Jerking back, he stepped away from the bed, but it wasn’t because he was leaving. No, he yanked impatiently on the tab closing his armor, pushing buttons and panels to peel the black second skin from his gray flesh until he was completely naked. Even naked, he was all power and in control. Not an inch of his hard body was vulnerable, and silver from his symbiont writhed over his skin, a reminder that he was never without protection and always deadly.
His cock was magnificent, dark gray, with a deep purple head. Thick, veined, and marked with those same swirling hints of something mystical that crossed his body in intriguing lines. I drew in a deep breath but couldn’t stop myself from staring, nor could I keep from shifting restlessly against the silky sheets. Ineeded him, ached for him, just like I had back in that cramped escape pod. In that way, this moment was exactly the same, the passion off the charts.
He ran his fingers across his thick erection—it jumped beneath the touch—but he was watching my response. I spread my thighs, inviting him, and his mouth tilted into a satisfied smirk. This was like baiting the beast, inviting in the monster, but I knew he wouldn’t harm me. He hadn’t then, and he wouldn’t now. Vaguely, my mind whispered that thiswasthe man who had told me my fear tasted delicious when we first met. But actions spoke louder than words, didn’t they? And everything about his actions told me I could trust him, and that I should.
He said nothing, a deadly wraith of silver and gray, as he came to the bed and prowled on top of me. Heat radiated from his skin, and I was transfixed by the play of his muscles as he cupped my hips and lifted me. “This,” he warned, “is how a Talacan stakes his claim.” He pressed his cock against my core and pushed, not roughly, but deep and slow. I felt each inch as it went in: the rough drag against my folds, the heat of him as he filled me, stretched me. This wasn’t the claim of a Talacan; this was all him.
Silver slipped from his skin to curl between us. It flicked cold and firm over my clit. I spiraled, clenched, panted his name through my teeth. His smile was vicious in its satisfaction, but when I clenched again, I saw the flicker in his eyes. I saw it because I was paying such close attention. That was toying with his control; he wasn’t the only one with power in this bed. I would remember that. Later—for now—I was content to let him lead this dance.
We fit together like two pieces of a puzzle, and each stroke, each brush, sent me back into that spiral. It didn’t take much to set me aflame, combustion inevitable after the way he’d toyed with me. I pulled on the ties that held me as I shattered into pieces, and they gave way this time. My fingers found his shoulders and dug in, clawing at firm skin without meaning to, mindless from the pleasure he pulled from me with each deep thrust.
Then I moaned his name, and he froze. It was just a second, but he seemed to get trapped in that sound—his body freezing before melting, and with it, pleasure rolled hard and fast through us both. His hips pressed deep, sinking into me as far as he could go, his cock growing thicker, harder. I felt the burn of a stretch as he kicked, and his seed erupted from him in hard, thick bursts. I thought it might have been a fluke last time, but he’d been holding back, and he wasn’t now. I’d made him come undone, and all I had to do was moan his name. So I did it again.
Pleasure ebbed and flowed, then finally faded to a trickle. Sin did not retreat; he braced himself over me, mouth finding mine. A gentle claim to remind me with his lips that it was him in here with me, him entwined with my body. A reminder that he wasn’t done with me yet, when his cock twitched inside me. “You can take more, can’t you, Frederique?” he whispered. I was pretty sure I couldn’t, but I nodded anyway. And then he proceeded, most thoroughly, to show me that he could most definitely give me more, and I could, most definitely, take it. All of it.
Chapter 17
Frederique
The darkness seemed to make everything feel peaceful this time. I was tired, but in a good way, my body limp and still loose from pleasure. Sin had not retreated this time; he lay on the bed beside me, his arm curled around my back and his mouth pressed to the crown of my head, like he could not get enough. It felt right, and my heart fluttered with hope. Things might be a little tumultuous and rocky, but I was beginning to believe they’d work out.
I was beginning to slip away, drifting sleepily in the aftersex glow. The last thing I expected was for Sin to indulge in a little soul-baring pillow talk; I figured I would have to pull every revelation out of him. He offered this one in a husky whisper I barely heard: “I owe you an apology, Frederique.”
My mouth curled into a smile; there was hope for him yet. “Yeah, you do. And you can call me Freddie, remember? I think at this point we’re well past the friend stage, don’t you think?” He huffed, and, though I couldn’t see it, I was certain the corners of his mouth had twisted up into a half-smile. He did not laugh easily, and every little hint of amusement felt like a victory to cherish.
“I am not calling you Freddie,” he told me firmly. “Not a chance. We’ll settle for ‘mate.’ That’s what you are, and I should have admitted that. It was wrong of me not to.” It was silent after he said that, and I let the words sink in. The truth was, I hardly cared if he called me Freddie or Frederique; everything soundedgood in his dark, husky voice, especially whispered in the dark. He had admitted it, apologized, and that made me want to shout with joy and run in fear at the same time.
Easy to be the tough one shouting about honesty and commitment when it felt like the other was pulling away. That was safe, in a way. Now he was the one saying we were meant to be, and it sent a hint of fear crawling up my spine. Sure, my parents had been devoted to each other professionally, but had they loved? I was not so sure. Did people really do that—love forever? What if it would feel like a trap one day? Sin wasn’t the only one who was a little messed up when it came to relationships.
“I’m keeping you, Frederique. You were right,” he said, emphasizing the finality of this choice. Mated, married, bound—no way out. “As long as you understand that I donotshare. Get it? I don’t share!” He spat out those last words with such heated venom that I jerked upright. In the dark, I couldn’t see his face very well, but his silver eyes glowed enough for me to see those. He was serious, dead serious. No sharing? I couldn’t say I was opposed, but Talacan males were all about sharing, weren’t they?
“Okay,” I started, but that didn’t seem good enough to him. He lunged up, and a light flicked on, glowing pale orange and silver on the nightstand beside the bed. It cast shadows over his face and lit up the sharp angle of his jaw, reminding me how intense he was, and how insanely handsome.
“Vow it, Frederique. I am the only male for you, there will be no others!” He picked up my hand and pressed it to his bare chest; his heart pounded furiously beneath my palm. My mouthwent dry, my tongue flicking out to lick my lips from nerves. This was intense, crazy intense. Humans didn’t commit like this, did they? My mind flashed to the circle of ladies and their tea from that afternoon, reminding me that each and everyone of them had an alien mate aboard this ship—one theyhad, in fact, committed themselves to in exactly such a way.
“I’m not very keen on that whole sharing thing either, Sin. One of you is more than enough. I don’t get it, though,” I said. It was not quite a vow, but it seemed to placate him. “Aren’t Talacan very into the whole multiple-males-type relationship?” We’d had a foursome on theLancing Light, and they had all been utterly devoted to one another. It had honestly been a delight to see.
“Well, I’m not,” he bit out, and then he sighed, his hand going up to rub at the back of his neck. “Let me hold you,” he added, and we curled onto the bed together, his arms going around me to hold me close. It was a sign that he felt uneasy, vulnerable, but rather than push me away, he was seeking my comfort instead. It was a thrill, one I loved, and one that told me I was far more ready for a true commitment than my rational mind wanted to believe. We were both a bit of a mess; perhaps that’s why this was going to work, why we were meant to be.
“You’re not?” I prompted very quietly when he said nothing at all. His hand was stroking along my spine, tempting me with pleasure rather than words each time his hand dipped just a little lower. If I let him, I was pretty sure he’d avoid answering in exchange for a little seduction. This was important, though, I was getting to see a part of him he didn’t share with anyone. So I reached behind me and grabbed his hand, pulling it around my waist and pinning it against my belly. His fingers twitched as if he thought about fighting, but then they settled.
“I don’t think I was ever wired the same way other Talacan are. I was wrong, I didn’t fit. Growing up… we are supposed to find our males first, but I had no interest. When I found out the female I was seeing was seeing others too, I beat him up. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop it.”My heart went out to him. Sin as a teenager was nearly impossible to picture, but I had no doubt that he would have been serious and intense back then too. Add serious hormonal changes and testosterone, it was no wonder he’d done something like that. I had a feeling he’dstilldo it if he thought a guy so much as looked at me the wrong way.
“My fathers took me aside and tried to set me straight, but I wouldn’t hear it. My mother told me to leave if I couldn’t control myself, and that’s the last I ever saw them. I left Talac and never looked back.” His voice was low, just above a whisper now, calm and steady. I felt the pain anyway. For his family to throw him aside just because he did not conform… it was terrible.
“They tried to find me once,” he admitted, when I curled more tightly against him, the only way I knew how to offer comfort. He didn’t need to explain more; I understood it now. “They regretted it, you know? But I was still angry, and then… the Sons of Ragnar took me in, and time just passed differently.” He didn’t say it, but I had a feeling he’d had reason to run fromthatfamily, too—that he was different from them as well, and had not fit in. His symbiont was silver, after all, but they were supposed to be black.
“It’s okay, Sin. I’m really not looking for a traditional Talacan relationship. That’s… honestly, I think you’re going to drive me crazy enough as it is. I couldn’t handle another guy, don’t want to.” And then, though that felt heavy, intense, and scary to admit: “I only want you.”
Sin didn’t say things like “I love you,” or “You’re my one. You’re the only one I want, too.” I didn’t think he had it in him to admit such sentiments. He knew how to show me with his touch, though, and that was more than enough for now. With a growl, he rolled us, pinning me beneath him, and then he made sure every inch of me remembered his claim. It didn’t matter that he’d already done that, that he’d tied me to his bed not long ago and warned me about all the ways he’d ensure he’d keep me.
Under his touch, passion flared bright and hot. I embraced it, welcomed it. We could have this right now, and worry about the future—and how we’d make these things fit—later.
Chapter 18
The Sineater
It had been three weeks since Frederique burst into my life like a bomb and annihilated everything I knew about what I wanted in life. She was in my quarters every day and every night, clung to my skin, lingered in my mouth. She had her hooks so deep into my flesh that it felt like she was part of me, under my skin. Every waking thought was about her, where she was, what she was doing, if she was happy. And she was… that was the problem.
