Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Casey

The more time Casey spent around BrOdByc, the more she felt guilty. She should be pacing the floors, worried about her sister. Instead, she was sitting in the ship's dining hall, eating and laughing with the alien hottie. Or walking the halls of the ship, joking and flirting.

Or, as she was now, sitting in Brode's room, listening to him get dressed in the bathroom, while she pawed through the clothing his brothers dropped off. Squeezing the armload of fabrics to her chest, she closed her eyes. The clothes weren't just hers. They were bought from the alien vendor on Viant for Cammy, too.

So yes, she felt guilty because of her growing attraction to the mint-green alien. The agony of waiting for her sister to be rescued shouldn't be offset with feeling happy every time she looked at BrOdByc. Not knowing what was going on with Cammy was killing her. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to spend every second in Brode's company. She loved talking to him. Her fascination with that green body grew every second.

She wanted to reach out and touch. To feel his pale green skin. And trace his distinctive, scrolled tattoo. Casey felt like she could outline the swirled ink for hours. Breathe in his uniquely spicy scent and snuggle in his arms forever. She wondered if aliens kissed. Or kissed differently than they did on Earth? Wouldn't it be fun to find out?

What the hell was wrong with her?

Was it an effect of the compliance pool? Of the aphrodisiacs she'd basted in. Lowering her lashes, Cas assessed her body. This wasn't lust. Or well, it wasn't all lust. Not the driving force she'd felt when she was first made to get in that tub. This was... nice. Warm. A little throbbing heat to go along with the excitement of discovery. This was infatuation blossoming into the first throes of a relationship.

Frowning, Casey realized it couldn't be a relationship unless BrOdByc was also interested. Besides, should she really be doing this right now? Before her mind could list all the reasons getting close to him was a bad idea... she remembered the shadow on her lungs. The one the... Siloth doctor discovered. There was a pretty good chance that she didn't have a lot of time. It was up to her to spend it wisely.

What would Cammy do in this situation? Or what would she want Casey to do? Cas snorted and eyed the door to the bathroom. Cammy would tell her to quit blubbering and hit that .

Her sister had always been fun-loving and free. Until her latest boyfriend. That had sucked Cammy's soul right out of her body and dried up all the fun. Once she woke from whatever was keeping her in a coma, Casey wanted the crazy, happy sister to kick in. When her sister was safe, Casey wanted her to flirt and flutter around the brothers with a wide smile and an open heart.

Cameron would want Casey to do the same thing. Hell... Casey wanted to do it. It had been years since she went on a date. Longer since she'd had sex. She'd never had a relationship that lasted more than a few months. She didn't know how much time she had with Brode. Where would they go when Cammy was safe? Back home?

Casey sighed away from that thought. It seemed unlikely. Worrying about anything other than getting her sister back was too much right now.

So, she thought about Brode instead. She didn't know what the future held. She never worried about having a relationship. Mostly because Casey didn't want one. She was always afraid of getting cancer again. She avoided falling in love because she didn't think that would be fair to anyone.

Something that just occurred to her was that evading any connection with someone outside of her family hadn't been fair to Casey either.

The door to the bathroom opened. Casey was still in her robe. She hadn't decided what to wear.

Brode walked out with his pants on and his shirt wadded up in his hand, like he didn't want to put it on. The man was absolutely built.

He had a broad expanse of hairless chest, and thick ropes of muscles on both arms, along with a strong neck. His pale green flesh looked so soft. She wanted to touch him.

Casey sighed when Brode dropped his shirt and held out a hand to her. She looked up into his dark eyes and saw the question there. He knew what she wanted. "Yes," she murmured and placed her hand in his.

Brode pulled her up to stand in front of him. With just a few inches separating them, he placed her palm over his heart, on his naked chest. Casey's internal debate floated away. She wanted BrOdByc to hold her. To love her even if it was just this once. Just this one time before she got her sister back and had to deal with the stupid shadow on her lungs and whatever the hell came next.

It had been a very long time since anyone held her.

Casey trailed her fingers over his flesh. Surprised at how warm he was... and so very soft. She followed the contours of his muscles—mesmerized by his pecs. His scent thrilled her. It was a spicy scent, dark... reminiscent of oils like Frankincense and Bergamot on Earth. She wanted to wallow in it. In him. Pulling the aroma deep into her lungs, she shuddered. Wanting more.

Leaning in, she stuck her tongue out to taste his flesh—right over his heart. And felt his muscles spasm. His deep groan made her grin. He bent his much taller body around her. Putting a finger under her chin, he tilted her head back and leaned down to capture her lips.

That first kiss undid her. Casey melted and opened for him. The kiss went on for long moments until Brode pulled back. Just far enough, he could slide his hands down her shoulders and skim the robe off her body. Impatiently, she shimmed out of it, giving him full access.

Her body tensed when his hand came up and cupped her breast. She pressed into him. Desperate for more. She ached for this touch. Moaned and shifted, pressing her breast into his palm. Her eyes fluttered, looking down to where his green skin met her flesh. Casey rasped out, "Please, touch me." she begged.

Feathering a thumb over her nipple, he made her want more. Tilting her head back, putting one hand in his hair, she tugged him toward her. Casey's eyelashes dropped, and she sighed with delight when he bent his head down and laved her breast.

It ended too soon when Brode pulled away. Shuddering, she opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"Are you sure you want this? Want me? Should we talk about it?" he whispered.

Casey rolled her eyes. No, they shouldn't talk about it . What the hell? Stepping closer, she moved her hands up... trailing the lines of his shoulder tattoo with one hand while she used the other hand to feather her thumb over his nipple. "I want you," she murmured.

Turning her head, intending to kiss his shoulder, she noticed several small bands of dark ink break away from BrOdByc's tattoo and inch across his skin toward her hand.

Casey frowned. She thought those were tattoos—but tribal bands didn't move like that.

Slowly, they crept closer, and she tried to draw back, to pull out of Brode's arms.

But he had taken her at her word. Once she said she wanted him, he crushed her body in an embrace, holding her immobile.

Casey couldn't escape the crazy ink. Crawling like a caterpillar, it reached her flesh... and slithered onto her hand. It vibrated for a moment and then disappeared.

Staggered by what just happened, Casey didn't know what to do. To say. Had BrOdByc seen that? "Your marks moved—they entered my body." The words left her in a hiss of sound. He probably thought she was crazy.

His arms tightened around her again. "They what?" Loosening his hold, he looked down at her for a second. Then shifted to peer at his arm. "The little bands disappeared," he mumbled.

The obvious confusion on his face was not comforting.

She gasped at the sensation of the bands traveling through her body. It should have freaked her out. But it felt fantastic. All warm and... sexy. "The small dark strips separated from the big ones and crawled into my body."

His brow furrowed. "Why would they do that?"

Evidently, this hadn't happened to him before. Casey couldn't decide if that was a bad thing or a good thing. Right now... it didn't matter. "I feel them. Inside. Here." She palmed her breast. "One is just here. It feels... amazing." She panted.

She noticed Brode blink, then a smile replaced the frown on his face. His expression turned hot, knowing. Bending a bit, he scooped her into his arms and took her to his bed.

Casey squirmed in his arms. The bands had found erogenous zones she didn't know she had. He settled her on the bed and stripped off his pants, moving to lie alongside her. Leaning in, he feathered his lips over hers. A flicker of the bands inside made her gasp, and Brode joined his mouth to hers.

This may not have happened to him before, but it appeared BrOdByc was a fast learner. He acted as if the bands inside her body... communicated to him. His living tattoos amplified each caress of his flesh against her. Any objection she had to this alien style of loving ended when, together... they played her body like a fine instrument.

She had no idea this kind of pleasure was an option. It was mind-blowing. Addicting. "More," she pleaded.

The living tattoos pulsed, vibrated, and teased her from both the inside and out. Casey felt them, and when she looked down at her body, she could see shadow bands encircling her nipples. Brode's mouth suckled one breast while his fingertips and the black squiggly lines tormented the other.

Together, they pushed her to the peak and then stopped. Keeping her from climaxing, waiting just long enough for her pulse to settle and her body to cool... then they started again. Torturing her with pleasure. Her body caught fire, and she burned, needed.

Desperately needed. "Fuck me," she begged.

By this time, the fire created by the bonds only eased when Brode's mouth soothed, or the slide of his flesh alleviated the ache for his touch. The bands created a need that only BrOdByc could fill.

"I can't breathe, I can't think," she moaned, moving into his touch.

BrOdByc

Watching Casey with heavy lids, Brode was overcome with emotions. Part of him couldn't believe this was happening. His beautiful mate was lying beside him, mindless and craving what only he could give her. She didn't know what was happening to her. Could she accept this?

After the initial shock of realizing his mating bands had entered her body, Brode figured out that he could control what the marks did.

Eyes glazed with passion, she begged him, "You've got to do something. Oh, my hell. Make it stop."

Her pleas reminded him of the pain she'd been in when he took her from the compliance pool. Immediately, he stilled. And forced his mating bonds to calm.

"Noooooooooo," Casey wailed.

"You said stop. Am I hurting you?" Brode was confused. Was this not what she wanted?

"Don't stop. Never stop. Feels good. Too good. I need more. Moremoremore please God, give me more." Her hands reached out, her fingers tugging on his hair, digging into his shoulder. She tried to pull him closer.

She wanted him. Needed him. Needed more. He grinned and growled, "I'll give you more."

It became a goal. To make their lovemaking something Casey would crave for the rest of her life. He wanted her to love him, but for now, he'd take lust.

Leaning down, he kissed her and flicked her nipples with his fingers, swallowing her moans. After a long moment, he tore his mouth away... and moved down her body. The satin texture of her flesh mesmerized Brode. Watching a deep blush bloom across her face and upper chest, he traced the color as it covered her breasts. Breasts crested with full areolas and dark puckered nipples. He licked and suckled, making her hips dance.

Brode moved lower. Wanting to explore every inch of her. The strip of tight curls between her thighs was his next stop. Setting a hand on her knee, he pulled her leg up, opening her wide enough he could move between her thighs and rub the tip of his cock through her slick folds.

She panted beneath him. Thrashed her head from side to side. Her body strained toward him, wanting more.

Brode sucked in a sharp breath when information flooded his mind. It was as if the knowledge had always been there, but this moment unlocked the secret.

In order for Casey to become his mate, their minds needed to connect. They needed to tie their souls and hearts together. His life span was much longer than hers and he wanted her life tied to his own. He wanted her with him forever.

Tamping down the forceful urge to claim her body, the muscles in his neck bunched and strained as he fought the demands of his cock. He needed to create that bond. Leaning down, he trailed his lips, teeth, and tongue over her skin—leisurely exploring the bounty of her flesh.

Smoothing his hand down her belly, he wrapped his hand around his cock, slid the tip over the trim curls at her mound, and dipped into the sweet warmth between her thighs.

Sucking in a sharp breath, all movement stilled, and Casey's gaze locked with his. Feeling her body tense, he reveled in the shock and intensity of new sensations. Her hands flew up to pull urgently at his shoulders. His need grew alongside hers and there was no question that she wanted this. Wanted him. Her mewling cries and seeking hands told him just how badly she wanted him. Flexing his hips, he played the tip of his cock over her clit. Teasing.

He stilled for a moment, trying to regain some measure of sanity.

"Please, Brode. Oh, God, don't stop!" Moaning, she moved her hips, trying to entice.

With his body over hers, he kept her locked in place. Open to him. Dependent on his every touch and stroke. He wanted her wild.

Lowering his head, he whispered in her ear, "Feel me, Casey. Feel me claim you. See how good we are together. You're mine now." Punctuating his possession of her with a powerful thrust, he buried his thick shaft to the hilt, his pubic bone rubbing her clit, sending shockwaves of unimaginable pleasure jolting through her body. He withdrew, only to plunge repeatedly into her tight sheath. As he moved inside her, the mating bonds aroused her flesh even more.

"Mine!" he growled. When she didn't respond, he demanded. "Look at me, Casey. Tell me you are mine!"

Her gaze snapped to his. Bright blue eyes wide, she gasped for breath... answered his demand and made one of her own. "Yours. Which means you are mine."

She wouldn't get an argument. He wanted to be hers.

Casey's acceptance allowed the mating bands to cross the shields in her mind. Her eyes widened, and she groaned at the surge of pleasure. When their minds connected, he felt her body as she felt his. Words were beyond them both.

Brode was thrilled, knowing once the connection was forged, it couldn't be broken. They were truly joined, one to the other.

He felt the shift and shimmer of his bond markings as they reacted to the joining.

The dark bands held that connection, a link from one to the other. Imparting knowledge to him. Because of that link, he would always be able to find her. In times of stress and pain, he could share her burden. Brode grinned. And he could light up her body with erotic delight. More than she'd ever imagined.

Moving inside her, the bonds discovered areas only they could touch. One band circled his cock and created bumps and tiny appendages that would stimulate pleasure points and trigger a stronger release.

Others rubbed across her nipples and clit, joining his fingers in an attempt to drive her wild. She would always crave this. The fierce, unmatched pleasure only Brode could give her.

Casey screamed and exploded around him, but he wasn't finished.

Laying flush against his mate, their skin slick with combined sweat, a potent feeling of possession deluged his soul. Grinding his hips, digging in her sweet heat, he once again pushed her left knee up. He smiled when she groaned and rewarded her with a kiss. "There is still more," he promised.

In this position, he could move deep into her contracting channel. She felt so tight and hot around his cock. Her body continued to shudder from her first orgasm. His body demanded a fierce ride, and he released the last small thread of control.

Gritting his teeth, he threw his head back, wanting to scream at the incredible pleasure. The friction of her tight flesh engulfed him, milking and clenching in rhythmic torture.

Moving beneath him, Casey met every thrust. Using the hand already buried in her hair, he pulled her head up to kiss him. This time the word was a warning, said softly against her lips, " Mine. "

He rode Casey's second climax and pushed her into another. When she shattered a third time, Brode let go of his control, pumped his cock furiously, and allowed his body to explode.

Casey closed her eyes. She was smiling. And asleep.

When his cock went limp, Brode rolled off his mate and collapsed beside her. Throwing an arm around her waist, exhausted, he joined her.

The guttural scream of pain jolted him awake. His heart stopped when he realized Casey was the one in agony.