“Ah, you mean the probe?”
I swallowed, remembering how that dildo device had made me feel. “I assure you, we have nothing like that on Earth. If we did, the emergency room would be overrun.”
Tark grinned.
It seemed he was intent on having a conversation and did not plan on pulling his cock from me. “Were you born as high councilor or elected?”
“The position became mine at the death of my father. I will pass the role on to my first child.”
“A monarchy then.”
“Yes. Monarchy.” He tried out the word. “As I told you, there are others who wish to overthrow me, to rule in a different way. Many are used to harsher customs and wish to see them installed in all regions. I have a more… flexible approach that I hope allows for diversity in customs across the planet.”
Besides an amazing lover, he was a leader and a diplomat.
“Being mated to a murderer probably doesn’t help you.” Surely he’d come across some who would dislike me based on my false past.
He made a noncommittal sound as he reached down and slid his hand along the chain between my breasts.
“Do you plan to murder me?” His eyes followed his fingers.
“No.” I sucked in a breath when he started to gently tug the chain so it pulled on one nipple ring, then the other. “Don’t you want to know what I did?”
“You will tell me in your own time. For now,” he shifted his hips ever so slightly and I felt him move inside me. His seed eased his passage. “Again,” he murmured, as he moved his hips.
My eyes widened as I felt how hard he was—had he ever gone down?—and how I was just as eager.
His cum slipped out around his motions and dripped down between my legs and onto the blankets beneath me.
“Master,” I whispered as he pulled out a little further, then slid back in. He was bigger than the probe he’d used on me. Hotter. He was more adept at wielding his cock and my body responded.
He grinned, clearly pleased by the single word, and took us both up and over once more.
Chapter Seven
Two more days passed; my time filled with meetings forced me to send Eva to the harem so that I was assured of her safety. Besides being beautiful, she was a reasonable woman and understood why I could not keep her with me. A spanking had certainly helped with that. Because of this, I did not have another hairbrush tossed at my head.
It wasn’t Eva who was complaining, it was the other councilors. I sat at my usual seat above the others and listened to them grumble.
“We did not witness the first fucking and we have not laid eyes on her. Only mates in the harem can confirm her existence.” Councilor Bertok was a continued nuisance.
“Councilor Tark is not at home. Surely you can understand his need to protect his mate,” Roark replied.
“From whom?” the old man asked. “She’s the murderer. It is we who should be fearful that she won’t harm one of the other women in the harem.” He lifted his arm up to indicate the others. “Aren’t you concerned for your mates? The guards are protecting the women from external dangers, but perhaps the real danger stays within.”
“Enough,” I said.
All heads swiveled toward me.
“Goran, bring my mate to me.”
My second-in-command nodded once before leaving the tent.
Talk returned to the latest agenda topic until Goran returned. He held the tent flap open as Eva entered. I stood and the others followed. Holding out my hand, she came to my side. She was lovely and every man in the room only had eyes for her. Fortunately, she was dressed in her plain slip dress and wore a robe over it, long enough to swirl about her ankles. It had no buttons or closures, but Eva held the two sides together in front of her chest.
I gave her a small smile—I could not give her more, for if the councilors knew of my deep-seated interest in her, it may prove dangerous. We were both under scrutiny.
I leaned forward and murmured in her ear, “Some of the men are more formal and stricter in their customs than others. Please, defer to me.”
While I could see some confusion in her light eyes, she nodded and remained silent. I hoped, for her sake, she would not question me. I did not wish to spank her publicly.
“This is Evelyn Day, my mate.”
The men all stared at the woman to whom I’d been matched.
“As you can see, she is too small to be a danger.”
I saw her look at me out of the corner of my eye.
“She could be hiding a weapon,” Councilor Bertok said, eyeing her with disdain.
I rolled my shoulders back. “You question my mate?”
“Have you questioned your mate? She has committed a heinous crime on her world. The only punishment she received was to be sent here. Surely Trion is a more advanced and improved world than Earth. How is arriving here enough of a punishment?”
Councilor Bertok needed to retire, for his ways were too archaic. Unfortunately, he didn’t have to play diplomat. I did. What he said was also true. I had yet to ask Eva the details behind her actions. Cold-blooded murder was a grave offense on Trion. Was it so on Earth? What had she done? I would ask her, but I would do it in private. Later.
“Evelyn Day’s crime and punishment were the responsibilities of her world, not ours. She is here as my mate, nothing more. If she is to be punished, it will be because of an infraction here on Trion and I will see to it as her mate.”
The old man stood. “I will not remain while she is free.”
“What do you expect me to do, Councilor Bertok, imprison my mate, the woman sent to me by the Interstellar Bride Program? Would you turn your back on the treaty that keeps all of Trion and hundreds of other worlds safe because you are afraid of a woman? You are the one who wished to see her.”
“She should be kept in chains so our women remain safe. If not, we should all leave.”
Two other councilors also stood and nodded their agreement.
I couldn’t have the men leave. I needed their presence to close out the meetings, for I did not wish to return to Outpost Nine again for another year. And yet I refused to see my mate shackled just for their enjoyment. Discipline was required—when needed—but I was not going to punish Eva solely because of one man’s whim. I would punish Eva when the occasion required, spanking her until she submitted to my hand, but not now, not when she’d done nothing to earn it.
The man was pushing his power onto me via my mate and that was unacceptable. He knew I had to do as he bid. Inwardly, I wanted to rip the man’s head off and place it on a pike, but outwardly, I called for Goran.
“Bring me one of the luminaries.”
Goran probably questioned my request, but remained silent and did as I bid.
Turning to Eva, I said, “Kneel.”
She narrowed her eyes, but complied. Glancing up at me through her lashes, a very carnal image of her in just such a position as she sucked my cock came to mind. Fortunately, Goran returned.
“Remove the light,” I told him, and he removed the glowing portion from the top. I took the pole from him. “Thank you.”
He nodded and retreated.
“Lift the chain from beneath your dress,” I told Eva.
She looked first to the men, then at me. I saw fire in her eyes and for a moment I thought she would disobey, but fortunately, she remained silent and did as I bid again. She lifted the chain from between her breasts and let it hang on the outside of her slip dress. Perhaps, and I would like to hope, her quick response was based on a growing trust between us. I’d said more than once I’d never hurt her and I’d proven that by only touching her in pleasure. Spanking her ass, not once but twice, had been painful to start, but I knew from the way her pussy had been wet, she had liked it. Perhaps it was a poor punishment for someone who liked a hint of pain. Something to consider. Later.
I knelt down and carefully fed the bottom of the pole through the gap between the chain and her body and jabbed it into the ground, wa
tched as it sank and secured itself into the sand. I tugged on it to ensure that it was well placed.
The pole was placed within the circle of the chain and her body. Eva was not going anywhere, unless she decided to shimmy up the long pole to unhook her chain. I doubted she wished to rip her nipple rings from her body. This arrangement allowed her to be confined, yet completely unbound. She was by my side—and modestly covered—where I wanted her and I could easily release her if danger came upon us. A swift yank on the pole and she’d be free.
“Satisfied?” I asked Councilor Bertok.
He pursed his thin lips, but nodded and returned to his seat. He could do nothing else and he knew it. I’d met his requirement, although he had most likely expected me to strip her bare and shackle her in chains. The old fark.
The crisis was averted and yet the cost was solely heaped upon Eva. She kept her head down throughout the remainder of the meeting. She was, no doubt, embarrassed and very angry. While I focused on the agenda at hand, I monitored Eva carefully, assessing she was comfortable. While I was high councilor, I was also her mate and she was my top priority. I had committed myself to my role my entire life. It was time to commit myself to Eva.
As I brought the meeting to a close, one of the head guards ducked into the tent. By the urgency on his face, the sweat that dripped from his brow, something was wrong.
“High councilor, there has been an accident. Several are dead and we have injuries.”
* * *
It was possible I’d been more embarrassed when Goran had watched Tark fuck me, but it had been eased by arousal and ultimately an amazing orgasm. Being forced to sit on the raised platform beside Tark, not as his equal, but clearly as his… woman, or worse, a chained pet, was beyond mortifying. While he hadn’t actually tied me up, handcuffed me, or shackled me as that awful Bertok had wanted, I had been truly trapped. The chain attached to the nipple rings had kept me by the pole just the same. Tark was being considerate, but I was bound nonetheless. I’d fumed over it for the first few minutes of the meeting, but then realized my mate was doing his job.
Variation in custom occurred across Trion as well and Tark had to meet these differences of the councilors. Instead of shackling me, he’d devised a way for me to subjugate myself while providing me some dignity. I knew Tark’s strength and he could easily remove the pole from the sand as quickly as he’d placed it.
It had been the look in the men’s eyes that kept my head lowered, that made me feel inferior, not Tark. I didn’t want to see the leers, the arousal, the eagerness, even the curiosity that I’d seen when I first came into the tent. I only wanted Tark’s gaze on me. I liked it when I saw his eyes flare with heat. I liked knowing he was eager for me, that his curiosity rivaled mine for him. I didn’t mind any of it with Tark because I’d brought that about and I felt powerful, not slutty.
Was this what he had been trying to prevent by keeping me in seclusion? I’d hated the feeling of being hidden, kept from everyone else around me. I wasn’t used to it, but now I knew why. Outpost Nine was… uncomfortable, even for Tark. He’d had to make accommodations of his personal beliefs, his customs and convictions with the other councilors—it was obvious now with Bertok and a few of his followers—and I would have to compromise with mine. I’d been outspoken and he had spanked me to teach me the laws of the land. I was fortunate I’d been chastised before now, for I had learned to hold my tongue. If I hadn’t, surely Tark would have been forced to spank me in front of the entire council. His position not only as my mate, but as high councilor, would demand it. He’d talked about the palace, the city where he lived. Fortunately, our stay in this encampment was temporary.
But when the guard came in sharing the news of an accident, I didn’t want to keep my head down or remain hidden. I wanted to do my job.
Tark stood immediately and yanked the pole from the sand, releasing me from my pseudo-confinement. I jumped to my feet. Tark grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Goran.
“Take her to the harem.”
As Goran nodded, I said, “No! I might be able to help.”
The room had broken out into pandemonium. Everyone was talking at once, many leaving the tent with guards surrounding them.
“You mean your medical training?” Tark asked, his voice pitched low so only Goran and I could hear.
I nodded. “Besides, we don’t know if the accident was truly that or some kind of attack.”
Tark’s jaw clenched, but he was considering. He hadn’t said no yet. I didn’t want to be sent back to the harem, twiddling my thumbs and idly letting the world pass me by. Someone might die if I didn’t help and that went against everything inside of me.
“Consider that it could be a distraction to steer everyone from the harem,” I added. “You must admit there are many who do not like me. Hurting me means hurting you.”
Tark didn’t like my comments, but I could see he knew them to be a very distinct possibility.
“Please, Tark,” I begged. “I am of more value to this planet, to you as high councilor, to you as a mate than just a breeder. You may think me a murderer, but I am skilled at what I do. Let me help.”
He took another moment to decide. “Very well. You will stay beside me at all times. You must obey, Eva. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
My heart leapt into my throat as I realized he was going to allow me to join him. He was trusting me, allowing me to be more than what was normally expected of a mate. I could not sit idly and make woodcraft and he knew it. The matching, God, it was incredible, for Tark knew deep down things about me that other men would never see or take time to discover.
“Extra guards. Now,” Tark commanded to the men outside the tent. “Follow us.”
Tark gripped my arm and followed the man who’d interrupted the meeting. Goran followed closely on my heels. We weaved through people agitated from the news. As we walked, I was able to observe more of Outpost Nine than I had before. I’d been correct in my assumption. All of the men were large. Only a few women were about, all accompanied by a male escort. I looked down a long line of tents and saw stalls similar to a bazaar or fair at the far end. Smoke wafted and scents of cooking meat, almonds, and strange spices permeated the air. As we walked, I became winded, my skin beading with sweat. The sun was intense, but I did not wish to block my view with the robe’s hood.
“What has happened?” Tark asked the guard.
The man looked back, his face grim.
“Davish and his contingency were headed toward the leader’s section to the south when they were raided. They’d only gone part of the way when the attack occurred. Those who survived turned back, knowing the best chance for aid was here. The sentinels saw their return and called for help.”
“Drovers?” Tark asked.
“Most likely. They are long gone, but a squadron was sent to hunt for them.”
The differences between Tark as a lover and as high councilor were impressive. While he was dominant and commanding with me, his touch, his voice, even the thrusting of his cock, while deliberate, were quite gentle. I never feared him. Now, though, looking at the tense lines of his shoulders, the awareness of power about him, made him almost a different person. His guard was up, his defenses ready for whatever we would face.
We came out of from between two tents and the land opened up. Looking left and right, the outer edge of the outpost was visible, made up of a long line of identical temporary structures. It was a vast town in the middle of nowhere, if the vista before me was any indication. I’d been to the desert southwest with a friend from college one holiday break. The landscape was arid and scrappy. There were no trees as I’d been used to where I’d grown up outside of the country’s capital. The sky in Arizona was big and blue, the rock formations orange-red. That was the only desert I’d seen, the only thing I could compare this to. But the desert here, on Trion, was completely different from anything I’d ever seen before.
The sand was white, like the beach,
an endless ocean that went on for miles and miles in every direction. Scrubby purple, red, and brown plants dotted the rolling landscape and a few jagged gray rock formations broke up the straight horizon. What made me gasp were the two moons I could see in the sky, one white and one blood red. Holding my hand up over my eyes against the glare, I just stared. But not for long.
The guard pointed and to our right was a small group of people and large animals. I thought immediately they must be like camels, since we were in the desert, but they actually looked more like longhaired horses. Men held the leads for the animals, who had been placed in a protective circle surrounding people who lay sprawled across the ground. Tark pushed his way into the center and tugged me with him.
I counted quickly, my training kicking in. The familiar adrenaline pumped through my veins. Eight people lying on the ground, men and women both. Some thrashed about, clearly injured and in pain, others lay still. One was obviously dead from where I stood, brain matter seeping from a crack in his skull.
One of the men saw our arrival, stood from beside an injured woman and closed the distance between us swiftly.
“High councilor.” He nodded in respect. “We have one dead, three on their way to death, and the remainder have injuries that are not life-threatening. Unfortunately, our probes and scanners can’t fix the severity of some wounds.”
“Something’s wrong. She’s bleeding profusely!”
We turned toward the shout. Another man knelt before the injured woman. “It just started and I can’t get it to stop. The ReGen wand doesn’t work!” He was panicking, his eyes wide as he watched the blood pump from the wound in her thigh. The man waved a small device over it, but there was no blue light this time, and I noticed no improvement.
“That’s an arterial bleed. I have to help.”
A hand on my arm stopped me.
I looked up at Tark. “You can spank me all you wish later, but I need to help. Now. She will be dead in a minute if it’s not stopped.” I tugged at the grip.
Assigned a Mate Page 9