Lost Among the Stars (Sky Riders)

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  “Maybe you need to woo her!” Kharis threw out.

  “Woo her! The gods be damned, I know she feels the same as I do! She feels the bond pulling her the same as I do!”

  “It’s not going to help any with you storming off with her over your shoulder! By the look on her face she was not too happy.” Kharis was struggling to control the fit of laughter that threatened to spill out. “I’m just glad I don’t have the same problem as you. I will patiently wait for my true mate to reveal herself and if she doesn’t then I will marry when I am allowed to.”

  Etor threw himself down into his desk chair. “You seem to be affected when you saw my mate’s friend.”

  Kharis waved him off as if to dismiss him. “It was nothing, just a passing fancy that’s all. I enjoyed teasing her. Now, tell me what happened.”

  For the next hour Etor filled his brother in on the details of his mission. Kharis sat silent as he spoke of finding the damaged transport and the women inside. Anger flared up in Kharis as he listened to the part about the dead women and where the transport was originally headed.

  “We have to stop them! This won’t be their last attempt at securing females for breeding. They’ve done it before and will do it again.” Kharis knew the Lephusans all too well.

  “First, I need to find out who was the one responsible for sending that transport there. Someone on Earth has obviously betrayed the trust of its citizens and needs to be stopped.

  “What do you plan to do? Do you even know where Earth is?” Kharis asked.

  “No I don’t but it’s not hard to find out. As for a plan, I haven’t come up with one yet.”

  The brothers sat in silence as the room grew darker with the storm approaching. The wind was whipping the trees outside the window as thunder rolled in the background.

  “We’ve had a lot of storms lately. One even contained a wind funnel over in Nallume. Vulmar has had a time with the cleanup. He lost several of the shuttles docked over there as well as eighteen citizens.”

  “Is he and father on their way here? I want to get everything organized and settled before we even try to stop the Lephusans. Father will not be pleased to find Ruehar is up to his old ways again.” Etor started his pacing again.

  “They should be arriving any time now. Father went to help Vulmar after the last storm. I’ve directed extra money to Nallume to speed up the recovery.”

  At knock on the heavy, carved, wooden door echoed in the room and the door swung open to let in his father, Folmar, and his youngest brother, Vulmar.

  “Ah, my prodigal son has finally returned home!” Folmar took his oldest son in hug. “Don’t be gone so long next time.”

  “It’s good to see you too, Father,” he smiled at the one man he admired so much. “Vulmar,” he nodded to his youngest brother then wrapped him in a hug too. “Where is mother?”

  “She stayed behind in Nallume. She was up top her ears in children when we left!” Folmar laughed then took a seat in the nearest chair. “Kharis said you have some interesting news to tell us.”

  “You had to go open your big mouth,” Etor frowned at Kharis.

  Kharis shrugged his shoulders as he laughed. “I couldn’t help myself.”

  Etor shook his head as he laughed too. “Kharis knows pretty much everything, and I don’t know how much he’s already told you, but I have taken a mate.”

  Folmar and Vulmar sat frozen, staring at him. His father was the first to recover, “But you are not of the age yet to take a mate. You know this.”

  Etor smiled as he thought about the little spitfire waiting for him in his private rooms. “I do not need to be of the age if I have found my one true mate.” He intentionally spoke calmly to get a better reaction out of the two men.

  “By the gods! Are you serious?” Vulmar asked with wide eyes.

  “This is no joking matter, son.”

  “I am not joking. She is in my private rooms as we speak.” He folded his arms across his chest with a smug look on his face.

  A smile slowly crept across Folmar’s face. “By the gods and goddesses! It’s true! Your mother will want to hear of this news.”

  “But where did you find her?” Vulmar asked, totally interested now.

  “We came across a damaged transport on the edge of the galaxy and when we boarded her we found fifty females on board.”

  “Fifty females!” Vulmar exclaimed.

  Etor waited a moment before finishing, “But, only four of the females were still alive.”

  The tension in the air grew thick. Females were highly regarded on Qetera and protected at all times. Males outnumbered the females but it was of no concern since many Qeteran males found mates on other planets within the Yahiri galaxy.

  “Who is responsible for this?” his father demanded.

  “We managed to get enough information out of the transport data files to find out the transport was headed for Lephus.” He waited for his father’s outburst.

  “Lephus! Who the hell would send a transport full of females to that disease ridden planet?” Folmar hated the Lephusans with every ounce of blood. The Lephusans had caused so much trouble over the years and many lives had been lost because of them.

  “That’s what I need to find out. The transport’s course was altered right after it left Earth. I found it odd that only females were aboard until I found out where it was headed and we all know what that means.”

  “Ruehar is searching for females to breed with. Their numbers must be dropping drastically,” Vulmar said. “We can’t let them get hold of any females. The fuckers breed like it’s going out of style. They will keep breeding a female until she either dies from the stress on her body or she is unable to produce any more children. Then they discard them like the daily trash. The Lephus females are born to be breeders and are accustom to doing so, but not other females.”

  “I want to send a ship to Earth to see if we can find the one responsible for dealing with Ruehar,” Etor said.

  “I think that would be a good idea. I would be willing to take the ship out,” Vulmar said.

  All the men agreed with Vulmar’s decision to head the expedition. “When do you want me to leave?”

  “Do you think you can spare the time to go? Can you leave the cleanup of Nallume?” Kharis asked.

  “I can put Ievos in charge. Between him and father everything should be able to return to normal shortly.”

  “It’s settled then. Vulmar will take a ship and head to Earth to find out who is behind this mess. While he’s gone we can keep a close eye on Ruehar and see if he plans on doing anything stupid.” Etor moved to the cabinet that contain his collection of wine. He pulled out his favorite brand and popped the cork then poured four glasses. He passed them out then held his up for a toast.

  “While we are still in a stressful situation, I do have to celebrate finding my one true mate, Maggie.” He took a sip of the sweet tasting wine.

  The other three men all raised their glass along with him and said, “To Maggie!”

  “Gods, help her!” Kharis tried to mumble under his breath.

  All four men laughed then drained their glasses.

  Yes, he had found his mate, but the problem was he still hadn’t bonded her to him completely. Until that happened she and he would remain with the bond that was already formed and if by some chance one of them was killed then they both would die. A weak bond between mates was dangerous, but a completely formed bond would make the pair very strong in every aspect, especially with healing.

  He would need to convince Maggie soon or it might be too late for either of them. Especially if the Lephusans decided to start another war.

  ******

  Maggie watched the approaching storm with interest. She always loved storms back on Earth. It was the perfect time to snuggle up in a comfortable spot with a good book. Here though, she was bored.

  Etor had left her hours ago and still hadn’t returned. The whole time he was gone she couldn’t take her mind off that
kiss. The man could kiss, she had to admit. He lit a fire in her that had been dormant for too long and she was scared. She didn’t want to open up her heart again only to have it crushed. Mark had done a fine job of making her steer clear of other men. Etor was different though.

  He had been gentle with her from the very beginning and all she had managed to do was anger him. She could tell just by looking at his eyes that he wanted her. Hell, she wanted him too! She was just to chicken to let go. There was no reason for her to feel guilty about Mark since that relationship had ended a long time ago. Mark never set her on fire like Etor did. Every time he touched her she could feel the fire heating up.

  Dang! The man was freaking huge, so would that mean his cock would be just as huge? It had to be just by the feeling she got when it was pressed against her leg earlier. Could she let go?

  Yes, you fool! Let go! Jump the man’s bones! He obviously wants you!

  “Oh shut up,” she told herself.

  Just as she was about to turn away from the window something big went flying by. She waited for it to pass by again to make sure she hadn’t been seeing things. Off in the distance she saw the small black dot dipping and flying through the air at a high rate of speed. As it got closer she could just barely make out the tiny form of a man sitting on the back of the dragon.

  “You have got to be kidding me!” She plastered her face up to the window and watched as Rhaegos and Etor flew through the darkening sky. How he held on, she had no idea. It looked like he was just sitting astride the huge beast as it twisted and dipped at dangerous angles. A quick flash of lightening blinded her for a second and when her vision cleared the dragon and its rider was gone.

  She stayed by the window searching for the awesome sight until she heard the sound of the door opening and slamming shut again. Startled, she whipped around to find Etor standing there dripping wet with rain. His hair was plastered in odd ways against his face and head while water trickled down into his shirt that was partially open.

  Unconsciously she licked her lips as she stared at him. God, he was gorgeous, even wet. She wasn’t sure what to do or how to act.

  “Was that you on Rhaegos?” she managed to ask over her thudding heart.

  He took a couple of steps in her direction then stopped. “Why do you want to know? You’ve made it quite clear you want nothing to do with me.”

  “I…I was just curious.” Damn, he just put her in her place and the bad thing was she didn’t like those words coming out of his mouth.

  “I need to take a shower. Your dinner will be brought to you shorty.” He strode past her and into another room.

  She hadn’t bothered to explore the room she was stuck when he left, so she guessed he went into the bedroom. The sound of water running reached her ears as she sat on the sofa waiting for him to reappear. It didn’t take him long to shower and change.

  He walked past her again without saying a word and went to open the door.

  “Wait, where are you going?” she asked quickly.

  He stopped then turned around slowly to face her. “Does it matter where I go? We are not mated.”

  “Then why do I have to stay in here?”

  “Because as long as you remain on Qetera you are my responsibility. It will take some time to arrange a shuttle to take you to where ever you wish. In the meantime, you will remain in here under guard.”

  He left her then and for some reason she felt crushed. As many times as she told him she wasn’t his mate, she now knew how it felt to be rejected and she didn’t like it one bit.

  Her dinner arrived a short time later only to remain uneaten. Exhaustion took hold of her as she went into the bedroom. She would take a quick shower then go to sleep. She didn’t want to think or feel anymore. The events of the last week had taken its toll on her. She no longer knew what she wanted or needed.

  The hot water felt wonderful on her tired muscles. Her legs still weren’t at a hundred percent so she tired easily. She didn’t even take the time to enjoy the beauty of the bathroom as she stood the water. It was there that the tears were finally left to fall. Tears she had been holding in ever since she saw Mark murder that man in cold blood. She cried until the tears were gone then got out of the shower and dried her body.

  The shirt she had been wearing was dirty and she didn’t want to put it back on, but she had nothing else to wear. Keeping the towel wrapped around her body, she climbed into the big bed. The smell of Etor instantly hit her. Everything in the room smelled of him. The pillows, the sheets, the cover, the air.

  “Just get some sleep and we’ll figure it all out in the morning,” she told herself. Sleep didn’t come easily as she listened to the storm outside the window. It had to be nearly midnight before she finally fell into a restless and disturbing sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Etor stayed away from his private rooms as much as he could for the last week. He only went there to shower and change clothes and to get a glimpse of Maggie. He tried to keep himself as busy as he could but it was of no use. Every waking moment was filled with thoughts of her.

  Vulmar left for Earth as planned and would report back as soon as he had any news. The patrols he sent out hadn’t come across anything unusual for the time being. The Lephus were keeping a low profile which was actually a scary thing. It was times like this Ruehar was known for his surprise attacks.

  Security had been tightened on the planet as well as the surrounding area outside the planet. He wasn’t taking any chances of Ruehar getting one of his people through. He travelled to Nallume a couple of times to help his father oversee the continuing cleanup of the city, but still his mind wondered back to Maggie.

  He allowed her finally the roam of the house. He didn’t think it was very fair of him to keep her locked up in the room considering she had nowhere to go. Any shuttles leaving the surface from his city had to get prior authorization. After the first night of giving Maggie her freedom, he felt confident she wouldn’t go far. He asked several of the servants of her whereabouts during the day and most reported the same thing, she either spent her time in the garden or with Kelly and the other two females.

  Late one night he barged into his room thinking she would be asleep only to find her and her friends all sitting on the sofa laughing and having a good time. He was a bit embarrassed when all eyes turned to him, but hell, it was his room after all. He begged their pardon as he rushed in to get a change of clothes then rushed back out. As he closed the door he heard them burst out laughing. It angered him that he was not the one making Maggie laugh. It should be him in there not those females!

  After several nights of sleeping in his office on the uncomfortable chair, he had had enough. He was going to sleep in his bed whether she liked it or not. He made his way to his room long after dark. The entire house was asleep as he walked quietly through the halls. As he passed the garden he saw Rhaegos sleeping peacefully on a bed of fresh hay he specifically had grown for his dragon. He smiled as he thought about the couple times he caught Rhaegos trying to talk with Maggie. She would laugh when he did something she found funny or didn’t understand something he was trying to tell her. One day he had stood in the shadows watching her and his dragon as they interacted. A wave of jealously coursed through him as he watched the pair.

  Tonight he made the decision to no longer stay away from her. He would be with her every minute of the day. He would take her everywhere he went. He was bound and determined to get her to want him.

  He crept into the dark bedroom trying not to wake her up. He took a quick shower then slipped under the covers. The sound of Maggie’s breathing had him wanting to reach out and touch her. He could smell her fresh, clean scent and it was driving him mad.

  Sleep eluded him as he stared up at the ceiling for several hours. Next to him, Maggie shifted then said something he couldn’t understand. He was wondering what she was dreaming about when she suddenly screamed and sat up. His instincts took over then.

  He reached for her and p
ulled her to him. “Shh, little one. It’s alright. Shhh.” He felt her body trembling in his arms as she came out of her dream.

  “Etor?” she asked.

  “Yes, it’s me. You were having a bad dream.” He wiped away a tear that escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek. “Are you okay now?”

  He felt her nod her head. “Yes, I’m fine. Etor..,” her voice fell off as her hand touched his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

  That was all it took. He captured her mouth with his in kiss he had been longing to give. When she didn’t pull away, but eagerly responded, he deepened the kiss. Her mouth instinctively opened for him as his tongue traced a path along her lips. He heard her moan as he tasted her until he had his fill. One hand moved down her slim neck to caress her shoulder. It took a moment to realize that she wasn’t wearing anything as his hand moved farther down to cup her breast.

  Her plump, firm breast fit perfectly in his hand as he molded and caressed it, skimming his thumb across the nipple several times. He felt her arch into his hand and moan every time he touched the sensitive nipple. It puckered beneath his touch until it was hard.

  He pulled back from her mouth and heard her whimper as he did so, but he wanted to taste more of her. He leaned her back down onto the bed and moved partially over her. He kissed his way down her neck then shoulder. The whole time his hand never stopped caressing her breast. He kissed the top of her mounds before he flicked his tongue across the tight buds.

  “Gods, you taste so good,” he said right before he sucked her nipple into his mouth. As he paid close attention to her nipples, his hand slid down her soft body. His fingers lazily skimmed over her belly and down to the patch of hair covering her sex. He felt the softness of it as he cupped her pussy in his hand.

  He raised his head and moved backup to kiss her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he devoured her mouth. Her body moved beneath him as his fingers slipped through her folds to find her clit. He rubbed little circles on the bud making Maggie gasp in surprise.