Conquering His Mate (Mates of Zatari Book 2)

by Claire Conrad

  “How much?”

  Eighty thousand.

  “Impressive.” My blades rang with sound each time they met in a death dance in front of me. The familiar singsong quality filled me with calm and I shrugged out of his grasp. “Should’ve been a hundred.”

  Hunter laughed. “That’s what they sold you for.”

  Eagerly, without fear, I took a step forward and raised my blades in challenge.

  Chapter Four

  Hunter

  The woman was as insane as I. Reluctant admiration flared within me. I hope you have armor on.

  She didn’t take her eyes off her prey. Of course I do. Anger coursed through her, spiked her energy, and made her aura flame brilliant orange around every perfect curve. Pity that no one else could see it. She was magnificent. And deadly. Mustn’t forget deadly. The thought just made me want her more.

  You take care of these three, I’m going hunting. She gave the command as naturally as breathing and I had to remind myself, she was more than a woman, more than my mate, she was the future queen of her people, born and bred to lead the fanatically combative society that ruled half the planet below us.

  Still a presence in her mind, I read her intentions clearly. The leader of these animals hung back and sent his men in to be slaughtered. Mira’s determination was absolute, so I shrugged. Now that I’d touched her, I’d be able to track her at will. “Go ahead. I can handle them.”

  Surprise flickered across her features at my acceptance. My confidence. The poor woman had no idea what she was dealing with. None. But she was about to witness what a Mindjack could really do.

  Calling forth my complete will, I focused on the men fanned out in the corridor, the men blocking her path to their leader. Intense pain always accompanied the gift, but I ignored it and cast my Shadow ahead of me. Weak from months abusing stims, the minds of our attackers were easy to invade, even easier to control. All three men walked to within arms’ reach of Mira and froze, unable to control their own bodies.

  “Hunter, you’re ruining my fun.” With a snort of disgust, Mira ignored the men as I turned them on one another. Three shots fired and all three men fell to the ground. I could control small groups, no more than three of four. Now that we were out of the main bay, anyone who attacked us was already dead as far as I was concerned.

  Mira watched the three men fall and turned to resume her hunt for their leader. Simmering beneath her calm exterior was rage at being bought and sold. She craved vengeance. Retribution. The three dead men were galactic justice at its best. I knew that moments after we walked away, the robots would come out and cart off the bodies. There was only one real law on Lunar One: survival of the fittest.

  Farther away, waiting around the corner, the evil energy of the leader tactically retreated. Mira started after him, but I moved swiftly and wrapped my fingers around her wrist. I’d just controlled three men with my will alone, and she’d hardly batted an eyelash. Never had anyone shown less of a reaction. Either she completely trusted me, or her self-confidence left no room for fear. Both possibilities made me rock hard. “Let him go. We don’t have time.”

  “He doesn’t deserve to live.” She kicked the scum at her feet in frustration. Battle lust roiled beneath her calm exterior. She was not happy with the news that she’d been sold like a slave. Not happy at all. Deep and violent, fury boiled within her. Too much and too fierce to be solely attributed to this incident. It festered and writhed like a demon, just waiting to break free. “You can’t kill every slaver on this station.”

  “One dead’s better than none.” Clearly irritated with me, she twisted her wrist in my grasp, trying to break free.

  “Aye. But I prefer to leave the bay as quietly as possible. That will be an easier task if we don’t start a war.” Our eyes clashed. A shockwave of energy leapt from her eyes to mine and my every nerve ending froze in shock. All around us our energy fields were fusing, pulsing as one. I knew she felt it too, but she ignored it.

  I could not. My body purred at her nearness, an elemental instinct to protect her, serve her, fuck her drove nearly every thought from my mind. She was mine. My Fated Mate. Nothing else mattered now.

  I shook my head to clear the fog and focused on our conversation. The slaver. He was escaping. “That one will come to you. A hundred thousand credits guarantees it.”

  “Perhaps, but the rest of these slaving bastards will serve as a warning.” Jerking her wrist out of my grasp, she squatted down and carved a three-moon symbol into each man’s left cheek. The symbol of the temples of Zatari, the mark was both adored and hated, depending on whose side one was on. Satisfaction nearly purred from her throat with each artistic slice of her blade. She was more than willing to perpetuate the ferocious reputation of her temple. Her ruthless loyalty to her people only made me want her more. I wanted that loyalty, that trust, all her fierce and wild passion focused on me.

  She was mine.

  A mere hint of blood formed as her blade danced over their flesh, the thin red color gelled on their filthy faces. Without a suggestion of sympathy, Mira watched a slow-moving drop slither down one of their necks, drip into his ears and filthy hair.

  “Enough.” I pulled her to her feet from behind, enjoyed the soft give of her curves beneath me, and buried my nose in her mass of silken hair. “Breathe. They’re dead. It’s time to go.”

  I pulled her along and we ran at a solid pace, making quick work of reaching the docking bay where I’d parked the cruiser. The moment the outer corridor door slid closed behind us, her shoulders slumped as the tension left her body. Lining the walls, warriors with rifles and Zatari uniforms kept order in the dock as ships came and went, loading and unloading cargo.

  None would attack us here. The walkway was wide but empty, rarely used. We were on the second level and she leaned over the waist-high barrier, looked around before stepping back. She walked a few paces and leaned her shoulders against the wall. Re-sheathing her blades for the first time since our fight, she settled back, resting her shoulders and head on the cold surface behind her. “They’re gone. They made it. My cruiser is gone.”

  “Good.” The two slaves we’d managed to get out of this hellhole had escaped. I looked over the edge for my own cruiser. She was sitting exactly where I’d left her, on the other side of the dock.

  “Where’s yours? Let’s get out of here.”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t leaving. Not yet. Not without finding out what was happening with my sister. “I can’t leave until I speak with Selene.”

  “What?” Mira’s green gaze flashed to mine and held as a look of confusion came over her face. She stuttered at first, as if confused by her own words. “She said… she wanted me to tell you to leave her alone before you ruin everything.”

  Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and lifted her hands to rub at her temples. “What? What did I just say? That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know anyone named Selene.”

  As gently as I could, I moved closer. “Selene is my sister.”

  She scoffed. “I know who she is. Selene Angelus of Delti, age twenty-four, born under the full moon of the fourth month of summer. Fifth in line to the throne.” Her voice trailed off, then picked up again. “And she’s been missing for two months.”

  I nodded. “Believed dead, until my brother and I started digging. She and our cousin, Aria, went missing the same night.”

  “But I don’t know her.”

  “Yes. You do. You went to see her two days ago and disappeared.”

  “No.” She shivered. “No. That’s not possible.”

  I ran my hands up and down her back in a soothing motion. “My sister can manipulate memories, Mira. You found her. You met her. You spoke to her.”

  Completely alone up here with the immediate threat gone, she closed her eyes once more. I felt her confusion, her thoughts swirling in a vortex of unanswered questions and unrecognized desires. I stepped closer, pulling her into my arms, her back pressed to my warmth instead of th
e cold wall. Leaning down, I hid my smile in her hair when she did not move away. Her uncertainty worked in my favor, especially since she was too distracted to realize that now that I’d found her, I’d do anything to have her in my bed. To tame her. To keep her forever.

  Slowly, so as not to frighten a skittish wild beast, I slid my arms around her waist until she was completely enclosed in my embrace. She didn’t turn me away. She didn’t stab me with her daggers. Both good signs.

  Perhaps her body craved mine as much as I needed to touch her. It was the pull of mates, our bond already forming. She had no idea what was happening between us, but she was a wanton temptress, a wild creature caught in my net.

  Encouraged, I risked losing a hand by cupping her left breast through her thin uniform, tested her nipple with my fingers. The soft weight of her flesh called to me like no other. The nipple puckered instantly, and she moaned, rocking back against me. Stirred by her response, I caressed every bit of flesh I could reach with my other hand, slid it under the waist of her pants and stroked the soft skin of her abdomen. I dared to go lower, but stopped when she stiffened in alarm.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Touching you.”

  “Why?”

  Ahh. There was the real problem. I nuzzled the side of her face. I answered, but I did not give her the truth. No. She wasn’t ready for the truth. “Because you’re beautiful and I want you.”

  With a soft groan, she half-turned in my arms, twisting her head to claim my lips. I took full advantage of her desire, sliding one hand down over her round bottom and using the other to explore the wet heat of her core.

  I took my sweet time arousing her, rubbing her lower back and ass with one hand. With the other, I explored her wet pussy lips rubbing her sensitive clit, then retreating. Again. This time my finger plunged deep and her hips jerked in response. I wondered how long it would take her to realize the drug she’d injected me with wasn’t going to work. The antidote Octavia had given to my brother and me was working perfectly.

  I wasn’t going to pass out. There would be no controlling me. No stopping me.

  Could I possess her by the time she realized her mistake? Perhaps I’d play along and see where I ended up. She had information about my sister that I needed, and a body I wanted to tame. I’d never been tempted to use my psychic talents to seduce a woman, but to claim this one there was no rule, no sacred vow that I wouldn’t break.

  * * *

  Mira

  I turned completely in his arms and Hunter’s hands immediately returned to knead my body, driving my temperature up about a thousand degrees. Goddess forgive me, I wanted more, and I only had a few minutes left to indulge myself. Soft, sinful, and too great a temptation to resist, his lips locked to mine, his tongue darted in to tease and taste. Unrepentant, my body molded itself to him, eager to explore the sensations I knew I would forbid myself later. Not just later… forever.

  Any minute now he would succumb to the drug in his system. This would not continue, could not, and that knowledge gave me the excuse I needed to surrender for the moment. Eager, I lifted my arms, slipped my hands around his back. Body heat pulsed from his flesh to mine, from his lips to mine. Not just my body, my life was going up in flames. Only my third kiss, and the thought of never experiencing the crazed rush of desire again made me want to scream. I was a warrior. Destined to serve my people for many more years.

  But that was a future I did not want to dwell on. Right now, what I wanted was to ride Hunter. But I didn’t want him chained, controlled. No, blasphemous as it was, I wanted his hot hands on me, his mouth on mine. I wanted a man strong enough to force me to submit to his will, and skilled enough to make me enjoy my surrender. How I could know his touch would bring bliss, could want something I’d never experienced, I wasn’t certain. But I didn’t care. Aye, I wanted it all. I had both the time and privacy to take him. To fuck him. To let him fuck me. I realized, as my memories returned, that I did not need to bring him to my queen. No one on Zatari was looking for him.

  That was his sister’s influence. I was here to find Octavia, and Hunter was my best chance of doing that. If I gave in to his touch, fulfilled my darkest desires, no one need ever know.

  He must have been reading my mind, for his kiss grew frantic, angry before he pulled away.

  “You want to fuck me, use me to find Octavia, and then walk away?”

  “Yes.” That’s exactly what I wanted.

  Solid as a rock, his body burned mine, demanded I recognize the threat even before he spoke the words. No, mate. I will take you. And before I’m through, you’ll beg me to keep you forever.

  I was delirious with need, my mind locked to his, my tongue lost in his mouth, my breasts molded to the hard planes of his chest. Weak and trembling, the darkest shadows in my heart flared to light at his words… and secretly hoped he spoke the truth.

  Without warning, our psychic connection began to fade. Suddenly, he leaned against my slightly smaller frame for support. His twenty minutes were up a little early. I caught him, but he was heavy as hell, his head coming to rest at my chest as he slumped to his knees.

  “The injection?” Hunter whispered the question and his hot breath fanned over my nipple. He immediately sucked it into his mouth. Tonguing the hard peak through my shirt, his wet suckling forced a moan from my throat and my pussy flooded with wet heat.

  “Aye.” Sighing with regret, I ignored the throbbing deep inside and gently lowered him to the floor as he lost consciousness. With a wave of my hand and a small shout, I summoned a Zatari guard from below to assist. I’d have an armed escort to my suite on the upper floor where I would keep him until he cooperated and led me to Octavia.

  A few minutes later a group of guards lifted him onto a floating gurney and looked to me for direction. “Where to, Priestess?”

  “Level four.” The temple kept a suite of rooms on that level for official business. Well-guarded, private, and isolated far from Slavers’ Bay or the docks. I had two days to get the truth out of him before I could rendezvous with the slaves I’d set free… I could not simply turn them loose and leave them to fend for themselves, they’d be caught and on the market again in a matter of weeks. Or dead.

  “At once.” The female leader of the guards saluted sharply and led the way to the Zatari quarters. This had not been part of my plan. I’d wanted to remain unseen, but Hunter and his sister had ruined both my plans and my peace of mind. Memories swirled and fought for space inside my head. Some real, some not. At the moment, I was having a difficult time telling reality from Selene’s implanted lies.

  One fact remained. Hunter’s touch made my body burn and clouded my judgment. I would have to be careful with that. It would be all too easy to let him take me over. His touch was liquid fire and I melted.

  Now, staring at his peaceful face, it was hard to imagine the electric pull of his gaze or the dominant energy of his presence. Like this, he looked like any other man.

  I nearly laughed at my own lie. He was magnificent, but he could never be mine.

  Chapter Five

  Hunter

  I struggled not to reveal myself as Mira stripped my shirt from my chest and rubbed her small hands across my skin until I thought I’d go mad. But lust rose in her thoughts. She wanted me. Her memories and emotions of the Zatari breeding scene pounded through my skull. Lust. Worry. Anger. Frustration. They all buzzed around in my mind, pulsed through my body, sped up my heartbeat—to match hers.

  Hell. I’d been around women my whole life. Hundreds of women. Thousands of women. None had affected me this way. Not one. Our energies had merged, fused into one in that corridor. She was my Fated Mate and yet all she could think about was her time riding one of my countrymen in their bizarre breeding rituals. That knowledge alone fueled my ire and sealed her fate. When I was through with her, only one man would remain in her memories.

  Tired of pretending, I opened my eyes. Unfortunately, the antidote I’d taken wasn’t perfect. Like
a shard of glass, a sliver of light passed through my eyes, sliced into my mind. But I could see her. She’d stripped down to tight black pants that showed her body to perfection, and a sleeveless white undershirt that clung to her breasts. Mira, First Daughter of the Zatari Temple, Priestess of Zatari, my mate. A mate whom, at the moment, was pacing the floor next to me like a caged beast who scented fresh meat. Or a lover in heat.

  The pain in my head receded. A quick glance around the room confirmed my suspicions. Extravagance dwelt here. Plush green silk woven rugs muffled her footsteps. Soft glowing lights tracked grooves of copper color in the arched ceiling. The room’s only furnishings were a blood-red, feather-stuffed lounge chair big enough for two, two chairs at a small table, and the bed, which I currently occupied.

  Small. Efficient. Expensive. And she still didn’t know I was awake. Time to get some information.

  Still somewhat disoriented, I waited for my will to gather, to form the cohesive whole I needed to Shadow her thoughts. I was patient, focused, as I willed my mind to cooperate…

  Nothing happened. Somehow, while I’d been pretending to black out, she’d shielded her mind. I’d have to push harder to get through the new barriers. Or distract her.

  A moan of frustration escaped me and Mira was immediately at my side. “Are you all right?”

  “No.” Hell, no. Soft as a feather’s touch, her hand rested on my chest, burned my flesh and sent my body into instant overheat. I hurt. Clenching my teeth, I resisted the urge to pull her down over me. I opted for sitting up instead. Mira shoved me back down, her breasts tempting my mouth. Lifting my neck, I strained to taste one, but she moved away.

  “Don’t move. The injection will make you dizzy for a few more minutes. I’m sorry.” I must’ve pissed off multiple gods because when she sat up, her hands moved to my abdomen. The muscles there clenched in sweet agony. I wanted her hands everywhere, stroking, exploring, rubbing my hard cock before sucking it into her mouth.