The Forbidden

by Jessie Donovan

  Remembering how he liked her stroking him, she did that with her hand as she licked and sucked the top of his cock. With each pass of her tongue, she swore he grew harder.

  Ryven moved his hand from her thigh to one of her nipples and plucked.

  Kalahn cried out and released him.

  Ryven's voice filled her ears. "What you're doing to me right now is exactly what I plan to do later with your nipples and between your thighs."

  Images flashed, and Kalahn wished he could do it now.

  But he couldn't, so she took him into her mouth again and increased her pace. She understood the basics of male orgasms, but she wanted to experience Ryven's.

  After everything her male had gone through, he deserved it.

  Tightening her grip slightly, she continued to stroke him as she tortured him with her tongue. She had no idea how long she licked, nibbled, and laved, but Ryven's strained voice eventually said, "I'm coming, love. Back away now."

  Not one to take orders, she continued until Ryven shouted her name as hot, salty spurts filled her mouth. Only when she'd swallowed every last drop did she raise her head and meet Ryven's eyes.

  At his half-lidded gaze, full of desire, a sense of accomplishment crashed over her.

  He stroked her thigh again. "I could die a happy male now."

  She frowned. "Don't you dare die, Ryven Xanna. You owe me."

  He chuckled. "That I do, love. So that must mean you're stuck with me until I fulfill my debt."

  Tossing the sheet back over him, she turned toward his face. "And to do that, you need to heal as fast as possible. Maybe if I left, you'd go back to sleep."

  "If you laid next to me, I would doze right away knowing you were at my side."

  "Is that a good idea?"

  "Why? Are you afraid of someone finding us?"

  She shook her head. "No. I was thinking of your injuries."

  He grinned. "A certain princess's body heat would do wonders for my healing process."

  She rolled her eyes. "You're never going to stop, are you?"

  "Making you smile? No. I want my female to be happy as often as possible."

  "Your female?"

  "Yes. Because if you think I'm letting you go after the best orgasm of my life, you're crazy."

  "They say men think with their cocks…I guess you're proving that true."

  His grip tightened on her thigh. "I value your mind and spirit, too, Kalahn. Don't ever doubt it."

  At the fierceness of his words, Kalahn shivered.

  Ryven's voice softened. "And I miss your mental touch, too. When can I have it back?"

  After everything she'd just done, Kalahn had forgotten about his mental self. However, she wasn't going to be a coward. Ryven deserved the truth from her. "That's a bit tricky to determine. Repairing yourself in the telepathic plane is going to take a lot of energy. However, the doctors seem more concerned about your physical injuries."

  "But you're more worried about the mental ones."

  She widened her eyes. "Yes. How did you know?"

  "Just because I can't sense your emotions right now doesn't mean I can't still read you. You trust me enough to allow your markings to reflect your thoughts."

  "I guess I'll just have to work harder at keeping them neutral, like you taught me."

  "You can try, but once our mental connection is back, you won't be able to hide again." He paused and asked, "You keep asking and making sure I'm okay with it, but has anyone asked you the same?"

  She took his hand. "No, but if I'm honest, I'm glad of the bond. I've wanted not only you but also closeness with someone else for a long time. I just never had the courage to go after it and came up with excuses as to why it would be a bad idea, especially regarding you."

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. "Yet something else we have in common. I also made excuses."

  Kalahn smiled back. "But since neither of us is walking away now, you know what that means, right?"

  "Hm?"

  "We get to irritate my brothers with the news. And before you say it should wait, etc., I think we have to decide now. Because the closer we get physically I think will also make us stronger mentally. That will help with the female assassin problem."

  Frowning, Ryven asked, "So how will us being a better team help with the assassin problem? I must've missed something while I was unconscious."

  Her male yawned and Kalahn hesitated. She'd kept him up longer than she should have. And no doubt making him orgasm had only exhausted him further.

  As if reading her thoughts again, he grunted. "Yes, I'm tired. But how about you lay next to me and tell me what I need to know? Then I promise to get some sleep. Maybe I'll even dream of a solution to all of our problems as well."

  "Right, because that's going to happen simply because you will it to," she drawled.

  "You never know." He moved his hand to the empty space of the bed and patted it.

  Unable to resist the invitation, she released his hand and gingerly moved to lay next to Ryven. Even though she couldn't rest her head on his chest or hook her leg over his, his warmth and scent put her at ease. Her eyelids drooped, and she had to blink them back open.

  At this rate, she'd fall asleep before him.

  So she focused on filling in Ryven regarding the assassin problem to help stave off sleep. "As for how us being a better team will help with the assassin problem, it comes back to the mind-bond. Apparently, I'm an extremely powerful telepath. Usually, it could create chaos without proper training in the beginning. However, that power seems to stabilize easily because of our bond."

  "I like being useful…"

  She sighed. "This isn't a joking matter, Ryven. Borzet mentioned I may unintentionally drain you to fuel my own power. That's why I don't want to allow you access to your telepathic powers too early. As long as they're dormant, I shouldn't touch them. However, once they're whirring again, I may draw on them before you're ready."

  He grunted. "Regardless, it will be better to bring my telepathy back while we're still on the transport ship. Because of the security shields around the ship, it will give us a safe space to learn how to work together. After all, unless this Borzet person betrays you, there shouldn't be any telepathic threats up here. Especially since I doubt there are many telepaths onboard."

  She shook her head. "Just Syzel."

  "Right, then whenever I can speak to the doctor, maybe we can convince him to slowly take me off the suppression drug and begin testing out our limits. I know it's a risk to do it so soon, but over the years I've learned to test out abilities slowly with some of my trainees. This shouldn't be too much different. I think I can control it."

  "Only if you promise me that you will be upfront about your condition. You will be telepathically weak for a while, and I don't want your pride to end up doing further damage."

  "I'm not like most of the other warriors," Ryven stated. "If I need help, I ask for it. I vow to do it with you."

  "Good. Then that just leaves telling my brothers about us. We shouldn't put that off for too long, either."

  "Ask Kason to come here and I'll talk to him first."

  "Why not together?"

  Ryven grunted. "We can talk with him together, afterward. But Kason is my best friend, and I owe it to him to speak the truth, one on one. He will hold back with you in the room, and I don't want that. I hope to be able to keep him as my friend, which will require complete honesty."

  "You're too important to Kason for him to dismiss you and never talk to you again."

  "Maybe so, but there is a difference between a true friendship and tolerating someone out of convenience. I don't want to become the latter."

  Kalahn kissed a patch of uninjured skin on his side. "You are truly an honorable male. Don't ever doubt it again."

  He smiled. "I'll try, but it's not that simple. Just as you sometimes doubt your worth as someone of use, it's the same for me. We'll both just have to remind the other that those statements are mostly rubbish."


  "Mostly?"

  His gaze turned heated. "I have some dishonorable acts I'd like to try out with you, once you're my bride and in my bed."

  A flush crept up her cheeks. "I would almost say you're trying to unsettle me on purpose."

  "Maybe it's part of your training."

  "If so, then I have some training of my own to do in the future with you."

  Ryven chuckled. "My princess is a little dirty, too. I like that."

  "Well, then you'll just have to woo me and convince me to accept you as my lord. Then I can show you some of my fantasies."

  "That will be done as soon as I'm out of this bed."

  As they smiled at one another, Kalahn wished they could be back in the kitchen on Jasvar, teasing one another and acting like a normal couple would.

  But if she ever wanted that future, she had to overcome a few obstacles first. Namely, the threats to her family and to her male.

  Ryven touched her rear, and murmured, "We can plot more of our future later. For now, it's nap time so I can heal as quickly as possible. Only then can we go after that slightly dirty future you dream of."

  She snorted. "You're never going to let that go, are you?"

  "No way." He yawned. "After all, as long as I'm alive, I'll always be teasing you, love."

  "Good," she mumbled.

  Her eyelids drooped and she stopped fighting it. As Kalahn drifted off, she wondered why Ryven kept calling her love. But she fell asleep before she could think too hard on it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next day, Ryven was able to sit up by himself but not stand. So as he waited for Kason to meet him, he tapped one of his fingers against the mattress pad.

  He wanted nothing more than to have Kalahn sitting next to him, telling him more about her training with Borzet. It was still hard for him to believe she was such a powerful telepath, but it made sense. Especially since she'd picked things up so quickly and had even managed to reach out to Syzel after Ryven's attack with little more than his memories to rely on.

  The attack. He shuddered. Another reason he wanted Kalahn at his side was to help stave off the memories of the blasted birds. He'd endured a lot over the years in both training and even battle, but a flock of birds ripping flesh off his body was definitely the worst thing to ever happen to him. It'd be some time before he stopped reliving those horrifying seconds.

  The door chimed and Kason walked in. He scrutinized Ryven's face and bare chest before speaking. "You nearly lost to the Siren birds."

  He raised an eyebrow. Leave it to Kason to ignore his injuries and focus on the defeat. "Thankfully I didn't."

  Kason crossed his arms over his chest. "While I'm glad to see you're alive and recovering, what's so urgent that Syzel had to bring me to the colony transport ship so quickly?"

  Ryven had rehearsed a million times inside his head of what to say and finally blurted out the most simple one, "I care for your sister Kalahn and one day want to make her my bride."

  Kason's expression remained neutral. As his friend stared at him in silence, Ryven decided he needed to use logic as well. "You, of all people, know that we can't always control who we fall for."

  Kason finally grunted. "How long has this been going on?"

  "Only recently. But I'm going to be completely honest and tell you we kissed once several years ago, too."

  Kason's silence signaled he was thinking. Ryven had seen him use the tactic to unsettle warriors in the past. However, it was strange to be on the receiving end of it for a change.

  Still, he refused to allow Kason's silence to dissuade him of anything. If he couldn't stand up to Kason, he didn't deserve Kalahn in the first place.

  Kason's voice eventually filled the room. "My bride suspected Kalahn harbored something for you, but I dismissed it as nothing. Apparently, I was wrong." He uncrossed his arms and moved closer to Ryven's bed. "If you ever hurt her, shame her, or cause any sort of scandal around my sister, I will consider our friendship over and will probably toss you into a jail cell to rot for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"

  He searched his friend's eyes. "I would rather face another flock of Siren birds and allow them to tear off my cock than hurt her."

  "Considering Kalahn's unpredictable nature, she could've done worse than you," Kason muttered.

  At the lightened tone, he smirked. "I'm not a teenage errand boy who follows her around like a pet. That would be much worse."

  "And good thing, too, because Kalahn needs an occasional firm hand."

  "But lightness as well," Ryven said. "If she were with a growly, overprotective male like you, she'd flout every order and make it her life's mission to defy him."

  "So you do understand her," Kason stated.

  "Of course I do. And not just because of the mind-bond."

  Kason frowned. "The what?"

  Ryven couldn't help but notice the confusion in Kason's eyes. "Kalahn didn't tell you?"

  "No, so start talking," he growled.

  "Your order doesn't scare me, Kason. I want to be on your good side, yes, but this is Kalahn's news to share, too. Not just mine. She needs to be here before I say a word. And keep in mind, I know all of your intimidation tactics, and they won't work on me, either."

  Kason spoke aloud. "Computer, order Princess Kalahn tro el Vallen to come to this room."

  "Understood," the computer said. After a few beats, it added, "She is en route."

  Ryven sighed. "Couldn't you have waited until she was done with her training session? After all, she's working hard to help protect you and the others."

  Kason shook his head. "I sense this is something I should know about and that it shouldn't wait."

  The door chimed and Kalahn entered the room. She immediately met Ryven's eyes, and he nodded, letting her know he'd spoken to Kason about their relationship. The one upside to temporarily losing his telepathy was that he and Kalahn had to learn each other's body language.

  Kalahn moved her gaze to her brother. "If you've called me in here to try to convince me to forget Ryven, it's not going to happen, brother."

  Kason waved a hand in dismissal. "Ryven is a fine male and one that I trust. He's shown that further by not giving away your secrets, which is why I called you here. What is a mind-bond, Kalahn? I can't make plans if you keep important information from me, and I sense this is important."

  Every cell in Ryven's body urged him to stand at Kalahn's side to support her.

  However, since he couldn't stand, he waited to offer her support in other ways. Kalahn was a strong female and could handle her brother. Ryven just needed to trust her.

  ~~~

  Kalahn barely had time to process that Kason had accepted Ryven before he asked her about the mind-bond. She focused on answering him, since that might earn her favors. "I don't know how much you know about telepathy, but a mind-bond is when two telepaths suit each other and their mental signatures come together to form one."

  "I know the basic definitions of telepathic signatures and shields, but not a whole lot more." Kason frowned. "Is the bond voluntary? How does it change things? Explain it to me, and quickly. I can't stay on this ship too long before someone notices that I'm gone."

  She wanted to press Kason for details about his own plans to draw out the traitors, but resisted since he probably wouldn't tell her anyway. Besides, he was right. Her brother couldn't make plans if he didn't have all the information. "I would say it's similar to destined brides for the males of the royal family—it's predetermined by fate and genetics, but usually it takes some willingness for it to happen and connect."

  Males of the royal family had been genetically engineered over the years so that they could find a female able to bear them children; a genetic defect meant few women could do so. The fated females were called destined brides, and the royal males found it hard to resist one. While it could be done, Kason's own bride was one of them, as was Keltor's.

  Females of the royal line didn't suffer the same genetic defect tha
t made it difficult to bear offspring, and thus didn't have the equivalent for a destined lord. Kalahn had been thankful for that, as it had given her choices.

  Although she had to admit that forming a bond with Ryven had worked out. Well, provided they could control it and find a way to live without killing one another.

  Kason moved his gaze to Ryven. "I've never heard of this happening with any of the warriors who've been spliced with telepathy."

  "No, it's never happened on Keldera before, that I can tell anyway," Ryven replied. "Usually only natural born telepaths experience a mind-bond."

  "Then how did it happen between you two?" Kason demanded.

  Kalahn explained Borzet's theory about a Hirlanzian in their family tree and added, "I suspect the same would happen to any of the royal siblings, if they were given telepathy. But since you and Keltor each have a destined bride you love and cherish, you may want to resist. I have no idea if a mind-bond would form with the same female or not."

  "I have no intention of gaining additional abilities," Kason said.

  Ryven jumped in. "There's more than your distant ancestor in all of this, too. What Kalahn isn't telling you is that Borzet deems her a powerful telepath with a natural affinity for it, which is another factor for the bond."

  Kason looked between them. "How will the bond affect Kalahn's abilities?”

  Leave it to Kason to steer them back to the mission. She shrugged. "We still have to test it out, although Borzet and I have theories."

  Theories that she could end up killing Ryven. Not that she was going to tell Kason that.

  Kason asked, "Because time is short, let me be blunt—when will you be able to probe the female assassin and find out any information you can?"

  Kalahn stood tall. The action had always given her the strength to stand up to her brother in the past. "I'd rather try to avoid probing her without permission." Kason opened his mouth, but she continued before he could say anything. "But I have a plan. If I can crack her shields, she'll broadcast automatically. So if someone questions her heavily and then puts her into a cell near me, I can weaken her defenses and hear her thoughts without violating her private space and possibly killing her. Given the intensive interrogation, I suspect her thoughts will be about her colleagues or her plans to attack us."