Talon's Trophy

by Dawn Ryder

  Her honesty pleased him almost as much as her words. Talon drew a deep breath into his lungs as he savored the fact that Chanah had not rejected him. The law might allow him to keep her but her willingness was sweeter than any capture had ever been.

  Talon held his hand out to her and Chanah placed hers into it without any further thought. She didn’t want to consider facts and harsh edges of reality, she wanted to turn the lights out and cling to Talon’s body. Right or wrong didn’t matter as her nose caught the warm male scent of his skin and her pussy gently began to warm and moisten. He closed his fingers around her hand and pulled her up from her chair. His opposite arm moved around her waist as he stepped into contact with her body. Chanah shivered as she felt how large he was compared to her. His embrace was firm but not biting as he tipped her head back.

  “Then let us go and discover some more things that we might enjoy doing together, Chanah. Because I do not find the idea of trading your for your sister appealing.” She shivered in his embrace and Talon felt a surge of emotion in response. Affecting her, beyond commanding her obedience, was more rewarding than he ever guessed it might be.

  “Let’s walk.” Talon held his hand out to her and waited to see what she would do. Chanah looked at his invitation before she moved forward and laid her palm against his. Fragile trust flickered across her face and Talon felt his ego swell with it. That was another gift that he very much doubted Ruthar would ever see in one of his trophies.

  The outer sphere was very much like her own and Talon proudly showed off his favorite walking trail to her. It was warm and there wasn’t another soul in sight. It felt like they were like a pair of children running loose for their playtime.

  “I often come here at the end of my duty rotation.” Talon pointed to a ledge that overlooked the valley that the main sphere was built in. The wind blew past her and picked up loose strands of her hair as Chanah moved towards the edge to look. Talon’s face was a study in relaxation. This was his sanctuary and it was a privilege to be brought there. He turned a boyish grin towards her and reached into a pocket on his uniform. He held up a package of betting disks.

  “Care to see if hunter games are to your liking?”

  Chanah laughed. Talon really had been paying attention to her. The man was still every inch a hunter but it was possible they just might be able to find some middle ground to carve out a life that pleased them both.

  That single idea placed a smile on her face as the afternoon wore on.

  Talon kissed her the second they cleared the entrance to their living space. Chanah lifted onto her toes for it. She wanted to taste his mouth and feel his tongue licking along her lower lip. Once again he took his time to linger over her mouth, investigating the far corners where her lips met before slipping his tongue inside her mouth to find her tongue. Her hands spread out over his chest as she sighed with delight. Her fingertips found the ridges of muscles that made her body tremble with need as her clit began to throb with the same beat as her heart.

  Talon lifted his mouth from hers and bent to hook an arm beneath her knees. He swung her up against his chest as he turned and walked towards their bedroom. The light had faded into darkness and the room was cast into shadows. Chanah did not mind, it fit her mood as Talon lowered her to the surface of the bed. He pressed a kiss onto her mouth as he stood back up and swiftly discarded his uniform. His cock jutted out from his body and Chanah reached for the swollen proof of his interest in her. He sucked his breath in as she curled her fingers around the stiff length and pressed her hand all the way to the base. Leaning forward, Chanah let her tongue lick through the slit on the head.

  “This is something I enjoy doing with you.” Talon’s words were husky and that delighted her. Chanah licked around the head of his cock before she opened her mouth and sucked on the head. Talon’s hands threaded through her hair as his hips made little thrusting motions and she sucked more of the staff into her mouth. Her pussy filled with need as she let him fill her mouth with his cock. Chanah enjoyed the moments that she controlled him with her touch, but it was deeper than that, there was something very erotic about being able to pleasure Talon’s stronger body with her touch. His breath rasped between clenched teeth as she took more of his cock into her mouth then his hands tightened on her hair as he pulled her away from it. He was close to climax, Chanah knew. She raised her eyes to find his filled with the flicker of need once again. This time that need wasn’t tempered with the desire to command her. Right then Talon wanted to mate with her, hard and deep. Climaxing in her mouth would not be sufficient.

  Chanah’s body agreed completely. Her clit pulsed with need as she felt her juices coat her thighs. She stood up in the center of the bed and pulled her robe up and over her head. Talon growled approval as his hands cupped her breasts.

  “Are you too sore?” He raised his eyes from her nipples to look at her face. Her pussy said no but Chanah knew she would pay for the indulgence later—the flesh did have its limits. Talon stroked a hand over her belly to her mons and sent it between her folds. He rubbed her clit as she moaned and a smug grin covered his mouth. He thrust his finger up into her pussy and growled softly.

  “Your body is already wet for my cock, isn’t it?” His finger thrust into her pussy again before he moved to the front of her slit and rubbed her clit. Need burned through her as her legs trembled and her nipples drew tighter.

  “Yes.” Her answer pleased him. Chanah saw approval light his eyes before Talon knelt on the bed and pulled her towards his body. Her knees bent on either side of his hard thighs and the tip of his cock nudged the folds of her slit. She was so wet, his cock slipped right into her pussy. Talon’s hands grasped her hips and controlled the thrust as he pulled her all the way onto his lap with his cock imbedded in her pussy.

  “We’ll fuck easy, Chanah, I grant you my word, but I need to be inside you once more.”

  She needed it too. It was a stunning revelation and one that shook her emotions, but Chanah felt cherished in his embrace and no words of discontentment could shake the tenderness filling her heart.

  “Make love to me.” Chanah stared into Talon’s face as she twisted her hands around his shoulders and pressed her pussy down onto his cock. “Please.”

  His cock jerked inside her as his mouth captured hers for a deep kiss. He held her hips still as he stroked her tongue with his, lingering over the kiss instead of urging her to ride his cock. One of his arms clasped around her body and held her tightly to his torso before he moved forward and her back landed on the bed surface.

  “Yes, ma’am.” Talon drawled the words out in a husky tone as his hips began to move. His cock didn’t slam into her body, instead his thrusts were deep and slow, rubbing against her clit and driving her slowly insane. The crisp hair covering his chest teased her nipples as his cock filled her pussy and Talon did not increase the pace. Need and pleasure built slowly until it twisted her tighter with each thrust, and climax crashed over her like a bucket of honey, slow and incredibly sweet. It coated her in a thick blanket of delight, slipping over every inch of her body to coat her in rapture.

  Talon felt her pussy contract and begin to milk his cock. He let his seed flood her womb as a small snarl escaped his lips. Pleasure radiated through his cock and into the sacs beneath his staff. It was a deeper delight than the hard climaxes they’d shared to date. This time there was a simple need that drove them both, they both craved intimacy, and right then Talon would have sworn they shared the same heartbeat. There was no division between them, only one united pair of opposite sides that fit together perfectly.

  Talon rolled onto his back and gathered her body against his as Chanah sighed. She found a contentment in his embrace that she had been yearning for, and all the facts surrounding their meeting did not matter. Sometimes it was best to enjoy what fate handed you without quibbling over how fate decided to deliver its gift.

  Chapter Eight

  Chanah beat Talon out of bed the next morning. Being at peace
certainly made for a better night’s rest! She didn’t stop to put her robe on as she crept from the room, wincing at the tiny sound her bare feet made as she walked. Talon was sleeping on his back with his arms flung wide and he looked a whole lot like a trap that would snap shut if even a tiny thing alerted him.

  Chanah slipped her robe on as she wandered around the rest of the living space. It was nicer than her family’s, and with only her and Talon, much less crowded. The food preparation area was neat and modern. She found a piece of cheese in the cooling storage unit and nibbled on it as her stomach growled. For the first time in her life she didn’t concern herself with eating without the rest of the family. Talon’s insistence that she eat told her he wouldn’t mind her snacking to fend off her hunger until he was awake and ready to break his fast. The little package of playing disks was sitting on the counter where they had dropped them the night before. Chanah looked at the disks with their different markings and recalled two of the games Talon had taught her yesterday. She was going to need a lot of practice before letting Talon convince her to wager anything on a turn of the disk. The man was as much a hunter when he played as he was when he was on patrol.

  Still, that was not a bad thing, most males enjoyed winning. Chanah simply savored the fact that Talon had listened to her and tried to please her. Wasn’t that what mattered the most between mates? That bond that made each one put the other’s needs before their own? A simple game, yet it reflected a true desire to please and that was something Chanah cradled close to her heart.

  “You need some clothing.”

  Chanah jumped and turned to find her hunter filling the doorframe. Talon moved across the floor silently and caught her hand with its half-eaten cheese clasped between her fingers. He grinned at her before he leaned down and nipped the food from her grip.

  “We’ll eat at the resource center. Today is a non-duty day, so there will be rich food available. Even sweets.”

  The trip was fascinating for Chanah. Talon pointed out landmarks and services that might interest her. His words were still blunt but she understood that efficiency was a way of life for him. So it was simply part of being a hunter. There was something to admire there, Talon’s dedication to duty. He was an honest male and she could not have asked for better in a mate. The garment shops were a shocking surprise. Chanah stared at many females who wore two-inch-wide crimson bracelets on their left arm and the fact that they moved about without male escort.

  “They are citizens. Some are daughters of hunters and others chose to unite with hunters after meeting through visual centers, but that is rare. The wristband denotes the fact that they are not lawbreakers.”

  Chanah felt her joy freeze as though she’d been hit with ice water. While she might have decided cohabitating with Talon was what she desired, having a choice was still something she would have cherished. She bit her lower lip as she tried to shake off her depression. There was no point in casting aside what happiness she held in favor of perfection. Life was rarely fair or perfect, the best strategy was to look at the things you enjoyed most.

  Chanah sighed as she repeated that advice and tried to believe it, but her eyes still lingered on the crimson band as envy filled her thoughts.

  * * * * *

  Chanah was humming as she arranged her new garments alongside his uniforms. Talon took the opportunity to watch her, notice the little details that made her female, opposed to his male form. He tightened his resolve as he recalled the look of dejection on her face during their morning out. To truly be content he had to set her free and see if she chose him. It had been much simpler to claim her by right of capture but it left him wanting something else, and the look of envy on her sweet face had finally revealed just what that something was.

  “I have a gift for you, Chanah.”

  Talon’s voice sounded as formal as the first time she’d heard him speak. His face was an expressionless mask as he moved forward and cupped her chin. He looked into her eyes before he clasped one of her hands and placed something cold in her grasp. He gave her a curt nod of his head before he stepped away from her.

  “It is yours because you did not break the law. I have filed the necessary report.”

  Chanah stared at the anger burning in his multicolored eyes as she tried to absorb what he was telling her.

  “It will be your choice to stay or leave.”

  Chanah ran a single fingertip over the crimson bracelet as she felt a smile split her lips. Perfection shimmered in her hand as Talon gave her the one gift that she could value more than any possession. His trust. Love was never complete without it and by freeing her from the title of lawbreaker he was telling her that he loved her too much to imprison her.

  “I think I love you, Talon.”

  Oh, she might be mad but she was not alone in her insanity. Talon was spinning around right beside her as their emotions reigned supreme over the dictates of both their spheres. She closed the metal band around her left wrist and giggled as it clicked into place. Talon’s face rose into a smug grin of male victory. She caught a glimpse of the little boy lurking in his multicolored eyes a moment before he bent and pulled her right over his shoulder. He straightened back up and gave a mock roar as he turned around with her hanging over his back. A solid whack landed on her bottom as Talon headed towards their bedroom.

  Chanah giggled the entire way. She had been caught by a hunter, and if she were favored by fate, she would never slip away from his grip! Talon tossed her into the middle of his bed as he flattened his hands on the mattress, caging her with his larger frame. He raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Love? I think it is another word for insanity but it has captured me and I believe I am becoming a willing captive to your whims.”

  Chanah stroked his chin with her hand. “May we both never recover.”

  About the Author

  Email: DawnRyder@hotmail.com

  Dawn welcomes mail from readers. You can write to her c/o Ellora’s Cave Publishing at 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Also by Dawn Ryder

  Improper Lessons

  Improper Pursuits

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