by Sadie Carter
“Yes. It is. So you will cease with calling yourself fat and I will not have to spank you.” Even though the thought of her over his lap, her ass bare, squirming against his hard shaft was arousing.
“Are you one of those guys that gets off on hurting women?” There was disgust in her voice. But something else too. This time there was fear. Of him?
“Get off?”
“Yeah, you get pleasure out of hurting women.”
“I do not hurt women.” He said in a low growl. What sort of person would get pleasure from hurting another?
“A spanking would hurt.”
“A spanking corrects a behavior that is detrimental to a female’s health and wellbeing.”
She gaped at him. “Please don’t tell me that’s in some manual somewhere. A Zerconian idiot’s guide to keeping his woman under control.”
“Of course not. There is no manual.”
“Well, thank God for that,” she muttered.
“We are taught that at the academy.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Why would he joke about this? “Of course, Zerconian women would never do anything to endanger their health and safety so it is really a redundant teaching now.”
“Of course they wouldn’t. They are saints.”
“Not saints.” He knew that only too well. “But they know their mates only have their best interests at heart.”
“You guys are so sexist. You think women should just do what you say without question? I can’t believe my sister mated one of you.”
“Since the human females started mating with our males, the rules have changed.” Not for the better in his opinion, but he had little say on the matter. Unless he took a human mate of his own.
And that was not going to happen.
“Some rules have been relaxed, such as having a minder at all times.”
“Yeah, because some of your males have wised up and realized that women don’t like being treated like children. We can make our own decisions. We can look after ourselves.”
“Yes, you do such a good job of looking after yourself.”
“I do.” She placed her hands on her hips. “I’ve been looking after myself and my sister for a long time. I’ve kept us safe. I don’t need a man to look after me.”
“I disagree. Your sister was kidnapped and you were shot because you could not obey an order given for your safety.”
“You’re still pissy about that, aren’t you?”
“Pissy?” He didn’t know that word.
“You’re upset because I ‘disobeyed’ you. Boy, I can’t wait until you find a human mate. I hope she gives you hell. Arrogant asshole.”
“I am not taking a mate.”
“Oh right, yeah, I forgot. Sorry.”
Now she looked guilty and what had she forgotten? He frowned with confusion. “Will I ever have a conversation where I fully understand you?”
“I don’t know. Will you ever lose the arrogant attitude? The belief that you’re always right? That you get to threaten to punish me just because I’m a woman and therefore weaker than you?”
“I have not threatened to punish you simply because you are a woman. But because you are a disobedient female who is under my care and therefore it is my responsibility to ensure that you remain alive and healthy!” His voice rose at the end and he had to work to keep his control intact. No one pricked his temper like this female did. “You disobeyed a direct order given for your safety while under my care and went outside of your house without a proper escort.”
“That was weeks ago!”
“You disobeyed me when I told you to leave the Sky Warrior’s room when we were in medical. You disobeyed me when I told you to stick to the story that you were my pet. They might well have killed you.”
He realized that his fear for her was now coming out as anger. He should step away, take a moment to calm down.
“Why the hell do you even care? I thought you’d be glad to get rid of me, you hate me so much!”
He leaped forward, not giving her a chance to run away. Grabbing her around the waist, he lifted her into the air until they were face to face. He studied her for a moment.
There was concern on her face. A hint of caution. But something else. Lust.
“I do not know why I care. I should not. I should let you flounder around. Let you suffer the consequences of your actions. I am not a noble man. I am selfish. I have little caring for others feelings or emotions. I prefer solitude. I can barely bring myself to obey my Emperor. I am not a good male. Not at all. I should push you away. But not right now.” His voice grew quiet. “Not right now.”
He leaned down and kissed her.
And it felt so right. More right than anything had ever felt before. He slid his tongue into her mouth, giving her no choice. Taking from her, drinking from her.
She met him at every touch. She ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, tangling them in his hair. He kissed her until he was breathless, until everything else around them faded. Eventually, he managed to pull back. He felt something odd change within him, but as he stared down at her, he ignored the feeling.
“Saffron.”
She looked up at him then her eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped against him.
That’s when he realized what that strange feeling was.
Oh stars.
Chapter Eight
Saffron came awake slowly and stretched. She yawned and forced her eyes open. She hadn’t had much sleep lately, with worrying over whether to stay or leave Zerconia and how Sophie might react to her leaving.
And how she would cope. Back on Earth. Without Sophie.
She rolled over, frowning slightly. Why was she lying on top of the covers? She hated sleeping without anything over her. And her bedding smelled odd. Like thunder and wet rain on a hot pavement.
She’d smelled that before…but where…oh shit.
She sat up suddenly, looking around. The Sky Warriors had that smell. It wasn’t a bad smell, not at all. But it was unique.
They were on the Sky Warrior ship, headed God knows where. Thankfully, this room had a bathroom. That it obviously belonged to one of those warriors had freaked her out at first.
She’d spent what had felt like hours, but in reality, was probably more like one, terrified that she would be separated from Moroco.
She’d been so relieved to see him walk through the door, that she’d nearly done the unthinkable and thrown herself at him. How stupid would that have been? It could have given him totally the wrong idea. Made him think that she actually cared about him.
Then they’d fought. He’d threatened to spank her. Ass. She’d like to see him try, she’d kick him so hard in the nuts he’d be singing soprano for the rest of his life. Except when he had grabbed her, instead of kicking him in the family jewels like she should have, she’d let him kiss her.
And whoa, what a kiss that had been. He’d taken charge, although she’d tried her best to keep up. She might be inexperienced, but she was a quick learner and she’d been determined to give as good as she got.
As he’d pulled away, a funny feeling had overcome her and she’d…
“Fainted! Holy fuck, I fainted! I’ve never fainted in my life.”
Something moved out of the corner of her eyes and she turned with a startled scream to see Moroco sitting down the end of the bed, facing her. Embarrassed by her reaction, she glared at him.
“You could have said you were there instead of frightening me half to death!” she snapped. She couldn’t believe that she had fainted and right after he’d kissed her.
Jesus, that was embarrassing. He must think she was a total weakling.
He stared at her, not saying anything. There was an odd look on his face. Resigned. Tired. So, unlike himself that she paused for a moment, worried. Moroco was always so animated. Sure, most of the time he had a scowl on his face, but he never looked defeated.
She swallowed heavily.
/> “Listen, that kiss meant nothing. Just a stupid reaction to our fight. We were both over-excited so let’s just forget that it happened. As for me…ah…falling asleep…well, don’t think that had anything to do with you. I mean, your kiss was good and all. I was just tired.”
There, that was as good an explanation as any other. She was so exhausted that as soon as he’d stopped pressing his tongue into her mouth, she’d been overcome by fatigue and fainted.
Sure, like that happened all the time.
“You did not fall asleep, you fainted,” he growled. “And my kiss was more than just good.”
“Trust a man to focus on the unimportant stuff.”
“Unimportant stuff?”
He stood. Uh-oh, maybe she should have thought before she spoke. She might not know much about men, but she knew they didn’t like it when you insulted their sexual skills.
“Whether or not the kiss was any good is beside the point here.”
“No. I think it is something that needs discussion. My skill at kissing is not the problem here. I am very skilled.”
“No, the problem is that I fell asleep after we kissed which is totally on me. No need for you to feel bad,” she reassured him.
“I do not.” His voice had taken on a cold chill and she actually shivered a little.
“Look, let’s just rewind the clock and forget the past few minutes didn’t happen.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You have been asleep for two hours.”
She had?
“Wow, see I was just really tired. I didn’t faint.”
“You fainted. You didn’t even wake when I placed you on the bed or checked your vitals several times.”
He’d checked her vitals? As though he’d been worried she wasn’t breathing?
“And we cannot rewind the clock. Even though I might wish we could. What is done is done.” What did that mean? What was done? Why did he sound so fatalistic? “You are mine now.”
His? She didn’t think so. It was one kiss. Okay, it was a really spectacular kiss but just a kiss all the same.
“A kiss is not a contract, my friend.”
“What?”
“It’s an old saying back on Earth. Just because a woman kisses you or gives you a look or whatever, doesn’t mean they want to have sex with you. Just because we kissed doesn’t make me yours.”
“Actually, it does. If you are my mate.”
She stilled. Did he really just say that?
“But I’m not your mate. I’d know if I was your mate. Right?” Panic made her voice rise.
“You may not recognize the mating bond straight away. As time goes on and your body changes, you will feel the bond. And it will become stronger once we join.”
After they joined? No. No. Yes. No. “But you feel it?”
“Yes.”
“You can’t feel it,” she countered, her mind scrambling to keep up. “I just fainted, that’s all. I’ve been under a lot of stress. I’m tired. I haven’t been sleeping much lately. I just needed a rest. I feel fine now. I bet if we kissed now nothing would happen. You’re probably imagining things.”
“It is not my imagination. We are mated. It is a large adjustment for human bodies to make. Especially, fragile, female bodies.”
“But I’m not fragile.” It was something she’d never been accused of being. At least not until she’d come to Zerconia. They seemed to think all females were fragile little creatures.
She didn’t need a mate. Especially not him. No matter how attracted she was to him.
“You’re mistaken.”
“I am not.” The lines around his eyes looked more pronounced. “You think I do not wish I was?”
Because he didn’t want her for a mate. Why would he? She was too loud, too rude, too independent. He wanted someone biddable and sweet. Someone who would obey him without question. A Zerconian female who knew the score. But wait…
“I can’t be your mate,” she said triumphantly.
“Why is that?”
“Because you’ve already had a mate. And you can’t have two mates, right? Isn’t that the way it works? There’s only one soul mate for each Zerconian?”
“That is right.”
She let out a sigh. “So you see? You were just mistaken. And I was just tired. Here, I’ll get off the bed and you can have a nap.”
“I am not going to have a nap,” he snarled.
“Are you sure? You seem a little cranky. Maybe if you have a nap you’ll be in a better mood when you wake up.”
“I am not going to be in a better mood after a nap.”
“How do you know unless you try?” She tapped the mattress. “Why don’t you just lie down and close your eyes. I’ll even sing you a lullaby.”
“A what?”
“Lullaby’s are songs that are sung to children. Sometimes it helps them go to sleep. They take naps when they’re cranky too.”
“I do not need a nap. I am not cranky due to lack of sleep, and I am certainly no child who needs to be sung to.”
“Fine. But don’t say I didn’t offer.”
“Why would I say that?”
So much for convincing him to sleep so she could have a bit of time by herself to process everything. To try to figure out why, for just that brief moment, she’d felt some elation at the idea of being his mate. She forced herself to laugh. “I can’t believe you thought I was your mate.”
“You are.”
“But I can’t be…remember your mate...” She studied him closely. “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t suffered a blow to the head, have you?”
He reached up as though to touch his head then froze, frowning at her. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because you seem to have some sort of amnesia about your mate.”
“I have no amnesia about my mate. Although I might wish I had, I am pretty certain there is no chance of me forgetting you.”
“I didn’t mean me. I meant your other mate. I mean, your real mate. What was her name? Fancy?”
“Fancia,” he told her. “Her name was Fancia.”
“How did she die?” she asked gently. She could see the pain on his face. “It must have hurt to lose her like that. Especially when she was so young. I know that a lot of mates die when their true mate does.” It was a testament to how strong he was that he hadn’t. Probably the reason he was such a grouch. “You must miss her every day.”
“Actually, I don’t miss her at all.”
She blinked rapidly. “What?” He didn’t miss her? For all of these warriors’ faults, they adored their mates; they treasured them, coddled and protected them. She knew she’d feel completely smothered by their full attention, but some women thrived on that sort of devotion. Sophie certainly seemed to. “How can you not miss her?”
“Because she was not my mate.”
“But what do you mean? I was told…”
“I know what you were told.”
“Then how can she not have been your mate. Ashley said…”
“Ashley?” he asked as she trailed off.
She looked away guiltily. “Never mind.”
“Ashley is the female who speaks too much? How would she know anything about Fancia?”
She looked away, feeling guilty. “Some people were talking about you and her.” She sighed. “Ashley had some crazy idea that you might be her mate. Seems she’s gone through all the other single Zerconian males and none were her match. Then she heard you had been mated before so she figured you couldn’t be her mate.”
“Thank the stars.”
Her lips twitched. “Yeah, that’s kind of the reaction I thought you’d have. Anyway, she said she’d died.”
And that you killed her. Not that she would ever say that. Poor guy had lost his mate, he didn’t need to hear the terrible things people were saying.
“And did she tell you that I killed her?”
Okay. Well, she hadn’t expected him to come out and say it.
“Um�
��well…”
“Saffron, I may not have known you long but I have never seen you hesitate to say what you think.”
“They call you Doctor Death,” she blurted out. Then she smacked herself in the forehead. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s a stupid name. No one with any brains thinks that you killed your mate. Honestly, humans have this terrible habit of gossiping and spreading rumors and they don’t usually care if there is any truth to the rumor. Which, of course there isn’t.”
He sighed. “And where do you suppose they heard the rumor from?”
She was startled. “I hadn’t really thought about it.” But it had to originate from somewhere.
“Fancia’s family is still convinced that I killed her. They will not let it rest. I am not certain who gave me the nickname Doctor Death; I assume that came from the humans.”
“So, you knew about the nickname?”
He grimaced. “Yes. I have heard it whispered not so quietly behind my back.”
She couldn’t stand it anymore. She reached over and grabbed his hand. It was warm, large, slightly rough. A thrill went through her at the touch, which she tried desperately to ignore.
Moroco stared down at her much smaller hand as though it was an alien object. But he didn’t push her away. There was about a foot of distance between them, but their hands sat on the mattress, tangled together.
And it felt good.
She ignored that for the moment, wanting to hear from him what happened. “I’m so sorry. What really happened?”
He glanced over at her, but not as though he actually saw her. His gaze was unfocussed, his face cool. Calm. But she could sense the emotions rolling underneath.
“What was she like?” she asked. Part of her was dying of curiosity, the other part of her didn’t really want to know. What sort of female would engage this man’s attention?
Someone special.
“Beautiful. Tall and slim. Softly-spoken. Elegant. Everywhere she went, people stopped and took notice. Even if you had seen her a thousand times before, you couldn’t help but watch Fancia. She had this way of looking at you like you were everything. Like you could do anything.”
She swallowed heavily. So the total opposite of her. No one would ever call Saffron elegant and beautiful. And as for softly-spoken…
