by Kyle, Celia
“Shaa kouva,” he whispered the endearment, the words followed by the rustling of wings and a low thump.
She forced her eyes open for a moment, just long enough to see that he’d knelt beside her bed. Now both of his hands cradled hers, his lips a mere inch from her motionless fingers.
“Are you well? What do you require? I will order Healing Master Whelon to leave the ship and travel to the surface.” Argan’s words tripped over each other.
Chashan grunted and she turned her head a little more, spying the dragon standing nearby, diagnosti-doc in hand.
“I don’t need Whelon. Chashan can take care of me just fine.” Just like he had many times before. Though she didn’t say that to Argan. If her being a little fried from being connected to the shuttle upset him, she didn’t want to see him when he realized this situation was way too damned frequent.
To the point that Chashan threatened to either move her to medical or install diagnostic equipment in her apartment.
Lily had objected to both and was currently winning their battle of wills.
“He cannot. You are still injured. You are whispering when you normally shout. It is obvious he is incapable of—”
Lily pulled her hand from his grip and pressed her fingertips to his lips. “Chashan is a wonderful healing master.”
Argan jerked his head away. “If he was, you would already—”
“Hush.” She stared at him until he was quiet long enough for her to be sure he’d stay that way. She turned her head and found the healing master once more. “I’ll take it now that I’m awake.”
She held out her hand, waiting for Chashan to relinquish the device.
Instead, Chashan shook his head. “No, I must—”
God save me from annoying males.
Thankfully Khaza interrupted. “Shaa kouvi, allow her to complete the process herself.”
Chashan grunted. “I am the healing master. It is my duty to care for all Preor. If I cannot even do that simple task, what is my purpose?”
His question ended on a rumbling growl, his annoyance evident, and Lily couldn’t have kept her mouth shut had she tried. She flashed the male a smile. “Your job is to stand there and look pretty.”
Chashan glared at her. Khaza laughed, which caused Eric to join in. As for Argan… he snarled.
That shouldn’t sound as hot as it did. “I am your mate.”
The way he said those few words shouldn’t have sounded as hot as they did, either. But… damn. The rumble, the way his chest expanded, and that light in his eyes… It all reminded her that the only pretty one she wanted to stare at was Argan.
“I know.” She pulled her hand free and patted Argan’s before sliding her palm along his bulging forearm. “I’d never forget that.”
Argan grunted and emotions she recognized as her mate’s flitted through her uneasy mind. Satisfaction. Pride. Gloating as he glared at Chashan.
No matter the species, boys would always be boys.
Lily chuckled and shook her head, only to freeze in place with a harsh gasp. A crackle of electricity raced down her spine. It burned along her nerves, setting each on fire as it passed. Discomfort led to pain and she closed her eyes, blocking out everything but the agony that consumed her. It’d been a while since she’d experienced this kind of electrical storm in her head, and she gritted her teeth while she waited for the pain to end.
She trembled, muscles and tendons spasming while the charge sought a way to leave her body.
“Do something!” Argan’s rough shout agitated the sparks consuming her and she gasped, back arching off the bed.
Yeah, she was done and ready to finish the game now.
“You stopped me from healing her,” Chashan snarled back. “Are you prepared to allow me to do my duty now?”
Lily didn’t really want to break up what was sure to be a fun pissing contest, but the buzzing sensations were getting worse as time passed, not better. She extended her arm and held out her hand toward Chashan. “Hand it over. I’ll do it before you two decide to turn my bedroom into training grounds.”
“Lily…” Argan tried to object.
Chashan simply grunted and did as she asked. He slapped the device onto her palm and she clutched the metal case with its dangling black cord. “You may begin diagnostics and repair yourself, but we will not leave until the treatment is complete.” The healing master stared down at her, annoyed glare transforming to concern. “You are not invincible, Little Flower.”
She smiled at the older Preor—a real smile, not the one she faked for most people. From the first moment he’d treated her and heard her story, she’d been half-adopted by the male and his mate. Even now that they had their own child, she was still treated like their dragonlet.
“I’m perfectly fine on my own, you know.”
Chashan grunted, eyes narrowed in a glare, before he turned toward his own mate. He wrapped an arm around Khaza’s shoulders and directed his small family toward the bedroom door. In a handful of steps, she and Argan were alone, nothing but her, him, and the small device she needed to plug into her brain.
She sorta wished Chashan had dragged Argan along. She hadn’t exactly wanted to reveal the presence of her implants in this way. Or ever.
Life, apparently, didn’t give a damn about what she wanted.
“Argan…”
“Yes, shaa kouva?”
Lily didn’t reply. She’d meant to say… something, but another surge of electricity shot through her. It raced through her muscles, tightening each one it touched. She gritted her teeth and tensed, back bowed and toes curled while she was punished further. Her body—her implants—fought to remind her why the sudden cut of a signal was a bad idea.
The tension and pain lasted for one beat and then two before it fled her in a rush, leaving her a boneless heap on the bed. She released the breath she’d been holding, emptying her lungs in a rush.
Argan leapt to his feet, hands quickly withdrawing as he moved. “I will fetch—”
She snatched one of his hands again, wrapping her fingers around his wrist. “I’m fine. Don’t go bothering Chashan again. He’ll do the same thing you’re about to do, anyway.”
He stared at her for a moment, then at the doorway and back to her. The indecision was clear on his face and if his expression didn’t tell her of his worry, his body did. His golden wings trembled, the rustle of scales and skin announcing his worry for her.
That indecision ended when he finally focused on her fully and lowered to sit on her bed. “I?”
She didn’t dare move her head. Just her luck, she’d nod and then have to endure another round of spasms. “You.” She slowly lifted Chashan’s device and held it out for her mate. “Hold this. Take the end of the cord and plug it into the port at the base of my skull.”
“Port?” His brow furrowed and lips formed a small frown.
She wanted to take the time and explain herself—reveal more about her implants—but she needed that bit of metal shoved in her brain sooner rather than later.
“Yeah, port. Lift my hair…” She nearly groaned. There was no way he’d get to the port with her on her back. “Actually, roll me onto my side first and use a couple of pillows to support me so I don’t fall. Then lift my hair and pop it in.”
“I…” His gaze went from Chashan’s device to her, his eyes then sweeping over her massive, king-sized bed. She didn’t need to read his expressions to know his thoughts—the worries that plagued his mind. The Bind did enough—revealed enough. Fear coursed through his veins, dominating all other emotions until he became unwilling to move.
The big, bad alien dragon was afraid of hurting her. Which told her more than enough about the type of male he was. She now knew Argan would never hurt her.
“It’ll be fine,” she whispered the words and his attention snapped back to her. “I’ll be okay. I swear.”
Argan shook his head, denying… what? “No.”
“No?” She quirked a brow. “This is
n’t something I do for shits and giggles. I need…”
He reached for her then, gentle as he caressed her cheek, and she leaned into his touch. She savored the warmth, the comfort that came from his soft stroke.
“I will not allow your health to depend on two pil-ohs. I will care for you as a mate should.”
“You’ll…”
Two strong arms carefully slipped beneath her body, Argan’s muscles flexing as he lifted her from the mattress and softly eased her closer to the center of the bed. It was so smooth, such a gentle motion, that her body didn’t respond to his attentions. Her implants didn’t attack her, muscles relaxed and tingling shocks easing with his heated touch.
Once repositioned, he climbed in after her, coming to rest on his side mere inches from her. So close the heat of his body warmed her and the smoky scent of him filled her lungs.
Lily tried to give him Chashan’s device. “Hold this while I—”
“Remain still. It is my privilege to care for you, shaa kouva.”
Chapter Ten
It truly was Argan’s privilege to meet her every need—a privilege he had never dared hope for. He wished to do all that he could to make Lily smile. Do all that he could to ease her every suffering.
As she suffered now. He did not understand what plagued his mate, but there was time to demand explanations later. For now, he must do all he could to ensure her recovery, which included the necessity of plugging a cord into a “port” beneath her skull. He had never heard of such a thing, but that did not mean much. He was a warrior, not a healer.
Lily’s wide eyes remained on him, her chest rising and falling as the pace of her breathing increased. A stab of worry prodded him for a moment. Worry that he had somehow injured her further with his actions.
“Did I harm you, shaa kouva?” He prayed to the stars he had not. He could not have failed in his duty already.
“No, I’m…” She swallowed hard and her pink tongue darted out to wet her lips. Its sudden appearance caused desire to surge within him. All he could imagine was following her delicate tongue with his own.
Not now.
“…I’m okay. Just surprised that you’d be willing to help me and… stuff.”
“Has your injury altered your hearing?” He narrowed his eyes and debated whether he should fetch Chashan.
“Huh? No, I’m just saying that you don’t have to do this out of some misguided belief that—”
“Shaa kouva?”
Lily snapped her teeth together before speaking once more. “Yeah?”
“I am your mate just as you are mine. No matter the method we came together, that truth cannot be broken. I never believed I would have a mate and yet I now have you. I will not fail you within hours of our mating.” He paused, staring into her eyes and watching her absorb his words. “My beliefs are not misguided. My soul calls out for yours and I will do everything I can to have yours answer.”
Lily’s breath caught with a sudden gasp, her eyes widening for the barest of moments. “You…” That pink tongue darted out again and he swallowed the moan that threatened to break free. “Um…”
Lily held up the black cable. “Tuck the silver end into the port. You won’t be able to miss it once you brush my hair out of the way.”
Ah. It seemed they were done speaking of their mating. He would allow her to hide. For now. They had time to work through the details of their future.
“Hold it for one more moment,” he murmured.
Argan grasped her, careful as he encouraged her to roll to her side. He scooted closer, his wings tucked tightly against his body so he could mimic her position, his front to her back. Then he encouraged her to lean into him, brace her body on his so she would not fall out of position.
“There. Hand me the plug I am to insert in your port. You will retain the device.” He held out his hand and hoped she did not see the way it trembled slightly. He was about to insert a piece of metal into his mate’s head. Nothing could have prepared him for such a thing.
Lily handed him the end of the cord and he focused on her hair—brushing the strands away to reveal the port just as she had described. The circle of metal was small, tucked against the base of her skull, and so tiny to be causing so much difficulty.
“Are you prepared?” He clutched the small cord and hoped Lily had changed her mind and no longer wished him to stick metal into her mind. Unfortunately, that was not the case.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Yeah, go ahead.”
He swallowed hard and placed the tip at the very edge of the hole, counting his breaths to calm his racing heart. Then, with one firm push, he seated the cord fully into the port.
Lily’s reaction came in an instant. She gasped and her body went taut, stiffening against him. He released the cord and wrapped his arm around her, holding her in position while her body reacted to the intrusion. She trembled and jerked in his embrace, but he did not get the sense that she fought to break free of him.
No, in truth, this seemed to be a prelude to… something.
Her breathing transformed to rapid panting, her chest expanding and contracting. He cursed himself for enjoying the moment, for enjoying the way her breasts teased his arm with every inhale. His mate was ill. An honorable male wouldn’t…
Lily’s breathing slowed, her heaving gasps settling into a calm rhythm, and he breathed a sigh of relief. At least for a moment. At least until his mate gave him more of her weight. She leaned fully against him, her curves snug against his warrior’s body. She still wore the thin clothing from earlier in the day, the small yapping dogs and felines with odd hair all over the fabric.
The fabric’s decoration didn’t concern him. No, he was concerned by the fact that all that separated them was katoth and Earth cloth. All that kept her skin hidden from him was easily ripped away. It would take nothing to expose her pale skin to his gaze. Nothing to bare her fully and drink in every inch of her.
Then he would strip himself and…
And damn him for not being an honorable male. He should not be fantasizing about his mate while she remained unwell.
But then Lily wiggled her hips, her plump ass rubbing against his hardening cock. Taunting him. Teasing him. Arousing him. He could not help his body’s response to her nearness. He was driven by the need to touch her, taste her, to sample every inch of him. Him? That thought could not have come from his own mind. He wanted her. Where had the thought of “him” originated?
Argan paused and fought against the desire threatening to cripple him. He sorted through his thoughts and feelings, untangling the knotted mass of emotions that lingered. Emotions that were both his and his that had somehow become theirs.
The Binds. The Binds connected them, and his mind fought to separate their emotions and yearnings. Though must he? They both craved the same result—bodies wrapped around one another in the ultimate pleasure.
“Argan,” she whispered his name with a gentle sigh.
The way she said his name had his cock throbbing in response, body reacting to her mere voice.
“Lily joi Argan King,” he murmured in return and nuzzled her neck. The sound of their names connected drove a primal part of him. It connected to his feral beast and spurred him to resolve to keep her safe above all else.
He drew in a lungful of air and savored the scents he gathered. He swore to memorize one particular aroma—the flavors of Lily’s arousal. He easily caught hints of the salty-sweet musk that announced her desire.
Argan let himself bask in it for a moment, to revel in the feelings the Binds allowed them to exchange without words. It allowed him to understand his mate’s wants without having to tell him that she craved him but was not prepared to surrender.
Yet. The “yet” was what he would live for.
It allowed him to tell her of his own need. To tell her that he would take all she had to give and nothing more. No matter how he craved her or ached for her more than his next breath.
She wo
uld always come first.
That simple thought had her relaxing against him even more, Lily’s body boneless while he cuddled her close.
The device Lily held beeped and then beeped again, the small lights blinking in an unfamiliar rhythm. Letters—incomprehensible to Argan—scrolled across the screen. Some were blue and others green while even more flared red. The message whipped past once, then twice, and by the third time he’d begun to recognize a few human words.
Corrupted. Complete. Defrag. Altered. Reprogram.
Lily stiffened but did not pull away. Instead she remained motionless while she breathed slowly and deeply. As if she’d forgotten how to breathe while connected to the device. Which reminded him…
“Lily? Should I remove the cable?” He kept his voice low, unsure of her mental state and how she would react to speech.
“Huh?” She slurred the word and then paused to shake her head. She dropped the device and ran a single hand over her face, fingers sifting through her hair until she reached the back of her head.
He grasped her hand and lowered her arm. “I can remove it if it is permissible.”
“Um, yeah.” She breathed deeply and released it slowly before speaking again. “Yeah, you can take it out. I’m done.”
Argan ran his own fingers through her hair, enjoying the feel of her silken tresses as they slid between her fingers. He grasped the end of the cable and gently tugged until the cord was free of her skull. “There. It is removed. Do you need to speak with Chashan now? I believe he waited to see you after whatever you were doing.”
“No, I comm’ed him and told him he wasn’t needed.”
“Comm’ed? You have not left the shelter of my arms, shaa kouva.” He would have noticed the absence of her lush curves.
She chuckled, and he smiled in response. She could not be too injured if she still laughed. “Chashan’s device is a direct link to Penelope and also grounds me while we speak. I used it to contact Chashan and tell him he could take Khaza and Eric home.”
He wondered if all humans had tech like his mate’s. He did not believe so, but he had never spent much time in the presence of injured humans. Perhaps they all had his mates’ abilities.