The Sands of Argurumal (Argurma Salvager Book 3)

by S. J. Sanders

  He pulled off his shafna and draped it over one chair before stripping off his tunic and pants. His civix pushed against the pouch of his sheath, but he ignored it as he slipped into bed and drew his mate’s warm body against his. She mumbled sleepily and curled her arm around his as her bottom scooted back to nestle against his pelvis. A quiet groan left him, but he would not be so selfish as to wake her. As had been pointed out to him, he had been selfish enough, although coming to Argurumal had been unavoidable. Sighing into her hair, his muscles slowly relaxed one by one, eased by the soft sound of her breathing.

  He would do anything to protect her, even hide her in the deepest reaches of their territory, should the danger to her life continue.

  He would deal with the latest threat and make certain that the male never entertained the idea of harming Terri again. With a protective growl rumbling in his throat, Veral dropped his nose against her head and breathed in her scent until it lulled him to sleep.

  15

  Blinking against the sunlight pouring into the bedroom, Terri stilled as she felt a familiar bulk press behind her. Shifting her hips, she rolled over and took in his relaxed expression. In sleep his dark scales and harsh angular facial plating made him appear as some sort of beautiful graven image. In that moment, he was not unlike a few of the beautiful statues that had remained upright in the graveyard back home, though his mandibles that flexed lightly with every breath were a visible reminder of his strength and lethal nature. They drew her attention to his lips. Perfectly shaped, they were relaxed and slightly pouty in slumber.

  Terri lifted her hand and traced the horned plating of his brow lovingly. Her lips quirked as one of his vibrissae slithered up and curled around her wrist. Even in slumber, he sought contact with her. An ache that had been building within her over the days eased. Dropping her hand, she snuggled into him, part of her ridiculously happy that his vibrissae still clung to her.

  She had missed this.

  His eyes behind his eyelids twitched as if on the verge of waking by her movement. His outer lids lifted, revealing the muted blue of his gaze, until the membranous protective eyelid also slid down as his glowing blue eyes met hers. A rattle escaped him with a pleased sigh as he leaned forward to brush his nose against hers, the tendril around her wrist slipping away at the same moment. Terri smiled at the demonstration of affection despite that loss of contact and stroked her hand through his vibrissae, relishing the way they twisted around her fingers in response.

  “I’ve missed you,” she murmured. “Since you’re here, I take it you’re done meeting everyone.”

  “I have met with all the households of the line.”

  She stretched against him, her fingers playfully flicking against the ends of his vibrissae.

  “Thank goodness. I look forward to having more time to ourselves. I can think of some ways to pass the time,” she teased with another flick of her finger over the sensitive tips.

  He caught her hand, stilling her playful touch, but remained silent for a long moment as if were reluctant to answer. Just as her stomach began to twist in unease, he at last grunted in agreement.

  “There will still be time that I must see to my duties, and you will remain here, but I will wish to be by your side while I am gone.”

  Terri frowned in confusion.

  “There’s no reason for me not to go with you for anything that comes up here. If I don’t have to travel far…”

  “No,” his jaw tightened as his mandibles clicked pensively. “Recent events make it clear that it is best for you to remain here.” He smoothed a hand against her cheek. “And perhaps increase your guards.” His lips tightened. “Perhaps I shall assign Malraha to you.”

  She drew back, balking. This wasn’t what she had in mind at all.

  “But… Malraha is part of your guard.”

  Something flickered in his expression.

  “Yes, and she is capable. She is a vigilant guard. I would trust her with your welfare, whereas I do not think she is suited to my guard.”

  She narrowed her eyes.

  “Why?”

  “She made a suggestion that I take the pretense of mating an Argurma female while I lead the house and offered herself at my disposal.” Terri jerked upright, her mouth falling open, but his hand gripped her shoulder, keeping her focus on him. “She is young and ignorant, anastha. She did not realize that my mating with you was as strong as an Argurma mated pair. She was regretful of her error, but I estimate that you will not wish her to continue in my service.”

  “Fuck no I wouldn’t,” she snapped. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She would have expected it of anyone else, and not have been bothered by the attempt, but not an Argurma female. A female who knew how the matings worked and actively sought to undermine them and attempt to replace Terri. There was no way in hell she would trust that female at all.

  She blinked.

  “And this is the female you want to watch over me? A female who I’m not going to trust and for all I know might not be aggrieved if I suffer from some sort of ‘accident?’ You think I’d be comfortable with that?”

  Veral’s lips tightened in acknowledgment.

  “I did not factor the possibility that you would have these concerns. Malraha would not harm you, if you truly fear that. Her biometrics indicated that she was honest in her regret.”

  Terri snorted mirthlessly.

  “Yeah, sorry she didn’t succeed,” she muttered. At Veral’s frown, she sighed. “Okay well just so we are clear. Am I comfortable with her as your guard? Fuck no, and hell no about her being anywhere near me where I might be dependent on her. Regardless of her intentions and her abilities, I can’t trust her.”

  He did not argue but inclined his head.

  “It will dishonor her to return to guarding the compound. However, in consideration of events and your wishes, I will see to it that Larth reassigns her.” His expression tightened. “Regardless, you will have a guard, anastha. I am sure my cousins will have suggestions of those best suited among the members of the house. And we will discuss what transpired.”

  Terri groaned. She should have anticipated that Veral would want to assign more babysitters.

  “Just one,” she offered. “I always have either Dreth or Navesha with me anyway, so just one more will be more than enough.”

  Veral narrowed his eyes in consideration.

  “Two Argurma warriors should be able to subdue anything that might attempt to hurt you,” he conceded, but expression hardened. “If there is any suggestion that it might not be adequate, I will make certain that you are sufficiently protected.”

  She grimaced but nodded.

  “Okay, that’s fair.

  His hand stroked over her bare shoulder.

  “Then we are in agreement. The market we will discuss later. For now, I wish only to reacquaint myself with the touch of my mate,” he purred, his vibrating mandibles sliding along her skin as he dipped his head to kiss her neck.

  Terri melted into his touch. This was much more like how she had expected their morning to begin.

  She exhaled a soft sound of pleasure, a shiver blooming into a surge of heat as he rolled her onto her back. His heavy frame crouched over her; his eyes gleaming brighter with his desire as he pulled the bedding away to fully expose her naked body. She didn’t like to sleep clothed, not only because she hated the feel of the fabric tightening around her uncomfortably, but for moments like these when there were needs demanding to be met. It didn’t hurt that Veral also slept naked. He hovered over her in all his masculine beauty, his wide chest and muscled abs marked with the tiny networks of cybernetics. There were fewer on his forearms, biceps, thighs, and calves, but each glowed beautifully, begging to be touched and traced.

  She pushed herself to a seated position, and Veral groaned as she dragged her tongue against a large patch on his shoulder, his body twitching with his desire. The upraised clusters of cybernetics, while resilient against attack from where they w
ere implanted beneath his scales, were erotically sensitive spots wherever they were the thickest. It was a fun contrast that she loved to use to her advantage. His head thrown back in pleasure, she wasted no time in allowing her lips to travel down the muscle, her teeth lightly scraping and nipping in stinging bites against them.

  Veral tolerated her explorations for several minutes as she tongued and bit at various spots on his neck and chest, his breath coming out in hard pants as he trembled with restrained desire. She knew that he had enough when his hand slid up to cup her neck. The curl of his fingers did not alarm her, nor when he yanked her back so she dropped once more on the pillows.

  Her chest heaving, she grinned up at him as he kneeled above her. The hard muscles of his abs quivered, directing her gaze to his long, thick sex snaking through the air, the slightly hooked tip swollen with its rigid curve. Her mouth watered at the sight. She pushed herself just enough to grab it tight within her palm. Veral jerked, a muffled snarl leaving him as she stroked it, enjoying the way the tubes along the side excreted their slippery substance. With a moan, she licked and mouthed the head and shaft. When she finally took him into her mouth, she did so at a careful angle so that the curved flesh only lightly brushed upon her tongue.

  It wasn’t sharp. The tip would become more rigid only when he neared climax. She had brought him to climax orally before and knew she was in no danger even then. Veral’s civix stiffened, and as long as she kept him angled off of her tongue, he had no soft spot on which to latch.

  But that wasn’t her goal. She wanted him mindless with desire.

  His civix twisted, and she sucked harder until he growled and yanked on her hair, pulling her mouth free of him.

  “Enough,” he rumbled.

  With one quick movement, he turned her over onto her hands amd knees, her body swaying before she braced eagerly for him. His large hands slipped along her swollen belly for just a moment before anchoring against her hips. She drew in a breath and then he was there, his body arching over hers as his civix slipped between her folds and burrowed deep with a firm shove of his hips.

  The movement of his civix twisting within her, burrowing relentlessly even when he yanked back to thrust forward again, lit up every sensitive spot within her channel. It churned, and tapped, thrumming within her as it sought the mouth of her womb to latch onto. Every hard thrust sent pulses of pleasure through her, until she was a panting, sweaty mess, rocking her rotating hips back against him, needing more of him.

  Veral didn’t hold back. As he rutted harder, his thrusts rocking her forward with firm slaps, one of his hands planted on the bed beside her, claws digging into the bedding while the other gripped her breast, tweaking and pulling at the nipple.

  A tortured gasp left her as he tormented the hard, puckered tip as she felt him thickening with her as he stiffened. The pleasure-pain of his civix latching made her jerk against him as the first of her orgasms overtook her under her mate’s approving growl. His pace then picked up. Now that he couldn’t pull back more than very slightly, he ground into her with rotating hips, his civix’s tugging just enough to send spirals of heat coursing through her blood to coil deep in her belly.

  His mandibles vibrated in a low, lusty purr just as his hand dove. The touch of his fingers sliding against her clit made her snap forward against them, creating more of the erotic tug within her. The snarl that followed filled the air as Veral continued his deep, grinding rut. Terri’s muscles shook as her pleasure wound tighter. The build was exquisite, but she needed more.

  “Veral,” she whimpered.

  The pinch of his fingers on her clit sent a sharp burst of ecstasy through her, and then she was falling over the edge of her orgasm. She bore down on his civix as she twitched and cried out in bliss. The hot burst within her and his own roar filling her ears was the pinnacle of everything in that moment. Another electric rush of pleasure followed the first as words of love and adoration were rasped to her.

  16

  Terri scowled at the monitor. Veral had agreed to let her witness the merchant’s questioning but only via cam from the safety of their room while he accompanied Navesha and Azan to the market. He hadn’t been pleased to learn that the pirate was housed in the visitor’s quarters of the compound, but he hadn’t attempted to revoke his offer, nor did he hesitate to allow her to accompany him.

  Of course the pirate he couldn’t stand got to go. Terri got a damned vid feed. At least he left Krono for her this time. He sat beside her, head in her lap as she glowered at the image of her mate and his companions entering the jail and stopping at the reception. Terri scratched the dorashnal’s jaw.

  Dreth’s vibrissae puffed and lowered in discomfort as he gave her and apologetic look from where he sat just across from her.

  “I am surprised Veral didn’t take you along as well,” she remarked sourly.

  Dreth chuffed, his eyes, considerably more expressive than Veral’s, squinting with genuine humor.

  “Someone was required to stay behind as your guard, and since he had not yet had the opportunity to select any others, it was logical that I be the one to remain since Navesha and the Blaithari wished to see the matter to its conclusion.”

  “As I would have liked to,” she shot back. “I’m the one who nearly got killed.”

  “Which is why you are not involved,” he replied, unruffled. “It is too personal. Your emotions will cloud your mind. Rather, focus on the objective of acquiring information.”

  “You are saying it’s not personal for Veral?” she asked.

  “It is personal, and he will likely kill the male when he is finished acquiring information,” Dreth corrected. “But he is programmed foremost to keep to his objective and has the same personal training as all of us who must keep our malfunctions secret to keep his emotions second.” He leaned back in his chair, eyes returning to the viewing screen.

  Terri scowled at his profile.

  “Should have known you would say something like that,” she muttered, watching Veral as he followed the jail guard back through a locked door.

  She blinked and sat forward as everyone jerked to a halt. What was going on? Even Dreth’s lips fell in a puzzled frown. The tiny drone was just behind Veral’s huge shoulders, so she had no way of seeing what was happening, but Azan’s barked expletive and Veral’s angry hiss was enough to tell her that whatever it was, it was not good.

  Her mate rounded on the guard, snatching him by the throat with one hand as he shoved the male into the wall, his vibrissae whipping forward in fury.

  “What happened here?” he growled.

  He stepped forward, crowding into the male’s space, and Terri drew in a sharp breath. The male lay crumpled on the ground, green foam spilling out from his mouth to mingle with the blood streaking down from his eyes and leaking from his pointed, frilled ears. Her fingers dug into the armrests of the chairs as she swallowed back her nausea.

  “What the fuck?” she choked.

  She could just barely hear the pirate mutter the same question as she toed the corpse with a shudder of revulsion. Since the drone was coded to Veral’s bio-signature it stayed near him and the audio was filled with the guard’s laborious breathing. He wheezed around the tight grip on his throat, his thick fingers digging into Veral’s forearm. Although the Farhal was larger and impossible for Veral to pick up, the sheer strength of her mate kept him immobile despite his struggles. The guard’s mouth gaped slightly as he drew in a ragged breath, however little Veral allowed.

  Terri rolled her eyes as the excessive show of force despite the tiny thrill it gave her knowing that concern for her was largely what motivated the reaction.

  Control of his emotions her ass.

  “Yes, I can see he’s keeping himself under control,” she muttered.

  Dreth shrugged. “The male is not dead.”

  “Answer,” Veral commanded in a low hiss. “What happened?”

  “Poison… It looks like poison,” the male rasped fearfully.
/>   From the angle of the droid Terri could see the deadly narrowing of her mate’s eyes.

  “And how,” Veral snarled, “would poison have made it into the jail cell? Do you not remove your captive’s personal belongings?”

  The guard gave a jerking nod. “Yes, on my oath. We search all pockets, pat the clothing for anything in the lining, and search orifices. We also run a toxins and metals detector to catch anything we may miss. He was clean. There was no chance of him bringing it in with him.”

  “Who gave it to him then?” Veral demanded.

  “I do not know! I just came on shift after the midday meal hour. I would need to check the security footage, but I do know that there haven’t been any visitors. From what I understand, he did not move from the bench by the window all day.”

  “In front of the window.”

  “We know it is against regulations, but the window is very small. Not even the smallest species would be able to get through it.”

  “That is hardly the only potential concern,” Veral snapped.

  Her mate huffed then and released the male, the guard immediately rushing back up the corridor as Veral spun around, his eyes narrowing on the body. He barely glanced up to nod to another Farhal, one wearing a crisp black uniform jacket in contrast to the red ones worn by the other guard she had seen. This new male took position by Veral’s side, his face hardening as his eyes skimmed over the corpse on the floor of the cell.

  “Damned mess,” the Farhal muttered as he pulled a datapad from a pouch inside his jacket. “I am head guard Shonk Vazan. You are Veral’monushava’skahalur, current head of the Monushava household investigating an attack on your household initiated by this vendor?”

  Veral grunted in agreement.