Eager to sink into the warmth of my mate and feel the curves of her naked body, I ensure everyone is onboard and supervise as they secure themselves for our exit. With our added numbers, Ragar and I insist Jayla and her human companion take our seats for safety. When they refuse, Ari and Tor give up their chairs, and neither female appears pleased to have disrupted our normal way of things. My mate’s attempt at obscurity is illogical. In time, she will realize it does not matter if honor requires them all to sacrifice their lives, they will do it without contempt or question. She is my queen, and they will die for her. As will I.
Chapter Three
Jayla
It’s awkward sitting in Ari’s seat, watching as Rivan eases us out of the station terminal and into the vast expanse of space. The fine buzz of the engine humming to life builds into a rumble as the thrusters engage. Leandra and I stare at each other—waiting for some big jolt or turbulent rattle to signal we’ve started zooming through the universe.
Neither of us have ever traveled through space outside of the trip from Earth to our post, and we have no clue what to expect. I mean what do you do if your ship breaks down? Does it just tumble through space until it hits something? Panic courses through me. What if we get lost? Will we just slowly starve? Suffocate to death? I’m a realist, and the possibility of dying a horrible death is much higher roaming around in space than it would be sitting in a boring office, drinking coffee.
Rivan sets the ship on autopilot and strides off down the hall while Sol tries to locate the smuggler, and Ragar carts Leandra off somewhere to show her where to sleep. It’s just Ren and me in the navigation bay.
Alone.
For the first time in forever.
“The things you imagine will never come to pass. I would not allow you to be harmed in such a way,” Ren whispers in my ear as he leans over to unbuckle the straps holding me in place. My skin prickles at his nearness, but anxiety sours my mood.
“Yeah, that’s if Illaria and the other Illusians don’t try to murder me after you tell everyone what you found.” My words come out whinier than intended, but the feeling behind them is the same. I’m terrified of what they’ll do once they know the real reason Ren disconnected from the group. It wasn’t just to spare me.
“No one will touch you.” Suddenly crouched in front of me, Ren grabs either side of my seat. His eyes take on a feral, feline look as his pupils dilate in anger. “Understand? No one. You are mine. Illusian or not, they will die before I let you be harmed again.”
Sheesh, he’s so touchy.
Now that our lives aren’t in immediate danger, a rush of need thrums through me, and I’m drawn to his full lips as they hover inches from mine. Damn, he’s hot. Ren’s nostrils flare as the proof of my need for him soaks my panties.
“No one?” I tease as I let my hips slide down closer to the edge of the chair, parting my legs. My heart is racing, and I clench the arms to keep from reaching out for him. Emotion pulses down our bond. Longing. Need. An insatiable thirst for me.
He says nothing for a moment, then brings his nose to my knee and runs it up the inside of my thigh. Fuck. Inhaling deeply, he nuzzles my clit.
I ache for him.
A deep growl rumbles in his chest as he yanks down the front of my black stretch pants and swipes his tongue through my sex. The sudden warmth sets my nerve endings on fire, and I can barely stand it. I need him. Now. My hunger for him steals all rational thought, and I rip at his pants, frantically trying to free his dick.
Ren grins at my whimper of disapproval as he pulls away. Diving back in for one more long, wet, stroke, he purrs and lifts me.
Not having to go far, he elbows the button to open our room and launches both of us onto the bed.
“Hurry,” I beg, barely capable of logical thought as the pressure building inside me threatens to explode. A sharp stab of pain steals my breath as Ren drives into me, burying himself deep, thrusting with so much force the bolts holding the bed squeak in defiance. Pleasure cascades across our bond, overwhelming my senses, and I grip his ass, begging him to go harder. Deeper. More. I just need more.
He obliges, pulling my hair and dragging his teeth down my neck. I can’t fucking breathe I want him so badly. Slapping his ass hard, I buck against him then break apart as he pinches my clit between his fingers. After I climax for a second time, Ren slows his pace. He searches my body for wounds and licks even the smallest of scratches, leaving no part of me untouched.
Appreciating the attention but wanting his mouth on mine, I rise up on my side and press my lips to his.
“My Aciana…” Ren threads his fingers through my hair and deepens the kiss. Sliding in behind me, he presses his chest to my back, never taking his lips off mine. There are no words to describe my need for him. For the mutual love I feel coursing through our bond. Love. That word seems too small for how we feel for one another. Too simple.
The rock-hard ridges of his abs flex as he enters me one last time, and he intertwines our fingers, holding me close.
Ren is mine. And I’m his. And for a few sweet moments, nothing else matters.
Too peaceful to move after we finally finish and force ourselves apart, I stare at Ren as he snores lightly into his pillow. He doesn’t sleep enough. Judging by the heavy bags under his eyes, it’s been days. Always alert, constantly planning our next move but never taking himself into consideration.
My stomach growls, and I wiggle out from under the arm he’s slung over me. If I’m hungry, Ren has to be starving. A sense of dread settles in my gut while looking at the fifteen or so black canvas bags Ren shoved all my things into. I can’t exactly walk out there naked, and it’s going to take me forever to find my stuff. I would have been happy with a toothbrush, sweats, and some underwear, but Ren went above and beyond. For a male who says very little, his actions speak volumes.
I’m glad we have our own space, but it’s much smaller than anywhere I’ve ever stayed. The room looks like most others I’ve seen—unfinished matte gray walls, no windows or separated living space. Just a single bed, a modest inlaid area mid-wall where Ren keeps his clothes, and a chair in the right corner that’s buried under all my crap.
“Come back to bed.”
I startle at the sound of Ren’s gruff voice. “I’d love to, but if I lie there any longer, I’m going to start gnawing your arm off. I’m starving and I’m in desperate need of another shower. Where is it again?”
Ren props his head up on his hand and gives me a sly grin. “You do not need to bathe. I like my smell on you.”
“Har har, you’re hilarious. I reek of sex and sweat. Plus, you have yet to shower, and I have remnants of your ass kicking all over me.” Ren snakes a hand around my waist and rests his chin in the crook of my neck. A dull ache flares in my chest at the feel of his heart beating. I almost lost him.
“You would rather I cleaned myself before I took you?”
“Oh, hell no. I wouldn’t have cared if you crawled around in those refuse chutes, I thought you were dead! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you.” I swallow hard, trying to ignore the sting of tears streaming down my cheeks. My voice shakes as I clutch the sides of his face, harder than I expect. “Don’t you ever do that to me again. Do you hear me? Never again.”
Ren’s pupils widen as he clenches his jaw and drops to his knees. “On my life, my Aciana.” Placing his hands over mine, he holds them a second, then guides my arms down so I can wrap them around his waist. Holding on for dear life, I sob against his chest until I’ve successfully emptied myself of all the residual hysteria trapped inside and am ready to face the rest of the group.
After I get myself together and find some toiletries at the bottom of one off my bags, Ren escorts me down the hall to the showers. He still doesn’t want to leave my side. I can’t blame him. I don’t want to be away from him either and, after passing the one common area on the ship, it’s clear there’s little space to be alone. Looks like I’m going to be spending quite a lot of time
in our room.
I actively avoid everyone after my shower, opting to follow Ren into the navigation bay instead of socializing with the rest of the females in the common room. Sol and Rivan are staring intently at the star map projected above them.
“Did you guys figure out where we’re going?”
Both of the males look to Ren before answering. “Yes, Aciana. We located Tren Vakoro on Magera. Rivan adjusted the coordinates over an Earth hour ago.”
“Oh! Awesome. Why didn’t anyone come and get us?” Ren’s shoulders tense, and he glares at Sol.
Sol pauses a moment, as if he’s considering his words before answering. “You and the Acia were...busy.”
Ren’s warning growl rumbles against my back.
“These walls aren’t sound proof, are they?” Heat floods my cheeks. Ren’s magic tongue was hitting all the right places and my appreciation was…enthusiastic.
“They are not,” Ren answers in a tone that should effectively end the conversation.
Sol, of course, completely misses the not-so-subtle warning. “It is quite, eh, normal for newly mated pairs. And expected if you are to—”
“Enough, Sol,” Ren says.
Sol flinches, then rushes to change the subject. “We will not arrive at Magera for several of your Earth days, Aciana. You should consider getting some rest. According to my calculations, you should be in the middle of your sleep cycle right now.”
Sleep can wait, I want to know what he’s talking about. “What does he mean? If we are to what?”
“He speaks of things he knows nothing about. Do not let it trouble you.” Ren presses a kiss to the top of my hair.
Sol nods and drops his gaze back to the floor. After such a shitty twenty-four hours, I don’t push for answers. All I want to do is eat, crawl into my bed, and pass out.
I pad into the tiny kitchen attached to the common room, thankful to find it empty. I guess most of the Illusians have turned in for the night. I search the fridge for something I can identify and fail miserably. I have no idea what anything is, and I’m way too exhausted to figure it out.
Settling on a drink instead, I reach for the water dispenser and nearly collide with Ragar as he comes barreling into the room. Jerking back, I lose my balance and tumble to the floor. I swear I’m going to make them start wearing bells. He plowed in like a battering ram but didn’t make a sound. It’s easy to forget how lethal they are.
I push myself to my feet just as Leandra storms in.
Red-faced and trembling, she glares at him. “Just take the bed! This is ridiculous, I can sleep on the floor out here! I don’t need your room!”
“You will take the room.” Ragar sits down at the table, unphased by her demands. My ears perk up at the sound of his voice. I’ve never heard him speak before. And who the hell taught him Meta?
Leandra gapes at me, throwing her hands up, exasperated. “Jay, seriously. Can you talk some sense into his stubborn ass? He’s done nothing but follow me around since I met him, and now he’s insisting I take his room. Do you see how huge he is? There’s no way sleeping on the floor would be comfortable for him. I get your man assigned him to watch me, but damn. This is too far. He nearly followed me into the pisser earlier!”
I burst into laughter, and Leandra narrows her eyes. I know exactly how moody and overbearing Illusian males can be and I find it much more entertaining when their machismo is focused on someone else. “Just sleep in his room. He won’t change his mind.” I shrug and down the rest of my water.
Her mouth drops open. “You’re taking his side?”
“No. I just know there’s no point in fighting them. They value females above all else; it’s like chivalry on steroids. If he doesn’t give up his room, one of the other unmated males will. It’s just how it works.”
Ragar jerks his head up with a snarl, and Ren’s there in an instant, towering over him to put him in check. Oh, shit. Ragar is territorial. Leandra’s in for it.
“And what the hell is with all the growling and grunting? How do you stand it? They never use actual words!”
I shrug. “You get used to it. Look, just take his bed. I’ll go through my things to make sure he has a proper pallet set up out here. Or, I can set it up in your room, and you can sleep together.”
Leandra turns beet red, and the look Ragar gives me is something between appreciation and warning. Ren doesn’t like it either. Leandra throws her hands up and stomps out of the room. I hurry across the hall and grab several of the heavier linens Ren packed, then return to the kitchen and place them on the table.
“Thank you, Aciana Jayla.” Ragar lowers his head in a sign of respect and begins to meticulously lay the blankets out on the floor. But as Ren leads me down the hall toward our room, I glance back.
Ragar’s frozen, an unreadable look on his face. And then slowly, he moves the pallet of blankets across the hall and lays them right next to his door.
Chapter Four
Jayla
Naya’s face is still, and her bronze skin completely unflawed. It’s almost as if she’s been born again. All evidence of her previous battles—all the scars she earned—were wiped clean with her rejuvenation. Her beauty and glow have returned, making it difficult not to stare.
I rest against the side of her bed, still exhausted, and prop my chin on my hand. “You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I really miss your nagging.”
Naya doesn’t stir. Rivan’s been keeping watch over her while the others rest and allowed me in first thing this morning. Apparently, she’s close to waking but still requires more time to heal. It feels so strange to miss her. She’s hard, crass, and violent, but somewhere along the way, I’ve grown to love her. When I thought she died, I mourned her. Part of me still does. I don’t know if it was the sheer terror and hopelessness I felt in that moment, or the shock of watching another person I cared for die, but I feel more protective of her now than ever.
“Ren’s alive. I’m sure you know that by now, but still, isn’t that some shit? I hope you wake up and bitch slap him for playing dead.”
I bite my tongue to keep from pouring out my soul. The desire to get everything off my chest is unbearable. I’m dying to talk to someone other than Ren about what only he and I know and the impossible circumstances we face. If Naya were awake, she’d tell me what to do. Tell me to shut up and stop being so dramatic.
But she’s not, so I decide to fill her in on everything that’s happened since she’s been asleep.
The low cot-like sleeper in her room is thinner and more lightweight than mine, and the rough edges of its frame dig into my neck no matter which way I try to lean on it. “So, let’s recap what you’ve missed. Rhia’s baby is beautiful and healthy. A little boy she named Ajay after me. Cute, right? I stopped by her room last night, and they’re both doing great. We rescued two unmated females, Injari and Urina, from the Inokine ship before we left. It’s bad. Ren’s keeping them sedated so they don’t hurt themselves while they heal.” I take a long sip of coffee and pull my legs underneath me, trying to get comfortable. The floor is miserably cold, and I’m still sore from my fight with the Inokine. “Oh, Ren found a human hiding in my office. You should have seen it. The guy blew the head off an Inokine right before it ate my face. I know, you probably don’t find it cool, and neither did I in the moment, but now, man. It was insane.”
I peek up to see if she’s stirred. Nope. She continues to lie unmoving—like a porcelain doll. “Anyway, he gave us the name of the slaver that tipped him off to General Sterling’s involvement in the disappearance of his granddaughter, so that’s where we’re headed now.”
Finally gathering what little courage I have on the subject, I put my lips close to her ear. “If you could wake up tonight, that would be great. I really need you.” It might be a completely foolish notion, but I feel closer to Naya than any of the others, and her being there when Ren spills the beans would give me some peace of mind about the whole thing. Plus, she would help keep people
from killing me.
“I thought I would find you in here.” I jerk away from Naya at the sound of Ren’s voice. He leans against the door frame, his ripped muscles and pouty lips looking more delicious than they did last night. The soft gray pants he stole from the station’s lost and found hang impossibly low on his hips, and his broad chest is on display. He looks like a damn snack. I nearly spill my coffee trying to drink and stare at him at the same time.
“How am I supposed to get anything done if you walk around looking like that? Do you want me to murder someone?” I ask with a brow raised. If Illaria openly lusts after him one more time, there’s no telling what I’ll do.
“I like it when you desire me, Skara.” He smiles, and the bulge in the front of his pants grows. I pause mid-sip, and Ren chuckles as coffee spills out of my mouth and down my chin.
“Seriously, go put on something else. Don’t we need to inventory or clean? There has to be something on the agenda for today, right?”
Ren prowls forward and grabs my hips. “Our journey will take until tomorrow.” He grins, then slowly runs his tongue along his bottom lip.
Seriously? This male is insatiable.
I lean into him, enjoying his warmth before my gaze settles on the comatose Keeper. “Naya’s right there.” Undeterred, Ren grunts and palms my butt. As much as I want to get naked and spend all day jumping up and down on that otherworldly dick, there are still several things we have yet to address. One of them happens to be wallowing somewhere on the ship. “Listen, we should go question the captain again. I’m sure he knows more than he’s letting on. Maybe he’ll talk now that he’s stuck with us. Which room is he in, by the way?”
“That will not be necessary. It has been handled.” Ren averts his eyes and rubs circles on my lower back.
Oh, no you don’t.
Unwelcome Page 2