He caught her and stumbled. They fell to the ground, and he tried to cushion her from the ground. She fought him, her fists flying frantically. “Shasta, stop.”
“All my life, they’ve manipulated everything, even you. Even you,” she sobbed. Her body went limp, and Andev fought the helpless feeling that something beautiful had been broken, shattered beyond repair.
“They don’t matter,” he said, leaning close to her ear. “None of them matter. Only you. Only you,” he whispered. He nuzzled her neck, his body covering hers. Love? Yes. There was that. She loved him.
He kissed her along her perfect features and captured her mouth. A sense of belonging, of need, swept through him. Roughly, he touched her, demanding her response. She gasped and gave it. He knew the moment she was overwhelmed by desire and her legs curled around his, cradling his cock at her sweet entrance. He had no right to take from her, had no reason to expect her love, yet she let him in.
Her back arched, and her breasts slid across his chest. He groaned and deepened his kiss. His fingers sought her clit and gentled as he drove her higher, reveling in her damp response. He kept his thumb pressed on her sensitive nub as he slid his fingers into her slick channel. She rotated her hips and jammed him farther inside her. Her inner walls tightened, and she screamed, the sound captured by his mouth. By the stars, she was everything he’d ever wanted.
He broke away from her only to bring his fingers to his lips and taste her. Heaven. She watched him suck his fingers in his mouth. “I need more,” he said hoarsely. He wanted to brand her, take every single drop, and make it his own.
She lifted her hips as he dipped down to slide his tongue over her willing flesh. He dove down with relish, loving the answering jerks and shivers from his mate. His mate. He devoured her, scraping his teeth over her clit. Rough now, uncontrolled, he growled as she grew wetter. The only thing that would satisfy him was her total capitulation.
When she exploded and her keening cry echoed in his ears, he didn’t stop. He wanted it all. Her cum, her love, her hands, everything. Her choked shout made his cock leak with need, the warm wetness sliding down his thigh. He wasn’t going to make it for much longer.
Her hands clutched his head, and her hips jerked toward his greedy mouth. He didn’t want to stop, didn’t want to let her relax. He wanted to keep her rolling, one orgasm after another. If he could keep her on the razor’s edge of pleasure, he would.
But his own need demanded attention. He lifted his head and almost came at the flushed tension on Shasta’s face. He gripped her thighs and pushed them until they rested on his shoulders. He bent her until her ankles were beside his ears and she lay open to him, her shimmering pussy beckoning him. The sensation of her sweet essence all over his face, filling his nostrils, made him mindless.
“I can’t wait, bilana,” he said, the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance.
Her eyes opened, and she shifted her hips to drive his cock partway inside her. “Please, Andev, fuck me.”
His name on her lips here, in their dream, sent him over the edge, and he slammed inside her again and again, words tumbling from his lips that he barely registered.
When she convulsed around him, her scream a long, loud release, he let go, the relief of streaming his cum inside her pussy almost too good to be true. He dropped his forehead on hers and tried to catch his breath. Beneath him, Shasta still trembled, her nipples still hardened against his chest.
He groaned and kissed her. “Shasta,” he murmured.
“What am I going to do?” she said miserably. She turned her head away. “I don’t know if I can do this, Andev.”
He propped up on his elbows and stared at her. He’d never get tired of looking at her. “I know it isn’t fair. But it’s for the best. Our enemy is your enemy too.”
“I’m not big on self-sacrifice,” she said with a pretty frown.
“Really?” He gave her a light kiss. “You went without sleep to save Dormrelian warriors.” He brushed her lips again. “I saw what you sacrificed. And then, you mated with me rather than allow Dormrela and Asberek to have strained political relations.” He ran his tongue over her lips. “I think you’ve sacrificed a lot.”
She gazed at him. “Do you think so? I’ve always been such a…worthless piece of shit.”
He glared down at her and shook his head. “No. Never.”
She averted her glance. “You don’t know, Andev. I’ve…there’s a lot of things I’ve done that I’m not proud of.”
He stroked her cheek and waited until her gaze met his. “Bilana, none of it matters. You belong to me. You always have.”
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He crushed her to him and held on. What would he do without her? What if this plan of the councilwoman’s went wrong? He would tear anyone who threatened Shasta limb from limb.
“You’ve been holding back,” she said.
“Complaining?”
She snorted. “No way. But I had no idea you were so deviant. Cuffs? In your headboard?”
He cupped her face and nibbled on her ear. “I had no idea you liked it rough, either.”
She buried her head in his chest, hiding her face.
Muffled, she asked the question he never thought he’d hear. “Are you Tylan’s Dom?”
He leaned back. “What?”
She blinked. “Is he yours? Does he get on his knees for you?”
So many times Tylan had dropped down to suck Andev’s cock, to serve him, even though his friend knew it couldn’t be permanent. “He was my lover off and on for a long time, but we always knew we couldn’t be together. He’s always been my best friend, and I sent him to you because I knew he’d be attracted to you.”
“Is he?” She cocked her head to the side. “That’s a funny thing to do for your perspective mate.”
“I didn’t want you to feel lonely,” he said, well aware how ridiculous that sounded.
“Maybe you’re afraid I’ll enjoy four arms to hold me instead of two,” she teased. He narrowed his eyes. She needed a spanking. But he understood she probably wanted to lighten things between them. Their encounters had been fraught with drama, with pain.
He decided to follow her lead. “I’m much more versatile. Four arms or two.” He grinned. “You can have either.”
“You never answered my question. Are you his Dom?” It was a pointed question, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer. She wasn’t asking if he had been Tylan’s dominant. She asked if he was still Tylan’s dominant. The truth was complicated. Shasta had added another element to his already snarled relationship with Tylan.
“Yes. I’m still his Dom.” He waited for Shasta to withdraw, judge him.
“So, he’s a submissive. He isn’t with me.” She seemed thoughtful, and that gave Andev hope.
“With women, he tends to…switch back and forth.”
“Well, he’s more likely to fall at my feet. Literally.” She gave him an impish smile. “Or do you want to claim us both?”
Stars, his dick leapt at the thought. “Yes!” he hissed and yanked her back into his arms. “He’s never wanted to acknowledge it, but he belongs to me. And that means he belongs to you. However, you’ll have to convince him. It will help the rumors that our mating was loveless. And I want to see you claim him, make him serve you, suck your pussy.”
The pictures in his head were potent, and her responsive moan only made him harder. He pressed his mouth to hers.
When they broke apart to breathe, she whispered, “Andev.”
And then, she was gone.
Chapter Eight
Shasta started awake. Someone was in her room.
The morning hadn’t dawned yet, and darkness shrouded the house. She held her breath, waiting.
Her eyes adjusted, and she noted that she wasn’t alone. In the corner, asleep in a chair tipped back, Tylan snorted abruptly. The poor thing. He certainly took his duties seriously. She lay back against her pillows.
“Is this g
oing to be a new thing?” she said in a loud, clear voice.
Tylan started, and the chair slipped. He hit the floor with a crash, and Shasta covered her giggle with her hand.
When he sat up and glared at her, she bolted for the bathroom. “Woman! You’re cruel,” Tylan said, his voice muffled through the door.
“You have no idea,” she responded.
His chuckle relieved her. “Fine. Remember. Paybacks can be unpleasant.”
When she took her shower and got ready for the day, she wondered how her demeanor should be. What would convince the Sidharta that she was miserable, being ignored and despised by her new mate?
Certainly she could mope a little. Flirting with Tylan would probably be natural too. And that her actions would torment her mate was just icing on the cake.
She smiled and headed out the door. Tylan gave her a wary glance as he followed her down the corridor. “You look smug,” he said.
“Don’t worry. I’ll put on a good act.” She studied the kitchen and started to inspect the cupboards. Andev had a large collection of pots and pans for a single man.
When she straightened, she noticed that a vid streamer had pointed its camera into the window. This was nothing new to her. To change her facial expression, she thought about the time away from Andev, how he could be killed, how all the things they were doing could be dangerous. Fear and despair looked similar. As long as she looked stressed, it would do the trick.
She stepped closer to Tylan and gazed up at him. “Aren’t you going to participate in the Hadaji?”
He swallowed. If she hadn’t trapped him between her body and the counter, he probably would have put distance between them. But she deliberately crowded him, giving the impression that she sought physical contact. “Yes.”
“Tell me, Tylan,” she said, her voice low and seductive, but completely audible to the Finder. “What does Dormrelian law say about fucking another man’s mate?”
The silence was charged, and Shasta wasn’t sure he was going to answer her. When he did, his voice was hoarse. “Usually, a mated pair can add a third person during this period. Not that they couldn’t at other times but—”
“How does it happen? Does the couple just…get him?” She noticed his hands trembled, and sweat beads gathered on his scaled forehead.
He cleared his throat. “They call him out in the circle and then…” His gaze focused on her mouth.
“And then?” she said.
His stare jerked away to some place behind her. “And then they chase him, capture him if they can.”
“Then he belongs to them.” She liked that. The idea of a hunt and capture appealed to her. It appealed to Tylan too. His cock strained against his pants, and his fingers clutched the counter behind him. The position showed his muscles, his broad chest. The way his arms flexed reminded Shasta of a man restrained. It aroused her, and she never would have believed a Dormrelian warrior, much less two of them, could do that.
Tylan blinked. “For the period of the Hadaji, he is theirs.”
And why did that sound like a promise, a commitment from her watch dog? Tylan’s nervous response to her grin only intensified her desire.
Andev’s words echoed. “He’s never wanted to acknowledge it, but he belongs to me. And that means he belongs to you. However, you’ll have to convince him. It will help the rumors that our mating was loveless.”
But she knew Andev intended to make her pay for every touch, every fuck she allowed with Tylan. After the act was over, Andev intended to remind her who she belonged to. The weird thing was that she needed his permission. She’d been around D/s relationships to know that she was in one and that it fulfilled a need she didn’t even realize she had.
Tylan still hadn’t moved as if he was frozen to the spot. Shasta leaned closer, her lips a hairsbreadth away from his. “Good to know.” And then she backed away, reveling in the small groan that escaped from her victim.
“Are you always this cruel?”
She raised one eyebrow. “Are you saying you’ve never watched vids of me? I’m crushed.”
Color stained his cheeks. Funny how the confident, flirty Tylan became a much more submissive Dormrelian the more she was around him. From the way his eyes shifted to the floor and his shoulders twitched, he’d seen the vids of her alright.
“That’s what I thought. Were they shocking to you?” she asked him, her gaze focused on his face.
He licked his lips but said nothing.
She leaned closer to him. “Did they turn you on?”
His gaze flicked to hers. He nodded, a short quick nod.
“Which one did you like best?” she demanded.
A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Do you remember the one with the twins?”
“Ah, yes. Both men. One dominant, one submissive. That one was your favorite?”
His mouth trembled slightly. “It was a powerful session.”
She remembered. The twins were very popular with the women on Asberek, but for some reason, Allan and Edward liked playing with her. Maybe it was because she loved to submit to Allan and loved to dominate Edward. Then, it had only been a game.
But now?
Shasta wished she could tell Tylan what Andev had said, how he gave her permission to claim his friend. But the Finder was within range. So, she settled for breakfast.
When she turned her back, Tylan let out a long breath. “Andev told me I could fuck anyone I wanted. It’s not like he wants me,” she said for the Finder’s benefit.
“An arranged marriage takes time to develop trust,” Tylan said reasonably.
She shrugged. “Andev isn’t interested. I can take care of myself.” She heated a frying pan and found something that looked like butter in one of the cold storage cupboards. When she tasted it, she noted it was a bit saltier than regular cow’s butter. She sent a questioning glance to Tylan.
“Yakkas spread,” he said. He reached in and pulled out some eggs. They were bigger than chicken eggs. And they were speckled green instead of brown. Inside, though, they looked the same.
“Scrambled or pockets?” Tylan asked her, bringing her back to the present.
“Pockets?”
“Yeah,” he said, and cracked an egg into the pan. “Cooked on one side and then flipped over to cook on the other. The yolk is in a pocket.”
“Oh. Over easy,” she said as she watched him.
“Is that what you colonists call it?”
“That’s what Earth Central calls it.” She retrieved something that looked like juice from the cold storage cupboard. “Since we’ll spending a lot of time together, perhaps you’d better start teaching me Dormrela.”
“What? You don’t like your mechanical interpreter?” Tylan said with a grin and flipped another egg.
She grimaced at him and searched the kitchen for something resembling bread. What she found was a stack of breadlike square sheets that were more like tortillas. “Do you use these?”
Tylan snorted. “No. Try the bottom drawer over there.” He waved toward the end of the counter. She found thick, round biscuits and held them up. “These?”
He nodded, and she brought them over. When he cut them in half, he tossed them into another pan face down. Then he flipped them face up onto a plate and put the eggs on top. “There. Pockets on Pants.”
She laughed. Well, she called them eggs on toast, but his name was more whimsical. “One problem,” she said.
“What now?”
“What do I eat it with?” She looked through the drawers and found lots of weird contraptions, but recognized none of them.
Tylan opened a drawer and pulled out two odd looking items. “Twillers.”
Like chopsticks, it took a few tries, but Shasta managed to use the damn things. As she ate, she thought of all the things she needed to learn, language being the first.
And it looked like Tylan was going to be the one to teach her.
Poor Tylan.
* * * *
Lucky bastard Tyla
n. Andev envied his friend the days, the hours, the precious minutes that he, himself, missed. To touch Shasta, to see her every day, to smell her unique scent was a fucking privilege he had to let Tylan have. Andev took his frustrations out in work. He trained Dormrelian warriors, the best in the galaxy. To the outside, it seemed as if he was a bitter man married unhappily. The truth was he was a sexually frustrated man who wanted to fuck his wife.
The fantasy of Shasta claiming Tylan tormented him for three days. At night, he slept fitfully without dreams. That was the worst.
She seemed reluctant to claim Tylan without Andev there. In full force, the Hadaji had only made things worse. All three of them were fidgety, suffering.
At the peak of the celebration week, he collapsed in bed, alone, frustrated, even masturbating completely ineffective against the intense need to possess his mate.
He dreamed.
Finally! At last! He could be with his mate and tell her all the things he’d learned about the Sidharta from his bastard grandfather. Who had chosen this background? It was difficult to tell since it was the forest around his house, and he knew Shasta had grown to love it as he did.
Where was she?
“Andev.” A whisper surrounded him. It was as if she was the wind. He smelled her, felt her presence. His cock leapt to life.
“Where are you? Stars, I need you, Shasta.” He called for her, but she was everywhere and nowhere.
Just when he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore, she was there, on her knees, in front of him with her head bent. Her hair was soft, touchable, and he pressed her cheek to his thigh. He should tell her about the plan, warn her, talk about Tylan. But his need to possess her was stronger than any of the other things he knew they should do.
“Tonight I’ll show you how I’ve always wanted you.” The dream changed, the woods and plants fading away, and a dark dungeon room appeared. From the moment he touched Shasta in real life, he’d wanted her here, on her knees, naked.
He tipped her face so he could read the expression in her eyes. “Give yourself to me.”
She glared at him. “I am no submissive.”
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