by Presley Hall
“Come on,” I whisper against his lips, laughing. “Let’s go take a bath before the water gets cold.”
It’s an effort to actually bathe. Neither of us wants to keep our hands off the other. But after weeks of traveling, it feels almost as good as sex to wash my hair, so amazing that I actually moan when I dip my head beneath the warm water and wash out the soap.
“Mm, make that sound again,” Brele says when I come up for air, a wicked gleam in his eyes as his hand skims over my thigh, slipping between my legs. I feel his cock, half-hard in the hot water, brush against my thigh, stiffening as his fingers explore lower and he bends his head to kiss me.
“You want to hear more of those sounds? Then take me to bed.” I chuckle, arching against him as I kiss him back before teasingly pulling away from his hand. I climb out of the water and reach for a thick, fluffy towel folded on a chair by the bathing pool.
After days in the wilderness, it feels like the ultimate luxury to dry off with plush fabric, but when Brele sweeps me up into his arms, I forget all about the towel. Carrying me to the soft bed and setting me atop it, he joins me immediately, stretching his body over the length of mine. His cock is rock hard now as it nudges between my legs, and I wrap my arms around his neck, kissing him briefly before pushing him over onto his back.
He goes without much of a struggle, his good eye gleaming silver as he watches me straddle him.
I reach down between us and line him up with my entrance before sinking down, and as he fills me up completely, we both let out quiet groans of satisfaction.
It’s not just the relief of connecting like this again after so many nights of falling asleep too exhausted for sex at the end of a long day of hiking. It’s not just the exquisite feeling of our bodies coming together in such an intimate way.
It’s the fact that we made it. We did it.
We’re here together in the palace, and we’re still alive.
The future I barely let myself hope for spreads out in front of us, full of possibility, and happiness nearly overwhelms me as I begin to rock against Brele, sliding up and down on his cock.
Neither of us lasts long. He lets me ride him until I’m right at the edge of my climax before wrapping an arm around my waist and flipping me over, driving into me hard and fast until we both come hard, our cries of release mingling in the air.
He doesn’t pull out for a long time, just wrapping his arms around me and holding me close, his cock still buried deep inside me. We doze like that for a little while before we finally get up and go take another bath, actually managing to get clean this time.
Clothes are brought for us, and a short while later, another palace attendant comes to fetch us for dinner.
I can sense Brele’s nervousness growing as we’re escorted through the luxurious corridors of the palace. I know this place is familiar to him, but it must feel oddly foreign too, after being gone for so long.
“You all right?” I murmur.
He nods, reaching down to slip his hand into mine. “Yes. It’s just strange being back. And I hope…”
His voice trails off, but I have a feeling I know what he’s thinking. There are plenty of other Kalixians in the palace and in the city. Will all of them be as willing to forgive Brele as his brother was? Will Khrelan be able to convince them that Brele has paid his penance?
“Once they learn about what you did, the information you brought, they’ll see you differently,” I whisper, squeezing his hand. “I promise.”
He nods again, but the movement is a bit stiff. I know I haven’t completely convinced him.
And when we’re brought into the dining hall where several Kalixian warriors are gathered, along with Emma and Khrelan, even I feel a rush of nerves. Everyone looks up as we enter, and I tense unconsciously, ready to fight for my mate if it comes down to it. But instead of anger on people’s faces, I see interest, curiosity, and even grudging respect.
Emma catches my eye and gestures us over. She’s wearing a gorgeous blue wrap dress, similar to the one that was given to me by a palace attendant, and she looks every bit a queen as she leads us to our seats. They’re right beside hers and Khrelan’s, which makes me smile. Besides the fact that I have a lot of catching up to do with my best friend, I know it means something that we’ve been given these seats of honor.
Khrelan is making a statement, publicly displaying his support of his brother and welcoming him back into the fold.
“Thank you,” I murmur as I settle in beside her. Khrelan is next to her, with Brele on his other side, and even though I miss being close to my mate, I can’t help the rush of happiness that fills me when I glance over and see him speaking quietly to his brother.
“Of course.” She grins at me, looking so much like the girl I knew back on Earth for a moment that I have to grin back. “You came all the way across the universe to find me. The least we can do is give you a feast.”
I laugh at that. Emma is the same as I remember her, but different somehow too. There’s an easy confidence to her now, as if she’s completely comfortable in her own skin. I’m glad to see it.
Dinner is served, and my friend and I fall into conversation as the hum of other voices fills the room around us. She tells me the truly wild story of what happened to her and the other women after their abduction, and I tell her about my time in the woods with Brele.
As our empty plates are taken away and some kind of pastry-like dessert is set in front of us, I glance over to find Brele watching me. The warmth and pride in his expression makes my heart skip a beat, and his lips move as he mouths a few words to me.
I don’t have to hear them or even read his lips to know what they are. I can feel them, all the way down to my soul, as if they’re a permanent part of me now.
I love you.
My breath catches softly, and I smile at him, blinking away the tears that burn the backs of my eyes. I love you too, I mouth back. Forever.
The smile that spreads across his face is blinding, and I know mine is just as wide.
I could never have expected this when I set out looking for Emma that day. It defies everything I ever believed would come of my life, but I’ve never been more content.
Because in the end, I didn’t just succeed in finding my friend.
I found happiness for myself too.
Epilogue
Lucy
Shit. I’m late.
I was supposed to be at the palace ten minutes ago to meet up with Emma and Jade, and as usual, I’m running behind.
Since we arrived on Kalix, Emma and I have become surprisingly good friends, despite how different we are. I think that’s part of why we work as friends, honestly. We each bring out a different side of each other. And since the two of us have gotten close, I was especially thrilled to see her old friend from back on Earth turn up on Kalix—and with Khrelan’s long-lost brother, no less.
Honestly, it’s all a little crazy, like so many other things that have happened since we were abducted by the Orkun. But things that would’ve seemed insane six months ago don’t seem quite as strange now. And it’s amazing that Emma’s finally been reunited with her friend.
Since Jade’s arrival, I’ve gotten to know her a bit, and I like her a lot. I can see why she and Emma were so close. She’s strong, confident, and determined—not to mention, tough as balls. Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that she managed to cross an entire universe to find her missing friend.
I chuckle to myself at that. I don’t think anybody I knew back on Earth would put that much effort into finding me.
Actually, scratch that. I know they wouldn’t.
I’m so lost in thought as I hurry up the palace steps that I almost run directly into someone else walking down them—and when I catch myself and look up, I’m looking dead-center at the sexiest set of abs I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
Oh shit.
I know who those abs belong to. Of course I do. I’ve probably spent hours staring at them. And sure enough, wh
en I tilt my chin up to see whose hands are on my arms, steadying me to keep me from falling…
It’s Tycran.
The intensity of his light blue eyes, combined with the sensation of his hands on my arms, is enough to make heat flare through me, making me feel slightly dizzy.
It’s not my fault. He’s just so fucking sexy. All the Kalixians are, really. How could they not be, all seven-foot-plus walls of chiseled muscle running around in nothing but loincloths? But there’s something about Tycran that’s more alluring than the others. I haven’t been able to keep my eyes off him since he and the rest of the Alpha Force team rescued all of us from the Orkun warlords who abducted us.
Honestly, my fascination with him is partly due to the fact that he’s so stoic and standoffish. He acts that way around all of the women, but especially around me. It rouses a deep curiosity inside me—the more blank and unemotional he seems, the more I wonder what he’s hiding behind the mask.
He’s a mystery. A puzzle. A challenge.
And I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.
“Oops, sorry. I’m not usually so clumsy.” I grin, looking up through my eyelashes into his inscrutable blue eyes. “I’m glad there was someone here to catch me though.”
“Hm.” Tycran makes a small noise in the back of his throat, sidestepping so that he’s no longer in my way. “There’s a lot of traffic coming in and out of the palace these days. It’s good to watch where you’re going.”
Right.
I repress a small, huffed sigh. He’s as closed-off and detached as always, apparently completely impervious to any flirting or advances that I might try.
But then, just as I step away from him to tell him thank you and continue on, I see his eyes flick down to where my dress shifted just a little when we collided. A little more of my cleavage than usual is visible in the v of the neckline.
Something hot burns in his eyes for just a second—more like a millisecond, really. But I’ve spent a good portion of my adult life learning how to recognize that look… and what to do with it. I know I haven’t imagined it.
Then, just as quickly as the heat flared, the cool mask drops over his face again and he inclines his head.
“Have a good day,” he says curtly and turns to make his way down the steps.
I watch him go, taking in the broad flex of his muscled shoulders, the tattoos that spiral over them and down his arms. He’s got to be the hottest man I’ve ever seen, alien or not. And I’ve never been one to stick to the vanilla, boring types anyway.
No matter what he claims, I know now he’s not made of stone, the way he likes to think he is. Under all of that, there’s a man—a hot-blooded man, and one who looks like he’s gone way too long without someone to warm his bed.
I grin a little as I continue up the steps to head into the palace. From what little I know about him, I know he’s dedicated to the Kalixian people, and to the Alpha Force. He’s the most dedicated warrior there is, I’ve heard others say, almost monk-like in his devotion to his force and their mission. He’s not likely to let himself be diverted away from that.
But I’m not looking for a mate bond or anything. I don’t want to be claimed forever. I just want to have some fun.
I glance back over my shoulder before I enter the palace, gazing after the broad-shouldered Kalixian for one more second. He can’t be that serious all the time, can he?
A grin curls my lips. Someone should teach Tycran, the stoic, somber warrior, that it’s okay to let loose a bit once in a while.
After all, there’s a lot of fun to be had in a casual fling.
***
Consumed, Lucy and Tycran’s story, is next in the series. All she wants is one hot night with an alien gladiator… but she’s about to get a whole lot more than she bargained for!
Find it on Amazon:
HERE
You can also check out Her Alien Prince, the first book in my Voxeran Fated Mates series!
Want to read a bonus epilogue with Jade and Brele where they get a little sweaty together? Click here to claim your FREE copy of the sexy and sweet bonus scene, or copy and paste this link into your browser:
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Also by Presley Hall
Fated Mates of the Kalixian Warriors Series
Claimed - Book 1
Stolen - Book 2
Rescued - Book 3
Bound - Book 4
Broken - Book 5
Consumed - Book 6
NOTE: Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, it’s recommended that you read the series in order.
Voxeran Fated Mates Series
Her Alien Prince - Book 1
Her Alien Savior - Book 2
Her Alien Beast - Book 3
TBA - Book 4
TBA - Book 5
NOTE: Each book in this series can be read as a standalone, but for maximum enjoyment, it’s recommended that you read the series in order.