by Hope Hart
When my name was called that day in the dingy diner, I thought my world was ending. But it was really just beginning.
I blink back tears and chuckle at myself. I better get these hormones under control cause if Varian sense that I’m on the verge of crying for the tenth time today, he’ll be stalking right back to me.
I climb up on the bed and straddle my mate, perching myself on his butt.
Then I open the jar and scoop out some of the contents, smoothing the cream on his shoulders and down his back. I place the jar close by and rub the sweet-smelling cream in, feeling my blood heat in response.
“Mate,” Varian growls suddenly. “What is that?”
“Just a little something to get us in the mood.”
“In the mood?”
I just smile as he growls again, and the sound gives me goosebumps. I continue rubbing and kneading his muscles. Sure, Arcav skin may be too thick for my massage to truly remove those knots in his back, but my hardworking, sexy mate deserves to be pampered once in a while.
And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to be the one in control for once.
Varian’s claws extend, cutting through the bedding and I laugh as he trembles beneath me.
“Mate,” he growls.
I move further down, massaging his lower back and then sitting on his thighs so I can rub the cream into his firm butt.
“Jeez, what are you made of? Stone?”
Varian rocks into the bed, scowling. “Yes.”
I laugh again but move on, turning my attention to his thighs next. By the time I’ve reached his calves, my impatient mate has broken out into a sweat, and he’s trembling as he barely restrains himself from flipping over and pulling me into his arms.
I move back.
“Turn over,” I whisper, and he rolls to his back, his cock jutting into the air.
He reaches for me and I shake my head.
“Not finished.”
His eyes are so dark they look nearly black and I’m trembling with need, but I’m still insisting on dragging this out. I rub the cream into his shoulders, trail my hands down his chest, and spend a few minutes simply gawking at his abs while my hands play.
I’m a lucky, lucky woman.
“Now?” Varian says through gritted teeth and I grin.
“Oh, fine,” I laugh, and he moves light lightning, jumping up and stalking behind me. He bends down, his tongue teasing me as I moan into his kiss, and then he’s playing with my sensitive nipples again as I gasp. Varian bends me over until my hands are on our bed, my feet still on the ground, and my ass in the air.
He strokes a hand over my butt and gives it a tiny tap. I push up for more and sigh as his hand disappears. Varian was the first guy to ever spank me, and somehow… he made me like it. Now he refuses to even consider it. As soon as this baby is out and I’m all healed up, I plan to arrange for a damn good spanking.
I grasp at the blankets while Varian continues to stroke his hands over my body. I guess turnabout is fair play, but I’m just about ready to jump out of my skin. I groan as his arms circle me, tweaking my nipples and then he’s trailing one hand down where it unerringly finds my clit.
I push closer to him and he laughs, stroking and teasing while I go out of my mind.
“Varian…”
“Do you want something, Little Mate?”
“Yes,” I growl. “Hurry up.”
I feel him shake as he laughs, grabbing my hair and pulling my mouth to him for a deep, dirty kiss.
His cock pushes against me and I make a noise that seems to spur him on, because he growls, sinking deeper as I push back against him. He picks up speed, thrusting deep and I squirm as his hand continues to play with my clit, moving away each time I’m close.
“Sadistic bastard,” I gasp and he lets out a sound that’s a cross between a laugh and a growl.
I can tell this won’t last long for either of us though, because he’s shuddering against me, his body tense as he holds me to him. He flicks my clit once more as he thrusts deep, and I explode, shrieking his name while he growls mine back.
“Never again will you be shy with me,” he orders and I laugh, even as I slump onto the bed, my imperious mate curling his arm around me and dragging me close.
“Bossy male,” I murmur, my eyes closing.
“Your male,” he growls softly, and I smile as I fall asleep.
Chapter Six
Meghan
I’m sparring with Bree when I hear hooting.
“Wow, look at her. What I’d do for a moment between her legs,” a male voice shouts.
“It would only be a moment, fool, because I would slice your head from your body.”
The training center erupts in laughs and I spin, sighing as I see Saria walking toward me, all eyes on her. From the look on her face, I can tell she obviously hasn’t yet had her meeting with Varian.
Talon follows from a distance. I wave to him and he smiles back. Unlike Saria, I actually like Talon.
Saria hitched a ride on our ship when we left Huldra— her planet. Her father was the ruler, which means that if he’s dead, she’s now Queen. Chances are high that he is dead since, according to Saria, her mom was planning to free the evil King’s ‘collection’— creatures from across the universe, all kept in cages and forced to watch (or take part in) his atrocities.
Apparently, Saria’s mom convinced her to get on the ship— her one chance off the planet. She’s now waiting for a meeting with Varian so she can try to convince him to help her take back her planet.
I’m not entirely convinced. Look, I think Saria’s more than the bitch she played on Huldra. Don’t get me wrong— she’s still a complete asshole for the shit she did to us. But I also saw glimpses of someone else buried deep down. I wonder how much of the person she had to become was thanks to her father.
At the same time, if my mom tried to convince me to leave her to die? There’s no way I’d shrug my shoulders and get on that ship. Sure, they may not have had the same kind of relationship that I have with my mom, but what kind of person could leave their mom to certain death?
Not me, that’s for sure.
“Infant,” Saria says, and I sigh again as she glances at Bree, immediately dismissing her.
“Wow,” Bree says. “She’s exactly how you described her.”
A spark lights in Saria’s eyes and she focuses on my friend. I step in front of her, arching an eyebrow, and Saria returns her attention to me.
“I require your help,” she tells me, and Bree snorts behind me.
“Is something amusing?” Saria asks.
“Well, yeah. If you want someone to do something for you, you need to ask them much more nicely than that,” Bree says.
Bree is kind of a badass. Saria looks lethal, with her long claws, piercing eyes and stark beauty. Not to mention the wings, which are crumpled unnaturally against her back, telling a story of pain and suffering. I’ve got a feeling that whoever did that to her is not long for this universe.
“What do you need, Saria?”
“I would like your help,” she says again, and I nod. Okay, she’s trying. Then she turns and hisses at a human male as he approaches. He pales, tripping over his feet as he runs backward, falling on his ass. His friends crack up and I roll my eyes.
“Help with what?”
“I haven’t touched a weapon in years. I can fight well, but I need practice with close-quarter combat.”
I struggle to keep my mouth from dropping open.
“You think I can help you with that?”
She gestures to the mat where Bree and I were just sparring.
“You should really talk to Eve,” I begin, but she shakes her head.
“I don’t have time. I need to learn as much as I can before I get back to my planet.”
I feel a tiny jolt of sympathy for her. Bree and I were just discussing our Christmas plans. Saria’s plan? Practice defending herself against the attacks that will more than likely c
ome her way when she attempts to take back her crown.
I blow out a breath.
“I’m not an expert, but yeah, we can definitely practice together.”
Saria’s mouth turns up a tiny bit at the corners, and I almost laugh. If the woman ever decided to actually smile, she could probably wrap every man in this training center around her finger. Of course, she would likely find the idea beneath her. Something tells me that she’d much rather terrify men into submission.
“When can we get started?”
“Uh, tomorrow?” She nods and turns to go, and suddenly, I’m calling after her. “Hey, Saria,” I blurt. “Mom and I are going to have lunch tomorrow, you want to come along?”
She whirls, and I almost laugh as I realize I’ve managed to completely shock her. From Bree’s choked laugh, I can tell that Saria isn’t the only one wondering if I’m crazy.
She looks uncertain, and it’s hard to believe that this woman is the same one who moved me to a different cage when I displeased her, taking away the small slice of sky I would stare at for hours.
My mood darkens at the thought and I almost take back the invitation, What am I doing?
But Saria nods hesitantly. “I would like that,” she says, before turning and stalking away.
Chapter Seven
Eve
“I don’t know if we’ve got time for this,” I murmur halfheartedly at Korva as he grins up at me.
“I do not believe you should be this excited to see another male,” he says, kissing his way down my body.
“It’s Santa! Well… it’s Jaret dressed up as Santa. I can’t miss that.”
Korva grins up at me as he reaches the promised land and I wave a hand, gesturing for him to continue. As pumped as I am to see the Arcav Commander in a Santa suit, it can definitely wait.
Korva nips at my thighs, chuckling as I begin to shiver in anticipation. No one could ever make me burn the way he does.
Our mating bond is brand new, but I can feel his pleasure as he looks at me, along with the protectiveness and yes, wild possessiveness that he feels every time we’re together.
When we first mated, Korva would barely sleep. I’d wake and find him staring at me, even as his eyes glazed over with exhaustion.
When I’d asked him what was going on, he told me he’d never been this happy before. After finally finding that his world had color, he was terrified to fall asleep in case he woke up one day and he was back in the grey world he’d dwelled in for so long.
Even now, he doesn’t wake up well. Some days, his demons will get the best of him, and it’ll take long minutes of touching and kissing before he’s convinced that he’s not still dreaming, and that I do really exist. That’s why I try to wake up before him. Wake a guy up with his dick in your mouth, and he’s not going to be thinking about anything else.
Korva gently runs one of his fangs along the top of my inner thigh and I gasp. Those fangs are sharp as hell, and the threat of them so close to my favorite parts is both scary and arousing as hell.
He pushes my legs open further and I reach down, grabbing his horns. He meets my eyes, a slow smile spreading across his face.
“Do I need to tie your hands again, mate?”
I pout. “No.”
Korva’s incredibly dominant in bed— something I’ve been surprised to enjoy the hell out of. It doesn’t mean he respects me any less, and sometimes, giving up control is just plain sexy.
“Hands up,” he says, and I glare and then obey, ‘cause there’s no way I’m missing out on this.
Korva knows how hard it is for me to keep my hands from clutching at his horns in an attempt to direct him when he’s going down on me. As much as I like it when he takes control, I’m still me. It’s even more difficult when my hands are not tied since I have to use all my willpower to keep them still, otherwise he stops.
Korva enjoys my struggle.
“I’m pretty sure you’re a sadist,” I tell him, but lift my hands, burying them in the pillow behind my head. I clutch at the pillow as he leans down, spreading my sex with his hand and stroking his tongue over my wet folds.
He dances his tongue softly along my clit, teasing me. His hands slide under my butt, holding me still as I attempt to squirm closer.
He drives me crazy, playing for what feels like forever, until I’m a sweaty, dazed mess, and my hands ache from fisting the pillow.
“Korva,” I moan.
“Who do you belong to?” He asks and I gasp out a breathless laugh.
As if he even has to ask.
“You,” I say, “I belong to you.”
He nods, mouth curving in satisfaction as he thrusts two big fingers inside me, curving them to hit just the right spot while he tongues my clit, his low growl vibrating through me.
My breath hitches and then I shriek as I come, my orgasm going on forever as he continues to stroke me, drawing it out.
I push against his head, suddenly oversensitive and he glowers up at me.
“Did you remove your hands?”
I freeze and he shakes his head as if he’s disappointed, but I can see the amusement in his eyes.
“You know better than that,” he says, and within a second, I’m flipped over, and my hands are clutching at the sheets while he pushes my legs further apart again. And then he’s eating me out from behind, and I’m writhing, completely out of control as he nibbles and strokes along my oversensitive flesh.
I’m ready to come again when he pulls away, and I curse, but then I’m gasping as he positions himself against me, pushing into my entrance.
He pinches my nipples roughly, and my thighs shake as I feel another orgasm nearing. Korva thrusts, his cock hitting my cervix, and I tighten around him at the pleasure-pain.
I thought I’d had incredible sex before I met this man.
I had no idea what incredible sex was.
Korva bites down on my shoulder and I groan into the sheets as my orgasm explodes through me, sending me into heaven as I shudder and hold on for dear life. He pushes my legs even further apart, thrusting into me over and over again before growling out his climax behind me.
He collapses on top of me, careful not to crush me.
“God,” I say. “Let’s skip Santa and do that again. Maybe we can wait a little while though, cause my hoo-ha needs to recover first.”
Korva nuzzles my ear and I shiver.
“We must go,” he says, voice full of regret. “But we will continue this tonight.”
“I never thought you’d be the voice of reason,” I tease and he smiles.
“We are going straight to dinner at Varian’s after we see Jaret. I promised my brother we would be there,” Korva says, and I see a hint of vulnerability in his eyes as he strokes my hair.
Just like that, my heart is mush again. Korva and Varian’s relationship is new. They were once best friends, brothers who did everything together. Then Varian inherited his crown, Korva lost his mate, and it all went to shit. I recently learned that Sunday dinners are part of a bargain Korva made with Varian on our recent trip to Fecax. The bargain that allowed him to kidnap me off a ship in the middle of space without anyone stopping him.
Sure, it worked out well, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t sworn to get sweet, sweet revenge against anyone who allowed my oversized, high-handed mate to throw me over his shoulder and carry me off the ship in the middle of the night.
Anyway, now the brothers are slowly rebuilding their relationship, with the help of me and Harlow, who are on-hand to help combat any awkwardness as it arises. Their relationship is a long way from perfect, and they’ll always butt heads— Varian is used to his word being law, and Korva’s still a caveman at heart. But seeing them both make an effort to show up for each other?
It’s awesome.
“I suppose we better get ready or we’re going to be late.” I glance at the time and wince. “Even later. Let me just rinse off real quick and throw on some jeans.”
Korva’s eye heat as
I roll off the bed and walk toward our bathroom. I moved in with Korva last month, and I have to admit, his digs are a lot nicer than mine. He sits up and I point a finger at him.
“Don’t even think about it.”
He grins and slumps back down on the bed. If he follows me in here, I’ll never get to see Jaret dressed as Santa.
Chapter Eight
Amanda
“Ho, ho, ho,” Jaret says, frowning in confusion.
I grimace. “Nope. It really needs to be more jolly. Lean back into it. Imagine yourself as an old man who somehow has the speed and stamina to visit every house on Earth and drop off gifts, all in one night.”
I smile up at him. He looks pretty darn cute in his Santa suit. It took a lot of scrambling for us to get it made in time, and we had to reinforce the hat so that his horns wouldn’t cut straight through it. I suggested putting rubber on the tips of his horns, but he looked so offended at the idea that I hadn’t suggested it again. Luckily, the costume designers managed to find a similar material and coat the inside of the hat with it instead.
“You know, you make a pretty sexy Santa,” I tell him, and his eyes darken in a way that is distinctly not Santa-like.
He moves toward me and I scoot back.
“Alas, I can’t bone you while you’re in that suit. It’ll ruin all of my childhood Christmas memories.”
Jaret gives me a look that tells me my childhood memories are fair game and I point my finger at him.
“Behave.”
I turn at a knock on the door.
“Oh my Gosh,” Bree says, bursting into giggles. “Is that Jaret?”
I understand her shock. There’s something distinctly weird about convincing the Arcav Commander to dress up as Santa. The fact that he’s doing it for me just straight up melts my heart.
“It sure is.”
“Is this when I ask you to sit on my lap?” Jaret asks me in a low voice.
