by Keri Kruspe
It took a few precious clicks for her to focus on him.
He had a moment of smug satisfaction when her dilated pupils and quick breaths confirmed her aroused state.
“Huh? What?”
Goddess, was there anything sexier than a female in your arms who made it more than clear she desired to join with you? He loved he made her lose control. Too bad he had to bring them back to reality. They couldn’t afford to have sex and complete the TrueBond process, especially not in a prison cell. This was the last place he wanted their memorable joining to happen. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and closed his eyes to help cool him enough to think straight. He kept a tight grip on her shoulders to hold her still. If only she’d stop squirming around so much.
“We have to slow down…this is getting out of hand.” He opened his eyes and narrowed them at her.
“So?” His tormenting demoness purred. “What’s wrong with that?” She reached over to entwine her arms around his neck as her tempting lips moved forward. Her moist breath bathed his neck. Her bared breasts touched his clothed chest as his body shivered and tightened in response.
Damn the Sacred Goddess and all her saints, he couldn’t believe what he had to do next. He was going to be the responsible one. They had to stop touching…right now.
He must be out of his mind.
“Lora love, please help me out.” Okay, he wasn’t above begging. “Now isn’t the time to consummate our bond. We can’t make love until we get off this damn ship.” He moved her farther away as they shared heavy breaths.
The last thing he wanted to see was the soft, yielding expression on her face morph into something no sane Zerin male ever wanted to.
Her jaw clenched, her neck tightened, and her brow furrowed. Her exotic, single-gray eyes blazed in what he figured was unfulfilled disappointment. “Why? I thought as part of the TrueBond we needed to be together physically.” She moved and wrapped her hand into the welcoming strands of his hair at the nape of his neck.
Great, she’d zeroed in on another of his erogenous zones with unwavering accuracy. “We do…and we will.” He ground his teeth in agony as she kept touching him. How did she discover what aroused him so fast? A Zerin had various erogenous spots throughout their body. Well, except for the ears…that was a universal Zerin thing. So, how did his TrueBond know where to touch him best? He’d only gone over the basic TrueBond process with her and not the intimate details. That was something he’d ask her about…much later...when she wasn’t touching him.
He grabbed both of her wrists in one hand. He had to think, and she made it impossible with her wandering fingers. “My love…my gariad…please, help me be strong, because we can’t make love yet.” He pleaded with her to see reason. “If we do, the MalDerVon scroll will alert the Chancellor your TrueBond is with you.” He took in a deep breath. “You remember me telling you about that, don’t you?”
She gave him a slow nod.
“Then the Chancellor will know he has a spy on his ship.” He nibbled her knuckles. “We aren’t in a position where we can escape safely yet, just a few more solar days. So, please be patient with me for a little longer.” He searched her face for acceptance. “Okay?”
She took in a deep breath, which pushed her wonderful breasts up to catch his attention. Hey, he was male. Those beauties caught his eyes as they moved and her nipples puckered.
“Okay.” Lora agreed with a snicker. “Lover, I’m up here.” She admonished as she put two fingers under his chin to move his head up to meet her gaze.
D’zia’s face heated like a small, disobedient child. “I’d say I’m sorry, but I’m not.” He shifted so she straddled his lap. Now he could gaze into her expressive face. Okay, maybe not such a good idea since it aligned their groins up perfectly with her thighs wrapped around his waist. Now each breath and movement caused exquisite friction on sensitive sexes. Unable to stop, D’zia captured her mouth in another passionate kiss.
He reached behind her and grasped the globes of her perfect ass with both hands. He pulled back to scrutinize her flushed expression. “I’m afraid I have to get going.” He rested his forehead on hers. “I had to come and see you, but maybe coming here wasn’t the brightest thing to do.” He bent to kiss the frown off her face. “Like you humans say, ‘hang in there’.” He squeezed her bottom and ground her against his groin. “You can lounge around here for a little longer, can’t you?” His husky question came out in a whisper.
She huffed at his summation. “Yeah, it’s all fun and games here. It’ll be hard to leave all this luxury.” She waved her hand to encompass the tiny, barren room.
D’zia smiled at her sauciness. “I’m afraid when you leave here, it’ll be nothing but work for you, my girl.”
Lora raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Doing what?”
“I plan on keeping you as my personal sex slave morning, noon, and night.” He gave in to the urge to lick and nuzzle the fragrant skin behind her ear. His sharp teeth nipped at the skin of her earlobe.
“Sounds good to me.” She tittered. Her body shuddered in his arms as she tilted her head in invitation.
He gave her one final lick as a small beep pinged in his ear, a signal from JR10 that time was running out. The calculated safety of bypassing the security system was down to the nanoclick. Cutting it close wasn’t an option.
“Gariad, I have to go back.” D’zia groaned. He lifted his head from her fragrant shoulder, immersed in her intoxicating, fresh scent. His head reeled as he took in another deep breath.
Her body stiffened as she pushed away from him. “I know.” She shook her head as she leered at him, her single-colored eyes blazing with an expression of desire.
Her actions made him possessive…an unfamiliar emotion.
She is mine.
This beautiful female was his and he’d let nothing get between them. He studied her extraordinary features. Her soft nose was dotted with small brown dots the humans called “freckles.” The crinkles at the corner of her eyes made him believe she had a great sense of humor. Her deep dimples caught his attention. He loved how they framed the slight overbite around her tempting lips, which were still swollen and wet from their passion play. Desire tensed every muscle in his body.
With stark clarity, D’zia fell hard and fast for his human TrueBond. With an open palm, he caressed the tender skin of her flushed cheek.
She nuzzled into him as her black pupils widened, searching his face.
He opened his mouth to tell her in this sterile prison cell his feelings on the matter but he was interrupted. Another sharp beep sounded in his communicator from JR10. “I’m sorry,” he began.
She put a firm finger to his lips to halt his speech.
He was tempted to reach out with his tongue to pull it into his mouth. Instead, he pressed his lips together.
“I know.” She reassured him with a nod. “It’s okay.” Retreating, she slipped off his lap to stand before him. With her crossed arms around her waist, her naked breasts plumped together. “I admit when I don’t see you for days at a time I get a little nervous.” She gave him a small smile as she took another step away. “I just wish this was over.” She bent over the bed to grab her discarded tunic and put it on.
D’zia swallowed a whimper when she hid her luscious breasts from view. He wanted nothing more than to pull her back into his mouth. Instead, he stood and enfolded her in his arms. “Yeah, me too.” He had to come up with something better than empty platitudes. He cleared his throat. “I mean, we’re leaving soon.” He gave her a tight hug. Her fresh scent of citrus lingered as he stepped back. “At this point, whatever information JR10 passed along is all we’re going to get. Your life is too important to continue letting you stay in danger. We can always regroup later.”
The relief on her face was well worth the risk of him coming there. “I don’t mean to be heartless, but yeah, I’ll be glad to leave this place. I’ve gotta admit I’m happy Dr. Numb Nuts hasn’t come to get me.” She ga
ve a self-deprecating laugh. “That’s something I’d rather skip, if you don’t mind.”
D’zia had to smile. She sure was something. He gazed up and down his beautiful TrueBond’s figure, and he admired her spunky attitude and bravery in the face of the unknown. He doubted she had any idea of the acute danger she was in, and he refused to be the one to tell her. She’d be safe and sound in her little cell until they got closer to Hiigar.
“JR11 will keep you informed, especially on what to do when we get ready to leave.” He leaned in for a quick goodbye kiss before he moved toward the door. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to stay. Instead, he grabbed his helmet.
It wouldn’t be for long, and then he’d find the perfect place to tell her how much she meant to him. After passing the threshold, he glanced at her one more time before he activated the standard forcefield. He took in a deep breath and gave her a smile he hoped would linger in her memory long after he left. He put on the hated helmet and walked away.
* * *
LORA
Lora stood in the same spot she’d been in when D’zia left, grinning like an idiot. She was numb to the ugly reality around her. That gorgeous man loved her. Her, dumpy Lora with a horrible history of picking the wrong man like her ex-husband, was loved by the stunning D’zia of Zerin. Oh, he didn’t have to tell her the words, even though that’d be nice. It was there in his brilliant eyes and with every touch of his hands and mouth. She grunted. Too bad her life sucked right now. But once they were free from this ridiculous situation, all bets were off. She and her alien lover would be free to indulge in what they both wanted and needed.
“Are you well, Miss Lora?”
The tiny whisper from JR11 startled Lora out of her reverie. Lightly biting her lower lip, she wasn’t sure how to answer the simple question. Probably best to be honest. They were in this together. Right?
“I guess I’m okay. But I feel so helpless sitting here. I wish I could do something.” She went over to sit on the cot. “I’m worried about D’zia and the danger he’s in. I mean really, does he have any experience in doing what he’s doing? Has he done anything like this before?” She should have spent their time together talking more about what was going on instead of jumping him. Jeez, she’d hardly let the man sit down before she slobbered all over him. Her face warmed, their passion still lingering. Damn it! All her good intentions were for nothing the minute he was around. All it took was one glimpse of his gorgeous face and hard body and her higher brain functions headed south and took over her girlyparts.
Holy Shamoka, she was no better than a horny teenager with no control.
She plopped back on the cot and dangled her feet off the side. Resting the back of her head on the palms of her hands, she got lost in a daydream. A light sting caught her attention. Evidently, she hadn’t heard JR11 trying to talk to her. “Ow! What was that for?” Lora sat up and rubbed the side of her neck.
“Miss Lora, Miss Lora!” The little bot was wailing. “Oh, it’s bad, yes, it is. They have taken your TrueBond off the ship as a prisoner along with my JR10!” The AI scuttled out from beneath her hair to land on Lora’s raised palm.
Lora had gotten used to the insectile appearance of her little friend, who was captivating with her light-purple body and multi-colored eyes. Only now, it was hard to figure out what JR11 was saying because she spoke so fast. “Slow down, JR11! Tell me what’s going on.”
As JR11 spoke mind to mind, Lora heard the response loud and clear this time.
“They’ve taken them! They found out Mr. D’zia was here unauthorized and had him arrested, along with my JR10!” The little body shuddered. “They put him in a prison pod and launched it back to the Palatial Space Station where the Chancellor is.” If Lora didn’t know better, she’d swear the little bot was crying. “They injected him with something to knock him out. But JR10 assures me he’s asleep and his life is not in danger.”
Lora grabbed the loose tunic over her heart with a moan. Not in danger! Was her little friend kidding? Of course, he was in danger. In a frenzy, she glanced around the cell. As if the small space had some hidden answers for her.
Okay…okay, now would be a good time to calm down. Once she got the fog of fear to back off, she came to a startling conclusion. She should never have relied so heavily on D’zia in the first place. How selfish was that? All it did was keep him in danger. What kind of TrueBond did that make her? She was not some simpering victim, waiting for a white knight to rescue her. If she were, she’d have stayed in her toxic marriage and never taken responsibility for her own life. She wasn’t some damn powder puff. She was made of sterner stuff and was going to freakin’ remember that from now on.
It was time to get herself out of this ridiculous situation.
Pulling her palm up closer to put JR11 and her on eye level, she commanded to her spybot, “Okay, JR11. Tell me everything JR10 and D’zia planned and don’t leave anything out.”
Chapter Four
CHANCELLOR U’UNK
Sitting in his private chambers, Chancellor U’unk reviewed the report in his personal OVDU. Since there were no witnesses in the room, he allowed a small, satisfied smile to crease his lips.
His careful plans were in place and working to perfection. The mindless royal Zerin nephew, D’zia E’etu, had taken the bait with surprising ease, even faster than predicted. A shiver of suppressed anticipation slithered down his spine as his mouth watered, savoring the taste. U’unk couldn’t wait until they found the younger E’etu’s tortured and abused body in a disreputable slum of the capital city, discarded like a piece of trash. The juicy scandal would be a mystery that would dominate the attention of the populace. Best of all, it would divert attention away from U’unk and what he was doing.
He was verifying the status of the prison pod that carried the younger E’etu when his private communicator alerted him to an incoming message. It was a female council member, one of his covert operatives in that governing body. He opened the channel. “Yes, Councilman Kynthia, how may I serve you?” He made sure his voice was devoid of all emotion or inflection and opted to keep the virtual room closed, preferring not to activate a visual with the female Zerin. Of course, the vain female wasn’t about to let his actions go unnoticed. “What, no visual today…hmm, Shon?” She all but purred the question.
Her attempts at seduction left U’unk unmoved. He played the game under his terms, not someone else’s. “I’m afraid my appearance this evening is less than up to your normal standards. I beg your indulgence.”
She tsked her disappointment. “Now, now Shon. I’ll have you know I dressed with you in mind for this conversation.” Her voice paused, no doubt hoping to keep him in in suspense. “Or shall I say, undressed for this conversation.”
He ignored her innuendo. “Do get on with the purpose of this communication.” The game had become tedious.
“Oh, paxt.” Her staged verbal pout was obvious. “I’m afraid I won’t have a chance to do this again for quite some time.” She waited, and when he didn’t react, she gave a loud huff before speaking again. “Fine, have it your way.”
U’unk intensely disliked predictability in others and Kynthia proved to be the most predictable of his many and varied covert agents. He may have to move eliminating the annoying female up on his schedule. She’d become a liability.
“You told me to contact you with anything about the royal family. I have it on good authority that Ah’Mira E’etu is now heading back to the palace after the death of her mother.” She referred to the sister-in-law of the king of Zerin.
U’unk stroked the silky mustache on either side of his mouth with his forefinger and thumb. “When is she expected?”
“Later this evening,” The female intoned, her voice heavy with self-importance.
The information she passed was boring and mundane. He maintained a smooth tone as he kept the impatience out of his voice. “Thank you, Kynthia, for this information.”
He was about to close the chan
nel when she interrupted him. “Honestly Shon, you don’t think I would vid you just for that, do you?”
Before he completed the closure of the communication, he paused. “Oh?” His bland tone hid any interest.
“I also wanted to let you know about the recent announcement Head Councilman Aine dropped today.”
Her typical smug attitude was mildly annoying.
“Apparently, there have been suspicions about a mole within the Zerin government.” All hints of seduction vanished as excitement laced her tone. “Classified leaks have been intercepted at the highest levels. The council is all in a dither.”
Her gleeful tones made him want to choke the clueless female. “Has it ever occurred to you they might suspect you?”
“Oh no!” She laughed before she lowered her tone as if sharing a secret. “Rumor has it the leaks started around the same time they reinstated Prince Qay.”
“Oh?” It wasn’t hard to conclude where that rumor started. The dim-witted Kynthia had been a busy girl.
“Yes! Can you believe it?” She gave an orgasmic sigh. “It’s perfect. The council will suspect the disgraced prince and waste their time investigating him. Maybe we can somehow throw in his inappropriate TrueBond mating with that disgusting human.” A vibrating shudder came through their audio communication. “Imagine, contaminating Zerin DNA with alien genes. How disgusting.”
When U’unk first recruited the susceptible council member, he’d planned to use her vanity against her as a perfect plant within the governing body. He might have made an error in recruiting this particularly low-witted female to his operation. Yes, the timetable for dealing with her had moved quicker than scheduled.
“And how open were they to the idea Prince Qay is somehow involved with the leaks?”