Choosing Riley

by S. E. Smith

  “Then explain to me why you want to change her?” Tor asked looking with confusion at his friend.

  “Because she will end up getting herself in trouble and I might not always be there or have someone there to protect her,” he admitted reluctantly. “I will ask Viper to bring this marriage thing back to her and I can give her jewelry once we are down on the planet. That should calm her for a little while - hopefully.”

  “What did your father say about your mating to an unknown species?” Tor asked as they walked back to the bridge. He had already contacted Lodar who made sure Riley was safely back in her living quarters.

  “I haven’t told them yet,” Vox admitted. “There is nothing he can do now anyway. I have given Riley my cub. I could feel the moment her body took my son into her womb. She is my queen and there can be no denying it now.”

  Tor whistled under his breath. “You know he was determined for you to fulfill the treaty. He wanted to make sure there was an alliance with the Valdier that could not be broken.”

  “There already is,” Vox said with an impatient wave of his hand, dismissing the reason. “A mating between Zoran’s youngling and mine will ensure that. It is not necessary for me to also marry a Valdier Princess to keep the peace between our people. Besides, we know most of those involved in starting the war and have dealt with them. Ha’ven, Creon, and I are continuing our joint effort to eliminate the rest. There is no possibility of it occurring again. I trust Creon and his brothers as they trust me and mine.”

  “Yes well, your father remembers. He does not forgive or forget as easily what happened to his sister and her mate,” Tor reminded him softly. “He wants to ensure there is never a chance of it happening again.”

  Vox scowled as he walked onto the bridge. “I have said it will not and it will not. I will not discuss it further.”

  He watched as Tor nodded before moving away to finish directing the docking of the huge warship to the Transfer Station. His mind drifting back to the murder of his father’s sister and her Valdier mate. He remembered his aunt’s soft smile when she looked at the huge Valdier warrior the one time he saw him. The warrior had found his aunt injured after a particularly nasty battle near their family’s village towards the end of the war. She had escaped into the lower mountains after the attack on his family’s old mountain village. He and his father later learned the attack was designed to look like the Valdier had done it. In reality, it had been done by a group of traitors using the nearby battle as a cover as they tried to eliminate his family.

  His aunt had fallen in love with the warrior name Trevon as he cared for her. Trevon had hidden her in a mountain cave high in the meadows away from the village. Vox remembered his aunt being beautiful and innocent to the vicious ways of war. Vox had no doubt that the warrior loved his aunt just as much. They had been murdered while he had been away trying to discover who was behind instigating the war between his people, the Curizan and the Valdier. Witnesses who were brought before his father to answer for the murders swore the warrior begged them with his dying breath to spare his aunt. They swore the warrior had never harmed any of the villagers. The blame lay with the small group of men who fed rumors and prejudices by the traitors in the village. A small group of villagers were horrified by his aunt’s behavior in accepting a Valdier as her mate. They had tied her to a stake and slit her throat in front of his great parents, telling them their daughter’s death was the penalty for her accepting a Valdier as her mate. The warrior, unable to save his mate, had been beside himself with grief. The villagers had struck out at the warrior. Wounded, the warrior had disappeared into the mountains. It was said on some nights it was still possible to hear his dragon’s roar of grief and see the shadow of the dragon warrior searching for his mate.

  His great parents were forced to watch helplessly as their daughter and her mate were taken from them. When his father returned from the village after the investigation, he had sworn that never again would this happen. He had forged a treaty with the Valdier King binding their two species together in peace by promising his first male great child to the Valdier’s first female great child. Vox was to mate with a Valdier princess as well. His father had chosen this path to seal their commitment to the Royal House of Valdier. Now, Vox had broken the treaty by mating with Riley.

  Chapter 20

  All Riley could think about was getting back to their living quarters and hiding. How dare he think it okay that every male on board the ship knew what they were doing? It was none of their damn business. The only consolation she had was that hopefully he hadn’t made a bet with his friends as to who could bed the fat girl. A low mewing of pain sounded from her throat as she neared their living quarters.

  Mate gives us baby, her cat hissed quietly to her. Mates not give baby if they did not want us.

  He said he won’t marry me, Riley cried out in fury. Well, fine! If Grandma Pearl can raise me and Tina then I know I can do it. Who needs the big jerk anyway? I don’t! I am Riley St. Claire from Denver and I’m going home and raising my baby! I know Tina will help me, she has always loved kids.

  You Riley St. Claire of Sarafin now, her cat hissed back in irritation. That our home now.

  Oh no it’s not! Not if that big doofus doesn’t marry me. And if you argue with me about it I’ll cage your horny ass and drop it off at the pound as soon as I get home! Riley replied to her cat as she shifted back into her two-legged form.

  She walked straight to the bathroom, tearing off her camisole and boxers as she went. Stepping into the shower, she gave the request for it to turn on as hot as she could stand it. She scrubbed at her skin until it glowed a soft peach. She would be double-damned if she was going to let this make a difference. Sure, she loved the big lummox but he needed to treat her with respect! That meant he needed to get down on his gosh-damn knees and propose. Hell, he could even add in a nice romantic dinner with wine and roses. She was worth it. She would love his ass like no other girl could and she would never two-time on him like some of the girls she knew back home. She would have worshipped his sorry, hairy ass if he treated her right; but there was no way in hell that she would ever be submissive! The name Riley and submissive just didn’t go together.

  Stepping out of the shower, she quickly dried herself and walked over to her huge pink suitcase. Lodar said they would be leaving for the planet soon. She needed to wear something that would make Vox regret not thinking she was good enough to marry. She wanted to go for that right look of MRS. Prima-Doña/Kiss-My-Royal-Ass/You-totally-fucked-up-this-time. She bit her lip as she pulled out one combination after another before settling on bright, multi-colored flowing flowered skirt that floated around her making her feel feminine and delicate matched with a white, off the shoulder peasant blouse. She finished it off with a pair of deadly, four inch high pink heels. In this bad boy outfit she not only looked like a million bucks but she was almost as tall Vox! She quickly added a touch of makeup and dried her hair until it fell in silky, wild curls down her back. Stepping back, she looked at her reflection critically.

  “Damn! I clean up pretty good even if I say so myself,” she murmured with a grin. “Let’s see what that pissy-ass tomcat thinks of me now! Who needs him! I’ll show him what he is missing and then some. He’ll be crawling on his furry belly back to me before he knows what is happening,” she added before blowing a mischievous kiss to her reflection.

  She stepped out of the bathroom, quickly packed all of her things back into her suitcase before picking up her oversized purse and grabbing the handle of her suitcase. She walked over to the door and stepped out with a toss of her head at Lodar whose eyes widened in appreciation as he skimmed her lush figure.

  “Gods Riley,” Lodar muttered under his breath. “You are going to cause Vox to have a stroke. You know you shouldn’t pull his tail the way you do, don’t you?”

  Riley grinned, showing off the dimples in her cheeks which drew another groan from Lodar. “You like?” She asked as she twirled around on her
heels and giggled as she heard additional groans from Cross who had come looking for Lodar.

  “Riley, how about running away with me?” Cross asked with a lascivious smirk. “My world is just as beautiful as Sarafin and dragons are known to be better lovers.”

  Riley’s husky laugh drew more men down the corridor to see what was going on. She walked by Lodar, handing him the handle of her suitcase with a wink as she threaded her arm around Cross’ thick forearm. She brushed her hair over her shoulder, revealing the pale peach shoulder that had been hidden by the mass of curls.

  “Let’s go boys!” Riley called out as she pulled on Cross, directing him to the lift. “I have a planet to visit, a King to show what he is missing out on, and plans for escaping back to my world to make. Who wants to join me?”

  Chuckles filled the corridor along with a loud purring of male appreciation for the sinful sway to Riley’s hips as she walked in her impossible heels. Lodar looked at the back of the Valdier warrior who was grinning as he listened to some tale Riley was sharing with him. He shook his head and actually felt sorry for his friend and leader. He was going to have his hands full with his little alien mate. Riley on a mission was not only scary but a truly beautiful thing as long as she didn’t blow anything up.

  *.*.*

  Vox’s fist clenched and unclenched as he fought the urge to kill the Valdier warrior who was casting him sympathetic looks as they stood next to the transporter platform. When Riley had shown up at the departure tube with at least twenty warriors following behind her he had been furious. He wasn’t furious by the sight of twenty of his best warriors glued to her every word. He wasn’t even furious with the way she clung to Cross, though he figured that would come later. No, he was furious at the ease with which she looked through him as if he didn’t even exist.

  He calmed a little when he realized it was a ruse. He could see the slight tremor in her hand when she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and smell her hurt. He knew the other males could smell her hurt as well and were being very protective of her. When she raised her eyebrow at him, as if daring him to say or do anything about her white-knuckled grip on Cross’ arm, he had to force himself to take a deep breath. He needed to be very careful with how he handled her. She was just stubborn enough to do something crazy – like try to kidnap another warrior to take her home. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he remembered her standing in the corridor not too long ago. She had been so proud of herself when she thought she had Nahuel captured.

  “My lord, we are ready,” the warrior at the controls to the transporter platform called out.

  Vox nodded and stepped up onto the platform. Cross lead Riley up onto the platform and gently peeled her fingers off his arm. He murmured something quietly to her before he stepped over to the other square marking the platform positions. Lodar handed the handle to Riley’s suitcase to another warrior who would make sure it was transported down on one of the supply shuttles and delivered to the palace later.

  “My suitcase,” Riley said taking a step forward with a worried bite to her lower lip as her eyes remained glued to the huge pink case. “It has all my worldly possessions in it.”

  Vox turned and looked into Riley’s huge blue eyes and felt the familiar sense of falling into them. “It will be delivered safely to our rooms at the palace. I promise nothing will happen to it,” he reassured her quietly.

  “But….” Riley dragged her eyes away from Vox’s dark, tawny eyes for a moment to glance at her suitcase before she looked back at him.

  “I promise nothing will happen to it. We must go,” he replied. “We are expected and others need to depart as well.”

  “Will this thing put all my parts back in the right place?” Riley whispered under her breath, forgetting for a moment that a Sarafin warrior’s hearing could easily pick up what she was saying.

  Chuckles were covered as coughs as the warriors heard her fearful question. “Yes, my little warrior,” Vox replied with an amused look in his eyes before they turned dark with desire as his eyes ran over her form again. “Everything will be exactly where it should be.”

  “Including,” Riley’s throat worked up and down even as her hand went protectively to her stomach. “Including our baby,” she whispered.

  Vox’s eyes softened as he reached out and touched her cheek. “I would never allow anything to hurt either one of you, my mate. We will talk later about this ‘marriage’ you feel you must have and the jewelry that you want,” he promised huskily.

  Riley’s eyes brightened until they were shining like the blessed crystals that sometimes washed up on the shores from their oceans. Vox cursed that he had been so stubborn earlier for not trying to understand how important these items were to his mate. He would definitely notify Viper this afternoon about returning with a ‘marriage’ for his mate. If something so small put such a wondrous look in her eyes he would never deny her anything she requested.

  Lodar clearing his throat reminding Vox he was standing in the middle of the transporter room with dozens of warriors looking at him with goofy grins on their faces. He felt a heated flush rise up into his cheeks before he turned and nodded tersely to the warrior to begin transport.

  *.*.*

  Two hours later, Riley realized she didn’t know what to expect when they left the Shifter. So far, the only things she had experienced were the trader’s ship, the mining asteroid, the old freighter, and the warships. She definitely didn’t expect to see a lush world of such incredible beauty that she could only imagine that this must be what heaven looked like.

  Tall, dark rose-colored peaks rose above thick forests. The tops of the massive trees were covered with shimmering mists of white. Dozens of small flying vehicles rose and sank among the tops of the temples. In the distance she could see great cliffs rising out of an ocean of royal blue. Waterfalls tumbled down the ragged cliff rocks, falling in sheets of white down the edges until it disappeared into the rocks at the water’s edge.

  Riley stood on the balcony of the palace gazing out over the alien world. She giggled as she watched a group of children, some in the shape of miniature tigers, leopards, and other cat forms, running across an open garden far below her. She gasped as a pair of strong arms circled her around the waist and pulled her back against a hard, muscled body.

  “I love the feel of you in my arms,” Vox said quietly rubbing his chin against her hair. A deep purring began vibrating his chest. “I love everything about you.”

  Riley turned in his arms with a disbelieving giggle. “Including my temper and smart mouth?”

  Vox grinned down at her with warm eyes. He brushed his lips against her softer, plumper ones. “Especially your smart mouth,” he whispered huskily. “You will make my men think I am turning into a kitten. I stop thinking when I am around you,” he groaned as he rubbed against her letting her feel how aroused he was.

  A shuddered rippled through her before she studied his face carefully. “Did you mean it earlier?” Riley asked serious, hushed tone. “That you would talk about us getting married?”

  “I would give you anything you asked for,” he admitted before capturing her lips with his.

  He meant what he said. He did lose all sense of thought when he was around her. Everything about her drove him crazy, from her scent, to the touch of her skin, to the sound of her voice when she was muttering under her breath or giving him hell. He wanted it all. Every fiery, passionate part of her.

  He broke away with a frustrated growl when he heard the pounding on the outer door to their living quarters. The insistent sound could only mean his family, namely his father, had discovered his mating. A wave of protectiveness washed through him as he stared down at his mate’s flushed face.

  Guall’s ball! He snarled silently as he reluctantly pulled back when the pounding grew more persistent. All I want is for everyone to leave me alone with my mate for a few months. Is that too much to ask for? He wondered in frustration as Riley pulled away to go answer t
he door.

  You and me both, his cat hissed back pacing. I want to run and chase. I want to capture my mate.

  Shut up, Vox groaned in frustration. This is difficult enough without you picturing how you want to mount her.

  Mates have sexy tails, his cat purred.

  Vox’s eyes focused on Riley’s swaying hips as she walked across the room. Those damn shoes of hers were staying on when he fucked her! He wanted her to wear them and nothing else but the jewels he would drape on her. His eyes brightened as he thought of one particular sets of blue crystals he wanted her to wear.

  And they won’t be around her neck or on her fingers, he thought as an image of her huge breasts cupped in his hands formed in his mind.

  He was so lost in the images of Riley in nothing but jewels and heels it took a moment for him to realize there was an awful lot of yelling going on and it wasn’t all coming from his father. He shook his head and hurried over to where Riley and his father were standing practically face-to-face in challenge.

  He stepped up behind Riley, wrapped his hands around her waist and tried to pull her back behind him. He grunted when she elbowed him in the stomach and barely missed driving a spiked heel into the toe of his boot. He danced to the side with a scowl and looked over Riley’s shoulder at his father who was glaring at his mate with a red face.

  “What is going on?” Vox snarled out darkly, furious with his father for upsetting his mate.

  “You will send this piece of rubbish back to whatever world you found her! She is not your mate. You are already promised,” his father snarled.

  “I know you didn’t just call me a piece of rubbish, you two-bit piece of cat shit,” Riley snapped back raising a finger and shoving it into Aryeh’s chest. “I am his mate and he is mine! If you don’t like it, tough shit! I chose him. Possession is nine-tenths of the law and, baby doll, he’s all mine,” she added with a menacing hiss of warning and a little shake of her head.