by Brenna Lyons
Rayn tipped his head in agreement. “It won’t last long. If you would give her to your seir.”
“No one touches my mate but me.”
“Mating,” his seir grumbled. “Get them into a room. He won’t leave his mate until the cycle is complete. Perhaps not even then. She has already been endangered once.”
Rayn nodded, his jaw tense. “Bring what we need to room three.” He turned on his heel and led the way.
Daveed settled Joy in the middle of the mattress, and sat with his back to her. Rayn raised an eyebrow, and Daveed looked down at himself, cursing his state of undress. In the fever of mating, he hadn’t even considered pulling his trousers back on.
“Your head clearing a bit?” Rayn asked.
“Just repair the damage.” Daveed snarled at him.
“Before his mate wakes,” Raashh added.
“Joy,” he insisted. Daveed met his seir’s eyes. “May I present my mate, Joy Raashh, formerly Patterson.”
He grunted. “The designer who saved your life. I know well who she is already. Now I know why you insisted on risking yourself for her.”
Daveed nodded. “I would have died for her the first time I met her.” Before, perhaps.
Joy shifted in her sleep, and Rayn hurried to make the repair. It was accomplished quickly.
“I wish you had waited another week to do this,” the doctor grumbled. “But I understand why you didn’t wait.”
Daveed didn’t answer him. Nothing he said would be courteous, and the doctor was helping him. I should be courteous.
Rayn held up a hypo. “There will be three of these in the drawer. You will wear the bio-tracker. If I open the speakers and tell you to administer a hypo to Joy, you will…at the first possible break between sexual exploits. We will treat you and allow mating to continue. If you refuse the order, we will flood the room with a mild sedative and force you to be treated. Am I understood, Daveed?”
The Dominant in him wanted to argue it. His rational mind reasoned that it was for Joy’s protection. If I die, she dies. “Understood. I won’t refuse that order. Joy depends on it.”
“Daveed?” Joy’s voice shocked him into motion.
By the time he was laying beside her, the door was closing behind the other males.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
Joy nodded.
“Do you need anything? Food? Drink?” He was sure Rayn was arranging for everything they would need to finish mating.
Her smile was the lazy smile of an aroused woman. “All I need is you.”
“You’ll have that.” As much of me as you can stand, until you ask for a reprieve or lapse into sleep.
Chapter Six
Four days later
Daveed nodded his thanks to Karl and opened the outer door into the secure landing bay at the nest. He lifted Joy down, smiling at how perfectly the S’suuhhea suited her.
Almost as if she was born to be my mate.
Karl whispered the blessing of many daughters and secured the door. He waited until Daveed led Joy out of the bay, then started the engines again and made his way back to Spice Tower and his flying lessons with Arren.
There was no question that Raashh would be waiting for them in the center nest. He knew Daveed had mated with Joy, and he knew they were on their way home to the nest.
Raashh bowed to Joy. His English was stilted. Since Marie had come to him speaking Xxan, Raashh hadn’t had to learn to speak it fluently for her. “Wel-come, daugh-ter.”
She seemed to have trouble forming words for a moment. “Thank you, Raashh.”
Daveed scented her shock and noted the nervous little movements of her feet. “You’ve met before.” He didn’t question it, though he wasn’t sure what the details were. His seir had not made a good first impression on her, though.
His seir tucked his frills in a clear show of embarrassment. “When you were shot… I am afraid I was not gracious to your mate. Seeing her covered in your blood rattled me. You ignored my orders and were injured. Your brother ignored my orders and endangered himself. I was…not kind to her. I have many debts to pay to her.”
“Then I suggest you start as soon as possible.” Daveed didn’t try to hide his irritation.
“Is there a problem?” Joy asked.
“No problem,” Daveed assured her. “My seir was simply explaining his deplorable behavior to me. I guarantee it will not happen again.” He shot his seir a warning look.
Raashh snorted, then tipped his head to Joy again. “Does your mate understand our customs?”
Daveed nodded. “I’ve explained them to her. She is…willing to respect them.”
“It really is rather rude for you two to continue speaking Xxan, when I don’t understand it.”
“I will have to translate for you until you learn Xxan,” Daveed explained. “My seir doesn’t speak English very well, though he understands it. We typically speak Xxan in the nest.”
She darkened a notch. “Oh. I see.”
Raashh took a step toward her and motioned toward Joy.
Daveed nodded. “My seir is going to take in your scent, to add your scent to his family memory.”
Joy nodded shakily. “I think I understand.”
Raashh took the last step that separated them and wrapped his hands around her waist. He lifted her, bringing Joy face to face with him. She didn’t shy from him or raise a fuss at the move.
Daveed smiled at that. My woman is brave. She is strong. But I knew that already. He’d seen the vids of her tending to him in the elevator.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Daveed.”
He secretly wondered if he’d heard that in his unconscious state and followed his mate’s orders.
His seir’s tongue extended. He drew in Joy’s scent, then stroked his tongue along her throat gently. Joy gasped, but she didn’t strike out or withdraw. She didn’t even shudder or shiver at the move as many human females did.
Raashh nestled Joy to his chest, tucking her head beneath his chin. He rumbled his welcome, and her arms crept up to circle his neck. His seir shot Daveed a look of surprise, then he tucked her tighter beneath his chin.
There was no need for explanation. Joy was the only female in their nest. The fact that she accepted Raashh was a boon. It would be difficult to protect Joy if she shied from the huge elder at every turn.
“We’re going to bathe you now,” Daveed informed her.
Joy nodded slowly, and a tremor worked its way through her body.
“Tell her we will be gentle.”
“She knows that,” Daveed grumbled.
Joy shot him a questioning look.
“We will be gentle. Trust me.”
She nodded. “I do.”
Daveed stripped off his S’suumea and put his arms out for her. Once Raashh deposited Joy in his arms, Daveed made his way into the pool with her.
“Remember what we will do,” he soothed her.
She nodded. “Remove my clothing in deep enough water that Raashh cannot see my body. Bathe me. Then Raashh will leave the pool, and we will…” Her cheeks darkened in a blush.
“He won’t watch. It’s tradition to welcome a new female to the nest this way. If you enjoy it, we can do it again. If not, we don’t have to do more than bathe you when you present a baby to the nest or when you’re injured.” His muscles tightened a notch. “Which I do not intend to allow to happen again.”
The water reached his upper thighs, and Daveed turned and went to his knees, lowering her to hers. Joy tensed, then relaxed. A moan left her mouth.
He smiled. “You like the pool?”
“Do you know how much money women pay at spas to use pools like these?”
“A fortune.” Daveed worked the S’suuhhea up her body and pitched it out of the pool, then he brushed the water droplets out of her hair. He leaned toward her and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Now you’re so rich you own your own.”
His seir entered the poo
l, nude. He cocked his head to one side, listening to their discussion as he crept closer to them.
Joy shook her head. “No. This is Raashh’s. I mean…we’ll live here, but it’s—”
“You’ll find that everything in a Xxanian nest is designed for the comfort of the females of the nest or to entice females to join the nest. Perhaps I should have brought you here long ago. Would that have enticed you, Joy?”
Words seemed to desert her, then she forced them out. “The dreams I’ve had of you had nothing to do with mineral pools. They usually involved our desks. Or the bed in the penthouse, though I admit those weren’t anywhere near the reality.”
His smile widened, and his primary came up at the idea of her having sex dreams about him. “We will talk about those dreams later. For now… The truth is Raashh’s private sleeping area is his own. Other than that, your comfort will come first. If you wish to swim nude in the pool, only I will be welcome in the area while you do.”
Raashh reached her back and went to his knees. Joy shifted closer to Daveed in response, took a deep breath, and settled between them. Daveed offered her a smile.
His seir poured out a handful of the clove oil he’d brought into the pool with him. He passed the bottle to Daveed.
Joy’s eyes closed at Raashh’s massage of her neck. After a moment, he moved to her shoulder and repeated the kneading.
Daveed started at her neck, stroking clove oil down to her collarbones. By the time he reached her chest, her nipples were hard and begging for his touch. He had little doubt the sex between them in the pool would be well-received.
His seir massaged his way down her back. “Your mate saved your life, Daveed. You will bathe her with Saahaal every day. You owe your life to this female. We all owe your life to her.”
Daveed swallowed the lump in his throat.
“What did he say?” Joy’s voice whispered between them.
“The Xxan show respect for our females by bathing with the Saahaal—the clove oil. We use it in apology, for healing, but most commonly for respect.”
She nodded.
“When a female joins a nest, she is usually bathed daily by her mate for a week with Saahaal.”
Joy moaned and arched into his hand, driving him from her lower ribs to her mound.
“Raashh orders me to use the Saahaal at every bathing. Every…” He circled a finger against her clit, smiling at her gasp. “…day of your life, unless you request for me not to use it, of course.”
She pressed to his body, her breath teasing at his throat.
Raashh’s hands were at her hips, spreading the last of the Saahaal he would before retreating. “She will be fertile very soon. If she agrees to carry for you, the next week will be ideal.” With that, he rose to leave.
Joy tipped her head back, inviting Daveed’s kiss. He sealed them together, his body in overdrive, their tongues dancing against each other. He thrust two fingers into her and started pumping them, hinting at what he intended.
She widened her stance and pushed back at him, moving forward, climbing astride his legs when he settled to his heels. He took her hint and eased his fingers out of her body.
Joy didn’t wait for him to lift her. She pushed up and used one hand to position his cock at her slit. She started working her way down his length, her mouth leaving his completely as she approached the root.
Daveed thrust up, pushing himself to the hilt. Joy shouted, holding to him, her legs circling him.
“I intend to give you everything you want, Joy. Tell me what you want.”
Her lips trembled a bit. “The same way you bound us.”
His secondary responded. “You want me inside both holes? Filling all of you at once?”
She moaned, then nodded. “Yes.”
He reached down past her bottom, stroking his secondary hard for her. “It’s not the usual way we complete the first bathing, but I would give you anything, Joy. Anything.”
“What did your seir say before he left?”
Daveed hesitated. “He suggested the best time for us to conceive, if you would be willing to carry for me now.”
“The new line—”
“There will always be a new line, but we don’t have to leave our children to see to it. Did I ever mention there is another room behind our offices?”
She shook her head. “What is it?”
“A bedroom, but we can add a crib to it…a full play area.”
Joy shivered in his arms.
“What is it?” he asked.
“You just gave me fodder for a whole new set of fantasies.”
“I can take care of those,” he assured her. His secondary pressed at the ring of her anus, and he started massaging up the Zhigaaal to loosen the ring of tissue for him.
“When?” she breathed.
“You tell me.”
Joy laughed, then gasped, as he pushed inside her ass. She moved back and forth, her clenching muscles stroking the secondary up further.
“No,” she gasped. “I mean…when will it be possible?”
“Sometime within the next week. I can use condoms if you—”
She levered herself up slightly and then down, making him moan. His cocks were sensitized from binding, and Joy’s tight body milking him was delightful. In moments, she was climaxing around him, her screams echoing off the walls. He followed her over with a roar.
They sat together, Joy wrapped around him, their bodies brushing against each other.
Joy kissed his chest. “If you dare do anything differently than you are right now, I may have to hurt you.”
“As my mate requests.”
****
Joy sat on the biggest, softest pile of cushions she’d ever encountered, wearing a clean silk S’suuhhea. Daveed fed her piece after piece of food from a series of trays that contained everything from sashimi to blocks of cheese and slices of meat, from fresh fruit to chocolates.
She smiled at him. “You’re spoiling me.”
“I intend to keep doing that.”
“Well, then—”
Arren rushed into the room, looking all limbs in his S’suumea. Daveed shot him an irritated look.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Arren apologized.
“It’s okay,” Joy assured him.
“If you don’t mind, Arren,” Daveed hinted.
“It’s sort of important.”
“Whatever game—”
“It’s not a game. You cannot take Joy back to Spice. Not yet. Give me three days.”
They both turned to look at him; Joy folded her legs beneath her.
“Go on,” Daveed invited.
“I’ve been looking into the attack. The code the guerillas used to get through the outer shell of security is the same one Spice gives to access executive areas on your floor. I told the security team everyone should have a separate access code.” He visibly fumed at that.
Daveed scrubbed his hand across his mouth. “How many people have that code?”
“Counting the assistants who use it, seven. I can positively clear four of them. I did the security clearances on Joy and Andre myself. We know the two of us aren’t guilty. That leaves the three executive assistants on the floor. Give me three days to run new clearances on them.” He shifted from foot to foot nervously.
“Do it,” Daveed ordered. His ridge plates were extended.
Arren nodded and started to turn away.
“Thank you, Arren,” Joy yelled after him.
He stopped at the entryway to the room, seemingly uncertain. “Anything to keep you safe, Joy.”
He was gone before Daveed could protest the comment.
Chapter Seven
Five days later
Joy and Daveed stepped off elevator three…directly into a plush bedroom decorated in dark colors.
She laughed heartily. “You weren’t joking.”
He pressed to her back, wrapping his arms around her, his primary hard against her lower back. “Not at all. Do your fantasies do it ju
stice?”
“Not even close.”
“Good. Should we…?”
“Later. We really do have to do some work, Daveed.”
He groaned. “The horrors of owning a company.”
Joy turned toward him. “It’s not all bad. Who else has a bedroom to take lunches together in?”
Daveed’s brow rose. “I will take that as a promise.”
She strode toward the door opposite the elevator. “You better.”
Daveed rushed to catch up to her, showed her how to check for someone in the office, and how to let herself out of the bedroom and into the office. In moments, they were head-to-head, checking the progress reports on the new line.
A light knock at the doorframe brought both their heads up. The woman in the doorway was matronly, not quite old enough to be Joy’s mother but nearly so, if she got an early start to child-bearing.
“Yes?” Daveed inquired.
She smiled. “I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Mallory, and I will be your new assistant.”
He rose, towering over Joy. “Yes. Arren told me he hired you. My mate…Joy.” There was a warning in his tone.
Joy winced. Yes, Arren had hired Mallory, and he’d proven Celeste had been the one who’d helped the guerrillas gain entrance. In fact, she’d had them target Joy, in specific. Shooting Arren had been a coup they hadn’t expected.
Beyond that, Arren had determined Joy’s former assistant—Lauren—was compromised and open to blackmail of some sort. He’d reassigned her to another department.
Arren had asked them for two more days to fully check on the candidates for a replacement assistant before they returned to work. Not that Joy and Daveed had complained about the delay. Once Daveed and Raashh had determined Joy was fertile, it had been hard to keep Joy and Daveed apart. The last two days had been comparable to their binding.
Raashh was pleased they were staying at the nest, not only because they were busy trying to conceive his grandchild, but also because they were both safe in the nest, and Daveed was getting more rest than he would have at work. With his wound still healing, that was just what the doctor ordered. Literally.
