by Lee Savino
Every single Draekon in this room is drop-dead gorgeous. There’s a ton of eye-candy here, but the only person I want to see is missing. I scan the crowds, but I don’t see Kadir. Damn it, where is he? Raiht’vi assured me he wasn’t hurt, and she thought he’d be here, but he isn’t.
She’s talking to someone. I don’t want to interrupt her conversation to ask her to help me find him.
“Alice,” a voice shouts. “There you are.”
It’s Olivia. She makes her way through the crowds. “It’s good to see you here,” she says, hugging me tight. “I’m so glad both of you are okay.” Her gaze falls on Tanya, and a shadow falls over her face. “Hi,” she says. “I’m Olivia Bucknell. You must be Tanya Sinclair.”
Tanya mumbles something inarticulate. Olivia gives her another quick look of concern and then turns to me. “Here’s a tablet for you and an access bracelet,” she says. “Everyone uses them here.” I take the devices. The bracelet goes on my wrist, while the tablet’s thankfully small enough to fit in the pocket of my voluminous robes. Side note: I’m going to need new clothes soon.
“Everyone’s going to get wasted tonight,” Olivia says dispassionately, watching the people in the room. Her voice lowers. “Is Tanya okay with the crowds? No one will touch her without her consent.”
“I don’t know,” I whisper back. “She didn’t want to be alone. She started screaming when she saw Raiht’vi. That wasn’t good. Raiht’vi gave her a sedative, and she slept for an hour, but it wore off.”
Olivia sighs heavily. “PTSD. I’ve seen it before. Both of you will go into psych eval tomorrow.” She gives me a sidelong look. “You’re in surprisingly good shape, all things considered.”
Because a stubborn alien bossed me around, killed people for me, and called me a warrior. He never quit on me, and he never let me quit on myself.
Oh. My. God. I’m in love with him.
“Alice?” Olivia’s giving me a very strange look. “Are you okay?”
Well, damn. I’m in love with an alien warrior who turns into a dragon. My mom’s probably turning in her grave. Then again, maybe not. She was a no-nonsense kind of person, and she liked people who didn’t play games. Once she got past the dragon thing, she’d have probably really liked Kadir.
Olivia’s saying something. I give her a confused look. “Sorry, what?”
“Do you want a drink?”
My mind is reeling from my realization. “Sure.”
Olivia’s not the only human woman in the rebellion. There’s another woman in the canteen, and she doesn’t look a day over eighteen. When she spots us, she makes her way over to our corner. “More humans,” she says brightly. “Hi. I’m Dor.”
“Dor?”
“Short for Dorothy,” she replies with a grimace. “But nobody calls me that.”
She looks really young. “Were you in the program as well?” I ask her curiously.
She shakes her head. “No. You had to be twenty-one to apply, and I wasn’t old enough. I got here the old-fashioned way. I was abducted.”
My mouth falls open. I almost drop the drink Olivia hands me. “What?”
“Yup. Shiny spacecraft, beam of light, the works.” Her voice is cheerful. “I could have been in a bad sixties sci-fi movie.”
“You seem pretty okay about it.”
“I worked in a shitty video game arcade back on Earth,” she replies, her voice matter of fact. “Teenage boys talked to my breasts. The tips were awful, and my manager kept hitting on me, no matter how many times I turned him down. Here, I’m training to be a pilot, and I’m dating two hot guys who turn into dragons.”
Two guys? Oh my. “Umm, wow. When you put it that way, I can see your point.” I pause, marshaling my thoughts. “I thought Earth was part of the Neutral Zone, and travel to it is forbidden.”
Olivia raises a silent eyebrow.
“I read Kadir’s ThoughtVault,” I reply defensively. “That’s why none of us can return to Earth, right?” I found that out yesterday. That was a fun realization, let me tell you.
I didn’t panic nearly as much as I should have. Now, I realize why. My subconscious had already known what I’ve just figured out—I’m in love with a Draekon. It’s not like I can take Kadir to Earth. Can you imagine a dragon on the Magnificent Mile? It’ll cause one hell of a stir.
“It’s one of the reasons,” she confirms. “The other reason is that the Zorahn bribed off the right people. Everyone on Earth believes we’re dead. And since none of us have any family back home, there’s no one to cause a stink.” She takes a sip of her drink. “Travel to the Neutral Zone is forbidden, and the Triumvirate ships patrol the space and shoot on sight. Dor got here because of Kelek ab Rahni.”
“Who is Kelek ab Rahni?”
“A Zorahn smuggler. He’s extraordinarily gifted and just as unscrupulous. He seems to have figured out a way past the Triumvirate patrols.”
“He abducted humans from Earth?”
“He denies it. He says he has no idea the scientists were planning to snatch people. They were only supposed to take DNA.” She rolls her eyes. “Call me cynical, but I’m not sure I buy that. However, he’s put the Council of Scientists on his blacklist, so maybe he’s telling the truth.”
There’s still no sign of Kadir. Where is he? I’m about to walk up to Raiht’vi, tap her on the shoulder, and ask her to take me to him, when another woman enters the room. A human woman.
Olivia waves to her, a wide smile on her face. “It’s Felicity,” she says happily. “She was going to try and stop by on her way back to Ashara. Oh yay. I’m so glad she made it.”
It’s so strange. There are four human women here. I have things in common with them. We grew up on the same planet. We eat similar food, have similar cultural backgrounds. I don’t have to explain concepts like hanging out at the mall, running a marathon, or posting on social media. We have things in common.
Yet, hanging out with them, I feel out of place and restless. They’re not home to me. Kadir is. Somehow, in the space of a few days, the Draekon has become the center of my existence.
I get to my feet. “I’m wiped,” I tell everyone. “It’s been a long day. Would you excuse me?”
“There’s a map to your quarters on the tablet,” Olivia says. “But I can show you the way if you’d like.”
A map? Excellent. That’ll help me find Kadir.
I decline her offer of help and make my way out of the canteen. When I’m alone in the corridor, I pull out my tablet. Yes, Kadir’s room is marked, and it’s not far. I walk there in less than five minutes and knock on the door.
“What is it?” he snarls.
Okay, that’s not exactly the reception I’d hoped for. “It’s me, Alice. Is now a bad time?”
The door is wrenched open. Kadir looms in front of me. “Sorry,” he says. “I’ve had a string of unwelcome visitors. You’re the only one I actually want to see.” He pulls me into the room, pushes me against the wall, and kisses me, deep and possessive. “I’ve missed you, Alice. One night in your bed, and I’m addicted to you.” He nips my neck, and sharp desire knifes through me. “Little human, what have you done to me?”
The tone of his voice—ragged, raw, skirting on the edge of control—sends a fresh surge of lust pounding in my blood. “Kadir,” I whimper. If he keeps kissing me, I’m going to lose my mind. “Let me go.”
He drops his hands instantly and stares at me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed…”
Oh God, not this again. Does he seriously think I’m going to be influenced by people that don’t know anything about him?
I sink to my knees and look up at him. “You shouldn’t have assumed what?” I ask him innocently, my fingers ghosting over the thick outline of his erection. “That I wanted to suck your cock?”
“Alice…” His voice is a delicious growl with a hint of pleading.
“Kadir,” I mock growl back, undoing his pants. He jerks once and goes still as my palm strokes his flesh. His sk
in is hot, and his shaft jumps in response to my touch.
His cock is a monster. I handle it with both hands, trying to keep myself from freaking out. I’ve given blow jobs before and enjoyed them, but never with someone so large. It’s more than a little intimidating.
But at the same time, I’m also incredibly turned on.
I place my hands on Kadir’s thighs. My pussy throbs as I lick his head and taste his spiced flavor. I look up at him before I take the tip of his cock in my mouth. His head falls back, and his face clenches with desire.
I run my tongue over him, working up the nerve to fit my mouth over the giant, flared head. He groans out loud. “Alice,” he murmurs. “Deeper…”
“Slowly,” I say wickedly, winking at him.
His eyes sparkle with dark amusement. Knowing Kadir, he’ll make me pay for my sass. I’m totally looking forward to it.
When I finally do close my lips around him, I moan deep in my throat. Little bolts of electricity run through me as I swallow as much of his length as I can. My nipples tighten, my skin flushes and when I shift on my knees, wetness trickles down my thighs. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. The arousal feels like a drug, dangerous and addictive, and I want more of it. More of him.
Kadir leans back, his big hands fisted at his side. His face contorts like he’s in pain.
I’m slowly adjusting to his size. My fingers grip his thighs as I work on deep-throating him. I suck his cock, my tongue stroking his shaft, my head bobbing on his length.
“Yes,” Kadir hisses. With gentle fingers, he loosens my ponytail and arranges the tendrils around my face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers. He runs a possessive hand over my hair, and I lean into his touch. I’m never going to get tired of the softness in his voice when he tells me I’m beautiful. I’m never going to get tired of seeing the way he looks at me, his eyes blazing with heat.
He urges my mouth back on his cock. I suck in a breath and take him deeper, until he hits the back of my throat. I shift on my knees. He’s taking control and I’m wet as hell.
He cups my face in his hands a moment before pulling me up. “Here,” he says, guiding me to the bed and positioning me on my back with my head on the very edge, tilted back. “Open your mouth,” he orders. Typical. Bossy Draekon.
“There, that’s it,” he says approvingly as I obey. “Good girl.”
He slides into my mouth. At this angle I can take much, much more of him. He leans over me, sliding a hand up my robe, stroking my aching pussy with sure fingers. My legs snap together automatically, and he presses them apart. “Don’t make me tie you up,” he warns.
I groan out loud at the sheer eroticism of that idea.
“Would you like that?” I hear the smile in his voice as his fingers glide along my inner thigh, his touch sending my nerve endings prickling with heat. “Tie you up so you can’t escape?”
“Yes,” I gurgle around his cock.
His answering chuckle is dark. He plays with my swollen, aching nipples through my robes, making me shiver. “Do you like this robe?”
He pulls away, and I gulp in a breath before answering. “Not really.”
Before I can ask what he’s about, Kadir growls, “Good. Because I hate it.” He seizes two handfuls and rips it in half. Oh wow. Desire coils through my insides, and I gasp in mingled shock and need. He tugs the tattered fabric off me. “For five days,” he growls, his eyes blazing with heat, “I’ve been patient. For five days, I’ve wanted to see you naked.” He rubs my nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, pinching and tugging them. I arch off the bed, wordlessly begging for more.
“For five days,” he rasps, “I’ve dreamed about sinking into your wet heat.”
Oh God. A sob of relief almost escapes my mouth. I’ve spent the journey to the Rebellion headquarters in a state of desperate lust. I’ve ached for Kadir’s touch. It’s so good to know it’s not one-sided. It’s not just me that feels this way.
I rise to my knees. “Me too,” I murmur as I tug his own shirt off. I practically purr when he’s bare before me, his chest corded with bronzed muscle.
He cups my face again, his expression tender. There’s something in his eyes that makes my heart clench. “Kadir,” I whisper. I love him so much. It feels like all that emotion is welling up inside me, threatening to overflow. I don’t know how to handle it. “Kiss me, please.”
Our lips touch, softly at first. His tongue slips between my lips, sending a jolt through me. I kiss him back, my own tongue teasing his. He groans into my mouth, the rumbles reverberating through me. I press myself to him, needing to feel him against me.
His hands roam down my body, igniting a lightning storm in my blood. I whimper as his fingers find my pussy, and I throw my head back and groan out loud when they find just the right spot. “Kadir,” I beg. “Please don’t make me wait.”
Of course, he’s going to make me wait. With a wink, he lifts me up, all the way up, until my legs are over his bulging shoulders, my pussy flush against his mouth. He eats me like this, as I howl and writhe, my grasping hands mussing up his hair, his own groans muffled against my intimate flesh. His fingers grip my ass so hard I know I’m going to have bruises. His tongue is a spear, thick and insistent, driving into me. “Oh God,” I scream as my climax comes hurtling toward me. I can’t hold on… I’m going to explode… Sparks burst behind my eyes, and I fall apart.
He lays me down gently, still sucking my clit. My head is lolling; my muscles have turned to butter. His clever lips and tongue send aftershock after aftershock sizzling through me, until I can’t take anymore and push him away.
For a few minutes, I drift in a deliciously sated haze. Kadir moves around the bed, busying himself with something at my feet. I catch a glimpse of the devilish glint in his eyes, and I try to move but I can’t.
He’s bound my ankles.
Oh God, yes.
A fever of need runs through my blood as Kadir uses the torn pieces of my robe to bind my hands to the headboard. When I’m thoroughly restrained, he sits back and surveys my naked and bound body. “Tied up,” he growls. “Nowhere to run.” His big hands cup my breasts. “You’re mine, Alice.”
27
Kadir
Alice blinks her brown eyes at me, her expression hazy and unfocused. A blush dawns on her cheeks. She licks her soft lips, calling my attention to them. “Wow.”
“You like this?” I slide my thick fingers inside her soaked entrance.
“Kadir,” she sighs my name. “Please. Please fuck me.”
Yes! The dragon inside me is roaring, spreading its wings and demanding I claim my mate.
I kneel between her legs, cock in hand. Using my hard length, I spank her pussy once, twice. Her hips jump and she moans again. “Kadir…”
“Yes, love?”
I brace myself over her. I rock slightly, letting my cock drag between her puffy lower lips. She struggles under me, arching her back, trying to get closer, trying to get me to sink into her sweet wet heat. “More,” she whimpers. “I need you. Inside—"
The scent of her arousal hangs in the air, inflaming my senses. I slip the tip of my cock into her. She writhes under me, her nipples brushing my chest. I rock in and out, shallow thrusts that make her eyes spark with glorious fire. She bares her teeth. “Kadir, if you don’t fuck me, I swear—”
I can hold back no longer. Her angry comment dies with a shocked cry as I slam myself home. Home inside her. The dragon roars in approval as I claim my mate. I grip her hips hard as I thrust into her, deep and steady. Her muscles clamp down on my length, and her face contorts with pleasure.
Warmth blooms through me. I feel Alice in every corner of my body. In her arms, I forget the seas of blood. I forget the endless battles. Her touch drives out the rathr and leaves peace in its wake. In my mate’s warm embrace, I feel whole.
28
Alice
I’m in another galaxy. My head’s spinning. My body is wracked with orgasm after orgasm, one cra
shing into the other as Kadir pounds me into the bed. His cock catches the needy spots deep inside me. He grinds down on my clit. I lift my hips as far as my bound legs will allow and urge him deeper.
Kadir rips the bindings off my feet and positions them on his shoulders, propping me up higher to hit a spot deep inside me.
Stars explode. Colors flash. My core supernovas, the sensation so intense, I grit my teeth against the sharp edge. I’m laughing and I’m crying, overwhelmed by sensation. Wave after wave of pleasure crash over me. He grunts, his face clenched. He thrusts into me, hard and uncontrolled, and then he shouts out as he finds his release.
He frees me from my bindings. He cleans me up, using a washcloth to wipe down my sweaty skin. I wince as I move my arms and legs. I am going to be so sore. I’ll be feeling the effects of Kadir’s passion tomorrow and the day after.
I’ll feel him forever.
Once we’re cleaned up, the two of us lie next to each other, our bodies touching. For the first time, I look around his quarters. “This is nice.” There’s not much in the room, but there’s space to move around, and the furniture looks comfortable.
“It’s not luxurious.”
I laugh and tuck myself closer to him. “Kadir, I spent seven months in a prison cell. This looks like a palace in comparison.”
He laces his fingers in mine. “How was the party?”
“Weird. Why weren’t you there? Didn’t want to be thanked by dozens of grateful people?” At his surprised look, I laugh out loud. “You’re not the only one who can read minds.”
He smiles at me. “Clever Alice,” he says, kissing the corner of my mouth. “Commander Tarish dropped by earlier.”
“He wants you to train his soldiers?” I guess.
He nods. “He also gave me the antidote to the toxin. He’s sending it to the others as well. If he can find them.”
“It’s about time,” I bite out. I can’t believe they poisoned Kadir in order to make him look for us. Had none of them tried asking nicely? Anyone who thought that was a good idea needs a swift kick in their ass.
