by Tana Stone
“Would it make you feel better to shoot me again?”
A laugh burst from her lips. “No. I think I’ve had about enough of shooting people for today.”
“Where is the traitor?” Torven asked, letting his gaze leave her face for a moment to scan the interior of the ship.
Trista jerked her head to one side. “I tied him up so he couldn’t escape if he came to.”
Torven followed the direction of her head and did a double take. The Drexian was indeed tied up, but he was on his side, with his arms and legs bowed behind him and bound together. He appeared to be unconscious, but there was no way he’d be escaping even when he awoke.
“I hog-tied him,” Trista explained, smiling at her handiwork.
Torven didn’t recognize the warrior, but he knew that he was the son of one of the most powerful members of the High Command, a fact that would do him no good after the truth came out. Torven almost felt bad for the Drexian, knowing that he was about to be branded a traitor. But not quite.
“Now what?” Trista asked.
Torven turned back to her. “Now I take you back home.” He took her hands in his. “To our home.”
“The charges against you are dropped?”
“They will be, once we turn over Karsh and give the High Command our evidence,” Torven said. “Dorn’s brother was able to determine that Karsh’s father was the one who was behind a recent sabotage operation on the space station, falsifying medical records, and banishing the only doctor who knew the truth.”
Trista glanced down at the prisoner. “So, this guy wasn’t in it alone?”
“I’m sad to say that a member of our most elite ruling body was also a traitor,” Torven said. “He and Karsh were working with the Kronock, and they needed someone to take the fall for it. That’s where I came in.”
“That’s awful, but we have lots of corrupt politicians on Earth so I’m not completely surprised.”
Torven frowned. “A corrupt Drexian is very rare. It means you have no honor, and that is a fate worse than death.”
“How does it feel to have your honor restored?” Trista asked.
Torven grinned at her. “It feels much better to have you back in my arms.”
She looked up at him. “You sure you’re not going to change your mind as soon as your friend comes around again?”
Torven’s cheeks flamed hot. “I was stupid. I did not want my friend to know I’d claimed you, because it was no longer my right.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Your right?”
“Even though we were matched, I lost any claim to you when I was arrested. If I was found guilty, which I would have been, if my friends hadn’t uncovered the plot, our bond would have been severed and you would have been matched to another warrior.”
She nodded slowly. “So, the fact that we…?”
“Was a violation of my Drexian code,” he said.
“And that’s why you were so weird when Dak showed up?”
“I know now how wrong it was,” Torven said.
“I told him he was an idiot,” Dakar called from above, his head hanging down from the open hatch.
Trista grinned up at Torven’s friend. “I knew I liked you.”
Torven emitted a low growl. “Not too much, I hope.”
“Torv,” Dakar said. “You’re being an idiot again.”
Torven pulled Trista into a deep kiss, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her feet off the ground.
When he released her, she gasped for breath. “You’re forgiven.” She pulled him down so her lips were at his ear. “And you can violate my code anytime you want, big man.”
He grinned, feeling a familiar warmth flood his body and his cock harden.
Dakar cleared his throat. “I hate to spoil the moment, but we should get the traitor back to the station.”
As if on cue, Karsh began to wake. His eyes opened, and he tugged against his restraints before looking up and seeing Trista and Torven. “Release me at once. My father is on the High Command.”
“Not anymore, he’s not,” Dakar said.
Karsh’s face dropped. “What do you mean?”
“Drexians who commit treason with the enemy do not hold seats on the High Command,” Torven said, his voice a dangerous rumble.
Karsh struggled fruitlessly, screaming when he realized he couldn’t move.
“You need to tell me how to do this ‘hog-tying,’” Torven said. “It’s very effective.”
Dakar dropped down into the ship, casting a murderous look at the prisoner. “Why don’t you two take the shuttle, and I’ll pilot this criminal back?”
“It would be nice not to have to hear him screaming for the entire trip,” Trista said over Karsh’s continued bellowing.
Torven bent over and nipped her neck. “The only screams I’m interested in hearing are yours.”
Trista’s cheeks colored a pretty shade of pink as she looked at Dakar, who was feigning deafness. She swatted playfully at Torven. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Marry me, I hope.” Torven took her hand in his and pressing a soft kiss into her palm.
She locked eyes with him, her own blue ones wide. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I swear you didn’t tell me about this.” Torven looked up at her, as he floated on his back in the aquamarine water.
Trista stood on the edge of the cave pool in their fantasy suite as she tied the silk belt of her pink shorty robe. The bumpy white walls curved up around the long rectangular pool that extended out into the open air. Beyond the edge of the indoor pool was a vibrant-blue sea that stretched out below to the horizon, and the faint outline of another island in the distance.
Even though she knew it was only a holographic projection, the smell of salt in the air and the sounds drifting up from the Greek market below made it feel real. She gazed down at Torven, his bronze body long and glistening in the water. She knew he was real.
“I forgot to tell you about the cave pool attached to the bedroom?” Trista said. “I must have been distracted by the fact that I was nearly eaten by an albino alligator, almost shot by the Kronock hunting party, and abducted by that awful Drexian.”
Torven stood up, his entire upper body out of the water as he walked toward her. “Get in, and I’ll distract you with different things.”
She glanced over her shoulder, pointedly avoiding staring at the water running in rivulets down his hard body. Since their pool was private and no one could see into their suite, Torven was naked, as he had been pretty much since they’d returned to the space station. Trista let her eyes wander back to him, her mouth going dry when she saw his rigid length barely under the surface of the water.
“We’re supposed to have our first couples meeting with Serge and Reina today. They could be here any minute.”
“Remind me again who this Serge is.”
Trista sighed as she watched him drag his hands through his hair. For a moment she was transported back to the thermal springs, with the eerie blue light bouncing off his chest and the steam rising around him.
“Or have you forgotten as well?” Torven asked her with a wicked smile.
“I haven’t forgotten,” Trista said, trying to regain her focus. “He’s the wedding planner, and he takes his job very seriously. Reina is the one you saw me with the first day you were on the station.”
“The Vexling?”
Trista nodded. “She gets very nervous when Serge gets worked up, which is all the time.”
“This should be fun,” Torven mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
“They’ve already given us three days without interruption,” Trista reminded him. “I’m afraid if we wait any longer, Serge will have an aneurysm.”
Torven grabbed her by the ankle. “Has it been three days already?”
Trista yelped and tried to pull away from him, but Torven tugged her. “You know it has.”
“What is that Earth sayin
g you taught me?” Torven asked, grinning up at her as he grabbed her other leg. “Time flies when you’re having fun?”
“Torven!” Trista screamed as he pulled her into the water with him. Her silk robe instantly clung to her skin, the pink fabric becoming diaphanous.
Torven picked her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. “Now this is more like it.”
“Don’t you ever get tired?” she asked, wiping droplets of water from her face. She knew the answer to that before she asked it, as he’d been insatiable since the moment they’d set foot in the fantasy suite, dragging her straight to the big, white bed.
“I will never tire of you,” he said.
Trista believed him. He’d been focused on nothing but her since they arrived back on the Boat and he’d been proclaimed a hero instead of a traitor. He’d even told the Drexian military they’d need to wait to debrief him, which had garnered them both a few raised eyebrows. Dorn had only been amused and had promised to stall the High Command for as long as he could.
He’d been true to his word. The High Command had not bothered them, and neither had her fellow tribute brides, who Trista knew were dying to hear all the details. No, it was Serge who could no longer be stalled.
“You got me all wet.” Trista smacked his arm.
Torven cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, I hope so.” He lowered his lips to nuzzle her neck. “I plan to get you much wetter.”
“You know that’s not what I meant…” She began, but stopped as his thick finger teased her opening.
“No?” Torven slid it inside her. “What did you mean, my little grease monkey?”
She shifted to take him deeper, even as she protested her nickname. “Grease monkey?”
He slid a second finger inside. “You don’t like it?” He rotated his fingers. “I can always stop.”
She dropped her head back and let out a breathy moan. “Don’t you dare. I’ll be your little grease monkey.” She swiveled her hips and met his gaze. “I’ll be whatever you want.”
“I want you to be mine forever. That’s all.” He crushed his mouth to hers, and she welcomed the feel of his tongue swirling with hers as he moved his fingers inside her. Both his tongue and fingers plundered her, making her heart race and her body burn with need.
When he pulled back, his golden eyes were molten with desire. He let out a deadly growl as he bent and captured a nipple through the pink silk plastered to her skin.
She arched against him, lavishing in the sensation of his warm mouth sucking her through the fabric. “You have me. I’m yours.”
He shifted his hand so that his thumb was over her clit and began circling it, as he dragged his fingers in and out. Torven sucked harder as her breathing became ragged.
“Torven.” She said his name in a gasp, her legs tightening around his waist. She closed her eyes, feeling nothing but the tremors rocking her body as she clenched around his fingers again and again.
“Come for me, beautiful.” His words were a dark purr that made her convulse harder. With him, she felt beautiful and powerful and free. Trista let herself go as her release ripped through her, her cries echoing back to her in the cave.
She held onto Torven’s shoulders as her muscles went slack.
“I’ve got you,” he said, lowering them both into the water.
She hitched in a breath as she sagged against his chest, her cheek resting on the hard swell of his muscles. He lowered her a few inches, and his hard cock notched between her ass cheeks.
Looking up, she licked her bottom lip. “That was a nice warm-up.”
He ran his hands up her back, pulling the soaking wet silk robe from her skin and tossing it out of the pool. “Well, you are warm.”
Trista dropped her legs until they hit the bottom of the pool, standing and turning around so she faced away from him. She reached behind her and took his hands, guiding them up her body until he held her breasts. She arched back and raised one hand to loop around his neck, her fingers finding the hard node at the base.
Torven groaned. He walked her forward toward the edge of the pool that overlooked the ocean. The last foot of the pool extended into the open air and she paused, the sun hitting her shoulders as she looked down to where the deep blue water lapped the shore. She knew their suite was not the only one occupied, and if Trista turned her head, she could see the edge of the neighboring balcony. The thought that someone might walk out and see them sent a thrill through her.
“If I walk any further, someone could see us,” she said, her voice trembling.
Torven rubbed her nipples between his fingers, as he used one of his legs to spread hers under the water. “Don’t worry. I won’t let them watch. Unless you like that?”
She sucked in air as the heat of his cock slid between her legs, shaking her head firmly.
“Does the idea excite you?” His whispered words made her moan out loud, and heat throb between her legs.
She’d never been with someone who made her feel so good. All her self-consciousness seemed to evaporate when he touched her, although she wasn’t sure she was ready to put on a sex show. At least, not yet. She tilted her ass up for him and his crown teased her, rubbing through her slick folds. “Of course not,” she lied.
“Don’t worry, beautiful.” His voice was deep and velvety in her ear. “You are only mine. Now and forever.”
She leaned back, aching for the feel of him inside her. “Torven, please.”
He pressed a wide hand down on her back and leaned her so that her arms were extended out and braced against the rock wall. Need coursed through her, and Trista arched her back, her nipples so hard they ached.
“They may not be able to see me claim you, but they can hear that you are mine.” He whispered, grasping her hips and plunging into her.
All her breath escaped her as she took him deep. Even after riding his cock for days, it took her body a moment to adjust to his size. Trista moved her hips, meeting his thrusts and savoring the feel of being filled by him. She moaned loudly, the sound echoing off the curved walls.
Torven entwined his fingers in her hair with one hand and clutched her hip with the other, his fingers biting into her skin. He dragged his cock out until only his crown was inside her. “You want more?”
“I want all of it.” She cried out as he slowly slid back in and his girth stretched her.
“I love watching you take all of me,” he said, his voice tight.
She knew he was trying not to lose control with his deep, steady strokes. “And I love riding your huge cock, Torven.”
Her words stopped him, then he let out a roar as he hammered into her, his rhythm fierce as she felt his control shatter. As he thrust into her over and over, Trista lost all ability to think. Her mind was a storm of desire and her body burned as she rippled around his cock, water slapping the walls of the pool and spilling over the side. Torven knifed up, giving one final hard thrust and pulsing into her.
She collapsed onto the warm rock wall, and his body covered hers as he sank on top.
“You did that on purpose,” he said, gasping for breath.
“Did what?” She rolled her head to look at him. “Talk dirty?”
“Mmm.” His cock twitched inside her. “Sometimes I wonder what happened to that frightened girl I kidnapped.”
“She’s gone,” Trista said. Even her short time with Torven had changed her enough that she knew she’d never be that insecure person again. She’d learned to see herself as he saw her, and she’d also learned how to scratch beneath his façade of Drexian honor. “She left with that asshole who was willing to die for his pride.”
Torven laughed, his breath warm in her ear. “I do not miss either of them.”
Before Trista could agree with him, she heard a series of noises behind them.
“I’m not going in there,” a high voice said.
“I’ve waited long enough. If we don’t start on the planning, I’ll never get these two down the aisle. I was already robbed of Kati
e and Zane’s wedding. I will not be cheated again, Reina.” Serge stomped into the pool cave as Trista craned her neck to see him.
The Gatazoid wedding planner wore a lavender, three-piece suit with pants that flared at the ankles and purple platform shoes. His hair was also purple, but when he spotted Torven’s large naked body cocooning Trista’s, it started to flush pink at the roots.
Torven twisted around and straightened up to his full height. “You must be Serge.”
Serge’s perfectly arched eyebrows shot skyward, and he opened and closed his mouth like a fish searching for water.
Trista put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing as Torven took huge steps across the pool toward Serge, who looked bolted to the floor.
Serge finally shrieked as Torven reached the shallower end of the pool and his lower body emerged from the water.
Reina ran in with her hands flapping. “What’s happening? I knew we shouldn’t have come in without permission.”
Serge spun around as she rushed in and lost his balance, his arms pinwheeling as he staggered to one side and finally splashed into the pool next to Torven. Spluttering and screaming, his head popped up out of the water, then he went under again.
“I don’t think he can swim,” Trista yelled at Torven, who reached down and pulled up the flailing wedding planner by the collar, setting him on the side of the pool, coughing and dripping water.
Reina’s eyes were even larger than usual as she pressed her hands to her cheeks. She stared down at the soggy little Gatazoid, his now solidly pink hair a wet mop draping over his eyes, and her shoulders began to shake with laughter.
Serge staggered to his feet, swept his hair out of his face, and glared at Reina. “When you get yourself together, I’ll be outside.”
He clomped out of the cave, leaving puddles behind him with each step.
Reina wiped at her streaming eyes. “That’s what he gets for being impatient.” She turned and headed for the door, pausing and glancing at Torven quickly over her shoulder. “Thank you. That was the best thing I’ve seen in years.”
Trista waded through the water and wrapped her arms around Torven. “So now you’ve met the wedding planner.”
