Zylonn's Human Bride (Tarrkuan Masters #1)

by Sue Lyndon

  But he couldn’t. Not yet. He had to finish delivering the punishment he’d promised her—the punishment she had earned. He hoped once this was over, her tongue would not be so loose and that she would truly consider her words more carefully in the future, especially when out in public. The ruling class had eyes and ears everywhere. Just three days ago, a human female who lived down the street had been sentenced to reeducation and had already been taken away from her mate until she completed a round, or however many rounds it took, of rehabilitation.

  Zylonn gripped the strap harder and struck Nova’s bottom again. And again.

  She released a heartfelt sob and shuddered on the bed. He tossed the implement down and immediately scooped his little mate up in his arms, just as he’d longed to do moments ago. To his relief, she didn’t push away from him, though she didn’t snuggle up against him either.

  He sat on the bed and arranged her in his lap, rubbing her back and stroking his fingers through her hair. Using his thumbs, he wiped the moisture from her face and waited until she met his eyes. She sniffled and tried to look away again, but he caught her chin and forced her to hold his gaze.

  “Nova, are you all right?”

  She gave him an incredulous look as more tears formed in her eyes. “How can you treat me so gently now, so soon after I displeased you and you punished me? Aren’t you still angry, Master?”

  “After a punishment comes comfort and forgiveness, little human. As your mate, your well-being, physical and emotional, is the most important thing in the world to me. I was angry at you earlier, yes. However, my anger has long faded. You understood what you did wrong, apologized for it, and took your punishment well. I’m proud of you, Nova.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead and used his thumbs to wipe her fallen tears from her cheeks, keeping his touch as gentle and affectionate as possible. Yes, he would be stern with her when he had to be, but he wasn’t a tyrant. He would also be loving.

  He’d been waiting for his human female his whole life. Now she was finally here.

  She remained silent for the longest while. He kept holding her and stroking her hair and her back, hoping to provide her with much needed comfort. A sense of responsibility swept down upon him as he tightened his arms around her. She was his forever and he vowed to always take care of her, through the difficult times and the happier times.

  Would there be happier times? Gradually, she relaxed further and further into his arms, bringing him hope that perhaps once they got to know one another better, things would become easier between them. He withdrew slightly from the embrace and stared into her pretty blue eyes. Her tears had stopped falling and she appeared much calmer.

  “I like holding you, sweet Nova,” he found himself saying, as if the words flowed directly from his rapidly beating heart.

  She gulped hard. “You-you are not what I expected in a mate, Master,” she said, placing a hand on his chest. She moved closer and finally leaned her head against him, and he hugged her tighter.

  “You are not what I expected either, little human, but I am not sorry for it.” And he wasn’t sorry. He’d pictured himself claiming his new mate for the sole purpose of getting her with child, as was his duty to his people. He hadn’t expected his heart to swell with tenderness for the human that had been given to him, especially so soon after she had come into his life. The affectionate emotions rolling through him were almost foreign, it had been so long since he’d felt even the tiniest spark of happiness. The cold darkness of space, and the despair of watching many of his friends die in mining accidents, had followed him back to Tarkkua. But now, as he held this petite human girl in his arms, he thought perhaps he was starting to thaw.

  He inhaled deep, breathing in her exquisite scent, a mix of floral perfume, shampoo, and the unique fragrance of her delicious arousal. She shifted on his lap, and the slight movement renewed the aching in his cock. Lust spiraled through him, and he fought to contain it and hold her a while longer, savoring the feel of her resting in his arms, and the tickle of her increasing breaths on his chest, hitting his flesh just above the collar of his shirt.

  She pulled back and peered up at him, her face flushed and her eyes wide. “Master?”

  “Yes, little human?”

  “I’m, um, ready. For the mating.” She said the last three words as a whisper, as if the very idea of being claimed by him was a most scandalous affair. He supposed she was a virgin—most human brides were—though it wasn’t a requirement put forth in the trade agreement. But the females chosen as brides were given medical treatments from an early age that altered their DNA enough to enable them to conceive a child with a Tarkkuan male, and as a typical side effect, these enhanced human females generally weren’t attracted to human males. The scent of her arousal hit him again, sweet and pungent and uniquely hers, reminding him of the hot slickness between her thighs that he’d touched but moments ago. In all likelihood, Nova was experiencing arousal for the very first time.

  Finally, he cupped her face and teasingly said, “Are you, now?”

  She flushed further and had a difficult time holding his gaze. “Yes, Master. I’m ready.” She shifted on his lap again, this time deliberately, rubbing her bottom over his hardening length. “Please. I am feeling things that I do not understand, but I know that we must join together now. I’m… aching for it.”

  Her confession spurned a growl from him, and he grabbed onto her hips and jutted his groin against her backside even harder, letting her detect the fullness of his stiff cock. She gasped and clutched at his shirt, as if she wished to rip it off.

  He reached underneath her, caressed her inner thighs, then touched the immense wetness of her smooth pussy. “You’re mine, little human. All mine.”

  Chapter 7

  All coherent thought faded as Zylonn spread Nova’s moisture around on her clit. She’d never known such pleasure existed, and she opened her legs wider to give him better access to her intimate parts. Her bottom still smarted from her recent punishment, but for a reason she couldn’t fathom, the lingering sting only enhanced the throbbing of her pussy.

  He withdrew from her center to arrange her on the bed, and with another one of his sexy animalistic growls, he proceeded to rip her dress off. She gasped at his brutal treatment, even though it sent a delightful quiver through her. Her panties had long fallen off, as well as her slippers. He gazed at her bra, the only remnant of clothing left on her body, with a bit of confusion.

  “Oh, you just unclasp it from the back,” she said, but a moment later, he reached for the bra and ripped it off from the front. She watched as he tossed the scraps of fabric to the floor. When he pinned her with a feral stare, she gulped and eyed his clothing, wondering when he would finally get naked, and wondering what he would look like unclothed.

  Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. He gave a frustrated growl, as if realizing he had to take the time to get undressed himself, and he crawled off her with great reluctance and stood beside the bed just long enough to slip off his shirt, boots, and pants. She noted he wore no underwear of any kind, and as she gazed at his dark blue, fully erect cock, a tremor of nervousness jolted her. It was so incredibly long and thick, she wasn’t sure she would be able to accommodate his great size. Her stomach did a quick flip, though she instinctively parted her legs when he crawled on top of her, allowing the tip of his mighty length to trail along her inner thigh.

  She thought he meant to impale her immediately, and she was surprised when he instead leaned down to capture her lips in a kiss that made her lose all sense of time and place. His tongue glided against hers and he clutched her face, holding her in a firm grip as he explored her mouth with a tenderness that belied the sternness he’d displayed as he’d punished her. She felt small and vulnerable beneath him, but also, strangely, protected. He wasn’t putting his full weight on her, and she was still able to breathe. And the fact that he’d actually comforted her after punishing her remained on the forefront of her mind.

  She wou
ld never forget the feel of his arms around her, and the sound of his heartbeat against her ear, while he rubbed her back and her hair. She would also never forget the moment he’d wiped her tears away. Nor the look of concern in his dark beautiful eyes when he’d asked if she was all right. Despite herself, her heart squeezed with emotion for this huge Tarkkuan male she had met but two hours ago.

  He deepened the kiss and caressed her breasts, each in turn, while still keeping one hand cupping the side of her face. The throbbing between her thighs became more urgent, and she tried to lift her center and angle herself toward his cock, even though she still had doubts it would fit. Somehow, despite not knowing much about him, she trusted him not to hurt her during their lovemaking. Perhaps it was the comfort he’d given her after her punishment, or perhaps it was something else. But she knew, deep down, that he wouldn’t inflict unnecessary harm onto her.

  He broke the kiss and gave her an amused look.

  “Is my little human bride impatient?”

  She tried to reach for his cock, but he gathered her hands and pinned them above her head. She struggled against his hold, but her efforts proved futile. He wasn’t letting her go anywhere. She was at his complete mercy, and a thrill swept through her, knowing that he could do whatever he wished to her. Part of her wished he would be rough and take what belonged to him already by law.

  “Ask me, little human,” he said. “Ask me to pound my cock into you.” He pressed the tip of his length to the sensitive opening of her core.

  She moaned and savored the slight pressure of his manhood at her entrance. All he had to do was thrust forward. Her anxieties about his massive size melted away under her building lust, her desperate need far surpassing any worries she’d harbored about his fitting inside her pussy. She exhaled a quick breath and met his dark bottomless depths.

  “Please, Master,” she finally said. “Will you please… pound your cock into me?” She uttered the last few words in a whisper, and she once again flushed, embarrassed yet equally excited to have spoken such crass words to this handsome Tarkkuan male she barely knew.

  His eyes darkened further and his nostrils flared. Another low growl emitted from his throat, and he slid the tip of his cock up and down her wet slit. But he didn’t have to use his hands to make his length move. It moved as if it had a will of its own, or just as he might move an arm or a leg. She stared at their bodies, pressed close together, wondering if human men could move their cocks in such a fashion. But such thoughts soon vanished as he ceased sliding his manhood around and positioned it back at the entrance of her virginal opening.

  “I have heard human females sometimes experience a bit of pain during their first time, Nova, but that the pain only lasts but a moment or two. Then comes the pleasure. Do not be afraid, my sweet human. Though I’ll soon pound into you, I promise to be as gentle as possible until any discomfort you experience passes.”

  Her throat suddenly burned. “Thank you, Master.”

  In the next instant, he began a slow, gradual push into her tightness. She spread her legs wider and gasped at the fullness of his huge cock inching inside. By some miracle of the human body, her inner walls stretched around him, accommodating him perfectly.

  “Are you all right, Nova?”

  She opened her eyes, not even realizing that she’d closed them, and stared up at her strict but affectionate Tarkkuan mate. Perhaps spending the rest of her life with him wouldn’t be so terrible, her grief over the loss of her family and friends notwithstanding. Kindness was a quality sometimes lacking in humans, she reminded herself. Though he expected her obedience, and as he’d already demonstrated he wouldn’t hesitate to punish her if she was naughty, he didn’t strike her as cruel. Perhaps there wasn’t any truth to the rumors she’d grown up hearing that Tarkkuan males were violent barbarians.

  He released her arms and grabbed onto her hips. His muscles flexed as he began moving inside her, gradually increasing the pace of his thrusts.

  “Lights off,” he said in his native tongue, and the bright sconces lining the walls went dark in an instant.

  It was then that Nova noticed a large skylight above them, and the moons and stars shone down bright into the room, bathing their bodies in hues of silver and blue.

  He leaned further over her, looking her directly in the eyes. She peered at him as he continued to plunge in and out of her pussy, wondering about the building pleasure she was experiencing. A second later, she became lost in the hot, urgent pulses of ecstasy. Waves of sensation crashed over her, making her shudder and writhe. She gasped for air and moaned repeatedly, the noises torn from her throat as she lost all control. Her vision darkened, and, unable to focus, she shut her eyes and fully surrendered to the sweetest rapture she’d ever known.

  In the aftermath of this sensual release, her moans gradually turned to soft sighs of contentment. He paused momentarily in his thrusting and brushed a hand through her locks. She finally opened her eyes, affected by an odd squeeze in her chest as she met his gaze.

  “You look beautiful in the light of the moons, little human,” he said with a husky growl. “So beautiful, and all mine.”

  Chapter 8

  Nova undulated her center against his and cried out, coming around his cock for the second time. The feel of her walls clamping down again on his shaft pushed him over the edge, and he pumped faster as his seed spilled into the depths of her womanly core. Stars danced in his vision and he blinked hard, trying to reclaim his sight and his senses. His thoughts had gone muddled and he was breathless, his muscles weakened in the aftermath of their first mating.

  Gently, he withdrew his length from her and lay down beside her on the bed. He reached for her and pulled her to his chest. Running his hands up and down her back, he reveled in the feel of her smooth skin. With her golden hair, bright blue eyes, and silky skin, she was all softness and light. She was everything he’d longed for during the dark cold years he’d spent in space, unsure if he would make it out alive and return to his home world. Unsure if he would ever get the human female that was promised to him, so long as he did his duty and helped keep the trade agreement with Earth alive.

  If the Tarkkuans couldn’t keep the TEC600 reactors working, then the trade agreement would collapse. Without a yearly supply of human females arriving on Tarkkua, they wouldn’t be able to grow their population as fast as needed to attain the great numbers of males required to protect their species from any interplanetary invaders.

  Though they had no breathing enemies at present, it would be foolish to let their guard down and allow themselves to weaken, not when they had the opportunity to become the strong, resilient species that they once were, before most of their females had perished when a terrible illness swept across their world. Zylonn hadn’t been alive during the Dying Days, when over a million of their females, both adults and children, died before a cure was discovered. Thankfully, his people were much more technologically advanced now, and any new illnesses were easily combated and extinguished before they were able to spread or cause great damage.

  His thoughts wandered as he continued holding Nova and stroking her hair. Her breath tickled his chest, each little exhale dancing across his flesh like a whispered promise, her presence deepening his sense of peace. To finally have a female in his arms, and in his home, was a bit surreal. He’d built this house with his own bare hands many years ago, when he was still a young male who hadn’t yet ventured to the asteroid belt, laying the stones one by one in preparation for his bride’s eventual arrival, fortified by the knowledge that he would one day have a family of his very own.

  The sound of her stomach growling brought him back to the present, and, with great reluctance, he disentangled himself from her and crawled off the bed.

  “Where are you going, Master?”

  “To fetch you something to eat.”

  “Oh. Thank you, Master. I confess I was too anxious to eat on the ship when they served our last meal.” She sat up against the pillows and tucke
d her knees to her chest, peering at him with wide, beautiful eyes that reflected the light of the moons. “The guards gave us a three-hour warning before we landed. Told us to bathe and make ourselves look pretty, and urged us to eat something, though I don’t think anyone was able to take more than a few bites. I’ve never known such nervousness, such anticipation, in my whole life, as I did in the hours before I was to meet my husband.”

  Before he could respond, a shrill scream pierced the air, and he turned to stare out the window. Though all the windows and doors were closed, they’d both still heard the noise of distress, one that clearly came from a human female. He turned back to Nova, to find her biting her lip and looking increasingly worried.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  A moment later, a masculine growl resounded outside, followed by a shout and booted feet pounding on the street.

  “Master?”

  “It is nothing to worry about, little human. It sounds as if a new bride has momentarily escaped her mate.”

  A shadow crossed her face. “Perhaps she had a good reason to run away. Perhaps we should help her.”

  “No. A Tarkkuan does not interfere in such personal matters.”

  “I’m not a Tarkkuan,” she said, her voice taking on a sharp edge of defiance.

  “No, but you are mated to one, and you will abide by the rules of my people, little human.”

  On that note, he departed the bedroom and went to the kitchen in search of food, his instincts warning him that Nova might not easily let this issue go. He admired that she had a kind heart and harbored a concern for one of her own people, but he would have to make sure she didn’t stick her nose where it didn’t belong—an apt human expression under the circumstances, he thought with a shake of his head.