Kroga's Redemption

by Michele Mills

  1

  Melachine woke in the arms of her mate, Kroga of Seventy-Five, and smiled.

  Life was good, despite the fact that she had amnesia and couldn’t remember a damn thing about her past…and despite how they were living in isolation on an outdated recycling facility in a harsh, remote corner of the universe where typically no one would choose to live if they had any other choice.

  Okay, maybe she shouldn’t be quite this happy while working to recycle space junk, under the specter of a healing brain injury that resulted in amnesia. This wasn’t something that normally made a being happy.

  But…

  She snuggled deeper into their bedding. It was hard to fret over the memory loss or the isolation when she was in the presence of her mate because in the end, what mattered most was that she was lying next to Kroga. Her hearts were in his claws. He held her naked body with mighty arms dark as ancient night, and as a result she couldn’t seem to get the goofy smile of delight off her face.

  She desperately loved this male, therefore she enjoyed living with him here in this wild place called The Swirl. Although she couldn’t remember why they’d gone through the bother to bypass four hungry black holes to come out here in the first place. Traveling to the Swirl was literally a matter of life or death. Beings only risked this trip if there was literally no other choice. She had faint memories of him telling her why they’d come here, but she continued to forget. It was really annoying.

  But all that mattered was that they were together, because home was wherever Kroga was.

  He shifted behind her in their bunk. “My Be’Ih,” he growled with a rough voice.

  The area between her thighs instantly heated and her smile widened.

  It was always like this. If he spoke to her, or touched her…or if a hint of his scent floated in the air nearby…her core heated and her nipples begged to be sucked. She was addicted to this male in the worst way.

  When she’d first woken up in the tiny, barely usable med bay of section five and found an imposing warrior standing over her, she’d known he was someone important in her life. She hadn’t known his name then, or exactly who he was, because her mind was an echoing chamber of nothingness, but she’d felt the physical tug of their bond.

  She’d reached out and grasped his forearm, digging her claws into his dark skin. “Who are you?” she’d rasped, begging to be told the important facts that were missing from her mind.

  He’d gazed down at her with golden hazel eyes blazing with love and devotion. “I am your mate, Kroga of Seventy-Five. The med bay system reported to me that you are physically fit but as a result of your head injury you have temporary amnesia. Tell me, Be’Ih, what do you remember?”

  Amnesia? Flashbacks skittered across her mind, vivid images of a shaky bridge, Kroga shouting commands to the computer, while she was strapped to a seat with blood dripping from her head onto her hands.

  Holy hell.

  That had been a terrifying moment, learning that her entire past had been wiped away due to that injury. She’d been someone before, but she couldn’t remember who… And the magnificent warrior looming over her was her mate? Actually, that made sense. She felt comfortable in his presence. Trust, love and caring blazed in her hearts for this male. “I remember our testing ceremony on the clasping stone,” she whimpered. “And I remember our claiming, but there isn’t anything else. Nothing.”

  “That’s all?” He reached down and brushed her braids back from her face and tenderly kissed her ridges. “What else do you remember about your life?”

  Her eyes grew hot. “Nothing. I remember nothing else.” She searched her mind, thinking hard, hoping to find even just one thought or image…but there was nothing. And she suspected she only remembered Kroga because of the power of their bond, dragging those few iconic moments to the surface. The rest of her brain was a hall of decay. No past, present or future. Her first name was Melachine and she was a Xylan of royal pigment and…Kroga was her mate…and that was all. “How long have we been mated?” she asked, desperately trying to root herself in time and space.

  “Our claiming ceremony was thirty years ago.”

  “What?” she’d gasped. She dropped his arm and sat up. “Thirty years? Thirty…” Every time she thought of it, it continued to seem impossible. How could she be old enough to have a mate she’d been with for thirty freaking years?

  She’d glanced down and quickly examined herself and then looked back up at Kroga and realized they were older Xylan. They both had that tell-tale gray hair threading through their braids that identified distinguished Xylan. There were lines on Kroga’s face. She lifted her claws and groaned at the creases on her wrists. She glanced around, desperate to better examine herself, and saw a door in the corner. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and raced over, slamming her open palm on the panel next to the portal and rushing inside. The lights blinked on and she studied her features in the mirror, amazed at the gray that framed her temples and the tiny lines that seemed to flash everywhere on her face. She might have zero memories, but she did have a sense that this wasn’t how she was supposed to look. “Kroga,” she wailed at the male who stood behind her. “I’m old. What happened?”

  A rueful smile slashed across his face. He placed his claws on her shoulders and turned her toward him. “My Be’Ih, you are not old. Yes, both of us have years added to our bodies, but we are still strong. Did you see how fast you ran over here? How do you feel, physically?”

  She blinked. “Well, I can’t remember anything, but…” She rotated her arms and shifted on her feet, realizing she felt perfectly fine, in fact brimming with energy. “Physically I feel the same.” Really, her body felt almost normal, not that she knew what normal was, but—her waist seemed thicker and there were lines on her face and body, and gray threaded her braids, but other than that, she felt strong and vibrant. Well, except for the damn memory loss… “Is my memory going to come back?”

  “Yes, the system said it will return within the next few moon cycles as your brain continues to heal.”

  She sighed with relief.

  He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his hard chest. She rested her cheek there and inhaled his luscious scent. An immediate sense of peace flooded her system, calming her nerves. She started to tear up again, so damn grateful to have him near. She didn’t know why her feelings were this intense; it was as if she hadn’t seen him in ages.

  “You are already much better than you were before,” he said. “I am happy that you are well. I watched you these last seven diurnals in this med bay, under the surgery shield, and then resting in an induced coma while your brain healed. I was terrified that I was going to lose my Bride.”

  “I’m sorry you had to go through that alone.” She moved her arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. “I’m here now.” Then she paused and looked back up at him. “Where are we?” she asked. “How did I get hurt? I remember being on a bridge, with my head bleeding but that’s it…”

  “You were injured while we traveled in my personal flyer to the Swirl. I had you strapped in close next to me. But I was unable to protect you when we were sling shot past the last black hole and a beam broke overhead in the ceiling of the bridge and crashed down. You were knocked unconscious and bleeding. The moment I got you to our destination here at section five, I rushed you inside. Precious minutes were wasted while I restarted the computer and this derelict med bay, but I was able to get it functioning at peak capacity—and get you the help you needed.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. It was as if she could feel his pain, how he must’ve felt watching her like that, unable to keep her safe and terrified he might lose her. If the situation had been reversed, she
didn’t know what she would’ve done but she would’ve been desperate to keep him alive.

  “Yes, you are older,” he told her, “we are both older, but we are also alive and together, and this is what matters. I am grateful my Bride is healing and by my side. And”—he placed a claw under chin and lifted her gaze to meet his—“you are still the most desirable Xylan female in the entire four sectors. Your inner strength and beauty shine bright with incomparable honor.”

  Every lovely word in his statement continued to bring soothing warmth to her jangled nerves.

  And Kroga…Kroga was still stunningly handsome, virile and strong. Her mate had all the tell-tale signs of aging that she did, but none of this dimmed her desire for him. In fact, she thought it made him look sexier. A male who’d been through so much, learned so much, and was still strong. His four claws on either hand were as sharp as ever. His waist was thicker but still firm. As firm as his cock.

  Speaking of… Her male rubbed his impressive erection against her ass and his claws dug into her flesh. Her mind switched back to the present as she felt the intensity of her own desire.

  “You are so beautiful,” he groaned.

  Her stomach swooped and heat instantly pooled between her thighs. Their passion for each other apparently hadn’t muted in the least. He must’ve spent the last thirty years learning exactly how she liked sex. He’d made a study of her pleasure points.

  He was bespoke to her.

  And in return she knew exactly what he liked and how to bring him intense pleasure. She didn’t even have to ask him, this was again something she seemed to remember, even though she didn’t remember much else. She reached behind and grabbed his large cock and gave him a few tight, rough strokes—exactly how he liked to be touched. He groaned with delight. He was hard, but then he got harder, seed leaking from the slit at the crown of his shaft.

  He cupped her breast and pinched her nipple just how she liked. Oh gods, this male. He was everything.

  She let go and turned to face him. They were both naked—they liked sleeping this way so each morning they could easily have sex prior to starting their day.

  He reached between her thighs and stroked her core. “You are so wet for me.”

  Somehow this always surprised him, she didn’t know why. If they’d been together every day for the last thirty years you’d think this male would know of her overwhelming attraction for him. Yet he always treated her as if they were on a honeymoon—as if they’d just gotten back together after being separated for a long time. It was sweet.

  He captured her lips in a passionate kiss while he spent time stroking his claw against her clit in exactly the way she liked. Oh gods, it was amazing. Already she was panting, so close to orgasm, right there on the edge.

  “More,” she begged. “Now.”

  He moved on top of her. She spread her legs and welcomed him inside her heat. Every single time he slid inside, it was like the first time. It never, ever got old. She scraped her claws down his back as he bottomed out, his girth filling her up entirely. Really, sex with Kroga just got better and better. It was so easy now for her to orgasm. They both knew how this worked and her body seemed to be primed. He began roughly pulling out and pushing back in, and she thought she might pass out from the bliss. She moaned and thrashed under him. He began speeding up and the orgasm inside was building and building.

  “Kroga,” she choked.

  It crashed over her in waves, one after another, on and on. And he kept fucking her through it, making it sharper and longer. He bent his head and captured her mouth, tracking his fangs along her tongue, just as she liked. Gods, she loved it when she hit that peak of pleasure with her male’s tongue in her mouth.

  And then he pumped a few more times and stilled. He groaned into her mouth as he jetted wave after wave of cum inside of her. She widened her legs and grabbed his ass, wanting to keep every bit of him inside of her, capture every last drop of seed. She often felt that the only thing missing to make this more perfect was if she was still young enough to create and bear offspring.

  And then a faint memory tugged at the edges of her vision of her prior life. It fluttered right there at the periphery and might resurface, and then it was gone. Her lips pursed in disappointment.

  “What is wrong?” he asked, kissing her on the throat. Kroga’s attentiveness and proximity was the one thing that always kept her sane while she dealt with this memory loss. He was kind and patient and she appreciated that he didn’t treat her like an invalid.

  She blinked and shook her head, then smiled bravely up at him. “Nothing,” she answered. “I’m fine.”

  “I love you, my Be’Ih,” he told her.

  Her heart melted and she kissed him on the lips, tracking his sexy fangs with her tongue. “I love you too,” she replied. And she did. She loved this male more than life itself.

  And then the bunk bounced as Jasper, their orange and white cat, jumped onto the bed and began purring and rubbing against her shoulder. “Oh gosh, how long have you been in here?” she chuckled.

  Kroga shook his head and used an enormous claw to gently push the cat off the bed. “Human pets,” he grumbled. Then he kissed her nose ridges and lifted off her, pulling his softening cock from her body. She whimpered at the loss.

  “Don’t worry, Be’Ih, we can mate again later this diurnal.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Okay.” Although it was going to be difficult to wait that long. She was always impatient to mate with Kroga, as if she could never get enough, or this might be their last time. She attributed this desperation to her lack of memories. The present was all she knew, and it had to count.

  “I will always take care of my Bride’s every need,” he announced. She stared at his muscular magnificence as he got up and strode naked into the restroom, the door sliding behind him. Eventually she heard the sound of the cleansing unit starting.

  “Damn, that male is handsome,” she remarked.

  Then she pulled up the sheet to her neck, rolled over and snuggled her cheek against the cat that had returned to the bed and was now purring at her side. Jasper’s sibling, a female named Abby, also jumped onto the bed. The two of them loved it when she tickled their stomach with her claws and rubbed their heads. They didn’t have the same amount of heft and armor as domestic pets back on Chronos, but she still enjoyed these two creatures.

  These cats, as well as Kroga, had gotten her through these last three moon cycles, living on the edge of the universe while having entirely lost her history, and therefore herself. She picked Jasper up and gently kissed his tiny face as the cat purred loudly. “Love you, little baby,” she whispered to the tiny creature.

  Because she did, she so did.

  “Okay,” she told them. “Let’s get up and start our day.”

  2

  “I wish we had offspring,” Melachine blurted. “I feel a longing. Like a part of me is incomplete.”

  Kroga glanced at her as he stood at the counter in the mess hall prepping their breakfast. A strange look flittered across his normally harsh features, and then it was gone. He gestured to Abby and Jasper who were pacing nearby, their small tails swishing against Kroga’s muscular legs. “You have the cats. You are their mother,” he answered. And then he paused to toss a tiny piece of meat on the floor for each of them to snack on. They both let out adorable growls as they used their tiny fangs to feast on the meat. Kroga treasured those cats as much as she did, but for some reason he was always trying to hide his feelings.

  “Yes. They’re sweet,” she acknowledged, “but it’s not the same as offspring…” And why didn’t they have offspring? The whole point of mating was to start a line. If she and Kroga had been mated for thirty years, where were their offspring?

  “I am wary of speaking of this topic to you again,” he answered, the truth ringing out in his tone. He exhaled and put down the slab of meat he’d been shredding for their morning meal. “But you need to know this, so I will try again—we have two sons.”r />
  Her eyes widened. “Try again? We’ve talked about this before? Wait, we have two sons? I have two sons?” Her breath caught in her throat and she placed a claw over her two beating hearts. “We have offspring?” Gods, amnesia sucked. How could she not know she had children? This was terrible.

  “Yes, we have two sons and they are both grown warriors.”

  “Wh…I…” she sputtered as she tried to bring up memories of her sons in her mind, but there was nothing. Nothing. She glanced around desperately. “Can I have visuals of them? I can’t remember what my own sons look like… What are their names?” How could she have given birth to two offspring and not even know their names? These children had grown in her own body and she’d pushed them out and she didn’t know what they looked like? How could she not remember their births?

  “Our sons are Rayzor of Seventeen and Kayzon of Twenty-Three. But we cannot access any records of their past, or our own past for that matter.”

  “Rayzor and Kayzon…?”

  “Yes.”

  She threw him an accusing stare. “Why didn’t you tell me this before? How could I be walking around not knowing about my own children?”

  “Melachine, I did tell you this. Of course, I told you about our offspring. Right after you woke from your initial coma in the med bay you demanded that I explain your entire past because you wanted to fill in the gaps of all of your lost memories. I tried to tell you of our offspring and then you screamed out in pain because your brain started hemorrhaging and you passed out and went into a coma again for two more full diurnals. Your recovery plan said to not overwhelm you with memories of the past until your brain is one hundred percent healed. I haven’t spoken of your past or our offspring to you since. I’ve been waiting for you to recover and to be ready to take on more memories.”

  “You’ve been keeping our two sons secret because you’ve been worried for me?”

  “Yes.”

  She moved closer to him and he put an arm around her shoulders. “Have you spoken to them?” she whispered.