Chapter 11

Zerien

A s soon as the hatch's doors parted open, I burst out of the airlock and rushed my mate. She squealed in a mix of surprise and amusement when I all but crushed her in my embrace. My visceral reaction would be deemed embarrassing and even irrational considering I had known for hours that she was out of any danger. But I couldn't help it.

I claimed her lips in a brutal kiss that also broadcast the depth of the distress I felt when those sirens first went off, and I heard her ship was under attack. This stupid incident really drove in what an unstable environment I was dragging the love of my life into. I've just gotten her back after far too many agonizing days of separation, and yet the thought of exposing her to further harm had me wondering if maybe it would be wiser to crush my selfish need for her and send my soulmate back to the safety of her father's house.

With much reluctance I released her only to cup her face with both hands and study the perfection of her features as if I was seeing her for the first time.

"I'm fine, Zerien," Siona said in a slightly chastising voice laced with amusement and a soft undertone of tenderness.

I glared at her, biting back the angry words burning my tongue as they weren't aimed at her but at the vermin who had dared to threaten her and who attempted to take her away from me.

By the way her face further softened, she guessed exactly what thoughts were coursing through my mind. That was one of the many things I loved about her. Where many other people—especially females—would have perceived my angry demeanor as an imminent threat to themselves, spurring them to cower in fear, my beloved was in perfect sync with my emotions, instinctively understanding where I truly stood.

Ancestors, how I love her!

"Pack your things," I grumbled. "We're making the journey back on my ship."

Siona opened her mouth to argue. I didn't know what expression was plastered all over my face, but it appeared to deter her from saying whatever she initially intended. She pursed her lips and gave me a stiff nod before giving a sideways glance at Captain Baldur, standing a couple of meters to the side. By his displeased look, he also didn't seem to agree with my demand but thankfully didn't challenge me.

Nevertheless, shamed by my rudeness at not having at least acknowledged him since my arrival, I mumbled a greeting which he returned in kind.

"We will help transport her belongings to your vessel. However, we will escort your ship to Sarenia," Baldur said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Under different circumstances, I might have taken offense to it. But knowing my mate's father, he would skin his captain alive should he find out Baldur had not escorted Siona all the way to her final destination, as per his original command.

It was my turn to nod stiffly.

We made quick work of this chore. I wanted to be alone with my mate and drop the need for an appearance of stoicism I didn't feel.

I brought her directly to my quarters and bit my tongue not to yell at the crew to make haste as they showed far too much care in how they handled her belongings—which, to be fair, would be deemed the appropriate level of care. I just had no patience for any of it.

As soon as the door finally closed behind them, I dragged Siona to my sitting area. I dropped onto the couch and pulled her into my lap. She came willingly and didn't resist as I once more embraced her. My fingers intertwined in the silky strands of her long, silver-white hair and my face buried in her neck, I inhaled her scent deeply. An immense sense of peace, of being whole again washed over me as I tightened my hold around her slender body. We remained like this in a comfortable silence, just reveling in each other's presence.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, my love," I whispered at last against her neck.

She chuckled softly and caressed my arm holding her. "I can only promise to kick the butt of anyone who tries to kidnap me again."

I snorted and pressed a kiss to her pulsating artery before lifting my head to look at her stunning face.

"Fair enough. You were amazing," I said with genuine awe. "I don't know how many times I viewed the recording of your encounter with that fiend. You were so stoic and assertive! Many seasoned warriors would have been stressed under similar circumstances."

She lifted her chin with the most adorable smugness.

"In case you didn't know, I am properly battle trained. Mercy, my brother Tevek, and Dad, among others, thoroughly trained me both in the arena and on the holodeck. Once I got good enough, I started training the Guldan females who have joined my brother's rebels."

I nodded. "Yes, I was aware of that, but I'd never seen you in action before. This was pleasantly unexpected."

"A part of me wants to feel offended that you didn't think me this proficient. But I know that Sarenian females do not fight—something I seriously want to change," she added in a far more serious tone. "While I wouldn't call myself bloodthirsty, I generally enjoy fighting and leading in battle. And as a proper Braxian, I have no mercy for my enemies."

She made a face at me when I lifted a somewhat dubious eyebrow at that final statement. I meant no disrespect but struggled with the thought of my young and delicate mate being ruthless.

To my surprise, her face hardened. "Do not underestimate me, Zerien. I have been helpless my entire youth, constantly living in fear and watching my mother forced to accept abuse after abuse just so that she could live another day to protect me. The ability to fight is power, is control over my own life and destiny. Never again will I be a victim unable to fend for herself. Anyone comes at me, and I will come right back at them a thousandfold."

The fierce savagery that burned in her emerald eyes had blood rushing to my groin. There was something incredibly sexy about this darker edge.

"You know, my father called it," I said pensively while caressing her right black horn.

"What did he call?" she asked with an inquisitive look.

"He said Krygor was giving me a Warrior Queen, a general to lead my army. It struck me as ludicrous, but now I'm realizing it's not such a far-fetched thought after all. And considering what the future has in store for us, it may be exactly what I need."

She beamed at me and rubbed her nose against mine before gently kissing my lips. "There are many things I may not be able to help you with—at least in these early days—but on this I am confident I can do you proud."

"You always make me proud, Siona," I said forcefully. "You don't understand just how amazing you are."

She smiled timidly before trying—and somewhat failing—to take on a cocky expression. "I am indeed awesome. But I owe Mercy a lot. She gave me the confidence that my people had robbed me of. She proved to me that being a female doesn't make me weak or inferior. I'm sorry I allowed stupid insecurities to create a wedge between us. But all this reminded me that biology does not determine my worth, or if I'm good enough to be your Queen. I love you. Even though I might go through some other moments of weakness, never again will I allow my insecurities to come between us. You are my soulmate. Whatever adversity Fate throws at us, we'll face it together."

"My Siona," I whispered, my heart overflowing with the depth of emotions I never thought possible. "Fuck, I missed you! You are my everything."

Our lips connected, and my mate melted against me. The flame of desire instantly ignited in the pit of my stomach. I tried to silence it, not wanting her to think lust was all that animated me when in her presence. But Siona appeared struck by the same fire. She shifted from sitting sideways in my lap to straddling me, her knees resting on the couch on each side of me.

She fisted my hair on my nape and deepened the kiss with a hunger that had me instantly hard. As much as I liked to dominate in the bedroom, seeing her assert herself like this, openly expressing her desires was the biggest turn on. I so feared my strong Sarenian sexual drive would frighten her, especially due to her inexperience. But my Siona was once again proving herself to be my perfect match.

As our tongues danced around each other, Siona slipped the sash crossing my chest down my left shoulder. Her free hand caressed my chest, her fingers quickly zeroing in on my left nipple. My female had a thing about them. She loved pinching, tweaking, and licking them—all of which I couldn't approve more of. My own hands glided over the round curves of her perfect behind before sneaking under her short, flowy skirt. While I usually loved feasting my eyes on her beauty whenever she wore those second-skin of a dress she strutted about in on Venus Hive, I enjoyed even more the ease of access provided by the looser outfits like the one she currently had on.

Despite the quickly growing throb between my thighs, I meant to take things slow. Sliding my right hand around her rump, I teased the seam of her slit with two fingers. Finding her already wet for me tore a needy growl out of my throat.

To my shock, Siona no sooner lowered my sash than she slipped a hand under the waist of my skirt. My gasp turned into an even deeper growl as the soft warmth of her palm rubbed over my cock. The wretched female smiled against my lips then used her wrist to lower the waist of my skirt, freeing my cock.

A bolt of lust erupted in the pit of my stomach when she closed her hand around my length, squeezing its base tightly before giving it a couple of strokes. I fisted Siona's hair on her nape and yanked her head back. I snarled at her. She held my gaze unwaveringly. The fire in her eyes had me nearly combusting. My mate lifted herself onto her knees and aligned my cock with her opening.

I further tightened my grip on her hair, hard enough for it to sting without causing true pain. She not only ignored my clear signal of wanting to reassert dominance in this exchange, but the little fiend doubled down. Baring her teeth, Siona used the head of my cock to move aside the narrow fabric of her thong then boldly impaled herself on it.

I hissed at the burn of her body's vain attempt at resisting this brutal invasion. Siona threw her head back as she cried out from that self-inflicted pleasure pain. The nails of her hand dug into the flesh of my chest, around the left nipple she'd still been teasing. The exquisite pain resonated straight in my cock.

Something snapped inside me.

Our reunion should have been tender, filled with gentle lovemaking and reconciliation. But the wild beast that raged within every Sarenian since the Korlethean experiment took over me with a vengeance. With a feral shout, I grabbed the round cheeks of her behind with both hands, my claws partially extruding. Without giving her the chance to adjust to my girth, I immediately set a punishing pace, thrusting upwards into her while lifting her rump with my hands before slamming her back down onto my cock.

I pumped into her hard and fast. An inferno raged in my loins as my mate filled my ears with sultry moans of pleasure-pain. I wanted to wreck her and lose myself in her for eternity or until my soul shattered into far too many pieces to ever be put back together. But her ridged inner walls were destroying me first. They undulated around my length, squeezing and massaging it even as I thrust into her. Liquid flames flooded through my veins, making my skin feverish, and igniting each of my nerve endings. My head spun, and my balls felt heavy, torturing me with an all-consuming need to erupt and fill my mate to the brim with my seed.

But I couldn't climax before Siona.

Just when I thought I would lose the battle, her inner walls clamped down on my cock as her orgasm slammed into her. I roared my release as my seed shot out with such force it left me reeling. My abdominal and thigh muscles contracted spasmodically, throwing off my rhythm. But while I filled my female, I continued to pump in and out of her.

Even after the last drop was spent, the fire in my loins didn't dampen. I didn't pull out of my mate. Although my erratic movements stabilized, I only paused long enough to rise to my feet. My cock still buried deep inside her, I reclaimed Siona's mouth in a passionate kiss as I carried her to my bed. I lowered her onto the mattress far less gently than I would have wanted, but the need to fuck her senseless was riding me too hard.

Without missing a beat, I slipped both my arms behind her knees, lifting them up against her chest. My left hand closed around her right forearm, while my right pinned her left wrist against the mattress above her head. With my mate thus trapped, wide open for me, and helpless but to take everything I gave her, I unleashed my passion on her.

The world around me vanished as I pounded into her. All that mattered was her, the supple softness of her body beneath me, the throaty sounds of her moans in my ears, and the searing feel of her around me, squeezing and caressing me with relentless greed.

Even trapped as she was, Siona loudly broadcast her impending climax by the frenzy with which her inner walls undulated around my cock, the increasingly faster short bursts of her breathing, the way her abdominal muscles contracted, and the trembling of her body. I released her wrist I'd kept pinned to the mattress over her head and grabbed her left horn. I gave it a solid tug, which earned me an approving moan. As soon as I pressed my thumb on the erogenous zone around its base, Siona emitted a sharp cry, and her body seized with such violence, she nearly knocked me off her.

To my shock, instead of collapsing back onto the mattress while flying high, Siona leaned forward at dizzying speed and bit my shoulder with such force, I wondered if she broke my skin.

Not that I would have minded.

But in that instant, a devastating orgasm crashed into me. I slammed myself deep inside my woman as lightning struck the base of my spine. I roared as a blinding light exploded before my eyes. My skin tingled, and the room spun as liquid bliss shot out of me in an endless flow.

I collapsed on top of my mate, completely wrecked. It wasn't until she stirred under me that I realized I was crushing her. I shifted to the side and looked at her beautiful face while the room started to settle around me. Siona was breathing heavily, her eyes all but rolling in her head, like someone fighting against sedation.

"My love, are you okay?" I asked, a sliver of worry slipping into my voice.

She blinked slowly, looking dazed, almost groggy as she tried to refocus on me. Her green eyes looked almost black they'd so darkened with passion. She gave me a slow smile, and a lustful glimmer sparked in her eyes.

"Give me a second to catch my breath, then I'll be ready for round three," she slurred.

I burst out laughing and gently brushed my lips against hers.

Ancestors smite me! I love this woman…