His grandfather sat down, perched on the edge of the couch. “You can take away their power to command you.”
Andev sighed. “If I don’t comply, the council will reveal the secret, and I’ll be ostracized. After all, you’ve seen how some Dormrela are angry at any alien influence. I’m not an alien, but I doubt they’ll see it that way.”
“No, you’re right. But I can protect you, boy.” His grandfather was eager. “We talked about this. Let me handle it.”
Andev took a sip of his drink. The alcohol was bitter and sour because he knew what he had to say. “I want my cut. The Ang will pay a high price and not just in weapons.”
For a split second, Andev noted disgust on his Pater’s face. There it was. The truth. The real reason his grandfather had come here. He wanted the secret of human hybrids to be revealed, and he planned to throw his grandson to the wolves. But then the expression disappeared, and only amiability spread over his features. “You’re a smart boy.”
Boy. Pater always called him “boy”. It made him want to puke. “When do you want this to happen?” he said.
“Better you don’t know so it’s a genuine surprise.”
Andev nodded. “As you wish. Just don’t wait too long. The Ang may lower their price.”
His grandfather stood up. “I’m sure we can find a…satisfactory solution for all of Dormrela.”
The memory of the human hybrid woman being repeatedly raped filtered through his mind, and he had to work to keep the rage off his face. Of course, the satisfactory solution to his grandfather was death to all human hybrids. Or worse.
“I’m sure we can,” he said. He showed his grandfather to the door and then strode into his room to wash his mouth out. Bile rose, and he had to take deep breaths to steady himself.
He leaned his head against the mirror for a moment, the glass cool against his heated skin. Abruptly, he slapped the button on his cysuit, minimizing it. He unhooked the small container that the suit fit into and tossed it onto the counter.
“No, I’ll be fine, Tylan. Have a good night.” Shasta’s voice seemed close, in the same room.
And that’s when he remembered he’d given Shasta his room.
He shouldn’t even think it. But he did. He was here. No one knew. His breath stuttered, and he focused on the repercussions. He ought to leave the room, make some excuse. The only problem was his entire body wouldn’t obey him. He could hear her next door, only a few feet away, so close.
When he closed his eyes, the need intensified. He knew why. The Hadaji increased Dormrela senses, her scent surrounding him, drowning him. To need to step into the bedroom and take her swamped him. She was his, wasn’t she? They were mated. He had the right.
“I can smell you.”
At the sound of her voice, he froze, his hand resting on the door between them. Then, he yanked the door open and stood there, naked, in the doorway.
She stood at the end of the bed, her dress still on, her feet bare and her hair loosened from the bridal braids. Her gaze met his. He didn’t say a word but crossed the room and caught her wrists with his hands.
He jerked her toward the bed, and to his shock, she didn’t fight him. He tossed her onto the mattress, and she tried to roll off the other side and escape. None of that, he thought, and wrapped his arm around her. He slammed her into the pillows and claimed her lips.
There were no words between them. In that way, it was like their dreams. No distractions, no drama, just unfiltered lust. The anger at their situation spurred him to do things to his mate that he might have hesitated to do. Roughly, he pulled up her dress and tore her underwear to reach his goal.
She had acquiesced until he ripped her underwear. Then, she fought him grimly. They rolled onto the floor, and he grabbed her hair. He flipped her onto her back. He jerked on the strands, throwing her head back. Stars, she was beautiful. He gripped her wrists with one of his hands, and with his other hand still buried in her hair, he hauled her back onto the bed. He released her hair long enough to slam a button on the right of his headboard.
Two restraint rings with cuffs dangling from them slid from their hidden recesses. Quickly, efficiently, he cuffed her, avoiding the worst of her kicks but still taking several blows. When both her wrists were restrained, he captured her ankles and used the rope restraints at the footboard.
Shasta heaved and yanked on the restraints. She was laid out like a feast for his hungry eyes. He opened up a drawer in the wall and produced two items he wanted. A huge Dormrelian knife and a dildo.
He flipped the knife around in his hand and slid it beneath the hem of her dress. Her blue eyes were indigo, her pupils expanded with fear and arousal. Her pulse beat so hard in her throat he could see the twitch in her neck. The scent of her wetness told him all he needed to know. She loved this.
How could he have been so blind? In their dreams, he’d been gentle and passionate, the way he thought every female wanted it. But Shasta liked the rough play, the domination. With one slice, he cut through the material of her dress splitting it in two and revealing the treasures beneath.
Her nipples were tightened and on display as she gasped for breath. A flush covered her upper chest and her neck. Her pussy glistened, her lips red and ripe. She wanted him. His gaze met hers, and an ugly red color flooded her cheeks and she turned her head into the pillow.
She was ashamed. But why? Because she liked it when he manhandled her? He’d make her forget all of it. He tossed the knife back into the drawer and turned back to her. He placed his hands on her thighs and slid them up, his touch firm.
The smell of her was tangy and sweet. He wanted to taste her, and he wanted it now.
*
Stars, she was sick and twisted. The minute the bedroom door had closed, her senses had been filled with his smell, his presence. For whatever reason, Andev had been in the bathroom connected to her room, and she felt the growing sexual energy from him.
When he appeared in the doorway, there had been no thought of resisting him. But why? He was a dick, an asshole who had used her body like a warm hand to masturbate with in front of his damn council. The kiss earlier in the dining room had been violent, needy. Even now, there were no tender feelings, no sweetness. Just naked desire. Her own desperate need clawed at her, and though she fought him, she couldn’t win against them both.
Now, helpless, she was ashamed of her arousal, her twisted desire. Her lips trembled, and she bit them. She had chosen this. No one else would understand why she hadn’t resisted this mating. Perhaps Sierra did.
Andev’s hands were on the inside of her thighs, and his thumbs spread her pussy lips, exposing her to his intense gaze. Before she could stop herself, she whimpered. A single tear escaped, and she buried her face in the pillow.
Misery swamped her. Part of her felt as if she betrayed her dream lover, a being she didn’t even know was real. Another part of her wondered where her pride had gone that she was willing to submit to this man. Her thoughts spun around in her head, all of them shouting recriminations at her for being weak, a slut, a cheat.
Then, Andev’s tongue slid over her clit, and she lost her grip on conscious thought, drowning in sensation. He worked her, his fingers clamped over her thighs, the restraints holding her in place as he tormented her.
He was rough. He was insistent. He raided her body, and she surrendered its booty. The adrenaline in her veins spiked, and she strained against the cuffs. Closer, she needed to be closer. She wanted more; she needed it all. A tornado of sensation whirled through her, and every muscle of her body tensed. Her guttural cry was echoed by his growl of approval as she shattered. He sucked on her, his teeth scraping over her sensitive nub, and sent her spinning out of control.
She thrashed and struggled, afraid of the overwhelming waves of pleasure. He kept driving her higher, and when she was close to another pinnacle, he slammed two fingers deep inside. She screamed, a helpless release that left her stunned and breathless.
Surely he would f
inish this, finish her, and leave her to her shame. Instead, he produced the dildo and pressed several buttons on it. The device replaced his fingers, set on a slow, deep penetration that made her mindless. His lips traveled over her skin, nipping her with his teeth, his scales biting into her flesh.
He used both hands to press her breasts together, her nipples jutting out in twin calling cards of desperate need. His mouth devoured them both at the same time, and she twisted beneath him, unable to breathe, unable to think clearly.
Andev sucked hard and pulled her greedy flesh into his mouth, and she convulsed beneath him, her body one aching ball of more. He lifted his head, and one hand gripped her hair in a painful grip. He jerked her head to the side, exposing her neck. He bit her, marking her with his mouth, adding suction to the bite.
She shuddered, her entire being one exposed nerve, played by this alien’s hands and mouth. He slid down to her pussy again and removed the dildo. Before she knew what he intended, he pressed the tip against the entrance to her ass. For a split second, she thought about resisting, tensing slightly. But when his mouth clamped down on her clit, she couldn’t keep a coherent thought in her brain.
The invasion of the dildo in her ass combined with the flick of his tongue, and she sobbed, unable to resist the dark pleasure. The device slid deeper inside, only lubed with her generous juices. He demanded. She gave.
He pressed buttons, and the dildo moved in and out of her tight tunnel slowly, torturously, both painful and exciting. Then, Andev loomed over her, his hands braced on either side of her face and his knees just inside her thighs. She lifted her hips in surrender.
His gaze held hers, and he thrust inside her. Deep. Soul scorching hard. He went crazy, faster, deeper, harder. She arched toward him, overloaded, intensely aware the pain in her ass and the pain in her heart were completely obliterated by pleasure.
When his cum exploded inside her, she squeezed him, her muscles rippling with the most intense orgasm she’d ever had. It went on and on, stealing her breath and darkening her vision. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but they were a release, a response to the intensity.
Andev collapsed on top of her, his panting breaths sexy against her throat. She moaned as the dildo still thrust slowly inside her. Her mate glanced up at her face, and the lines there worried her. His cock was still buried inside her when she rolled into another orgasm, the dildo still driving inside her ass. Shit, she was going to pass out.
The dildo was removed, and Andev’s mouth was on her pussy again, drawing out her orgasm longer until she couldn’t move anymore.
He lifted his head and stared at her. She held his gaze and wanted to speak, to say something, but she didn’t.
Oddly, he focused on the mark on her neck, and his fingers stroked it firmly. Then, he stepped onto the floor and hit the button on the wall that released the restraints. Without a word, he turned and left the room.
Rubbing her wrists and ankles, Shasta realized neither of them had spoken a word since he’d come into the room.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, her throat sore from the tears she’d shed after Andev left her, Shasta rose and stepped into the shower. The water cascaded over her sore body, and she checked all the bruises she could see.
Her night had been dreamless, but she didn’t feel rested at all. When she’d cleaned every inch of her skin, she stepped out of the shower and stared at her reflection. The redness around her wrists and ankles had faded, but the mark on her neck stood out. She touched it, mimicking Andev’s motion before he’d left her.
What the hell was going on? The words he’d spat at her after the official mating didn’t add up with his actions here, in his home. Overwhelmed and confused, she combed out her hair and dressed mechanically, without conscious thought.
There was a gentle knock at her door. She rose and opened it, expecting to see Andev. Instead, Tylan leaned against the doorjamb, his smile contrasting with the troubled expression in his gaze. “I’m here to give you a tour. Ready for some vayca breakfast?”
“Where’s Andev?” She could have bitten her tongue off. Why had she asked?
“He trains warriors in the capital. He left early this morning.” Tylan’s words cut deep. Damn him. The fucking coward.
“I see. Alright. What’s a vayca breakfast?” She was determined not to react to all this. It was pointless.
“You’ll see. Come on.” The huge Dormrelian dragged her down the hallway. The single sun was bright, casting a glitter over everything around them. The yakkas made a snuffling noise, and one of the workers held two of them saddled and bridled.
Tylan talked, but Shasta wasn’t really listening. One thought dominated her mind and kept her spinning. Something about the way Andev had been seemed…familiar. Every time she compared Andev to her dream lover, she discounted the similarities. It couldn’t be. They were so different, yet…
She couldn’t deny that there was a club on Dormrela in the same city where Andev lived called Bilana, the nickname her dream lover used for her. Nor could she ignore the connection she felt for Andev, even though he treated her with a coldness her dream lover didn’t. Could the universe being playing some kind of joke on her? The coincidences were too numerous. No, it couldn’t be. What were the chances that a Dormrelian warrior forced to mate with her was the same lover who visited her in her dreams?
Nil. She was wishful thinking. That’s what it was.
“…don’t you think so?” Tylan grinned at her, and she wondered what the hell he’d been talking about.
“I’m not sure,” she answered vaguely.
He snorted. “You weren’t listening to me.” He shook his head. “Women. They fall in love and—”
“I have not fallen in love.” Her stomach churned at the thought. Love? Not her. Hadn’t she resigned herself to this? Love wasn’t for someone like her. That was clear. Every man in her past had played second fiddle to a dream, a man who didn’t exist.
Tylan raised his eyebrows. “Funny. You give a good imitation of a woman falling in love.”
“No.” There was no more to say. She wasn’t a woman falling in love, but a woman confused and desperate. Hadn’t she shown that last night? She’d let the man into her bed, let him restrain her, allowed him to touch her.
Not that it hadn’t been spectacular. And that brought her to the one nagging truth she couldn’t escape. Andev knew her body, knew it like he’d mapped it out, like he’d been with her a million times, not twice.
“What does bilana mean?” she asked Tylan.
He raised an eyebrow over one of his eyes. “Where did you hear that?”
“It was the name of a club in the capital.” Well, that was the truth.
“Ah,” Tylan said. “It means cherished one. It’s often an endearment between mated couples.”
When had her dream lover first used the term? They’d had sex in their dreams since adolescence, but it was later, much later, when he’d called her his “cherished one”. It had been after a particularly passionate connection between them. That must be the reason she felt like she was being unfaithful.
Yet, with Andev, she didn’t feel that way now. Somehow, there had to be some connection between the man in her dreams and Andev Juno. Why else would her seemingly cold mate command her to dream the night before their passionless mating?
Could he be her dream lover? If so, the chances were astronomical, and she should buy an Earth Central lottery ticket.
Yeah, right. Stuck with a man who’d essentially left her. She gritted her teeth. Wasn’t she just trying to make Andev into her fantasy so that his rejection wouldn’t hurt so much? Because he could shove his cock inside her a million times and still not truly want her. She’d proven that with her past escapades. Sex was just sex.
“…when we were kids, but he was the better fighter than I was.” Tylan had continued to talk, and Shasta had no idea what he was saying.
“How in the world did you two become so close?”
> Her companion was unusually silent. It was as if he wasn’t sure how she’d take what he was going to say. “We grew up together, I told you.”
Shasta stared at him. “I was right, wasn’t I? You and Andev…”
“We played a little hide the dick when we were young,” Tylan said in a rush. “But we aren’t really lovers. Didn’t you ever kiss a girl?”
She snorted. “I’ve done more than that.” Memories of the women she’d had sex with swamped her. Her experimentation had led her to one conclusion. She didn’t share well.
“Well, it was like that.” Tylan grinned. “Is there a vid of that more you did?”
“More than likely,” she said bitterly. “I wasn’t too careful.”
Isn’t that why she’d agreed to this mating? To refuse to follow Dormrelian law would have meant serious diplomatic issues. Her adventure at the Dormrelian club had shocked the council and caused problems. By mating with Andev, she’d expunged her behavior, much like an eighteenth century virgin forgiven by society because of a marriage on Earth.
She sighed. Her situation wasn’t much different really. Married for political reasons, she and Andev had little chance for happiness.
“Here we are.” Tylan had led her to a small grove with huge trees on every side. Inside the circle of trees, a modern firepit and benches created a circle. A waste receptacle stood unobtrusively on the edge of the clearing, and she marveled at the way modern technology had been integrated into the rustic scene.
From a pack on his yakka, Tylan produced food and drink. “Tell me, Shasta, did you ever find out why you and Andev were able to communicate telepathically?”
She blinked. Andev had told Tylan about that? “My father said he doesn’t know. Both the Ang and the Dormrela only communicate after mating. He said it requires a massive catalyst of some kind to connect two minds like that.”
“On Dormrela, we call that Anshallah, or Bonded.”
“Terek calls Sierra ashani.” Something in the way Terek said the word sounded important.
Tylan nodded. “It means soul mate,” he said. “And more.” He shook his head. “It’s too complicated for the human speak.”
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