“But how is this possible?” The anger was gone, replaced by obvious bewilderment.
“We don’t know.” She let out the breath she’d been holding, hearing that the tension had also left Roth’s voice. The last thing she needed with treason hanging over her head was an alpha-male pissing contest to occur over her virtue. “It is something Jarlan and his team will be considering,” he continued, “for it changes completely how we interact with these females.”
“Indeed.”
“Maggie was truly not meant for you, Kanei. But I have faith that your destined mate is still out there, waiting to be found.”
She didn’t hear anything else and crawled into bed, facing the wall, needing a moment to digest all she had heard. When he returned, the door closing with a quiet snick, he didn’t allow her any reprieve.
“I know you are awake, little one. No one could have slept through that uproar.” The bed shifted as he sat on the edge by her hip. She rolled slightly, looking up at him.
“I heard more than an uproar. Is he all right?”
“Yes, the wall in the corridor will need repair, however. He had formed an attachment to you.”
“I know. I liked him too. He was very nice to me.”
His eyes flashed darkly and his jaw tightened.
“Like a big brother, Roth,” she clarified.
“He didn’t have brotherly intentions. He is also five years younger than you, Maggie.”
“I meant in size.” With the sheet still wrapped around her, she scooted up and leaned against the pillows. “I tried to tell him nothing could happen between the two of us, but he wouldn’t listen. That’s a common trait among your males.”
He watched her for a moment, his facial features easing. “I can understand his disappointment. You are a prize worth claiming.”
She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling, and the tension broke completely as he laughed. “That is one of those sexist remarks as well, I suppose.”
“You’re quick.”
“And you’re beautiful, all warm and mussed after being claimed quite thoroughly and repeatedly last night.”
“You’re also extremely arrogant.”
“So you’ve told me a time or two.” A teasing smile slid easily across his lips. “Yet I heard no complaints when you were calling my name and groaning as I made your body shudder when you found completion twice with my mouth and another two times with my—”
Reaching out, her fingers covered his lips to stop him from saying anything further. “I know, Roth. I was there.”
Before she could pull it back, she felt his mouth moving beneath her hand. “Indeed, you were, thank the Maker,” he uttered huskily, his words tickling her palm. Clasping her wrist, he eased it away and leaned in to drop a soft kiss upon her lips, then moved down her neck, and lightly across the round tops of her breasts where they peeped above the sheet.
Maggie didn’t point out that he was wrong; she’d come five times. He was forgetting the one he’d given her with his fingers. And despite each of them being phenomenal, leaving her limp and like she couldn’t possibly come another time for a week, she felt desire begin to stir within her once more.
Roth had other plans, however, and stood, bending at the foot of the bed to retrieve his clothes.
She tried to refocus on the reason for Kanei’s visit, a fact that should be making her head swirl with fear, but here she was, practically giddy with lust. Maybe once he was dressed her intelligence would return. As she watched him step into his pants, pulling the fabric over his extraordinary ass, and when he buttoned them, the fit becoming snug around a lean waist and powerful, sculpted thighs, she swallowed, barely stifling a lustful sigh.
How was she supposed to focus when he looked nearly as great in his form-fitting uniform trousers as he did naked? Key word being nearly. Her plan for a semblance of basic intellect went right out the window.
“Um,” she began, croaking a bit like a frog. Pausing, she cleared her throat and tried again. “I overheard Kanei say the council wanted to see me.”
“No longer,” he stated as he sat on the edge of the bed and bent to put on his boots. “Once he shares the news of our mating they will have no need to see you.”
It didn’t occur to her to ask why, because she was watching the play of muscles across his back and trying to ignore the tickle of wetness building in her pussy. The hunger they kept talking about between mates was hitting her full force.
She tried to contain it when he stood, but the show he was putting on didn’t lose its appeal when he presented the chiseled perfection of his chest, at least for the few seconds it took to put on his shirt. It dawned on her that he was now fully dressed while she was still naked except for the thin sheet, and why did that make the wanting racing through her body all the worse?
Thinking he was going as he strode across the room, she blurted out, “Are you leaving?”
“Yes.”
She gaped after him as a sudden pang gripped her heart; it was the same as last time. Except when he stopped at the door and it slid open, she saw clothes, not the corridor she feared.
“And you’re coming with me,” he added as he perused her closet’s contents.
“I am?” she managed, relief making her voice shake. She moistened her suddenly dry lips, puzzling over her visceral reaction and how she had become attached so quickly.
“Maggie, what’s wrong?” His concern made her glance up. He dipped his chin. “Does your marking still burn?”
She followed his gaze to where her hand curled around her side. “A little,” she murmured, but it was more like a tingling sensation.
Understanding lit his gaze. “You thought I was leaving you.”
She glanced down, not knowing how he had deduced that so accurately. He moved forward and sat by her side, his hand sliding over hers, weaving their fingers together as he reassured her gently.
“You’re my mate now, Maggie. Didn’t you hear when I said, maes eternium?” Leaning in, he hovered over her until she raised her turbulent gaze to him. “Mine forever. Those aren’t merely symbolic words to a Primarian male. It is a vow that we keep with our mind, body, and spirit, one that I’d die before I’d break.”
He sealed his vow with a kiss, smothering her lips with a masterful intimacy. When he raised his head, moments later, he asked, “Are we clear on this?”
She nodded, incapable of words while her mouth followed his, seeking more. He answered with another light touch, whisper soft.
“You need to get dressed, purrada. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
Frowning, she nodded. “The council.”
“What?”
“Aren’t I to appear before the council? Kanei said—”
“You heard him, but not my answer? I’m not taking you to the council. We’re going home.”
“Can you make that decision?”
“Do you remember me telling you the male has authority as the head of the family?”
She nodded.
“I am your family now, Maggie. I decide what happens to you.”
“What if they don’t agree with your decision?”
“They take that up with me, not you.”
“How strange. Why have a council if each male is in charge?”
“You want to face them?”
“No!” she practically shouted. The thought of a council of angry men having dominion over her made her shudder. One was certainly enough.
He actually chuckled.
“I find this all very confusing and not the least bit funny, Roth.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
She doubted that she would; she didn’t say that, however.
“Have I mentioned how much I like hearing you say my name? Not commander, or
Rothke, but calling me Roth, as my friends and those close to me do.”
After another kiss, one passion-filled and much too brief for Maggie’s liking, he went back to the closet, taking a flowing sapphire
dress from its hook, which he draped over his arm while he went to the bathroom next.
With him out of sight, her brain seemed to switch on again. “You have a residence here in the city?”
“Yes,” was his muted reply over the sound of running water, “although I’m aboard ship more often than not.”
As was she. Or she used to be. She had a small apartment on Earth, but she’d never considered it more than a place to catch up on sleep between missions and store her stuff while away. For the past eight years, a ship had been her home. She supposed that would change now. She’d be stuck here, while he went about his space fleet business. How unfair and boring. Inadvertently, a sad sigh escaped her.
“You’re not interested in seeing your new home?”
Her head came up. Lost in thought, she hadn’t heard him return, yet there he stood, a hairbrush and a wet washcloth in hand. When the sheet dipped in front suddenly, she clutched at it, looking down. In his free hand, Roth held a fistful of linen and was steadily pulling it from her grasp.
“Roth, wait,” she protested, tugging in the opposite direction, but he was too strong and she flushed furiously as inch by slow inch it slipped from her body, revealing more and more skin. When a nipple popped free and the marking along her side, she fought to hold onto what she had left, grabbing on with both hands.
With a sharp pull from him, the last corner slipped from her grasp. Tossing the sheet on the floor, he parted her thighs and began to wash gently between her legs.
“I can do that,” she protested, the intimate act causing embarrassed heat to flood into her cheeks.
“I know you can, but it is the male’s duty to care for his mate in all ways, which is something I expect to find thoroughly enjoyable.” A slight smile lifted one corner of his mouth and his stunning eyes glimmered with a teasing light. Her heart melted, yet again.
He was gentle, and as thorough as he promised. By the time he was done, she was hoping he would come back to bed and drive inside her, or use that gorgeous mouth, but he tossed the cloth aside and pulled her to her feet.
“Roth…” she protested. It became muffled when he lowered the dress over her head. When she emerged, he dropped a kiss on her nose.
“We can bathe together at home, later. I think you will enjoy the facilities compared to the cramped bathing chamber aboard your ship.”
Her stomach growled suddenly and quite loudly. Roth chuckled as she flushed.
“I think the first order of business is getting you fed. Kanei said you haven’t been eating.”
“I had other things on my mind besides food.”
“You can put that aside now that we’re mated, purrada. Turn and I’ll brush your hair.”
Without waiting, his hands on her hips moved her so that she was facing away from him, and he began running the soft-bristled brush through her hair. She was disappointed, having thought of other uses for her brush than this. The thought surprised her, but the spankings he’d given her had aroused her as much as his kisses. How bizarre was that? This kinky side had only appeared with Roth.
His free hand stroked down the length, following each brush stroke, and knew to hold it between her scalp and a tangle when he worked one free. It had been an eternity since someone had done this simple act for her, and never a man. She relaxed into his care, enjoying the sensation, and the knowledge that this powerful, important man’s attention was focused solely on her.
“Your hair is very soft and the color is glorious. I prefer it this way, loose and soft, rather than in that tight knot at the back of your head.”
“It’s regulation,” she said with a shrug. “And the color is nothing special—dishwater blonde.”
“Nonsense. It’s a stunning mix of yellows and golds, and I hope it doesn’t change.”
She angled her head looking up at his dark glossy locks. The color was perfect on him, but she didn’t think the sable brown would go well with her pale skin. “If it was going to, wouldn’t it have done so by now?”
“Your transformation is too unique to predict. You were marked without knowing, mated without a true breaching; we’ll have to wait and see if you take on more of my traits. The Prima’s hair has not changed and she and Kerr are fated mates.”
“Really? I thought it was rare.”
“It is, less than 1 percent of our people. With Earth females, we have had three already and are only a third of the way through the testing.”
“That’s three times more prevalent.”
“Yes. It’s truly amazing to have found a species whose females have a higher compatibility than our own kind.”
“Is that why the purists are so opposed to us?”
His face tightened, and she almost regretted bringing it up.
“To act against the best interests of your own people is senseless. We must wait for the full investigation to answer all our questions. We are still trying to determine exactly how widespread this faction is.”
“Do you know who set the explosion in the mine?”
“Not yet, but we will.” He glanced around searchingly. “We’ll talk more about this when we get home. Where are your shoes?”
“I think they were kicked under the bed,” she murmured, feeling funny at the mention of home.
“Are you still feeling ill?” he asked, glancing up from the floor where he crouched to retrieve her Primarian-style shoes—soft, comfortable ballet flats, like some she owned back home. As he slipped them on her feet, he added, “I would have thought after our joining, several times, the symptoms would have subsided.”
Her hand swept up her side. “No, the burning is gone, and my head isn’t swimming any longer.”
He smiled slightly. “Good, but why do you look so troubled?”
“This is so strange. A month ago, I was analyzing star charts and atmospheric readings as we searched for a new home, not talking about mates and unbelievable transformations.”
“A month ago, I couldn’t have imagined I’d be mated with a female from an unknown solar system on the far reaches of the galaxy.”
“Nor I, my focus was finding a way to save my people.”
“As was mine,” he countered as he rose to his full height.
Her gaze shifted away. They had similar, yet crossed purposes.
His people had found their solution, in part. Consequently, she was safe, embarking on a new life, while her own kind were at even more risk with a research ship out of their arsenal, still struggling to survive as resources ran short. It wasn’t right.
“You are worried about your home.”
“Yes, how could I not be?”
A frown marred his handsome face, his straight, dark brows knitting together. “Let me give it some thought.”
“I don’t understand, what is there to think about? Your people are saved while mine don’t even know that their odds of surviving have taken a serious hit.”
“Three hundred females won’t be our salvation. That number represents only a tiny blip on our population growth charts.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“That perhaps we can work at joint purposes, rather than crossed.”
She blinked in surprise that his thoughts were so aligned with her own.
“You’d do that?”
“Certainly. I was told recently that the way to make a mate happy is to give her what she wants.”
Maggie was immediately reminded of the old Earth adage: happy wife, happy life. For in essence, even without vows or a ceremony, by mating for life she had become the commander’s wife.
“Something funny, mate?”
She hadn’t realized she’d been smiling until he pointed it out. “Not funny, but strange. Being serious, tell me why this sudden turnaround. A few days ago, it was your way, or no way.”
He took her hand and led her out into the corridor as he spoke. “It’s still that way. The difference is I’m not chasing you across the galaxy while my friend and leader fights for his life. Not to menti
on being frustrated from wanting.” Roth stopped suddenly and tugged her into him. His arms slid tightly around her waist and lifted her up on her toes as his mouth came down and slanted hungrily over hers, his tongue demanding a response, not caring that they stood in the hallway where others chuckled or whispered as they passed. She was breathing fast and clinging to him when he raised his head.
“Lesson learned, little captain: to make your mate more agreeable, give him what he wants, and often.”
With his hand still clasping hers, fingers now entwined, he started moving them along the hallway once again. When her brain resumed functioning, she assimilated all he had said and replied shakily. “That’s terribly chauvinistic.”
Twisting his head, he frowned down at her, yet didn’t slow as he commented, “That word does not translate.”
Maggie shook her head. “Why am I not surprised?”
16
His apartment was around the next corner and down a flowering, tree-lined street only a few minutes’ walk from the main women’s residence. The outside was made of the same type of stone façade in clean white and gray tones as the other buildings in town. It was less stately, though, without the columns and scrollwork, more modest, like a residence should be. In front was a small courtyard with a colorful landscaping of trees, low-lying shrubs, and blooming flowers to make the cold stone more inviting. Maggie didn’t think she’d ever get used to blue bushes and fuchsia bark on the trees, but she did spy what looked like a rose bush and the blooms were a normal deep red.
She relished a chance to stop and study it, to smell the petals and see if it was the same as the Earth version, and was bending to do exactly that, when with a thud and a loud wail, something landing on the flower bed at her feet.
Startled, she jumped, bumping into Roth as she eyed the golden-furred, blue-eyed creature staring up at her. When it let out a mournful wail, she flinched. It was huge, weighing at least fifty pounds, and after flicking its tail back and forth a few times, it began to rub up against her legs.
His By Command (Primarian Mates Book 2) Page 17