Pushing up from the chair in weariness, she forced a smile. “Nice talking to you, Kavvan.”
He nodded.
Jakke held out his hand. “Are you sure you want to stay in the guest quarters and not with me?”
He sounded sad yet hopeful. Sydney wanted to stay with him, but it was unseemly to move in with someone you had just met. “Yes.”
Leading her out into the corridor, Jakke stopped by a utility closet of some kind, where he retrieved a small machine.
“What is that?” Sydney asked, staring at the device in his hand.
They reached her quarters and the door opened. Stepping inside, Jakke turned to her.
“I was informed that you wanted different clothes. This is a replicator.” He detached a small metal piece from the machine and handed it to her. “You can scan your body measurements with this device, and then place it here.” He pointed to an empty slot in the wall. “If it’s easier for you, you can draw out the garment on the screen and the replicator will size it appropriately. You can choose the color and material here.”
“Okay, thanks,” she replied dubiously, staring at the peculiar device. “I can figure the rest out.”
He set it on the table.
“Oh, what do the wom…females on your planet wear?” she asked curiously.
“Most wear straight dresses. Brown is the most common color.”
A straight dress sounded like a bag or sack.
Surely, that’s not how he means it, she thought.
Jakke kissed her lips. “Enjoy yourself. I’ll return to later to escort you to mid-meal.” He smirked. “And just so you know, I’m still going to try and talk you into staying with me.”
Sydney laughed. “I’ll be ready.”
Chapter 15
Jakke
Sitting in his office with Kavvan, Jakke stopped speaking when a beeping comm interrupted them.
“Yes, Aage?”
“Commander, ah…ah…”
“I don’t have all day,” Jakke said irritably.
“Yes, Commander. Ah, a female in your quarters requests that someone take her to her room, and she says she needs different clothes.”
A smile split his face. His mate had used the comm unit and the shock in Aage’s voice was amusing. It was rare that anything rattled the experienced soldier.
“Thank you. I’ll take care of it.”
Kavvan, arms crossed, looked equally surprised.
“Let’s go introduce you to my mate and get some food,” Jakke said, suppressing a second grin.
As Kavvan and Sydney talked during first meal, Jakke found himself unsure how to respond to many of her questions and worse, her replies to Kavvan’s questions. When she mentioned returning to Earth, Kavvan’s eyes shot to his. His friend would have a lot to say later. Then Sydney spoke about Human marriage, and he suddenly understood just how difficult it would be for her to adjust to Cassia, Elle, and Kiaa.
Part of him wondered if he was being entirely fair to her, keeping such important secrets. But the mating fever had overruled all logic and now it was done. There would be no turning back, and whether she liked it or not, his Human mate would simply have to adjust.
After escorting Sydney to her quarters, Jakke found Kavvan waiting for him in his ready room.
“You haven’t told her?” Kavvan asked before the door had even shut.
Jakke’s eyes briefly touched his as he rounded the desk and slid into the empty chair. “No, I haven’t told her.”
“I’m afraid you have a rocky road ahead of you. Humans are not like us.”
Jakke rubbed the back of his neck. “I know. I thought I’d give her time to get to know me before explaining that I had mated her already and that she will not be return to Earth.”
“And your consorts?” Kavvan raised one eyebrow.
Jakke shrugged.
“She will get used to them, and they her.”
He didn’t tell Kavvan that he worried what would happen when Sydney found out about his consorts. He sometimes had more than three, sometimes fewer, but Cassia and Elle were the two constants.
I will do as promised—get to know Sydney, he told himself firmly. I’ll deal with the rest when the time comes. It will work out. It must, there is no other recourse.
Kavvan barked out a humorless laugh, snapping Jakke out of his thoughts. “Did you not hear the same conversation as I? They vow to be faithful to each other. And if someone breaks a vow, they can get a divorce. I say again: Humans are not like us. According to the rules of her culture, which is all she has ever known, she has the right to leave you. This does not bode well for your plans, old friend.”
“I would not be unfaithful to her!” Jakke replied defensively. “The consorts are part of the Azziarin way, ingrained in our culture. You know full well I had them years before Sydney. How is that being unfaithful? And I will explain it all to her, nothing will be hidden.”
“You should tell her now, give her more time to adjust to her new reality. You have mated her without her understanding what that means, and you are taking her away from all she has ever known, while leaving her to believe that you will allow her to return to her planet.”
Jakke knew Kavvan was right, but he still wanted to get to know Sydney first. He also didn’t want to spend the next two weeks fighting, or worse, have her refuse to speak to him. The mating fever had cooled to tolerable levels, but just barely.
“Enough!” Jakke barked. “I will tell her in my own time.”
Kavvan gave a curt nod, then left without another word, the air of disapproval lingering. Jakke looked over reports but couldn’t focus. About fifteen minutes later, he pushed up from the chair. Kavvan had gotten under his skin.
Walking out to the bridge, Jakke checked on his males, then headed to sick bay. Everything was running smoothly as always, which left him little to focus his attention on.
Except for Sydney.
Two hours later, he returned to the guest quarters.
“Come in,” she called.
He found her sitting on the couch with the replicator and two garments. She smiled up at him. “I think I’m about to get the hang of this thing.”
“What do you have?” he asked, taking a seat in the adjacent chair.
“A couple of shirts right now. It took a little adjusting. When it measured my body size, it made the shirts to fit like your uniform. Tight, way too tight. Not your uniform, but I don’t need a t-shirt looking like a second skin. I had to adjust the sizes a bit.”
After the unease he’d felt since his conversation with Kavvan, Jakke found himself content to be three watching her work. It surprised him.
Another hour and a half passed as they spoke about her clothing preferences. Then her cheeks flushed as her stomach growled.
“I guess I’m hungry,” she laughed. He could listen to her laugh all day.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Sure. Let me change first.”
When Sydney returned from changing in the bathroom, Jakke’s shaft grew hard again. She wore a blue shirt which showed her arms and neck along with black pants.
“You look beautiful,” he said, voice thick. “The blue compliments your skin color perfectly.”
Her cheeks turned red again. “Thanks. But it’s just a V-neck t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. Well, sort of jeans. The material is a little different. Nothing fancy.”
He held out his hand. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
They spent the rest of the day together, until he finally walked her back to her quarters.
Spinning her around, he took her mouth in a tender kiss, igniting a fire. Hands roamed, clothes tossed against the wall—Jakke lifted Sydney up in his arms and carried her to the bed.
_______
After another night of intensely passionate sex, Jakke was in no hurry to climb out of bed. He enjoyed watching her sleep.
When she blinked her eyes open, she smiled, then slapped a hand over her face. “Oh crap!
So much for sleeping in my own room and getting to know you first.”
Jakke laughed, gripped her wrist and moved her hand away from that beautiful face. He needed her again…
Jakke
Two Weeks Later
“Commander, you have an incoming message.”
“Send it through.” Jakke was sitting at his desk when his father’s face appeared on screen. They were in orbit over Azziar at last.
“Jakke, how are you? It’s been several months.”
“I know. We have been assisting a small blue planet called Earth. The Tureis attacked, and I couldn’t turn my back on them.
“Couldn’t? Or was your drive for revenge too strong to let them be?”
Jakke bowed his head. “You know me well, Father.”
“Yes, I do. Anything of importance that you need to report?”
“Kollin has his ship there now. He said to give you his regards.”
“Yes, I got his report.”
Jakke wondered if that report also contained information about Takkeo, but decided not to ask; better to address it face to face.
Get it over with, he chided himself. Don’t hesitate; you must tell him.
“There is something I need to tell you,” he said, then inhaled. “I’ve mated.”
A smile lit up his father’s face. “Congratulations son! I like Cassia; she’ll make a fine mate.”
Almost amused that his father would assume he had had time to see Cassia when they’d only just arrived, or that he’d mated months ago and kept it a secret, Jakke let one beat pass, then dropped the bomb: “It’s not Cassia. It’s an Earth female named Sydney.”
Dead silence as his father gaped.
One…two….three… Jakke counted off in his head, knowing it would be no more than a few seconds before the explosion.
“WHAT?” he finally yelled. “You mated an unknown species?”
“Yes. And once you meet her, you’ll understand why.”
Jakke’s father leaned back and crossed his arms. The deed was done and could never be undone; Jakke knew that he was painfully aware of it. It did nothing to mollify him nor temper the disapproval.
“Do you even know if she can give you younglings? What has Rykker said?” his father asked grimly.
Jakke’s face also held an irritated cast; over the last two weeks, he had come to care for his mate a great deal. Sydney’s insistence on sleeping in her own quarters only lasted one night, and then he stayed with her. Since then, she had slept in his room every night, and he enjoyed waking up with her in his arms.
Jakke had of course puzzled over the situation many times. The females on Azziar never slept with the males; they each had their own rooms, allowing the male to invite his consort or consorts to join him if he so desired. After sex, a female would still return to her room to sleep.
Feeling his expression harden to steel resolve, Jakke looked his father straight in the eyes.
“Rykker has not examined her,” he replied coolly, his tone conveying that the issue was not up for discussion or debate. “It doesn’t matter anyway; she is my mate and I will not give her up.”
“Very well,” his father replied coldly. “I’ll see you soon.”
The screen went dark, and Jakke let out a sigh as he steepled his hands together, contemplating his next move. Now that his father knew, he needed to talk to Sydney and explain the entire, complex situation. He only hoped that since they had taken the time to get to know each other, she would be understanding, perhaps even happy.
Pushing up from the desk, he headed out to his quarters.
He found Sydney sitting on the couch.
“Jakke.” She stood, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I didn’t expect you so soon. Is everything okay?”
His eyes trailed down the length of her body, noting with approval how the blue pants hugged her hips and legs, and a soft red shirt displayed an ample amount of cleavage.
“I see you have made more clothes,” he commented, grinning.
“I have.” She turned in a slow circle. “Do you like it?”
“I do. I’ll admit that I like finding you in different things. It is very different from what the females on Azziar wear, but I do like seeing you in this.”
He took a couple of steps toward her, letting their bodies touch. Then he bent his knees, tongue darting out to lick the valley between her breasts. She gasped, bracing her hands on his shoulders.
Gently, he brushed the shirt off her shoulder, kissing bare skin. She pushed him away.
Straightening, he let the shirt snap back to her shoulder. Sydney didn’t normally refuse him.
“There’s something I have been dying to do,” she said abruptly, and slowly pushed his jumpsuit down, letting his hard shaft spring free.
She stared into his lust-filled eyes as she dropped to her knees. Still holding his gaze, she let her tongue dart out and lick the head of the long, hard shaft, causing him to gasp. Never had an Azziarin female done anything to him like this! They couldn’t; their fangs would slice him open if they got too close.
As he watched her take his shaft into her hot, moist mouth, his knees almost buckled at the exotic picture it created. When he heard and felt the gentle sucking, he had to grab the back of a chair to steady himself. With every pull from her lips and each swirl of her tongue, he felt her pick up speed.
No longer able to control himself, he fisted her hair and lost himself in the feel of her mouth as his hips bucked wildly. When he felt the familiar tingle rise, he held her to him as he emptied inside her mouth, making her take everything as he cried out in ecstatic release.
Now finished, he looked down and watched with surprise as she licked her lips. Never had a female done anything like this before. No one had ever swallowed his seed. “Are you okay?” he asked in a choked voice. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He gathered her in his arms and carried her to the bed.
Her answering smile assured him that she was fine.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” she said, grinning. “I was expecting salty, but you taste sweet… almost like warm cookies.”
He laughed as he pulled her even closer. “You can do that anytime you crave…cookies.”
After a few minutes of enjoying the emotional intimacy Jakke felt while holding her, he needed to broach the topic of mating. He had put if off long enough.
“I need to talk to you about something important,” he said finally, and leaned back, gazing into Sydney’s dark, beautiful eyes.
Chapter 16
Sydney
Sydney grinned as she licked her lips. Jakke tasted like chocolate chip cookies! Now that was certainly unexpected. She loved watching his expression, sensing immediately that this was new to him. She didn’t know much about sex; most of her knowledge came from what she had read in books, but every time they had sex, it was only one way, in one position. She had a feeling that if Azziarin women lacked creativity in clothing, then Azziarins might also lack creativity in bed. Hopefully, she’d picked up enough tips to educate this particular Azziarin male…
“I need to talk to you about something important,” Jakke said suddenly, his expression serious.
Her heart plummeted, and she slid off his lap. She knew that they were near his home planet, and in a short time, he would take her back to Earth and their time together would be over.
She dreaded the conversation. So many times, she had told herself to guard her heart, but she knew she loved him already. She didn’t expect him to feel the same; she wasn’t even certain Azziarins had all the same emotions as Humans, though she did feel that at least some were close.
Be strong, she told herself. You were okay on Earth, and you’ll be okay again. You’re a survivor and you’re not going to grovel or beg. The novelty has worn off; it’s cool. You’re fine, just infatuation, it’ll pass.
Patiently, she remained silent, waiting for him to say his piece.
“I’m not sure where to start. Pleas
e just listen to everything I say,” he began.
She nodded slightly.
“My people are much different than yours, Sydney. I listened to you talk with Kavvan about your marriage ceremony and what that entails. We don’t marry, we mate. We mate only one female for our entire life. She is the one who will give younglings to the male.” He took a deep breath. “When we mate, our fangs extend, and we mark the shoulder of the female. The teeth also release a chemical that changes the female’s scent so every male will know who she belongs to.”
Slowly, Sydney reached up and touched the two puncture scars on her shoulder. Her eyes widened.
“You mated me?” she asked, voice low.
“Yes.”
She remembered the day it happened. It was the first time she had had sex with him. Why would he mate her? He didn’t know her then. She stood and began pacing the room. Her mind scrolled through the last few weeks, building a time frame for everything that had happened. Her heart broke a little.
“You liked my smell.” She turned, spearing him with a hard, accusatory stare. “You didn’t want to mate a Human. It was an accident.”
“It was,” he replied slowly, “but I don’t regret the decision.”
She laughed without mirth.
“You stayed away from me for a week, and when I walked into the dining hall, the mating fever took over.” She resumed pacing, talking more to herself than Jakke. “You bit me! You didn’t even know my name. We had never even talked before and you bit me because you lost control. You didn’t want to though.” One final thought entered her mind. “You aren’t going to take me back to Earth, are you?”
She stared him in the eyes as he slowly shook his head. He took a step toward her, but she backed away.
“Anything else you conveniently left out?” she snapped.
He hesitated, but never said a word as he stepped forward again. She shoved her palm in the air. “I need some time alone to think.”
“I will let you know when it’s time to leave.” She nodded without looking at him and heard the door closing.
Jakke (The Azziarin Series Book 1) Page 10