by Laurie Roma
Gods, he loved watching when she came. Her beautiful face was glorious when she came apart for him. Her entire body tightened, and her pussy fluttered and rippled around his plunging fingers. He felt her energy hit him like a lightning strike, and it almost made him come with her. But he wouldn’t…not until he had his cock inside her.
“Are you ready, helicca?”
“Fuck, yes. Now, damn you. I need you now!”
Her demands thrilled him, and his heavy erection throbbed painfully. He had reached his breaking point, and needed her now. Pulling his fingers from her, he levered up and flipped her over so she was face down. He jerked her hips up, his grip unbreakable. Using his thighs, he pushed her legs wider, and surged into her with one hard thrust.
Reva let out a wild scream, and her fingernails clawed at the mats, tearing scratches into the material. His thick shaft filled her completely, his hard, hot length pulsing inside her tight pussy. Her body fought the intrusion despite her desire for him, but the small bit of pain just added to her pleasure. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of him inside her. It was as if he were a missing piece that now made her whole, like her own sanity demanded he touch her to make her feel.
And she hated him for it as much as she wanted him.
Her muscles clenched around his hard length, and the ache inside her core began to build again. She needed him to move, to take her the way she wanted…hard and fast so she didn’t have to fucking think anymore. Turning her head and tossing her hair out of the way, she bared her fangs at him and snarled. “Give me everything you’ve got, Rego.”
“As you wish, my lady.”
And he did, powering into her, thrusting hard and fast. He pressed his body over her back, savaging her neck, sucking with his heated mouth and nipping with his teeth. He didn’t take her gently, but neither of them wanted him to.
Malik held onto her hip with one hand and braced his other hand on her shoulder as he powered into her from behind. All of the anger, the self-hatred, and shame he’d been feeling were washed away by his feelings for Reva. Her energy excited and soothed him, invigorating him even as she appeased the restlessness inside him. He was filled to capacity with her, destroying all the doubts he’d felt.
But his sexual need for her was nothing compared for the love he felt for her.
He felt his body tightening with his impending release, but wanted her to come first. He thrust hard, his cock sliding deep before he pulled out and did it again. Over and over again, pushing them both until her body clamped down around him so tight he could barely move. Her scream filled his ears, and he rejoiced in her pleasure.
“You are mine, Reva. Mine!”
He let go, his hips slamming against her perfectly rounded ass. He drove his cock deep, surging hot and hard, prolonging her climax as he raced toward his own. Pistoning faster, his hand slipped on her shoulder that was slick with sweat, and he changed position, gripping her hips with both hands.
She pushed back on him, and the pressure built until he couldn’t fight it anymore. As soon as her pussy rippled around him again, he thrust once, twice more, then he exploded when she clamped down hard. He felt the rush, the pleasure so acute it bordered on pain, made even more intense by the energy careening around his system. It soaked into every cell of his body, making him feel like a god amongst ordinary males.
He ground his hips against her as he poured his hot seed deep, coming in pulsing waves. When the tremors ended, and he felt her go slack beneath him, he gently shifted them to the side, his body wrapped tightly around hers, knees curled up slightly. Her head rest on his arm, and he breathed in the scent of her hair.
When she nuzzled her face against his arm and let out a happy sigh, his heart ached.
Reva was his world now, and he would do anything to keep her.
CHAPTER SIX
Beta Station 4 looked like a metal junk heap compared to New Vega.
They’d arrived three days early after Amari had given the ship a little boost with her magic. It benefited them to arrive when they weren’t expected, though, the person they were there to see wasn’t going anywhere since he was sitting in a holding cell. Still, there could be others on the space station that were working for Quilla, and it was their job to find out.
After their passionate encounter in the training room, Reva and Malik had hurried back to his quarters, where they had remained for most of the last four days. He had made love to her two more times that first night, then had stayed awake just holding her in his arms. Tarins didn’t need sleep like other races.
Especially when they had a sexual high.
Making love to Reva gave him enough energy to keep him running for days, but she was exhausted. So, he let her sleep. He loved seeing how peaceful she was when she rested, and it was obvious that she hadn’t been sleeping well lately. Sometimes it was difficult to believe she was real, so he held onto her to prove to himself that she wasn’t just a dream.
He’d wanted to take care of her, to show her how much she meant to him, but it had seemed as if she had the same needs. They took baths together, taking their time to clean each other with slow strokes and loving touches. He loved spending time with her, even if they were just sitting together in silence. And thank the gods for the food console in his quarters, or else they would have starved to death.
Every time he tried to talk to her about what happened on New Vega, that icy façade would settle back in place, and she would initiate sex. Not that he minded it, but she was using it as a way around what she didn’t want to talk about. She was using him as a means to feel…anything, everything she could. In a way, he could say the same about himself, though, he would do whatever he had to in order to get her back.
Malik would give her whatever she needed.
If she wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t push her to disclose her feelings about her parents, but keeping it bottled up wasn’t doing any good. She was going to break, and at some point she wouldn’t be able to keep her pain and grief inside. And when that time came for her to fall apart, he would be there to keep her together.
She was a cold machine in front of the others when they went to briefings, solely focused on the mission, but when they were alone, she burned just for him.
Now, as they drew closer to the station, they had to slow down to maneuver. Their vessel was too large to enter the docking bay directly or land on one of the landing pads, so they had to connect their side entrance to one of the hollow tubes that would allow them to enter Beta Station 4. Looking out of one of the windows, Malik didn’t like seeing the rust and decay on the old station, and he had his doubts about going in.
He didn’t have time to change his mind, though. The ship connected to the tube, and when the system announced that it was safe to disembark, Amari walked into the tube when the door to the vessel opened on her command. The rest of them followed her through the tube, then into the docking bay. The place looked old, and it was filled with rusted machinery and cargo containers.
Malik immediately went on alert when he saw five elites waiting for them. The one wearing four bars that indicated he was a commander stepped forward with a smile of welcome on his face, though his piercing emerald green eyes were guarded as he looked over their group. “I’m Commander Maverick Cain. Welcome to Beta Station 4.” He nodded at Matt. “Malloy, it’s good to see you again.”
Matt stepped forward. “You, too, Maverick. What’s with the welcoming party?”
“You didn’t say much when you sent your message telling me you were coming here. It’s not every day we get a Code Black here in the middle of nowhere.”
“We’re on a special mission. Do you have Officer Suresh Patel in custody?”
Maverick nodded. “He’s in a holding cell, just like you asked. What did he do to deserve an escort directly to the Mars penal colony?”
“Because he is a greedy fuck-head,” Amari announced. All eyes focused on her, and she just huffed out, “What? It is true. And I am trying to use mor
e human sayings.”
Matt did the introductions, and he noticed that Maverick’s eyes kept going back to Amari. He assumed they didn’t have too many Dragon Warriors stopping by the station, and there was always a reason to be cautious around them.
“I’ll have Patel brought up to one of the interrogation rooms for you.”
“Good. But first, we’d like to see the Intrepid,” Reva said, making Maverick and the other four elites freeze in place. She studied all five of the elites, looking for any signs that they already knew about the ship and were hiding their reactions. She got nothing, and was disappointed, but she wasn’t sure why she had expected one of them to know.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Maverick asked icily. “That vessel is not here.”
“Yes, it is—” she said, matching his tone, “—but you think it’s the Variance. The real Variance is currently docked at Alpha Station 4. You can check if you’d like.”
“Fuck!”
“I am bored, so I am going to find a bar,” Amari announced, then walked away from the group. “I will meet you at the interrogation room after I explore a bit.”
“Shit,” Rob muttered, “Should we let her go off on her own?”
Reva just said, “Kahla?”
Kahla blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’ll go. But if she tries to kill anyone, I’m not going to stop her.”
“What the—?” Maverick turned to follow them, but Matt stopped him.
“You go, Rob,” Matt ordered, then he looked at Darius and Lazio. “Hell. Can one of you go with them?”
“I will!” Lazio said…way too fast.
Darius stared at him, and then growled, “Behave.”
Lazio looked affronted. “Of course I will.” He grabbed Rob’s arm and started pulling him along with him as he made for the exit. “Have you ever been in a bar fight?”
Rob looked back at the group with something akin to terror in his eyes as Lazio continued to pull him toward the exit.
“Should I be sending security to the bars?” Maverick didn’t take his eyes off them.
“They should be fine,” Matt said, but the uncertainty was clear in his voice.
“Where is the ship you have logged in as the Variance?” Reva demanded, getting them back on track.
Maverick continued to stare at her. “Nigel?”
One of the officers began typing into his wrist unit, then looked up and said, “Docking Bay G, sir.”
“Come with me.” Maverick stalked across the room, and they followed him down another tube that took them to a ship docked at the end.
Matt left the group, and walked back a few feet to look out the window. Leaning toward the glass, he said, “I can’t see the name, but the number is there. It’s the Intrepid.”
“What the holy fuck is going on?” Maverick shouted, his green eyes filled with rage. “We just cleaned our fucking house. Seriously, how the fuck can this fucking be happening again?”
“Looks like he learned his language from High Commander Spartan,” Darius commented to Malik.
“We’ll figure it all out, but first, we need to search this ship, top to bottom,” Matt ordered.
“This must have been Officer Patel’s doing,” Maverick said, almost seething in anger. “That’s why you’re here for him. He worked the docking bays, but we check over everything after we discovered my partner was a fucking traitor. I thought all of this shit had ended when I killed General Whitmore.”
“Was Whitmore working for Quilla?” Malik asked.
Maverick sighed. “She wasn’t even a factor when we took down Whitmore and the people connected to him, so I don’t know.”
“Let’s check the ship over,” Matt said. “Then we’ll talk to Patel.”
“While you are doing the search, I have someone I need to see.” When all eyes turned to her with speculation, Reva added, “I have to go visit friends while I’m here, and tell them that my mother and fathers are dead.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Maverick said softly. Reva just nodded in return.
Malik looked over the group of elites, and realized that he didn’t trust any of them. Well, except for Matt, and that was only because they had met and fought together before. Malik’s muscles felt tight because he’d been tense and on guard since the moment they had stepped on the station, and something about the new commander and his men made him want to put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Reva surprised Malik by saying, “Are you coming with me?”
He nodded slowly. “I would like to meet your friends.”
“I will stay to help them with the search.” When Darius turned and bowed to both him and Reva, her eyes widened slightly at the deferent gesture.
“One of my officers can escort you wherever you’d like to go,” Maverick offered.
“That’s not necessary. I know where I’m going.” With that, she walked away.
Malik followed her, and relaxed a little as they walked across the docking bay. Once they were through the doors, he had to fight the urge to take her hand in his.
Hellfire, he was a besotted fool.
Beta Station 4 was far different than any other Alliance station he had visited. While the Alpha Stations were the height of new technology and innovation, the Beta Stations were old and dilapidated. He wondered why they didn’t just decommission them, since it looked like it was falling apart. Then again, living in a palace himself and having just come from New Vega didn’t help temper what he saw now.
When they entered the large, circular atrium, the pale-blue lights transitioned into a warm, amber glow, and they were surrounded by a sea of people, despite the basic interior. They passed by the vendor carts positioned around the atrium, and Malik was distracted when a human female with spiky blonde hair called out to Reva.
Reva turned at the sound of her name, and saw Scarlett Nikandros walking toward them. “Hey, crystal ball.”
“Hey, claws and fangs,” Scarlett said with a grin, then she sobered. “I’m really sorry about your mother and fathers.”
“Thanks. Lord Malik Rego, I’d like to introduce you to Scarlett Nikandros.”
Scarlett eyes widened, and she gave Malik a once over as they exchanged greetings. When she took a step closer, Reva’s temper flared to life “You need to cut that shit out,” she snapped before she could stop, and she moved to position herself partially in front of Malik. “And step back.”
Holy nova, why didn’t she just shift and piss a fucking circle around him?
What in all the worlds was wrong with her?
“I knew it!” Scarlett threw her head back and laughed. “So, I guess you’ve finally found yourself a male you can tolerate. I’m not trying to move on him, so relax the crazy a little bit.”
Reva realized that Scarlett was right, but she didn’t know how to stop herself. All the scents in the atrium were driving her crazy. There were too many people around, and she knew she didn’t have a claim on Malik. Not one that would settle her nerves. Because Scarlett didn’t move back, Reva pushed at Malik with her own body, and only relaxed when his arm wrapped around her waist.
“Fuck,” she muttered. She was seriously losing it.
Malik leaned down and murmured, “Everything is fine, my lady.”
Scarlett still looked amused as she said, “Well, this has been fun, but I think you have someone else you need to talk to.”
“She told you?”
“Oh, yeah,” Scarlett confirmed, her expression sobering. “I’ll keep a look out, and let you know if and when. It was nice to meet you, Lord Rego. Talk soon, fangs.”
When she left them, Malik asked, “What did that mean?”
Reva grabbed his hand, pulling him forward without looking at him. “If and when she learns something that can help us, she’ll let me know. Come on.”
Malik let her drag him toward a restaurant with the name Starscape illuminated in shades of purple and blue against a backdrop of twinkling stars on a sign over the entrance. He looked
around to see that the place was packed with people and there were no tables available, but he didn’t think they were here to eat, even though the food smelled delicious.
Reva looked around the crowded room, then pulled Malik toward the back of the room. One of the servers moved into their path, and beamed a smile at them. “Hi, Reva! Can I get you a table?”
“No thanks, Megan. We’re just here to speak to Naila.”
“She’s in the kitchen as usual. Go on back,” Megan said before she walked away.
Malik followed Reva into the back of the restaurant, into the kitchen area. The kitchen staff was hard at work, and a female D’Aire with long, silver-blonde hair turned to look at them with her iridescent blue eyes. She motioned a Helios male forward, then held the tablet she was holding out to him.
“Robo, will you take over here?”
“Got it.” He took the tablet, then looked over and nodded at Malik before he winked at Reva. “Looking good, Reva.”
Malik barely held back a growl, but Reva pressed against his side, calming his anger. Hellfire, they were both acting possessive and out of control with jealousy. It was as if they were bonded, but she hadn’t bitten him, and he hadn’t shared his energy with her.
But when the time was right, he would.
Jaden had mentioned that he noticed their energy was merging like they were already bonded, though, Malik couldn’t see it himself. Could it be that they already had that deep of an emotional bond even if they hadn’t solidified the actual tie yet? Malik glanced over at her, and his heart stuttered with love. Perhaps his love for her was enough to make that connection between them, however, he wanted to share all that he was with her, and that included his energy.
He needed that bond with her.
“Please, come with me,” the D’Aire female said, halting his musings.
She led them into a room off the kitchen that seemed to be an office of sorts, but looked more like a classy sitting room. Once they were inside and she closed the door, Malik realized that this room had no security cameras. He watched as Reva and the D’Aire greeted one another, then she looked at him.
