“What? What did he say?”
The concern I saw in my mate’s eyes was very real. She hesitated to trust, to give her heart into my keeping. How could I make her understand?
Without warning, I rolled her beneath me and settled my hips between her open thighs. My hard cock probed the sensitive flesh of her pussy, the hot, wet heat of her nearly making my eyes roll back into my head with pleasure. She ran her hands up my chest, over my neck, ended her exploration burying her fingers in my hair. She tugged, pulling my lips to hers.
I obliged, shifting my much longer frame lower so I could claim the kiss she offered. Only an idiot would deny her, and I was no fool.
My beast snorted at the thought but didn’t intervene. This was my time, my turn to taste, explore and claim our mate.
I kissed her. Hard. Soft. Explored her taste. Braced on my forearms so I would not crush her, I left her gasping for air and worked my way down from her lips to her throat. Throat to breasts where I took my time sucking and nuzzling her breasts. The smooth, tender skin of her abdomen was like silk under my tongue. The curve of her inner thigh, softer still.
I closed my mouth over her pussy and had to fight off the beast when she cried out, her soft mewling sounds driving me on. I pulled the small, sensitive bundle of nerves against my tongue and stroked with a steady rhythm until she lost control, the rush of wet pussy juices a full assault on my razor-thin control.
Wasting no time, I kissed my way back up her body and reclaimed her lips. “You are wrong, mate. You are so beautiful it hurts to look upon you. You are courageous, facing down three Hive Soldiers.” While she slept, I watched the uploaded records from Warlord Kai’s helmet comms. She’d looked so small and vulnerable in her living quarters, I’d nearly woken her just to make sure she was all right.
She blinked up at me, clearly struggling to process my words as my cock nudged her core. I did not stop. I could not deny her the words, the truth of my feelings. “You arrived on a strange planet and did not falter in the face of three strange Prillon warriors. You fought to protect your sister. You are loyal and passionate. You work caring for injured animals, which means you are also compassionate and kind.”
I shifted my hips, pleased when she wrapped her legs around my thighs and used the leverage to tilt her body, take my cock deeper. We both moaned at the intimate contact. She was so hot, so tight, her pussy like a fist around my hard length.
“Your hair is rich, warm, with hints of spun gold and red fire. Your skin is softer than the delicate petals of a flower. Your eyes see into my soul and offer me salvation. You are perfect, Lavender. You are not no one. You are everything a female should be. My beast chose you. He will kneel before no other. Want no other. Serve no other. We are yours, mate. Until death separates us, we belong to you.”
Staring down into her dazed expression, I held her gaze until disbelief transformed to surrender. “Okay.” Her hand cupped my cheek and I leaned into the gentle touch, my heart and soul—my beast—content. At peace. “I believe you. I’ll stay. I’ll be your mate. I guess we can figure the rest out later.”
Her words released something dark and desperate inside me. Years of pain and torment surged to the surface and lost their power, faded with her acceptance.
Good mate.My beast was filled with pride at the absolute perfection of his choice.
I could not disagree. She was fucking perfect.
Her hand left my face. I did not mourn the loss long as her wicked palms found my hips. My ass. “I want you, mate. Are you going to move?”
Mate.Her use of the word made my heart pound. I held my body perfectly still, cock buried deep, the lack of motion both pleasure and pain. I wanted to thrust hard and fast, bring her to the edge of release, then slow my pace, slide in and out of her body with deliberate calm. I wanted to drive her mad with desire, bring her so much pleasure she would never doubt my devotion to her, my need for her.
This was love, more intense and demanding than anything I’d experienced in my life. Thought I would not speak it, not yet. My mate had barely accepted my desire for her. Such a strong, emotional declaration might frighten her, push her away. She was not ready to believe it.
We would grow closer in time, the mating cuffs on her wrists a constant and public declaration of my dedication and need for her. Eventually, she would understand and accept love. For now, I didn’t want her thinking, questioning, or wondering about her future. I didn’t want her ruminating on her past, reliving the terror of the Hive attack.
Right now, I wanted her tofeel.Me. Deep inside her. Surrounding her. My taste on her lips, my seed in her womb, my scent on her flesh.
I pulled back, my cock on the very edge. Pressed forward, the swollen walls of her pussy hot and tight around me. She clung to me, breasts heaving, head thrown back as I moved. Hard. Fast. Slow. Deep. I fucked her until she begged, until her fingernails scratched in desperation at my back. Only then did I allow her to come, her cries of release forcing me to follow her.
My seed pumped into her body, marked her. Scented her. Claimed her. My mating cuffs reflected the soft light in my bedchamber. Her skin shimmered with moisture, flushed pink with arousal.
I’d never seen anything so beautiful.
6
Lavender
How did any woman,ever, from any planet, resist the charms of a devoted warlord? I doubted it was possible.
After blowing my mind with more hot sex and more orgasms, we showered, together, where he washed me from head to toe, healed my sore bits with one of their magic wands, then proceeded to turn into his beast and make sure I needed the same attention and healing all over again.
Not that I was complaining. The way he looked at me?
If I could figure out a way to bottle that look and sell it back home, I’d be a billionaire. He looked at me like I was the most important thing in the world, infinitely interesting, desirable, and beautiful, all at the same time. I kept thinking I would catch him, just once, with something other than absolute devotion in his eyes. So far, I had not. Not even close. In fact, the looks I caught him giving me as he escorted me to the governor’s office made me blush.
I’d had more orgasms in the last twelve hours than the last twelve years, and still, my body responded, melting into the hand he placed at the small of my back. The dress I wore had come from the strange S-Gen machine. The long name was Spontaneous Matter Generator and apparently, anything and everything one could think of could be created, from clothing to a varied and extensive menu of human dishes from every country and culture on Earth. He said the Coalition’s leader, a Prillon warrior who lived on Prillon Prime, had once been on The Colony and was mated to a human woman. Since these guys treated their mates like queens—and she literallywasa queen—he made certain the human brides all over the Coalition had access to food and clothing they might miss from home.
