One soft hand delved beneath his cuzta, trailing up his thigh.
She has to choose. Tell her! “Amy, if we do this, you are choosing to become my mate.”
Her hand stroked the length of his cock through the under-wrap. “Oh, yes.”
“Say it.” Despite his best intentions, it came out a plea.
“Yes.”
“Say it.” He’d never wanted anything more than her. He’d give up Sakk for good, if it meant a life with this woman.
“Your mate. Yes...I’ll be your mate.” She came up on her knees, her lips closing on his.
Sakkra backed off just enough to avoid her lips. “Give me the bio chains, code the bed, and leave us.”
No one argued with him. The chains settled in his outstretched hand, and Sakkra motioned his order to leave with a jerk of his head.
Amy’s hand left his cock and started working at the clasp at the waist of the sleeping gown she wore. He let her, certain that she wouldn’t figure out the mechanism before they were alone.
Gabin stopped at the doorway. “Sakkra, do you require—”
“I require you to leave,” he snapped.
The silence was broken only by the sound of the doors opening and then closing again. A tone announced that they had been secured.
Sakkra closed his mouth over Amy’s, working the fasteners on his cuzta while she investigated the one on her sleeping gown. When the fasteners were opened, he dropped the cuzta away.
At last, she tried squeezing the tabs together, and the clasp on her sleeping gown came open in a rush, spilling her breasts against his now-bare chest. Amy’s hand went to his under-wrap, and she repeated the squeeze maneuver to open the sides. She pulled the fabric away, leaving them body to body, with only his Kieta between them.
Her mouth left his, and Amy raised her wrist, offering it to him. “Now. Please, Sakkra.”
“Soon. I must be inside you first.”
Her eyes dilated, and she arched against him in offer. Sakkra pushed the sleeping gown off her shoulders and cupped one lush breast in his hand. He lowered his head and sucked her nipple in.
Her hand closed in the back of his hair, and sounds of pleasure filled the air around them. Amy parted her legs for him. Whispered pleas for him to fill her made his head spin.
Since he was the second son, Sakkra could have any woman he wanted as his own. Even so, Sakk princes typically chose virginal women as their mates. Amy wasn’t virginal. Of that, there was little doubt. Far from being off-putting, Sakkra was sure mating with a woman who knew what she liked would be more than he’d ever dreamed of.
Sakkra took the time to show the other breast similar attention, but putting off what they both craved was too maddening. He’d wanted her practically since he met her, and Sakk princes were not well versed in waiting for anything they wanted. He straightened and captured Amy’s lips again, groaning at her attempts to lever herself onto his ready cock.
Her hand brushed his wing, sending pleasant tremors through his body. She looked up at him, hesitated, then did it again, purposefully stroking him, learning what he liked by trial and error.
He positioned himself and thrust into her body, and her short fingernails dug into his shoulders. They parted minutely, and Sakkra started pounding into her body, staking a claim on his woman...his princess. To his delight and surprise, she was a tight fit for him.
Her sounds went sharp, and her hot breath bathed his mouth, promising dozens of delights. Her legs tightened around Sakkra’s waist, pulling his cock further inside her.
Amy didn’t last long. Her body clenched hard at his length, encouraging him to climax with her. Sakkra indulged, his heart hammering in excitement the likes of which he’d never felt with one of the women provided for him.
Of course not. Those women were paid to make sure I was sated well. Amy is sharing sexual fulfillment with me. The two were vastly different.
“Sakkra?” Amy questioned.
That has to end now. “Labtrayel,” he corrected her.
****
Amy fought to make sense of whatever Sakk word he was using. “I don’t understand.”
“The mate of a prince or emperor does not use her mate’s title when they are intimate. That is for public appearance.”
“Then...Your name is...”
“Labtrayel,” he reminded her. “Only you and my family may use it.”
She repeated it several times, trying to commit it to memory. “It may take me a while to remember that,” she admitted. Her cheeks heated. “It’s just...I already know you as Sakkra.”
His smile let her know he wasn’t offended. “It is often thus when a Sakk prince takes a mate.”
Sakkra...Labtrayel eased out of her body, and Amy tried to make sense of it.
He cupped her chin in his hand. “Is there a problem?”
“You said you had to be inside.” Why was he pulling out if he had to be inside to put the bio chains on?
“My...essence had to be inside,” he explained.
Aftershocks wracked her at the reminder.
Sakkra raised her hand and kissed the knuckles. “Now we code the bio chains and then seal it with another mating.”
“Again? Don’t you need time to...recover?”
He chuckled darkly. “Let me lay the chains, and you will understand.”
Amy nodded, her heart tripping in excitement.
Sakkra raised one of the chains from the mattress and placed it around her wrist. Once he’d locked it on, a light humming raced up her arm, making her gasp.
“Now mine.” He looped the matching chain around his own wrist and fastened it one-handed.
At the first stroke of his fingertips over her unmarked cheek, the arousal struck. His half-erect length went hard again, and realization struck.
“The bio chains act as an aphrodisiac?”
“Closeness brings awareness. Touch brings pleasure.”
He stroked a fingertip along her lower lip, and she trembled in need.
“Sexual touching brings more.”
More was an understatement. The drive to have him inside her again was mind altering.
“Not yet,” Sakkra whispered. “The chains must code first.”
He kissed her, a slow, deep kiss that made her head spin. His wings closed around her, enveloping her in his scent and touch.
Just when Amy thought the anticipation would be too much for her, a tone sounded. Their lips parted, and she opened her mouth to ask if it was time for the promised mating. Sakkra’s cock sliding home answered the unasked question.
The second time he made love to her was even more delicious than the first. The sensation of being stretched around his length and girth was more pronounced. Her mind registered every thrust and withdrawal in a series in individual nervous impulses that sent shockwaves through her system.
His hands stroked up her back, holding Amy tight to his body. Her climax skyrocketed, and starbursts of pleasure washed over her. The rush of Sakkra’s cum pushed her past all conscious thought.
Little things came into focus again, one at a time: their sweat-soaked bodies rubbing against each other, the scratch of the medallion he wore, the sound of their breathing, the tickle of Sakkra’s wings against her spine.
“Labtrayel,” she reminded herself.
“Yours to use,” he replied.
Exhaustion weighed her down, and Amy wrapped her arms around him.
“Tired?” he asked.
She nodded.
Labtrayel slid free of her body and arranged Amy on the bio bed. Once he’d covered her with the silky sheet, he laid a kiss on her forehead.
“Sleep, Amy.”
Even if she’d wanted to stay awake, she didn’t possess the energy to do it. Consciousness drifted away.
****
Sakkra smiled at the sight of his princess sleeping. Considering the amount of blood she’d lost, the other physical and emotional traumas of her day, and the mild pain relief he knew the healers had ad
ministered, he was mildly surprised that she hadn’t succumbed to sleep during or just after the bio chains coded.
She is mine now. My princess.
He dressed, mindful to the noise he was making. Though he doubted Amy would wake easily, the last thing he wanted to do was interrupt healing sleep.
That accomplished, he went to the comm board by the door, turned down the volume, and asked for Gabin.
“Is your Sakku in need of me, Sakkra?” he asked urgently.
“Is it safe to move her to our quarters?”
“I will bring everything you need.”
“Quietly. Sakku Amy is resting,” he warned in reply.
“Yes, Sakkra.” Gabin closed the comms from his side.
It didn’t take long for a light knock to announce the master healer’s arrival.
Sakkra coded him in, and Gabin entered with a bow to Sakkra and then the sleeping Amy.
The healer wasted no time. He threaded the royal Kieta over Amy’s head, then coded the bio tracker to her. When that was complete, he offered a tova sleeping gown and sheet in royal ullium. The fabric didn’t simply have the coloring of the protective metal. Threads of it were woven in, making it akin to Kevlar fabrics humans used.
Sakkra took them with a raised eyebrow, challenging Gabin to explain why there were women’s clothes in the royal colors on hand in the consulate. The sheet was expected. Sakkra had such sheets on his bed every night, but there was no call for such clothing.
The master healer cleared his throat, his face darkening. “They came on the same ship you did, in a variety of sizes. But only sleeping gowns,” he hastened to add.
“In the event that I found an Earth-born female I wished to make my own?”
“I would imagine that is always a concern, Sakkra.”
A smile pulled at his lips. “I suppose so.” It certainly was now that he’d mated with Amy.
The healer pulled the drape closed and left Sakkra in peace to dress his mate in royal vestments. She moaned a protest, then settled back into sleep. When she was properly dressed and wrapped in the tova sheet, Sakkra pulled the drape back and lifted Amy in his arms.
“All is prepared?” Sakkra inquired.
“Of course.”
The healer trailed Sakkra to the doors and followed them out into the corridor. At the sight of them, the warriors lining the corridor went to one knee.
Sakkra made his way between the columns, whispered prayers for their health, safety, and fertility rising around them. Corridor to corridor, the reaction of his men was the same.
And many yans in the future, each of them will be able to brag that he was there when Sakkra claimed Sakku Amy as his own. It was an event few were blessed enough to witness.
At their quarters, Sakkra settled Amy in their bed and covered her with a quilt.
Gabin waited in the main room. Sakkra left Amy behind and went to see what the healer had to say.
“We do have only sleeping wear in the royal ullium,” he noted carefully. “And we have no daily wear in pure white, either. Of course, Sakku will not be up to public appearances for at least a week. Possibly longer.” He didn’t add that getting either white tova or ullium-weave tova from Sakk would take much longer than that.
Sakkra considered that. “My Sakku is Earth-born. Especially while she heals, she may be more comfortable wearing clothing she is accustomed to.”
“Should we purchase more like those destroyed by the attack?”
He considered that, remembering the clothing she’d come to the consulate in after her fiancé had abandoned her. “No. When she wakes, I will ask her permission to have warriors move her personal belongings here to the consulate for her. When she feels up to it, she can purchase whatever she likes on the consulate account. Dressed as a human or dressed as the Sakku she is, my mate will have a princess’s closet.”
“As you wish, Sakkra.”
“No. As Sakku wishes.” He hesitated, another thought occurring to him. “Are you familiar with the human custom of rings for mates?”
“Of course.”
“I understand there is more than the engagement ring involved.”
“Yes. The engagement ring and the mating band worn on the female’s third finger on the left. The male wears a matching band on the corresponding finger.”
“I wish rings in ullium with what the humans call a teardrop diamond for the engagement ring.”
“Decoration for the bands? Humans often decorate the bands.”
He pressed a hand to his Kieta. Amy wore a ring that she called a Claddagh. There was a tradition about placement of the design. “The royal Kieta at half-turns. The Claddagh, facing opposite the Kieta, at the other two quarters.”
“I do not understand. You wish one design to always be upside down?”
“It is a human tradition. Wearing of the Claddagh in that manner means a female is mated. I want a symbol that no one, Sakk or human, can mistake.”
“I quite understand. It will be as you wish. I will give the jewelers at the consulate the proper measurements and orders.”
Sakkra nodded. He looked toward the corridors and all the problems awaiting him. My mate needs me. Instead, he went back to the bed and stripped off his clothing. Beneath the ullium-laced tova with her, Sakkra gathered his princess into his arms.
Chapter Sixteen
Amy came to consciousness slowly, trying to make sense of where she was and why. She wasn’t wearing her favorite fleece pajamas. Instead, she was surrounded in something that felt like silk but was as warm as her winter blankets.
She yawned, wincing at the pain in her cheek. That brought the rest back in a rush. She was at the consulate. Lucy had shot her. And Sakkra...
Amy sat up with a gasp, looking down at the delicate chain ringing her right wrist. Her heart pounded in a mixture of excitement and surprise.
It wasn’t a dream. I’m really mated to Sakkra.
“May I enter, Sakku?” a strange voice called out from the other side of a golden drape.
Sakku? She worked at that. Sakkra means prince. Maybe Sakku means...princess?
“Sakku Amy? Are you well? May I enter?”
She straightened the nightgown, self-conscious. “Yes.”
The healer passing through the drape was vaguely familiar; that put her at ease. She recognized him from her previous visits.
He bowed to her, then reached to the panel above her head and started pushing buttons.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“A few tests. Your bio tracker says your heart rate is elevated.”
Her cheeks heated. “Just memories. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.” Then I remembered.
His eyes went soft in some emotion she’d like to deny was pity. “You are safe here, Sakku Amy. I guarantee that. Six of Sakk’s best guard you, and you are within the shields. Nothing can harm you here.”
“What about my family? Those nutcases out there have attacked Sakk-descended before.”
He raised his hands in a calming motion. “Sakkra has taken care of it. Your family have guards and temporary shields. Eventually, they will be moved here or to somewhere they feel comfortable and safe.”
“He did all of that?”
“Yes, Sakku. Of course he did.”
Amy didn’t know how to interpret it. Instead, she focused on the more pressing issues. “I take it Lucy is in jail again?”
“A hospital jail room, I am told. She will recover well.”
Her cheek twitched again. “Will I?”
His hesitation told her more than he intended it to, she was sure.
“We are consulting with human plastic surgeons. I am certain they will be able to heal your injuries fully, and with our healing measures, the recovery period from the surgery will be much lessened.”
Amy nodded solemnly.
“In the meantime, your bio tracker will help us monitor your condition.”
He’d mentioned that before. “Bio tracker?”
Amy fingered it. Sakkra wears a similar one. “I see.” She looked around, struck by the silence in the room. “Where is Sakkra?”
“Attending to the details of this situation. I can send for him.”
“That’s okay. If you could just direct me to—”
“You really shouldn’t be up,” he dismissed her.
“I’m fine, I’m sure.” She didn’t feel dizzy or sick.
The healer looked toward the comm board, seemingly torn.
“I am fine. Please, I’d rather walk.”
He bowed deeply. “I must insist you take your guards with you. If you feel ill, they will bring you here.”
But not call for him. Oh! The bio tracker will do that. She nodded. “Of course.”
The healer took a step backward and offered his hand to help Amy from the bed. When she was on her feet, he gathered more golden silk from the chair and held it up for her to slip her arms into.
When she hesitated, he spoke again. “Would you rather dress, Sakku? I am afraid I would have to call for clothing from our storeroom. Your own were ruined.”
“No. This is fine.” She turned and eased her arms into the sleeves.
The healer released it onto her shoulders and took another step back. Amy belted the robe around her and faced him again.
“Well then... I suppose I should find Sakkra.”
He nodded and led the way to the door.
Amy took the time to look at the rooms they passed through. They were large, and there were offshoot rooms that proved to be an office and library. This certainly wasn’t the type of room Sakkra had given her before. She suspected these were his personal quarters.
Our personal quarters. That thought sent a shiver of delight down her spine.
In the hallway, six hulking Sakk warriors went to one knee in a bow.
Amy took an involuntary step back, shocked by their actions. She composed herself. “Can you show me where Sakkra is?” she managed.
One rose and tipped his head. “Of course, Sakku. If you would?” He motioned for her to accompany them.
Unexpected Mates (Sons of Heaven) Page 16