by Laurie Roma
Certainly, her way would be faster, but she’d already fucked up by creating a blood bond between them without his permission. She wouldn’t do that again. At least, she’d try not to. She was sure to mess up again, but hopefully, she could get through the next few minutes without doing more damage.
“I should have waited, but I could not,” she said honestly. “Still, it was wrong to rush you. I understand that now. We will wait to complete the mating when you are ready.”
“That’s—I appreciate that.” Roman was trying to keep up, but he felt as though he was still missing vital pieces of information. “Can I just...you are Amari, aren’t you? I knew you were coming to the meeting, but we haven’t exactly exchanged—”
“Forgive me. Aye, I am Amari Nazira,” she blurted out, looking unsure of herself for the first time since he had seen her. “If we had completed the blood bond, you would have known that, but we were—and then Hydra and Rhys invaded the room.”
Roman wasn’t sure why, but her nervousness calmed his own.
She was his mate.
Over the years, he had learned what he could about the Dragon Warriors, but that was only the basic information available to all elites. He hadn’t realized what the bite had meant, but it made sense now. Fate had guaranteed a connection between them that would only grow stronger once they completed the mating, though, he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that yet because he already felt out of control.
It was difficult to trust his own emotions when it all seemed so fantastical.
Over the years, he’d taken women to bed, but only those who knew he wasn’t looking for more than a few hours of pleasure. He wasn’t a man who thought in terms of forever or claiming someone to call his. He’d lost too much and had experienced far too much pain to do it all over again.
It wasn’t a risk he wanted to take.
But the moment he’d seen Amari, he knew everything had changed.
Until now, he hadn’t really believed in soulmates or fated love. He’d seen it happen, had watched couples fall in love in an instant, but he’d always been skeptical. How could destiny possibly choose the perfect partner for someone? He never thought it could actually happen to him, but now that it was, it all seemed so surreal.
He had a mate. Hell, that was something he never thought he’d say. Still, he couldn’t deny what he felt. His hunger for her was too intense to be plain lust. His need to touch her, hold her, was all-consuming. It was as if she were a piece of his soul he hadn’t even realized had been missing until the moment their eyes met.
Could he really be getting a second chance at love? Meeting Amari the day after his visit to New Vega seemed too auspicious to be mere coincidence. It was like the universe was telling him to move the fuck on and stop living in the past.
And standing in front of him was his future.
A small part of him didn’t dare to hope that Amari could be his. Another part of him feared it was true. If he gave in and let himself fall, what would happen if he lost her? Because for him, loving so completely, then being left behind was a fate worse than death. Truthfully, he didn’t know if he could survive that again.
It would take some time for him to reason it out, but she seemed to be willing to wait for him to wrap his head around everything. That was good since the weight on his chest when he thought of the future felt akin to panic. The one thing he was completely certain about was his desire for her, which was once again raging out of control.
Holy nova, he felt like he would die if he didn’t fuck her soon.
Maybe something had happened to his brain when she had transported them to whatever alien planet they were on, but the very idea of getting her under him flipped that caveman switch on inside of him again.
“It is not real,” Amari said, turning toward the landscape outside. “It is, but it is not here.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
After a brief hesitation, she took his hand in hers and walked toward an open space between two of the floating curtains. Raising their hands, she placed them on the wall that was hidden from view. “Forgive me, I have not explained any of this very well. I have not transported us to a planet. We are on my ship outside of the Delta Station.”
Roman blinked. “What—?”
“It is a merging of some of my favorite details from a few of the planets I have visited. The moons and sky are a replica of those from Ilius. The waterfall is a place I once visited on my home world, and the gold ocean is from a planet we moved a race called the Nuraya to after their own world was destroyed.”
She lowered her hand while he kept patting the wall. Suddenly, the curtains, pergola, and brilliant display of color disappeared, leaving behind black walls with wide windows that showed a view of the inky darkness of space. The lavender moonlight was gone, shifted to an amber glow from lighting scattered throughout the room.
The ambiance was still pleasant, but nowhere near as lovely.
He snatched his hand away and gaped. “That is going to take me a while to get used to. The magic,” he clarified, then he froze. “Did you...you heard what I was thinking about being on an alien planet?”
Crap. He’d caught her.
“Just that last part. I could tell you were thinking very hard about something, so I tried to respect your privacy. What I did hear is difficult to decipher. I am not as well versed in human speak as my sister.” The dark swirls in her eyes seemed to spin faster. “Though, I do not think you a caveman.”
Roman barely held back a groan. Fuck, she heard that part about wanting her under him? At least she wasn’t running from the room or booting him off her ship. “I’m sorry about that—”
“We should probably dispense with the apologies, else I will have to start everything I ever say to you with one. I am not around people that often, so I cannot even say I am out of practice.”
Roman grabbed her, pulling her to him. He hadn’t startled her. Hell, he didn’t think anything could startle her, but the move made her stiffen. He could tell she was uncomfortable at first, then she relaxed against him. Wrapping one arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and held her other hand against his chest.
“Well, I’m around people all the time, and I still make mistakes. I think you’re right. No more apologies for the little things,” he agreed.
“How do I know what is little?”
He chuckled. “I have no clue, but we’ll figure it out. And we can make mistakes doing that, too.”
She nodded, accepting the terms. Her gaze remained clear and direct even as her brow furrowed slightly. “What is this? Why are we swaying?”
So suspicious, he thought, delighted with her. He hadn’t done it intentionally, and it wasn’t something he’d even imagined himself doing. It just felt right. His throbbing cock strained against the soft material of his pants, and he pulled her closer, trapping the hard length between them. He was torturing himself, the ache intensifying as he rubbed against her, but it felt too damn good to stop.
“We’re dancing,” he told her, and watched as her beautiful glowing eyes widened. “No, don’t tense up on me now.”
“I do not dance!”
“Feels like dancing to me,” he challenged.
When her lush lips curved into a small smile, he felt like he had conquered a world.
Unable to stop himself, he leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “I had to see if I was right. Your lips are so soft.” He did it again, lingering longer this time. “You taste like sugar. Pure, raw, sweet sugar. The real deal, not the synthetic stuff. I’ve got a weakness for it.”
Her breath caught, and he began to worry when she didn’t breathe again for long minutes. She was a Dragon Warrior, so maybe she didn’t need air. There were so many things he didn’t know about her race, but those answers would come later. Right now, he was only interested in learning more about Amari as an individual.
He’d heard of her, but who was she really? What made her laugh? How did she come to be traveling wi
th two companions who would kill to keep her safe?
Witnessing her reaction to something as simple as dancing made him want to give her all the pretty words and beautiful things she could ever want. He wanted to slay her demons for her, though, he’d be kind of useless since she could slay anything she needed to herself. For the first time in his life, he wished he wasn’t a soldier. If he’d been a poet or a singer, he would know exactly what to say, how to act.
How could he give her the romance she deserved if he didn’t know where to start?
Amari sighed as she reached up to cup his face with both of her hands, rubbing her palms against the stubble. “You think too much, mate. What do I know about pretty words? And nay, if you were a poet instead of a warrior, I would inevitably hurt your soft feelings with my harsh ways. I would probably make you cry.”
He chuckled. “That wouldn’t be good for either of us.”
“Nay, it would not. We are both warriors, and I understand you. I do not need any of those other things.”
That didn’t mean she didn’t deserve them.
He might not be familiar with giving those kinds of things, but he didn’t need to be told that she’d never know what she was missing if she was never offered any of those things. Winning by default wasn’t acceptable. Not when it was something as important as this. Not when she was as important to him as she was.
It was going to be difficult to get used to her being in his head, but in this moment, he found himself grateful that she could hear what he needed to say, even if he couldn’t find the right words.
As he leaned his forehead against hers, his hands fisted the soft material of her dress at the small of her back, pulling her tighter against him. Anchoring himself to her. He felt as though he were standing at a precipice, blind to what was beyond the edge. All he had to do was let go, but he didn’t know how.
“Just hold onto me. It is the mating pull that you feel, but there is no need to rush it. Whatever you need...whether it be time or space, if it is within my power, I will provide.”
“And what about what you need? Don’t I get to provide that, too?” Roman demanded, suddenly angry. “Tell me, Amari. What is it that you want from me?”
She tilted her head back, and her glowing eyes burned with challenge. “What I want is everything you have to give, Roman. I will take nothing less as I will give the same. Until you are ready for that, I need you to kiss me, mate. Forget tomorrow and kiss me. Show me what I have waited centuries for.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Challenge accepted.
Those words echoed in Roman’s head as he slammed his mouth down on hers.
This time, he didn’t ease into it. He demanded entrance, groaning at the sweet taste of her, needing more. Even the feeling of her fangs scraping lightly against his tongue wasn’t enough to calm the raging hunger burning inside of him. Instead, the small sting had a shockwave of need shooting straight through him.
He nipped at her bottom lip with his own teeth, reveling in her small gasp before drinking it down as he claimed her mouth again. Her hands slid over his skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. She clung to his large shoulders for a moment, kneading at the thick muscle there, then her fingertips moved down over his biceps before trailing back up again.
She made a low, throaty purring sound that seemed to vibrate straight through his body. His cock ached, throbbing in time with his pounding pulse, and when those small hands slowly slid down his bare chest, they stoked a path that burned into him like a magical brand. He fought the urge to tremble beneath her wandering fingertips, but his will was failing under the weight of his need.
Those fingers were long and graceful, though, he felt the rough abrasions of calluses that must have come from hard, rough work. The soft scrapes against his skin caused his muscles to tighten, in pleasure and in primitive challenge. He wanted to grab hold of her hands. To stop her from pushing him further into the unknown, but he allowed her to move lower on his chest.
Every nerve ending in his body was quivering, demanding her touch. His breath caught as she stroked over his pectoral muscles, and he couldn’t stop them from flexing under her ministrations. She seemed fascinated by the movement, and lingered there before gliding those clever fingers down until she was tracing the contours of his abs.
It was sensual torture, but he wanted it.
Craved it.
He felt as if she had put some sort of spell on him, that had awakened a beast inside him that had lain dormant until this very moment. Grabbing hold of her wrists, he stopped her progress when he felt the cool air around his legs. His unrestrained cock slapped against her bare stomach, and beads of pre-cum leaked from the mushroomed tip, glistening on her skin under the lavender moonlight.
“No magic,” he snapped, the words coming out harsher than he’d meant.
Hell, he was surprised he could speak at all. His throat was tight, and he could barely hear over the roar of his own blood. She had brought back her fantasy world, including the gossamer curtains and view beyond, but she’d also removed their clothes again.
She frowned. “You do not want to be naked?”
“I think you can see how much I want you naked.” At her blank expression, he growled in frustration. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life. My dick is so hard I’m literally hurting for you.”
“I do not understand, but I do not like you hurting. Tell me what to do to ease you.”
Holy nova, she was trying to kill him. Several detailed positions of exactly how she could ease him flashed through his mind.
Her eyes went wide. “Is that last one physically possible without magic?”
“Stop reading my mind!”
“How am I to know what you mean when you say one thing and are thinking another! Why do you have to be so bloody confusing? If you want to do all of that—”
“Oh, we will do it all, and you’ll love every minute of it,” he promised darkly.
“As I have no experience in this matter, I will have to take your word for it until I can experience it for myself. I see that did not occur to you.” Her expression turned downright haughty after she’d clearly heard something else he’d been thinking. “Would you rather I gained sexual knowledge with another before I met you?”
“Son of a bitch, no!”
“It gives me pause if your idea of foreplay is to argue with me. It makes me think you are not as well versed in this business as I originally believed.”
The bite in her tone was a clear warning. He let go of her wrists, running his hands over the silky-smooth skin of her arms in silent apology. She didn’t mention his former lovers, which he knew she either saw or heard in his thoughts or memories. Hell, even thinking about that was dangerous territory, and he knew he wouldn’t be as chill if their roles were reversed.
Fuck it, he’d want to kill any males who dared to touch her.
Letting out a derisive laugh, Amari pulled away from him and stalked over to the bed. Mimicking his earlier location, she sat down on the bed and leaned back. It was a provocative pose, but the way she was looking at the sky view on the ceiling told him that she was clearly annoyed. Her gaze lowered, and she glared at him.
“You are jealous of an imaginary being, while I must simply ignore the memory of many? And you dare tell me not to use magic? It is a part of me, as much as blood and bone. To deny that facet of my being is to deny me! You are correct that I am annoyed, foolish male—”
Fuck, that wasn’t what he’d meant to do at all.
Roman finally understood the value of communicating through a blood bond, though, things were getting mixed up. That was all his fault. His thoughts and feeling were jumbled, and she had only been trying to make things easier for him. Then, he’d opened his mouth, and stupid had spilled out. He couldn’t blame her for being pissed, but he could explain that he’d never meant to hurt her.
Stars, he really needed to get his shit together.
Still n
aked, he walked over to her, his cock slapping against his stomach with every step. He knelt in front of her on one knee, so they were facing one another again.
“This isn’t one of those little things. I’m sorry, sugar. I didn’t mean to deny any part of you. The view of your dream world is amazing, and you are fucking perfect in every way. Of course, I want to be naked with you. This is our first time together, and maybe its illogical of me, but I want us to be equals...especially when it comes to sex. With magic, that’s just not possible.”
“Magic, in general, makes you uneasy.” It was a statement, not an accusation.
“I guess it does, but that’s simply because I don’t understand it fully. How could I when I don’t have it and have never used it?”
“There is value to your point,” she conceded. “If I do something wrong, I do expect you to tell me. I cannot understand your opinion of magic because I have always had it. I hold some of the blame here as I do not think I was clear earlier. You are my mate, and I will give you anything and everything I have to give...however, I will not be someone else for you.”
“I don’t expect you to. I swear it.”
“Perhaps this is not the way it is for other mates, but I am a warrior...strong, independent, and fiercely private. There is much room for compromise, but the fundamentals of who I am will not change. But we will always be equals here,” she said as she placed a hand on his chest over his heart.
“Equals.”
Her fingers splayed wide, and his breath sucked in harshly as her nails dug into his skin. “Son of a—fuck!”
“Now, tell me. Who marked your other shoulder?”
Stars, she made him want to laugh even as he winced. “I thought you weren’t supposed to be able to hurt your mate.”
Amari’s laugh was low and seductive. “Who told you that? Maybe that is another difference between myself and other mates.”
“Sugar, that’s gonna leave a mark.” When she let go, he found the puncture wounds and soreness were already gone. Magic again. This time, his heart began to race at her show of ownership. He was branded as surely as if the marks were still there.