by Regine Abel
I couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on my lips.
Damn the man.
He shouldn’t have such an easy time of bringing me down from my temper flares. That was way too much power over me. I feasted my eyes on the sea of rippling muscles in his back and the sexiest, round but firm globes of his ass as he stripped out of his pants and underwear. He opened the door to the bath to take a quick dip after his training. As he stepped through the doorway, he paused and looked at me over his shoulder. The softness, the tenderness of his expression—incredibly odd on his brutish face—made my stomach flip-flop.
“Thank you,” he said with a gentle smile.
My stomach did another somersault, and my throat tightened at the heartfelt gratitude in his voice and in his eyes. Ravik turned around without another word and entered the water.
Damn that twice wretched man.
* * *
While inside the compound’s walls, the racers’ stables sat right next to a large set of reinforced doors, granting a side access to the fortress. It opened onto a wide, open field where a group of adult racers ran freely, loosely herded by four mounted Braxians. On each side of the doors, younger racers were being trained inside large corrals, their good actions rewarded with pieces of raw meat.
I approached the fence of one of the corrals, staring at the wondrous creatures in awe. Ravik had been right. Although completely scaled like the battle version of the karvelis, the racers’ proportions resembled the Xelixian cavas. However, they were leaner, their lines more aerodynamic.
The perfect size for me to ride.
Well, not these foals, but definitely the adults.
“Ravik, they are magnificent,” I whispered.
His arm wrapped around me, his hand resting on the side of my bum. “Thank you, little bird,” he said before pressing a gentle kiss on my temple.
Leading me towards the open field, he raised a hand and waved at the men herding the beasts. One of them broke off, followed by a couple of the racers; a midnight-colored one and a dark, royal-purple one.
“Magnar,” the man said, stopping his racer a couple of meters in front of him. He hopped off his mount and struck his chest with his fist in a sign of respect. The man cast a curious glance towards me and, almost imperceptibly, nodded his head, apparently uncertain how to address me, if at all.
“Cormak,” Ravik said, nodding back at the man in greeting.
He raised a palm towards the black racer. The creature approached him, pressing the flat part of his snout against Ravik’s hand.
“This is Sheeroh, the only racer that will tolerate me,” Ravik said with a chuckle.
As if in response to that comment, Sheeroh whipped his scorpion tail over his head and tapped the rounded edge of the stinger against Ravik’s forehead. My stomach dropped at the speed with which the deadly weapon had come at my mate. Yet, the touch had been gentle, controlled. I gaped at the creature, my heart skipping a beat.
“Isn’t that stinger all kinds of lethally poisonous?” I asked, trying to downplay how much that had scared me.
“No more than the venom they can inflict with a bite,” Ravik said, nonchalantly.
I blinked at him, my mind taking a second to process what he’d just said. “You mean, when we had put our hand in the battle karveli’s mouth a few days ago…?”
He nodded, a broad grin on his face, and his obsidian eyes sparkling with mischief. “The trust isn’t that the karveli won’t chomp your arm off, but that he won’t infect you with one of the most virulent poisons on Braxia.”
I felt faint for how recklessly I’d shoved my hand in front of Voltar’s face that day.
“Do not fret,” Ravik said teasingly. “Sheeroh would never harm me. Her big brother would have her hide if she did.”
“Her?” I asked, surprised. “She’s a female?”
Ravik nodded. “They all are,” he said, waving at the team of racers. “The females of the karvelis are called karvalas. The racers are only a subgroup of them, bred specifically for that purpose, or born showing great promise. This beauty,” he said, raising his palm to the second racer that Cormak had brought, “is called Dajia. She’s Voltar’s mate.”
My jaw dropped—again—as I watched the graceful female approach Ravik and press her snout to his palm. Her gaze, however, never strayed from me, assessing me with the same intense scrutiny Voltar had. I, too, examined her with new eyes. There was something regal about her that said ‘don’t fuck with me’ and yet that also felt utterly enticing.
“Dajia, this is my female, Ravena Mercy Vrok.”
For the second time, it struck me that Ravik had introduced me to the creatures using my full name. I wondered if there were any significance to that. But before I could ask, Dajia shoved her face in mine, sniffing at it as if to catch the scent of my breath. Her snout lowered to my neck then my breast, and then my stomach, each time pausing to inhale audibly. As expected, she concluded her exploration with a good sniff at my crotch, although it thankfully lasted a lot shorter than with her mate.
She backed up two steps. With a hiss, Dajia bared her needle-sharp teeth at me, her split, black, lizard tongue shooting out between them. Although fright-inducing, I perceived no menace in her stance. Shifting her head sideways, she slowly stretched her long, gracile neck, the sun reflecting on its lustrous scales. Tail whipping from side to side in an almost choreographed dance, the racer turned to expose her flank, lean, elegant, and strong. Even her long legs had something sexy to them, despite their vicious claws raking the ground like one would swat a bug.
How did I not immediately realize they were females?
It then struck me that Dajia was showing off. Had she been a single male, I would have called it courtship.
Maybe it is…
Was she seeking my approval just like I was hoping for hers so that I could ride on her back?
“You are truly magnificent, Dajia. I can see why Voltar would choose one as beautiful as you for his mate.”
Dajia snorted and threw her head back in a sharp nod, her reptilian eye giving me a sideways glance. Lightning fast, her scorpion tail struck each of my horns with a dry ‘tock-tock’ sound. My startled yelp died in my throat, sounding like a single hiccup.
Eyes wide, I turned to Ravik, busy chuckling at my stunned expression.
“I guess that means she approves?” I asked, a little stunned.
“The first hit meant that she agreed with your compliment. The second meant that she thinks the same of you.”
For some strange reason, that touched me. Looking back at the karvala, I gave her another appraising once over.
“Sassy female. I like you,” I said, then blinked as Dajia double-knocked my horns again with her tail. Ravik and Cormak burst out laughing. I glared at them and then at the racer. “But I don’t like this part so much.”
Dajia snorted, her front clawed-hoof raking the ground.
“Is she laughing at me?” I asked, disbelieving.
“Yes,” Ravik and Cormak replied in unison.
“Brat,” I muttered under my breath, annoyed yet totally smitten by the karvala. A thought suddenly crossed my mind. “Wait a minute, if she’s Voltar’s mate, why is her stable at the other end of the city? Well, of the compound?”
Ravik smiled, his big, callused hand gently caressing my left horn. “Because the karvalas have no time and no use for males when outside of their mating heat.”
My eyes bulged. “Seriously?”
Ravik nodded. “The females consider the males too needy. They represent too much work to keep around.”
I raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“The females are faster, which makes them better hunters. They usually catch smaller kills than the males can, but in larger quantity. Since they have a pack mentality, they feed everyone, not just themselves or their offspring. Problem is that the males tend to eat the largest portion while contributing the least, and then relentlessly pursue the females for sex. But they run too
fast.”
I snorted. “Sounds familiar.”
Ravik playfully glared at me, which made me grin.
“Every time we’ve tried to keep males and females together, the karvalas eventually end up chasing the males from the pack, only allowing them back during their mating heat.”
“Smart ladies,” I said with a smirk.
Dajia and Sheeroh both snorted in agreement. I really liked these creatures. I made a mental note to speak to my sister about them. She loved riding the cavas but wouldn’t be able to bring them to Haven, the new Veredian settlement our people were building. Unlike Xelix Prime that had no winter thanks to its two suns, Haven did. Such cold climates would kill the cavas. But Braxia had a similar climate to the new Veredian home world which the Tuureans had completed terraforming a few years ago. This would be one perfect trade opportunity between our peoples.
The introductions completed, Ravik offered to help me up onto the back of Dajia, but I insisted on doing it on my own. While staying with my mother and sisters on Xelix Prime, I’d ridden quite a few cavas without needing assistance. The racers were smaller still than those mounts; the ideal size for me. Although Voltar’s horns and spurs had been bigger, Dajia’s were more accessible—at least for me—and ideally positioned along the back of her neck to give me a good grip in a comfortable forward-leaning position during a race.
We started riding at a slow walk to give me time to adjust to my mount. Cormak returned to his duties with the running racers, but two bodyguards followed us from a respectable distance. They made their best effort to stay out of our line of sight and give us a semblance of privacy.
I sighed inwardly. When I first felt the Tuning in Anton’s penthouse and realized that my soulmate was the Braxian ruler, my only real concern had been the misogynistic, overbearingly dominant, and controlling nature of his people. But the past few days, this morning’s confrontation, and now this ‘romantic’ ride drove home the sad reality; a union with Ravik meant a union with Braxia. Whatever feelings he may develop for me over time, I already knew that Ravik would sacrifice his personal happiness to his duty.
To be by his side, I would need to give up on a great deal of the privacy that I cherished so much. My own wishes and personal aspirations would always have to take a backseat to the needs of his people.
‘Our’ people if I end up marrying him.
Ravik’s words still echoed loud and clear in my mind.
“I need you to stand with me, Ravena, not add to my burden.”
I stole a glance at him as he rode Sheeroh, possessive pride blooming in my heart. Ravik would never qualify as a handsome man, by any standard. And yet, he was the sexiest thing I had ever laid eyes on. I loved everything about him; from his fearsome face to his ridiculous strength that made me feel both vulnerable and utterly protected, those massive muscles on that giant body of his, and that humongous cock that always made me feel on the verge of being split in two, all the while making me sing with bliss.
But it wasn’t just his body that had me falling hard and fast for the man. Despite his barbaric appearance and the savage ways of his people, Ravik was kingly. He rode his mount, back straight, chin up, with an ease of movement that exuded confidence, pride, and strength. His keen intelligence, the way he managed to accurately analyze a situation and promptly take action was the biggest turn on. Not to mention his unconditional devotion to the welfare of his people. However, it was his progressive mindset, and his respect for women—for me—that really got me. I somewhat hated that the events surrounding Lissy had put him on this path of change. Yet, I was grateful because I never could have been with the man he would have become under his father’s rule.
Ravik had abolished slavery on his planet despite the violent outcry, freed his own slaves, paid them wages, and even went so far as to hire pleasure workers as permanent staff to not overly disrupt the still barbaric customs of his people. On Braxia, a slave was free-for-all. If a male wanted a female, he could simply bend her over the closest surface and have his way with her, even in public. While his men had behaved during the meal on the first night of our arrival, the following evening meals hadn’t been so controlled.
There had been another erotic dance during the meal. As soon as it had ended, Hagan, one of the members of his council whom I fiercely disliked, had caught one of the dancers and ordered her to her knees to suck him off. I nearly lost my shit. Thank the Goddess for Ravik’s prompt interference, explaining that the dancers were among thirty females of various species, including Braxian hybrids, to whom he guaranteed safe working conditions, free food and lodging, and decent wages to pleasure any man in his house that wanted them. It kept all other servants in his hall from being unduly pressured by unrequited advances.
A number of clans pushed back against so many rule changes, many because they couldn’t afford it. With their sluggish economy, having to pay wages to slaves that only used to cost them minimal food and lodging was choking the already beleaguered Braxians. They needed to reinvent their economy, find new markets, educate their people, forge new alliances, and upgrade their technology; a colossal challenge, but one I could help with.
The question was whether I wanted to help shoulder such a burden, whether this was the future I wanted for myself. If I wished to be with my soulmate, I had to become his Dagna, his queen, with all the responsibilities that entailed.
Having no doubt sensed my gaze on him, Ravik turned his face towards me, looking more relaxed than I’d seen him in days, almost carefree.
“Ready to pick up the pace, little bird?” he asked.
“You better believe it, big boy.”
He snorted and shook his head. “Remind me to spank that sexy bottom of yours when we return home.”
His dark eyes smoldered, his expression filled with naughty promises. My stomach flip-flopped, and my pussy throbbed at the thought of that big hand smacking my behind the way he had on our first night here. I’d never admit it out loud, but I loved a good spanking.
Ravik’s broad nose twitched, and a smug smile stretched his lips. The bastard knew he had me hot and bothered.
“Stop thinking of my cock, female, and follow. Do not try to pass me.”
Before I could come up with a smart, sassy retort, he leaned over and set Sheeroh into a run, giving me a delectable view of his muscular butt.
Damn the man…
Leaning forward on Dajia, who snorted with impatience, I took hold of her horns. The karvala immediately gave chase. Wind whipped past us, my long braid flying behind me as my mount raced to catch up to our companions. I gave myself over to the pleasure of speed and the exhilarating sense of freedom and danger it always gave me. Dajia slowed to adjust her pace to Sheeroh’s so they would run side by side. Looking towards him, my eyes connected with Ravik.
My mate…
In that instant, I knew I’d do everything in my power to always keep him this happy. I’d be his safe harbor in the storm that sought to engulf him.
Come what may, I would stand by him.
* * *
The next morning, Ravik left to visit various other clans all dealing with their own issues. Seeing how each of the main clans’ compounds constituted a small city in its own right, this trip would be considered a series of state visits on other worlds. Some Elder Clans actually sheltered a number of smaller clans, so it was not a single bloodline dwelling under the same roof. Over multiple generations, the gap narrowed which often resulted in some of the smaller clans moving to a new Elder Clan’s compound.
I wanted to ask Ravik to take me with him but resisted the urge. If I were to help him, getting firsthand account of his people’s plight would take me a long way to understanding where I could be of assistance. However, it felt too bold this early into our relationship. In the short few days since my arrival, the Braxians had realized that something special was building between their ruler and me; something they eyed with caution and suspicion. I wasn’t his Dagna—yet—and maybe I never wou
ld be, so I had to tread carefully not to overstep.
However, I didn’t need to go to the other clans to get a first sense of what we had to work with. While I couldn’t yet leave the walls of Ravik’s compound, it would take me days to visit every nook and cranny if that’s all I did from dusk ‘til dawn. Wanting to remain inconspicuous considering the heavy scrutiny the Braxians subjected me to, I used a camera hidden in the gem of my necklace to record everything I encountered for screening later at my own leisure.
Males ran most of the establishments I visited, with females serving customers; as in the woman played fetch while the male owner ordered her around. When one of the owners asked a female, busy restocking shelves at the other end of the shop, to come bring him a tool less than three feet from where he currently stood, I had to bite my tongue not to tell him to just fucking get it himself. For all that, the female—and all the others I had encountered—didn’t look miserable or abused. To them, this was normal.
A troubling thought crossed my mind as I passed from one establishment to the next. While I strongly believed these women needed to be given their rightful place in their society and be treated as equals, did I have the right to disrupt their way of life? To try to impose mine onto them? Granted, their ruler was already working towards that goal, but who was I to make waves? For one so used to speaking my mind, this would prove yet another challenge to add to my already long list of them.
To my relief, Braxia, or at least ruling Clan Xeldar’s compound, rivaled most developed intergalactic cities I’d visited over the years. Granted, some of the technology in use or on display was a little dated, but nothing that couldn’t be easily fixed with the right guidance and the right contacts provided, of course, by yours truly. What bothered me were all the other things that I didn’t see. Walking through the streets of the Xeldar compound felt like one long trip through a giant quartermaster’s storehouse. Everything was functional and provided for some kind of basic or essential need. The only place that offered any kind of fluff were food-related, be it restaurants, grocery stores, and especially bakeries.