Chapter 18

Adrik

Iloomed over her, feeling way too big for the space. The spikes on my shoulders and arms itched and began to rise from my skin. The only things that could bring up the spikes were the angry rush of excitement before a fight, and copulation. My body was ready. I wanted her with every fiber in my being, and if she felt the same way, I could not find a reason to deny her. “Are you certain you want this?”

“Yes,” she replied, standing there, chest heaving and eyes wide. Her cat wound between her legs and came to rub against my boot. I looked down at him, unsure what to do. “What about him?”

“Don’t worry about him.” She waved a hand. “He’s just saying hello. He likes you, otherwise he’d be hiding.”

I didn’t know what to do with that and I didn’t care, as long as I didn’t have to deal with her pet interfering in what we would soon be doing. “You have no idea the things I want to do to you.”

“Oh, I think I do,” she said. “Because I want to do them, too.”

She was wearing a blue outfit today. One from the set that Yaran had sent over to her. I had not seen a trace of her uncomfortable-looking Earth clothes since the day we had been in that shop. I lifted the green stone from her chest and rubbed my thumb over it. “It pleases me to see you wearing my family’s jewels. You will keep this, no matter what. I want you to have it.”

Her eyes widened. “If I have to leave, will you come with me?”

I shook my head. “I must remain with my people. With my Thrail. If I must send you and the other females away, the Thrail may fall, but we will still need to defend the border. The Mitran council of warlords will approve ships. We will be more of a military base, if the Dessicans don’t overrun us.”

She ran her hands over my chest as if committing the contours to memory. “I just found you. I don’t want to say goodbye.”

“We’re not saying goodbye right now.” I pulled her flush against me. “And since you’ve started this, we will be finishing it.”

I crushed her against me, molding her soft, warm body against my own. Sending away the worries and uncertainties that plagued my mind. I wanted to believe that anything was possible if I had this female in my life, in my bed, in my heart. I pulled her tunic over her head and tossed it away. She wore nothing underneath, just skin and the reddish glow of Brinat’s light. I cupped her breasts, lifting them and feeling their gentle weight. “You are perfection.”

Her lips parted and her eyes closed partway. “Actually, that was my thought when I first laid eyes on you.” She wrinkled her nose in an impish grin. “That was before I knew you were nearsighted, of course.”

I released one breast to lightly smack her ass. “Lies. I want to know who would speak such falsehoods about their warlord.”

She reached a hand down and held my heavy, aching cock. “I’m curious to know your other secrets. The things you don’t tell anyone else.”

I drew in a ragged breath as she ran her hand along the length of me. “I will tell you anything you want to know.” I ran my thumb over her pebbled nipple. “Anything you want.”

“I want you, Warlord.” Her voice was a throaty order. “Now.”

I pulled off my vest and tossed it. Her hands worked at the fastenings of my pants. I took off my boots, stripped down to nothing and stood there before her, aroused and hungry. My spikes rose fully. My claws extended.

My body throbbed with need. I looked at her small form and suddenly felt too big, too unwieldy, like a blunt instrument, trying to handle something tiny and fragile. She was a human female, and I knew Mitran males had no physical difficulties with their mates, but I didn’t want to hurt her. My spikes were high, and when they gouged flesh, they did real harm. So I stood there, still. Feeling more vulnerable than I had in my whole life, waiting for her to come to me.

Or would she see the claws and spikes and change her mind? I couldn’t blame her if she did.

But her gaze as she moved over me was appreciative. She walked forward wearing nothing but loose-fitting pants that hung low on her hips. “You are beautiful, Warlord.” She placed her hands on my chest and ran them down over my nipples, over my waist.

“You are the only beautiful thing in this room. On this planet.” I closed my eyes and swallowed thickly. “How shall I please you?”

Her eyelids lowered uncertainly. “I—I don’t know. What do you usually do when you’re with someone?”

I smiled faintly. “Believe it or not, I have very little experience with females, and none with your species.”

Her eyes widened. “What do you want to do?”

What didn’t I want to do was the question. I ran my gaze down her body. “I want to remove these pants.”

She stood there. “Then, remove them.”

I sank to my knees, finding the small fastening to her pants, undid them and let them slither to the floor in a pile.

She stepped out of them, one delicate foot at a time, until she stood there, naked as I was. I was faced with the sweet apex of her thighs. The hair was short and trimmed, and I wondered why she did this. Perhaps it was simply part of a human hygiene ritual. I didn’t know, but here I was, presented with Lise’s sweet cunt, and since I was down here already, I would do as she suggested—and do what I wanted.

I placed a hand on her inner thigh and slid it upwards. Her breath hitched as I reached her sex. My knuckles brushed against moist flesh. I shifted my hand, cupping her, feeling the pulse and wetness that leaked into my palm. I watched her face as I moved my hand rhythmically.

Through sheer force of will, I retracted my claws and slid two fingers over her slick folds. With my palm massaging her clit, her breathing was uneven.

Her hands clenched my shoulders, just above my spikes. Her knees shook. Her beautiful mouth opened on a moan. She tipped her head back and I slid those two fingers inside her wet channel. She was tight. Tight and throbbing. Anatomically, human females were similar to Mitran ones in this regard. It was one of the reasons why they were deemed a good fit for our males. And as I pleasured Lise, I had never been so thankful for another species in my life. The smell of her arousal made my spikes ache. I pulled her hips towards me and ducked my head, sliding my tongue over her quivering folds.

Her knees gave out, but I caught her and supported her hips. I spread her thighs wider and found a rhythm with my tongue that caused her hips to undulate on my face. The taste of her, the feel of her, the scent filling my senses with lust, put a new definition on pleasure. I could happily spend the rest of my day with my tongue in this female’s cunt.

I knew it when she found her release. Her muscles spasmed and clinched. She let out a ragged cry as her nails dug into my shoulders, then wrapped around the spikes that had risen there. She held onto them as she rode my mouth, hard and with abandon. Then, she turned boneless in my arms. I trailed kisses up her belly, over her breasts, where I laved attention on her tight, peaked nipples. I picked her up and placed her on the bed and climbed in on top of her. She looked up at me with soft eyes brimming with emotion.

“That’s not it, you know. We are not finished here.” My cock was in absolute agony. I wanted to plunge inside of her and fuck us both until we were empty, broken messes on the bed. But I would not. I would take the upmost care with this female.

“Well, the warm-up act did not disappoint,” she said in a thready whisper. “Damn, Adrik. That was good.”

I smiled, allowing myself one smug moment before sliding my thigh between hers. “Touch me, Lise,” I commanded. “You should know the cock that is going to be inside you.”

Her nostrils flared and her hand dipped down, taking my hard length in it and sliding up and down. I closed my eyes and shuddered at the intensity of the sensation, but I wanted her to know me. She needed to feel how my cock was different from human ones. I enjoyed her curious touch, finding the ridges and testing the size. When her questing hand slid back and cupped my balls, I had reached the end of my endurance. I shifted out of her touch, took both of her wrists and pinned them next to her head. “That’s enough exploring for now. You can see that I’m different. I’ll ask you one more time. Do you still want this?”

“Yes,” she rasped out. “I still want you, more than ever.”

I dipped my head and captured her mouth with mine. I could taste the sweet salt of her cunt on my own lips as I pushed her thighs apart and shifted between them. She opened for me. I leaned up and looked down to see the perfection of her sex. Glistening, pink, and wet. I looked away, willing myself to have control. To go slow and gentle for our first time.

The tip of my cock found her opening. It was so hot, I drew in a hiss of breath between my teeth. I sank into her, feeling her body adjust, open, stretch. I watched her face carefully, looking for any sign of discomfort, but I saw none. Her brow was furrowed just slightly, but her lips parted, and she let out a moan that was definitely not pain.

My arms shook as I braced myself above her, still holding her delicate wrists. I could not bear her touch right now. Her questing hands could cause me to spill my seed too soon. That was how much I wanted her. That was the power of this desire, which I had underestimated.

“Take me,” she said. “Fill me, Adrik.”

Her words were like an instant shot of lust. I surged forward, impaling her on my cock. Filling her completely. I just held myself there for a moment, breathing heavily and willing my mind to be steady and in control. It was tenuous at best. My heart and pulse thundered. My body felt like it was being licked by an electric charge. And beneath me lay the quivering, supple body of the female who belong to me. Her hips arched and I began to move in long, deep strokes. My balls tightened. My body felt wound tight.

Lise squirmed. I released her wrists and her hands were everywhere. One at the base of my neck, threaded into my brakas. The other grabbed my ass, squeezing as I thrust. Her skin was flushed with color. “More,” she gasped.

I quickened my pace, fucking her deeper and harder, allowing just a little of that control to slip. My hand fisted in her hair. The other cupped her breast as I began to fuck her the way I wanted to—hard and deep and ravenous, like the animal I was.

Her movements began to change. Her breath shortened and the pulse in her throat fluttered. Her body arched tight and high as her cunt squeezed and pulled around my cock. She met my thrusts, hers as savage and relentless as my own.

When she found her release, a fresh wave of liquid flowed from her sex. Her hair was damp. Her eyes squeezed shut and she screamed out my name. Her hands clenched on my horns and her whole body throbbed, making me wonder who was riding who.

I looked at the satiated, blissful face of my mate and could hold back no longer. I thrust savagely into her, lifting her hips off the bed and holding her there as I pumped my seed into her. Wave after wave of release and pleasure thundered through me, sending my body and mind into a state I’d never known before.

I held myself inside her even after I was empty and the last drop had drained.

How was I supposed to send her away?It was the first rational thought that slithered into my mind. How was I supposed to say goodbye to her?

I gathered her close, sliding out of her reluctantly, and pulling her against the side of my body. I wanted to hold her like this forever, flush to me with our hearts beating fast. Relaxed and blissful. I wasn’t sure where my body ended and hers began. I never doubted the Mitran males adored and worshiped their human female mates, but now I understood why. I understood exactly. And I knew that if I was to send the human females from my Thrail, I would have to send their mates along with them.

A gentle hand brushed my cheek. “Where are you, Warlord?” Lise asked in a sleepy voice. “Your eyes are far away from here.”

I told her what had been on my mind; that this would make an upcoming decision even harder. That I did not want to see her go.

I rolled over, covering her with my body. My spikes were slowly easing back down into the grooves on my skin. “No matter what happens, you’re mine,” I said. “I can’t imagine ever not wanting you.”

“Then let’s not think about what the future might hold and enjoy right now.” She ran her hands over my brakas and horns, stroking them. There was no discernible sensitivity there, but I loved her acceptance of my horns and brakas and the things that made me different from humans. We were different species, but compatible in so many ways.

I closed my eyes, rested my face in the crook of her neck and breathed in deep. “As you wish. For tonight there is only us.”

And so it was.

I woke up in her room on my back with Lise’s leg and one arm over my body. I could feel her silky limbs, but there was a weight on my chest that I couldn’t explain. I opened my eyes to a pair of green eyes inches from my face. A fuzzy face and pointed ears added to the picture, as well as some long whiskers that tickled my face when the creature turned its head. I tapped Lise’s arm. “Lise. Your animal is on top of me.”

She opened her beautiful gold-green eyes—not too different from the cat’s—and took in the scene. Her eyes brightened with humor. “I told you he likes you, Adrik. He doesn’t lie on just anybody.”

“What does he want?” I was afraid to move. The cat had tiny paws, but needle-sharp claws were extended and well dug in. They breached the blanket and just barely pricked my skin beneath it.

“He probably wants breakfast.” Lise reached over and stroked the cat’s head. The little animal tilted its head up, closed its eyes and leaned into her touch while simultaneously digging his claws deeper into me.

I winced. “Perhaps you could remove him, then, before he draws blood.”

Lise sat up, hair tumbling around her as she got out of bed. “Do you want your breakfast, Nugget?”

That was all the cat needed to hear. He leaped from my chest and bounded to the wall where two little bowls were sitting. I sat up and watched Lise scoop out a measured amount of dry food and pour it into his bowl. She scratched his back and he arched, as he dug into his breakfast. “You get a lot of pleasure from that creature, don’t you?”

“He’s my little buddy,” she said with a smile. “You have Besi. Although I don’t think it would go well if she slept on your chest.”

“That would put an end to her oil massages real fast.” I got up and stretched, taking in what it felt like to wake up in a female’s room for the first time. The dwelling was different, no longer too small for the both of us. I felt a certain completion that I had not known I’d been missing. I turned to look at her as she pulled on her robe, covering her beautiful body from my gaze.

“I’m going to run to the showers.” She looked away, as if suddenly self-conscious. “Are we still going up to the river on the ridge?”

“Yes. We will bring something to collect the water in. Also, I have commissioned the medic from one of the battle cruisers that are stationed on the other side of the valley to act as the Thrail’s primary medic. He’s young but well qualified. He is currently getting himself up to speed on human female anatomy. He has agreed to examine the water and is running blood samples as we speak.”

“That’s wonderful news.” She leaned up and kissed my cheek. “Thank you. Together we’ll solve this. I just know it.”

But would we in time? I picked up my pants and pulled them on. “I will meet you at the dining hall. We will get some food to bring with us. The trek is not short and I’d like to get there and back before midday.”

“Yes, of course.” But she wouldn’t meet my eyes. I took her chin in my hands and turned her face to mine. “What troubles you?”

“Nothing. I don’t know. I guess I’m not sure how things will be from now on,” she said. “Where I stand with you. Where I stand with the people here.”

“I can answer those questions,” I replied. “You are my female. You’ve already been accepted as such. If I can ensure your health, and that of your fellow humans, I will do anything in my power to convince you to stay here with me. I’ll get down on my knees and beg you not to leave. But in the end, if you decide to return to your home planet, I will respect that decision. But while you are here in my Thrail, you are mine.”

She blinked rapidly up at me, as if taking in those words and processing them. “Very well, Warlord.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against mine.

But I wasn’t having that. I grabbed her and pulled her to me and crushed my mouth to hers. Her lips were soft and sweet and utterly addictive. I set her back with a growl. “Now go to the baths before I toss you in that bed and fuck you again.”

She smiled, but danced out of my reach and towards the door. “I’ll see you in the dining hall, Warlord.”

I was sure she called me Warlord to tease me, but I liked how she said it. Fool that I was, I liked everything she said. I stood there for a moment, not seeing anything, but then realizing Nugget had finished his breakfast and was sitting several feet from me, methodically cleaning his face with a paw. He paused and looked up at me with a slow-blinking gaze. I reached down and petted his small head. He seemed to approve, chirped at me, then moved a few feet away and continued his bath.

I picked up my vest and carried my boots out of her house, closing the door behind me, and making my way to my own home where I had a private underground bath and shower of my own. Lots of Mitrans had seen me leaving her home and knew what had happened. The word had gotten around that the warlord had in fact claimed a mate.

Granat smiled and nodded as we walked through the dining hall doors together. “On behalf of us, all of us warriors, congratulations on choosing a female.” He raised his chin and nodded approvingly. “A warlord deserves a good female to listen to him, and the other females here will be glad to have one of their own in the warlord’s home.”

I inclined my head, accepting his words, but underneath I felt like a boiling pot of complex emotions. “We have many problems to address, Granat,” I said. “Starting with today. I need six of our best guards on a patrol to escort Lise and me up to the top of the ridge where the river flows down into the Thrail.”

Granat raised one brow. “Yes, Pal-Adrik. Is there some concern about the water?”

“Just a theory I want to follow. The health of our females is worsening, as you know.”

He nodded. “Your warriors will meet you and your mate at the base of the mountain trail. We will be ready for anything. I will send a scout team up to check for Dessican patrols immediately.”

“Good. Thank you, Granat.”

I glanced back to see Lise standing in the doorway looking at me. There was uncertainty in her eyes, a complexity to the range of emotions that she was trying very hard to hide on her face.

Her lips moved into a smile as she walked to my side and looked up. She wore good clothes for hiking—sturdy boots, snug, well-fitting pants, and a short cloak over a tunic. Winking between the layers was my mother’s necklace.

I lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. “Are you ready?”

“For what?”

“Whatever happens next.” There was a lot to that statement.

“I have to be, don’t I?” I saw the way she held her chin high. The bravery she put into making sure she looked self-assured was impressive and I wondered, regardless of what happened in my Thrail, how would I survive if I lost her?