Chapter 5

Aramon

For three days straight, I’d been working closely with Solear through jump after jump. The Varakartoom needed to cool her engines after running this fast as often as she had, and that was when I’d been summoned to see the Princess. I was ready to burst from my skin in excitement; my body felt achy from the work and from her absence.

It had been good for me—and good for Solear—to work so closely together. I felt that with him being in my mind as much as he had been, he was finally starting to understand what I felt for my Xurtal beauty. It was reaching the point where I worried he might fixate on her, and if he did, I knew my instincts would compel me to fight. I hated fighting with my brother, but nobody got to lust after my woman. The Princess was going to be mine. The ship was already abuzz with talk about it, and I let them talk because I wanted everyone to know I had staked my claim.

I ducked into the mess hall, my belly filled with fire, my eyes immediately searching for the moss green and emerald of the Xurtal homeworld. Her scent hit me first, the hints of something floral and sweet, notes that were all feminine and all her. She stood by one of the long tables near the viewscreen faux windows that lined the longest wall of the mess hall. Her back was to me, and I admired her curves, outlined by the simple gray jumpsuit.

Despite not owning any clothing worthy of a princess right now, she still made that plain suit look like the finest dress. It was because she was so fucking graceful and sexy, her chin at a dainty, royal angle, her shoulders and spine perfectly straight. When she turned on her soft slippers, it was like she’d just executed a turn in a dance or some shit; that was the only way I could describe the way she moved.

A lesser man than I would have felt self-conscious, but that wasn’t in me. I knew I was out of her league—miles and miles out of it—but I didn’t give a damn. That woman was my mate, and by the time this mission was over, this fake marriage was going to be very, very real. To do that, I knew I had to be unapologetically myself and trust that the mate bond had matched me with a female who could appreciate that. But I also knew that some compromises might have to be made. I was terrible at that, but I’d figure it out.

“Aramon, thank you so much for coming,” Evadne said, her voice perfectly pitched to reach my ears without seeming to raise her tone. Her eyes were a warm ruby, and a soft smile graced her lush mouth. I could sense her attraction to me, and I was going to work with that. It was going to be fun .

I raised a hand and waved, my energy levels rising in her presence. My thighs ached as I forced myself to restrain the urge to bounce on the balls of my feet. That didn’t work out the way I wanted; I found myself striding across the room in a rush and invading her personal space before I could grasp at some semblance of control. I tended to invade space all the time—it was one of my favorite tactics to put people on edge—but that’s not why I did it with her. I just wanted to be closer, as close as she’d let me.

“Morning, Princess,” I drawled. The heat in my belly was blazing brighter, and I knew she’d see it in my eyes. If she wasn’t a princess, if she were an Asrai female, I would throw all caution to the wind and pin her to the table behind her, kiss her right that instant. Since her ramrod-straight spine made me feel like she had her hackles up, I refrained, but barely. The hint of restraint and resistance she was showing, they were a turn-on; I wanted to taste it.

“Are you ready for your lessons?” she said, but when I opened my mouth to reply, she rushed on. I was pretty sure that was against her etiquette and protocols, and it made me grin; she was nervous. “I thought we’d start with the rules of dining. Ovters are very strict about their rules and protocols, so we must adhere to them as best as we can.” She kept rambling, something about eyeballs and Ovter tongues, but I stopped paying attention and fixated on her mouth.

Her lips were dark green, but her tongue was a deep pink, and I wanted to have a taste. Her scent was all around me, and when I shifted closer, she did not move back. I wondered what her guard would think if he saw us right now. He’d have a conniption, no doubt, and I craved seeing that. I loved chaos, loved poking them where they were most sensitive, and that male was very sensitive about a lot of things.

“Are you even listening?” Evadne asked in a firm tone that managed to penetrate my rapidly spinning brain. I yanked my thoughts back from the dangerous precipice just in time, or I really would have leaned in and closed the final distance. She was frowning, but her scent had spiked with her heat. I could see her pulse pounding rapidly at her neck and the way her perked nipples poked against the fabric of her clothing.

“Definitely not,” I said with a smirk, and laughed when that made her eyes grow huge with surprise. I was willing to bet my little princess had never had a male say that to her, but I didn’t like lying, and speaking my mind often had fantastic results. Not always what I wanted, but fun all the same.

“This is important, Aramon!” she said. Unfortunately, she seemed to realize how close I was standing and jerked back with a surprising amount of grace; that stuff was ingrained in her. A whisper of her slipper as she glided her foot back, not a single glass or piece of silverware jangling as her hip pressed against the table. I wanted to make her lose her poise so badly that it was tempting to reach up and ruffle her moss-colored hair.

“Life or death important!” she added when my shrug made it clear I didn’t care. “If we fail at this mission…” her breathing faltered as her voice trailed off. For the first time, I was seeing a hint of vulnerability behind the cool, carefully controlled mask. It halted me in my tracks, my eyes locking with laser focus on hers. My mind stretched, reached, but she had no psychic ability to connect with. My brain wasn’t wired to connect with anyone but Solear anyway; I didn’t know why I even tried.

“Tell me,” I demanded, my senses still ached and shifted in my mind, trying to reach for something that could never be. Even if she were Asrai and had her own twin to share telepathy with, it was very rare for mates to form a similar bond. I wanted it anyway, but that was my hallmark, wasn’t it? To want all the things I could never have: revenge, family, power, fun—those kinds of things. And now, love and a psychic bond.

The desire to lock minds with her was so strong that Solear stirred in the back of my head. For a moment, it felt like he was seeing what I was and feeling what I felt. He slipped away as quickly as he’d come, leaving behind a warmth that felt like a hug and an apology for not being able to give me what I wanted. He understood my need and knew, like me, that it could never be.

My pretty woman swallowed, her emotions sliding from her face like water. The mask was back in place, but I’d seen what she truly felt, and I wasn’t going to let this go. “Tell me, Evadne. I can’t be what you need if you don’t talk to me. Let me protect you.” I meant every fucking word, the way I’d never meant what I said before. There was no doubt she could tell how fervent I was by the tone of my voice or the way I leaned protectively toward her.

“Evie,” she murmured, her voice pitched low as if she were telling me a secret. “You can call me Evie when we’re alone, okay?” I liked that—Evie. It was pretty, and it was private. A secret name between lovers. I started to grin as I pictured it, and pictured her Xurtal guard going green with envy if he knew. I liked that very much, and I was going to take every opportunity I had to call her by this name.

“Yes, Evie,” I agreed, but if she thought this would deflect me from what I truly wanted to know, she was dead wrong. She had also neatly backed herself into a corner against the edge of the table. When I took a step, our bodies almost touched, and she braced her hands against the edge and leaned away. It arched her spine and brought her breasts up toward me, the upper slopes of the soft globes visible inside the v-neckline of her jumpsuit. “Stop avoiding the question.”

“Stop avoiding your lessons!” she snapped, and the sharp edge of her tone made my cock jerk eagerly toward her. I was a total deviant and proud of it. I grinned, my mouth stretching wide, and watched as her cheeks flushed a darker green. Interesting. I hadn’t known Xurtal females could flush like that, but I liked it. I could feel the warmth radiating from her skin; I was getting to her.

“Don’t you know me? I’m a total slacker. I didn’t even finish school. You couldn’t have picked a worse male for this mission if you tried. Well, except for my twin, I suppose. He’s more inclined to bite one of those officials than bow to them.” I tilted my head and tapped my chin as if pondering those options, and I saw her eyes go wide. She was picturing me leaping across the table to bite an Ovter like I was some kind of rabid animal. Beautiful.

“But you’ve got me now,” I added. “And I will see this through, Evie. I’m your male, your protector.” A grin stretched across my mouth as I turned my tone seductive and dipped my head to murmur in her ear: “Your fiancé.” Her breathing shuddered, and I nearly licked the pretty, round shell of her ear. Instead, I made myself demand an answer yet again. I could not let this go on—not when there was clearly a threat to her safety, and my mission details included nothing about why she was even going to Ov’Korad. As her fiancé, I needed to know, or this mission would definitely fail.

“You are telling me everything now!” I demanded, infusing command into my voice. I tended to be laid-back, but when it came to protecting those I cared about, nothing was off the table. Speaking of tables… that was an option. She’d talk if I pinned her to that shiny surface and licked her neck, down into the tempting valley between her breasts. It was a no-lose plan. My hands clasped her waist, marveling at how small and frail she felt beneath my palms.

I didn’t count on the sharp elbow that suddenly came flying forward, catching me in the throat with a stunning blow. I spluttered, stumbling back as I fought for air through my suddenly bruised voice box. “The fuck, Evie?” I groaned, feeling utterly betrayed by the move. I was trying to help her, didn’t she see that?

My princess was straightening herself primly, her hands gliding over her body in ways that made me jealous. She looked cool, but I could see the anger simmering behind her ruby eyes and in the pinch of her lips. She was furious with me, but I didn’t understand why. As my mate, I knew she felt the bond. So why wouldn’t she let me touch her? We needed each other, didn’t we?

“Don’t ever touch me without permission,” she said firmly. It was the little catch in her voice that got to me. A tiny tremble in the last word, a little hitch in her breathing. I was attuned to every change, every move she made. I’d messed this up; it was inevitable that I would, so I wasn’t surprised. I could roll with the punches, and she had a mean elbow jab. My throat still ached something fierce. As I straightened, I rubbed at my throat and wondered if she’d purposely struck me there because it was a soft target above my armor.

Her eyes locked onto the motion, and something flickered behind them; then they darted from me to the lowered hatch that separated the kitchen from the mess hall. I could tell her that Brace wasn’t there—he’d ducked into his private rooms as soon as I’d arrived—but she seemed uncertain. Then her shoulders squared, and she pierced me with a firm look. The type of look that made a male want to swear obedience on the spot. Too bad that I’d never obeyed anyone in my life—well, except the captain. I wasn’t about to start obeying my princess, not unless I felt like it.

“What I say cannot leave this room, you understand?” she said solemnly. I nodded fervently; that was easy to promise. Except for Solear, who’d be able to snatch information right from my head, I wouldn’t tell a soul. Not even the captain. Okay, maybe the captain if he asked me, but I didn’t think he’d ask. I liked having secrets with my woman. That felt good, like I held parts of her she did not share with anyone else.

“The Xurtal Kingdom is small, a single planet in a single solar system. But it is rich in resources, one resource in particular that is highly coveted by the rest of the Zeta Quadrant.” She paused, perusing my face, but I didn’t know what she expected to see. I didn’t know where she was going with this information; it was all public knowledge. “Particularly,” she added, “Xyraxin.”

“Which is coveted for weapon manufacturing,” I said, leaping to the right connections now. I knew Xurtal was rich, but rich in that? It was clearly not public knowledge. The species wasn’t known for their weapons or exports either—not that kind of export. So, they weren’t selling it, but their neighbors might want it.

Evie nodded. “Because we refuse to be the planet known for selling weapons of mass destruction, there are strict limits on how much can be mined each year. To protect us from invasion, we’ve formed an alliance with several other smaller nations, but that alliance might soon fall apart.” My mind whirred as I considered all the complications. A failing alliance meant Xurtal would be open to invasion, and I could think of at least six factions in the quadrant that would jump at the chance to get more Xyraxin. No wonder my princess was desperate to stop that. The Ovters did not seem like the most likely choice to form a new alliance with, though. They did not like outsiders, and the Sythral were right next door. They would definitely want to get the Xyraxin for themselves.

“Ov’Korad is simply neutral ground, away from prying eyes,” Evie said, anticipating my next question. “Alliance prospects are meeting me there. That’s why this is so time-sensitive. If I don’t get there at the appointed moment, it will be rude, and their diplomats will not stick around to wait for me. Do you understand? We could be dining with other royalty. You have to know how to behave; we can’t afford to offend anyone.”

It was on my lips to demand to know why she’d requested me for this mission if it mattered that much, but I knew. It was the mate bond talking, her desire for her male to be the one to protect her. Maybe it wasn’t that at all; maybe she had not requested me specifically. I couldn’t recall what the captain had said when he briefed me.

“Permission to touch your hand?” I said, grinning when that made her mouth form a lovely little circle. She was caught off guard and stuck out her slender green fingers before she could think better of it. I snatched up that hand and raised it to my mouth, pressing my lips to her silky flesh before she could change her mind. “I understand. Where do we start?” And then, because that’s simply how my brain worked, it leaped to more teaching options. “Will there be dancing lessons too?” I could already picture our bodies rubbing together in a dance; that would be a lesson I’d sign up for in a heartbeat.

Startled, she shook her head. “No dancing,” she said faintly.