Torel

by Susan Hayes

  “You drowned me out with booze? Why?”

  “I could feel your anger, fear, and hurt. I shouldn’t have left you when you were feeling that way, but you ordered me to go. It was the only way I could give you the space you requested. Feeling your pain made me want to go to you, and that’s not what you wanted.” He kissed her again. “Besides, I needed time to make a plan and find a way to get you to stay with me.”

  “Did you come up with one?”

  “Not really. All I know is how I feel about you, my otama. You are the brightest star in my sky, the one my life will orbit around forever. I don’t know how to go back to the way I was before we met. I’m not even sure I can.” He touched his chest, over his heart. “You’re part of me, now.”

  “And you’re part of me.” She placed her hand over his. “I don’t think we can go back, even if we wanted to.”

  “If you come with me, I will do my best to ensure you never regret your choice,” he vowed.

  “I’m sure we’re going to have moments both of us question our choices. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I do know this: I’d rather take my chances on a future with you than to face a life without you in it.”

  He nodded and then uttered something in Pyrosian, every word accompanied by a powerful swell of emotions. When he was done, he spoke again, this time in English. “I vow, by the Flames of the First One, to protect my mate from all who would do her harm. She will be my beloved, my lover, and my most cherished companion from now until we return to the Flame that birthed us.”

  There was a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes by the time he finished. Not only because the words were beautiful, but because she knew he meant every syllable.

  “Until we return to the Flame that birthed us,” she said, staring up into his golden eyes.

  He growled her name, his fingers spearing into her hair as he kissed her long and hard. The fires of the Scorching roared back to life, searing them both. He lifted her off her feet, his tongue plunging into her mouth to twine with hers. He walked away from the bar, and the next thing she knew he set her down in an empty space near the outer wall with one of the larger viewports at his back.

  “Aren’t we going back to our room?” she asked.

  “That would take too long.” He gripped the collar of her shirt and tore it, baring her to the waist in one toe-curlingly sexy move.

  “But the door locks.”

  “So does this one. Computer, lock the door to the officer’s lounge and dim the lights by eighty percent.”

  “Those orders require a security override,” the computer informed him.

  He snarled several words in Pyrosian and the computer complied. When the lights went out, the view went from beautiful to breathtaking.

  It was nighttime on whatever continent was currently racing by beneath them, though she could still pick out glowing constellations and rivers of light marking the various cities they flew over. In the distance, ribbons of blue and green light danced, filling the room with an ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours that flickered across her bare skin like a living rainbow.

  she cooed in delight at the spectacle. “So beautiful.”

  He didn’t even look out the window. His eyes never left her as he started stripping off the rest of her clothes. “Yes, you are.”

  When she was naked, he started on his own clothes, but when she tried to help he shook his head and moved around behind her. “You stay right where you are and enjoy the view.”

  “I think I’d rather see you right now.”

  “And you will, soon. Right now, I’m enjoying my view too much to move.” His voice was low and husky with need, a need she could feel with an intensity that made her nipples tighten and her pussy slicken in anticipation of what was to come. He moved up behind her, caressing her from belly to breast. She could see their reflections in the window, the two of them little more than shadowy outlines filled with light and crowned by stars.

  His gaze met hers through their reflection. “The first time you touched me, I thought that Spark meant I was about to lose everything I valued in life. I was wrong, otama. I haven’t lost, I’ve gained.”

  She reached back to caress his cheek. “I believed I could only have one chance at happiness, and I lost it when Jeff died. I was wrong, too. I believe I can be happy again, but only if I’m with you. The link between us is too strong to deny.”

  He moved his hands to her shoulders and turned her, so she was facing him, then gathered her back into his arms. His mouth found hers, kissing her with so much fire it made her blood burn. The Scorching swept through her, hotter than a plasma torch and brighter than the sun.

  “I cannot promise you a perfect life, but I will promise you this – I will do all I can to ensure that every day we have together has more happiness than tears.” He whispered the words against her lips.

  “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  She kissed his mouth once more, then started working her way down his body, kissing and tasting him an inch at a time until she was kneeling at his feet. He set one hand on the crown of her hair but didn’t try to move her closer.

  “Haley, you don’t—”

  She didn’t let him finish his sentence. She leaned forwards, gripping his cock with one hand as she took him into her mouth and hummed softly.

  “Flames!” His threw back his head and groaned as she stroked his length with her tongue. When she hollowed her cheeks and sucked, his hand started to tremble, and his fingers tightened in her hair. She pulled back until her lips encircled the crown of his cock, then ran the tip of her tongue across one of the sensitive spots she’d discovered in their time together.

  He started to rock his hips and she opened her mouth wide, running her tongue over the underside of his dick with each thrust he made. She loved pushing him beyond his limits, breaking his control with nothing more than her mouth and hands. When he growled her name, she took him all the way to the back of her throat and hummed a few victorious notes before releasing him.

  “I was an akinu to think I could walk away from you,” he said, helping her back to her feet.

  “If that means some kind of fool, then I think that term applies to us both.”

  He kissed her quickly all while guiding her backwards until she was pressed against the cold, smooth surface of the window. He moved in close, trapping his hard length between them.

  “I’d ask if anyone could see us right now, but I guess they’d need a spaceship or a telescope to make that happen.”

  “No one can see us. I will never share the glory of your body with anyone else,” he paused his kisses just long enough to reply before bowing his head and claiming her mouth again.

  He slid his hands slowly down her flanks to her hips, then bent down to cup her ass. “Hold on.”

  She gripped his shoulders, nodded, and then he lifted her high enough she could twine her legs around his waist. They came together perfectly, the two of them becoming one with a single motion that stole her breath and made her see stars of a very different kind than the ones outside. He buried himself to the hilt inside her, the moment made all the sweeter because she could sense his emotions as well as his body.

  “I can feel you,” she whispered. “All of you.”

  “And you always will.” He punctuated his words with a hard thrust, and then there were no more words left to be spoken.

  Her inner walls clenched around his cock, gripping him tight as they came together in a firestorm of desire. He lifted her higher, using the space between their bodies to pound into her in a bruising rhythm. Both of them surrendered to the Scorching, grinding and thrusting against each other in a mad race to the finish. He was out of control, relentless, and hungry, every kiss and touch hot enough to brand her flesh and mark her as his own.

  “Tokee-- mine!” the words exploded out of him in a single breath.

  She laughed, her nails raking his back. “Gods help you, yes I am.”

  His cock swelled ins
ide her, pressing against her g-spot and pushing her to the brink of orgasm. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, muffling her cries of pleasure as she tumbled over the edge into ecstasy. He came seconds later, emptying himself inside her for what felt like forever.

  “How is it that when I’m with you, I have no control?” he asked some time later.

  “Don’t blame me,” she teased him. “Your Gods did this to you, remember?”

  “Indeed they did.” He raised his head and rubbed his bearded cheek against hers. “I’ll have to thank them for that. I suspect my mother will be offering them prayers of thanks for the rest of her days.”

  She stiffened at the mention of his family. “They’re going to be okay with this, right? I’m not exactly what your parents were expecting.”

  “You are my true mate. They will welcome you into the family and likely tell you every embarrassing story about me they know.” He stepped away from the window, easing out of her body, then set her down with care.

  “I’m not really good with in-laws. Jeff’s parents didn’t understand their son very well, and that made it hard for them to accept me.”

  “Different rules this time,” he reminded her as he gathered up their clothes.

  “Yeah, I imagine there’s a lot less friction when you can just blame your Gods if you don’t approve of your kid’s mate.”

  “You have to admit, our system does have a few advantages.” Torel set their clothes down on a nearby table and walked, still naked, over to the bar, moved the service droid aside, and, retrieved several squares of fabric from a cubby beneath the counter.

  “Maybe, but if we were at my place, we wouldn’t have just gotten all wicked and wanton in front of a droid. Tell me those things don’t have any capacity to record, or I’m going to have to dismantle that one, set the bits on fire, then chuck the ash out an airlock.”

  “I’ve already seen to it.” He returned with the cloths, which he used to clean them both up before they got dressed.

  They managed to tie the remains of her shirt together into something passable and slipped out into the corridor hand in hand and smiling. They still had challenges ahead of them, but Haley knew she’d made the right choice. Aria had asked her what she wanted her new life to look like. The answer was clear to her, now. Her future looked like Torel Zinn, her soulmate.

  Epilogue

  Torel was discovering that life with a bright, curious partner had advantages he’d never considered. He was back in his favourite chair reading over his notes, but this time he had Haley in his lap and they were reviewing the information together. It had started because he wanted to show her where the computer’s translation errors occurred, but they had continued because her questions and insights brought the data into focus in new ways and helped to raise new avenues for him to explore.

  “I don’t understand something, though. If your people have been to Earth before, why isn’t here any record of it? A glyph, or a scroll, or even a legend? And where is the vessel they arrived in? I can accept that somehow there’s no surviving record of your people’s arrival, but how have we missed finding a spaceship? Those things aren’t small.”

  “That’s a mystery we might never solve, though there are two competing theories that both make sense. The first is that the ship crashed, and the survivors found a way to destroy all traces of their existence so they could blend in without affecting the development of your world. It could be lost in the depths of one of the oceans, or deliberately dumped into a volcano. There’s no way to know.”

  Haley was drawing patterns across his bare chest with her fingers, a move that was making it increasingly difficult to think straight. “And the other theory?” she asked.

  “The ship didn’t crash at all. It stayed in orbit while at least some of the colonists went down to the surface, likely to obtain raw materials for repairs or to acquire food or water. Our technology was far less sophisticated back then, and life on a colony ship was not easy. The second theory postulates that some of the colonists choose to stay and live among the humans. The ship and the rest of the colonists continued on their way, only to meet with catastrophe later on.”

  “The second theory sounds more likely to me.” Haley gave him a sultry look that heated his blood. “We humans are very enticing.”

  “I don’t know about other humans, but you, my otama, are enticingly beautiful and intelligent. Whatever you choose to do when we get to Pyros, I know you will be successful at it.”

  Her golden eyes gleamed with pleasure. “I think I know what I’m going to do. I’m going to write those articles I talked about, the ones that might help inform both our races about the other.” She straightened up. “And then I’m going to write a book about it all.”

  It was a good idea, one that would counter some of the fear humans had about his race and their intentions. “Who better to write it than someone who had her own doubts and concerns? Later, I will introduce you to Prince Joran and his mate, Maggie. Once you have them convinced of the value of your plan, you should have no trouble getting all the resources and information you need.”

  She blinked at him. “You know the Prince and Princess well enough to ask that kind of favour?”

  It belatedly occurred to him he had never actually told her his full job title. “I might not have mentioned it before, but the reason I am the Chief Medical Officer of the royal flagship is because I am responsible for the health of the royal family.”

  You really are an overachiever, aren’t you?” she leaned in and kissed him. “That is for being so sweet and supportive of my idea.”

  He laughed and kissed her back. “And that is for making me think about my research differently. We make a good team.”

  “Yes, we do. It would appear the Gods knew what they were doing, after all.”

  He didn’t bother to answer in words, but he made sure his feelings were clear to her through their link, which was now even stronger than before.

  He picked up his tablet and started reading again, only to be interrupted a few seconds later.

  “Tor, what the hell is that? I swear it looks like—” she pointed out the window.

  “It appears the Romaki prince is on his way back to the ship. Interesting. I wasn’t aware they were able to fly outside a planet’s atmosphere. I’ll have to ask him about that, it must have something to do with their magic.”

  “That’s a dragon! I mean, I knew that’s what he was, but… dragon!” Haley declared in shock.

  “Well, yes. Did you not read the information I called up for you about his species?”

  “No. I was busy reading through your stuff and jumping to conclusions,” she reminded him.

  “Ah, yes. You recognize the shape, though? Interesting. Vadir suspected humans had come across the Romaki before, based on your legends. Your reaction lends weight to his theory.”

  She leaned towards the window, her eyes widening yet again. “Is that a second dragon?”

  Sure enough, there were two Romaki winging their way toward the ship, their massive bodies dwarfing the shuttlecraft following them. “It would appear so. It looks like your friend Aria is about to be reunited with her sister.”

  “Shit. She’s not going to like this. That’s her baby sister flapping her big, scaly wings out there.” But he could feel her joy and delight flowing into him.

  “You don’t seem concerned.”

  “I’m not. Piper has been waiting for years to break away from her sister. Aria raised her when their mother died, and she has always been a bit overprotective.” She gestured to the dragons and laughed. “She’s a freaking dragon. Aria is going to have to let her go, now.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, marvelling again that this beautiful female was his. “Aria may let go of her sister, but I will never let go of you.”

  She leaned her head onto his shoulder and smiled. “You better not. You promised me we’d be together until we return to the flames that birthed us, remember? I
’m hoping that day is a very long time from now.”

  “As do I, my love. As do I.”

  * * *

  THE END

  RADEK

  Star-crossed Alien Mail Order Brides #6

  What do you do when your friend’s planet runs out of women? Join them for takeout, of course.

  Radek is a prince with a problem. He wants to see the galaxy, but an ancient law forbids any member of the Romaki Dragon Clans from ever leaving their planet. So, what’s a Romaki Snow Dragon to do? Defy the law, hop a ride with a friend, and head for the far side of the galaxy, that’s what.

  As the Pyrosians prepare to claim their mates, all Radek has to do is sit back, enjoy the party, and keep one little promise – no shifting into a dragon while he’s visiting Earth. What could be simpler?

  This book contains a sassy chef whose dreams just went up in flames, and a runaway prince who thought he was escaping his destiny…until she dropped right into his claws.

  Pre-Order Radek Now

  A SNEAK PEAK AT RADEK

  Prince Radek Makyrn seethed with frustration, but he took care not to show it as he made his way through the crowd of revellers that filled the palace’s largest ballroom. His parents were hosting a party in honour of their off-world guests, none of whom were aware that while they were enjoying themselves, their hosts had decided not to proceed with the trade talks. The Pyrosians had come all this way for nothing – again.

  It took him a painfully long time to reach the edge of the crowd. Too many beings wanted a moment of his time. Some merely wanted to say hello, others flirted shamelessly, and the rest tried to use him as a messenger, hoping he would convey their wishes for meetings or favours to his mother. He politely greeted everyone, declined all flirtations, and deleted all the messages the moment he moved on. Even if he was inclined to help some of them, he knew it was a waste of time to try. During that last meeting his mother had proven yet again that she wouldn’t listen to a word he said.