by Kate Rudolph
And when she put it that way, Crux understood her point a bit better, but she spoke before he could say anything.
"No wonder you want to hide me away, if your girlfriend is out there somewhere. You wouldn't want to make her jealous." Then she huffed out a derisive laugh. "Not that she'd be jealous of me."
Crux stopped short and looked Courtney up and down. "You think you could not spark jealousy in someone?" With his blood already hot, he remembered what she looked like while she lay down, and it was nothing to imagine her stripped bare. If his true mate knew his thoughts, she would have every right to be jealous.
But Courtney could not read his mind and shrugged with a wry twist of her lips. "I'm not… it doesn't matter. Can we go now and find the parts before the aliens attack us?"
She wasn't going to give up, that was clear. And he could keep arguing or take her with him.
Arguing was wasting time.
It was echoing footsteps that decided him. "Come on." He led her further into the ship. He didn't know the exact schematics, but the design was intuitive enough, and Crux had no issue finding the mechanic's quarters. It was just as full of goodies as he hoped.
"Keep watch," he said as he headed deeper into the room, which was little bigger than a closet.
Courtney stroked the wheeled shoe hanging over her shoulder with a nod. A few minutes later, she spoke. "Why can you use a teleporter and these guys need a ship?"
Crux dug through a box of tiny screws before putting it aside to examine a spool of wire. Courtney's question was a reminder of just how backwards her planet was. Any child back home could answer it. "Teleporters are expensive and they can only transfer matter over short distance. And the amount of matter is fairly limited."
"How short are we talking?" She leaned out into the hall, taking her watch duty seriously.
Crux didn't tell her that if the slavers were in sight, they were already too close. They'd hear them coming long before they saw them. "About a billion miles with four to five people."
"Oh, only a billion." It was good to know that her translator was advanced enough to handle sarcasm.
"It's closer than you think." He'd been thinking in galactic terms since he was a child, even though his kingdom was confined to one planet. It was a peaceful planet and the best way to get warrior training was to journey into space. "A billion miles doesn't even reach the edge of the solar system."
Courtney sucked in a breath. "Jesus Christ, I'm in space." She slumped against the door jamb, and he had a feeling that if she wasn't supposed to be keeping watch, she would have slid to the floor in defeat.
Crux pocketed a few more items and a tool he'd need to solder everything together. He hated to take a chance with a wonky teleporter, but if he couldn't get communications through, it might be his only shot at safety. "Let's get out of here."
"Don't you need to rescue your mate?" There was something in her tone that he couldn't read.
Did she have a point? Crux had left the rest of the captured women on the ship on the theory he'd be able to quickly teleport Courtney away and then deal with them. Now he didn't know how long it would take and what tortures they would endure in his absence.
His mate was supposed to be out there somewhere. It didn't feel real. Even if it sounded like a childish fancy, he'd thought he'd be able to sense her somehow. But the only person he was paying any attention to was Courtney.
"I need a plan before I come back to rescue them," he finally said. He hoped his mate would forgive him one day. "Let's move."
They'd barely stepped into the hallway when heavy footsteps started moving their way fast.
Crux grabbed Courtney and dragged her back into the mechanic's closet.
10
Courtney's heart pounded hard as the slavers' boots stomped in the hallway on the other side of the door. She was supremely aware of just how close they were to the alien slaver that they'd killed and that the door wasn't that thick.
If they made noise, they'd be heard.
Was her heart too loud? Was her breath? It was coming fast, hyperventilation threatening, and Courtney couldn't calm herself down.
Then Crux wrapped an arm around her midsection and pulled her close against him.
It shouldn't have been comforting. They were trapped in a closet together on the edge of discovery. He was probably mad at her since she wouldn't hide like a good little woman.
And he had a mate.
Why did that disappoint her?
It was difficult to wrap her head around at all. Mate? Seriously? That sounded like something out of a movie. Mars Needs Mates! But they weren't on Mars, and he was dead serious. One of the other women who'd been captured was his destined girlfriend.
He'd only helped Courtney because she was there. He was only holding her to keep her from doing something stupid.
He. Had. A. Mate.
So why did her body want to melt back against his and feel if he was really hard all over? It had to be a response to all the trauma. He was her only constant, her only bit of safety, so of course she wanted to cling to him in all ways possible.
It didn't even have anything to do with Crux. It could have been anyone.
Even as she thought it, she was pretty sure that was a bunch of bullshit.
Crux shifted his grip, and his hand flattened against her stomach. Her breath fluttered, and she closed her eyes, trying to block out the sensation. He wasn't even touching her anywhere good. His thumb was inches from her breast, and he'd have to move his whole hand if he were going to cup it and stroke her nipple to hardness.
She bit her lip as she imagined it, her body lighting up at the thought.
She held herself as still as she could, pushing away all sensation. But in the dark of the closet, with the feel of Crux all around her, that was impossible.
Then his lips brushed over her ear, and Courtney was not responsible for the small gasp that escaped. No way.
"You're doing good," he whispered, his breath tickling her, his voice low.
She could imagine him saying something like that in another situation, both of them stripped bare while he pushed into her deep and coaxed an unknowable pleasure out of her. He'd be good at sex. Amazing at it. And she'd never imagined fucking a prince, not as any sort of real possibility.
But this one she wanted.
He didn't move his head away from the crook of her neck, and Courtney found herself leaning back into him. She knew she shouldn't, but madness had overtaken her, and there was nothing that could make her stop, not even if the slavers outside busted down the door.
That should have been a warning.
It wasn't.
Crux's lips brushed against her ear again, but this time he didn't say anything. She tilted her head and he took the hint, lips brushing down her neck in featherlight kisses.
He had a mate. This was wrong.
But it felt so right.
Courtney wasn't a cheater. She didn't date more than one guy at a time. And she hadn't dated anyone in a while after the last disaster.
But this wasn't cheating, her body insisted. Crux hadn't met his mate. And they were doing nothing wrong.
His hand moved higher, and his thumb brushed over her nipple.
Her lip was going to be bruised from how hard she was biting it to keep from making a noise.
She moved her hips and was shocked to feel the rock hard length behind her. She wasn't the only one who wanted this, who wanted more. And as Crux brushed his fingers against her, she was possessed by some kind of demonic lust that made her rub her hips against him until he hissed out a pleasured groan.
She thought she smelled smoke, and when she breathed deeper, she was sure of it. Crux was smoking again, and this time she could feel the heat of his skin as he sizzled.
"You undo me," he whispered in her ear, the words a secret that belonged to the dark.
"More." She wanted whatever he could give her. When they stepped out of this closet, she had no doubt they'd pretend t
his moment had ever happened, so Courtney wanted everything he was willing to give right now. So far, her journey to outer space had sucked. She wanted one good thing out of it.
For a moment, she thought she'd asked for too much when Crux pulled his hand away. But he only moved it down far enough to hike up her shirt and get his fingers on her naked skin.
Yes.
That was it. If his fingers over her shirt were a temptation, then his fingers on her flesh were almost more than she could bear. She jerked her hips back and felt him thrust against her, his own desire starting to override his good sense.
How would he look if she dropped to her knees in front of him?
What would she do if he dropped to his knees?
She'd lose it. She was already wet and desperate for more. And if Crux was on his knees in front of her and looking up at her with wicked intent, she wouldn't be able to control what she did next.
He pinched her nipple just hard enough to make Courtney hiss. Her other breast felt neglected, but she couldn't complain from the expert way he was touching her. He knew exactly where to stroke, where to kiss. And they weren't even unclothed.
He was sex incarnate and a real danger to her. But nothing could make Courtney back away. There was room for her to step forward, to break the contact between them. She could put an end to this at any moment.
But she wasn't going to. This was her break from sanity. Her break from the horror that waited in the hall outside. Crux could give her this much.
And she took it like it was her due.
She reached behind her and ran her fingers over the hard length of his cock. It felt normal enough, but she wondered if a dragon would be any different than a human man. She wanted to find out.
She'd never heard a human man make such an animalistic sound as she stroked him. She couldn't get a good grip on Crux, not at this angle, but she didn't want to stop him from touching her.
Crux grabbed her wrist and stopped her from doing more. If he could see her, she'd be ashamed of the way she pouted. And she hated the sound she made when he pulled his hand out of her shirt and stopped touching her.
He put inches between them, and she felt more alone than she had in a long time.
Silence hung heavy in the darkness around them. Courtney's body was flushed with desire, and she wanted Crux to quench it. She was tempted to spin around and see if he could resist her if he had to look her in the face.
But she couldn't face the rejection, and a slamming door somewhere deep in the ship reminded her of just how much trouble they were teetering on the edge of.
"We need to get out of here," Crux said, voice gravelly and gruff.
Courtney didn't hear any aliens outside, but she was pretty sure they weren't leaving because the coast was clear. Crux didn't want the temptation of the dark.
And she had to remember that he had a mate waiting for him somewhere. He wasn't hers to keep.
11
If Crux thought his hard cock from the night before was bad, it had nothing on what he walked through danger with today. The weight of Courtney's breast was imprinted on his hand, and he'd remember the way she bit back those noises for the rest of his life.
It should have felt like a betrayal.
He had no idea why it felt so right.
But he needed to get away from her before he did something unforgiveable, like bend her over the nearest surface and dive into her tight heat until he didn't know where he ended and she began.
His cock surged at the thought, and it was only the reminder that slavers could find them at any moment that kept him under the slightest modicum of control.
His human—Courtney, not his anything—was breathing heavily, and he was sure if he'd been brave enough to delve a hand into those leggings of hers, he would have found her wet. She'd been pliant against him, eager for the pleasures of the flesh, and he wanted to lose himself in her.
He was on a mission. A mission that didn't include her. Bloodlust had a way of sparking the other kind of lust, and Crux tried to convince himself that this was all that was. He was eager for battle, and when he couldn't fight, he'd take another kind of contact.
But he could not fool himself. He wanted Courtney, and it had nothing to do with fighting.
He led her off the ship and she followed quietly. There was no argument now, but he knew he'd hear her mind when they got back to their cave. This whole day had been a failure of epic proportions. Once they were outside, Crux turned his head toward the sky to judge the star's position in the sky.
Days were short here and nights long. They only had a few hours left before they needed to return to the safety of the cave.
And if he could not get the teleporter fixed, he'd call for help in the morning. He needed to get Courtney to safety and send the temptation away.
They both froze when they heard a feminine scream, and there was no need for communication to head towards it.
Crux took the lead, and he was sure Courtney had a firm hold on her improvised weapon.
A group of slavers stood in a half circle, corralling their enslaved cargo. And just to the side of one of the slavers was a rent in the air that signaled a portal. They had a functioning teleporter.
"I thought you said teleporters only work over short," Courtney gave a faint snort at that word, "distances." She edged up closer to them. "So what's that?"
"They must have a ship nearby. If we get their teleporter, I can reprogram it." He studied the group. He doubted the frightened women would be a danger to him, especially if they saw Courtney working with him. From this distance, all the women appeared to be humans like Courtney, but he couldn't be sure. From a distance, someone might think he was human too.
The slavers would be a problem. There were four of them. Normally Crux would use his flame to take care of the problem, but it posed too much of a risk both to the women he wanted to rescue and the teleporter he needed to escape.
He called on his warrior form and flexed his claws.
It was time to get a bit bloody.
"Don't let them throw you through the portal," he warned.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious," she scoffed. "What else should I do?"
She wasn't a warrior, but she was brave, and he could use that. He wanted to keep her safe, but it was an impossible task at the moment. Crux gave it a bit of consideration. "If I lure the slavers away, try to get the women to run. Lead them back to the cave we slept in, and I'll follow shortly after." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the force field generator. "Seal off the entrance. I can signal you if I make it back before nightfall."
She took the generator and studied it for a minute. "You will make it back, right?"
It was four on one. Crux was good, but even he couldn't predict based on that. "I'll do my best."
She stuck the generator in a pocket and then grabbed his arm to hold him in place. "You have to come back. You're the one getting the teleporter." Her tone was deceptively light.
In any other circumstance, Crux might have kissed her for luck. He could imagine what her lips would taste like. He'd already stolen a taste of her skin. But those thoughts had no place on the battlefield.
No place in his mind at all.
"I'll come back." He shouldn't have promised, but he could do nothing else. "Wait here until you have your moment."
She nodded and clutched her wheeled shoe.
Crux left her, trusting her to follow his order. He got as close as he could without alerting anyone and let his fire blow out of him, aiming not for the slavers and their victims but for trees on the other side of the clearing. He didn't want to attack his enemy, he wanted them distracted.
It worked.
For two of the slavers.
They jerked up and started panicking, talking over each other and pointing wildly. The other two were much more disciplined. One picked up a blaster and looked around with the cool eyes of an experienced soldier while the other stepped closer to the prisoners to keep them from running
.
Crux had been afraid of that. He hoped Courtney figured out to run back to the cave by herself if she couldn't get to the women.
Even as he thought it, he knew she wouldn't. She'd rescue them or die trying.
His heart clenched. There was no way he would let her die while he was breathing.
One of the panicking soldiers stepped back, fleeing the fire or his companions, and he backed right into Crux's hiding place. One swipe of Crux's claws had the man falling to the forest floor dead.
One down, three to go.
The light faded fast as night came on, and in the distance, Crux heard the terrifying cry of one of the monsters who hunted on this planet. The remaining slavers heard it too. The portal closed and a slaver stuck the device in his pocket. He said something to his two companions and they corralled the prisoners into a huddle between them and headed back towards the ship.
Crux could give chase, but he didn't know when the planet's monsters would come out, and he couldn't risk Courtney.
He found her just here he'd left her.
"No luck?" she asked.
"I killed one. The others fled." Failure hang heavy on his shoulders, but he tried to push it aside. "We need to seek shelter for the night."
"Won't they just teleport away?" She sounded ready to charge after the slavers, and Crux wanted to join her.
Instead, he let logic win. "The teleporter gives off a signal that is likely to attract this planet's beasts. That may be why we just heard one cry. If they're smart, they will wait until morning to try again." He hoped. All those lives depended on it.
Courtney looked ready to say something else, but she just nodded and followed him as he headed back to the cave where they would once again sleep for the night.
They only made it a few steps up the hill to the cave when Crux heard the tell-tale sound of slavers’ voices. Two more steps saw a group of them huddled outside his and Courtney's cave.
In the distance, another monster screamed.