by Sadie Carter
Saffron left the bathroom feeling a lot cleaner but still kind of sad and dejected. This had been a complete bust. After cleaning up the kitchen, she figured she’d just curl up on the couch and find something to watch. She walked into the kitchen to find Moroco cleaning up the mess on the kitchen floor.
“I’ll clean it up,” she said, walking forward. She’d pulled on an oversized shirt but hadn’t bothered with underwear or footwear.
Moroco turned and put his hand up.
“Do not move,” he barked at her. “You have bare feet. You could hurt yourself. Here.”
He stood then reached over and grasped her around the waist, lifting her over the sharp pieces of crockery. He set her down on the counter.
“I’ll go get some shoes on and clean this up,” she volunteered, wiggling her way off the counter.
Moroco turned to her. “Sit.”
“Moroco—”
“Stay.”
“Moroco—”
“Sit. Stay,” he barked at her.
“I am not a damn dog.”
“Mate, you could cut yourself on the broken crockery. You will sit there until I have cleaned it up and ensured that there are no stray pieces on which you could harm yourself.”
She sighed. “I wasn’t going to cut myself.”
Another glare.
She held her hands up in surrender. “Fine! I’ll sit here and watch. Grab me something to eat, will you?”
“You are hungry?”
“Not really. Thought I’d just sit back and enjoy the show.”
“Show? What show?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. Carry on.”
“Female, you are trying my patience.”
“So, what’s new?” she joked, trying to push aside the innate sadness that seemed to have taken possession of her lately.
He used this little vacuum thing to clean everything up, which she could have easily done if he’d let her go put shoes on. Then he could have gotten back to work.
Which was all he seemed to do lately.
Shut it, Saffron. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. He has an important job, unlike you.
Damn it, she hated feeling sorry for herself.
Moroco put the little vacuum away. He turned and walked back to her, placing his hands on either side of her hips, resting them on the counter. “Now that you are clean and so is this room, we need to talk about your concerns.”
“Look, I’m sorry I got all grumpy. I know your job is important. And I hate being a nagging bitch. I just—”
“Mate, you have every right to be angry at me.”
“I. . .I do?” She stared at him in amazement. That hadn’t been what she’d thought he might say.
“I cannot believe I let so long pass without joining with you. That is unforgivable of me.”
She found herself blushing. “It’s not just that. I mean, I’m not desperate for sex or anything.”
Sure you’re not.
“It’s just. . .”
“Saffron? What is wrong?” He gave her a concerned look.
“Are you tired of me?” She winced as she said the words. Damn it, that was not what she’d meant to say. She hated that she felt so unsure. Wasn’t the upside of having a soul mate, of having someone who was completely bound to you, that you didn’t have to feel insecure?
She made sure her mental walls were firmly up. The last thing she needed was him trying to poke around inside her head.
“Tired of you?” He stared at her in shock. “How could I be tired of you?”
She shrugged. “You don’t seem to want to spend much time around me. I get it. Most people get sick of me after a while. I’m brash and blunt and annoying.”
He cupped her cheeks between his warm, slightly rough palms. “Look at me.”
She raised her gaze to his. “Listen to me. I could never tire of you. I have been busy lately. The Empress’s pregnancy has been precarious. I have been working on trying to find something that might alleviate the high pressure in her blood. There have been more people seeking me out here at home, which I should have discouraged. I shall do what I need in order to make changes to spend more time with you.”
“I fucking hate being needy.” She was starting to feel kind of crappy for complaining.
“You are not needy, mate. You just miss me.” He smirked.
She rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be insufferable now, aren’t you? You’re going to rub it in my face that I missed you a little.”
“A little?”
She glared at him.
“Mate, I would never rub anything in your face. Not unless you asked me to.”
She groaned. “That was bad, very bad.”
He pressed himself between her legs, spreading her open wide. Leaning in, he kissed her. “Tell me, do you have any more of those negligees?”
She cleared her throat. “I may have another one. Why?”
“Go put it on,” he demanded.
Heat filled her body and she wiggled her way forward off the bench. Moroco groaned as she pressed up against him. She could feel how hard he was.
So good.
She leaned towards him. . . right as his communicator sounded.
“Ignore it,” she told him.
“My mate is eager for me.”
Well, duh. She didn’t go putting on a sexy negligee and attempting to use the autocooker for no reason.
He bent down to kiss her. . .right as his communicator went off again.
She let out a sound of pure frustration. “I swear someone has it in for me!”
“Someone has what in for you?” he asked, looking confused.
“There is someone working against me, determined to make sure that we never have any time together, and that I never get another orgasm that I don’t have to give myself.”
“Who is this person?” he thundered, looking infuriated.
“They’re not real. I don’t think.”
His communicator sounded again.
“You better answer that,” she told him. “It might be urgent.”
He gaped down at her like she was some sort of unknown species. What was his problem?
“What is it? Did I miss some canka fruit in my hair?” Her hair was going to smell like that stuff for days.
“You give yourself pleasure?”
Oh shit. Oh crap. Why did she have to go and say that? Saffron could feel herself growing red.
Idiot.
His communicator went again. She started to wriggle backwards, away from him. “Really, you should get that. I’m fine. That’s probably urgent and I really need to go and do some stuff—eek!”
He grabbed her hips, hauling her back towards him. “You have been giving yourself pleasure.”
Was he mad? Disappointed? Happy? She searched through their bond, but couldn’t get anything back. That was so frustrating.
“Saffron?”
“Yes, all right. I have. Sheesh, way to embarrass a girl.”
“You are getting a spanking.”
Her body heated at the words. Because Moroco’s spanking were hot. But she still felt obligated to scowl at him.
“I am not. I don’t deserve a spanking.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“But do you want one?”
Bastard. He knew how much she liked his sexy spankings.
“You have been touching yourself. Pleasuring yourself. Without my knowledge. Because you have not been getting any pleasure from me. Why did you not bring this up to me before?”
She shifted around uncomfortably. “I don’t like to whine.”
“Since when?” he queried.
She slapped his arm. “Don’t be an ass. I figured you were busy. You’ve got a lot going on. Not like I can’t take care of shit on my own.”
“Take care of shit?” He shook his head. “I know not to take that as literal.”
“It’s not literal. I’m fine. I’m a big girl. I can take care of things myself. Yo
u’re needed elsewhere.” Which was made evident by the continuous beeping of his communicator.
“You have a mate. You should not need to do things on your own anymore. Including giving yourself pleasure. I should have known that you needed me. I should have been here for you.”
“Hey, it’s not a big deal.” She placed her hand on his shoulder, not liking the self-recrimination in his voice. She didn’t want to make him feel bad. She knew he had a lot going on.
Way to go, Saffron.
“I will do better. Starting tonight. When I give you your spanking.”
“Moroco, wait—” His communicator went off again, interrupting her.
Moroco growled with impatience and picked it up. “This better be good.”
“Moroco! It is the Empress,” Racar’s voice came through the communicator clearly. “She has very high pressure in her blood, a headache, and her feet are swollen.”
“You are at the palace with her?” Moroco snapped back, stepping away from Saffron. She gave him a concerned look. He could not believe he had been neglecting her as much as he had. A female Zerconian would have told him immediately. Would have demanded that he see to her care.
But not his mate. She was independent. She was used to doing things herself.
But she was not alone. And he had thought she had learned to lean on him. At least she had finally done something to make him see his error. Two months! Unforgivable.
“Yes, but that’s not everything,” Racar told him. “Larzen went on a rampage in the marketplace. Boris managed to stop him from hurting anyone.”
“Larzen? Why would he go on a rampage?”
“I am not certain. But I do believe he has mating fever.”
And he grew violent? That was unusual but not unheard of. Moroco’s heart sank. Another warrior lost to them.
“But that is not all. Since Larzen’s rampage, two others have shown the symptoms. I do not know what is happening; it is like they caught it from each other. Except you cannot catch mating fever like a disease.”
“You have them on lockdown?” Moroco asked.
Oftentimes, warriors showing mating fever would leave and not return, choosing a quiet death. But there was the occasional instance of a warrior growing violent and trying to hurt those around him. And in those circumstances, they were put into stasis. But three warriors becoming violent due to mating fever like this?
Unheard of.
“Yes,” Racar told him.
“Good. I shall be at the palace shortly. The Empress is lying down with her feet elevated?”
“Yes. And I am monitoring her closely. However, I would appreciate you coming soon. The Emperor is most upset.”
He guessed that was putting it mildly. He ended the communication and turned to Saffron, who was standing now. “You have to go.”
“I am sorry, my mate. The Empress is unwell and there have been three cases of what looks to be mating fever.”
She frowned. “Three? Isn’t that a lot?”
“Yes. It is worrying. I am sorry, I am not certain when I will return.”
She gave him a concerned look. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine here.”
He cupped the side of her face. “Do not touch yourself. Save that for when I return. I wish to watch.”
“What? Wait! Are you—” He ended her protests with a firm kiss then turned and raced out of the room.
“And Saffron, no using the autocooker!” he called back. “I do not wish to come home to another food explosion!”
As he left, he thought he heard something thump against the door but decided that was his imagination.
4
Zoey and Dex
“Dex, you’re gonna wear a hole in the carpet,” Zoey told him.
“We do not have carpet,” he stated without missing a beat. It wasn’t the first time his mate had said that to him. It was also not the first time he’d taken to pacing because he was so worried about the state of her health.
“You were foolish to leave our quarters, my own,” he growled at her. “What were you thinking? You know you were supposed to stay on bed rest.”
He couldn’t even look at her. If he looked at her, his fear might get the best of him. He knew her condition was serious. He’d nearly lost control when he’d raced into the marketplace to find Boris fighting against Larzen, while his mate sat on the ground, looking flushed and ill. She’d been far too close to the fighting males. If Boris hadn’t been with her. . .if he hadn’t been able to keep Larzen away from her. . .
He stopped in his pacing, facing the corner as he breathed in deep. It did not bear thinking about.
“Dex, please come here,” Zoey pleaded with him.
“I cannot look at you right now, mate.”
There was a shocked gasp. Then a rustling noise. “I will leave you for a moment and go wait for Moroco,” Racar said quietly. “Empress, please drink some water. We will need another urine sample soon.”
“Drink. Pee. Lie down. Drink. Pee. Lie down,” Zoey grumbled. “It’s all I ever hear.”
“And yet you seem incapable of heeding any of it!” Dex roared as the door slid closed behind Racar. No doubt the healer could still hear him, but right now, he did not care. His everything lay on the bed, ill, and he was unable to do anything. Unable to help.
He could lose her. He would not lose her.
“Dex, I’m sorry, I really didn’t think—”
“You are right! You did not think! You put yourself and our baby at risk!”
There was a sniffling noise. The noise was a jab straight to his heart. He had never had softer feelings, until Zoey.
“I’m sorry, Dex. You’re right. If I’ve put this baby at risk, I’ll never forgive myself.”
He’d expected a sarcastic retort. Words he would no doubt not understand. So, to hear her apologize in a small and tear-filled voice...
It tore at him.
He whirled around. She lay on her side, facing him, a pillow between her legs and one behind her back to support her. She looked hot and miserable and ill.
And you are berating her?
“My own.” He walked towards her, kneeling by the bed. Her tears always affected him strangely. He wiped at them, nearly frantic in his bid to make her stop crying. “Do not cry. I did not mean to make you cry.”
“I’m such an-an idiot. I made my-myself sicker. I put the b-baby at risk. And B-Boris nearly got hurt.”
He brushed back her hair and cupped the side of her face. “Boris is fine. You know he enjoyed that fight. Boris is a warrior. It is you he is worried about. He should never have allowed you to leave our quarters, where you would have been safe.”
“Don’t blame Boris. You know I can be persuasive when I want to be. I thought a short walk would be okay. I was feeling good. Now I feel like crap. What do you think is going to happen?” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “I’m scared, Dex.”
She needed his reassurances right now. She definitely did not need his censure. His concern-fueled anger was helping no one, least of all his precious mate.
“Everything will be well, my mate. As soon as Moroco is here, he will know what to do.”
Where was the healer? What was taking him so long?
“What about Larzen? What is wrong with him? He’s normally so quiet, he hardly ever says a word. It was like he’d gone insane.”
“Do not worry about Larzen, my own.” He knew that he had to keep her from worrying. She was in a delicate state, even though she would probably protest that assessment. It was his job to protect her.
“But—”
“Larzen will be fine. He is being taken care of.” He did not tell her about the other two warriors showing the same effects as Larzen. He was not certain what was going on, but he had asked for regular updates.
What was happening?
A buzz sounded at the door. He stood and opened it. Moroco stepped inside, his usual scowl on his face. He brushed past Dex without a word. Sometim
es he did not think that Moroco remembered that he was the Emperor. But he was an excellent healer, and right now, that was the most important thing.
Moroco strode to Zoey. “I heard you disregarded my orders. I would like to know what foolish explanation you have for going for a walk when you were told to rest and stay in your quarters?”
Zoey shot Dex a frantic look. He was not going to rescue her from Moroco’s wrath. Moroco looked over to Dex as well.
“Might I chastise her?” Moroco asked him.
“You may.”
Moroco nodded as he pulled his med-wand from his bag.
“As long as you do not yell at her. Or make her cry. Or upset her. Or make her feel guilty.”
Moroco sighed. “Then what is the point of chastising her?”
“There is none,” Zoey told him. “So you should just skip that part and get to the bit where you tell me everything is going to be all right.”
Moroco glanced down at Zoey then over at Dex. Then he nodded. “Everything will be well, Empress.”
Zoey watched Moroco for a moment, then she relaxed, seeming to believe whatever she saw on his face. “For the love of God, you’ve seen my hoo-ha. Will you please call me Zoey?”
“Your hoo-ha?” He looked down at her in confusion.
“Vagina.”
“Empress!” Moroco looked at her in shock.
“Zoey!” Dex chastised.
“What? It’s only the truth.”
Moroco looked at the read-out. His scowl seemed to deepen. “We need another urine sample.”
Zoey sighed. “Of course you do.”
Dex walked over and picked her up, carrying her into the bathroom.
“Do you need some help, my own?”
“Been peeing since I was born, Dex. Think I’ve got this one aced.” But she patted his arm.
“Call out when you are finished. Do not try to walk back on your own,” he warned, leaving the room to walk back into the bedroom.
“What can we do? How serious is it?” he asked the healer.
“Very serious,” Moroco told him. “I will check the proteins in her urine, but I do believe the only thing to do at this stage is to take the baby out.”
Tension filled him. “How dangerous is that for Zoey and the baby?”