by Celia Kyle
“Rendan,” she murmured, loving the way his name sounded on her tongue. Rendan joi Carla Butler. It wouldn’t take much to make her come, to find her ultimate release and scream his name.
“Carla,” he rasped, his chest heaving. With each inhale, he stroked her nipples, teasing her aching nubs. No, it wouldn’t take much at all.
“Offense Master,” a male voice intruded on them. “Perhaps you’d like to return to bedrest. As ordered.”
A male voice she recognized.
Carla groaned, her arousal vanishing in a blink.
Rendan snarled, his hands leaving her while he whirled to face the newcomer.
And the male? Chashan merely chuckled.
Dammit. Cock blocked by her boss. And was it really being cock blocked since her mate was a Preor? In truth, she’d been wred blocked.
But, no matter what his dick was called, it ended with Carla wholly and completely unsatisfied-ly blocked.
Not for long, shaa soma. Her mate’s wicked gaze met hers, his rumbling voice filling her mind. Not for long.
11
Rendan could not decide if he should battle Chashan to the death or thank the male for his interruption. A glance down the hallway showed the nearby guards watching their shared passion with avid—desire-filled—gazes. Well, the healing master’s intervention saved those two, at least. But Chashan put himself in danger.
He glared first at the two warriors and then turned that narrow-eyed stare on the nearby male.
The male who raised his hands, palms out, in a clear sign of surrender. That did not placate his dragon’s mind, but it did take the edge off his bloodlust.
“Chashan,” he snarled and the healing master merely smiled with a knowing grin.
“Offense Master,” the male tipped his head in acknowledgment. “I learned you intended to leave Preor Tower—against my orders. And based on what I just witnessed,” arousal flared in the healing master’s gaze and Rendan forced himself not to attack the male for glancing at Carla with covetous eyes. As humans often said, the male was mated, not dead. And Carla was a beautiful female. “It truly would be best to seek… privacy.”
Privacy. Rendan took a deep breath, and the scent of his mate’s arousal taunted his dragon’s mind. She needed, just as he needed. Her body was ripening for him. She would be hot and slick and…
Privacy was necessary.
Yes, Carla whispered through his mind and pride joined his tumultuous emotions. Pride that their connection was already so strong that they could communicate even when he was not enveloped by scales.
Instead of replying to the male, Rendan grunted and focused on his mate. “To our—“ he was quick to correct himself, “—your home?”
She leaned against him, testing his control when she nuzzled his chest. “Ours.”
His heart soared, the single word filling him with a mixture of joy and dread. They would become one and yet… he would not give her what she desired. He could never give her what she desired. But that was a discussion for later—much later.
For now, he’d explore her body and pray to the skies she explored his in return.
“Ours,” he reaffirmed and then twined his fingers with hers, tugging her toward a nearby elevator. He ignored the grinning healing master as they passed, pulling his mate into the small metal box and pressing the button for their floor.
Theirs. Not merely because they had separate suites, but because they would share one going forward.
It did not take long to arrive at their floor and Rendan strode down the hallway, intent on getting to their condo. Only when Carla tugged on his arm did he slow, glancing over his shoulder at his mate. His slightly panting mate and he did not believe her rapid breathing was due to arousal.
“Carla?”
“You’re running.” She panted out the words.
He did not dare disagree with her for fear that she would change her mind. He’d simply been walking, but… his attention flicked to her legs—her much shorter legs.
Perhaps to her he’d been running.
“Easily solved.” He pulled, a quick tug on her hand, and brought her closer. The moment she was near enough, he scooped her into his arms.
Her delicious aroma surrounded him, encircled him in a sensuous web that made his wred—cock—throb within his katoth pants. The tanned hide restricted his movements, his length hardening and straining against the constricting clothing. He could not wait to be free of his uniform, bared for his mate’s touch. More than anything, he wished for her to be naked for him—for his mouth, his hands.
Carla squeaked and wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him while pressing her plump breasts against his chest. Her nipples were hard pebbles caressing his bare skin, further proof of her need. She fit comfortably in his hold, as if she belonged in his arms. And she did. She was his mate, his one, his kouva.
He would call her such once he was sure of their mating. When he knew she could not—would not—leave him.
Each step toward their condo was like an eternity, the hallway seeming to stretch before them, growing longer with each stride. Arousal pumped in his veins, sliding over his nerves. Pain and pleasure alternated, attacking him with each beat of his heart. The katoth both stroked and pinched his dick, making him want to groan and whimper in equal measure. But relief was in sight. They neared their suite, Carla’s—their—door now visible.
He jolted to a stop in front of the metal panel, the thin door that stood between him and bliss. “Place your thumb, shaa soma. Let us enter and explore.”
Explore their connection.
Explore their bodies.
Explore what brought forth whimpers of pleasure.
Carla’s passion-glazed eyes met his for a brief moment before she reached out and placed her thumb on the identipad. The red light instantly turned green, granting them entrance.
He immediately strode into the space, barely waiting for the door to slide away before he practically jumped inside. His desperation grew with every breath, every beat of his heart.
Rendan moved through her space, his mind recalling the layout with ease. He knew a c-ow-ch was nearby as well as a chair designed for a Preor male. Those two locations would allow a female to mount her male. It seemed pleasurable, and the Knowing assured him it could be, but he wanted more. He wanted a closeness that could only come when a male covered his mate.
That required a bed. A large bed like the one within Carla’s sleeping chamber. He turned right, desire growing the nearer he drew to her private room, and anticipation filled his blood. He would soon touch her, stroke her, explore—
A rumbling noise cut through his overwhelming craving for his mate, a grumble that was familiar, yet not. One that came from Carla.
He jolted to a stop, grip tightening so he did not risk dropping his mate. That sound came again, a growl that rolled on longer this time. He stared down at his mate in confusion. He had not read about such a sound coming before mating. What…
The Knowing was sluggish to respond, but it did. While his mate blushed under his scrutiny, information about the odd sound filled his mind.
“You are hungry.”
She opened her mouth to answer. “I’m fi—“ More rumbles broke into her speech and she pressed a hand to her belly, the flush of her face deepening to a darker red. “I’m fine.”
“No,” he shook his head, the Knowing’s lesson filling his mind. “You are hungry and a worthy, honorable male would not seek his own pleasure before caring for his mate.”
Even if he felt as if he would explode at any moment.
“Rendan—“
He knew she began another objection, and he silenced her the only way he knew how—with a kiss. He captured her lips in a fierce possession, swallowing whatever words might have left her lips. He delved into her mouth, savoring her natural flavors, and he ached to take even more.
But not yet. Not while his mate needed his care.
Instead, he lowered her legs, allowing her
feet to touch the ground. She swayed in his arms and he held her tightly, waiting for her to find her balance. The moment he felt she could stand on her own, he stepped away, anxious to put space between him and temptation.
One more touch from her and he’d forget his honor as if it’d never existed.
“Food, shaa soma.” He would sate her need for nourishment and then they could sate their desires for each other. “Food first.”
Passion later… Carla purred like a rasi—a fierce cat native to his planet.
Yes, passion later. Hopefully not too much later. He was sure his balls would turn blue as Kozav often promised.
Rendan took one step away and then paused, reaching back for his mate once more. It seemed he could not stand not having her skin touching his.
He led her to the ki-chen, nudging her onto a stool at the bar before moving into the food preparation area. His flesh itched with the loss of her touch, but he would first care for Carla before holding her in his arms once more.
Rendan opened the cooling unit and stared at the contents, his gaze traveling over the odd containers. He narrowed his eyes, hoping the glare would make the items identifiable.
It did not.
“I can handle this.”
He glanced at Carla and she gestured at the cooling unit. “No.” He shook his head. “It is a sad day when Rendan sen Tarkan cannot provide for his mate.”
Her lips tipped up in a small grin. “Rendan joi Carla Butler, and humans don’t believe work should be determined by pre-conceived gender roles.”
Now he narrowed his eyes at Carla, trying to translate her words, and the Knowing fed him more information about humans. He wished the blood memory was quicker and more complete, but the tie between a human and Preor did not allow for a rapid, comprehensive exchange.
The general translation of her words meant that humans did not believe only the males should provide for their mate and dragonlets.
Humans were wrong, but he did not tell her so.
“You can,” he sought the word, “assist me.”
Yet he would still do most of the work.
The blinding smile he received was enough to make him reconsider his choice. He wondered how happy she would be if he allowed her to do all of the work. Happy enough that she would allow him to strip her, lay her on the kitchen counter and pleasure her until she screamed his name?
Carla bounced from her seat, her large breasts straining against the tight confines of her top, her hardened nipples easily visible through the thin fabric. His mouth watered, the desire to suckle and nip those nubs sparking his need once more. As she rounded the counter, stepping out of sight for a moment, he reached down and thumped his insistent dick. Kozav also told him the move would ease the hunger in his blood.
The idiot male did not tell Rendan it would hurt so badly he nearly fell to his knees.
He would beat Kozav the next time they trained.
Rendan forced his lips into a smile—no matter how feigned—and stepped aside as Carla entered the small space. “How do you feel about spaghetti?”
The Knowing was too slow in its response, but he would do anything for his mate. Even eat… spa-get-ee.
Dinner began with Carla in her own chair, but after watching Rendan struggle to eat, she’d gone to his side to show him how to wrap the noodles around his fork.
That’d ended with her in his lap, feeding them both, while Rendan stared at her with hooded eyes. His hard cock pressed against her ass, telling her exactly how much he wanted her, and Carla wanted him just as much. From the first moment their lips touched she’d been on fire, aching for his possession.
And that was when her stomach had intruded. Dammit. Though, really, an hour spent eating before they got down and dirty meant they wouldn’t have to stop getting down and dirty later.
She twisted another few noodles around her fork and offered the bundle to Rendan, placing the utensil just in front of his mouth. His eyes changed, pupils narrowing to resemble a reptile—his dragon. The presence of that feral side of him excited her, a wave of anticipation sliding down her spine before spreading to stroke her nerves.
It was sensuous—this feeding and the closeness of their bodies. Intimate while remaining clothed.
For now.
She just had to get through dinner first and there was still a good sized plate of food in front of them. Carla was quickly becoming full, but her dragon mate needed more than a few bites.
Rendan stared at the fork, tines wrapped in off-white noodles and red sauce. His attention flicked between her and the food, his gaze finally settling on the spaghetti with an expression that bounced somewhere between revulsion and fear.
“It’s not going to hurt you.” She waved the fork a little. “You’ve already eaten several bites. What gives?”
His stare didn’t waver. “There is something… green.”
He sounded like a kid who hated vegetables more than life itself, and Carla glanced at the fork. “It’s a bell pepper. It adds flavor to the sauce.” She gently waved it again. “One bite.”
Rendan pulled his gaze from the food, staring at her with consideration in his reptilian eyes. “A bite for a kiss.”
“Negotiating?” She had to admit, she liked his bargaining better than a kid’s. He raised a single brow and nodded. “Hmmm…”
She decided she’d take his morsel while she thought over her options. And came up with the perfect answer. A way to find out what she wanted to know while giving them both exactly what they desired most—each other.
“A bite for a kiss and a kiss for a question.”
Her mate frowned. “I believe that bargain is one-sided, shaa soma. I concede two favors for your one.”
He’d lived for centuries. She couldn’t expect him to fall for her first attempt at manipulation. Then again, she’d never been very good at twisting men around her finger.
“How about,” she murmured and leaned forward, lapping at the corner of his mouth and catching a bit of errant sauce, “we both ask questions? We hardly know each other, but…” But she wanted him more than her next breath.
“Yes, but.” He lowered his head, his mouth ghosting over hers. “I will eat, you will ask your questions, and then we shall enjoy the large bed I have dreamed about.”
“You’ve dreamt about me?” Carla’s breath caught with a hint of surprise. She wasn’t sure why. She’d dreamt about Rendan, his body covering hers, his length stretching and filling her.
“Every moment of the day, every second of the night.” Another kiss, this one more insistent yet no less sweet. “Every time my heart beats. Was that your first question, shaa soma? I believe I have earned my kiss at this time.”
Carla eased away from him, shaking her head in an effort to clear it of the sensual web he wove around her. “No.” She repeated the motion. She wouldn’t be thwarted by his hotness. Yet. “No, I want to know more about you. What you do. Your past.”
“Many questions, shaa soma.” He nibbled her lower lip and then moved his mouth to her jaw, brushing soft kisses along the length of her neck. “Choose one so we may begin.”
They were choosing what, now?
Rendan scraped her neck with his fangs, a sharp sting immediately followed by a soft laving of his tongue.
Right. Choosing. Eating. Kissing.
“Uh,” Rendan stroked her thigh, hand gliding higher until he rested it on her hip. “Ummm…” Was it hot in her condo or was it just her? “Tell me why you keep coming into medical battered and bruised.”
And broken.
Rendan groaned but it wasn’t a happy-sexy sound. “Carla…”
“Rendan…” she countered. She wouldn’t be pushed off, and the mere fact that he was hesitant to answer her question made her want the answer even more.
“Instead, we could discuss my prowess on the battlefield. Or my skill with a blade. Did I tell you I hold the Preor record for—“
She placed the fork on the plate and then buried her fingers
in his hair, brushing the strands. “None of that matters to me.”
Her mate snorted. “Every female wishes to know her mate can care for her. That he is an honored warrior who is assigned the most prestigious missions by the emperor himself.”
Carla just shook her head and rested her cheek against Rendan’s crown. “Except me.” Definitely except her. “I told you a little about my dad, but not all of it.”
Not nearly, but she wasn’t going to open up the wounds of her past. At least, not right that second.
“I was five when I lost my mother—my dam.” Five and the zap of phaser fire still woke her from her dreams all these years later. “Dad dragged us to the middle of nowhere. I can’t even remember the country anymore.” Just the darkness, the midnight clouds that constantly hung over the city—remnants of the firefights. “It’d started as a simple disagreement, but they’d sent Dad in because they weren’t sure how long they’d be able to keep the violence at bay.” Even now, she didn’t remember that part. Just the rush of running from the shuttle to a waiting hovotruck that ferried them to their apartment. The rest were details filled in by others over the years.
“But he just made it worse.” Tears stung her eyes, old pain rushing forward and she fought to push it back. She smiled at Rendan through the gathering moisture. “Once a warrior, always a warrior.”
I’m gonna die with my phaser in my hand, Charlie. No better way to go.
Charlie. She’d forgotten that nickname. He’d always wished she was a boy.
“Shaa soma?”
She sniffled. “Right. Sorry.” She wiped her eyes, brushing away the droplets. “We arrived safely. Daddy went to the comm center while Mom and I got settled in the small apartment. Half the buildings were nothing more than rubble and there were random fires all along the streets.”
It’d been like a ghost town of old. Abandoned. Unwanted. Destroyed.
“That area had been bombed two days before and was basically a wasteland. Dad said the enemy was a half-assed band of ignorance and idiocy and they wouldn’t go back and hit the same place twice.” More tears escaped, trailing down her cheeks. “They did. No notice—no hint an attack was coming. One second it was quiet and the next…”
