I would summon Doctor Surnen immediately and have him examine her. The look on her face, a mix of raw confusion and disbelief, enforced the idea. She stiffened, nibbling at her bottom lip as if she wasn’t sure whether to flee from me or relax in my arms.
Perhaps she simply did not want to be mated to a male from The Colony and was not sure how to tell me this truth. Did the fact that I’d been captured and integrated offend? Did she find us dishonorable? Weak? I would not be surprised. Many of the females from our home world would not accept an integrated warrior. We were deemed too dangerous. Damaged. Broken.
Our females were not wrong to judge us so harshly. We had failed. We were no longer what we once were. No longer proud, powerful warriors. With the Hive tech imbedded throughout our bodies we were unpredictable. Many of us had lost our sanity under the debilitating torture of their Integration Units after we’d been captured. We were sent to The Colony for a reason. Every male here had been judged unsafe. Contaminated. Constantly battling for control of our own minds.
Perhaps Ishouldlet her go. I turned to see the transport officer silently watching. I’d completely forgotten anyone else was in the room. The moment I’d seen my mate, nothing else existed. Now, the technician waited, hands hovering over the control panel.
“Do we have a stable enough signal to send her to Prillon Prime?” I would not force her to remain, not when she deserved a male of worth.
“Yes, Captain. The transport stabilizers are holding.”
“Very well. Set coordinates for Prillon Prime and transport her directly to the Brides’ processing center.” I stepped onto the transport platform and braced myself for the pain of letting her go as I looked down into her delicate face. “They will match you to another. You will be happy and cared for.”
“No. I don’t want to leave. Marz, I didn’t mean….” She whispered the protest against my chest, her voice trembling so badly she could barely form the words. “I don’t know what to say. But I don’t want to go anywhere else.”
“Say you’re mine.” I could not accept less from her. There could be no doubt about her choice. She must choose, and choose now, when I still had the strength to let her go.
“I’m—I’m yours. Your mate.” The rapid beat of her heart against my chest echoed through the thin blanket. Her nearness stirred something primal in me—a need to possess, to claim this female who was now mine by right. I tightened my hold on her, my arm wrapping around her waist, pulling her even closer until there was barely a sliver of air between us. Her body felt so soft, so warm. I battled the urge to bury my face in her hair, to breathe in the scent of her skin and taste her. Here. Now. Lay her down on the transport pad and fill her sweet pussy with my seed.
My cock jumped at the thought, eager to fill her, to drive deep into her wet heat.
Thank the gods I had not yet placed a mating collar around her neck. The ferocity of my emotions at hearing her say she was mine would terrify her. I would destroy worlds for her. Kill thousands of enemies. Hunt anyone who harmed her to the ends of the universe and dismember them. Rip their still beating hearts from their chests.
Fuck. Just a few minutes into her arrival and already I changed, became a monster. Her monster.
“We will take care of you, mate. All will be well. I promise.” I reassured myself as much as her.
Vance stepped forward, breaking the intensity of the spell her presence had woven around me. He kept his distance, his hands up in a placating gesture. “Rowan,” he said gently, his voice steady and calm, “Do not be frightened. We can do nothing but ensure your pleasure and happiness. Once the mating collars connect us, we will feel, and respond to, your every need and desire. Your pleasure will be ours. Your needs will be ours as well. We will be obsessed with you, so consumed with caring for you that you will beg the Governor to give us extra duties.” His tone held a hint of humor, an attempt to ease the tension.
“No one has ever taken care of me. Not like that.” She blinked rapidly, her gaze shifting from Vance back to me. Her cheeks flushed. “Are you sure about this? You don’t know me at all. Literally. How can you possibly think you’re going to be obsessed with me? What if I’m a total bitch? Or cruel? What if everything I do drives you crazy? I hate laundry. Did they tell you that during your testing? Because relationships aren’t all about sex. I wore the same pair of socks to work three days in a row because I hate laundry more than I hate dirty socks. It’s disgusting. I can be gross. And lazy. Half the time I eat cereal for dinner because I don’t want to cook. There is no way you can guarantee you are going to want me thirty days from now. So?—"
“Enough,” I interrupted, gripping her waist firmly. “You are my match. You are here. You. Are. Mine. Do you understand?” The thought of her questioning our bond—even before we’d had a chance to establish it—sparked a possessiveness that burned in my gut. “One more argument and I will tie you to my bed and fuck you until you understand what it means to be the mateof a Prillon warrior. You’re here because you belong with me. Understand?”
“Yes.” She wiggled in my arms, the movement of her small body shooting a spike of lust through my already aching cock. And yet…what was that intoxicating scent? I breathed deeply, noted that Vance did the same.
Fuck. She was wet. Aroused. Ready for us. Did the idea of being tied to my bed excite her? Or was it my claim that brought wet heat to her core? Now I regretted not stopping by my personal quarters to grab the mating collars. The need to know what caused her response would drive me mad.
“Warden Egara didn’t tell me I’d be naked when I got here. Can I have some clothes?”
“No.” The denial slipped out before I could censor myself. My mate did not require clothing. Not yet. Not until after I placed my mating collar around her neck and branded her soul with pleasure. “We’re going to fuck you now. Pleasure you. Make sure you know exactly who you belong to.”
Her eyes widened at my words, her lips parting slightly as if to object, but no sound escaped. Her breath hitched. Her gaze darted from my face to the doorway, as if calculating the distance, wondering how quickly she could escape. “Now?”
Too late, beautiful Rowan. You’re mine now. There will be no escape.
“Now. You clearly do not know who you belong to. Perhaps you will better comprehend the truth when my cock is buried deep in your pussy and you are screaming my name.”
“Oh, god.” I watched her throat working as she swallowed, the pulse at her neck fluttering like a trapped bird’s. Her hands clutched at the edges of the blanket, pulling it tighter around herself, though whether to shield herself from me or the cold, I couldn’t be sure.
Her fear simmered just beneath the surface, mingled with uncertainty and something else—something that flickered in her eyes when she glanced up at me again.
Gods, please, tell me that look is desire.
Rowan’s gaze flicked between the two of us. Her attention moved down Vance’s body to inspect the clearly visible bulge of his hard cock. He, too, was ready to claim her.
She held Vance’s gaze for a moment, her fingers loosening on the blanket just slightly, as if beginning to trust. I wanted to howl with even that small victory. But a tremor still raced through her body, there remained a hesitance in the way she looked at me. The storm outside seemed to grow louder, and for a moment, the walls shuddered with the force of it. Her eyes flicked to the door again, a brief, instinctive urge to run.
I waited until her gaze locked on mine, her skin soft beneath my fingers. “Focus on me,” I commanded, keeping my voice low and steady. “Nothing here will hurt you. You’re not alone anymore, Rowan. You have me. You have us.”
