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Tridell’s nostrils flared as her heat translated through her scent.
“I didn’t drink it all.” Her voice was soft, breathy. She curled her hands into fists and pressed them against her thighs to keep from touching all that warm skin so close to her own.
“I know, but until it burns itself out of your system, I will put myself at your service. Whatever you need, simply ask.”
She held her hands tightly together, bunching the fabric of her drying wrap while her mind tried to come up with a way to avoid what her body was demanding. She wanted him. She just didn’t want to have to have him.
If her body was going out of control, it was going to be on her terms. Deliberately, she untucked her wrap and let it fall. She shifted to straddle his thighs and cupped his jaw in her hands. With her lips less than an inch from his, she whispered, “Seduce me.”
He didn’t have to be told twice.
Chapter Five
Tridell leaned forward and licked slowly at her lips. His hands cupped her buttocks and back, rubbing in slow strokes. She shivered as her body woke under that casual touch. Some of her response was chemical, but most of it was the knowledge that this was her true match. He had allowed himself to be taken hostage to get close enough to watch her and keep her safe. That feat alone caused slick moisture to start inside.
In a sudden move, Tridell stood and carried her to the firm surface of the bed. He lifted her hands over her head and she felt two distinct clicks as her wrists were manacled to the wall. Panic flared in her body. If she couldn’t pursue him, how was she supposed to get what she needed?
Maud arched her back and writhed in place as he backed away to remove his clothing. “This isn’t what I had in mind.”
“Patience.” His voice was so low, she could feel it more than hear it. When he rejoined her on the bed, his erection dipped invitingly and she tried to arch her hips up to him. He simply kept himself suspended on his arms and lowered his head to hers.
The kiss was passionate and the slow, dexterous thrust of his tongue made her whimper in desperation. Her entire being was focused on that kiss, her nipples were taut, skin was rough and aching and a dark throbbing was starting deep in her belly in response to the slow thrust and retreat.
When he moved from her lips to her jaw, she moaned, then hissed as he used those deadly teeth to scrape her skin down her neckline. He took his time, first her left side, then her right were treated to a gentle abrasion followed by the slow stroke of his tongue. She squeaked when he moved down to her collarbone and sighed when his jaw brushed her breasts.
He used only his mouth on her breasts, left and right, waking the flesh, stroking slowly along the underside until her body was shaking with tension.
When his tongue delved into her navel, her low moan raised his eyebrows and as the caress of his lips passed over the lowest point of her belly, she bucked at the sensation. Her feet were flat on the bed, her knees bent and thighs spread wide to allow him access.
His breath between her thighs parted the curls that the groomers had simply tidied. He dragged his tongue across her flesh, the wet heat that her body was producing easing the slide.
When he fit his tongue to her opening and used it to probe inside, her arousal could not stand against his determined efforts. Maud hovered on the edge of release and held her breath, shrieking at the overload of sensation as Tridell slid his thumb into her ass.
With his tongue deep inside her and his thumb slowly stroking her, she screamed loud and long as her body convulsed under him.
He moved up her body slowly, leaving a trail of kisses and licks as he met her face to face. She saw his wings flare to cover her as he fit the head of his cock to her and slowly thrust inside her still-pulsing body.
She met his gaze as he started to move inside her, the wide flare of his member dragging against her inner walls and keeping a slow stroke of constant movement on her sensitive flesh. The chemical rose and brought her body to a ferocious secondary arousal which met Tridell’s thrusts with arched hips and a twisting torso.
With her arms above her head, her breasts bounced with each collision and she bucked as best as she was able to, trying to bring him into contact with her clit. The lack of control was frustrating, but when she felt a touch on her mind, it was immediately followed by a caress on her clit. She gasped and locked in place, sighing and twitching with her body’s frantic attempt to milk Tridell dry.
He kept up his pace until her orgasm faded and then he pounded into her with ferocity. His piston-like strokes raised her temperature again, but he groaned and spurted inside her before she could wind up for a third release.
As he slumped against her, his head between her breasts, she tugged at her arms. “You can let me go now.”
“No, but I will release your shackles.” He reached up without looking and unclasped her cuffs.
She grunted as she pulled her arms down and rubbed at her wrists. The red skin was a testament to how hard she had been pulling. He hissed and slowly licked at her abraded skin and to her astonishment, the irritation fled after each lick.
Maud looked at her right wrist while he worked on her left. I didn’t know that you could do that.
It is a skill that I can only share with you. Because we are a perfect match, your body can be healed by mine.
Oh, can you take care of my back? The wall was a little rough.
My pleasure. He raised himself from her and flipped her over onto her belly. The irritated skin on her back was licked an inch at a time and when he reached her lower spine, she was twisting against him again.
Slowly, he edged her thighs apart and mounted her from behind, sliding into her and rubbing his chest against her back as he started a slow rock that moved her on the surface of the bed in a lazy beat.
He reached under her and placed one hand under her breasts while the other nestled against her clit so that friction was inevitable.
The warmth of his hand against her lower belly as he cupped her sent her mind into a spin while she raised herself on her elbows to increase contact by rocking against him.
As he moved faster, she matched him and when he shouted, arching and slamming into her hard, she screamed into the pillow near her face. Sparks flew behind her eyes and as her breathing became less than effective, she laid still, her head angled to one side and the weight of a dragon on top of her.
She really hoped that the Raiders had enough footage. If they drugged her again, the pace might kill her.
* * * *
“He is blocking the video at every opportunity. I don’t know if it is on purpose, but we only have their first coupling to offer.” The tech rubbed his face with his hand. No matter which angle he switched to, those wings got in the way.
The administrator sighed. “Fine. Send the footage you have. If folks want to see a Drai fucking, they will have to settle for what he lets us see.”
“He looks exhausted, sir. Are you sure that it was correct to give her the stimulant?”
“We had no guarantee of further activity after their first time. This guaranteed it.”
“He might not be able to fight tomorrow, sir.” The tech frowned at the boneless slump of the Drai around his female.
The administrator crossed his arms and looked smug. “If he doesn’t want his woman going to another, he will fight and he will win.”
The tech nodded and refrained from mentioning a few details that he had seen. The administrator had no interest in knowing that it seemed that the Drai was having problems containing his shape as well as the communication between the male and female. It was a subtle communication, but the couple was definitely talking beyond the audible level. A small electromagnetic pulse flickered in the room periodically that didn’t come from any of the equipment.
The administrator had a tendency to fire folks who gave him bad news and the means to the firing involved a trip to the arena.
The tech would keep his suspicions to himself. He liked breathing.
&nb
sp; Chapter Six
Tridell had the guard against the wall by the throat and he was growling in a low vibration. Maud sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking at the surprised guards who were facing a naked and furious Drai. Two of the other guards were frantically trying to pull their stun rods, but when they got them unsheathed, the rods had no effect.
“Tridell, let him down. Hurting him won’t accomplish anything.” She pulled a pillow in front of her and nodded at the guards.
Tridell slowly lowered the man to his feet and the guard stumbled away, choking and gasping for air. “Never try and touch her without my permission.”
Maud realized what had happened. The guard had tried to haul her off as he had the two days before, but this time, Tridell was on guard over her.
The guards nodded. “We need to take her to the groomers and you need to get to the training hall.”
He snarled but used his claws to tear the sheet on the bed into a makeshift toga for her. He then tore a belt to hold the fabric in place so that the sides of the fabric didn’t float free. “I know you have to go, but I don’t have to like it.”
His kiss was possessive and she reached into his mind. Are we on a planet or a station?
A planet. Highly volcanic, but they have a stabilization system here, it is stable enough but limited atmosphere.
She smiled and nodded as he backed away, her lips swollen and knees weak.
The strangled guard walked her out and down the hall, but he had gotten the hint not to touch her. The groomers took over her care and the guard couldn’t get away fast enough.
While his tongue had healed most of the friction irritation, his teeth had left scrapes in some interesting places and the other women commented on it as she bathed.
“So, you finally found a man who could deal with that pale flesh of yours.” The Selna floated close.
Maud gave her a look through narrowed eyes. “Yes.”
There must have been something in her eyes, because the other woman floated away as quickly as she had appeared.
The groomers were swift and efficient, combing her black hair into a shining mass and surprisingly, highlighting the scar that arced around her left eye.
Her gown was a loose toga of metallic pewter and she was given heeled boots in lieu of the sandals she wore the day before.
There were meals served, just enough to get the women to stand up on their own but not enough to give them added energy.
A few of the women were discussing the fighters in blunt terms, but Maud kept to herself. Meeting her mate was surreal, even odder under the circumstances.
She and Tridell had talked about her job, his home and the possibility for children in the future. The night before, he hadn’t sunk his teeth into her, which was the Drai version of birth control. When he did bite her, it would trigger her newly upgraded biology into ovulation. Facing the idea of having a child with a being that she had never imagined as existing in reality when she was back on Earth showed her that she was confident of one thing. She was getting out of here and Tridell was coming with her.
The line up to receive the fighters was slightly different. A few of the women who had admired her marks were leaning forward and looking past Dihar and Lekar, toward Tridell.
Maud stifled a smirk at his surprise, but she reached up to caress his face while he stroked her hair before he moved along with the other fighters to take their positions.
She bit her lip and led the women to their stations while the first of the fights began.
Watching men pound on each other for the entertainment of a faceless audience still angered her, but she was not in a position to fight for anyone’s freedom.
Don’t move.
The voice was that of a woman, but it wasn’t any of the females in the arena.
Why shouldn’t I move? Who are you and where are you?
Oh, sorry. I am Counsel of the Sector Guard. I am the longest-range telepath that we have, so all communications of the biological kind come through me.
Okay, why shouldn’t I move?
Because we are about to do an emergency drop through your atmospheric bubble and Fury is going to be fostering a lack of oxygen. We will pick you up where you drop. Are you wearing anything in particular that will make you stand out?
I am in silver down to all my nails.
Excellent. We will be there in ten minutes. Hold tight.
The connection was cut and Maud was left with a slight headache.
The junior fighters and the surviving losers of the previous day battled in their rounds and Maud started to breathe heavily. The air seemed to thin.
When they called Tridell forward and announced his opponent, Maud knew that the Sector Guard would not arrive in time to avoid disaster. Lekar stepped forward and the two squared off.
Tridell, that is my partner, don’t hurt him.
How shall I prevent it, Maud?
When you get in close, call him Lucky. He will know exactly what it means. From that point on, make it look good. Our rescue is coming.
Whatever you command.
She stifled a grin and bit her lip with worry for the watching camera.
Lekar lunged in, his claws extended. Tridell moved aside and let the Kalordan pass, a hiss of air escaped him and Maud watched his lips shape the word.
Lekar didn’t act as if he had heard the word, but he shifted into his lion form and took a swipe at Tridell as the Drai jumped toward him.
With the huge cat in the ring, Tridell flapped his wings and glided to land on the other male’s back. He lifted Lekar in the air and dropped him to the ground, winding him.
Maud was feeling a little winded herself as she watched them close, fight, turn and twist. Her head spun and her vision turned black along the edges.
Most of the other women were kneeling already, some prone on the ground. An alarm went off in the distance, but none of the guards could answer it. The ground came up to meet all of them as the oxygen fled.
Maud kept her footing for as long as she could before she began to pitch toward the floor. A bloody but cheerful Tridell caught her in his arms as she collapsed. His stern face was the last thing that she saw as blackness swam up to claim her.
Waking on an Alliance vessel was surreal. Having Tridell sitting on a bed next to her was less of a surprise than it should have been.
He was holding her hand and when she opened her eyes, he pressed a kiss into her palm. “I was getting worried.”
“How is it that you managed to stay awake while the rest of the station passed out?”
He grinned and punctuated his sentence with another kiss. “I can hold my breath for a really long time.”
When he flicked his tongue along her palm, she started to blush and it was only his standing up and pressing a kiss to her lips that made her think of all the ways she could get him to use that particular skill.
Chapter Seven
When another Drai came into the room, they parted reluctantly. Tridell flared his wings out of reflex, but folded them when he looked at the man who came in dressed in the form-fitting uniform of the Sector Guard. A woman trailed in behind him and she waved cheerfully at Maud.
“Hello, Maud. I am Livin. This is my husband, Vasu.” Livin surged forward and shook Maud’s hand.
“Hello, Livin. You two are with the Guard?”
“Yes, I am Fury, this is Beast.” She smiled with that same unfailing cheer.
“Well, I am a simple analyst. But it is nice to meet you.”
Tridell and Vasu were glaring at each other, but then Vasu broke the stalemate. “Maud, I am very glad that you were rescued in one piece. Tridell was becoming insufferable.”
“That sounds plausible. Where is Lekar?”
Tridell scowled. “He is in crew quarters. He was patched up and released from medical almost immediately. You are the one we worried about. You wouldn’t wake up.”
Maud started laughing. She couldn’t stop. Then don’t keep me up all night. I needed some
sleep. I knew I was safe, so I slept.
Tridell blushed and the other couple moved to one side. Livin grinned, “We found your ship and retrieved your personal effects.”
Maud eventually stopped giggling and Tridell lifted her up and took a seat in the bed with her in his lap.
She cleared her throat. “There must have been something in that stimulant that they gave me that didn’t agree with me.” It was a plausible explanation for the visiting Drai couple.
Livin nodded and smiled. “Well, it was nice meeting you. We will let you get on with your recovery and I hope to see you again soon.”
Vasu nodded and left the room with his wife.
Maud sighed and leaned her head against Tridell’s chest. “Are all Draikyn so grumpy?”
He rubbed his chin against her head and cuddled her close. “Yes. It goes with the other shape we take. Few folks would take a cheerful dragon seriously.”
She simply enjoyed the feeling of being with him until the physician came to her and gave her the all clear. Maud was given a loose ship suit and some simple shoes and discharged from medical with Tridell at her side.
She looked up at him. “Now what?”
He took her hand and held it. “Now, we take a tour of the ship that will conclude at my shuttle. Then, we will adjourn to my world and begin our new life together.”
“What about my work, my partnership with Lekar?”
“He will be welcome in our home, but not quite yet. He feels very protective toward you and it is in conflict with my instincts, which could be dangerous. I am not quite myself with you yet.”
She cleared her throat. “How so?”
