Reede

by Veronica Scott

  “You will,” he promised, sitting up and sliding two fingers into her where his tongue had been. He stroked her heated, slick skin and Fallyn couldn’t hold herself back any longer, giving into the building erotic pressure. The climax sent her soaring in waves of ecstasy and she clenched her muscles, trying to maintain the sensations as long as she could.

  She reached for him and Reede came down on top of her, the plum shaped head of his manhood nudging into her easily. With a muttered oath he paused. “We—we shouldn’t risk a child, not tonight.”

  “I’ve had the shot, I’ve got a clean bill of health, I know you Badari can’t catch a damn thing so you’ve got a clean bill of health and if you don’t move right now you’re going to be in big trouble.” Frustrated, aching with desire to have his heavy cock where she wanted, she tilted her hips in an attempt to draw him further into her body and dug her hands into his sexy butt.

  Reede laughed, lowering his head for an intense kiss, tongue plunging into her mouth and plundering in an erotic foretaste of what she wanted him to do with his iron hard arousal. Fallyn wriggled under him and was rewarded by Reede sliding several inches further into her channel, his ridges stimulating her in ways she’d never been pleasured before.

  He stroked in and out, taking his time as if to make sure she was riding the waves of bliss as intensely as he obviously was. Fallyn adapted to his rhythm easily, as if they’d done this many times together before, even as she thrilled to the fact this was their first lovemaking. She felt so safe in his arms and so tender and possessive of this big soldier who was giving himself to her unreservedly— her heart was full with happiness and love.

  Reede paused for a moment, although the effort it cost him to still himself was obvious in the strain on his face. He smoothed the hair away from her face. “All right?”

  “I love you,” she said, giving him a quick kiss even as she clamped her muscles around his amazing girth to encourage him to continue. “I ‘m better than all right.”

  With a groan, Reede thrust hard in response to her and now he was moving fast, going deep, as if her words had completely unleashed him from any hesitation or uncertainty and he was lost in the physical act of loving her. Fallyn was proud of her effect on him and enjoying every minute of this lovemaking. Her control slipped as the climax started in her core and spread through her body in intense waves, like a localized but powerful earthquake. She gasped his name, which goaded him into making a final push, holding her so close and tight she could hardly breathe as he went over the edge into his own orgasm.

  She had no idea why but compelled by an urge she didn’t understand but couldn’t resist, Fallyn clamped down on his shoulder with her teeth, hard enough to break the skin and taste a drop of the rich coppery blood. Swallowing, she looked at the bite mark and said, “Mine, all mine.”

  Reede stared down at her, eyes wide and glowing like twin amber flames. “You—you claimed me?”

  She rubbed the spot gently with her fingertips. “Damn straight. You’re mine, Reede, and I dare anyone or anything to try to get between us.”

  “To be a claimed mate is the best thing that can happen for a Badari,” he said. “I don’t even have the proper words for how happy you’ve made me.” His arms tightened and his cock, sheathed in her core, pulsed and lengthened, setting off tiny residual tremors of pleasure, like internal kisses. “I love you more than life itself, Fallyn of the Sectors. May I claim you?”

  Fallyn laughed, her mind and body suffused with happiness and the warm afterglow of a really exceptional orgasm. She stroked his broad back and caressed the contours of his muscular butt. “That’s what this night is for, my fierce warrior. We’re going to greet the dawn and your pack and anyone else who comes along as a mated pair, right?”

  “Right.”

  “No more questioning and no more fighting the bond.” She touched her chest over her heart. “I don’t feel any different here though.”

  He kissed away her frown. “Let me claim you properly, mate, and then I promise you, the bond will be there.”

  Reede’s emotions were all over the place, insanely proud, satiated and yet full of desire, and above all blessed by the goddess to be loved by the woman he loved. He allowed himself to slide from her body, the cool night air on him not diminishing his arousal at all. Softly he kissed away her murmured protest at their temporary separation and urged her to roll onto her stomach. “This— this is the way I have to claim,” he said, realizing he probably wasn’t making much sense in the heat of his passion but the inborn instincts were driving him to complete the mate bond. Delay was a physical ache.

  Fallyn laughed softly as he shifted her body, turning her head to smile at him. “I’m here for whatever you need, my love.”

  Swallowing hard, he placed his hands on her hips and maneuvered her into the position he needed. Fallyn adjusted in response to his unspoken request and taking himself in hand, he guided his cock into her body, glad she was so ready for him because he was going to come any second and it was imperative he give her pleasure while he was taking his own. Reede penetrated deeply in one continuous motion, reassured by her murmur of approval as he did so. Fallyn braced herself, taking him even further into her warmth than she had when they were making love before. Pulling back, he found the sight of his hands on her hips and his arousal moving in and out of her body was incredibly arousing and then he had no more conscious thought, only joy and satisfaction as he realized how close he was to climaxing.

  They moved together as one, in complete harmony, giving and taking equally and when his release happened, he heard Fallyn’s full throated sounds of passion. Reede lowered his head allowing his fangs to slide into position and grazed her shoulder carefully, even in this moment of extraordinary passion. He’d never hurt the woman he loved, not even to claim her. The warm droplet of her human blood on his tongue was the signal the claiming was done and hastily he licked the site to soothe and seal the small puncture from the tips of his natural weaponry. “Mine,” he said, injecting all his pride and his love into the word. It was almost a growl as if he was daring the universe to contest his claim.

  Both breathing hard, they collapsed onto the moss, entangled in each other’s arms.

  “I think you’re purring,” she said breathlessly. Her head was on his chest and he held her close.

  “We do have feline DNA in the mix.” He was oddly elated she could hear his happiness.

  “I sense the link to you in my heart now,” she said. “And in my mind.”

  Pride and relief flooded his mind as he sensed the mate bond snap into place. Surely the goddess blessed their union and in the morning they’d both be bearing the golden circles of her approval. “I told you,” he said.

  Fallyn shivered as a breeze wafted over them. He hugged her close and considered. Romantic as the location was, it might be better to spend the rest of the night in a less exotic setting. He cleared his throat. “I usually bunk down in the barracks with the other soldiers but I do have my own assigned cave residence because of my rank in the pack.”

  She laughed. “Mind reader! Tell me there’s a bed.”

  He wished they could actually read each other’s minds but the enhancement was going to require her to accept a blood transfusion from him first, the way he understood the process, which so far had only been used in medical emergencies. “Not only a bed,” he whispered, nuzzling her neck, “But I have a private hot spring pool of my own.”

  “You sweet talker.” Fallyn sat up and reached for their clothes. “This was a glorious, romantic place to claim each other and I’m so grateful you wanted to bring me here for our first time.” Her forehead was creased in an adorable frown which he took delight in kissing away. “But—”

  “But it’s chilly for a human and while this moss made a more than adequate bed for our claiming, a mattress and sheets might be nice for the next session. And the pool would definitely be conducive to excellent foreplay.” He raised his eyebrows. “I have a few i
deas.”

  She walked her finger up his arm flirtatiously and winked. “And I’m so on board with the program, mate. Can we get to your cave without running into people? I don’t want to spoil this special night. We’re going to have to go into the residence area sooner or later so I’d rather do it while there’s darkness for cover.”

  “The pack will ensure the path is kept clear, no problem.” As she gathered her clothes and dressed, he sent another message to Camron. The Badari soldiers on guard duty might observe him and his mate making their way to the cave that had been his and was now theirs, but Fallyn wouldn’t see them. And no humans would be allowed on the path tonight.

  Fallyn frowned as she held the pieces of her bra and shirt for him to see. “There’s really no effective way to wear these.”

  He handed her his tee shirt, which would be generous enough to be a short dress for her. “I don’t suffer from the chill and it’s my fault your clothes aren’t wearable.”

  She drew the shirt over her head and then as soon as they both had their foot gear and utility pants on, she held out her hand to him. “I do like the view,” she said, eyeing him as he stood naked from the waist up.

  He laughed, not at all uncomfortable. “Once we reach my cave I’ll be undressed and in the pool before you.” Reaching out, he plucked a bit of the moss from her hair and tossed it aside. “I’m sorry—”

  Fallyn held up her hand, palm toward him. “Not another word, not if you’re planning to apologize for bringing me to this incredibly romantic place to make love and claim each other. I had no idea there was so much romance and gallantry in your warrior soul and I am delighted. You hear me? I liked being treated as if I was a fairytale princess. A little moss here and there is no big deal.”

  He caught her in his arms. “I only want to make you happy.”

  “Which you do, just by being yourself,” she said one their kiss ended. “Do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “Carry me then because I’m getting chilly and I’m anticipating the luxuries of the hot spring and round two of our first night together as mates. And besides,” she said as he plucked her from the ground, “It’s an old Terran custom for the groom, which would be you, to carry his new bride across the threshold of their home. I want all the bells and whistles.” She said the last comment with a merry laugh and Reede held her closer as he made his way down the incline away from the lake.

  He sent a silent vow to the goddess, promising to do anything and everything to make Fallyn happy and ensure her safety. For now he refused to think beyond the rest of their claiming night and the joy in his heart. Time enough to cope with the ache of separation when the day came.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Although he was lost in the bliss of the newly claimed mate, Reede resumed his duties the next day, despite being severely distracted and Aydarr finally sent him home early with a growl, telling him to find his mate and work out his extra energy.

  The next day Reede found a high level meeting on his calendar, which included his mate. She smilingly refused to provide details. “You’ll see. It’s Taura’s meeting, not mine, so I’d rather not discuss her subject matter in advance. I swear, if it was something you needed to know right now, I’d tell you.”

  With that he had to be content until the appointed hour.

  Reede analyzed the interesting composition of the attendees for the meeting. Aydarr and Jill sat at the head of the table, with Jamokan, the canid pack Alpha on his other side. Mateer and Reede himself sat behind Aydarr, and Jamokan’s two enforcers flanked him. Keshara, the titular Alpha of the female Badari pack was in attendance, as was Timtur, the healer. Reede rubbed his chin, pondering why the healer would be present.

  Taura, Gabe, Walt and Fallyn sat at the foot of the table. In addition to being one of the human starship pilots, Gabe was also Keshara’s lone enforcer. An honorific title, not that Gabe wasn’t a deadly soldier, but he couldn’t win a dominance challenge in Badari style, since he lacked fangs or talons and the extra hundred pounds of muscle. Gabe had been an ally for the pack since the beginning and was highly respected by all but there e were certain physical realities.

  MARL floated beside Jill’s chair. He was broadcasting greens and blues which were believed to indicate he was in a good mood. A single spot of purple swirled in the upper left quadrant, which could mean anything. It was all guesses where the AI was concerned.

  The doors closed. Aydarr politely directed his full attention to Taura. “You requested this meeting so please proceed.”

  She rose and cleared her throat. “Now we’re quite close to the time for launching the ship and making the attempt to request assistance from the Sectors, my colleagues and I thought it was appropriate to present a background briefing and suggest specific options. Walt’s our spokesperson.”

  She sat down gracefully and Walt got to his feet. He was recovering from the recent battle with the renegades led by Harker but he stood straight and confident.

  “Let me outline what I’m guessing is your best case scenario for what help from the Sectors will entail,” he said. “Command sends a battleship and enough of a fleet to wipe this solar system clear of Chimmer and Khagrish, clear the planet, hand it over to the Badari to rule. The Sectors fleet evacs the humans who want to go home, and gives you the figurative keys to the entire world. The Sectors makes you citizens and allies and undertakes to protect this area from a new incursion by the Chimmer or their overlords, the Mawreg. Am I right?”

  Reede blinked at the rapid-fire assessment.

  Aydarr nodded. “Basically. I require the Sectors to formally acknowledge the Badari ownership of the planet and the other worlds in this system and to accept me as the ruler.”

  “Here’s the problem.” Walt leaned forward, fists on the table. “There are maybe what, a couple hundred Badari total? If we count the Tzibir hiding out in the desert, and depending if we ever locate the other lab where Kierce was from and rescue more Badari there.”

  Again the Alpha agreed. “Counting all the cubs of each subpack, the number’s probably a fair estimate.”

  “The Sectors are never going to recognize your right to this planet. There aren’t enough of you, you don’t even come from this planet as a place of origin and your society is fledgling, living on borrowed tech.” Walt raised one hand to forestall what Aydarr might say. “It can go one of two ways. I believe the Sectors will clear out the Chimmer and the Khagrish to neutralize the threat because the course of action is in their best interest. But then they might wave goodbye, withdraw, taking any humans who want to go, and wish you good luck. That’s best case I can honestly foresee.”

  Aydarr remained unfazed and nowhere near to losing his prodigious temper. “And the second possibility?”

  “The Sectors is a huge, loose organization. Sure they’re basically benevolent, try to do the right thing, everybody get along and fight the common enemy. But there are elements in the Sectors out for themselves, including the Amarotu Crime Syndicate and crooked politicians, large greedy corporations…it’s humanity. A mixed bag.” Walt shrugged and the humans behind him nodded their concurrence. “If the wrong person gets made Administrator for this place, everything you’ve struggled for and dreamt of will go by the wayside and the Badari might find themselves in resettlement camps on another planet entirely. “

  “It’s happened in the past,” Taura said.

  “You paint a grim picture. We’re not as easy to set aside as your scenario suggests.” Aydarr’s eyes were beginning to glow and Reede watched the tips of his talons edging out but the Alpha was remarkably calm, considering what Walt had uncompromisingly walked through.

  Completely unfazed, Walt proceeded with his discussion. “You know the one thing you have on your side outweighing a lot of the other factors?” He pointed at MARL. “Jill’s little friend.”

  “Because he’s an ancient alien’s AI?” Jill asked as MARL flashed all orange.

  Walt shook his head. “The auth
orities will probably make an attempt to take him away. You know no private citizen is allowed to own Ancient Observer tech in the Sectors.”

  “Jill’s continued ownership of MARL will have to be an integral portion of any treaty,” Aydarr said. “As well as his status as an asset of the Badari for future generations descended from her.”

  “Jill is my Authority,” MARL said, red whorls infiltrating the sullen orange. “I cannot be parted from her and any who make the attempt will suffer grievous consequences.”

  Calmly Walt elaborated. “What the Sectors will want, even more than his ancient gizmos and manifestations and whatnot, will be his comprehensive knowledge of what the Chimmer and the Khagrish have done here. He’s got the data, all of it, locked away in that shiny carapace. He knows how you were created, about the germ warfare the Khagrish are waging on the Chimmer, about the virus they accidentally gave themselves, about military secrets and sorties into the Sectors and the worlds outside the border, about side experiments like the ones on Vattan and Kierce—he knows it all. He’s been collecting data since he helped Jill take down the first lab and free you.”

  Aydarr slapped his hand on the table. “We’ll never give up the secrets of the Badari.”

  “Your own secrets, no. I agree with you wholeheartedly. Hold them close. Don’t give anyone else the power the Khagrish have over your people. But you can use the other secrets as bargaining chips. You’ll dole out those nuggets of information from MARL’s collection slowly, in return for the concessions you want regarding ownership of the planet and the solar system. In exchange for status as part of the Sectors, with the comprehensive military blanket of protection.”

  “Far from ideal,” Jill said. “It’ll be hard to maintain our autonomy and our self-rule.”