Chapter 12

As Kaden led a somewhat inebriated Calie back to his quarters, he wanted to curse at the stars or fate or whatever for her mood swing that left her rejecting him. Again.

Or better yet, he would locate General Thorne and crack open the man’s head like an egg for his bullshit ultimatums.

But no, as appealing as the thought was, he would not leave Calie. Not until the moment she chose to walk away from him. He’d store the precious time with her in his data banks, to replay constantly as a semblance of solace during his future solitary days.

“Are you sure you want to leave us?” Leave me?

From her perch on his bed, where she once more clutched that blasted bag as if it held all the secrets of the universe, she nodded.

“I think it would be best for everyone if Athena and I stay on Terra.” She sniffled. “I don’t want to cause any more trouble for you all.”

You could never be a problem for me, my little mate. He fisted his hands against his sides, resisting the urge to pick her up and kiss the ridiculous notion right out of her. But in the short time he’d known her, he understood her stubbornness, a trait he shared.

She searched his face, seeming to expect a reply but when he didn’t say anything, her shoulders slumped. “The Terrans are humans, like me, right? It’s probably not so bad on their planet.”

There is no other like you, my precious mate. “You’ve made up your mind, then. One hundred percent.”

“Y-yes...” a soft sigh left her, her reply less than convincing and precisely the opening he needed to keep his hope alive. The hope of having her as a willing partner in life he could love and adore for the rest of eternity.

As much as he wanted to list the many reasons they should remain together as a bonded couple, it seemed prudent not to push his fragile female in this moment. A change of subject might help... He joined her on the pad, leaning against the wall, his legs outstretched. “What’s in the bag?”

She blinked, seeming surprised by either the calm exterior he projected or by his apparent non sequitur. “My bag?”

“Yes, the one you worried about even when your own life was in peril. The one you’ve been squeezing to your chest as if it might try to escape.”

A small smile curled her lips upward. “Oh, that one.”

She crossed her legs and plopped the sack in front of her, unzipped the main compartment and began pulling things from its depths. Before long, she had several objects arranged in a neat row between them. Interesting that the Q’Larev allowed her to keep her personal items. The race was not known for a single shred of kindness.

“I already told you my mother was a jewelry maker.” She stroked her hand over a golden medallion dangling from a simple gold chain. Some type of flower repeated over the surface, raised up as if it were attempting to escape the confines of the metal. “She made me this for my tenth birthday.” She flipped it over to show him a date, presumably her date of birth.

“And this,” she pointed at a round, silver fob, pressing a latch to open it. “Was my dad’s compass.” She pressed it into his hand.

Old Earth tech. With its iridescent blue center and fine detail on the dial, it was a beautiful piece of art, like his woman.

“Where I live—” She bit her lip. “Um, where I used to live, there were a lot of places to hike and camp. And get lost. My dad made sure I knew how to use a compass.”

“Your father is an intelligent man.”

“Yes, he was. Both my parents were great.”

“They died.”

She nodded. “Car accident. Drunk driver on the Golden Gate Bridge. They...weren’t the only casualties.”

He handed her the compass, pausing to press their palms together around the metal, in a gentle sign of support. She placed it next to the necklace then waved her hand over several other items.

“Pens, my journal, stickie notes, calendar, keys to my house, car, and business. Wallet with useless money and credit cards in it. Empty reusable water bottle. Hand sanitizer.” A heavy sigh escaped her. “That’s about it.”

In the ensuing silence, he observed how she gazed at the seemingly inane items with such longing and heavy despair, and he understood. “It is all you have left of your loved ones and your home.”

“Exactly that, Kaden.”

He stroked her lower back, tracing his fingertips along her spine, up and down over the knobby protrusions, the vertebrae too pronounced from her captivity. That was something he could remedy during their time together. No matter how brief it might be. An asteroid settled on his chest.

“Why are there tiny creatures atop your writing utensils? And on that strap?” He asked, seeking to lift her mood.

“Cats, Kaden, those are cats. I bought the pens in Japantown. Same with the lanyard. The black kitty cat is one of my favorite anime kitties from the Hello K—”

She chuckled. “It’s just art I like. We can leave it at that.”

Fair enough. He snared her by the waist and drew her across his lap, holding her against his chest.

She squeaked in surprise but didn’t attempt to pull away, which pleased him immensely.

“The keys... Tell me about your home and place of business, if you do not mind.”

She snuggled closer, burrowing her head against the side of his neck. “My house is awesome. It’s up on a hill in a neighborhood called Noe Valley. The view from my room on the top floor is amazing. After my parents, after they, you know...my two best friends moved in with me. We finished college together then opened a cat rescue and sanctuary.”

“You like animals.”

“Love them. And my inheritance was more than enough to start my own business to help the San Francisco kitties needing a home.”

Kaden sent Trace a message to set up a Terran bank account for Calie and load it with more universal currency than she could possibly ever require, then track down and secure an unattached feline or two for his woman. “They have felines on Terra.”

“They do?” The hint of hope in her voice tightened his gut.

“Yes. Perhaps you could help the Terrans with their feline population, in some capacity.”

“That would be nice.”

She sounded a bit excited but also a dark note colored her tone.

“But...?” he prompted.

Silence for several heartbeats, and he simply waited her out, enjoying the weight of her, slight as it was, on his legs, her heat permeating his torso.

“You won’t be there,” she whispered.

Kaden wanted to roar in triumph. Shout out into the universe. Instead, he kept his excitement to himself and pushed her a little further. “And how does that make you feel?”

“Sad.”

“Yet, you will not change your mind and stay with us?” He willed her to relent, choose the path with him on it, but she shook her head, brushing her braids over his armor.

“I can’t. I won’t. Staying on Terra, for now, is the right thing to do. For everyone involved.”

Damn it. “Then we must make the most of the time the journey affords us.” He gave into his desire and lifted her head to plunder her lips.

She sighed against his mouth, and he seized the moment to deepen their kiss, pleased when she wrapped her arms around his neck and repositioned herself to straddle his lap.

Right on top of his hard dick.

She rubbed against his length, and his hips bucked upward and fuck , he wished he’d already taken off his damn armor.

“Take off your stuff,” she echoed his thought and rolled off him to the side. “I need you.”

Pride puffed out his chest as he disrobed fast and furious, careful to keep his weapons far from his woman, placing them in quick succession on the wall shelf above the bed. The rest of his gear flew off to random points in the room, clattering against the flooring.

His cock sprung free, bobbing and throbbing under her steady stare, and when she licked her lower lip, a drop of precum escaped his tip. In one lithe move, Calie repositioned herself in between his outstretched legs. With her hands gripping the tops of his taut thighs she leaned forward to nuzzle his length with her cheek, rubbing against him, up and down, over and over, as if she were one of those felines she cared for so much, marking her territory.

Fine with him. More than fine. I am hers. Always. Whether she is with me. Or not.

Her lips slid along the side of him, the warm, silken sensation of her mouth blasting further thoughts from his mind. Then she licked him from his base to the tip. Once. Twice. A third time.

Fuuuuuckkkk... Kaden’s eyes rolled back into his head, and she kept up those long, languid strokes with the flat of her velvety tongue. Nothing had prepared him for the sensation of such attention from his mate. For the emotion it flooded into his system.

He grunted and ground his teeth together, hands fisted at his sides. The universe knew he wanted to grab her, flip her over, and penetrate her sweet center, take them both to a roaring climax— right the fuck now —but instead, he waited. Watched. Drowned happily in the best fucking experience of his long, long life.

Calie glanced up at him, her lips a hair’s breadth from his tip, and he let her see his lust, his need for her. His admiration, and yes, his love. It didn’t matter how short a time they’d known each other, every biological and cybernetic piece of him loved this woman beyond all measure.

A sultry smile curled her lips upward. She sucked in a breath then blew it out, so damn slowly, tickled his head with its warmth, while her fingers curled around the base of his dick, a firm pressure. Every damn muscle in his body tightened, trembled. Begged him to move.

Then she took him into her mouth.

“Calie.” Her name escaped him on a groan.

He palmed the top of her head as she bobbed up and down on his length, the slick slide and glide into her mouth taking him to new heights of pleasure.

Her fingers flexed and tightened on the part of him she couldn’t take inside, the dual sensations rocketing his lust higher and higher. When she cupped his balls with her other hand, his hips jerked and his tip hit the back of her throat.

“Fuck!” He fisted her silken braids and urged her head upward until she released him with an audible pop.

A pretty pout decorated her swollen, glistening lips. “I want you to come in my mouth.”

He blinked, and had he been human he might have questioned his hearing. Being a cyborg, he knew with one hundred percent certainty that she’d uttered those sensual words.

“As you wish, my mate.”

“Mate...” she murmured, casting him a curious look before swallowing him down once more.

He found himself incapable of stillness as she took him deep, his hips rocking up and back, matching her rhythm on his dick. Pleasure and pressure built at the base of his spine, spreading outward. He was close. He fisted her braids, encouraging her to glide faster, firmer, harder. She hummed and swallowed around his length. Then her hand worked some magic on his balls, and he was flying.

Calie gripped his hips, her fingernails digging into his skin as he arched his spine and shot jet after jet down her throat. Her mouth stuffed with his cock, she swallowed and moaned, causing him to release again and again, until finally he collapsed against the wall, muscles lax from head to toe. He patted her head, and his clever little mate eased back, releasing his length to let it rest against his abs.

She kissed it, a gentle touch, and the sensation of it tore a sizzling path through his system. His dick hardened.

In a blink he had her flat on her back. In another blur of speed, he divested her of her clothes, sending them off to float to the floor around the resting platform.

She gazed up at him with passion-filled blue eyes, cheeks pink. Soft puffs of warm air escaping her lips. Lips swollen from pleasuring him.

Freed from her leggings and boots, she wrapped her legs around his hips. “Give it to me, Kaden. I want it all.”

He stroked her folds, her skin damp with her desire, teased her opening to find more dampness dripping from within her. He marveled at the evidence of her desire shimmering on his fingertips. She’d enjoyed pleasuring him, as he did her. He positioned himself at her center.

“You shall have it all, my mate.”