He saw two Tourmalane warriors rushing his way, skidding to a stop just outside the transport chamber. When the doors opened, they stared at him in stunned fascination and a bit of relief.
“Your Highness, we were on our way to retrieve you,” Napir said.
He felt Lucie stiffen against him. “Highness?” she asked.
Napir looked at Lucie, a question in his eyes.
“Napir. Rylo. This is Lucie. My mate.” Their eyes widened. “She rescued me from the Tarnans.”
Lucie blushed a becoming shade of pink. “I didn’t do much.”
“You unlocked my cell and set me free, sweet. Without you, I would still be on board the Lynten 12, waiting to be escorted to Alpha 9.”
“She is certainly worthy of our prince,” Rylo said, bowing low.
“Can you unlock his cuffs?” Lucie asked.
“We can cut them off,” Napir answered.
He felt Lucie’s indrawn breath. “Isn’t that dangerous? What if you cut off his hand?”
Napir chuckled. “We’re known for our precision with weapons, princess. Never fear. Prince Dryxel will be in one piece when we’re done.”
She looked at him. “Princess?”
“I claimed you in front of the Tarnans, Lucie. You’re mine.”
“Yours, yes. That I understood. But I thought you meant to keep me as a slave.”
Rylo looked more than a little shocked and a bit offended. “A Tourmalane would never keep a woman as a slave.”
“Princess?” she asked Dryxel.
“Yes, my sweet. You’re my princess.”
She seemed to mull it over for a moment. “We’ll talk about it more later.”
He smiled, knowing she was going to give him an earful for keeping his identity secret from her. Stepping out of the transport chamber, he paused to kiss the top of her head and breathe her in.
“Go with Rylo. I’m sure he’ll be happy to give you a tour and introduce you to the crew. I’ll come find you once I’m free and have bathed and changed. I stink of that Tarnan holding cell.”
She worried at her lower lip. “Are they going to come after us?”
He nodded, then realized she couldn’t see him. “Yes, I’m sure they will. It won’t take them long to figure out where we went.” He turned his attention to Rylo. “When you reach the captain, tell him to get us the hell out of here. We need to get as far from the Lynten 12 as possible, as fast as possible.”
Lucie placed her hand on his arm. “If they come for me, I don’t want you fighting over me. Send me back with them if it will save you and your crew.”
“Never. I won’t allow them to take you from me again, Lucie. This time they’ll be faced with a fair fight. I was cocky before, thinking I could take their ship with so few men. I won’t make that mistake again.”
“Are you going after them then? For the other women?” she asked softly.
“I have what I want from them. All I want to do now is get you to the safety of Tourmalane.”
Napir placed his hand on Dryxel’s arm. “Come, Your Highness. Let’s free you so you may see the rest of the men. They will be happy that you’re safe and have returned to us.”
He grinned. “Afraid of what my father would do if you should return to Tourmalane without me?”
Napir chuckled. “Something like that.”
He watched Rylo escort Lucie away from the transport chamber and toward the front of the ship. Napir was watching him, a thoughtful look on his face and Dryxel scowled.
“What?”
Napir shrugged. “You seem very taken with the princess.”
“She’s special.”
“She would have to be to garner your attention. Countless women have wanted you over the years and you never gave them a passing glance. This one you meet and mate immediately.”
“And you wonder if I’ve made a wise choice.”
Napir shook his head. “No one knows your heart better than you do, Highness. We all know the only way for us to produce children is if we’re with our true mate. You wouldn’t have bound yourself to her if she wasn’t yours.”
“I should have told Rylo… “
“What, Highness?”
“Lucie is nearly blind. I want to have our healer examine her when we return home, see if there’s something more that can be done for her. She seems sad. I want her to smile always.”
They entered the weapons hold and Napir took down a small laser knife. It was a special weapon, made only by Tourmalanes, called a glyk. The laser blade would pulse when placed on the proper setting, ideal for breaking out of cuffs. He turned his back, presenting Napir with his wrists. The heat of the laser seared him, but the discomfort was worth freedom. He felt the cuffs give and then they clanked to the floor.
Wincing, he pulled his arms around in front of him, pinpricks of pain shooting down his limbs as the blood began flowing again. He hadn’t told Lucie, hadn’t wanted her to worry, but his hands had gone numb. If he hadn’t gotten the cuffs off soon, he might have lost the use of his hands completely. If that happened, he would have had to step down as heir to the throne. The ruler had to be willing and able to fight for his people.
He made his way to his chamber, surprised when he didn’t see anyone along the way. After pulling off his clothes, he stepped into the cleansing chamber and pressed the button. Nozzles in the wall hosed him down from head to toe, then blasted him with soap before rinsing him. He stepped out onto the drying mat, the air blasting up from the floor ridding his body of moisture. Only his hair remained wet when it shut off.
He looked in the beveled glass over his sink and ran a hand over his scruffy cheeks. His bride deserved to have a clean-shaven husband, even if it did mean taking more time away from her side. Dryxel lathered his face and quickly removed the hair from his chin and cheeks. Scraping the obsidian blade along his jaw, he realized he looked like a completely different man now. He cleaned his face and left the bathing room.
Now that he wasn’t going into battle, he hoped, he didn’t have to wear his leathers. He pulled on soft black pants and a silky navy shirt. Tucking the shirt into the tight pants, he donned his belt then put on his boots. He wished Lucie could see him, and hoped that if she ever did regain her sight, she wouldn’t be disappointed. Women had told him he was handsome before, but he’d ignored them, their opinion not mattering to him. He only cared what Lucie thought.
As he approached the communications room, he heard the voices of his men and wondered if the whole ship had gathered there. His bride stood in the middle of his men, looking a little overwhelmed. They’d given her a respectable amount of distance, not touching her without permission, but they were lobbing one question after another at her.
“Are you pestering your new princess?” Dryxel asked as he strolled into the room.
The men fell silent.
“We were merely curious about her, Highness,” Grale said. “We meant no disrespect.”
“It’s fine,” Lucie said, smiling.
“Where are we?” Dryxel asked the crew.
“I hit a wormhole and came out in the Raley galaxy. I don’t think they can find us. Not unless they put a tracker on her,” Captain Minz said.
“Tracker?” Lucie asked. “Wouldn’t I know if I had a tracker on me?”
“Not necessarily. If they placed it in you while you were sleeping, you would never know it’s there.” Dryxel moved closer, reaching for her hand. “Will you let me do a sweep? If there’s a tracker, we’ll have to remove it.”
She squeezed his fingers. “If you think that’s best. Will it hurt?”
“Removing it might,” Napir muttered. “We don’t have a healer on board.”
He felt Lucie tremble at Napir’s thoughtless words and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight. He didn’t want to cause her pain, but he didn’t want the Tarnans to find them either. First he had to explain that she had to be naked for him to search for the tracker. He held his hand out to Minz, who had already pulle
d out a sensor. With the device in his grasp, he guided his mate toward his quarters. There was a set of royal quarters on board all Tourmalane ships, in case he or his brothers were ever present.
When the door closed behind them, he set the sensor down on the bed. Tipping her face up, Dryxel pressed his lips to hers, needing to taste her once more. It was hard to believe that only a day had passed since he’d found her in that corridor on board the Tarnan ship. It felt like it had been a week since he’d last held her, kissed her, just enjoyed her presence without having the threat of the Tarnans hanging over them. Oh, they could still be there, waiting to pounce, but he was certain they had a little time. Even with a tracker, it would be hard to follow them through that wormhole.
Her hands curled into his shirt as she pressed her sweet curves against him. She had a body made to be worshiped, and he planned to, just as soon as he knew there wasn’t a tracker on her.
She pulled away from him. “How do you find the tracker?”
He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “You’ll have to undress. Then I scan your body with the sensor. It will light up if there’s anything under your skin that shouldn’t be there.”
She blushed, her cheeks flooding with color.
“You have no need to be embarrassed, sweet. I’m your mate. You have to know that you’re beautiful. Seeing your body will be a delight.”
“I haven’t undressed in front of anyone in a long time.”
He frowned. “Who has seen you without clothes? One of those Tarnan scum? The Keshpan who owned you?”
“No, I… I lost my sight the day Cael purchased me. He’s never touched me. It was back on Earth, years ago. I had someone in my life. I thought I was important to him, but I found out I was just one of his many girlfriends. That was three years ago.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like the idea of another man’s hands on you, but I’ve studied your world to know that sex is often casual on your planet. On Tourmalane, you only bond with your destined mate.”
Her eyes widened. “Have you ever… “
He chuckled. “With sex bots at a brothel, but no, not with an actual woman. And even then, I didn’t go often. I didn’t find it much more satisfying than my own hand.”
Her blush deepened. “I don’t know much about your people,” she admitted. “Are we compatible?”
He smiled, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “Yes, sweet. We’re more than compatible. I may be larger than your human men, but we are shaped the same.”
She nodded and fiddled with the material at her waist. The Tarnans had dressed her in a long dress, the material brushing her ankles, even if it was fitted tight to breasts and waist. It was way too much material in his opinion. The women of his world had worn a vest style shirt with pants. Of course, as he eyed her curves, he realized the shirts from his world probably wouldn’t fit her. She was a bit curvier than a Tourmalane woman. The tops would gape and he didn’t want anyone looking at those luscious breasts but him.
He brought her close, running his nose along the length of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. Rubbing his hands up and down her back, he felt her shiver in his arms. The musky smell of her arousal filled the air and it filled with him pride to know she desired him. Perhaps part of her recognized him as her destined mate, much the way he’d recognized her. And if the men from her past plagued his thoughts, he would keep it to himself. He didn’t blame her for sharing her body with another. She hadn’t known that he existed, had probably never thought she would leave Earth’s surface. He was glad she had though, even if she had been held captive by the Keshpans for a while.
Dryxel pressed his lips against her collarbone as he began unfastening the back of her dress. His tongue flicked out, tasting her creamy flesh. He’d love nothing more than to lay her bare on his bed and feast on her. In his younger years, he’d stumbled across some sex videos from Earth and felt certain he could bring her pleasure. As the back of her dress gaped, he ran his hand up her spine, feeling her soft, silky flesh under his palm.
She moaned and ran her hands up his chest, stroking him. Dryxel claimed her mouth as he peeled the dress down her arms, pushing it over her hips, and letting it fall to the floor. Unable to deny the temptation of his mate, he kissed his way down her throat, down the valley between her breasts, and paused long enough to lick one of her nipples. The bud hardened against his tongue and he laved her again, feeling his cock harden to the point of pain in his pants. Her body was so responsive to him, and if the fingers now tunneling through his hair were any indication, she loved what he was doing to her.
His lips closed over her other nipple, drawing on the hardened peak until she cried out, her body arching into him. Dryxel slid his palm down her back, over the curve of her ass, and dipped his fingers into her wet pussy. Gods but she felt good! He kissed her again, his tongue plunging into her mouth, matching the rhythm of the fingers gliding in and out of her wet heat.
She spread her legs a little, giving him better access, and he growled in appreciation. His little mate was setting him on fire. He burned for her like a thousand suns. The tracker was not completely forgotten, but he needed to taste her first, needed to bring her pleasure, have her scream his name. He backed her toward the bed and gently eased her down.
Her lips were swollen from his kisses, her hair a disheveled mess. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight. Drawing away from her, he fell to his knees beside the bed. Her legs were splayed and he stared at the glistening lips beckoning him to explore. He traced a finger over the smooth, hairless skin and watched as she shuddered at his touch.
Dryxel leaned forward, breathing her in. She smelled tangy and sweet, and he couldn’t wait to taste her. His breath fanned across her skin as he moved closer. The first swipe of his tongue against her sensitive flesh had him moaning in pleasure as her taste exploded in his mouth. He gripped her hips and pulled her closer, his mouth latching onto her as he sucked at her dewy lips. Slipping inside for a better taste, he discovered a small bud at the top of her sex, one that seemed to get quite a reaction from her. He circled it with his tongue before sucking on it lightly.
Lucie made the sexiest sounds he’d ever heard as she lifted her hips toward him, nearly grinding herself on his face. He took the hint and worried the little bud some more, alternating between flicking it with his tongue and sucking on it. She became wild beneath him as more moisture seeped out of her. He didn’t know enough about humans to know what was happening, but he could tell it was a good thing. He knew pleasure when he saw it and heard it.
He doubled his efforts, wondering what would happen. The sex bots faked an orgasm, but he’d never seen a woman have one before. Her body was tense beneath him and he worried she’d hurt herself. Was that normal? Her hips seemed to be urging him on so he supposed she was all right. He sucked on her little bud long and hard, and she lifted off the bed, crying out his name loud enough for the whole crew to hear. He lapped up the honey flowing from her body before placing a kiss on her thigh.
“Oh my God,” she said, sounding breathless. “I’ve never… no one’s ever… “
He was confused. “No one’s ever what?”
“I’ve never had a guy put his mouth on me before. And I’ve certainly never had an orgasm that intense before.”
Pleasure filled him, knowing that he’d been the first at least for something with her, and that she’d enjoyed it immensely. He’d have to remember to do that again -- soon. For now, no matter how much his cock ached, he needed to get back to the task of finding that tracker.
“Can you stand up for me, sweet? I still need to sweep you for the tracker.”
“Now? I was hoping… “
“Hoping what?”
“That we could finish what we started,” she said with a blush.
He ran his fingers up and down her leg. “We will, I promise. But first I need to make sure you’re safe. As much as I would like to seek my pleasure in your body, I need to make sure the Tarnans can
’t find you. If they take you from me, I’ll be left with little choice but to wage war against them. Especially if we’ve consummated our bond.”
“Why especially then?” she asked, her unfocused gaze directed his way.
“Because when true mates bond for the first time, a babe is created, forever twining their destinies together.”
She touched her stomach. “I’ll be pregnant after we… consummate the bond?”
He nodded then remembered she couldn’t see him. “Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, not really. It’s just… how am I supposed to raise a child, Dryxel? I can’t see. I won’t be able to keep the baby safe, especially once it starts walking.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. “I’ll be by your side, Lucie. You’ll have me, my brothers, and my father to help you raise our children. They will never lack for love or supervision. There are also many workers around the palace who will dote on any children we have. Our first male child will be my heir, the future ruler of Tourmalane.”
“What if we have a girl first?”
He smiled and nuzzled her. “Then I will adore her and when the time is right I will help her find her true mate. If she has your beauty, there will be many who want her.”
Lucie placed her palm against his cheek. “Then let me up so you can scan me. The sooner the Tarnans are in our past, the better.”
He helped her stand, making sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her. Picking up the scanner, he turned it on and started at her head, sweeping her down to her toes. He did the same down her back and both sides. When he reached her right hip, he froze, muttering a curse.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“There’s something just above your hip. Since I can’t feel it when I run my hands over you, it means it’s rather deep.”
“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” she asked softly.
“I won’t lie. I’m not sure I can get it out of you while we’re on this ship. I need a med bay and we don’t have one. This ship wasn’t designed for war or seizures. We use it when we’re going on peaceful journeys. I was taking my men on a tour of the various galaxies, in search of true mates.”
Cherished (Intergalactic Loyalties) Page 3