by Sue Mercury
Chapter 25
“I want you, Tyra. Do you hear me? I want you.”
Rem’s words penetrated Tyra’s consciousness, causing hope to bloom in her heart.
“Do you truly mean it? Do you swear it?” she asked, her voice wavering with emotion. Her throat burned so fiercely that speaking was difficult. She swallowed hard and peered at him, awaiting his answer with bated breath.
“Yes,” he said. “I truly mean it, and I swear it on the Gods.”
She started to grin, but then felt her smile faltering. Even though he wanted her, she couldn’t imagine living with a male who thought about killing any other male who looked her way for more than two seconds. While Chexxa had followed her, it disturbed her that Rem apparently didn’t trust her. Otherwise, why would he have checked up on her and watched security footage of her trip into the city? Her heart started sinking all over again.
As if reading her mind, he said, “I was wrong to ever distrust you, my sweet mate, and for that I am sorry. I am sorry for accusing you of being tempted by another male, and I am sorry for my controlling behavior. I have treated you poorly.” He paused and his forehead ridges bunched together, making him appear as though he were deep in concentration.
“If you’re trying to figure out if there’s anything else you need to apologize for, might I remind you that you threatened to keep me locked up,” she said.
He drew her closer. “I am sorry for that, too, Tyra. Gods, how I am sorry. I-I am certain there is more that I owe you an apology for, my sweet mate, but know that I want you, I desire you, and I love you.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected him to profess love. His words hung in the air between them, heavy but beautiful, and her spirits lifted at the sincerity in his dark gaze.
Hours ago, he had broken her heart, but as she stared into his eyes and his declaration of love echoed in her mind, the shards began to piece back together again. Well, he had been honest with her. Finally. Perhaps it was time she did the same. She opened her mouth to respond, only for him to place a finger to her lips, stilling her speech.
“It is all right if you do not love me, Tyra. I do not expect it. But if you stay here, stay with me, I vow that I will always take care of you and from this day forward I will strive to treat you with fairness. I vow that I will strive to make amends to you. I vow that I will never lock you up again, let alone threaten it. I vow that I will not accuse you of being unfaithful, or being tempted.”
“I do love you, you big ass,” she blurted out. “That is why this hurts so much.” She placed a hand over her heart. “If I didn’t love you, my world wouldn’t have gone so dark when you shouted the truth behind our mating union and then walked out that door. If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t have been so filled with despair when I thought you didn’t want me.”
“Oh, Tyra,” he said, pressing his lips to hers. “If I could take your pain directly into my own heart, know that I would. Gods, I am sorry for the despair I caused you. I am a beast.”
She smiled and stroked the side of his face. “You are a beast, Rem,” she said, pressing a kiss to one of his cheeks, then his other cheek, before she pulled back to stare into his remorseful gaze. “But you are my beast.”
He clasped her hands, threading his fingers through hers and pulling her closer. “You aren’t leaving me,” he said, nodding at her suitcase. “This beast cannot live without you.”
At this moment, the doorbell rang, and the melodious tune reverberated through the house. A second later, the sound of pounding followed.
Rem growled and rose to his feet. It was early morning by now, in fact Tyra could see the first glimmer of dawn breaking through the trees. Who would come to call upon them at such an early hour? Worry for Rem suddenly filled her. Had he hurt Chexxa worse than he’d thought? Could he be in trouble for what he’d done to the young male?
The doorbell rang again and Tyra was fairly certain Rem cursed in his native tongue as he glanced over his shoulder, clearly torn between seeing who was at the door and finishing their conversation. She was just as torn. She didn’t know much about the laws on Mars. Had Rem broken the law by harming Chexxa, even though the young male had practically stalked her yesterday?
Rem’s wrist comm abruptly lit up and he looked down at it, then he broke into a smile. “Come,” he said, guiding her out into the hallway. “It is only an old friend. But I know he will not go away until I assure him that all is well.”
Confused, Tyra hurried downstairs with Rem.
Rem opened the front door to find an anxious looking Jav standing on the porch. The huge, genetically enhanced warrior glanced from Tyra to Rem several times, his demeanor tense.
“Ah, Jav. You made it sound as though you would be gone for a long time, yet you’ve returned from your mission already. I hope I am the first to welcome you home,” Rem said in a derisive tone.
“My unit just arrived back on Mars,” Jav said, “and as I was walking home, I crossed paths with a doctor who was on his way to treat an injured young male by the name of Chexxa.” Jav’s forehead ridges rose higher. “I followed the doctor, wanting to see Chexxa’s injuries for myself, as the doctor described them as serious. I was worried that perhaps a wild animal had ventured into the city. Imagine my surprise when I learned the truth.”
“Are you here to scold me, old friend?”
“No. I am here to ensure the safety of your mate.” Jav narrowed his eyes at Rem, though when he glanced at Tyra, his gaze softened. “Has your mate mistreated you? Are you all right?”
“I am fine,” Tyra replied immediately as she placed a hand upon Rem’s arm. “We had a disagreement, but we are… working through it.”
“Did Chexxa tell you that he spent the day following my mate around the city?” Rem asked, his annoyance flaring. While he hadn’t had good reason to treat Tyra so harshly, he’d been justified in pummeling Chexxa into a bloody mess. The male had dared to covet what belonged to him and taken his infatuation with Tyra too far when he’d trailed her through the streets of Ressiktron.
“Yes, he confessed his misdeed to me.” Jav shook his head slowly from side to side. “I am shocked you didn’t kill him outright or challenge him to a fight to the death. Why didn’t you?”
Rem put an arm around Tyra, drawing her close. “Because I knew it would upset my mate, and I trust that the young male will not go near her again. I told him if he ever so much as looked upon her again, I will sever his testicles from his body.”
From his peripheral vision, he noticed Tyra’s head snap up as she stared at him. He looked down at her, meeting her shocked gaze. “I intend to keep you safe, my sweet mate. Do not worry though. I don’t believe he’ll be foolish enough to venture near you ever again.”
“I hope not,” she replied. “I suppose I ought to be relieved that you threatened to maim him, rather than kill him.”
Jav cleared his throat and looked from Rem to Tyra, and it occurred to Rem that he ought to properly introduce them. Once the introductions were complete and Tyra again assured Jav that all was well, Jav took his leave.
Rem closed the door and then turned to Tyra, his heart swelling with affection for her. When she smiled up at him, his spirits danced.
“I have been a giant… ass,” he said, repeating the unusual name she had called him twice now, “and I am truly sorry for everything, Tyra, for every little hurt I have caused you.”
She reached up to stroke his chin. “I have already forgiven you.” She drew in a deep breath. “And it is my hope that we can start anew.”
He clasped her hands in his and kissed her forehead. “We can,” he said adamantly, “and our mating union will be built upon love, trust, and respect.”
“I like the sound of that, Rem.”
Chapter 26
As soon as they reached their bedroom, Tyra came to a decision. She had been holding back certain truths from Rem, but now was the time to come clean. The time to unburden her soul.
�
�Rem, I want to tell you the full truth about why I left Earth.”
He led her to the bed, sat upon the mattress, and gathered her on his lap.
She looked at him pointedly. “You must promise me, even after I tell you, that you will not have my uncle killed.”
“What happened?” Rem asked in a wary tone as he tensed. “What did he do to you?”
“Promise first.” Her heart raced and her stomach clenched with nerves.
He growled. “Very well. I promise.”
“It was true what I told you about him not treating me well, and forcing me to work in his bar, but there’s more to it. After I started working there, he noticed that many of his patrons took notice of me. Many of them would grab me and try to kiss me, and some would even proposition me. That is, they asked for sex. I always said no, and whenever I refused, the men would offer me money.”
“Oh, Tyra. I am so sorry.” He ran a hand over her head, petting her. “You need not feel ashamed of what you did. I do not think badly of you. I promise.”
“No, you’re misunderstanding,” she said, though his acceptance of what he’d thought she’d been trying to tell him touched her, especially considering his recent bouts of jealousy. “I never accepted their proposals, but my uncle took notice of the attention the men were giving me and decided to capitalize upon it. He was planning to auction me off to the highest bidder on my twenty-first birthday. He had been planning it since I was about seventeen.” She shuddered. Uncle Sebastian truly was a vile man, and she was glad to be out of his reach now.
Rem’s eyes brimmed with shock. “Your own uncle meant to sell you? Gods, Tyra, I am so sorry.” He hugged her to his chest and continued stroking her hair.
“So you see, that is why I decided to leave Earth. I showed up at the Martian Affairs building in Bismarck, very early in the morning on my twenty-first birthday, as the auction was set to take place that night. I was so relieved when my application to become a mail order bride was accepted. A short while later, I found myself on a bus, headed for Fargo, where the spaceship was waiting to take me and the other brides to Mars.”
He pulled back slightly and then rested his forehead against hers. “Why did you not tell me about this sooner?” he asked, though his tone wasn’t accusatory. He asked the question in the gentlest voice she’d ever heard him use.
“Because I was ashamed, and afraid. My own uncle cared for me so little that he thought nothing of auctioning off my virginity to the highest bidder. I-I worried if you found out, that you might think there was something wrong with me, if my own flesh and blood cared so little about me.”
“I do not think there is anything wrong with you, my Tyra. You are my sweet mate and I intend to cherish you forever. I am only sorry that such a tragic circumstance led you to me.”
He kissed her then, a soft brush of his lips to her forehead. She loved when he kissed her like that, it truly made her feel cherished.
“Don’t forget that he is locked up now. He will never hurt you again. I will never let anyone harm you in such a way. I swear it on the Gods. You will be safe on Mars. I vow to protect you always. Always.”
She blinked back tears. “I-I know I am safe with you, Rem.”
“Thank you for telling me the full truth of why you left your home planet. I am touched that you have confided such a painful secret in me.” He swallowed hard and studied the golden flecks in her eyes. “Please know that I aim to spend the rest of my life building happier memories with you, my sweet mate.”
She smiled as his words filled her with warmth. “I like the sound of that. I came to Mars hoping for a fresh start. I spent years planning my escape, in secret, of course, dreaming of the day I would finally arrive on this beautiful planet and meet my mate. I used to even dream that I would fall in love with my mate.” She sighed and placed a hand upon Rem’s chest, right over his heart.
Rem held her as the sun rose in a splash of orange brilliance through the trees. The sound of nighttime insects faded, to be replaced with the singing of birds. She basked in the safety of his embrace and snuggled deeper in his arms. He caressed her back and sometimes whispered to her in his native tongue, his voice a soothing rumble at her ear.
“This is your new home, Tyra,” he eventually said, breaking the silence. “A place where you are wanted, a place where you are loved.”
Indeed, the sun was shining on a brand-new day, she mused as she peered up at Rem, admiring the way the sunlight glinted off his massive horns. She repressed a yawn, fatigue starting to overtake her. She’d been up all night, worried sick over her relationship with Rem and whether or not he was out committing murder.
But he’d shown mercy to a male who’d wronged him. And then he’d returned to her and helped mend her broken heart, speaking his truths and listening to hers with an open mind.
“Sleep, sweet Tyra,” he murmured into her ear. “Sleep while I hold you.”
She closed her eyes and drifted off, a deep sense of contentment sweeping over her, for she was securely ensconced in her mate’s loving embrace.
Chapter 27
“I love you and I vow to trust you from now on,” Rem whispered in Tyra’s ear. She was fast asleep, but it seemed his constant whisperings weren’t disturbing her. Her breathing continued, steady and deep, and a sense of peace spread through him while he watched her sleeping.
Thank the Gods she had forgiven him. Thank the Gods they were getting a second chance. He promised himself he would not ruin it.
When he thought of Bethamma now, he didn’t feel the flash of hurt he normally experienced. Instead, he felt a calm acceptance take root, a wisdom that told him there was nothing he could’ve done to change the female’s mind or to save her life. He hadn’t known what the Xieandans were planning until it was too late.
He pressed a kiss to Tyra’s head and inhaled the fragrant scent of her hair. His cock began to stir when she shifted in his lap, but he ceased whispering to her in hopes that she would remain sleeping. After recent events, she needed her sleep.
He considered his promise not to have her uncle killed. He still raged at the knowledge that the man had been planning to sell her innocence. Gods, he wished he could travel to Earth and make her uncle suffer. But Rem would keep his promise. And he wouldn’t leave Tyra’s side.
The sun rose higher in the sky and it wasn’t until late afternoon when his sweet mate stirred again on his lap. He kissed her cheek and then watched, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she did, she blinked up at him with a soft smile gracing her lips.
“Good morning, Rem,” she said through a yawn.
He chuckled. “It is late afternoon.”
She sighed and wiggled around in his lap, freezing when she rubbed over his hardness, the evidence of his building desire for her. “Well, good afternoon, then.” In the next moment, she shifted around again, deliberately rubbing her bottom over his hardening cock. Her gaze turned heated and she parted her lips on a quick inhale.
“How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Like a log,” she replied, then grinned when he stared at her in confusion, as he didn’t quite comprehend her meaning. “But I’m awake now, and it seems you are too.” She wiggled around yet again, and he repressed a growl as his length thickened and his balls drew up tight, desire heating his blood as the scent of her sudden arousal hit him. He marveled that she could be growing so wet between her thighs so soon after waking, though he wasn’t about to question it or complain.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to get something to eat?” he asked after her stomach suddenly growled, her well-being at the forefront of his mind, even though he would love nothing more than to claim her right now, to push her down upon the bed and worship every little part of her body before he sank himself inside her tight, welcoming depths.
“You can feed me later,” she said, a glint of mischief entering her eyes. “Please, Rem, I-I need you right now. I can’t explain it, but I must feel you in me, I need to feel that we are st
ill a mated pair.”
“We will always be a mated pair,” he reminded her. “Marttiaxoxalians mate for life, in case you have forgotten, and you, my sweet Tyra, belong to me. For as long as I live, you will be my most precious possession. The love of my life. The mate of my heart.”
Her visage brightened. “Who would have thought that my big, bossy, grouchy mate was capable of uttering such poetic phrases?”
For a brief instant, he wondered if she could understand the Marttiaxoxalian tongue, for he had uttered many flowery and heartfelt phrases to her while she was drifting off to sleep, as well as when she’d been deep in her slumber. But her next words revealed she hadn’t.
“The mate of my heart is quite possibly the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She reached for him and ran her hands down his horns, then lifted her face to his and parted her lips. “I am yours, Rem, and you are mine. Remember, we belong to one another. Now kiss me, kiss me before I explode.”
Tyra’s center throbbed and whenever she squirmed upon Rem’s lap, she felt the heat of her growing need rubbing between her thighs. She was wet for him and that empty space inside of her ached to be filled up. She longed for him to press her down and make her feel as though she truly belonged to him, as though his heart only beat for her.
He deepened the kiss, tangling his tongue with hers as he growled into her mouth, causing her insides to vibrate and her pussy to clench. He proceeded to strip off her clothing, then rose from the bed just long enough to divest himself of his own attire.
A second later, he pressed his naked body to hers and resumed kissing her. He entered her in the next moment, shoving his cock deep inside her, and she parted her thighs wider, inviting him to shove even deeper. This was exactly what she’d wanted. She didn’t need any lengthy foreplay this time, she simply wanted to feel him deep inside her, pounding away as he claimed her.
