Taken by Her Mates

by Grace Goodwin

  “What?” Transport? No. No. No. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You are my mate. You will go where I command.”

  I choked on my laughter, and the sound wasn’t happy. I could hear my hurt, my disappointment behind the fragile sound. “No, I won’t. You had your chance and you rejected me. That means I’m free. My part of the bride contract was fulfilled. My obligation is over. I’m not yours anymore. You gave me up.”

  His eyes narrowed even further and I could see that he did not like to be denied. I could sense his anger and frustration, but did not feel a bit of it in his touch.

  “I care not for your Earthen contracts, female. You are mine, my match. My father denied you transport. I had nothing to do with it and was, in fact, enraged when I discovered what he had done. Nothing has changed except that I was forced to come here to retrieve you. Let me be clear. You were not rejected. I will not give you up. You are mine.”

  I sucked in more air to argue, but Warden Egara, who’d been fidgeting uncomfortably at my bedside, held her hands up in the air. “I’ll go out to the car and get the camera. No one will think a thing of it. It’s my car.”

  Happy to ignore this very intense version of Nial, I turned to her. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.” She turned and left the room, the large sliding door closing with a soft swooshing sound behind her.

  I celebrated that small victory for about five seconds. That was when I realized I was nearly naked, and completely alone with an alien warrior who believed—very, very seriously—that I belonged to him.

  Chapter Seven

  Nial

  My mate trembled beneath my palm, her body long and lean and so beautiful I ached to rip the small pink garments from her soft breasts and sweet pussy and taste her.

  The scars on her body and in her eyes prevented me from acting on that impulse. Her own people had used her as a soldier, scarred her perfect body and taught her not to trust. My father’s denial had hurt her, deeply. Now she doubted me, doubted my desire for her. It only added to the list of reasons I hated the man. No one should come between a man, his second, and their mate.

  I would prove her doubts wrong, but forcing my attentions on her was not the way to win her heart. She was wounded and afraid, even under that gruff facade she maintained so well. It had dropped briefly in the car when I’d coated her skin with a hint of my pre-cum. The powers it held to bond a woman to her mates was legendary, but Prillon women did not react as my little human had. On Prillon Prime, the females would become aroused by their mates’ seed, and over time, usually months, she would begin to crave intimate contact with her mates. But the bonding was slow and predictable, easy for the woman to ignore should she choose.

  Not my Jessica. Her reaction had been instant and fascinating, and made me ache to fuck her, right there in the car.

  Commander Deston had warned me, and I’d seen his mate’s response to the bonding chemicals in his and his second’s seed during their mating ceremony. I’d watched their mate writhe and beg them for more, but I had not fully comprehended the bonding power on a human female until I’d spread that small amount of pre-cum on Jessica’s arm.

  It hadn’t taken more than three quick pumps of my cock for the fluid to seep from the tip. The moment she ran into me, I had become hard, eager for her. Ready.

  Gripping her arm, letting the clear fluid seep into her skin had been an attempt to soothe her, to calm her enough that she would see reason when it came to our bond. Within a few seconds, she’d responded and the smell of her wet pussy had flooded the small interior of the car. Her pupils had dilated, and she had devoured me with her eyes, inspecting me with the gaze of a female who wanted to touch.

  I wanted her hands on me more than I had ever desired anything, even the throne. She stared up at me, healed but shaken, nearly bare but not afraid, and my cock swelled even further. Gods, she was mine.

  She had appeared upset by her arousal in the vehicle, but I welcomed the bond I knew my seed would help forge between us. I would wait, if necessary, slowly win over her heart and mind. Her body already recognized the truth that we were truly matched, and if seduction was the route I must take to win her over, I would be ruthless in my mastery of her pleasure.

  Time and the claiming ceremony would be the answer to easing any doubts she had. Already she had melted into my arms, soft and compliant, accepting and eager for my kiss, and that had been before any of my pre-cum had touched her skin.

  I would have her, my proud warrior bride.

  I just needed to treat her like what she was, an aggrieved and distressed creature who feared the strong hand of a dominant mate. This was blatantly obvious to me, even in the short time I’d known her. She argued and fought, debated and cursed, but that was all an act, a fierce front to protect herself. She’d needed to build this hard exterior dealing the men of her world, but she didn’t need it with me. Human men were obviously fools who had abused her trust. My arrogant father had added insult to injury.

  None of that mattered as she lay weak and trembling on the table, clinging to my arm. I had to take this need she had to hold on to me as a good indication that she knew, perhaps deep within, that I was her mate, her safe place. I had to feed this gentle beginning of our bond carefully and gently.

  Even though she was no longer wounded, her body completely healed, her pale eyes were round with anxiety. Her gaze darted around the room with nervous energy and she licked her lips as she stared up at me, unsure of what I would do next. The fact that she clung to me was a good sign; however, I knew she also believed herself to be untouchable right now, as she was simply waiting for the warden to return with her camera.

  “Stay still, Jessica.”

  I took her silence as assent and was pleased as I walked to a sink on the opposite side of the room. I filled a strange bowl with warm, soapy water and grabbed a soft gray cloth from a stack of them in one of the cabinets.

  The ReGen wand had healed the worst of her wounds, but I could not abide the sight of so much blood on her soft skin.

  I returned to the table and dipped the towel in the water.

  “I know you are overwhelmed. So much has happened to you in the past hour. It is a large adjustment. For now, you must at least sense that I mean you no harm. You are safe with me. I will let no one touch you, much less hurt you again. Will you allow me to tend to you?”

  She looked at me, her eyes roving over my face, lingering on the silvery sheen of my skin, her gaze darting from my golden eye to my silver before coming to rest on my mouth. As if she realized her gaze lingered there, her focus jumped, full of guilt as her eyes met and held mine, first questioningly, then with consideration, and finally, resolve. She nodded and I helped her to sit up, the examination table covered in her blood as well.

  I rolled a small, wheeled stool to the side of the table and pulled her foot forward into my lap as I began to wipe off the blood that had run down to the lower part of her leg.

  My method was not perfect, but I cleaned her the best I could with slow, gentle strokes. She was allowing me to see to her, to offer her the attention and care of a mate. This wasn’t sexual, but it would make the bond between us all the more powerful.

  I washed her leg, then thigh. Blood had run down her back to the curve of her ass and I stood, leaning her toward me, resting her forehead on my chest so I would wash her shoulder and back. I traced the elegant line of her spine and wondered if the shiver that ran through her was the result of the water’s chill as it evaporated, or if they were caused by my touch.

  Warden Egara walked in with the camera just as I wrapped my mate in a new, dry blanket, lifted her into my arms, and sat down in the room’s sole chair. I happily settled Jessica onto my lap. Compared to the warden, she was not a small Earth woman, but she fit perfectly. She was soft and curvy and warm and just right. She was not dainty as the warden was, and I was glad of it. I did not wish to fuck her gently and I knew that that was not what she ne
eded. We would not have been matched otherwise.

  Fortunately, Jessica continued to be compliant, which told me more than anything else how vulnerable she was feeling. Healed, yes, but still frail. The ReGen didn’t return spent energy. Only time and rest would resolve that, just as it would prove to her that she could trust me, that she would be safe with me. I’d seen the fire in her eyes when she’d been chased by the Hive scout and knew this quiet kitten in my arms was not her usual way.

  My mate lifted her head as the warden walked in and set the camera down on the counter.

  “Thank you.” Her body relaxed, melting into my embrace and my cock grew hard once more as her heat molded to mine. She sighed, then spoke to the warden. “Do you have a computer I can use? I need to download the photos I took today and send them to the police.”

  The warden’s curious gaze helped me hold my tongue as she asked what I, myself, wanted to know. “What photographs?”

  With her head leaning against my shoulder, Jessica answered, “I staked out the Café Solar this afternoon.”

  “Oh, my God. Are you insane?” The warden, who had settled her hip against the counter, leapt to attention and Jessica tensed in my arms. A reaction I did not care for in the least.

  “Probably.”

  I looked at the warden, not expecting an answer from my mate. “What is this Café Solar?”

  She tightened her lips into a straight line, looking from Jessica to me as if trying to come to some kind of monumental decision. I used my most commanding voice. “Tell me. Now.”

  Jessica lifted one bare arm from within the blanket and waved the warden away, as if sparing her my ire. She was mistaken. The anger rising within was directed solely at my mate, as I suspected she had put her life in danger. Her words confirmed my suspicions.

  “It’s the main hangout for a drug cartel.”

  “The drug cartel. They run the entire northeast section of the country. From that restaurant.” Warden Egara crossed her arms. “You are insane. Aren’t they the ones who framed you in the first place to get rid of you? They would probably kill you on sight.”

  The threat to my mate rumbled through my body in a soft growl, which Jessica ignored, speaking directly to the warden.

  “How do you know they framed me?” she asked. “I never told you.”

  The warden raised an eyebrow. “Please. I process criminals in this place every day. I know the difference between innocence and guilt and I knew your background. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”

  “Thank you.”

  I could smell my mate’s tears.

  “Why are you crying? Are you in pain?” I looked down at her to find a watery smile on her face.

  “No. It’s just, no one else believed me.”

  The warden shook her head. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Jess. But what could they do?”

  “Nothing.” Jessica wiped her eyes with the edge of the blanket and just that quickly, the strong, bold warrior woman was back. “Which is why I have to get those pictures downloaded and sent to the cops and my media contacts before they find Clyde’s body.”

  The warden opened a compartment in the wall and carried a tablet to my mate. “Will this work?”

  Jessica perked up quite a bit from seeing the device and flipped it onto its side, inspecting the openings there. “Yes. Thanks.”

  “Clyde who?” I asked.

  Jessica humphed. “Clyde Tucker. The man whose house I was running from when you found me. When the Hive found me. He’s also the mayor, the government leader of this city. They… the drug dealers, bought him off.”

  “Mayor Tucker? That asshole. I voted for him.” Warden Egara’s glare would have killed a Prillon warrior dead on sight. I tilted my head at her spirit, considering.

  “You would make a fine mate for a Prillon warrior. You should enter the program.”

  Warden Egara bit her lip and looked away until Jessica spoke to her. Jessica’s voice was clipped, and she tried to pull away from my chest. I simply tightened my hold. She could do whatever she needed to do from my lap. She had no need to be jealous of my comment to the warden. I did not desire the other woman. The only mate I desired was in my arms, and I was not letting her go.

  Jessica swatted at my hand where it rested on her hip but spoke to the warden. “Can you hand me my camera, please?”

  “Sure.”

  Once Jessica had the camera, she pulled two cords from a compartment on the back of the camera I hadn’t noticed before and connected them to the tablet. She asked the warden about the Internet passwords, and focused her complete attention on her task. Photographs flashed across the screen as she downloaded and categorized them, sending messages and whatever else she needed to do. I did not recognize any of the people or places in the photographs, not that I expected to. I didn’t concern myself with them either, for we would not remain on Earth for long. As long as Jessica was safe, I had no issue with anyone from this planet. The only human male who had intended her harm was dead, dead at the hands of the Hive.

  The Hive threat was being dealt with by my second and I was, not for the first time, grateful for Commander Deston and Dare’s advice that I take a second, grateful that Ander had stepped forward. He had proven worthy, and our mate had been in more danger than either of us had anticipated.

  Killing this mayor, Clyde, was the first and most likely only time that I was pleased with what the Hive had done. I just wouldn’t have minded completing the task of killing the human myself. He had hurt my mate, the only thing I cared about right now.

  That one thing was currently typing a message on the flat screen of the tablet the warden had given her. My Earth communication device rang and I touched the earpiece, waited for the strange blank sound of empty space.

  “Speak.”

  “I’ll be at the processing center in ten minutes. How is our mate?” Ander’s arrival was good news. The sooner he arrived, the sooner we could get our mate safely off this planet.

  “She was injured, but will recover. Did you find the Hive ship?”

  “Yes. The last scout is dead. I sent the ship on a collision course with Earth’s star.”

  “Did you crack their core processors?” I ran my hand up and down my beautiful mate’s spine as I spoke. She had frozen in place, once more listening to my conversation with her second.

  “With great pleasure.”

  I chuckled at that. To reach the core processor he would have had to tear their bodies in half as the special units were usually placed along the inside of the cyborg’s spine, behind the heart.

  “Why were they here?”

  “Their orders were simple. They were after Jessica.”

  Shock and protective fury rose to a slow burn in my chest. “How is that possible?” I growled.

  “Because she’s yours. Their prime objective was to lure you into a trap so they could return you to the Hive for continued processing.”

  “I’ll die first.” Those machines would never touch me again. I would not join their Hive mind and become one with them, murder and destroy my own people.

  “I think they are aware of that now. That’s why they were after her.”

  So, the Hive leadership was more diabolical than I had envisioned. I would never surrender, forcing them to kill me rather than be taken alive again. But for the woman in my arms? My mate?

  I’d barely tasted her kiss and I knew I would do anything, sacrifice anything, to protect her. Evidently, the Hive knew it, too, and she was now a liability for me. At least that was what the Hive believed. What they didn’t understand was that a Prillon mate was anything but a liability, and that they would simply be dealing with one Prillon warrior, but his second.

  Had I come alone, the danger to her would have been twice as great. I would not take such risks with her life again. The role of a second mate was sacred and necessary. I would not second-guess the need again.

  “Return here at once. She’s not safe on Earth.”

&nbs
p; “Agreed. Ten minutes.”

  Ander disconnected and I looked to Warden Egara. She was already backing toward the door. While she had not heard Ander’s response, she took one look at my expression and reached for the door handle.

  “I’ll go let him in.”

  “My thanks.”

  As soon as she was gone, Jessica returned her attention to her task. No more than two minutes later, she sighed and leaned across me to place the tablet and her camera back on the counter closest to us. Her Earth tasks were important to her, but were only temporary, for once we transported back to the battleship Deston, nothing would follow her. These small men and their crimes would be part of her past, an ugly part that would never touch her again. The closure would assist in her adjustment to her new life, knowing that she’d completed whatever was required before she left Earth behind and became completely mine.

  “Are you finished, mate?” I continued to rub her back through the blanket, content that she allowed me to hold her. For now. Soon I would do much more than that. Soon I would make sure the bonding chemicals in my seed touched her once more. I enjoyed her quiet trust and acceptance of my touch, but longed to feel her fire once more. I needed to bond her to me in every way possible. I needed the connection between us to be frantic and unbreakable. I needed her pussy wet and empty, aching for my cock. I needed her aching for me.

  “Yes. And I hope those motherfuckers rot in prison.”

  I placed one hand beneath her chin and lifted her face so I could look into her eyes. So much passion and fire. I simply needed to redirect all that power and energy in my direction. The temptation to rub my seed on now was nearly too strong to resist.

  “Such foul language from such a beautiful mouth.” I stared at her perfectly soft, full pink lips and listened to her heart race. She licked her lips and I returned my attention to her eyes, looking into their depths, trying to figure out the mysterious combination of strength and fragility, fire and tenderness that was my mate.