"Pull your pants up!" she snapped out as she twisted her hair up into a messy ponytail. "Everyone is going to know exactly what we were doing in here!" she practically wailed as she felt the dampness between her thighs from his seed.
He wasn’t about to tell her most of the crew would already know, if not from his roar, then from him dragging her into… Vox grimaced when he realized he had taken his mate in the small room reserved for cleaning materials. She was also in the beginning stages of heat, making it virtually impossible for him to ignore her even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Every male on board could smell her. That was why he had been trying to keep her contained. A female in heat could easily cause a riot on board. Breathing in deeply, he could sympathize with the other males. She smelled absolutely delicious, which was why he had either Lodar or Tor guarding her when he couldn’t be with her. They were the only two he felt confident he could trust around her. Now that she was with his cub, her scent would change, warning other males she was no longer ready for breeding.
"If that wasn’t enough, our combined scent would be enough to let them know," he muttered under his breath, thinking about how no one could mistake his claim now.
"What scent? Let them know what?" Riley demanded as she stared in horror as he refastened his pants.
"Riley, the Sarafin are cat-shifters. We have a very good sense of smell. It is not unusual for males to be able to smell when other males have had sex with a female," he explained.
"Are you telling me they can smell us? Together? What we just did?" she asked, feeling sick to her stomach.
"Of course," Vox replied, not understanding why she was so upset.
This would be worse than Todd Patterson at a high school dance. Then, he and his friends had only thought about what they would do with her. If what Vox said was true, all the warriors on board would know exactly what they had been doing in the cleaning closet! Riley’s face flamed at the thought of all the men staring at her like she was some kind of two-bit tramp. After all, it wasn’t like she and Vox were married. That was one of the things she had always sworn would happen before she gave in to a guy. She looked at her bare finger, and tears formed in her eyes. She had done it again. She had forgotten about her cardinal rule to remain firm on a ring and marriage. It was true Vox had promised her forever, but he hadn’t followed it up with even a suggestion of either. Now, he was talking about her having babies! It was her worst nightmare coming to life. She was about to become a single mom just like her mom and her grandma.
Vox frowned when he saw Riley’s mouth tighten in hurt and determination. "What is wrong? Do you not want my cub?" he asked, offended by her denial of their compatibility and being upset that other males would recognize his scent on her.
Riley pushed her hair out of her eyes where it had fallen and tried to push the loose strands up into her ponytail. "I want a ring—and marriage as soon as possible! I won’t have any baby unless we are married."
Vox was not sure what this "marriage" was, but he knew one thing—she would be having his cub with or without it. He took a menacing step closer and growled down at her in warning. He would not tolerate her thinking she would not carry his cub.
"You will carry my cub without ‘marriage.’ You have no choice in the matter; it is already done," he snapped, waving his hand curtly in front of her face. "If you try to deny it, I will lock you up."
Riley’s eyes flashed in fury. "Well, if you want a kid you have to marry me first. If you don’t, you can forget it! I’ll be the only one claiming her."
"You would try to deny me my heir?" he hissed out in disbelief. "I am Vox d’Rojah, King of the Sarafin Warriors and leader of my people," he snarled. "You will not tell me what to do! I tell you! It is time for you to learn how to be submissive to me when I give a command!"
"I don’t care if you are the President of the Universe!" Riley growled back. "I am no one’s submissive. If you want submissive, go practice bending over and kissing your own ass in the mirror, because it won’t be me doing it."
"Guall’s balls, Riley," Vox swore. "I have never allowed anyone to talk to me that way."
"Well, maybe if they did you wouldn’t be such a horse’s ass!" she snapped back.
"You will obey me in this, or I will make you," he vowed.
"You and whose army?" she snorted back. "I want a ring and marriage or I am totally out of here!"
Vox swore under his breath. He did not know what this "marriage" was or why she suddenly wanted jewelry, but he would be damned by the Gods before he gave it to her before she agreed to have his cub! How dare she say she wouldn’t have his son unless he gave her marriage! He could understand the ring. Even the females of his world liked jewelry, but if this "marriage" thing was something from her world, then she would just have to wait. He would ask Viper to bring it back with him the next time he talked to him. He would keep it safe, but he wouldn’t tell Riley about it until he had it in his hand and could force her to agree to his terms. He wouldn’t hand it over to her until he had her promise to obey him. It was about time she learned he was the male and she was the female. It was her place to do as he said!
Vox smiled sharply down at her furious face. "I have no need for an army. You do not go anywhere unless I say," he stated coldly.
"We’ll just see about that!" she replied quickly reaching beside him and slapping her hand on the panel to open the door.
Vox grunted as he fell backward out of the door as it gave way behind him. He landed on his back with a very furious, very determined white female tiger with blazing blue eyes staring down at him. She showed her teeth and snarled before she placed her left back paw squarely on his crotch and pushed down. Vox sucked in a breath hoping she wouldn’t extend her claws to match the weight of the pressure she was applying. He understood the warning. He was in a very nerve-wracking position at the moment, and she was in no mood to negotiate who should be submissive; it wasn’t going to be her.
"Riley," he bit out with a grimace of discomfort as he looked up into her snarling face. "Don’t you dare."
The huge white tiger snorted before leaping off him and running down the corridor. Vox let his head drop back to the floor where he stared up at the ceiling until another face came into his view. He looked up into the sympathetic eyes of his chief engineer.
"What did you do this time?" Tor asked as he held out his hand to his friend and leader. "She looked as pissed as a traline slug," he added, referring to a nasty little creature on their planet that oozed pus when threatened.
Vox reached up and grabbed Tor’s hand. "She insisted I give her something called ‘marriage’ and jewelry when I told her I had given her my cub. She refuses to have my son without the items."
"So, give them to her," Tor said as he watched Vox straighten his shirt and run his hand over the back of his neck.
"I will once she agrees to having my cub and submitting to me," Vox replied with determination. "She is the most stubborn, hard-headed, demanding—"
Tor drew in a deep breath and sighed in envy. "Sexy, beautiful, unusual—"
Vox’s lips curved into a humorous smile. "—and passionate female I have ever met."
"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."
"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 toward 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 named 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 do 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’d 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 Donna/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 a bright, multicolored, 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 as 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 and 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’s 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 sinfu
l 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 smell her hurt and see the slight tremor in her hand when she reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. 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’s arm, he had to force himself to take a deep breath. He needed to be very careful in 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.
Captured Boxed Set: 9 Alpha Bad-Boys Who Will Capture Your Heart Page 103