“Gracious!” She heard Melissa say. “She looks like she thinks she’s seen a dead man walking. Honey, we’re just here to meet you so we can do that thing where victims and the person what did wrong get to chat face to face and hopefully finish reconciling in person. We’re not gonna bite you or nothing.”
Marley stood still and lifted her head to take a measured look at Melissa. She could detect no guile upon her face though a look at Junrig told her all she needed to know about what would happen if she so much as thought about anything out of line. She turned her attention to the third male.
He was staring at her intently. She blinked. Was his skin about his neck and jawline changing color and texture? To her astonishment, it was. A delicate pearly rose gold sheen made an appearance as well as a faint scale like pattern. She remembered the blurry footage and hype about the crazed lizard man, dismissed as a cosplaying stunt. Obviously that had been untrue and it must have been Junrig as rumors had claimed. If so, does that mean this is Kranow?
Gundar watched the pair stare at each other intently. “I’m sure you and Kranow would like to go to your quarters and get to know each other better, but we have things to discuss first. We’ll adjourn to the conference room I’ve had prepared and we’ll get that out of the way. Kranow here can take you home, afterwards.”
Marley nodded, only half listening. She was busy drinking in Kranow. She didn’t know what had come over her. Is this what it was like for Maya? No wonder she happily flew off with him to other end of the universe. It’s as if lightning has struck or something. Oh my God, his eyes! The iridescent green shimmers like jewels. And he’s so tall, but not scrawny. He’s not big like a tree either. Just right. It’s as if the universe took my personal ideal fantasy man and made him to order. Her eyes fell upon his lips as he began to speak, “I hope your journey was not unpleasant. Melissa and the Commander's wife and one of their friends helped me ready our new quarters. I hope you like the furnishings they chose.” Marley hoped it included a big bed they could roll around in as she was ravaged by his mouth.
Gundar cleared his throat. “This way, please.” Marley startled, blushing as she realized by the way everyone was looking at her with amusement that not only had she been caught staring, but that she’d voiced that thought aloud. She turned a beet red, wishing she could sink into the decking.
Kranow proffered his hand, a gentle smirk quirking his mouth, and she took it as everyone followed behind the commander. Melissa leaned over as they walked and whispered, “Oh, there’s definitely a bed and just wait until you see what these guys are packing.”
Marley swallowed and slid her eyes down to Kranow’s trousers where she could make out the outline of…Oh my. Just great. Now she was going to sit through this meeting imagining what her mate had hidden under his pants, her own panties damp and no doubt able to be scented by the Mylos present. She giggled as Melissa waggled her eyebrows knowingly. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad and things were going to work out after all, for everyone.
Chapter Ten
Melissa stared across the table. She’d put on a good front, but when she actually saw Marley Sampson in the flesh for the very first time, it had been like a punch to the gut. She knew Junrig could sense her ill-ease but it looked as if no one else had, thankfully. She wanted to move past what had happened and get on her with her life. That meant coming to terms with it all, including accepting the humanity of the woman who now sat across from her. It meant forgiving her and knowing, no, help ensuring, that she’d never do it again.
As Gundar explained the assistant teaching Marley would be doing as part of her community service, Melissa couldn’t help but flashback to another such discussion. When she was seventeen, her cousin Cash had been caught TPing their high school principal’s house and hanging water filled condoms on the tree at the end of his drive. Seeing as Principal Jameson’s brother-in-law was not only there for s family party, but as an officer with the local PD, he saw to it that Cash was charged for his mischief. Cash had been cautioned before for soaping car windows and letting air out if tires and stuff, so when a judge sentenced him to a hundred hours of community service and for him to go through counselling, no one had been surprised.
Cash had picked up trash on the roadside and helped remove graffiti as well as repainted playground equipment. He’d thought the counselling sessions were stupid and had only grudgingly gone at first. Then he’d simply attended without griping or commenting at all but the change in him had been immense. He enrolled at the college that summer and worked a summer job. When he’d graduated the next year, he’d not only had several college credits but had gotten accepted to Florida State, the first in their family to go to college at all beyond enrichment community courses.
She knew many would think her naive, but having seen Cash grow beyond his anger and make something of himself and later reading articles about robbery victims, and even family members, who’d lost a loved one make peace and support a successful rehabilitation of an offender gave her hope. Hope that change really was possible. If she’d been physically harmed and things hadn’t come right in the end, especially with Junrig’s mating fever, she knew she quite likely would feel differently. All she could do though was trust her and the Mylos’ judgement was right and that Marley was a new woman. Besides, the men had decided to drug her all on their own. Marley had only asked them to get her alone and talk her into voluntarily coming along in their car with them.
Knowing this in her head and forgetting her remembered fear during her time with those two goons was another matter entirely. She hoped getting to know Marley better would help her put the past where it firmly belonged. As they’d furnished and decorated Marley and Kranow’s quarters, handling Marley’s personal effects, she’d begun to feel a connection. This Marley and the woman behind her kidnapping now felt like two separate people to her. In a way, I suppose they are.
While Gundar spoke, Marley sat silently, listening intently. When he fell silent, she lifted her eyes and looked earnestly at both Melissa and Junrig. “I swear, I will do all I can with every fiber of my being to give all of the kids, including yours, the most enjoyable learning environment possible and ensure they get only the best education. And as your neighbor, I hope that we can get along without you feeling uncomfortable in your own homes.”
Melissa plastered a bright smile on her face. “You just keep going as you say you will, we’ll be just fine. As for being neighbors, hey, we helped pick out and set up your furniture!”
Marley nodded, unspilled tears in her eyes. “Yeah, you did. Thank you.”
Gundar stood. “If everyone understands and has nothing further to say for now, we can adjourn.”
Melissa stood. She didn’t really have anything else to say right this moment. There would be plenty if occasions for her to talk things over with Marley, with and without others present, in official capacities as well as just as friends lending support. “I need to pick up the kids. I’m sure Darla and Steven are ready to hand them back over.” She rubbed a hand over her belly, where her pregnancy was now visible thanks to an obvious bump. “Me and this little guy just want to put our feet up with a snack.”
“When are you due?” Marley asked timidly.
“Another four months. Mylos/human pregnancies last six months instead of nine.”
Marley’s eyes grew round. “That’s a lot of growing in a shorter time. I guess not being pregnant for so long though must kinda offset that.”
Melissa simply smiled and nodded before following Junrig out the door.
Chapter Eleven
Kranow’s emotions up until now had been in a state of flux. He’d experienced everything from angry resignation to his fate to a numb ambivalence. Having met her, her countenance impressed upon his awareness along with the knowledge that she was his mate, had even triggered the start of his mating display. It was only as they sat in the Commander’s office that he became aware of a new sensation. Observing the two women interact, both reaching ou
t tentatively with such raw emotion, seekers by closure and absolution together, a fierce sense of protectiveness seeped into his bones. Moreover, he understood it to be the same feeling that both Commander Gundar and Junrig felt, a need to protect and nurture both females, albeit each male’s focus primarily centered upon their own mates.
As the door to their new quarters closed behind them, he felt this need well up. Marley stood before the door, her gaze upon the floor, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. She had walked head down the entire way from the conference room, as if afraid to meet the eyes of anyone else or to take in her surroundings. Unsure how she would react if he gave into his instincts and enveloped her within his arms and carried her to the sofa, he instead placed a forefinger under her chin. He lifted her face and regarded her silently, gentling his expression, and waited for her to meet his gaze. A heartbeat later, uncertain eyes gazed back at him.
“There you are,” he said softly. “Now I can see you properly.” He was rewarded with a wobbly smile.
“What you see us what you get. And,” her voice threatened to break, “I meant every word I said back there and that I wrote in my apology. I know it can never be a bough but maybe someday we can find a way to forward past it.” She looked at him with eyes full of desperate hope.
He dropped his hand from under her chin and reached for her, pulling her against his chest. Relief coursed through him as he felt her first stiffen, then melt into his embrace. She sighed, she breathed in his pheromones, took a deeper breath, and sagged against him completely. “Oh my God, I needed a hug so bad,” she whispered. “Is this a mate thing? Because you feel like home, and it’s as if I’ve been on a journey away and have just gotten back. Only it’s kinda weird, because we only just met.”
Kranow’s chest rumbled against her as he gave a low chuckle. “Yes, it is a ‘mate thing’. We are, after all, each other’s perfect match.”
“Soul mates,” she whispered. “Not just compatibility, you guys have found a way to actually locate one’s soul mate.” Her tone had become reverent. “The world needs to know this. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.”
Kranow rested his chin on the top of her head. He’d heard that humans often chose mates for as little as a few moments. Junrig’s own mate and offspring had been abandoned by not just one runaway mate, but two. Was it true that humans sought each other out looking for their one true mate to in all the universe, but were hampered by an inherent lack of how to identify them? “The matching system was developed for those of us who were not lucky enough to find our mates on our own. Among the Mylos, just the sight and smell of our mate will trigger our desire to bond. Likewise, the sight and knowledge of our matehood triggers the response as our emotions kick start our hormonal drive.”
She peered up at him. “We get urges too, a feeling of lust that some say is triggered by the innate need to procreate. This is not that, though. This is more like the much rarer thing we rarely see but which is in so many of our stories, right from childhood. That of finding the one true love which brings us a happily ever after together ending. We just sort of bumble along and hope our crush turns out to be that person. With you, here like this, and knowing this is how my sister feels, and all of the Mylos brides too, I realize it’s not some super rare thing only found in fairytales. It’s real and somehow, the Universe gifted me with it.”
He pulled back, angling his head to lean in and ghost his lips across hers. “It is a gift to be cherished.” He knew the minute he spoke that he’d said the wrong thing. Her expression froze, and grief blazed through her eyes as once more, the full import of what she’d attempted to do hammered her conscience. He spun her around. “I hope the decor doesn’t shatter your sense of having come home,” he said hurriedly.
Marley blinked. View screens displayed a view from somewhere in Honolulu, as seen from an upper floor condo. Cars and buses made their way down the streets while pedestrians strolled in the bright sunshine. Palm trees swayed gently and light glinted off the water in the nearby canal while the sea shimmered from behind buildings mere blocks away. Her jaw dropped as she took in the furnishings. “This is incredible! Melissa helped you do this?”
“And her friend Steven who is something called an interior decorator. He lives next door to us as well.” He stood unsure of what to do as tears began to stream down her face. Was it that bad?
“This is probably the nicest way thing anyone has ever done for me,” she blubbered. “You think this means that maybe one day they’ll really become my friends?” His posture relaxed. All was well, his mate was merely overwhelmed.
“I am certain things will work out.” He cupped her chin and kissed her again, this time more insistently. His skin itched as more of his scales appeared. He teased the seam of her lips, requesting entrance. She whimpered, her eyes fluttered shut as she opened to him. Her arms wound about his neck as their tongues tangled. They kissed until they were both breathless, breaking apart only to gaze at one another as they caught their breath. He took in her flushed gaze and the sound of her gentle pants now filled with need and scooped her up easily. He strode to their bedroom and laid her upon the soft coverlet on their bed, clambering over her. Bracketed by his body, her eyes hazed with even deeper want. He began to kiss her once more, first her lips, then her jaw, the pulse point by her ear, down her neck. She gasped, writhing beneath him. “Yes!” she cried out, her hands frantically rubbing up and down his arms. “More!”
Spurred on by her begging, he knelt up, giving himself room to get rid of their shirts. He grimaced at the sight of her bra, making quick work of getting rid of that too. Her breasts bounced free and he darted forward, lips latching around a nipple before gently biting down and then tonguing away the sting before lavishing her other breast with the same attention. Marley cried out, arching her back to lift her chest towards him. He gave a dark chuckle before moving his mouth lower, kissing his way down her belly.
She squealed as his tongue lightly teased her belly button. He responded by standing up, toeing off his boots and socks before hurriedly stripping off his pants and underwear. Pupils blown, Marley struggled to make her fingers obey her. She managed to wriggle free from her trousers only after Kranow helped her by removing her footwear.
His hot gaze raked his way down her body, appreciation writ large upon his face. She spread her legs and bent them towards her chest in blatant invitation, one he had no intention of refusing. He crouched down between her legs and grasped her ankles, resting them upon his strong shoulders before letting them go to place his hands at the apex of her thighs, her knees up to the sides of her chest.
Her eyes widened as he used his thumbs to part her folds. He blew gently upon her clit, then bent his head forward. She fisted the sheets as he swirled his hot tongue and sucked before moving down to plunge into her heated, wet depths. “Ahhh!” She writhed in ecstasy under his ministrations, mindlessly list to the onslaught of sensations overwhelming her senses. He moaned as he tasted her, the vibration ratcheting her to the tipping point. She babbled then gave a wordless scream as her back arched and her vision whited out.
He’d felt her body tense, her inner walls tightening about his tongue as she came, her juices flooding his mouth and wetting his chin. He sat up, carefully so as to not dislodge her legs from his shoulders. She blinked slowly as awareness came back to her, her lips parting as she took in the change to his eyes. His pupils had developed a vertical slit, the bony areas about his eyes and brows now sported purple scales with a pearlescent luster. The hint of scales along the sides of his neck matched, now fully visible and extended to his shoulders where they ran down the outside of his arms. She caught sight of his back in the mirror hanging over the dresser next to the bedroom door and gasped softly. The scales also ran down from his hairline and along his spine.
Kranow shifted, his left hand now gripping his cock. He aimed it at her center, only pausing to meet her gaze, asking for permission. “Yes, please,” she breathed. She felt the blunt t
ip press against her before sliding in. He moved slowly but steadily, seating himself in one smooth glide. She gasped at the feeling of being so full. He gave her a moment to adjust. Feeling her relax about him, he began to move. He began moving slowly, alternating between shallow and light thrusts, speeding up incrementally until he pounded her with wild abandon.
Marley lowered her legs, wrapping them about his waist. She moved in time to him, using her leverage to meet him as he thrust forward, spurred on by the low groans he made as he moved. She unclenched her hands from the sheets, reaching down with one hand to tease a nipple while toying with her clit with the other. It soon became too much and for the first time in her life, Marley orgasmed a second time. As she fell over the precipice, she heard him bellow in response as he too reached his peak.
Afterwards, he fell forward to one side of her. Once their breathing calmed, they smiled at each other and maneuvered themselves under the covers. “Xeranos, lights out,” he called out hoarsely. The lights dimmed until the room was shrouded in darkness. He pulled her to him, spooning her from behind and placing a kiss on the back of her neck. Neither said anything else, lying quietly together until their breaths matched and slowed as sleep swept them both away.
Kranow (Mate the Stars Book 4) Page 5