“The child stopped breathing,” someone told him. “Our medics could do nothing, but then your female came forward.”
Allik nodded, too intent on watching Victoria to offer any other response. She repeated her movements three more times, alternating between pumping down on the infant’s chest and blowing into its airway. Suddenly, she stepped back, a broad smile on her face. Kyree rushed forward and placed her hand on the infant’s chest. Allik felt the air grow tense around him as everyone seemed to hold their breath. Then Kyree almost jumped up and down in delight and waved her arms in the air, showing greater emotion than Allik had ever seen from a Taar-Breckian female.
All around him, shouts of relief broke out, echoing through the corridors. Victoria looked up in apparent surprise, seeming to realize for the first time that she had an audience. As her eyes met his, Allik felt a pride in his mate that came close to overwhelming him. Whatever it was that she’d done, Victoria had saved the child’s life. As he marched into the room, intent on finding out exactly what had been going on, he decided there would be no more delays. Tonight, he was claiming this remarkable female as his mate. It would be an honor to have her by his side, bound to him forever.
Chapter Eleven
As the wonderfully warm water washed over her, Victoria could imagine Allik’s heavy footsteps pacing back and forth across the bedroom floor as he waited impatiently for her to finish. Although he’d been the one who suggested that she have a shower to help her relax after the eventful day she’d had, he was clearly not happy that she had jumped at the chance to have some time to herself.
It had taken them ages to get away from dozens of curious Taar-Breckians who wanted to congratulate Allik on having such a clever mate. It was as though he had somehow been responsible for her saving the baby. The way they spoke over her as though she was insignificant had angered Victoria at first. She soon realized they meant no disrespect and that there was a protocol being followed. For some reason, addressing her directly when her mate was present was not the done thing.
When they’d managed to slip away, they’d rushed straight back here. Allik had looked as though he wanted to tear the dress from her body and throw her down on the nearest available surface. This time, she wouldn’t have made a move to stop him. She’d agreed to try to submit to him but, more than that, she’d wanted him to take her hard and fast, to make this whole mate thing official.
Victoria smiled as she thought about how pleasantly surprised she’d been by his show of consideration. Once again, he had put her needs before his own. Even though he’d wanted her badly, he’d given her time to get her head on straight. He’d seen that she’d had an extraordinary day and needed a brief pause to process it all. That he had allowed her some space was further confirmation of what she’d instinctively known all along. He was a good man.
“Shower off,” Victoria said. The flow of water that had been cascading over her stopped immediately. She liked the technology on this ship. The water in the showering zone of the bathroom had responded to her needs intuitively. There had been no need to fiddle with a tap to adjust the water pressure or temperature as she’d have had to do at home.
Feeling refreshed, she moved over to the drying zone.
“Dryer on,” she instructed.
Instantly, warm waves of air seemed to come from all directions to caress her entire body. Now, this was something they didn’t have back in New Cambridge. It was almost as though several sets of hands were gently rubbing her body with the softest towels. It was a blissful experience. After a couple of minutes, the dryer shut off automatically and she reached up to check whether her hair was still wet. It wasn’t. In fact, it felt silky smooth and completely dry. She could definitely get used to this.
She wondered if Allik had this sort of technology in his home. It occurred to her then, that she really had no idea what his homeland was like. Filthy and teeming with barbarians, according to the High Council. Clean and efficient if Allik was to be believed. Victoria sighed. From either description, she had little to go on. For all she knew, the people of Taar-Breck might live in holes in the ground. Well, that would be a new experience for her.
As she pondered what surprises her future home might have in store, there was a sharp rap at the door.
“Victoria, come out here, please.”
Allik’s patience, it seemed, was at an end. Smiling despite her growing nerves, Victoria stepped out of the bathroom. Knowing that Allik admired her naked form made her feel quite powerful but she almost swooned like some helpless maiden at the sight that greeted her. He was standing by the bed, legs spread in a dominant stance, his muscular torso bare. He still wore the tight leather pants of his uniform that accentuated the bulk of muscle at his thighs. Those intense violet eyes gave her a look so hot it almost seared her skin. Victoria held his gaze for a moment and then her eyes drifted down to his right hand, where he had a firm grip on the handle of a flogger. It looked similar to the one Kyree had used on her and she could only hope that it was made of the same soft, caressing leather.
“You disobeyed me.” There was an ominous note in Allik’s voice.
“What?” Victoria racked her brains, trying to think what she had done wrong. “When?”
“When the alarm sounded, I told you to return to my rooms.”
Victoria’s brow crumpled as she replayed the moment in her mind. She placed her hands on her hips and hoped, despite her nakedness, that she was able to convey her displeasure.
“No, you didn’t,” she retorted. “You told me to do as Kyree instructed. Which I did. All afternoon.”
“Hmm.” Allik tapped the woven leather handle of the flogger against his leg as he seemed to consider her response. “Well, then, I’ll just have to punish you for practicing medicine without the proper training.”
For a moment, Victoria was outraged.
“Proper training?” she spluttered.
Then, she noticed the gleam in his eye and knew that he was having a little fun with her. She recalled the teasing caress of Kyree’s flogger and realized that the implement he held in his hand had not been selected so that he could inflict pain upon her. Well, if he wanted to play, she was happy to go along with it.
“Was it a very bad thing to do?” Victoria bit her bottom lip coyly.
“Yes, it was,” Allik said sternly, although his eyes glinted with mischief. “You might have hurt someone.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize.” Victoria looked down at the floor and shuffled from one foot to the other. She knew that Allik was watching her closely, enjoying the sight of her standing naked before him, acting all contrite. “But I didn’t hurt anyone, sir, I helped them.”
Startled by what she’d just said, Victoria looked up. Somehow the sir had just slipped in there and she knew that Allik had picked up on it too. He had that approving glint in his eye. Victoria snorted dismissively. He’d better not get used to it. A little role-playing now and then was one thing, bowing and scraping to him was quite another.
“Something amuses you?” Allik asked, a slightly harder edge to his tone.
Victoria suspected that her attitude had upset him. She suddenly became aware that her face had formed a sarcastic sneer so she quickly smoothed over her expression.
“No,” she replied.
“Then let’s get on with it. Lie on your back on the bed and draw your knees up to your chest.”
“What?”
“Do not make me repeat myself, Victoria.” His voice was stern.
Oh, dear, this could go downhill fast if she didn’t do as she was told. She didn’t want to earn herself an actual punishment, so she quickly clambered up onto the bed and lay on her back. As instructed, she pulled her knees up to her chest. As cold air blew the whisper of a kiss over her moist pussy, she felt incredibly exposed.
“Now, I want you to hold your knees as wide apart as you can,” Allik instructed her.
Without hesitation, Victoria allowed her legs to fall open and then placed
her hands on them to hold them apart. Apparently unsatisfied with the pose she’d adopted, Allik put his large hands on her inner thighs and spread them even wider. The position bordered on uncomfortable but she didn’t complain.
A blush tinged her cheeks as he made a careful study of her. Like this, nothing could be hidden from his view. As he hovered over her, so much larger and more powerful than she was, Victoria felt intensely vulnerable. For some strange reason, it made her even wetter.
“Your pretty pink pussy is just asking to be punished,” Allik told her.
Victoria stared up at him, her eyes widening, but she said nothing.
“Fifteen strokes should be enough,” he continued. “If you fail to hold your legs apart, I will add another ten. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” Victoria said with an agonized groan. How she was supposed to remain in this position was beyond her. She closed her eyes and waited for the first stroke to fall.
* * *
Allik looked down at Victoria and grinned. Her body was tense, her face scrunched up, and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut as she anticipated the sensual torture to come. She was absolutely perfect and Allik couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so happy. In her presence, the world felt right. After his capture by the Bylanthians, he had never expected to feel at peace again but around Victoria he felt something close to the calm he’d once known. It was a little disconcerting to realize that she had already come to mean so much to him.
He trailed the strands of the flogger lightly over her small, rose-tipped breasts and she let out a sigh of pleasure that went straight to his cock. If he didn’t get a grip, he was going to come in his pants like some overly eager boy.
“Relax,” he told her as he guided the strips of leather down to the gentle curve of her belly. For a moment, he imagined it swelling with his child and then he dismissed those thoughts. He was getting too far ahead of himself. He drew the flogger down over her bare mound and along her sopping wet cunt. “Naughty girl. You’re soaking already.”
Victoria opened her eyes and looked up at him, a soft smile playing on her luscious red lips. There was a dreamy, faraway look about her that enhanced her beauty. Her whole face seemed to glow with contentment.
“I want you to count these for me,” Allik said. She offered no response. “Did you hear me, Victoria?”
“Yes.” There was a touch of impatience in her tone. Clearly, she was aroused and desperate for him to begin, but Allik would not allow her to dictate his pace.
“Yes, what?”
A scowl formed on Victoria’s face and Allik could practically see the warring thoughts as they churned through her mind. She seemed to be trying to decide whether to give him the respect he demanded or stand her ground and assert her independence. She rocked her hips restlessly and her burgeoning desire clearly won out.
“Yes, sir.” There was a little sass in her reply.
Her mouth twisted into a wry little smirk that told him she wasn’t really prepared to cede any ground to him. She was just playing along to get what she wanted. Allik shook his head. It was all very well for her to have a mind, a will of her own, but he wasn’t going to stand for any insolence. He leaned forward and gave her right thigh a sharp smack.
“Ow,” she grumbled, her lips forming a pout. “That hurt.”
“No, it didn’t,” Allik chastised her. “Now, would you care to try that again, without the sneering this time?”
“Yes, sir,” Victoria said softly.
“Good girl. Now, remember to count.”
He drew back the flogger and then brought it down using only a fraction of his full strength. The intention was not to hurt her, after all, but to bring her the most intense pleasure she’d ever experienced. With practiced accuracy, he found his target and the tiny bud of her clitoris immediately began to swell.
“One,” Victoria moaned and wiggled on the bed.
“Stop squirming,” Allik commanded and she stilled immediately.
He placed another precise hit on her engorged clitoris and she whimpered with need.
“Two.”
As the flogger struck over and over again, barely giving her time to call out the numbers, her face contorted into an expression of pure ecstasy. She groaned in pleasure and her nipples formed stiff little peaks. Allik bent forward and sucked one of the rosebuds into his mouth. His hand wrapped around her breast as his tongue lapped over the nipple and Victoria’s breath quickened. Just as it seemed she was about to come, he drew back. He was not ready to let her reach a climax quite yet.
Allik flicked the leather strands over her glistening pussy again and again.
“Twelve,” Victoria said and he struck her again. “Thirteen.”
She was breathless now, the words coming out on a rush of air.
“I wish you could see yourself,” Allik said. “Your pussy is a deeper pink and your thighs are soaked with the honey dripping from your cunt. It’s a beautiful sight.”
Victoria bit down on her bottom lip and shifted her hips on the bed. Clearly, his words had excited her. He could smell her arousal on the air like a heady perfume. She made a little mewling sound and he delivered another stroke, the soft leather strands striking the entrance to her feminine channel this time.
“Fourteen,” she gasped.
Allik could see how close she was to a climax. Her whole body was quivering as she fought for control. To her credit, she didn’t break position. He drew back his bare hand and slapped her cunt hard. Victoria let out a shriek. As her body shook with the first waves of pleasure, Allik thrust the woven handle of the flogger inside her. Victoria panted and moaned as he fucked her with it in long, languorous strokes. Her body writhed helplessly as she was gripped by something too powerful to resist.
“Come for me,” Allik commanded.
Immediately, her back arched sharply and she let out a scream. Victoria came violently, her feminine juices gushing all over the handle of the flogger. He withdrew it and watched as she slowly came back to herself. Then he leaned over her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Good girl,” he said. “You’ve had your pleasure, now I’ll take mine.”
* * *
Victoria lay on the bed, a boneless, quivering wreck, and looked up at Allik. She’d thought the climax she’d achieved this morning when Kyree pleasured her had been intense, but it had only been a warmup to the main event. If this was the reward, she would gladly call him sir every now and then.
“Open your mouth,” Allik commanded. Victoria obeyed straight away. He slipped the handle of the flogger, slick with her feminine moisture, into her mouth. “Can you taste your sweet honey?”
Unable to answer with her mouth filled, Victoria nodded slowly. It was odd to taste herself like that.
“Lick it clean,” he ordered.
He rolled the handle around on her tongue until she had lapped up all the evidence of her climax. Allik removed the handle and turned it horizontally. He pushed it between her lips.
“Do not drop it,” he cautioned. “If you do, you’ll be punished. Do you understand?”
Victoria nodded and sank her teeth into the handle. She watched as Allik got up from the bed. For a moment he just stood there looking down at her with such an intense desire in his gaze, it made her shiver with delight. He unfastened his black leather pants and slipped them off. His massive erection jutted out from his body and Victoria wished she could wrap her lips around it, to show it the reverence it deserved.
Without warning, Allik grabbed her hips. In one swift movement, he pulled her toward the edge of the bed and flipped her over so she was on her front, facing away from him. Crying out in surprise, Victoria let the handle of the flogger fall from her mouth.
“Oh, Victoria, I asked you to do one thing.” There was a playfully mocking tone in Allik’s voice as he reached down and retrieved the flogger. He helped her up onto all fours and pushed the handle back between her lips.
Victoria jumped as his hand
crashed down on her bottom. It smarted but she managed not to call out. She was not going to risk dropping the flogger again. As she shifted to alleviate the sting, Allik took a firm hold of her hips and thrust his cock inside her. Victoria’s eyes widened. The fullness was more than she could possibly have imagined. As he began to slide in and out of her slick channel, she rocked back against him.
She felt Allik lean over her, his weight pressing on her back as he stilled inside her. She felt the warm breath on her neck and then, suddenly, he bit down on her shoulder. Victoria reared back in shock but his tongue lapped over the spot where his teeth had sunk into her and soothed the fleeting hurt.
“You’re mine,” he whispered in her ear before straightening up and starting to move in and out of her once more. His cock stretched her tight channel to cause a delicious combination of pleasure and pain. Victoria moaned as he reached around and ran his finger over her engorged clitoris. He flicked it gently and she felt the first spasms of pleasure take hold. As he continued to pound inside her, the movements becoming more and more furious, her pussy clamped down around his cock. Her fists clenched and she panted for breath as the most intense contractions gripped her womb. The sensation was like nothing she could have imagined. It was so powerful, it was almost too much to bear. An incredible feeling of euphoria seized her and she screamed out her climax. As she came, her entire body trembled. For a moment, she lost all sense of time and place as she babbled incoherent words of ecstasy. Allik let out an animalistic roar as his seed flooded her with warmth.
Allik took the flogger from her mouth and tossed it aside. He helped her up into a kneeling position and she rested her head against his chest as her body shook with the force of her orgasm. He withdrew from her body and held her for the longest time. As the last embers of the fiery pleasure began to fade, he turned her face toward him. Their lips met in a surprisingly soft kiss and then he pulled away.
“Lower your head to the bed,” Allik instructed.
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