Chapter 45

My teeth crunched on my sweater tie as I picked at the sheets. We were nearing Kal’s planet. The closer we got, the harder time I had breathing. Being with Kal didn’t scare me; rather, I worried about what living on another planet would be like. How would I get along with his family? Would we be able to stay mated?

Kal flopped on the bed behind me, yanking me onto his lap. He bit my neck, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention, then licked it. “My Husband, it will be alright.”

“I’m freaking out.”

He paused, and I knew ‘freaking’ probably hadn’t translated well. Kal said, “It will all be fine.”

“What’s going to happen tomorrow?”

“We’ll dock at the space station. A group of guards will meet us, and you, Lucy, and I will take a private shuttle to the palace. We will have the night to get situated before meeting my family.”

“And Lucy?”

“It will be the same as here. A force field will surround our quarters. NAID will be uploaded to my system, since I’m overseeing the project on her. There is also the matter of the scientists not wanting to unite her with the main hub, as she’s showing independence. But NAID will keep Lucy safe.”

“Alright.”

“The Admiral Ven is going to be shut down for a few months while it’s finished and a new NAID is installed.”

“What’s going to happen to Captain Talvax and Urgg?” I asked.

“They’ll be transferred to a new ship, or she’ll request desk duty until the Admiral Ven is finished.”

Our little home of a few months wasn’t going to be here. Well, it would be, but we wouldn’t be here.

“I think I’ll miss it here,” I said.

“We can come back someday.”

Clutching his hand, I asked, “You’ll stay with me tomorrow, right?”

“I won’t leave your side for even a moment. I promise.”

“I’m going to miss you,” Urgg said, hugging me. I swear my bones creaked from the force of their tight grasp.

Patting their back, I squeaked, “Air.”

Urgg released me. “Sorry. I’m just going to miss you so much.”

“You’re going to be on the same planet with me for a few months,” I commented. Talvax had decided to wait for the Admiral Ven to be redone rather than have a new assignment.

“That’s true.” They wiped the tears away. “But we won’t be on the same ship.”

“We’ll be in the same city. We can still see each other every day.”

“It’s not the same,” they warbled, smacking my back and sending me reeling.

Stretching, I glanced at Wyn who stood beside me. He was going to join the research team regarding NAID’s independence. I would see him all the time, which was unbelievably nice. Urgg, Wyn, and NAID were my first friends in a very long time, but they were more than that—they were my family.

I fisted my hands in the pockets of my hoodie. “We’re friends, right?”

Urgg said, “We drank together. Next time, we’ll bleed and puke together. It binds people. We’re comrades, friends, and siblings.”

“Not how I would put it,” Wyn remarked dryly, “but they’re right. You’re not getting rid of us, Seth.”

Smiling, I, for once, was looking forward to my future.

A flashing light woke me up, and I rolled over. Seth was stretched out beside me. It had been hard to get him to fall asleep last night, but after a while, he’d finally succumbed. Today would be stressful, but we would make it.

Laying partially on top of him, I pressed a gentle kiss on his shoulder blade. Seth released a deep breath but didn’t wake up. Softly, I murmured against his neck, “Husband.”

Seth sighed, moving, but his breathing remained steady. I rubbed my nose along his back. As I nibbled up his spine to the side of his neck, my soul pounded in my ears. My Seth was perfect. No force in this universe would take him from me.

“Kal,” Seth groaned. “We don’t have time.”

“I will always have time for you.” My mouth latched onto the side of his neck, biting and sucking. Seth moaned. After a bit, I shifted back, pleased with the mark I’d left.

Seth rolled over. “Where did you learn that?”

“One of your shows. We don’t mark like that.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

My head tilted to the side, making my hair fall around his face. “That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“It is. Of the highest order.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Kissing me, Seth said, “It is, Babe. I don’t want anyone else.”

I growled, pinning him to the bed, claiming his lips. His hands traveled up my back, finding my wings and caressing the delicate membrane. His hips ground against mine, rocking.

“What about time?” I asked, breathless.

“You said you’d make time for me,” he panted beneath me, his cock hard against my thigh.

Kissing him, I rolled, so he was on top, tail hooked about his ankle. The day and its issues would take care of themselves, but right now, all that mattered was Seth.

“I will make you feel good,” Seth muttered against my lips.

“I have no doubt. Now, stop talking.”

He easily complied, mouth on mine. He licked my lower lip, and I opened for him. His silky tongue caressed mine as he slid a hand down my chest before grabbing my cock. I groaned. He circled my shaft and pumped me from base to tip. I rutted into his grasp, grunting.

Seth pulled his lips from mine, and I tried to recapture them, reluctant for the kiss to end. He pressed hard kisses against my jaw and down my neck. His touch became whisper-soft, each one making me harder, painfully so. Pre-seed welled on the tip of my cock, spilling over. Seth slowed down, painstakingly kissing his way to my hips, and his fingers caressed my balls.

I jerked under him, desperate. Seth grinned at me, kissing my hip bones, teasing me.

“Mate,” I begged, my voice breathless. I needed his mouth on me. It felt like I would burst if he didn’t touch me.

He ignored my plea, nibbling and kissing around my cock until he reached my balls. Seth took one into his mouth, rolling his tongue around it. I whimpered. He took the other one into his mouth, giving it the same gentle treatment.

“Seth,” I snarled.

“What do you want?”

“You.”

“You have me.”

I panted. “Suck me.”

His pink tongue lapped up the pre-seed on the tip of my cock. Seth groaned. “You taste so damn delicious,” he bit out before licking my slit.

Growls escaped my lips when he swirled his tongue around the sensitive head of my cock. He lowered, sucking me while he gently squeezed and tugged on my balls. I jerked, trying to keep my hips from thrusting into the warm heat of his mouth.

His fingers moved from my balls to my hole. He circled my rim in slow movements, sending sparks of electricity to my cock. My balls tightened, and I grunted. My orgasm swelled closer and closer, threatening to tip me over.

He sucked up and off me, and I growled. I was close. My cock was hard to the point it was painful. I wiggled, hoping he would come back.

Instead, Seth ordered, “On your hands and knees.”

I shifted onto all fours, and my tail whipped back and forth, wings spreading instinctively. Seth kissed both of my butt cheeks before snagging my tail. His fingers dragged over the length, making me swallow as shocks went up my spine. Seth pressed a kiss where my tail connected to my spine, and I cried out his name at the tingly sensation.

Seth lifted my tail and licked the base, making me shake and my breath quicken. My cock felt as hard as a rock. I whimpered, wordlessly begging him, but Seth kept licking and kissing my tail as pre-seed dripped from my cock, splattering onto the bed. He pushed my legs wider, and I complied, ass clenching. He continued to kiss my tail, though he began to pump my length, sending bolts of sensitivity up my spine until my breath was harsh and my hips arched toward him.

“Wrap your tail around me, Babe.”

My tail curled up his arm, out of the way. Seth kissed my cheeks, nipping on them. I jolted. “Mate. Husband. Please.”

He caressed my thighs moments before something wet swiped against my rim, and I growled, shoving back against Seth. His tongue mercilessly licked my hole as he pumped my cock with rhythmic jerks. I couldn’t stop the pants mixed with growls escaping my lips. My tail squeezed his arm, desperate to bring him even closer to me.

He swiped his tongue from my balls to my ass, then back again.

“Please,” I begged.

“What?” he asked before licking the pucker of my ass.

“Fuck me.”

Seth bit one of my ass cheeks. “Soon.”

He opened the bottle of lube. I could hear him squirt some out but couldn’t see anything from my position. One of his fingers probed my ass and I pushed so he easily sank inside. I groaned at the warmth that began to swell at the invasion. I needed more. He slid the digit in and out, and my hips jerked to meet his movements automatically while my tail strangled his arm.

“More,” I demanded.

A second, shortly followed by a third, finger entered me. I was grunting as his fingers rammed in and out of me, stretching me. Seth brushed the perfect spot deep within me, drawing a cry from my lips. His fingers kept returning to that cluster of nerves with ease.

I groaned. Pleasure radiated down my cock, making more pre-seed leak out. With every touch, I moaned and my muscles clenched with need. Seth kissed my spine and continued to fuck me with his fingers. My breath turned harsh. I bowed my head; my ass lifted toward him, changing the angle.

It wasn’t enough. “You, Husband. I want you.”

His fingers slipped out of me, and I couldn’t stop the cry that came out of my lips from the sudden emptiness, though it only lasted a moment because I felt the head of his cock notch against my ass. He slid in with little resistance. My hole stretched as he slowly entered, filling me. I grunted when his hips slammed into me. A wave of hot arousal crashed over me, making me tremble. I was so full. Perfectly full.

He held my hips in a bruising grip and stayed perfectly still, allowing me time to adjust to his girth, which I didn’t need, but he always forgot no matter how many times he fucked me. I rocked back into him.

Voice rough, he asked, “Are you alright, Babe?”

“Yes. Fuck me.”

He began to thrust into me in long, slow strokes that made me shake. Each time, Seth hit that spot, making my cock jerk as well as sending bolts of pleasure down my length. I pressed back, meeting each movement.

“Fuck, Kal,” Seth muttered. “You’re so tight and hot.”

I panted. “Harder,” I said, unable to get more than a word out. I was close, painfully so. My hole squeezed around his cock and my muscles tightened.

Seth grunted, movements turning faster until he was pounding me, my scales and his skin slapping together in a wet symphony. I snarled, tail squeezing his arm. My wings flared, but I drew them back, unwilling to risk harming Seth. His weight draped over me, lips caressing my back, and his hips continued to slam into me.

“Kal,” he moaned. “I love you.”

Light gathered under my scales. “I love you too.”

He rutted into me, ripping a snarl from my throat. I put most of my weight on my elbows, head in the pillow, arching toward him, and loud moans continuously escaped my mouth.

His movements grew rougher and jerkier as he neared his release. I tried to stroke myself because I wanted to come with him, but I couldn’t support my weight and jerk myself. Seth let go of one of my hips and grabbed me. His hand slid up and down my shaft in time with his rolling hips.

Breathless growls escaped me as my climax overtook me, sending sparks along my nerves and making my muscles tense. I erupted on the bed, my ass clenching around Seth. He moaned. One, two, three more pumps, then I felt his cock jerk inside me and he was coming, spilling his hot seed.

I collapsed onto the bed, ignoring the wet spot on the sheets. Seth flopped next to me. He nuzzled the space between my wings, kissing the delicate scales there.

Rolling over, I found his lips. Our kiss was slow and gentle, both of us satisfied. I palmed his ass and ran my tongue over his. After a moment, Seth buried his head against my neck. My tail coiled up his leg and my arms held him close as we lay there, panting.

I rubbed a towel over Seth’s hair. We were late, but I didn’t care. Seth was my only priority.

“It will be alright, my Seth. I promise.”

He gripped my arm. “You won’t leave me?”

“I will be right beside you the whole time.”

The panic did not lessen in his eyes.

I tugged Seth onto my lap, and his damp skin pressed against my scales. “You will be safe,” I said. “I know this is a lot, but trust me, Husband. I won’t abandon you. You are mine, and I am yours. Now and forever.”

“I trust you.”

The words made my soul pound. I had earned my mate’s trust, and I would not fail him.

I gripped Kal’s hand as if my life depended on it. Noises buzzed in my ears and the lights were too bright. I couldn’t focus on anything around me. Everything was too much. We were on the space station orbiting his home planet, but I couldn’t make myself look around. I pressed against Kal’s side, trusting him. He would take care of me and Lucy.

We moved through the station, me blindly following him until we reached a shuttle. Kal pushed me toward the back of the shuttle and set Lucy, who was in a carrier-type container, on a seat before nudging me down next to her.

“You’re so cold,” he said.

Not even my bulky hoodie could warm me up. I stared at Kal, unable to get the words out of my strangled throat.

“Tell me what you need. Anything. Anything at all.”

“You,” I whispered, voice low and rough. “Hold me.”

Kal tugged me onto his lap, arms squeezing me as his tail wound up my calf. “I have you.”

I pressed into his hold, shaking. The world was swirling around me. Everything was too much. I felt like there was no air left. Black spots floated in my vision. Kal’s chest vibrated against my back, but all I heard was white noise drowning everything else out. I was adrift in the wind. Anchorless.

Something squeezed me even tighter.

Kal.

I took a deep breath, focusing on the heat from his scales, the softness of my hoodie, the sound of his voice against my ear, the stale air of the shuttle mixed with his spicy scent, and the vibration as we sailed to the planet. It was all there, grounding me.

Kal rocked me side to side. “I’m here.”

I couldn’t respond.

His breath rushed over the back of my neck in the first sigh I’d ever heard from him. Kal whispered, “Stay with me.”

“I’m right here, Kal. I’m holding on.”

The vibration increased when it started to land. My breathing sped up, and my heart skipped a beat.

His face mashed into my neck and his hold tightened. “We’re landing.”

We were going to be on his home planet. With his family. With some magical Crystal that had changed my life. My heart threatened to burst out of my ribcage. It was too much. Panting, I searched for an exit, any exit, but there was none.

Something sharp latched onto my neck, not hurting me but drawing my focus. Kal licked the place he’d bit. “Focus on me, Husband.”

“It’s too much.”

“Right now, all we”re doing is landing, then we’ll go to our quarters. You, me, and Lucy. One thing at a time.”

One thing at a time. One moment to the next. All I had to do was focus on my next action, and I would survive.

The ship bobbed one last time as it landed. Kal bit me again before shifting me off his lap. He snagged Lucy’s carrier, and she meowed unhappily. I pressed into his side, ignoring everything, and we stepped out of the shuttle.

“Seth, look. We’re home,” Kal whispered.

A towering building made from metal and glass stood in front of me. The spires twisted up into the air like dragon tails. Multiple balconies without railings covered the structure, and drakcol flew from level to level. Trees, plants, and flowers grew in every available space. It was beautiful.

“This is the palace, my home.”

“This?” I asked, gesturing to the massive building.

“Yes, and this is the capital.” Kal turned me around, and my mouth fell open.

A city sprawled before me filled with thousands of tall buildings. Most were made from the same metal and glass, and dark specks, drakcol, flew through the air. It was breathtaking, overwhelming, but most of all—alien.