by Ava Ross
While she stood passively, he wicked away the sheehera droplets from her body.
“You are brave,” he said. “Incredible. Amazing.”
“It was awful.” The words came out of her in a rush.
“It is,” he said softly, rubbing the cloth down her legs. She had gorgeous legs. He couldn’t help noticing.
“I was scared.”
“I was, too.” Lifting each of her feet, he dried them, gliding the material between her toes to absorb all the moisture. The emollient residue would soak into her skin and protect it. Well, that’s what the sluice spray did for scaled beings like Crakairians and the Al’kieern. He assumed it would do the same for humans.
“I didn’t know what I’d do if something happened to you,” she said through chattering teeth.
“I felt the same.”
“You did?” she said softly. She’d been staring downward but now she looked up, her beautiful eyes with their long eyebashes shimmering with tears. Crakairians did not cry. He found the stars in her eyes both beautiful and heart-wrenching. He’d do everything to keep her from crying ever again.
She stepped toward him, and that was when it hit him she was completely naked. Something changed between them, taking them from comfort and sharing to need.
It was common after a battle to feel lust. Sex validated life and reminded the person they’d lived to fight another day.
“I want you,” she said. Her hand lifted. “We have a matebond, and I want to share everything with you. The good and the bad. I want to stand by your side whether it’s in sickness or with a sword in your hand.” A soft smile lifted on her face. “I want to have your babies.”
“Mila.” He didn’t think his heart could hurt any more than it did right now. She emptied him out and filled him back up with just a few words.
“Can we start that together, this moment?” she asked.
“Love.”
“Yes, love. It seems fast, and it’s fresh and new.” She took his hand and placed it in the center of her chest. “But it’s real, and it’s lasting. I’m not backing down. I won’t ask to return to Earth. All I want is to remain by your side for the time we have left, be it ten minutes or a full lifetime.”
He gathered her into his arms and held her. Held the two of them together. Nothing would ever tear them apart.
He swept her off her feet and carried her out of the bathing chamber and down the hall to the bedroom.
“I can walk,” she said with a laugh.
“Why should you?”
She linked her arms around his neck. “You know what? You’re right. Why should I walk when I have you to hold me and protect me?”
They were greeted by Chee-chee, who must have left the bridge and hobbled to the bedroom. The small meerdreg peeked above the covers.
When Kral lowered Mila onto the bed, the creature hopped over to her and pressed his furry face against her arm.
“I’m glad you’re okay, Chee,” Mila said, stroking his head and rubbing his back.
The meerdreg purred before hopping down and scooting down the hall.
“Poor guy,” Mila said. “There’s an Earth saying about going from the frying pan into the fire, and it seems Chee-chee did exactly that.”
Kral shut the bedroom door. He sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Mila’s hair. Damp from the sluice spray, it felt silky, and it gleamed from the emollient. He ached to bury his face in the soft strands.
When she held out her arms, and the sweetest smile bloomed on her face, he stepped toward his future.
Toward her.
Twenty-One
Mila
In a short time, she and Kral had laughed, cried—on her part, that is—and defended each other.
Was it too soon to be feeling love for this alien who sought to claim her as his own?
If it was, she didn’t care. Life was about living, and she wanted to know what it was like to be with someone she…
Okay, she loved him. Her friends would tell her it was too soon. That there was no way she could be certain of her feelings this fast. But deep in her heart, Mila knew.
This was more than a matebond. More than a match made back on Earth.
Kral was the one she’d waited all her life for. She refused to fight this feeling any longer.
“Love me,” she whispered as he braced himself over her.
“I will.” He groaned and kissed her, a touch that started sweet and tender but heated up fast, turning into liquid fire. It ignited her veins.
She moaned and arched herself up to touch him. Skin to scales… There was something deliciously sensual about rubbing herself against his slightly coarse skin.
His naanans stroked her shoulders and moved to her breasts.
“Your body is beautiful,” he murmured as he kissed along her jawline. His fangs grazed the skin on her neck as he moved lower, kissing along her collarbone. “I want to touch—taste—all of you.”
“I’m yours.”
His growl ripped between them as his mouth moved to her breasts.
While a few of his naanans trailed lower and teased her clit, he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. With his fangs, he bit down gently, raising the heat inside her.
Heat swirled through her belly, and her mind took flight.
His tongue lathed her breast while his naanans teased the other. His fingers… Shit, his fingers delved between her legs. She was wet, and she felt no shame about it. She loved that she could be this turned on for her mate so quickly.
He spread her thighs and moved between them. “You smell like lust. Now I will make you smell like satisfaction.”
Smell? Momentary embarrassment shot through her, and she thought about closing her thighs. But hell, she wanted him. He wanted her. What could be wrong with that?
“Let me see you spread out for me as a feast,” he said.
“If you’re hungry, I think that slug thing is still lying on the dining room floor.”
“I want this. You.” His fingers glided along her slit then dipped inside. He pulled them out and licked them off. “Mmm.” His rumble of pleasure tickled her thighs.
His naanans, glided up her belly and stroked her breasts, and another latched onto her clit. The low hum sunk into her bones and spread through her, making her body ignite. He was touching her everywhere, all at the same time.
While his fingers sunk inside her, pumping, he licked her clit.
She bucked beneath him, eager for what he could do with his mouth but even more eager for what he could do with his cock.
“Kral,” she said.
He lifted his head, but while his tongue might have stopped stroking her clit, his fingers kept pushing inside her, and his naanans sucked her nipples. He was driving her closer to the edge, but she didn’t want to tumble over the side alone.
“Do you like this?” he said. “Too much or do you want more?”
“Always more, “she breathed.
He rose over her and centered his cock at her entrance. Big and thick, it stretched her wide.
She spread her legs, but he took her ankles and looped them up above his shoulders as he inched inside. The stretch was exquisite, a subtle sting because she’d never been with anyone so big before, yet a burn so blissful, she worried she’d come before he’d seated himself deep inside.
And she wanted that. She needed to be with him when he pounded into her.
Pulling out, he rolled her over onto her belly and lowered himself down her body. He lifted her hips and spread her legs wide. His tongue stroked from her clit to her opening, where he paused and delved deep, the slit on the end of his tongue gliding across her G-spot.
She jerked and then pressed backward, her head buried in the bedding. A moan erupted from deep inside her.
“Fuck,” she gasped. “Kral!”
His tongue slipped out, and he rose over her, holding her hips steady. His cock pressed against her entrance, probing. Vibrating. The humming sensation sunk through her. Her cl
it was on fire.
He pushed inside farther, and the vibrations quaked against her inner walls. Backing out, he pressed himself forward fast, burying his full length deep within her.
She gasped and jerked her head up. “Kral. Fuck, that feels awesome.”
“Do you like this?” he asked, pulling out and driving himself deep inside again.
“Yes. Yes!”
“Do you want me to go slowly…” He demonstrated, gliding in and out of her with his cock vibrating against the soft tissue inside her. “Or fast?” He jerked out and plunged deep inside, burying himself to the hilt. Then again, over and over while she gasped and shrieked and called his name.
His pace backed off again, and he leaned over her. While his fingers played with her clit, pinching and rubbing, his naanans glided around to her front. Two latched onto her nipples and tugged. Lightning shot from her breasts to her groin, and she released a high-pitched moan.
“Yes,” he growled in her ear. “More. I want to hear you scream.” His fangs bit down on her neck, almost breaking the delicate skin.
She rocked against him while he pumped. The slight pinch at her neck was echoed by the intense stretch as her body accommodated his length and girth.
They moved together, and the heat built between them.
“Tell me what you want, my mate,” he whispered in her ear. “Tell me.”
“Faster, Kral. I want it faster.”
“Then you shall have it.” His fingers tightened on her hips, and he held her steady as he plunged into her, his pace so fast, she couldn’t keep up. All she could do was fist the covers, bury her face in the pillow, and hold on.
Fire rose inside her and as his naanans rolled her nipples, she crashed, her gasp of bliss rocking through her.
He went faster while her body shuddered around his. Muscles tightening, he buried his face in her neck. “Mila. Fuck. You’re…” His hips shot forward, and he slammed against her, his solid rod growing thicker and harder. “Fuck.…”
With a groan, he came, his cock jerking inside her. His body shook and trembled, spending himself inside her.
Huffing, he lowered himself gently on top of her, a solid mass of alien male.
His weight felt wonderful. His cock, still somewhat solid, twitched and subtly vibrated.
With a heady groan, he eased himself over and onto his side, taking her along with him, keeping them connected while tucking her snug against the front of his body. His arms encircled her, and his face was buried in her hair.
“You are perfect,” he said, kissing her neck.
“That was…” Her voice came out breathy, because his cock was growing inside her all over again.
She should be sore. Worn out after the pounding he’d just delivered, but she could feel the answering heat building within her all over again.
He shifted forward, burying himself fully as his fingers stroked one of her breasts.
His naanans took over, tweaking her nipples, while he lifted her leg to give himself deeper access.
“Kral,” she whispered.
“Mila,” he said. Pulling out of her, he turned her onto her back. He climbed between her thighs and went down on her, sucking her clit. He must be tasting himself mixed in with her wetness, but he just groaned out his pleasure.
As her body tightened, poised to splinter into a thousand fragments, he rose over her. He lifted her legs and placed them on his shoulders, then eased inside her.
He rocked against her, slow and deep. A pace that drove her into a frenzy.
They came together, gasping each other’s names, then fell onto the sheets together, sated.
Twenty-Two
Kral
Mila slept, but Kral couldn’t find rest.
Sexually, he was the most satisfied he’d been in his life. Mila was everything he could hope for in a mate.
Emotionally, he was filled to the top. For the first time since his parents died, he had someone who loved him solely for himself and not for what he could offer them as a leader or the enforcer of his clan. His aunt had done what she could to make him feel welcome, but she’d had other children. They needed her the most.
He also couldn’t sleep because he was worried. He couldn’t stop thinking about the Tricarn raider’s words before he killed himself.
Rising, Kral crossed the room, not bothering to dress. He eased out into the hall and left the door cracked so he would hear if Mila wakened.
Then he strode to the bridge and sank down into the Commander’s chair. After he’d assured himself the ship was still on track to reach Crakair in four daelas and that the cloaking and full alert systems were engaged, he kicked up his feet and watched the stars blur past the windows.
If only he could make some sense out of what felt like a series of random incidents.
The Tricarn had said he was paid to kill Kral. That was the bottom line. Knowing that made Kral look back at what had happened since he’d started tracking Mila.
After he’d transferred over from his spacecraft to where Mila was bathing, they’d left to escape. Mila had seen two males standing in the hall with the Al’kieern. She’d been convinced they were Crakairians, and he believed her.
Who were they and were they somehow involved?
Before he and Mila could transfer to his ship, it had exploded. He’d thought the Al’kieerns had shot it out of the sky with a missile, that they’d traced his transfer and were eager to destroy all evidence he’d been there and prevent Mila from escaping. But then the space station had been programmed to detonate itself. It made no sense for the Al’kieern to do this; space stations were exceedingly expensive, and the one in orbit over Yarris had a mission that was not completed.
Had the two Crakairians played a role in the station’s destruction?
When Kral tied the explosions and the recent Tricarn attack on this ship with the intent not just to capture Mila but to kill Kral, it seemed all three events must be connected.
Who wanted to kill Kral?
As far as he knew, he had no enemies.
He growled. None of this made sense.
Once they reached Crakair, he could discuss this with Vork. No need to call him on the ship’s com now. His friend could enlist the government to start an investigation that might dig up some clues. Until then, Kral would remain vigilant.
Footsteps padded down the hall, and Mila appeared at the doorway. She wore only her shirt, and the hem skimmed the top of her thighs. Chee-chee clung to her neck, and the creature chittered a greeting when it saw Kral.
If someone had told Kral he would someday be friends with a meerdreg, he would have laughed. Yet here he was, grateful the little beastie had decided to be a part of their lives.
Mila climbed onto Kral’s lap and lay back, facing the windows. The meerdreg scooted off her lap and rushed from the room. It returned with chunks of wae-lyn—Kral had cooked extra and left it in the kitchen—and jumped up into the other seat. After curling around in a circle, it settled onto the cushion with a sigh. It stared out the window while eating the meat.
“Tell me about our home,” Mila said. “You mentioned a few things in the video you sent, and we talked somewhat on the space station, but it’s hard to imagine it. Can you paint me a picture?”
He loved that she already considered his home hers. “The Vikir live high in the Ikeline Mountains and build our houses among the trees.”
“Have the Vikir always done this?”
“Ages ago, it is said our people lived deep below the ground, in caverns. Some say there are still Vikir living far beneath my village, practicing the old ways.”
“That’s cool. Have you explored and found any of the other Vikir?”
“When I was a youngling, I spent many daelas wandering through the caves near our home, but while I found traces of people other than those I’d grown up with, I did not find their home.”
“I can’t imagine living in a place where there’s no sunshine.”
“The old ones tel
l tales of creatures that generate luminescent lights, that the original Vikir used these lights to grow plants and brighten their homes.”
“It sounds cool. Maybe we can look for them sometime.”
“I would be happy to take you on a tour of the caves, and we can see what we find.”
Chee-chee hopped off the chair and hobbled down the hall.
“Imagine running into someone who lives the same way your ancestors used to,” Mila said. She pointed to a comet blazing across the heavens.
Kral couldn’t imagine. He enjoyed his modern life in his village and couldn’t picture living in the traditional ways he’d heard about while growing up.
“You said you’re the leader of your clan,” she said.
“My parents died in the fire ten lunairs ago, and I assumed leadership of the clan as soon as I’d healed from my fall.”
She eased off his lap. “Here I am, lounging around on you all the time when you’re still sore from your injury. Tell me about it if you can.”
He stared forward, past her shoulder, unable to meet her eyes. “There was a fire in our home.”
“How did it start?”
His growl ripped through the room. “They said it was an accident. That my mother had left something cooking in the kitchen, but I cannot believe that was true. She was always careful. We live among the trees and would be stupid to be careless with fire.”
“Do you think someone set the fire?”
“No, but…” A frown took over his face. He’d never considered it might not have been an accident. But who would benefit from their death? “I cannot imagine anything like that happened.” It would be foolish to think someone had murdered his parents. What would they gain?
“You weren’t burned,” Mila said, dragging his mind away from the heat, the smoke, and the cries of pain.
“My father lifted me and threw me out a window.”
“You were injured in the fall.” Her fingers carefully traced along his thigh that had fractured. “Here.” She stopped at the spot that pained him the most. “Here. And here.”