by Jade Waltz
“Even Zirene?” She bit her bottom lip as she held his gaze.
“Even my Sovereign,” he swore. “He may be my employer and clan brother, but you are my mate. It’s in his best interest to keep me by your side, for who could do my job better? He can focus on ruling his empire while his beacon—his Nova—and the heirs to the throne are protected wherever they go.”
“You have always been the rock I needed and a pillar in my foundation to help me grow since I escaped my captivity.” Her ocean-blue eyes never left his as she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. Grabbing his hips, she pulled him closer until his hardness hovered near her luscious lips. “Kaede, I understand your reasons for not wanting to take things further. I am not upset that you want to wait before I mark you for the universe to see. If you don’t feel safe outside our galaxy, I respect that, but I believe you shouldn’t torture yourself while we are on the same ship.”
“What are you saying?” He refused to indulge in speculation on the possibilities of what she may be offering.
“I want to touch you,” she whispered as her hands dragged across his hips. Her fingertips brought shivers wherever they traced his skin, traveling down his spine to his steely cock. “I want to ease your suffering as you have mine, so we can finally sleep peacefully.”
“You can’t,” he gritted out as his hands clenched into fists. “I don’t know if I can—”
“I trust you, Kaede.”
Her unwavering eyes told him more than he needed to know.
Wrapping soft fingers around his hardness, she gripped his cock as her tongue slowly lapped the beads of liquid from its head. She closed her eyes, a soft moan breaking from her lips as her hands tightened around him and pumped.
This moment was the most exquisite torture he’d ever experienced. All he wanted to do was to throw Selena on her back and make those lips call out his name—but he couldn’t.
Not now.
They had only just left the base where he had rescued her.
“Selena… I don’t know if I can.”
Selena’s eyes snapped open as her lips curled into a smile that could only mean trouble. It always had.
“Let me do this,” she said, her voice laced with such determination that his arousal grew even more. “Lie down on our bed and let me take care of you for once.”
“I can go—”
“Kaede, if you are afraid of us going any further, don’t be.” She released her hold on him. He instantly missed her skin as she scooted toward the bed’s center. “Instead of forcing yourself to take care of that”—her eyes traced over his hard and erect length—”let me. Bite a pillow if you must. I promise I won’t go any further.”
Her offer was tempting. Kaede knew that he would need to relieve this pressure, and soon. It was the only way to temporarily sate the lust burning within him. But when her lips wrapped around his manhood, how could he resist?
This was a test from the Stars themselves, who had placed him in such a situation. Was he willing to trust himself to keep Selena out of harm’s way?
“If you will it, I can prevent you from hurting her.”
“How so?”
“Do what she says. Let her please you as she wants, and I will make sure you don’t lunge for her neck.”
“You will control my body?”
He knew REI could intervene if necessary, though until now, he had never needed her help in this way. Before Zirene had rescued him and his siblings, he would have resisted such an offer.
But now?
He needed all the help he could get.
“I’ve dampened your hormones, preventing you from lapsing into your mating lust at this time—but I can only do so much,” REI explained. ”You’ve been relieving the pressure daily and draining your sacs whenever they fill. Allowing her to aid you wouldn’t be any different.”
“It would,” he corrected as Selena stared at him in confusion. ”Feeling her hands and lips on me… will be the ultimate test of my control.”
“If you don’t do it tonight, how many nights will you be able to keep your mating heat suppressed until you give in?” REI asked, her voice full of concern. ”Will you be able to continue this routine now that she’s here? I can already tell how her mere scent has affected you. I’m losing my grip on your hormones already. However, in the end, the choice is yours and yours alone.”
For once in his life, he was willing to give in to temptations and allow himself to feel.
Growling, Kaede threw himself onto the bed and climbed onto the woman who had captured his very soul. An excited squeal escaped Selena as he pinned her hands on either side of her, trapping her body beneath his. Locking his gaze with hers, he lowered his head to reclaim the lips he had only sampled in the past.
Selena willingly relinquished control, opening her mouth to welcome his tongue to dance with hers. Moaning, she latched onto him, digging her nails into his back. Her legs wrapped around his as if trying to direct his hardness between her folds.
Her taste. Her touch. Her scent. Her noises.
His senses exploded, overwhelmed by her.
Selena ran her tongue along the roof of his mouth and pressed hard against his Bahzyl sac. Closing his eyes, Kaede groaned against her lips at the sensation. He couldn’t believe how completely she trusted him not to go further or accidentally injure her on instinct. His body shivered at the relief of his drained sacs, his uncontrollable need to bury himself deep inside her soothed.
Once he felt his sacs were empty, he pulled away.
“Why?” he whispered, in awe of what she’d done.
Licking her lips, she stared at him with ravenous eyes and smiled.
“All you do is give, Kaede. Sometimes, you need to allow people to give back to you.”
Stunned at her words, he didn’t resist when she released her grip on him and guided him onto his back.
Before he could comprehend what was happening, her warm hands wrapped around his cock, and she lowered her lips onto its head. His body jerked, demanding more of the pleasure she offered. Gripping the comforter hard, he stared down at her in wonder as she bobbed her head.
His internal display glitched, flickering as his eyes rolled to the back of his head at the intense sensations coursing through his body.
All he could do was to lie prone, twitching and chanting her name like a mantra—a prayer to the Stars themselves. The combination of her hands and mouth bobbing up and down his cock was enough to make his head spin.
It didn’t take long until her name became guttural moans as his bucking hips tensed. His fists tightened until the sound of shredding filled the air. His face tightened as a strangled yell escaped him.
He felt like he was forever falling into an abyss of pleasure as Selena did everything in her might to lengthen its distance. His body jerked one final time and he fell back into reality. Releasing his grip on the comforter, he sighed as his body relaxed from all the pent-up tension.
Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling in wonder, trying to form a complete thought. He didn’t notice Selena releasing him or climbing next to him. The next thing he knew, he was lying beside her with an arm wrapped around her waist. He smiled as he tucked her head under his chin.
All his doubts and worries drifted away as darkness took him.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Selena
Wind buffeted my nightgown as I leaned against the villa’s porch, watching Lunkai and the stars reflect off my dark ocean waters.
The space behind me shifted as a familiar, powerful presence filled the air.
Furry arms wrapped around me and pulled me close, wrapping their body around mine. “How are you, my Nova?” Zirene purred, his deep voice vibrating through me. “Any news of Kaede?”
Closing my eyes, I leaned back into his embrace. “Kaede arrived a day early and we are now en route to you.”
“It pleases me to hear that.” He ran his nose along my neck. “Did he have difficulty retrieving you?”
/>
“Kaede likes to make a scene,” I muttered, covering his hands with mine. “But that’s not what I want to talk about.”
My Shadow stilled and pulled his nose away from my neck, slowly breathing in my ear. “I want to know what ails you.”
“I need you to do me a favor. I know you just became the Aldawi Sovereign—”
“As you are now the Aldawi Beacon,” he added.
“I know this, Zirene, but that isn’t what I need from you,” I sighed. “Can you speak with Mwe about granting CEG citizenship to about five thousand refugees from another galaxy?”
“Five thousand refugees?” he echoed, shocked, his voice the highest I had ever heard from him. “Selena, what did you get yourself into?”
“Xenak kidnapped me to save his brother, Ryzen. They are co-commanders of a base filled with refugees searching for a place to call home. About three months ago, their old base was raided and now they’re on the run. Zirene, the crew on the base reminds me so much of the citizens of Destima,” I explained. “They were all abducted and can’t return to their homes. I want to make Destima their new home. They are just lost souls like the demi-humans, the Circuli crew of the Destiny, and the entertainers from the space station. Can you help me by formulating a plan that would allow me—the Aldawi—to take them in?”
Zirene huffed. “You make a lot of work for a little gain, Selena, but I will see what I can do.”
“Really?” I couldn’t believe he was agreeing without any resistance.
“Five thousand more citizens aren’t a heavy strain in the big picture. That is a fraction of a crew on one of my new motherships. I am more worried about what Mwe will say. The galaxy just cleansed all the Yaarkins from their hiding spots; will the Assembly allow more outsiders into our territory? We already had a difficult time getting your citizenship, so who knows what they will say.”
“I have six ambassadors coming home with me to help.”
“Wait, what ambassadors?” Zirene spun me around, caging me between his two arms as his amethyst gaze locked with mine. “What are you bringing home to me, Selena?”
“You remember me mentioning last time that a clan took me in? I invited them to come with me as my ambassadors. The female who has helped me the most is human—a real Earth human, Zirene,” I explained. “Do you know how amazing that is? Seventy-two humans live on their base, though most are locked in Cryopods until they find a stable home.”
“Endangered species,” Zirene muttered, leaning back and staring at his capital above. “We claim Endangered Species Protection and the CEG will have to honor them. Since they failed to protect Earth from the Yaarkins and whoever else farmed human bodies, they will be obligated to right their wrongs. If the commanders have been taking care of the humans with help from the crew, they will be given protection and rights also.”
Cupping his face, I led his gaze back to me. “Can you get all the information I’ll need before I arrive?
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
Biting my lip, I hesitated to tell him about Kaede.
His eyes narrowed as he took me in. “What is it, my Nova?”
“I need you to promise me something.”
His ears perked up as his tail flicked against my leg. “I am listening.”
“Kaede and I are… taking things slow,” I proceeded slowly. “And I believe I might claim him before we arrive on Destima.”
His eyes darkened and his lips curled in a snarl. “Are you telling me you’re taking my guard as your mate?”
“You didn’t have a problem when I took the others in,” I challenged, straightening my posture and daring him to fight me. “Why is he any different?”
“The others weren’t in my employ!”
“No, but why would that put Kaede off-limits?” I glared at the male. “You know that we’ve been fighting our attraction to each other all this time. You know we both felt a connection and he believes we are one in the Cosmic Order. Why are you suddenly so against us mating?”
“Because I cannot spend every waking moment with you. He can and probably will,” he snapped. “While I am ruling an empire—one I didn’t want in the first place—he will have the time to court you, as will all your other mates.”
“What do you call this?” I gestured to the dreamscape. “I don’t have this connection with anyone else, but I haven’t heard my clan complain about missing my dreams.”
“The dreamscape is different—”
“It’s a unique connection between us, Zirene.” I frowned, disappointed by his reaction. “You’ve known me the longest. I have shared this world with you for over eight years, and yet, you are jealous of someone new.” Zirene’s gaze traced the tear that fell from my eye. “You should be relieved I’m taking Kaede as a mate because you know that I’ll forever be protected while you are away, by a male willing to kill anyone who looks at me or our cubs the wrong way. I thought you would congratulate me, but you’ve chosen to be jealous of this development.”
“You are right.” He sighed, closing his eyes as he gripped my arms. “It’s just hard to miss you for so long. Now, I must compete with yet another male for time with you.”
“In my dreams, there is no competition,” I murmured gently.
A smile flickered across his lips. “It will take some time to get used to him.”
“Just promise me you won’t send him off somewhere out of spite.”
“I might have to if I want to ravish you in private.” He chuckled.
Standing on my toes, I kissed him gently. “I look forward to it.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Kaede
Kaede was almost afraid to open his eyes, believing if he did, everything that had happened would turn out to be a dream. Not until he breathed in Selena’s unique scent and his blood compass confirmed she was directly beside him did he know it was all real.
His dream had finally come true—he was Selena’s, and she was his.
There was no need for him to revert to his old ways, for she knew how he felt and how much he regretted what had happened. They would pick up the pieces of their lives together. He just prayed to the Stars that this chapter of her life would soon be over because he didn’t know how she would survive if one—or all—of her mates died before they arrived.
He had collected from Oeta’s reports that they were cutting it close. Selena had been separated from her nestmates for fifty-three days and Circuli males began to lose their will to live around ninety. Once he entered the galaxy’s borders, he could try reaching out to Oeta and establishing a connection to her nestmates. While he hated to admit it, having both Celyze and Ryzen aboard the ship could work in his favor if he needed them to boost Selena’s connections to her mates.
First, he needed to discuss this with the telepaths. He planned to ask them privately because he didn’t want to get Selena’s hopes up in case they couldn’t grant his request. She had been through enough and he didn’t want to cause any more strain.
< I HATE TO INTERRUPT SINCE YOUR VITALS HAVE CALMED SINCE YOU WENT TO BED, BUT TWO MALES ARE REQUESTING YOUR PRESENCE. >
Hissing, Kaede opened his eyes and was surprised to remember he wasn’t wearing his visor. Now that he was on the Abyss, he didn’t need it. The Oetsae were fully capable of defending the ship and REI could personally monitor the feeds for him.
It was a sacrifice he was willing to make for the female in his arms.
< WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED? >
< THE GALLEY. >
< PORT ME THERE WHEN POSSIBLE. >
< CONFIRMED. >
Closing his eyes, he felt his world shift and his feet touch the ground.
Screams filled the air. Kaede’s eyes snapped open, hissing as he searched wildly for a threat, only to find none. Tori hid behind Luwyn’s body as every other male besides Zyxel tried to shield their eyes from his direction.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Why was I summoned?”
“You seem to be without clot
hes,” Zyxel replied, raising his eyebrow as he sipped his drink. “I’m assuming Celyze didn’t expect you to appear in the nude when he asked the system if you were available.”
Of course, he was in the nude. He had just woken up.
< REI. SUITDISK, PLEASE. >
< CONFIRMED. >
“I’m sorry.” He smirked. “I’m so used to traveling alone that I forgot my clothes. Normally, Selena’s mates don’t leave her side with any clothes on.”
He felt the suitdisk appear in front of him and reached out, placing it on his breastplate and activating the bodysuit. Instantly, his body was covered from his neck to his toes with protective, living material. Only his head was left bare for Selena’s sake, since she enjoyed finally being able to meet his eyes.
“I’m dressed now,” he announced, eyeing the passengers still covering their faces. “Why have you summoned me at such an early hour?”
Slowly, they lowered their hands one by one as if they were afraid of what they might see. His cock couldn’t be that scary; Selena wasn’t afraid of it.
“I mentioned to Ryzen that I sensed more people than just us on the ship,” the sapphire male said, his gaze holding mine as if he knew more than he let on. “I wanted to report that to you in case you decide to investigate.”
He pursed his lips and flicked his gaze to the emerald Dagger-boy. “Is this true?”
“I’ve picked up a similar signal. I also find it peculiar that I can’t even get a glimpse of your mind or Selena’s.” His glowing emerald eyes searched his newly armored body. “I know humans are naturally strong shielders, but I’ve never felt minds as strong as yours amongst them.”
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up at Ryzen’s observation. He had known these passengers would be too observant for his liking, but Selena had insisted they all needed to come. He could tolerate Tori and her clan, for they were all bonded together, and Celyze had already proven his usefulness, though he needed to keep an eye on that.
