by Aria Bell
If he actually intended to save me. He was a pirate after all. What was to stop him from tricking me, getting what he wanted from me, letting me warm his bed while I was kept locked in my room until he turned me over for the ransom? That would be far easier than going against his entire crew and risking his command of this ship for a human female he’d just met…
I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes at him. “Cut the crap and keep your compliments, Dra’sten. Either get to the point or take me back to my cell—I mean my quarters—so I can rot there without being crushed by the extreme density of your ego.”
Dra’sten’s gaze hardened. “Fine. You want to know the truth? How I’m going to save you? What my intentions are? I’ll tell you.” He leaned toward me, his gaze as sharp as his sword. “I want you as my mate.”
I gaped at him, completely thrown for a loop. “You…you what?”
“You heard me. Be my mate.” He stood and walked around the table. He was so big and broad, but when he reached out and took my hand again, he was surprisingly gentle. His eyes were gentle too. Earnest, even passionate, but warm, no hint that he was toying with me. He bowed over my hand, a formal gesture. “Please, Sylvis. Do me the honor of becoming my mate.”
“I…” My throat clicked as I swallowed hard. My thoughts were reeling. My brain felt as if it had melted down into slag. Hadn’t I asked for exactly this to get out of being ransomed back to my father? Only to be just as much a prisoner in my father’s world as I was here. Then my anger flared even hotter.
I jerked my hand out of his and stood, knocking over my chair. “You turned me down! In front of everyone. In front of my father. You humiliated me!”
Tears filled my eyes, making my sight blurry as the hot shame I thought I’d buried deep inside me flashed back to the surface. I gritted my teeth. My throat ached as if something were lodged in there and choking me as I fought the hurt, tears, and anger swelling inside me. I didn’t want to cry in front of him again. I refused.
For a moment he only stared at me, his gaze searing across my face, his eyes were so intense. Then he grabbed me by my uniform lapels with his big hands. A shocked gasp escaped me as he pulled me close and captured my lips in a scorching kiss. My thoughts broke into a chaotic whirl in my mind, but my body immediately responded eagerly to his kiss, his touch. Memories of last night’s pleasure filled my mind. I was pressed up against his hard body as he sparked desire inside me again, had it burning through me like wildfire. My heart was pounding so hard I was certain he could feel it.
My lips opened wider, and he deepened the kiss as if he could effortlessly read all the signals my body was broadcasting. Finally, after what seemed an eternity of bliss and heat that melted my thoughts, he drew away, leaving me breathing hard, my blood roaring in my ears. That kiss… That kiss had been everything I’d needed, everything I’d yearned for…
“I am no poet, Sylvis,” he said, staring deep into my eyes as if willing me to understand. “I can’t convince you with fancy words I don’t have. But I needed to show you how I felt about you the best way I could.”
“A kiss doesn’t mean anything.” Even though that was a lie. That kiss had meant everything. But then a thought occurred to me that chilled me all the way through. “You asked me to mate you…because you can’t free me any other way. Isn’t that right? You promised I would be free, but this…this is the condition, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he said, his voice turning grim. “Please believe me. I never wanted to take you with us in the first place. I don’t take slaves and I don’t take hostages—”
“And yet here I am,” I interrupted bitterly. I drew away from him, crossing my arms. “Well I’m sorry to have made your life of crime so difficult. It’s not as if I had a choice.”
“No. You didn’t. But neither did I. One of my crew discovered you were related to the ultra-wealthy Traskers. Once my first mate learned of it, taking you for ransom was unavoidable. I am captain here, but pirate ships are not military ships. I didn’t want a mutiny on my hands.”
“And what changed?” I demanded, glaring at him.
“I learned you are worth a mutiny.”
That momentarily silenced me as warmth spread throughout my body, the thrill of his words heating me from my heart on outward. But I refused to be so easily won.
“You turned me down when I needed you, so what would make you believe I would ever agree again?” I said. “Maybe I’d rather marry a warty old man who smells like cheese than be mated to you. In fact, now that I think of it, I’d rather marry a diseased space rat rather than—”
He silenced me by pulling me into another scorching kiss. My eyes fluttered closed and my lips parted as he deepened the kiss. This time his tongue probed into my mouth, and I groaned as I flicked my tongue against his, helpless to stop my body from reacting to his presence, his scent, his touch…
When he ended the kiss, I could feel my mental and emotional defenses wearing down. Yet I refused to give in. My stubbornness has seen me through the academy and every challenge I’d ever faced. I wasn’t about to abandon it now.
“That…that isn’t going to convince me,” I said. “You can keep kissing me all you want, but that isn’t going to solve anything.”
His arrogant grin made me want to hit him with a lamp…and kiss him again. “Maybe not,” he said, “but I’m certainly enjoying it.” His expression turned serious once more. “I was wrong to turn you down. I failed you when you needed me. I won’t make excuses for my actions. I swear it won’t happen again, whether you accept me as a mate or not.” He went down to one knee in front of me, which meant he was only a little bit shorter than I was, now nearly at eye-level with me. “I did some research on a few human customs. The male goes down on one knee to ask for the female’s hand. If this helps change your mind, then I’m more than willing to do so. I will do anything necessary to earn a ‘yes’ from you.”
I found the gesture oddly touching. But still… The madness that had possessed me when my father had been on the viewscreen in front of me had passed. Either way I seemed destined to end up mated to some male. I didn’t want to have to sacrifice my career and my position as captain for anyone—to marry some noble or to remain here as…as Kash’s glorified concubine? Making me do so, whether I was put into a corner by my father or by pirates, only made me angry…and heartbroken. I wanted someone who would love me, not see me as a tool to secure more power or to keep control over a crew or even to set a wrong back to right. Mating me out of pity…regret for taking me in the first place and ruining my life… He’d made me feel incredible, special, loved…for a night. It had been a night I would never forget. But if I couldn’t be free unless I mated him…what kind of life was that?
I looked away, furiously blinking back tears.
When I still hesitated, he nodded and stood again. He looked as if he wanted to comfort me, but instead he gave me space.
“I’ll understand if, after all that has happened, I can’t win your heart,” he said, his voice strangely formal. “But perhaps we can still make a deal, captain to captain.”
“I don’t know…”
“Hear me out. Please, Sylvis.”
I folded my arms and nodded for him to go on.
“I will mate you,” he said, “saving you from being ransomed back to your father and a life you don’t want. But you will have no obligation to me…not to stay with me. This is only to officially take you under my protection and give you all rights on the Defiance Blade. After the mating ceremony, we head back to the outer rim. Once there, the crew will be eager to celebrate our good haul. I’ll make certain we’ll head to a station with interstellar ships traveling into the galactic core. You renounce me as your mate, and I’ll pay for you to head to the nearest galactic police outpost where you can tell them a horrible, beastly brigand kidnapped you against your will. That report should help you keep your captain’s license.”
I shook my head slowly. “My father said he’d destroy m
y career. That he’d imply that I was working with you to take over the Mero Tallasa. He’s a powerful man. He gets what he wants.”
“Your crew and the ship’s records will back you up. We’ve attacked other ships before the Mero Tallasa. The galactic police know we were in the system, preying on the unlucky.”
The unlucky. That sounded exactly like me right now. “I don’t know…”
He appeared amused by my hesitation. “You’re wounding my ego, tersa tuval. You didn’t think I was that hideous last night.”
I felt my cheeks heat. He had been incredible last night. He’d made me feel truly alive, left every nerve ending singing with pleasure.
Kash stared into my eyes as he settled his hand upon the hilt of his sword. “I will defend you, Sylvis. I want your heart to be at ease about that.”
My heart seemed like it would never be at ease again. He was offering me an escape from my father, from the pirates…and from him, no strings attached. I might even be able to salvage my career… “There has to be a downside to this offer.”
For an instant, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Some slightest uncertainty in the blitz of confidence he always gave off. But his words were as self-assured as ever. “No downside. If I claim you, no one can say different. Taking a mate is a powerful thing among the Jardan. Let me do this for you, Sylvis.”
I had to admit, my heart did a little jag of happiness every time he said my name. What did I have to lose? He had already defended me once, cutting off the hand of one of his own crew who’d harbored bad intentions toward me. He was sixty times the male of any of balding, haughty aristocrat my father would make me wed. I’d be able to give my father the finger and defy him. At least this way I had some hope. I would be free, as Kash had promised. If this was the only way to gain my freedom, I needed to put any anger, misgivings, or distracting romantic notions aside and do what I needed to do.
Still…
“This is risky for you, isn’t it?” I asked softly.
“Let me worry about the risks.”
Moment of truth. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Then I agree to your terms.”
“You sound like you did when surrendering your ship.” His eyes had an amused glint to them.
“This is very much like that.”
That amusement in his eyes turned to something more primal, hotter, even more passionate. “I intend to convince you otherwise.” He held up a hand before I could respond with any new doubts. “But I’ll honor our agreements. I swear it upon my sword and my father’s soul. I’ll make all the arrangements. The ceremony will take place tomorrow.”
So soon. That made me anxious and uncertain again. “What will the ceremony involve?”
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing elaborate—not on a Jardan starship anyway. Vows. My sword. All very straightforward. If we were planetbound or stationside, things would be different.”
His sword? I didn’t even want to ask. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”
“Now that’s the enthusiasm I like to hear.” But he didn’t seem offended. It looked as if he was taking it as a challenge.
“Does this have…? Um.” I paused, a thrill running through me that I struggled to hide. Keeping my voice steady was also a challenge. Too many amazingly vivid memories of us together last night. “Does it have…marriage rights?”
“It wouldn’t be mating if it didn’t.” His grin widened, showing that mix of charm and arrogance that annoyed me and excited me at the same time. “But I promise not to claim your body again…until you beg me.”
“Ha! Fat chance, you arrogant pig.”
“Arrogant pig and now your future mate.”
Damn it. He had a point there. I decided to ignore him.
“Thank you for dining with me,” he said, offering me his arm. “I’ll escort you back to your quarters. We’ll need plenty of rest. We both have a big day tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SIX
Captain Kash Dra’sten
My restless, tortured night was haunted by the feel of Sylvis Trasker’s body in my arms, her heat, her soft lips yielding to me. I lay on my bunk, my hands behind my head, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about the way her breathing grew faster, her heartbeat increased when I kissed her, when I held her tight against me. Replaying every instant of making love to her. It was impossible to sleep with my cock rock hard and aching for her. I wanted to hear her moan when I freed her breasts from the confines of that captain’s uniform, teasing her nipples with my mouth, flicking my tongue over them. Lavishing every millimeter of her body with all my attention, every bit of focus I had. I wanted her shuddering on the end of my cock once more as I slid deep inside her, sheathing myself balls deep, again and again until she cried out my name in her pleasure.
I wanted to claim her, to own her. But not just as her lover, as her mate.
I wanted to capture her heart for good, heal all her pain.
Be her hero.
And for that, I was willing to sacrifice a huge ransom and risk provoking a mutiny on my ship. It was clear I had gone and absolutely screwed myself beyond repair. All because of a female. But not just any female, a starship captain who had the spirit of a Jardan warrior, who spoke her mind, who cared for her crew above her own safety. Who faced down her bastard of a father and defied him to the end. Even to the point of mating the pirate she detested, the one who’d stolen her from her ship.
Taking Sylvis as my mate would irrevocably change her status onboard the Defiance Blade, protecting her from both the crew and from her father’s plans to marry her off, while destroying our chance for any the ransom.
I no longer cared about the ransom. I realized I hadn’t cared about it for a long time, if ever. But I was also looking at a mutiny on my hands if I didn’t play this perfectly. I might have made enemies of both House Trasker and my crew at the same time, deep in Galactic Imperium space. And I’d done it all for a female who hated my guts to varying degrees, depending on whether I was kissing her or not. But even if I lost her and she left me to return to her old life, I would never forget the night I’d spent with her and the passion between us.
The time alarm in my quarters went off far too soon. I grumbled as I rolled out of my bunk, scratched, and stretched. I worked my way through push-ups, sit-ups and other exercises before hitting the tube shower. I scanned the viewscreen on the wall, checking ship status and location as I pulled on pants, laced up my boots, and buckled on my sword. I left the synth leather coat behind, because Jardan warriors bared their chest for important events, showing our brave hearts to the universe, our courage being the only armor we needed. Few things were more important than taking a mate.
I wasn’t a Jardan warrior. I was a pirate. But I believed this was how my father would’ve liked to see me. My mother…she was going to murder me when she found out I’d mated. Not because she had anything against humans, but because she hadn’t been here to see it.
First I intended to head to the bridge and inform Gren’don and the crew I was taking Sylvis as a mate. Then, if things didn’t degrade into a bloody free-for-all when they realized this destroyed all chances of a ransom, I would go get Sylvis and perform the ceremony on the bridge.
After that… No, I decided I had to stay focused on the problems right in front of me as I walked quickly down the short corridor leading to the bridge.
Gren’don turned to me the moment I crossed the threshold. “Captain, we’re ready to make the hostage exchange at your command. We can be at Tirinva in two standard hours.”
“Change of plans,” I said curtly. “Navigation, lay in a course back to the outer rim. Cerros Nune Station over Prioxa. We’ll offload there, refuel and refit.” Cerros Nune was a black market hub space station for the outer rim. We regularly moved stolen resources through it and always got a good price.
Gren’don frowned and his voice was dangerously soft. “What about the human woman?”
“Congratulate me,” I replied, grinning. “
I convinced Sylvis Trasker to be my mate.” I held up my hands as the entire bridge crew turned to stare at me. “I know, I know. I turned her down, but that was only because I’m a traditionalist. Where I come from, the male courts the female. So, with that good news, drinks at the station will be on me.”
A tense silence filled the air. The building aggression and fraught atmosphere put my fighting instincts into overdrive. I didn’t move my hand toward my sword. It would never do to show even a split second of fear or uncertainty. But my skin crawled with the need to draw my blade and shout out a challenge. Anyone who had a problem with my mate would taste steel.
Gren’don’s hand did drop to his sword hilt, a movement no one on the bridge missed. “You can’t do that. What about the Trasker ransom?”
“Simple. We don’t collect it. But I’ll cover it out of my cut from what we’ve already taken in this system.”
