Elise felt a tightening between her own legs as two dark-skinned women nearby toyed with each other’s nipples. Beside them, another couple was sinking slowly to the floor. The woman closest to Elise lowered her head between her partner’s legs, and the woman being pleasured let out a low groan.
These people know no shame.
The thought shocked her and aroused her all at once. Heat rose to Elise’s cheeks, and she looked away—straight into the eyes of the four-breasted woman from the OrTan peepshow. Her blush grew painful. Thankfully, the woman didn’t seem to recognize her.
“Do you like to watch others being pleasured, beloved?” Ki’s voice was ragged—and maddening.
“No,” she snapped, even though she knew she was lying. “And I’m not your beloved. I don’t even know you.”
“But you will, shanna.”
Elise rolled her eyes, then decided to get a fix on her surroundings in case escape became a possibility. A few glances told her that she was in this ship’s version of a sick bay, and she realized Akad must be some sort of doctor or healer. Waiting for Ki to put her down, she marveled at the array of computer-like instruments, and she wondered at the advancement of their medical science. Judging by the frigate, she guessed Ki’s people were light years ahead of Earth in science and technology.
On the wall directly to Elise’s right, another strange mural caught her attention. The same three women she had seen in the passageway. One blond, one redhead, and one with—strangely changing hair. Almost iridescent. In this picture, the silver-marked and naked beauties held swords. Their toothy mouths were opened in a group howl, and at their feet lay a dark-headed man. His hands were bound.
Good for them. Elise cut her eyes toward the side of Ki’s head and dug her nails into his shoulder.
He didn’t respond.
Akad entered quietly, and he motioned for the waiting women to clear a space on the nearest table. One of them frowned and bared vampire-like fangs, but they all moved. Ki strode forward and eased Elise onto the bright surface. It was cool and hard, yet comforting, and it warmed quickly to the temperature of her skin.
When Ki stepped back, Elise had a chance to take her rescuer’s full measure. He was easily seven feet tall, and maybe taller. There was no hint of the lankiness typical to men of that height. This one was all muscle, and just as she had dreamed him to be—flowing black hair spilling down across his bare golden shoulders, covering the tips of his silver tattoo. Corded chest, arms that would put a weightlifter to shame, tapered waist, solid hips…oh, man. He was Orion, in the flesh, dressed in flowing black pants, with a sword in a scabbard against his left leg.
There was a distinct bulge beside that sword, and Elise found she couldn’t take her eyes off of it.
Was he as well-endowed as the green guy she had seen on the slaving ship?
Not that it matters. Mr. Arrogance isn’t getting anywhere near me.
But the intense, ravenous look in Ki’s eyes said differently. The man seemed absolutely possessed by desire. Elise simultaneously steamed with rage and a secret, guilty excitement.
Did he want her that badly?
And why was he calling her beloved?
Was he reading her thoughts, even now?
Could he tell she was attracted to him?
Akad slipped into view, approaching slowly with a pair of golden tongs and a small cup. He handed her the cup, which was full of thick, greenish liquid.
“Swallow this, Grace. It will dull the pain when I take your collar.”
Elise glanced at the swirling liquid and reverted to her second rule: Trust no one but Georgia. The thought of her cousin brought a surge of emotion, and Elise bit back a shaky sigh. “Um, no. I’m not into alien drugs. Just take the collar off.”
Looking flustered, Akad again offered the cup. “Please, Grace. You will need this. If not now,” he cut his eyes toward Ki, “then later.”
Ki made a low hiss and started to pace. “Make haste, priest.”
“Is something wrong with him?” Elise followed Ki’s irregular course with her eyes. “He acts almost drunk. And definitely stupid.”
“Ardani mating fervor.” Akad pressed the cup into Elise’s hands. “It happens when a warrior finds his soul’s mate, just before the bonding ceremony and the first joining. The more powerful the warrior, the worse the fervor.”
Elise definitely didn’t like the sound of that. She let the cup rest against her fingers, feeling the warmth of the potion inside. She made eye contact with Akad, who seemed to be trying to avoid her gaze. “What will this do to me?”
“It will lessen the pain of collar removal.” Akad glanced at Elise’s hands. “And it will relax your muscles for a few stellar hours. No permanent effects. About this, you have the word of an Ardani holy man.”
Akad seemed quite serious when he spoke his last sentence, and Elise’s instinct kicked in enough to tell her that Akad seemed on the up and up.
She took a swig of the potion.
It tasted like Crème de Menthe, heated, and it made her tongue numb.
Ki paced by, once more fixing her with a hungry stare. The hard-on in his pants seemed larger.
Elise downed the rest of the drink.
Just then, a warrior burst into the sick bay. Save for a few inches in height, he might have been Ki’s double. Elise felt a flicker of attraction, then shook it off. It was bad enough finding one arrogant pirate handsome. Two would be unthinkable.
Ki and his double squared off, and almost immediately, a noise began in Elise’s mind. Two voices, dueling, louder and louder.
…let her be properly prepared, brother.
Get away from me…
Ki, she is a primitive. Listen to reason…
…go back to pumping fergilla…
The shorter man drew his blade, and Ki drew his in response.
The two men began to duel in earnest, right there in the sick bay. Naked women stumbled and fell away from them, clearing room for their seemingly deadly battle.
Elise gasped, but Akad shook his head. “It is typical, Grace. Fari is only helping to manage the fervor until you are…capable. Now, close your eyes. Once I remove the collar, our speech will make little sense to you—but you will understand soon enough.”
Not wanting to obey but feeling strangely compelled, Elise did as the priest asked and let her lids drift shut.
“One more thing,” Akad whispered. “Do not be afraid. When an Ardani warrior loves you, he will do nothing you do not desire, and everything you want. You have my word on that as well.”
Before she could open her eyes, Elise felt the priest remove her shirt. There was a tug at her neck, a brief flash of pain, and then nothing. The collar was gone.
When she looked around, a few women were grinning at her, running fingers across their own collars. She smiled at them in understanding, then realized she was dizzy.
“I don’t feel right,” she whispered to Akad.
More warriors had entered the sick bay, and they were restraining Ki, attempting to take him out of the room. His eyes were wide, and he was howling.
Elise’s heart twisted at the sight of his desperation. She had a sudden urge to yell at them to leave her beloved alone.
My beloved? Oh, God. I’m drunk.
Akad lifted her from the table. He said something she couldn’t understand—it sounded almost like birdsong rather than words.
Ki’s shorter double took her from Akad. Fari. Yes, that was his name. He was Ki’s brother, and he was gentle as he carried her out of the sickbay and back down the long hallway.
It was somewhere in between the hold exit and the main deck that Elise realized she was completely naked. She tensed, but only a little. The tongue-numbing drink was doing its job.
Warm air passed over every inch of her, bringing her nipples to attention. All over the frigate, deck hands and warriors stared at her with covetous desire. She could only hope Fari hurried to wherever they were going, but he didn’t. He walked
slowly, as if he were part of some procession, until he reached the tallest point of the frigate’s main deck.
With Akad beside him and Ki nearby—but held by six different warriors—Fari raised Elise up, then forward, like he might drop her into the ravenous crowd of men below.
Some part of her mind wanted to fight, to protest, but she couldn’t muster the muscle tension.
“Elise!” Fari bellowed. “Shanna Ki Tul’Mar!”
Ki roared his assent and struggled with his captors.
Akad echoed Fari’s words, adding more phrases Elise didn’t understand—but she had the distinct impression she was being married in some bizarre alien way.
It’s okay. No problem I can do this. Whatever it takes to get home, to get back to my cousin.
The crowd below her roared three times, in quick succession, and Ki was led away.
Fari made an agonizingly slow turn, showing Elise’s every angle and inch to the cheering men.
She tried to find her embarrassment, but it simply wasn’t there.
An Ardani warrior will do nothing you do not desire…everything you want…
The priest’s words ran through her mind.
So, did she desire being on display?
Of course not.
But…there was an undeniable ache between her legs as the men looked her over. Desiring her, but not daring to touch her. Because she belonged to their Sailmaster. Because she was the Sailmaster’s woman, forever out of reach but delicious to dream of fucking every night, while they searched for their own mates.
Where did that come from? What the hell am I thinking?
Some of the men were gripping themselves, in obvious pain.
For a second, there on that space frigate, drugged and naked in the arms of a complete stranger, on display for a crew full of pirates, Elise Ashton felt more powerful than ever before.
And more excited.
Fari held her suspended for a few more seconds, then turned, marched forward into a ship cabin, and placed her gently on her feet.
Elise swayed as her heavy lids lifted to take in the huge room. It was bigger than most Earth houses. The furnishings were sparse, only a desk and a large table with chairs. On the right wall, Elise saw another mural with the three vampire girls, this time fighting each other with swords…and in the very back of the room, a large curtained bed.
Candles were ablaze on the floor, on the table, on virtually every flat surface. The light scent of honey and lemon wafted through the air, and the effect of the flames on the silvery floor was hypnotic.
This is the Sailmaster’s cabin, Elise’s fuzzy mind told her.
And the Sailmaster was indeed waiting, in the back, beside the bed. No handlers were in sight, and Ki was naked. He had a hard-on that would put the green man on the OrTan ship to shame, and his face was slack.
Elise quickly realized that Ki Tul’Mar had been drugged, too.
Thank God.
And then Fari closed and locked the cabin door—without leaving.
Elise’s eyes came fully open now.
“Oh, no. Sorry,” she slurred. “I might—with him, maybe—and I’m not even sure about that, but absolutely not with you, too—”
But before she could finish, Fari once more lifted her and carried her straight back to the bed, back to the waiting Ki, who was growling again, in a low, spine-stirring way.
“I can’t do this,” Elise muttered, but she sounded half-hearted, even to herself. Her drugged brain and body acknowledged what her pride didn’t want to admit—how very much she wanted to experience every sexy inch of Ki.
Fari lowered Elise to the bed and stepped back, making way for his brother’s approach.
Ki stumbled forward and came to a halt inches from the bed. His eyes swept up and down Elise’s body, consuming her with the fire of his desire. His need was so obvious and desperate, so raw and real, that any thought she had of fighting him vanished on the spot.
But, Fari…
Ki’s brother was still standing on the far side of the bed, seemingly ignoring them. Elise’s head was spinning. She stretched out, trying to ignore him, too.
The sheets felt soft on her naked skin, and the dancing candlelight and warm fragrances washed over her.
Ki lowered himself into the bed beside her. He smelled of leather and sweat and desire, like warrior’s musk. Elise took long breaths, enjoying the sheer maleness of his scent, the absolute perfection of his hard, warm flesh pressing the length of her body. His silver tattoo was hot and damp, like tongues against her chest.
A rustle of cloth caught Elise’s attention, and she realized Fari had closed the bed curtain on his side. One by one, all of the curtains closed. And then Elise heard the cabin door open, then close, the lock once more clicking into place.
She was alone with Ki.
Relief swept her, followed quickly by fear.
This was a seven-foot alien stranger, and she was alone with him. At his mercy.
But she wasn’t afraid. Far from it. In fact, she was more aroused than she had ever been. Wet and aching, her body screamed for Ki’s hands, for his mouth, for the stiff cock she could feel against her like a hot piece of iron.
Ki was speaking in her mind, whispering, but she couldn’t completely understand him. Without the collar, she was fishing for words and sounds that made sense, learning as she went. And so was Ki, but his learning was strictly tactile.
Here? His fingers seemed to ask as they brushed her cheek.
Here? They inquired as they crept over her neck, as powerful as vises but as gentle as feathers.
And then his lips were on hers, pressing hard as he cupped her head, until she groaned with the pleasure of finally joining with him in some small way.
All those nights, waiting.
All those nights, dreaming.
Ki was pushing gently into her mouth, tasting her like a starving man might sample the first course of a banquet. His tongue was rough and soft at the same time, thrilling her as it met her own in a slow dance of excitement. He pulled back to kiss her cheeks, her chin, her neck.
Elise bowed against the pillows, wondering what his teeth would feel like on her skin. As if in answer, he nibbled the flesh beneath her ear and down, toward her collarbone, and back up again on the other side.
She felt connected to him, and completely without fear. Her thoughts seemed to guide his touches, and his throaty growls made her shiver all over.
“I wish I could still understand you,” she whispered.
Ki took her nipple into his mouth and sucked, speaking a universal language.
Elise moaned, arching her back as his hands slipped behind her, pulling her close. Biting and teasing with his tongue, he made her slit ache for his cock. She wrapped her fingers in his long, soft hair and pressed his face closer.
Sighing, he changed nipples, this time starting harder and faster.
Elise’s pussy was so wet she didn’t know how much more she could stand.
Sensing her crazed arousal, Ki let one hand stray down her hip, stroking the sensitive slit between her thighs, then slipping farther into her pool of excitement. Elise bucked as he slid his fingers higher and higher, until he found her clit and pressed against it.
“Please,” she whispered as he made slow circles against her swollen bud, keeping easy rhythm with her hips.
Ki pulled back and looked at her, still using his hand to push her closer and closer to ecstasy. His lids were heavy, but his eyes were bright and fevered. The man was splendid in his nakedness as he lounged there, staring at her, fingering her clit until she came with a loud cry of surprise and joy. And then he kept going, this time dipping his fingers inside her pussy, suddenly, almost rough, but not too rough. First one finger, then two, then three.
Elise couldn’t help herself. She spread her legs wide, giving him full access to do as he pleased.
Grinning that insufferably arrogant grin, Ki left his fingers in place, pushing in and out of her sweet recesses, deep
er and deeper. Then he leaned down and ran his tongue from his knuckles to the apex of Elise’s wet flesh. She groaned at the sweet feel of his mouth as he teased, drawing out her excitement as he flicked against her clit again and again.
Elise’s arousal blended with her drugged haze, and she lost count of her orgasms as Ki worked his lips and tongue up and down her swollen slit. Her insides were aching, wanting more of him, all of him, yet even so relaxed and ready, she feared being able to take his full, incredible cock.
He raised his head, as if tracking her thoughts. “Do not be afraid,” he whispered, and Elise’s eyes flew open all the way.
“I understood you,” she said, surprised by the thick huskiness of her voice.
Ki said something else, but this time, Elise couldn’t grasp it.
He sighed. “Time, beloved. Time. Until…show. Show.”
Elise frowned, and then she grasped what Ki was trying to say—what Akad had said before. For a time, our speech will make little sense to you—but you will understand soon enough.
The mental connection she was making with Ki, with her mate, would eventually let her know Ardani language with no collar, and it would allow Ki to comprehend her words, too.
Until then, she would have to show him what she feared—and what she wanted.
Elise felt her lips curl in a smile not unlike Ki’s hungry snarl.
If he wanted showing, that much she could do.
The calming drug had full hold of Ki, and still his blood roared. His pa-mark pulsed like a thing possessed. He felt wild, yet he kept himself in check easily, thanks to Akad’s masterful potions.
Ki had no idea it would feel like this, lying with his shanna, touching her and tasting her. Joining with her, mind and soul. Even though her primitive physiology prevented them from establishing the full psychic joining Ardani couples practiced, what he had with Elise was enough. More than enough.
And now she was looking at him the way he had first looked at her, as if she could eat him whole.
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