The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3)

by S. J. Sanders

  “Release him,” Terri demanded.

  The stranger’s eyes narrowed on her, but she barely had time to react when the female released Veral’s hair and whipped around in a smooth motion, her hand snapping toward Terri as a long, thin metallic cord shot out from the Argurma’s wristband. A squeak of alarm escaped Terri as she attempted to evade, but the cord snapped around her wrist, the whip-like metal twining around her wrist seconds before she was jerked forward off her feet. Her symbiont tried to react, but the metal whip was wrapped too tightly around it and blocked the tendrils that attempted to escape to defend her.

  Terri met the female’s triumphant gaze, her lips parting with surprise.

  Krono snarled loudly, throwing himself protectively in front of Terri, but Veral’s roar startled them both as her mate leaped forward, barreling into the other female with enough power that it stunned the female. Her whip slacked and fell from around Terri’s wrist seconds before he sent the Argurma flying through the air. Krono huddled in front of her, providing comfort even as she cringed at the overly loud crack of the alien’s body impacting a tree.

  They weren’t getting off to the best of starts.

  To her surprise, a low chuff rose from the tree as the female pushed herself slowly to her feet, her vibrissae stirring in the manner that Veral’s did when he was pleased with something.

  “Enough, Navesha,” Veral growled as a wide, closed-lipped smile stretched across the female’s face as she retracted her whip back into her wristlet.

  “Very well, I will concede victory to you. It seems that mating has made you a formidable opponent, in any case.” She turned a curious look to Terri before her eyes returned to Veral. “It is interesting that, though rumors have proven true that you had mated with a strange alien, nothing spoke of her ferocity. Well chosen,” Navesha chuffed, her hand slapping the red dust from her robe-covered thighs.

  An unamused growl left Veral as he moved to Terri’s side, his eyes anxiously running over her. Krono dropped back, taking a guard position at their side as Veral tucked into his side.

  “The last you saw me, Navesha, I was barely an adult, just graduated from my training programs. That was many revolutions ago,” he rumbled irritably. “All the same, I did not expect to be accosted by you.”

  The female shrugged unrepentantly. “The situation merited a test once I saw for my own eyes that you had indeed taken up with a primitive. Featha is displeased that you sought a mate outside of our customs. She would have looked the other way for any other male, but you are the heir of the line. Mating and breeding an alien is a great insult to her. She had hoped that once you gained control of your volatile emotions and returned that she could help you arrange a proper mating.”

  “It was clear that I was not welcome here,” he growled.

  Navesha shook her head. “The household would not have been safe when you were younger and lacking control. Your mother would have trained you herself during your juvenile years had her malfunction status not made her suspect, and you too by extension, by the council. But Featha was unhappy that you left the planet. It was always her intent that eventually you would return to continue the line with a worthy female. She spoke of it often in the past.”

  “And I have,” Veral hissed. “Terri carries my young. This is why I have returned. I need to speak to Featha at once.”

  “An heir?” Navesha said slowly, her brow ridges rising. “You mean…” At Veral’s nod, her expression tightened. “Featha is not going to like this,” she growled. “I will be honest with you: none of the females of your mother-kin’s line will.” She let out a slow breath, her vibrissae puffing out around her head slightly. “However, your… mate… is safe here. I will swear to ensure it. But you will still have to face Featha’s displeasure. Your meeting should be interesting,” she said as she broke into another soft chuff of laughter.

  With a whirl of red robes, she strode away from them, heading toward the door with precise steps. As they followed the female, Terri glanced around curiously, searching for the familiar, shadowy form of dorashnal. Shouldn’t she have one? Didn’t everyone? She searched her memory, trying to recall whether Veral had ever mentioned it as he led her inside the cool interior.

  The door slid closed behind her, and Terri suddenly wished they were back in space and as far as possible from everything on Argurumal. Licking her lips, she tried to ignore the sinking feeling in her stomach as she allowed Veral to pull her along after Navesha’s retreating figure as they walked through the corridor to a destination that Terri wasn’t the least bit eager to reach.

  4

  Veral narrowed his eyes at Navesha’s back and hissed. He had anticipated just this problem arising, but he did not know how to appraise his cousin’s offer. What did she have to gain from it? There were no bonds between them outside of their common ties to their line. Logically, it would not be enough to protect Terri against the other females should they prove hostile toward his mate. There was no reason for her to act in a way that could jeopardize her own standing among their mother-kin. She had to want something.

  Terri glanced over at him curiously and leaned in.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered.

  He grunted in reply as he kept his attention trained on his cousin, watching for any sign of deceit. He did not wish to share his concerns with her. Terri was under enough stress and he did not wish to add to it. He knew just from her expression that she would not let it go. At least his mate was no longer offering credits in exchange for his thoughts.

  It had disturbed him that his mate would offer to pay for something that he would happily give her freely even if she had not intended him to take it literally. She never had to do more than ask. He was pleased to share everything with his mate and offer it to her. Offering a barter between mates was an extreme insult… one he had ignored knowing that she was of a different species. Regardless, it had still pained him more than he would have expected. It was his responsibility to provide for his mate and their young, for him to give for her comfort. Not for her to give to him.

  He met her eyes, looked over meaningfully at Navesha briefly before he met Terri’s gaze again and shook his head. He would tell her, but not until they were alone. Terri thinned lips back at him unhappily but remained silent as she walked at his side.

  “It is late,” Navesha said over her shoulder from where she paced ahead of them. “I was overseeing my station for the first half-night duties when your ship’s AI alerted me to your arrival. I was surprised by your sudden appearance, but even more so that your vibrissae appear butchered. You appear significantly damaged compared to the regal bearing you once bore. I am certain that if it were not for your genetic identification markers, none of us would have recognized you, not even Featha.”

  “When will we be meeting with her?” Veral asked, his eyes skimming over halls that he had hadn’t lain eyes on in many revolutions. It had been a long time, but not so long that he couldn’t recognize that this was not the route to the gathering room.

  Navesha gave him a knowing look and inclined her head. “Not until morning. Since Featha and the others will sleep for several hours yet, you will be permitted to stay in your private chambers for the night until the head mother is available to meet with you.” She opened a door to his chambers and gestured to it. “I will return for you in the morning when she is ready to see you. As these apartments are yours, with this entire wing once belonging to your mother, no one will object to your residence here. You should be undisturbed here until I arrive.”

  “Thank you,” Terri murmured, eyes roving curiously around the rooms that made up his private chambers.

  Krono immediately peeled from his mate’s side, dropping onto the comfortable mat just in front of the sleeping platform. A heavy sigh huffed from the dorashnal as he watched over them. Navesha shook her head at him but made no effort to follow them in. Instead, she remained just outside of the door until they were inside. Only then did her head drop in a curt nod ju
st before the door silently slid shut.

  Veral’s breath hissed out of him at length, and he lifted his hand and placed his palm on the keypad beside the door. Although it felt absurd to lock his chambers against his mother-kin, he was not going to take any risks with Terri and their offspring. At his touch, he connected with the systems of his chambers so that, with a single thought sent into the panel, he locked it, ensuring no one else could open it, before he turned to see to his mate. She stood among the muted silver and black of his bedroom decor as the single mark of brightness in all his surroundings. One of her eyebrows arched as she surveyed the rest of the room, and she made a small sound at the back of her throat.

  “Your people certainly do like a dark decor,” Terri observed.

  He nodded his head. “It is simple and efficient.”

  Terri gave him a puzzled look. “The Wanderer has a lot of metal, but it’s nowhere near as dark and dismal as this.”

  His ear twitched and turned slightly toward her as he considered her words. There was a difference between the two. He could not deny that. But the simple comforts that he added to his starship since mating were little compared to what was available on his home world. He had noted that his mate had a penchant for picking brighter colors, but she did not understand just how much the complex contained the most desirable comfort and tranquility.

  “A starship is designed to be utilitarian. It is not the same as the household of one’s line,” he said. His vibrissae flared and flattened anxiously. Despite the fact that they were not staying, he wanted his mate to see the beauty and strength of his line. He wanted her to smile, not grimace as she was currently doing. His mandibles snapped as he drew in a sharp breath of what he hated to admit was injured pride.

  “It is not dismal,” he continued, a disgruntled growl escaping him on the last word. “Not the most luxurious on Argurumal, but it is a worthy complex for our line, equal to any other successful line who dwells upon the Great Dunes.” He gestured to the dark walls. “The complex is made of the finest black stone, enhanced only by the metal tech adjoining it to fulfill our needs. You may not see it now, but the darker fabrics are meant to compliment the walls without being too distracting or disruptive to the mind, while keeping our interior residence as dark and cool as possible.”

  His mate glanced around slowly, her expression blank as she further took in her surroundings. When she met his eyes again, he noted the effort she expended to force a genial smile.

  “I see,” she murmured but he shook his head in immediately denial.

  She couldn’t truly know until she experienced the relentless brutality of Argurumal for herself.

  “No, you do not.” Veral tipped his head and sighed. “You have not seen Argurumal during the day, so until you do, you cannot understand. The brightness of our sun and the intense heat of it will make you long for and appreciate the darkness within our walls. But you should be pleased to know that there are always the shadowed gardens of the courtyard when you seek something a bit brighter,” he amended, winning a small smile from her.

  “Oh, okay,” she murmured as she stepped over to him, her hands sliding up his chest on their path to curl around the base of his neck. “I suppose you make a good point. I just need time to get used to it.”

  He brushed the tip of his nose against her hair, his eyes half-closing blissfully as his mandibles slid through her hair, delivering a fresh burst of her perfume over his scent receptors. He kissed the top of her head and allowed his mandibles to vibrate in a soft purr.

  “We will not be here long. Just be patient, anastha, and we will be back to our starship soon.”

  Terri silently nodded, though her expression became slightly more pinched. She took a deep breath and offered him a more genuine smile that eased a tightness within him that had gone unnoticed.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said softly, her palm stroking the base of his neck, toying with the vibrissae as they curled around her fingers and clung to her. “Like you said, we are safe here. It’s just an adjustment. No reason to talk about leaving when we just got here.” She swallowed. “It seems to me that you have some unresolved things to see to with your family. We have to be here anyway, so we will kill two birds with one stone.”

  His brow dipped. Although he did not know what exactly she spoke of, he was able to infer her meaning well enough. She was encouraging him to make the most maximum use of their time there. Although he had not wished to deal with the matter of his inheritance and had been content to leave it in his mother-kin’s care, he knew that he would not be able to avoid it long.

  Terri was right. Better to deal with the unresolved matters within his line in light of Navesha’s words.

  Vibrissae twisting lightly around him, he growled unhappily but pressed his lips against the top of her head.

  “I will attempt to resolve our daughter’s place within our line quickly,” he murmured as his hand skimmed down over Terri’s belly to flatten against the swell of his offspring snug within her mother’s womb.

  He could feel his mate’s shiver of apprehension and could taste fear rising only to be squashed beneath her control.

  “They won’t hurt her… right?” she murmured.

  “They will not,” he assured her. “Her presence is inconvenient to them because of her origins alone. My mother’s sister is most unhappy that I have mated outside of our species—something that no one else has dared to go against the council and do. But they will see your strength, and it will be as I said on your home planet: you will win much admiration. Our daughter can only be accepted as one of the line.”

  Terri tucked her head against him and sighed. “I wish I could be so confident of that.”

  “You will see, anastha,” he purred.

  She squinted up at him. “Navesha made it sound like there was a mate already all picked out for you.”

  Veral chuffed. “A true mating as we possess is uncontestable and unchangeable. Before you, any female my aunt would have chosen for me, I would have to have been injected with the hormones to trick my body into beginning a bonding process. This is no longer a concern.”

  Terri bit her lip with an uncertainty that he hated to see on his mate’s face. “Are you sure? They… they couldn’t attempt to force you to mate with another by doing that, could they?”

  He stilled as he felt the symbiont stir against the back of his neck. It was responding to her distress. He began to vibrate his mandibles again in a low purr, seeking to ease his mate and hopefully retract the metal slithering against the back of his neck.

  “No,” he rumbled through the purr of his mandibles. “Once a mating is done, it cannot be overridden or reset with another female. Featha will be displeased for a time, but she will come to find peace with it.”

  It twisted with a slight scratch of barbs that suddenly covered it for only a few seconds as Terri trembled against him before she finally sagged against him. The moment she relaxed, the barbs disappeared, and the metal slipped back into the symbiont on Terri’s forearm.

  “Okay, I can do this,” she murmured against his skin.

  He nodded his head from where it was rested against the top of hers. “You will be magnificent, anastha. And after we meet with the head of the line, we will have the medic brought to see you directly. Then, as soon as possible, we will leave.”

  A soft sigh slipped free from her. “Okay,” she said. “I hope it will be that easy.”

  Veral threaded his fingers through her hair. Lifting his head, he looked down at her as his fingers curling to gently knot the strands within his fist. Terri stilled against him, but at his gentle tug she dropped her head back to meet his eyes.

  “Nothing is easy, anastha, least of all on Argurumal. But we will conquer and be triumphant against everything. There is no other way.”

  Her lips twisted into a smile a moment before he dropped his mouth down to claim them with his kiss. Terri melted against him, and he slid his hands down beneath her rump to lift her up hig
h against him. He carried her over to the sleeping platform and set her carefully upon it. Desire and love swept over him as he stared down at his mate. It held him in place until she sat up and reached for him to draw him down onto the surface with her.

  5

  Terri sighed with pleasure, her back arching as Veral’s rough hands pushed her tunic up. It didn’t take him more than a couple of minutes to divest both of them of their clothes. She felt the rush of cool air brush her skin with the absence of his body’s heat, but she didn’t even have time to object before he was once more stretched out against her.

  His palms cupped her breasts eagerly and she mumbled soft encouragement as he gently gripped them, his thumbs flicking over her nipples. They were extra sensitive lately, and the action sent a tongue of lightning shooting straight down to her belly. There was a light, erotic scratch of his claws as he toyed with her breasts. He did not retract them until his hands swept lower to caress her belly lovingly for a moment before diving between her thighs.

  Veral parted her legs, and one hand remained gripping one thigh as his other hand cupped her mound. Two fingers slicked down, grazing her clit as they parted her folds and pushed within her. His thumb circled her clit, sending tiny shocks of pleasure through her as he slowly began to thrust his fingers in and out of her, preparing her in a way that only a male who was now very familiar with her body knew how to do.

  Her breath came out in tiny gasps as she struggled to remain in control of herself. She had no idea how close anyone else was to them and certainly didn’t want to wake anyone. Considering that she had to face his relatives in the morning, she didn’t want to stand in front of everyone knowing that they had heard her crying out in a passionate moment. She certainly wasn’t quiet during sex. They both knew that.

  Hence the reason why currently Veral’s eyes were narrowed on her, a low growl rumbling from him.