by Cynthia Sax
“Your mother won’t mind if you use her name.” He kissed her forehead, trying to soothe her. “You’re her legacy.” A legacy he cherished.
“I am, aren’t I?” His mate blinked, absorbing that idea. “I might not have any possessions of hers but I have her name, some of her features, perhaps a bit of her personality. We’re connected. I have a history.”
“And you have a future.” He would ensure she had one of those. “We’re connected also.”
He placed a palm on their domicile’s control panel. The doors opened. He carried her through the structure, heading straight for their private chambers.
“I need that connection with you right now, Dare.” She curled her arm around his neck. “My soul is empty and I’m floating. Complete our bond. Reassure me I’m not alone, that I have you.”
He set her on the sleeping support. “You have me.” He tore his garments off his body, eager to feel her skin against his, to have that reassurance she was alive, was unharmed. “You will always have me.” He removed her boots, more careful with his tiny mate than he was with himself. “And I will always have you.”
He unfastened her flight suit, tugged it to her waist. Her nipples tightened, her breasts covered with beautiful black scales.
Fire play was part of Dracheon mating. Her newly acquired natural armor would protect her, permit her to fully embrace the encounter.
It would also liberate his beast.
He wouldn’t be able to control it, not after seeing her memories. His Drache had envisioned its mate dead, required confirmation that she wasn’t. His chest rumbled. His claws pricked at his skin.
He bent his head and licked between his mate’s curves, tasting salt and smoke and female. There was no blood, no projectile wounds. He exhaled deeply. She was whole, healthy, his.
“Your tongue sizzles.” Faylee lifted her hips.
“I burn for you, mate.” He pulled on her flight suit, baring her completely.
His female was small, appeared deceptively fragile and inconsequential, yet she was strong. She had survived experiences that would have broken other beings, could outrun muscle-bound warriors, steal weapons from seasoned assassins, face enemies with a blank countenance and a proud tilt of her chin.
“You light the fire in my chest.” He laved her stomach with the flat of his tongue. “You alone can draw forth my flame.” He explored the dips and swells of her form. “Other beings leave me cold.”
“I’m only warm when I’m with you.” She caressed his shoulders. “I crave your touch, your scent.” She breathed deeply. “Your fire. I dream of it—your flames over my skin, your smoke against my lips.”
He growled, her words exciting him. She parted her legs. Her pussy lips glistened. His mate was aroused by their talk also.
“I fantasize about your scales most of all.” Her fingers slipped down his chest. “They were the reason we met.”
“We were destined to meet.” He lowered, mouthing over her mons. “Normal Dracheons rarely reveal their scales. They often meet their mates in their human-like forms.”
“I’m not a normal Dracheon’s mate, am I?” Her eyes glowed. “I approached you because of your scales. Light glinted off them and they called to me, urged me to touch them.” Her fingers splayed over him as they had when they’d first met. His abs contracted, his reaction as intense as it had been then. “You were shiny and I was a thief, attracted to shiny things. I couldn’t resist you.”
“If I had been normal, we might not have met.” He lifted his head, stunned by that thought. “You’re with me now because of my lack of control, not despite of it.”
“You have control, Dare.” She slid her legs along his sides, stripping some of that restraint. “Your Drache is strong. You’re not weak.” She gazed at him as though she had no doubts. “Would a weak warrior have defeated your friend’s brother in the ring this planet rotation?”
“The bout ended in a draw.” He nuzzled between her thighs. Her scent filled his nostrils, driving his beast wild.
“You would have defeated him.”
He couldn’t argue with her because she was right. He would have defeated Oghul.
“Azalea told me Chameles are some of the best warriors in the universe.” His mate peppered him with more facts. The Chameles’ prowess in battle was legendary. No one messed with them or their sector. “The brother is the fiercest Chamele Warlord’s second-in-command and you bested him. That required strength and control.”
“It did require strength and control.” He discarded solar cycles of criticism, accepting his mate’s view of him. She was the only being whose opinion truly mattered. “And I bested him for you.”
“For me?” Her eyes widened. “Because of the bet I made?”
“Because I wanted to impress you.” He wanted to prove himself worthy of her. “Because winners are often rewarded.”
“Did you have a reward in mind?” She cupped her breasts and wiggled her ass, his mate’s playfulness enchanting him, her movements thrilling his beast.
“This reward is always on my mind.” He extended his claws, skimmed them down her form, between her curves, along her stomach, over her mons. She trembled, the scent of her arousal thickening in the air.
“Give me your teeth too.” His mate enticed his Drache.
He braced himself above her and grazed his teeth along her neck. Her back bowed in a silent request for more. He would give her what she wanted.
Dare circled first one breast, then the other, adoring her with his mouth, his teeth. Her eyelids partially lowered. A hum rose from her lips.
He snapped at her right nipple, nipping her scales. His mate jerked, her eyes flashing. She wrapped her legs around him.
Fraggin’ hole. His female was wet, her pussy slick with her juices.
“You like my beast.” He met her gaze.
“I love your beast.” Her words caused his breath to hitch.
She loved his beast. Did she love the rest of him also? “Dracheons don’t speak of love.” That he yearned for that type of talk from her reaffirmed he wasn’t normal.
“Then I’ll never be a normal Dracheon mate.” His little thief’s hands danced over his chest, a sequence of brief light touches that inflamed his desire. “Love should be spoken of loudly and often.”
She might pose as a Dracheon, similar to how she’d posed as a boy to survive in the caves, but she would never fit into that society. He realized that now, a strange sense of relief engulfing him.
“You’re perfect for me, mate.” He blew fire over her lithe form and she undulated in his flames, the orange and red licking at her curves, her scales darkening to the blackest black.
This beautiful being was his. He gazed at her with awe. “You look like a sunset.” She was glorious, vibrant, primal.
His Drache was enthralled.
His mate was needy. “I require less looking and more doing.” She pulled on his shoulders.
He allowed her to guide him downward, submitting to her direction. His hard cock pressed into her softness. She rubbed along his length, her wetness evaporating with a hiss, turning into steam.
He captured her mouth, inhaling her erotic little huffs, tasting her excitement. She opened to him. Their tongues twined.
Her body temperature now matched his. She could tolerate his heat, would find any other being’s mouth as cold as he did. Their bond was almost complete.
Almost.
His beast was impatient to claim its mate forever, to link them until the end of time. Both of them had spent their lifespans alone, enduring a solitary survival. Now, she would have him and he would have her.
There was no luckier Dracheon in the universe.
He bumped his tip against her, found her entrance. Her grip on his shoulders tightened.
He met her gaze. “Are you ready, mate?”
“There’s nothing and no one I want more.” Her voice was husky with desire.
He thrust deep. Warmth rushed up his shaft, her emb
race custom fabricated for him. His beast roared with happiness.
His mate gasped, her lips parting, her fingertips pressing into his scales. Her wonder equaled his. There was no experience equal to being inside her. He was not only connected to her but also to the universe. They were a part of everything, the beginning and the end.
That end might arrive too quickly if he didn’t restrain himself. Dare clenched his jaw, firming his resolve. He drew back slowly.
She lifted her hips, chasing his cock. He thrust yet again, propelling her into the sleeping support. Her ass smacked against the surface. Her eyes shone. They were as black as her scales, sucking him into her gaze.
He drew back and thrust forward, drew back and thrust forward, struggling to control his Drache. His mate, not fearing the savage side of him, drummed her heels against his ass, asking him for harder, deeper.
Seeking to please her, he increased the tempo. More of his willpower slipped.
She bit his bottom lip and he jerked, the pain thrilling his beast. “Mate.” He rumbled a warning.
“I can handle your Drache.” She swept her tongue over his flesh, soothing the ache. “Don’t hold anything back. Set him loose.”
He wanted that also but—
“Free him. Now.” She flicked her tongue against one of his teeth.
The metallic taste of her blood coursed into Dare’s mouth, delectable, primal, irresistible. Maddened by his mate’s flavor, his beast lunged, breaking its chains.
He shoved his palms against his female’s chest, pinning her shoulders to the sleeping support, and brought his face near hers, growling, baring his teeth. His claws extended.
Instead of retreating in fear, she smiled, her delectable scent strengthening, her pussy constricting around his shaft. His mate truly did desire the beast.
She would get that part of him. He drove his cock into her pussy, the impact shaking her. She laughed and held onto him tighter.
Frag. She was fierce. He pounded into her, not holding anything back, mating with all of the power in his form.
His female clung to him, her breathing ragged, her curves cradling him. They rutted like two wild creatures, scaled skin beating scaled skin. Steam rose from their bodies. Smoke hung heavy in the air.
He was lost in her arms, thinking only of her, of the pleasure she was giving him, of the satisfaction he strove to grant her. His muscles ached. The pressure at the base of his spine built.
“Teeth.” She turned her head, exposing her neck.
He ran his teeth over her, teasing her with the sharp tips, and she writhed against him. His mark on her was visible, tiny holes punched permanently into her little black scales, as lasting as a brand.
He flicked his tongue over the spot, his Drache rumbling with satisfaction. Every male would know she belonged to him.
She reached between them, skimming her fingertips down his chest, toward his cock. If she touched him, he’d come. He was that close.
Seeking to stop her, to prolong their bonding, he grasped her wrists and stretched her arms high above her head. She twisted her body, testing him, his dominance, his strength.
He linked his fingers with hers, drilling his claws into the sleeping support. She thrashed, was unable to free herself.
“You’re mine, mate.” He’d secured her. She was his to take, his to claim.
He drove into her with everything he had. She rose up to meet him.
Their forms meshed, became one. Their hearts beat with a single rhythm, their breathing synchronized. Her gaze locked with his, her awe reflected in his soul.
This was mating, a bonding as magical as it was scientific, and it exceeded everything he’d ever imagined. Time slowed, every moment stretching into eternity.
Her pussy tightened around him as his cock swelled, the combination propelling him toward satisfaction. He thrust once, twice—
She clenched down on his shaft and he bellowed her name, covering them with flames, cum blasting from his tip. She screamed, grabbing his shoulders, elevating her hips. He pushed forward, trapping her against the sleeping support.
She shook, her arms and legs gyrating as he poured himself into her, giving her every part of him, his essence and his spirit, his strength and his honor. It was all for her, had always been for her. He merely hadn’t known it.
Every struggle, every triumph had led him to his mate. He bit her scaled skin, reinforcing his mark, and she held him to her, accepting it, accepting him.
Their bond was now complete. He licked the proof of their link, pride wrapping around his bliss. A heartfelt satisfaction fell upon him.
It was a peace he’d never known.
Moments passed. She petted the back of his head, running her fingers through his hair. He breathed in, breathed out, breathed in, breathed out. She smelled of him, her unique scent tinged with his smoke.
Their mating had been…enlightening and reassuring. He was meant to be here, to be mated, to be with Faylee. Something so perfect couldn’t be wrong.
He braced himself upward and looked into his mate’s eyes. “We’ll never be considered normal.”
It was also unlikely their offspring would be accepted by other Dracheons, not with them as parents, happily embracing their faults. They’d be outcasts…as he was.
“We’ll never be considered normal.” She agreed with him. “I don’t even know what that is.” Her lips quirked upward. “And I doubt I will learn, not while I’m here. The Ruler reads thoughts, and using Overclocked’s words, is a scary arse. One of your friends is big and green and likes to crush skulls. Another can turn invisible, has claws, and incorrectly believes he’s the best warrior in the settlement.” She paused. “Clearly, he’s delusional. You are the best warrior.”
Her pride in his abilities made Dare smile.
“Orol is the best warrior.” He hadn’t yet defeated that male in training bouts. “He has claws, wings, and makes me look slow.”
“Orol doesn’t sound normal either, whatever that is.” She shook her head, her expression bemused. “I suspect no one in the Refuge falls into that category.”
Most of the warriors were modified humanoids, genetically designed to be one of a kind. Other beings were attracted to the settlement because they were outcasts, welcomed nowhere else.
His mate was right. No one in the Refuge was normal.
Which meant not being normal was…normal.
“You called this domicile home.” That was an important factor in his upcoming decision. He wanted her to have a place of her own, somewhere she felt safe.
“My home is wherever you are.” Faylee captured his face with her slender hands, meeting his gaze directly, her eyes soft with caring. “If you want to stay here, if you decide to return to Dracheon, if you choose to explore the universe, whatever decision you make, as long as I am by your side, I’ll be home.”
Because home was a feeling, not a place. His mate realized that.
He hadn’t…not until now.
“You are my home also.” He brushed his lips over hers, tasting a future brighter than all the stars combined.
Chapter Sixteen
Three planet rotations had passed and they hadn’t left Carinae E. Faylee stood silently by Dare’s side in the midst of the Refuge’s busy market. She hadn’t asked him about the trip because she wasn’t eager to depart.
She liked the settlement. His friends had embraced her and their domicile felt like a home.
She was happy.
Her mate examined a dagger. The weapon was tiny in his big hands. She suspected it was yet another gift for her.
They had been training. He was teaching her how to shoot guns and throw daggers, had told her more than once she was a natural, pride in his voice.
Her keen eyesight and deft hands had made her a skilled thief. They also increased her aptitude with weapons. With more practice, she could fight by his side during battles and help him, not hinder him.
Dare set the dagger on the merchant’s horizonta
l support. The two males discussed price. Her warrior transferred the correct number of credits.
She slipped the dagger into the front pocket of her flight suit. Neither of the males noticed her actions.
Because she was the best.
Dare clasped the merchant’s arm. Her mate acquired friends everywhere he went…which made his situation on his home planet even more tragic.
She pressed her lips together. The Dracheons didn’t deserve him.
He looked down at the horizontal support. “Where did the dagger…” He turned his head toward her. Their gazes met.
Oh shit. He knew she’d taken it.
She squeaked, spun around, and ran, weaving between slower moving beings. The dagger was hers now. If he wanted it, he’d have to catch her.
“Thief.” Her mate roared.
Beings stopped and gawked at him. She didn’t pause, didn’t look over her shoulder. Her heart pounded as quickly as her feet moved. She knew he was right behind her.
The main pathway was too crowded to navigate at high speeds. She turned left, pelting along a less-utilized route. Having spent planet rotations in the settlement, she’d memorized its layout and had a plan.
Her goal was to reach their domicile before he did. She couldn’t make any mistakes or he would apprehend her. His legs were longer, his energy unlimited.
A rumble reached her ears. Fuck. He had released his Drache. A beast was chasing her.
She pumped her arms harder. Her feet flew over the stone.
She swerved right. A boy scrambled out of her way. She didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t one of the kids they fed every planet rotation.
“She went that way.” The damn kid gave her up.
“I smell her.” Dare’s dark tones pushed a tremor down her spine.
She was being hunted by her mate. Her muscles strained as she pushed herself to her limits. He knew her scent, could track her wherever she went.
When…if he caught her, she would be his to do with as he wished, to punish, to please, to use. Her nipples grew taut.
“No one takes what is mine.” Deadly claws grazed her hips, shredding her flight suit, skimming along her scales.
Desperate to escape him, she headed toward a barrier. The gap between the bottom of the obstruction and the pathway was small. She would barely fit.
