Chapter 9

Iblinked open my eyes and knew a moment's disorientation. The air smelled so much of sex I would've assumed I'd attended an orgy. But I was in my quarters on the ship, not my brothel on Nor. Or the observation deck where Alam's mating celebration had taken place. That had been a good night full of?—

With a gasp, I lifted my head as memories returned. "Squire?"

"He's bathing," Layleen said. "As you should be."

I slapped a hand over my cock as I sat up, and then winced both because it wasn't sheathed and because my hand landed in a puddle of still-sticky come. In fact, I was covered with the stuff. Goddess but Squire was as insatiable as I was.

Layleen was across the room peeking under cloches at the food Squire and I had ordered over the past…couple of days? I wasn't certain how long we had been entwined with each other and ignoring the world.

"Seriously," Layleen said, "go bathe. You are needed."

"Needed?"

I stood up, grabbing the sheet to toss around me for modesty's sake, only to discover the tip of my tail was stuck to the back of my knee. Squire had used it to masturbate himself, leaking all over my tail and his fist. That had been a sight to see.

"Ghosha."

"Hmm?"

"I said that your departure from Earth inspired others to accept and transport volunteers. There are now two thousand humans in a brand-new barracks in the bowels of the ship. You need to decide what to do about transportation to Nor sooner than we had planned."

I groaned, having forgotten entirely about my duties. How could I consider work when Squire had been on his knees between my legs and learning how to swallow my cock. That beautiful mouth…

Something bounced off my head, making me flinch.

"Focus!" Layleen snapped. "Or I will take over, and you know how dictatorial I can get."

I faced her fully as I nodded and clutched the sheet to my chest. Worlds would tremble if my assistant ever truly took it into her head to rule. I cleared my throat. "An abundance of volunteers… I assume Alam has had some choice words for the situation, and a certain segment of human politicians are even more incensed than they were?"

"Correct," she said with a smile that made me shiver. "Now go bathe, debauch your mate, bathe again, and then present yourself to his highness as soon as possible." She planted her hands on her hips and frowned at me. "Can I assume you've explained things to Squire by now?"

"Yes," I answered quickly. "He is aware of everything."

I couldn't help smiling as I remembered the number of times he'd called me his mate like it was a term of endearment between us. He liked to whisper it in my ear especially while he rubbed his lithe body against my fur and shivered with desire.

"Ghosha!"

I flinched and hustled toward the lavatory. Layleen was rattling things and moving about, so I assumed she was going to see to the room—or get someone else to do it for her. Better to leave her to it and get clean before she tossed me into the bath.

Of course the instant I opened the door and was met with a steam-filled room and a wet Squire, my good intentions abandoned me. Goddess, he was beautiful. And the smile he sent my way was so full of happiness that it nearly stopped my heart.

"Are you coming in?"

I dropped the sheet and stepped under the rain-like spray with him. His wicked fingers immediately helped the water saturate my fur, massaging it in all the way to my skin. All thoughts of duties and responsibilities vanished from my mind as Squire reached up and smoothed the water from my face. He was exploring me, his fingers and eyes following my stripes or my muscles, tracking over every inch of me. I had to brace a hand against the wall when he reached for the liquid soap.

"I could do this all day," he murmured as he lathered the fur of my chest and belly. He giggled when he soaped my cock, making me moan. "You're scratching the tiles."

I was indeed. I tried to retract my claws, but Squire moved in close so he could reach around and wash my back and ass. I had to brace my other hand on the opposite wall when he started heading down my legs. A wicked grin curled his lips as he looked up at me. I wasn't sure if I smiled or snarled back at him. For a virgin, he certainly knew how to rile me.

When he stood back up and rinsed his hands behind him, I saw that his cock was flushed and fully erect. Not a single thought went through my mind as I grabbed him by his waist and hoisted him up. Squire hollered in surprise, his hands landing on my head, as his legs kicked out, his thighs spread wide. Pressing him against the wall, I opened up and swallowed his cock to the root.

"Fuck!" he yelled just before he grabbed my ears. It didn't hurt and I loved the way he used them to pull me closer.

With my eyes open, I realized my claws were poking into his flanks. He wasn't bleeding—I hadn't broken the skin—but I could and that was unacceptable. I pulled back to release his cock and took a moment to hook his legs over my shoulders. His muscles trembled, and he massaged my ears, as I gazed up at him before diving back in to suck him off.

"Aw, god, that's good," he said as his hips bucked up just a bit. "I never imagined…"

I hummed in possessive approval because I was the one to show him every pleasure. That I was his only lover. I could've sworn that my heart beat a steady tattoo of mine-mine-mine. I closed my eyes and concentrated on bringing him off.

The sounds out of Squire, the way he tried to thrust, and how he tugged at my ears sent a relentless course of thrilling possession cascading through me. My mate, pleasured and pleased by me. I'd never been so focused on my partner before, so driven to make everything about them. Whether I came or not didn't matter—he was everything.

"Ghosha!"

I sucked and swallowed as Squire came in my mouth, his warm essence flowing down my throat. When he whined, I pulled off with a pop and licked my lips. Looking up at him, I smiled at how flushed and panting he was. How undone I'd made him.

"You're…r-really good at that," he said before he shivered.

I carefully eased him down. "You inspire me," I said as I helped him find his feet.

He was staring at my cock in its desperately turgid state, and then he looked up, blinked, and turned to face the wall. It took everything in me not to pounce him when he braced his hands on the tiles, widened his stance, and stuck his plump little ass out. His innocent face peering over his shoulder at me, had me groaning as I crowded close against his back.

Pressing my cock into the dip at the base of his spine, I rested my arms on the wall and caged him in. "When I do take you for the first time," I said as I rubbed my cock against his slick skin, "I'll do it like this. I'll hold you down and fill your sweet body with every last inch of my cock."

Squire stared up at me, biting his bottom lip, and rocking his hips with me. "Why can't you do it now?"

His eagerness added to my desire, bringing release ever closer. "You deserve a slow initiation done with care and…patience. Not something that must conclude b-before the water…runs cold." My orgasm slammed into me, and I bucked Squire into the wall as I came all over his back.

I didn't have much of an opportunity to calm since the water did begin to cool then. Both of us quickly washed a second time before exiting. I smiled to think Layleen had been right about the order of events.

Only once I was standing before the blessedly warm dryers did I remember why I had actually come in here in the first place. That the news media was discussing everything didn't bother me—I was growing used to that—but that we were filling the ship with human volunteers was an issue. Transportation to Nor seemed unavoidable. A ship was ready, of course, and merely needed to be called, arrive, dock to accept a transfer of passengers, and then return home again. The entire process would take a few days at most.

Squire laughed at himself in the mirror, his hands hovering over his disheveled hair. The dryers had fluffed it, spiking up thick brown locks in every direction.

"I like it," I told him.

He smiled at me as he pointed at the counter. "Will any of these make it stay like this?"

"I don't have any products meant for hair, but I'm sure we can procure some for you."

"I'll ask Layleen about it. I'll need clothes, too."

I went to the wall behind us and lifted the door. "She's already thought of everything," I said as I drew out a folded set of clothing in a size far too small for me. There two spray bottles—one for hair and one for odor—as well as a pair of shoes.

"Oh, she's good." Squire looked enchanted as he accepted everything. Since his tunic was a rich dark gray, I selected my own to match him.

Dressed and styled, we left the lavatory to find Layleen sprawled on one of the couches, eating a snack and watching some sort of human television show on a monitor. Gold-bedecked women were discussing some event with a great deal of finger pointing and yelling. Layleen looked fully engaged, and I hesitated to interrupt.

Squire had no such sense of self-preservation. He happily skipped over to her and swooped in to hug her. "Thank you so much for the clothes and toiletries!" he gushed before dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, you sweet little thing," she cooed and patted his back. "I'm happy to help."

What was happening? Had my mate somehow charmed and disarmed Layleen? I stayed where I was and kept silent lest I ruin the moment.

Layleen turned off the monitor, and Squire helped her to her feet.

"I've decided that you're going to be my assistant," she said to him, "and then my replacement when I go on leave for the babies."

Squire gasped. "Are you sure? I've never been an assistant before."

"Don't worry." She took his hand and tucked him against her side. "There's plenty of time to get you properly trained."

He was all smiles as he simply said, "Okay!"

Resigned to have no opinion on this development, I followed them out of the room and into the corridor. As we walked down to Alam's quarters, I watched as they spoke about Squire's new duties. Apparently, I needed to accept the fact that my adorable little mate would be trained to run my life by the tyrant who currently did just that. Life had just become a great deal more interesting.