t afraid. Not with Raylon. “I’m sure.”
He knelt between her thighs and arched over her. “Can you feel how much I love you?”
Unable to force words past her tight throat she nodded.
Then he found her opening with the tip of his cock and paused again. “I want this to be a real joining. How do we convert the link?”
“It doesn’t work that way.” She drew her knees up along his sides, opening herself for his possession. “You have to claim me and then I’ll dissolve the other link.”
Uncertainty flashed through his expression. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
She kicked his ass with one heel then smiled. “The only thing that hurts is that you think I’m so weak I can’t take what you’re about to give me.”
He slipped one arm beneath her neck and pressed his other hand against her face. His phitons ignited with green fire, making her face tingle. “I claim you as my mate.” He punctuated the words with a sharp thrust of his hips. His entire length slammed into her and Chandar gasped. “You are mine.” He pulled nearly out then thrust again. “And I am yours.” His mouth covered hers as his hips found a fast, deep rhythm.
She clutched his back and kept her legs high against his sides. He moved over her and drove into her, filling her completely with each stroke. His energy pushed into her mind, hesitant yet committed. She felt a sharp sting as he anchored the bond but a gush of pleasure followed, completely eclipsing the pain.
The connection was similar to their empathic link, yet deeper. More of his mind was available to her now and doubtlessly more of her was available to him. Pleasure and hunger flowed back and forth between them, accenting the movements of their bodies.
He kissed her as savagely as he joined with her, his tongue echoing the penetration of his shaft. She wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck and rose into each thrust, offering herself without reservation.
His tempo sped and his energy blazed inside her mind. They’d wanted this for so long, it was inevitable that it wouldn’t last. Sensations barreled through her body and surged across the newly formed link. He tore his mouth away from hers with a strangled cry as both his hands shifted to her hips.
She clung to his back as he drove them toward completion. His back arched, forcing his hips forward and she felt him come deep inside her. The hot splash of his seed snapped what little remained of her control and she followed him over the crest.
They clung together, panting harshly before he pulled himself together enough to roll them to their sides. He started to ask if she was all right. She heard the words in his mind and then he laughed and kissed her. I can feel how all right you are. I need to stop thinking of you as fragile.
Good plan. She raised her calf to the small of his back, keeping their bodies tightly joined. I’m an organic harbinger. I’m easily a match for any battle born soldier. And then to prove her point without disrupting their kiss, she reached down and pinched his tight rear end.
He laughed, pulling their lips apart. “But I’m not just any battle born soldier,” he warned as he rolled to his back.
“Is that so?” She bent her legs beneath her and squeezed him with her inner muscles. “You have five minutes to get hard, mister. I’m not finished with you.”
He laughed again as he reared up and sucked on one of her flushed nipples. “Happy to oblige,” he whispered as he moved to the other side.
* * * * *
Raylon stifled a yawn as he stood beside Garin the following morning, waiting for the Phantom Three to dock.
“Another sleepless night?” Garin asked with a lopsided grin.
“You could say that.” He looked at his best friend then admitted, “I claimed Chandar last night.”
“I figured as much. Congratulations. Now hopefully, you’ll be less distracted. We can’t afford a misstep right now.”
“I know and this will help.” He could sense her now, so he knew she was sleeping contentedly and had been ever since their marathon lovemaking exhausted them both. He’d slept for an hour or two and then Garin’s message had summoned him to the main concourse.
The Phantom Three’s hatch hissed and the stairs descended, sparing Raylon any more of the awkward conversation. Zilor exited first then Ulrik Tandori and his niece Berlynn came into view. Both the Tandoris were dressed in casual human clothing that made them seem out of place on the military-run space station. Berlynn looked around in obvious wonder, but Ulrik’s hostile gaze landed on Garin and stayed.
“This should be fun,” Garin muttered.
Raylon wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not. As usual, Garin’s features expertly concealed his thoughts.
They quickly shook hands and Garin motioned them toward the station’s main entrance. One of the shops on the top tier of the commerce district had been converted into a meeting space. The shop next to it was in the process of becoming Garin’s headquarters. He didn’t want to tie one of the ships to the outpost just so he could use it as an office.
“Is there an actual purpose for this trip or are you just showing me how much technology is at your disposal?” Ulrik snapped as they entered Lunar Nine.
“Zilor told us there’s a legitimate reason. He just wouldn’t tell us what it was.” Berlynn dismissed her uncle’s rude behavior with a wave of her hand. She was tiny. Perhaps she wasn’t full-blooded Rodyte. That would explain her unusual ability. Her head barely reached Raylon’s shoulder. At first glance he’d thought she was in her late teens. Now that he’d spent more time with her, he suspected she was well into her twenties. Perhaps even a bit older. “How many people are stationed up here?” She looked at Raylon when Garin didn’t volunteer a number.
“The ships come and go,” Raylon explained. “The only ones actually in residence are the merchants and their families.”
“How much does Quinton know about all this?” Ulrik’s tone was less belligerent, but challenge still wove through every word.
“As much as he needs to know.” Garin evaded as they climbed the central staircase to the top level of the commerce tiers.
The room had been arranged into two areas, one for presentations and one for interactive conferences. Five rows of chairs had been arranged facing a large vidscreen in one area and an oblong table nearly spanned the room at the other end. Garin led them to the table then closed the door before he took his seat. Raylon and Garin sat facing the other two.
“Why are we here?” Ulrik asked, his forearms resting on the tabletop. “Have you found the Relentless? My condition is nonnegotiable. Until my brother’s murderess is in my custody, we have nothing t
o talk about.”
“When’s the last time you spoke with your sister?” Following Ulrik’s example, Garin came right to the point.
Ulrik leaned farther forward, his face turning red. “That better not be a threat.”
“Did she tell you that her mate has passed beyond?”
The color staining Ulrik’s cheeks faded just as rapidly. His mouth opened, but apparently words failed him.
“That was cruel,” Berlynn chided, clearly not surprised by the news. “No one deserves to learn about a loss in such a way.”
Her defense snapped Ulrik out of his stupor. “You knew about this?”
“I was there when Father received Haven’s message.” She tried to take Ulrik’s hand, but he pulled away. “He was upset, as you can imagine. It wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened.”
“But why didn’t Vinton tell me?” Pain filled his gaze as he went deeper. “Why didn’t Haven?”
Berlynn glanced at Raylon and then Garin, annoyance tensing her delicate features. “Father was going to tell you. He just never got the chance. And I wanted you to have time to grieve for Father before I broke the news about Javin.” Her shoulders straightened and she glared at Garin, giving Ulrik a moment to compose himself. “Why bring us up here to tell us something we already knew?”
“That wasn’t why I brought you up here.” Garin’s tone softened as he spoke to the female. Raylon turned his head, expecting to see a gentler expression as well, but Garin’s features hadn’t relaxed. Apparently, it would take more than a pretty face to tame the general. “Are you familiar with harbingers?”
“You mentioned before that you have several in your employ. What does that have to do with us?”
“I have two in my employ. Are you familiar with their abilities?”
“I’ve heard the stories, but I never thought much of it.” Berlynn shrugged as if she were completely disinterested in the subject. “The seers in Tandori Tribe are naturally gifted.”
“Did any of your ‘naturally gifted’ seers warn you that Haven was in danger?”
Raylon sat back and watched the exchange, fascinated by the subtle changes in Garin’s demeanor. The more Berlynn challenged Garin, the more interested he became.
Defender (Battle Born Book 4) Page 19
