by Layla Stone
Sorn grinned so big it melted every part of her. From her toes to the tip of her head, she was mush.
He pulled her close and pressed his mouth to hers. First deliberate and possessive, then he opened his mouth and sampled her. She wanted to kiss back but her ribs hurt and she hissed.
“Damn it, I’m sorry,” he hissed as his Minky pad pinged.
Frustrated he pulled the pad out of his pocket and answered the call. “Hey, Naff.”
“Sorn, you okay? I was told you left. You stuck in th storm.”
He leaned in to Nyya and nipped her lip and kisser again to take a taste of her. Sorn pulled back and answered, “Needed to get back to my mate.”
“Your…”
“Mate. She needed me to beat up her brother in law who thought he could touch what belonged to me.”
Her mouth dropped. How was he so casual about what he did? Oh yeah, he was a troll. The kind of guy who ripped out eyeballs and ate them. The kind of guy who ripped off cybernetic arms and tossed guys into the deadly storm without a fraction of regret.
“Is her brother-in-law alive?” Naff asked.
“Ripped off his cybernetic arm and face plate and tossed him out. It wasn’t raining then, but I can hear it now. Not sure if he found shelter or not, and I don’t care.”
Naff laughed. Only Sorn would be friends with someone who laughed at almost killing someone.
“My mate has a great doctor. I’ll bring him by,” Naff said.
Sorn held her eyes as if asking if she wanted that.
She nodded.
“Yeah, bring him by.”
“I will come as soon as I can,” Naff said and the call terminated and Sorn slipped the pad back in his pocket.
His rough skin brushed over her cheek. “I knew it the second I saw you that I wanted you. Wanted to keep you. Scared me so bad I was pissed and took it out on you.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t how smoothly I carried my pots?”
His mouth pulled back and she saw him fight it. “Sweets, I’m not turned on by you carrying pots.”
“Some people are embarrassed about what turns them on. I understand.”
Leaning his head back, the smile still fighting inside him – she loved it. She whispered, “I hate you for making me love you.”
Sober eyes found hers. “I hate you too, for giving me bahity.”
“What?”
“It’s what Demons have when they are compelled to mate.”
She winced as he brushed over her side not knowing she was still hurt. Sorn lifted his hand and apologized. Then growled, “Why is it taking so long? Naff’s apartment building isn’t that far.”
His words penetrated and she heard herself ask. “If Naff has an apartment building, why didn’t you rent from him?”
Sorn looked away for a moment. “I have an apartment at Naff’s. But my neighbors are from Bolark and I can’t stand the smell when they cook. Naff told me it would take a month to get me into another room away from them.”
Wow.
“So, you were planning to leave after a month? Cold hearted.”
“That was the plan. But you detoured it with your smart mouth and sexy thighs.” Sorn kept the conversation going, which was not like him and she was grateful for the attention. It gave her something to keep her mind off the dull throbbing and razor-sharp flares of pain if she took a breath too deep.
* * *
Naff arrived, a half hour later between down pours.
Sorn left her on the ground to open the door greeted Naff, a black horned menacing looking Night Demon. Soon rushed back to her, leaving the door open. He gingerly took her back in his lap. She hissed at the pain. When she was back in his arms, she peered at the door.
Naff the Night Demon looked her over with the same impassive expression as Sorn had when he first arrived.
“You sure you didn’t kill the brother-in-law? I would have,” Naff said sounding more concerned than he looked.
“Killing him would have got the Federation involved.”
“Only if they found the body,” said the Night Demon. As soon as he was inside, another male walked in with an easy gait, soft features, warm eyes, and perfectly fitted clothes.
“Sorn, this is my mate’s doctor.”
The doctor knelt down beside her without any medical supplies. It worried her that he might ask to move her to a hospital. She didn’t want to move again, just being in Sorn’s lap was enough.
“My name’s Penner and I’m here to help,” said the doctor as gently lifted her shirt to examine her wound. She glanced down to see the big purple and blotchy red bruise under a puffy swollen lump of skin. He winced. “I’ve seen worse, but I never like seeing it on females.”
Sorn’s jaw hardened and he snapped at Naff. “He’s a Numan.”
Naff nodded.
“But I’m a good one,” Penner said not stopping his inspection. “Looks like some internal bleeding, and broken ribs.”
He said it so casually Ryya asked, “Is that easy to fix?”
“Not usually,” he said with a warm smile, “but I have something special. Brand new that will fix you right up.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small metal object with a flat bottom and crazy looking wires on top. “It’s called a medscope.”
“What does it do?” Sorn asked making it clear that he wasn’t going to let it touch her skin if the doctor didn’t explain himself.
“It’s a new Federation medical device. It heals most injuries within minutes. Very hard to get without Medical Federation contacts.”
Sorn nodded. “Do it then.”
Penner, the doctor gently placed the cold device on her belly and a quick tingling sensation morphed into a rolling wave of cold fire. Ryya gripped Sorn’s hand and dug in her nails as a rib popped in her chest.
“Get that thing off her,” Sorn roared.
Ryya took in a deep breath without pain. Relived… she cried and laughed. “It’s okay. It’s better now.”
But she was wrong, it got much better several minutes later when her limbs stopped throbbing and her head cleared.
Resting her head on Sorn’s legs she said, “Thank you.”
Sorn and Penner responded at the same time. “You’re welcome.”
9
Sorn ordered a robotic crew to come and remove the chunks of couch and the blood-stained rug. Ryya was in her room, holding a towel with the wet hair dripping over her shoulders. The Minky screen in her room showed Wrey with a purple and black swollen cheek.
“He’s never been that angry before,” Wrey said solemnly.
“He’s never hit you before?” Ryya asked because she didn’t believe it. The way Jay came at her, he was not someone unaccustomed to hitting a female.
Wrey shook her head, at the same time her eyes welled with tears. “Not often.”
“Once is too many,” Ryya said.
“I know you don’t get it, but he’s a really good guy. But when he’s upset, he can’t control it.” Wrey swallowed and broke down, covering her face wither her hands. “What am I going to do now?”
Ryya wanted to tell her sister to throw a party, but she held back. “You’re going to keep going, like we always do. You’re going to pack your kids in a Nack Krawler and take them to Ma’s and stay with her. I’ll order cleaners to pack your things. Jay’s not coming back – attacking a Federation officer put him on a one-way-flight to Debsa. So, you’re going to take each day slowly and start over. It’s going to suck, it’s not always going to be a good day, but I’m here for you and so is Ma.”
Wrey cried big snotty tears.
Ryya’s stomach clenched but she didn’t feel sympathy for Jay or his circumstances.
“I’m sorry he hurt you. I’m so sorry,” her sister said between gulps of air.
“It’s over. He won’t hurt me anymore.”
That made her sister cry harder and Ryya tried not to take offense that her sister’s emotions were conflicted between loving Jay and losing him �
� on top of guilt for what he did.
Sorn stepped into the doorway and Ryya told her sister, “Hey, I have to go. Call me when you get to Ma’s house.”
“Okay.”
Sorn walked in and pulled off his shirt. “I like the towel. Makes what’s going to happen next easier for me.”
Feeling butterflies in her stomach she blushed. “Are sure you don’t want me to grab a pot for some foreplay action?”
Wrapping his arms around her middle, Sorn backed her to the bed, in between her legs and covered her mouth. Using a free hand, he loosened the towel, slid his callused hand down her chest and belly and slipped a finger between her lower lips.
“Wet,” he said as he took her mouth and destroyed all thought.
Between the assault on her mouth and on her sex, she writhed beneath him, getting too much pleasure too fast. Unable to slow it down, she succumbed to the hot orgasm that washed under her skin.
Sorn withdrew his hand, pulled her legs further apart and lined himself up.
This is what she had been waiting for.
Sorn watched as he breached her entrance. His head fell forward as he hissed, “Knew you’d be tight, Sweets.”
And she knew he was going to be big. Pushing into her sheath, Ryya felt the inner walls give. It was so good. The further he dove, the better it got.
Sorn gave her his weight and took her mouth, sliding in and out, in no rush. She urged him with her feet to go faster, but it didn’t work.
“Savoring every inch of you. Don’t rush this,” he said between kisses.
Ryya had expected him to rut inside her, hard and deep and leave her panting. But this, this was calculated and savage. Each withdraw and plunge was smooth and rubbed a part of her that craved more and more.
It was like he was coaxing her body to him, to need him more than anything and anyone.
It was an attack on her senses too. His kiss, his hands, his scent; all of it filled her mind and took over.
She was his to do with as he pleased.
“That’s it,” he said, as if he felt it when she gave herself over.
Sorn moved in a rhythm, slow-slow, quick-slow and volleyed it in an order only he knew.
She loved it.
And she hated it.
Loved it as he slowly teased her insides with pleasure but keeping just far enough away to make her want it, but not give it.
She hated that part.
Her skin tingled and her lower belly wriggled with anticipation. Her orgasm started to climb and Sorn pulled out, flipped her on her belly, grabbed her hips and slid back inside. “Not yet,” he said and continued his slow assault.
His mouth pressed kisses on her sweaty shoulder. A free hand played with a nipple and she was growing closer and closer, hoping he didn’t notice so he’d let her come.
“Not yet,” he said to her and she whimpered.
“Yes yet. Now is good.”
Sorn’s mouth latched on to her neck and the pressure was so exquisite she felt the heat of a climax shooting to the top. Calling his name… no, she was praising it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her more.
Harder.
Deeper.
Savage.
She came and came and came screaming. Sorn didn’t stop, he pillaged and consumed every inch of her, pounding in like a Demon beast, searing her soul with pleasure and pain and she screamed again when another orgasm took her.
Clenching down on her mate, Sorn thrust in one last time and roared.
His chest vibrated on her skin as warm gushes of seed flooded her.
Sorn pushed in again and again as if he needed to get the last bit inside before he stopped.
Ryya was short of breath, sore and satisfied in a way she realized she had ever been satisfied before.
Sorn slide out and she turned to welcome him on the bed next to her, but he turned her around, crawled to her ankle and said, “Now, we go slow.”
Slow took hours.
When they finished, she was boneless, strung over his chest. His own breathing hard and labored.
“I didn’t know Demons mated like that,” she said without thinking.
“That wasn’t a mating as much as it was a claiming. But then again Terrans don’t mate, so one of us had to do it.”
“I’m not like most Terrans. Being raised on Marnak, you understand mating. You respect it. I think Terrans can mate, but not all of them know how.”
Sorn lifted his head to look at her, “And you do? Even though you told your sister marriages aren’t forever?”
“My mom loved my father deeper than herself. She’s wonked in the head ever since he’s been gone. I don’t know if that’s what happens when Terrans lose a mate, but it sure looks like it. I’ve seen what losing a life mate does to other races, and I have to say that when Terrans that do mate, it’s real. So, don’t worry, this is real to me.”
Sorn’s smile grew and she felt it in her blood. It lightened and made her feel like she was glowing inside.
“It’s real,” he said confidently as he took her hand and made her look at her palm. It was blue. The same color as his skin.
“What is this?”
He lowered his eyes, “A Roth’s claim. It can only work if our mate accepts us.”
She rubbed the skin and didn’t look like it washed off.
“It’s there for good. For everyone to see that you belong to me.”
Ryya thought about it and said, “I’ve never seen a female with blue palms before.”
Sorn looked down for a moment before answering. “Roths are the least likely to mate. We don’t socialize, we don’t like leaving our homes, we don’t like the sunlight. We’re grouchy and bossy. For me to find you is a mercy from Seth of Stars.”
Shaking his head Sorn said, “But I can’t think of anything honorable I’ve done to deserve you.”
Ryya crawled to his side and kissed him. “You helped me with my sister and saved me from Jay.” She didn’t care to explain further because she needed to bring him around for another bout of lovemaking.
After that, she was finally dead to the world. Achy and trembling and satiated.
Which is why she never heard Sorn’s whispered words, “I’ll never deserve you, but I will never be the man to let you go. I love you and accept you. I can’t wait until I fill your belly with our child.”
Ryya smiled and turned to him in her sleep, sighing with happy dreams. He kissed the top of her head.
Children would come in Seth’s time.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my family for supporting me and giving me time to write. I would also like to thank Jane for pushing me to get these short stories up on Amazon. I heartfelt thanks to Suzie for editing this on short notice. And a big thanks to Jessica, Evon and Jan for beta reading. Last but not least my Facebook all stars: Nicky, Dee and Tammy.
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