Mating Fever (Interstellar Brides Book 10)

by Grace Goodwin

  “My mate should arrive soon.” Perhaps I would go back outside and wait for her arrival, where I could pace without breaking something.

  I was halfway to the door when Berina’s voice stopped me. “Mistress Megan is in the gardens, Warlord. She awaits your arrival.”

  As if I’d run into a stone wall, I stopped in front of the large windows that faced the back of the house. An open yard of grass and wildflowers was in the foreground, thick trees, so tall as to block out the sky in the distance. And sitting in solitude on a lovely wooden bench was Megan. She was just sitting there, her face relaxed, an expression of complete serenity on her face. Her eyes were closed and her head tilted back so the sun fell upon her like a kiss from the gods themselves. Her dark hair was long and free down her back. She wasn’t wearing her usual Coalition uniform. I’d only seen her in the dark brown-and-black armor, her hair pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck in a tight braid. Or naked. Gods, I’d seen her naked.

  But this…she was a vision. She was dressed in civilian clothing, as I was. But she wore a traditional Atlan gown, the blue fabric clinging to every curve. She was healthy and whole, and happy. Home. Safe. With me. Yes, this was what I’d imagined.

  I took a deep breath, then another. Settled myself, took in the vision before me. My cock hardened in welcoming heat as I stared, tracing every detail of the moment I knew would be burned into my mind forever, the moment before I took her.

  Going out the door, I walked across the soft grass and realized why she hadn’t heard me call her name. Hidden at the edge of the tree line was a small stream, the water tumbling and falling over rocks. The sound of it mixed with the wind kept the world away. Including, it seemed, the heavy and urgent footsteps of a possessive mate.

  “Megan,” I called.

  Her head whipped around in my direction and her eyes opened. Surprise was replaced by…yes, gods, yes…joy. A smile spread across her beautiful face and her dark eyes came alive.

  She stood and looked as if she might come toward me.

  I held up my hand and said, “Stop. By the gods, don’t move.”

  She froze.

  “Give me a moment just to look at you. You are a vision, the perfect sight for a weary fighter.”

  She rolled her eyes at me then.

  “I am a weary fighter,” she said, her voice soft, yet filled with the snap of the arguing I used to find so damn aggravating. Now, it was perfect. I did not want a docile, simple-minded female. Who wanted simple when he could have fire?

  “Weary, mate? Then I shall take you to bed and let you sleep.”

  I would do no such thing, but I wanted to see what she’d say next. Bickering with her made my cock hard. No, doing anything with her made me ache for her.

  “You can take me to bed, but I won’t let you sleep,” she countered.

  “I didn’t realize you were the one to let me do anything. Who is the one in charge, mate?”

  “I am.” She crossed her hands over her chest and I watched as the soft swells temptingly lifted over the low neckline.

  “That’s right.” I walked to her then. Instead of stopping before her as it appeared she’d expected, I grabbed her and claimed her mouth. I needed to taste her, feel her hot and wild beneath my hands. She kissed me back, her body melting against mine in complete surrender.

  But it wasn’t enough. I needed to be inside her, so I broke the kiss, leaned forward and tossed her over my shoulder.

  “Nyko!” she cried, her hands pounding on my back. I barely felt it.

  Turning, I returned to the house and a grinning Berina. “Where is our bed chamber?”

  With a chuckle, Berina led me to the upper floor of the home, and pointed down the long hallway. “Last door on the right, Warlord.”

  I walked directly to the bedroom, Berina’s happy laughter following us down the hall until I slammed the door behind me. I was hungry, but not for food.

  I dropped Megan onto the large bed and watched as she bounced once and tried to come up onto her knees, but the long hem of her dress got in the way.

  “Damn dress,” she grumbled.

  “No, mate. You are perfect.”

  My words made her still, look up at me.

  “The dress. Where did you get it?”

  I doubted it was just lying around at the Intelligence Core command base.

  “Doctor Moor arranged for it to be here when I arrived.” She looked down at herself, pulled at the soft, gauzy material. The pale blue color made her dark skin almost glow. “I thought…”

  I cocked my head. She seemed unsure of herself. Vulnerable.

  “What?” I asked, intentionally speaking in a low voice, almost a whisper. “You thought what?”

  “I thought you’d like it if I were more….”

  I stepped to the edge of the bed, lifted her so she stood before me. For once, she was a few inches taller. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t stop me when I worked the garment up and over her head, dropped it onto the floor.

  “You are Megan Simmons of Earth. My mate.” I glanced down at her perfect body, bare to me. “Gods help me if you become more anything than you already are.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I do not want you to be anything but what you are.” I slid a hand down her arm, felt the silky softness of her skin. “I do not care what you wear, mate.” I cleared my throat, tipped her chin up and called up every ounce of courage I possessed. I’d felt less vulnerable staring down a swarm of Hive soldiers than baring my soul to this woman. “I love you just the way you are. I love your sassy mouth and full, perfect lips. I love the dark softness of your skin and the way your eyes breathe fire when you’re challenged. I am proud to call you mine, mate. I love you. And I submitted your service record to the Atlan military training commander. He agreed. You are spectacular, and he offered you a job training the new recruits headed out to serve the Fleet. It’s yours if you want it.” I kissed her quickly on the shoulder, needing to adore her. “If not, we’ll find something else, love. Anything you want.”

  Tears filled her eyes, welled over. I cupped her jaw and swiped them away with my thumbs. “I do not mean to make you sad. I’m trying to say—”

  She put two fingers over my lips. “I know what you’re trying to say. I love you, too.” She stepped back. “I will be right back.” When I reached for her, she moved farther away and shook her head. “No. Please, I must get something. Stay right there.”

  “But—”

  “Count to ten. I will return before you finish.” I watched as she dashed to a chair and pulled a blanket around her to hide her perfect body. She opened the door and darted out of the room. I started to count aloud.

  “Slower,” she shouted from somewhere in the house.

  She returned when I got to eight, her breathing ragged and a wild smile on her face. She held up her cuffs.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

  I was too. Her wrists were bare and I had missed that. My body still burned with constant pain, but that pain meant I was hers and I’d grown accustomed to it. Welcomed it.

  With deft fingers, she opened one cuff, put it about her wrist and we both watched as the ends sealed. “Doctor Helion had to take them off as soon as we arrived at I.C. I don’t remember much. He said they would cause me pain, but it was nothing. I tried to stop him, but—”

  Had she truly fought Doctor Helion’s attempts to remove the cuffs? That was insanity. I held her hand, stilled her movement. “Don’t. Don’t put them back on. I want no pain for you.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll never take them off again. How else will everyone know that I belong to you?”

  She threw my words back at me and my beast prowled, pleased. It wanted the visible mark on her body for all to see. I shook my head, not liking the idea of her suffering. She shushed me with a finger over my lips.

  “I wanted to wait for you before I put them back on.” She looked up at me, her eyes serious now. “Nyk
o, my mate. I love you. I am yours.”

  The other cuff went easily about her wrist and my beast awoke, howled. I grinned, feeling as if I’d defeated the entirety of the Hive forces, sent them into oblivion. No victory had ever tasted so sweet.

  “You don’t need to wear those.” I couldn’t allow her to feel pain ever again, not for me. She’d sacrificed enough.

  She moved closer, then closer still. “I do. You said your cuffs were the sign that you belonged to me. I wish the same. I’m proud for everyone to know that I am the mate of Warlord Nyko.”

  My heart filled, burst with joy. This was exactly what I wanted but never knew I’d been missing. I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms, held her close. Her cheek rested against my chest as I placed a kiss on the top of her dark hair. I took a moment just to breathe in her clean scent, to feel her slight size in my grasp.

  “Show me what Helion did to you. Let me see that you are healed.”

  She turned for me, slid her hair over one shoulder so the sleek line of her neck was exposed. She lifted her hands and separated her hair, lifting some of it away. There, at the back of her skull, was a white sliver of a scar about the length of her thumb. The presence of a scar meant the wound had been severe since the ReGen pod eliminated most scarring. Not hers. While she couldn’t ever see it, I would look upon that line as a battle scar, a sign of her bravery. Of her insanity, too, perhaps. But it meant she survived, that she was here with me. Yes, I wanted to revel in that, sink into the idea of being here with her. I wanted to sink into her.

  “Do you know what it was like knowing you were at I.C. command and I could not join you? Do you know what it was like watching you bleed from your eyes while there was nothing I could do?”

  She turned back around and put her hand on my chest. I covered hers with my own. “I’m sorry, Nyko. So sorry.”

  “Mine, mate,” I said, the words filled with everything I felt for her. “Mine. No one will ever take you from me again.”

  “Mine,” she added, her eyes soft with love. “I missed you, too. Touch me, Nyko.”

  Stepping back, I stripped off my clothing as she watched. Naked, I moved to the bed beside her, fell back so I was resting on the bed, my knees bent and my feet on the floor. Megan looked down at me with confusion marring her smooth brow.

  “I’m yours, mate. Do what you will. I am not in beast form. He is not so patient. But I can give you what you want right now.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Control.”

  She arched one dark brow, her gaze lingering on my body. “Give it to me?” she asked, her eyes lowering to my cock at the challenge I’d deliberately put in my voice. My cock was hard and long, curving up to rest on my belly. Oh, yes. She needed to feel in control right now. I recognized the wildness in her, the deep need to take back her life from the horror she’d survived. I’d been forced to wait as she fought for her life. She was fresh from that battle, a powerful female who’d been made to feel helpless and weak and small. I didn’t want her to feel that way, I wanted her back to her old self. Fiery and wild, confident and aggressive. Mine.

  “Do what you will with me, mate.”

  Megan

  Do what you will with me. Wow. Nyko was lying on the bed, naked. His arms were at his sides and his cock…god, his cock was ready to go. The blunt head touched his navel and pre-cum seeped from the slit. My mouth watered for a taste. I had yet to explore him with my mouth, the beast not allowing me the chance. Now seemed to be the perfect time. His beast wasn’t raging. He wasn’t being all dominant and possessive.

  I wouldn’t admit it to him, but I liked him that way. There were times when my mind just wouldn’t stop and I needed him to take charge, to make it all go away. There was nothing more focusing than a swat on the ass or a little playful tug on my nipple.

  I licked my lips as I eyed his cock, which pulsed. My gaze met his and I saw the dark, aroused look I loved so well. His cheeks were ruddy, and while his hands weren’t clenched into fists, I could see his muscles going taut. It was costing him to remain still when I was naked before him.

  I understood completely.

  Settling myself on my knees beside him, I took the base of his cock in a firm grip and licked the fluid up off the tip.

  His body jerked as if he’d been shocked.

  “Gods, woman, you’re going to kill me.”

  I lifted my head away from his cock to look up his body at his narrowed eyes. “It’ll be a good way to go, won’t it?”

  Yes, I was taunting. It wasn’t my smartest move because he wasn’t just a man. Inside him lurked a beast who really, really enjoyed fucking with wild abandon. I didn’t want the beast right now, but I did so love to ride the razor’s edge. I welcomed the challenge. I wanted to push Nyko, test his control.

  But not too far. This time, I didn’t want wild. I wanted slow and tender. I missed my mate. I needed to feel connected to him more than I needed half a dozen orgasms as the beast growled and pumped into me. I loved the beast, the crazed passion he made me feel. But I needed more this time, the knowledge that there was nothing keeping us apart. We were home now. This was a new start where there were no Hive. Nor my mother. Nor any commanding officer telling us what to do. Just me and Nyko in our own magical kingdom.

  Right now, in this moment, I was in control. And so I didn’t waste it. I took the swollen crown into my mouth and licked it like an ice cream cone.

  Nyko’s taste made my mouth water, made me want to take more of him.

  I did. Yes, he was letting me, but I also had his cock in my mouth. If I asked him to go steal the Battleship Karter in this moment, he’d go and try. When he hissed out his breath and one of his hands tangled in my hair, I knew he was all mine.

  He didn’t have to give me control. With his cock in my mouth, he was mine. I ruled his body and his heart.

  I was the only one who could do this to him. I raised and lowered my head, taking him deeper and deeper each time as I swirled my closed fist. There was no chance I could take that many inches into my mouth, even if I were a porn star. He was just too big. The way his hips bucked and growls rumbled from his chest, he didn’t seem to mind.

  I could feel heat radiating from his skin and I knew it wasn’t from fever. It was from his need.

  His need for me. The thought of that made me wet. I was so ready for him. While it had only been hours since we’d been together last, so much had happened. He’d watched me almost die, battled the Hive, chosen a home and been forced to wait. Doctor Helion had not been amused when relaying a warning to me, one I was supposed to pass along to my mate. The I.C. did not tolerate death threats.

  When I just laughed in the doctor’s face, he’d broken down with a grin and told me to get the hell out of there and keep my mate as far away from the I.C. as possible. I’d sacrificed, but my mission was a success. The Coalition now had one of the Nexus units to study, and I had a mate who I would spend a lifetime beside with no regrets. The implant was gone. I was healed. When I ran my fingers over the place where the implant had been for long weeks, I felt nothing. No lump, no raised or puckered skin of a scar. No pain. I loved space medicine. Barely any recovery time meant I could suck my mate’s cock right now instead of healing in a hospital.

  “Megan,” Nyko growled.

  “Mmm?” I asked, knowing the vibrations of that one little sound would destroy him.

  Before I could blink, I was off his cock, lifted in the air and tossed onto my back. I looked up at a wild Nyko. Not the beast, but the Atlan male. He was breathing hard and his eyes were almost black. The intensity I saw there had my nipples tighten. The muscles in his arms and shoulders bunched as he clenched and unclenched his fists. His cock was glistening from my mouth and was so swollen, so ready. Beneath, his balls hung heavily. Feeling daring, I reached beneath him and took them into my palm. He shuddered, pushing into my grasp.

  “Nyko?” Shit. How was I supposed to bring this up? It wasn’t a conversation I’d ever imag
ined having.

  He heard something in my voice and the arousal slipped from his face, quickly replaced by concern. “What? What’s the matter?”

  I reached up, stroked his cheek, felt the soft stubble. “Nothing is the matter. I’m fine. But I wanted to talk with you about something.”

  He exhaled and most of the tension left his body. Moving over the bed, he settled half on top of me, resting his weight on his forearm. His leg settled between mine and the length of his body pressed hotly against me.

  “You wish to talk now?” he asked, cupping my breast. My nipple was so sensitive and I watched as he stared at it. Transfixed.

  “Doctor Helion—I asked him—I—”

  His gaze lifted to mine and he stilled. “I will destroy him if he hurt you.”

  “No. I’m fine. I’m just not—I want—god this is impossible.” Tears of frustration gathered in my eyes and Nyko groaned softly when he saw them. How was this happening? I could lure a Hive into a cave, charge onto a battlefield, but I couldn’t tell my mate the truth of my own heart? Shit. Fighting was easy. Love? Trust? Vulnerability was hard.

  “Tell me.” He kissed me, soft and slow, and I felt the coiled power in him, the iron control he commanded for me. He would do anything for me. I knew it, felt it deep down in my bones. I was being a coward.

  I hated cowards.

  “I want to start a family.”

  I watched as he processed my words, his hand sliding from my breast to settle over my abdomen where our child would grow. “You wish to have a baby?”

  I lifted my head, kissed him. “I wish to have your baby.”

  “Yes.” He growled then and I felt it through my body. Lowering himself, he kissed me. And kissed me. And kissed me some more. His weight remained off me—I’d be smushed flat otherwise—but I was not getting up until he let me. Not that I wanted to go anywhere. I was exactly where I wanted to be.