She frowned as they entered the busy dining hall. Everyone turned to look, but Kollin didn’t pay them any attention. He grabbed them each a tray and then led her to a table.
Not long after they sat down, four others joined them. She recognized at least two of them, and slow anger sizzled inside.
“Tanner, do you have communications restored?” Kollin asked, before taking a bite of his food.
“No, Commander. Every time I fix one problem, another one pops up. When we return to Azziar, I’ll assemble the best team, and we’ll get it running better than before.”
“Very well. How soon before we reach Azziar?”
“One standard day.”
Kollin looked to Unnal. “Have you found any other traitors?”
“No, Commander.”
Krista half-heartedly listened to the conversation as she kept her head down and ate her food. She remembered the one who sat across from her, and then one who sat next to him. They treated her like a prisoner, and after telling her that Kollin had been gravely injured, they locked her in a room. She never tried to escape, she’d heard him give the orders.
The thing that angered her the most was the fact they wouldn’t let her near Kollin, just to be sure he would be okay.
“Krista?” Kollin looked at her with worried eyes, but she kept her face a mask.
“What?”
“I’ve been talking to you but…” he grimaced, “you were somewhere else. Everything okay?”
“Fine,” she answered and then went back to eating.
“I was introducing you to my officers.”
She glanced up and caught Kassim’s intense stare. Anger shone in her dark eyes as she said, “Don’t bother. I’m good.”
“Krista?”
No longer able to hide her anger, she looked at Kollin and said, “If you will excuse me, I’m going back to our quarters.”
Kollin frowned as she pushed away from the table. “Krista, I’m so…” Kassim started, but Krista interrupted.
She turned laser eyes on him when he started talking. “You don’t talk to me!” she yelled. “You’re an asshole who treated me like a criminal. Well, screw you!” Her eyes turned to Unnal, “And you, too,” she sneered before she hurried out of the dining hall.
Kollin gave them both a questioning look before following his mate.
When he entered, he found her pacing in their quarters. “Krista, what is wrong?” he asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders, halting her steps.
“From the time I met them, they treated me like a criminal. Even when Kassim said I smelled like your mate, he said it wasn’t possible. When I asked about you, all he said was that you were gravely injured. When I asked to see you, he just said no, and then he ordered someone to lock and guard my door!”
He grabbed her hands and led her to the chair, where he pulled her down with him. “I know, and I’m sorry,” he sighed. “Kassim and the others were held prisoners from the time I was first kidnapped until I reclaimed my ship. They had no bathing facilities and were filthy. I had told him several times that I didn’t want a mate. What he didn’t know was that I was afraid I’d never find a mate.”
She listened to every word he said, trying to calm down and think rationally.
“After I was kidnapped and handed over to the Tureis, and then coming back with a mate, he was skeptical because I hadn’t had a chance to tell him. He thought that you could be a Siccia plant.”
“Why would he think that? I can’t fight. Besides, I doubt the Siccia need a secret operative.”
Kollin laughed, “That’s very true.” When he sobered, he continued, “After everything they’d been through, he was suspicious of everything.”
“I guess,” she grimaced, “but I still don’t like it.”
“Would it make you feel better if I told you I was so angry with what he’d done to you, I took him to the training room and beat the crap out of him?”
Krista thought about it and then smiled. “Yeah, that actually does make me feel better. Thanks, honey.”
Kollin threw his head back and let out a boisterous laugh.
Chapter Seventeen
Kollin
His mate was beautiful and sassy. They were talking about Kassim when the door chimed. “Enter,” Kollin called.
When Kassim and Unnal came walking in, he could feel Krista tense in his arms, but she held her tongue.
“I know this isn’t the best time, but we wish to apologize to your mate,” Kassim said in a formal tone as he and Unnal stood with their hands clasped behind their backs.
When they said nothing more, Krista stood and faced them with her arms crossed. “Well?”
Kassim startled, “Well what?” he asked with confusion.
“You said you wanted to apologize. I’m waiting.”
“I did.”
“No, you didn’t. You told Kollin you wished to apologize to me. Well, here I am.” She spread her arms out.
In a tight voice, Kassim said, “I’m sorry for the way I treated you. Please forgive me.”
“I am sorry, as well,” Unnal added.
Krista studied them in silence and then said, “Fine, you’re forgiven.” Stabbing her finger at Kassim, she said, “But if you ever treat me that way again, I’ll have Kollin break both of your legs.” She turned her attention to Unnal and said, “Yours, too.” Kollin threw back his head and laughed again.
Kassim and Unnal grinned. “Understood,” Kassim supplied.
Krista crawled back onto Kollin’s lap. Unnal left while Kassim took a seat. He watched the two of them with interest before he said, “We should reach Azziar at first light.”
“That sounds good. I’m ready to be home for a while.”
“As am I.”
“When we arrive, have Unnal escort Wallace to the dungeon.”
“Dungeon?” Krista asked in surprise. Do you have dragons, too?”
“What?” Kollin frowned.
“I guess you don’t. Never mind.”
Kassim stayed a little longer, but Kollin was more than ready to be alone with his mate. When he finally left, Kollin turned lust-filled eyes on her before carrying her to bed.
“I have to have you!” he said in a tone that dared her to argue.
When she started to slip out of the jumpsuit, he grabbed the top and ripped it down the middle, letting it pool at her feet. Kollin ripped his own off as well, and when he stalked toward her, she crawled backwards on the bed, never breaking eye contact.
He came down on top of her, kissing down her neck until his mouth reached her right breast. He sucked her hard nipple into his mouth while his hand sought her core.
He pushed one finger deep inside, and she gasped and arched her hips. He thrust his finger as he would his shaft before he added another, making sure she was ready for him.
“Oh God, Kollin,” she moaned.
His mouth left her breast with a pop as he kissed her neck up to her ear and whispered, “I’m not stopping until you scream so loud that everyone on this ship knows what we’re doing.”
Right when he felt her walls tighten, he withdrew his fingers. “Not yet,” he said as he crawled up her body. When his shaft touched her lips, she opened wide, letting it slide in. He gently pumped into her mouth while she sucked and licked his hard shaft. “Ahh…that’s it,” he moaned. Before he found his release, he withdrew from her mouth and aligned himself with her core.
One hard thrust and he was seated deep inside, giving her every standard inch of himself. Each hand grabbed a thigh as he lifted her legs, spreading her wider. His thrust was hard as he watched her face, and every time she almost released, he stopped.
“Stop doing that, dammit!”
He smiled, knowing he was driving her wild. He slammed into her once again, and this time he never slowed. He felt her tighten around his shaft as she screamed her release, the sound bouncing off the walls and echoing down the corridor. Kollin followed, filling her with his hot seed. When he collap
sed down next to her, he smiled, “I love you.”
She smiled, “I love you, too!
Krista
Krista was nervous. Another new planet to explore. For someone who never believed that others existed, this was the second new planet she’d get to see.
She was nervous about being the only human here, an outcast. She threw the covers over her head, not ready to face a planet full of Azziarins. What would they think of her?
The door opened, and Kollin came striding in. When he spotted her still in bed, he frowned. “You are not ready.”
“Nope, not yet.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he sat down on the side of the bed.
“I’m nervous,” she admitted.
“There is nothing to be nervous about.”
“I know,” she exhaled sharply. “I just worry about what the others will think of me.”
“They will love you as I do. Come on, we need to go.”
“Fine, I’ll get dressed.”
“Hurry, our shuttlecraft is waiting.” She threw him a look as she headed to the bathing facilities.
When they landed, Krista got her first look at Azziar. It was beautiful, and her mouth fell open in awe. “You have two suns,” she said, looking up.
“We do.”
When her eyes dropped to the huge trees, she squinted. “Is that a house in the tree?”
“Probably. A few Azziarins still like to build their homes there.”
She glanced at him and started laughing.
“What?”
“Okay, don’t take this the wrong way. I love you, and I think you’re perfect. Since you have space travel, you’re much more technologically advanced than we are.”
“Why would I take that the wrong way? It is true.”
She glanced at him before continuing. “On Earth, we have an animal that’s kept as a pet. It’s called a cat. Your eyes look like cat eyes, and they love to climb trees.”
“I am not a pet,” he huffed.
“I never said you were. I just think the coincidence is a little funny.”
“I would like to see a cat,” he mused.
“Yeah, me, too,” her smile faltered.
When her feet touched the ground, it was springy. Krista grinned and started jumping, pretending she was on a trampoline.
“Stop,” Kollin ordered.
“Why? This is fun!”
When she bounced a couple of feet off the ground, Kollin grabbed her around the waist. “Stop, you might hurt the… baby.”
Her heart melted when he said baby. She smiled warmly and said, “Okay.” As they walked hand in hand, she said, “I’m hungry. Think they’ll have something to eat?”
“We should make it in time for first meal.”
As they entered the castle, Krista walked in stunned silence, taking it all in. It was beyond beautiful as she turned her head one way, then another.
When she heard laughing coming from down the hall, she gripped his hand a little tighter, and he threw her a reassuring smile.
When they entered the dining hall, Krista looked around the room and gasped in surprise. There were other humans present. She counted three.
“Kollin?” she whispered.
He lowered his head so she could hear when he whispered, “I see them.”
When the male at the head of the table spotted them, he rose in surprise. They halted their steps when the male headed their direction.
“Kollin,” he said, his relief easily heard in the one word.
“Father,” Kollin said as the two clasped forearms.
Everyone else rushed over to them. “Oh wow, another human.” Krista and Kollin both turned to the dark-haired female that spoke. “Hi, I’m Sydney, Jakke’s mate.”
“Hi, I’m Krista, Kollin’s mate,” she grinned.
“I’m Chloe, Dazz’s mate,”
“And I’m Mara, Risshi’s mate.” Shocked eyes turned to Mara. “Don’t look so surprised, you had to have known or at the very least, suspected.”
“Well, yeah,” Chloe said. “But with everything that’s happened, I think you owe me more than that.”
Mara grinned. “It’s not much of a story.”
“I don’t care, I want to know.”
“So do I,” Sydney interjected.
“Are you hungry?” Sydney asked Krista as they pulled her to the dining table. She looked back over her shoulder at a grinning Kollin.
Kollin
Almost all his brothers had taken humans mates. He couldn’t stop grinning as he shook his head.
When the females pulled his mate into the dining room, he watched as they talked and ate. There was no rank, only equals in their eyes.
“Kollin, it’s nice to see you,” Jakke said as they clasped forearms. Dazz followed, and then Zekke.
“Where’s Takkeo?”
“He’s training,” Dazz supplied.
“Hello, brother,” Kattlyn saddled up beside him.
“Hey,” he grinned as he picked her up and gave her a big hug.
“You all go talk, I’ll tell your mate where you are. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of her.”
Kollin glanced over at his grinning mate. She sat at the table with the rest of the females. They were talking and laughing as they ate. “Thanks, Kattlyn.”
She peered at him over her shoulder. “You’re welcome, big brother.” She grinned as she walked over to the table and slid into a chair. When she caught his eye, she winked.
“Let us adjourn to my office,” King Mallik said before heading down the corridor. Everyone followed.
As they all sat around the office holding a mug of Fire’s Breath, King Mallik said, “I’m really happy that you are home. I’ve been worried about you.”
That surprised Kollin. He took a sip of his drink and replied, “Thank you, Father.”
Jakke interjected, “We tried to reach you to tell you to come home, but you never responded.”
Kollin looked at his drink, and then his eyes flashed from his father to each of his brothers. “Our communications were blocked. One of my males mutinied, and after I was drugged, I was handed over to the Tureis.” As he looked at each one, he noted the shocked horror on their faces before he continued. “The Tureis started a breeding program and injected my… chemical… into someone I’d never met. She is now pregnant with my young, thanks to the Tureis.”
He heard the gasp before King Mallik said, “I’m so sorry, son.”
“NO!” he exclaimed. “I wouldn’t change anything! Krista is wonderful and I love her.” He let them all hear the sincerity of his words. “I rescued her and a Siccia princess. The Siccia helped me reclaim my ship, but we never restored the communication system. There was too much damage.”
“Why would they mutiny against you?” Jakke asked.
Kollin’s face turned hard as he said, “Wallace, the leader of the rebellion on my ship, said that Mom had a brother with a visual defect. He was ordered to remain hidden his entire life. With his parents dead, and Mom killed by the Tureis, he saw this as his opportunity for revenge.”
Everyone set in stunned silence until Zekke spoke. “So our estranged uncle is doing this?” Kollin looked to Zekke, the quiet one who rarely spoke, who stood in the corner.
“Yes, it appears so.”
“I never knew,” his father said.
“I know. Wallace said he was forbidden to ever reveal himself. His words were something like, ‘Imagine having to live in the shadows for hundreds of years knowing that your sister is a queen among her people. Think of the rage that fills him when he sees one of you.’ I can’t even imagine what he must be thinking,” Kollin said with a grimace.
“I never knew,” King Mallik supplied once again.
“At least now we have an idea where to start looking.” This came from Jakke.
Krista
“So you’re pregnant, too?” Sydney asked.
“Yeah, I just found out.”
“Mara is pregnant, bu
t hers will be longer since it’s a human pregnancy.”
“Stop talking like that’s a bad thing,” Mara interjected with a frown.
“It’s not bad,” Sydney said. “The only bad thing is that you’ll be pregnant for nine months.
Chloe changed the subject. “So what was the weather like when you got kidnapped?”
Krista’s head was spinning form all the back and forth questions. “Ahh…” she squinted her eyes in concentration. “The leaves had all fallen from the trees, and it felt like snow.”
“Christmas!” They yelled in unison.
“I don’t know, we didn’t keep a calendar.”
“I wonder if they have holidays here… I never thought to ask,” Chloe said.
Krista listened to the back-and-forth banter, and a contented smile spread across her face. She wasn’t alone here. She had Kollin, and she had these other girls from Earth. Her hands covered her stomach, and she knew she would be okay.
When a shadow fell across her, she looked up and found Kollin towering over her. He held out his hand, and she placed hers in his. “Let’s go home, mate.”
Home, that sounded nice. “Okay,” she smiled.
The End!
(Not really, there’s more to come)
Thank you for reading Kollin. If you enjoyed it, please leave a review on Amazon and recommend it if you think others would also enjoy reading it.
There are several ways to keep in touch and to learn about new releases. You can like my page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or go to my website, hannahdavenport.com.
Don’t forget to check out my other books!
The Azziarin Series
Jakke (Book 1)
Dazz (Book 2)
Kollin (Book 3)
The Ambriel Series
Ambriel
Ambriel’s Quest (Book 2)
Thank you all for reading Kollin! Be sure to visit my website and sign up for my newsletter, which comes out only when a new book is released.
Hannah Davenport
Kollin (The Azziarin Series Book 3) Page 11