Chapter 2

KAMEER

The petite, golden-haired female is achingly beautiful. The loveliest female I’ve glimpsed during my time aboard the Jansonna . Not only that, but she smells delectable. I can easily detect the sweet pungency of her need, a delicious wetness between her thighs.

Her trembling increases and her eyes go wider. Afraid. She’s afraid of me. And yet… the scent of her excitement remains heavy in the air. Clearly, she is attracted to me. What a pity I can’t lawfully claim her at the moment. How I would enjoy stripping her clothes off and rutting her to completion.

Possessive thoughts swirl within me, a maelstrom of dark urges I long to satiate using the little female as my prey.

Is her name on the list of two thousand? I glance at the info screen where the names are still scrolling.

After years of solitude, years spent mourning Xersonna, the mate I lost during the war against the Yelltzins, I’ve been promised a human mate by Emperor Radakk himself. A reward for my service to the Darrvason Empire.

Perhaps I can arrange for this particular female to become mine.

My dual shafts harden at the prospect, and my scrotum commences a steady vibration.

I hold out my hand. “Deck Twenty’s corridors are safe now. Come and I will escort you to your abode. Are your quarters located on this deck?”

She glances at the floor beside her, and it’s then that I detect another scent. The repulsive aroma of a human male, to be precise. I growl, step around the counter, and point a blaster at a small unmoving form. Then I just as quickly lower the weapon. It’s a tiny, elderly man, and he’s asleep or perhaps unconscious. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d fainted from fear during the commotion. In any case, he doesn’t pose a threat. He’s no armed rebel fighter.

I attach the blasters, which I’d taken off the body of a dead security officer, to my work belt, then focus on the pretty female. She’s young, and I thrill at the realization that she’s likely in the nineteen to twenty-five age bracket. If I had to guess, based upon my observations of humans thus far, I would say she’s in her early twenties.

Mine mine mine.

She hasn’t spoken a word to me yet, and she’s still trembling with fear, but the dark possessiveness swells more urgently inside me, a violent wave of carnal need.

The ancestral markings that cover my chest tingle, and I think it must be a sign.

A sign from the Star Gods that this female is meant to belong to me.

I step closer and savor another long inhale of her sweetness.

“I am Chief Kameer,” I say, unable to keep the annoyance from my tone. I want to hear her voice, yet she hasn’t responded to my inquiries. I realize fear has likely frozen her tongue, but I am not used to being ignored. “What is your name, human female?”

Her lips part, and she draws in a shaky breath. “I am Mandy. Mandy Benton. I-I work in this salon.” She swallows hard and glances around the large room as though looking for an escape.

“Mannn-deee Bennn-tuhhnnn.” As I draw the syllables of her name out, my scrotum vibrates faster. I allow my gaze to peruse her body, checking for injuries while also admiring her lovely form. To my relief, I don’t see a scratch anywhere on her, nor do I smell blood. “Do you live here on Deck Twenty?”

She shakes her head. “No, no I don’t. Deck Twenty, and all the higher decks, are reserved for Founders and their descendants. I, um, just work here and serve the Founders. I live on Deck Fifteen.”

I glance at the updates on my wrist comm and frown. “The uprising hasn’t yet been quelled on Deck Fifteen, though no casualties have been reported there.”

“Oh. Then I suppose I should stay here.” She crosses her arms and takes a step away from me. “But I’m glad to hear there are no casualties. My parents and sister were having lunch in the Deck Fifteen mess hall.”

Ravenous urges seize me, as well as a fierce desire for companionship, and I step around the unconscious elderly man and grasp Mandy’s arm. I pull her close and study her fearful expression while reveling in the scent of her excitement.

How curious that she fears me yet responds to my nearness. I can’t help but wonder how she would react to pain. If I tugged her hair or bit her shoulder, would she gush moisture for me?

Touching this golden-haired human female feels like… coming home. That’s the only way I can describe it. An immense feeling of rightness .

Destiny.

“You’re shaking, pretty human.” I cup her face and allow my thumbs to trace the softness of her cheeks. “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”

She blinks fast and gulps. “Yes. Please, um, I don’t think you should be here. You shouldn’t be touching me like this. I assume you’re one of the new engineers who arrived to help us with additional repairs, but it’s my understanding that according to the treaty, you aren’t allowed to bother any human females while you’re aboard the Jansonna . You have to wait until the final two thousand women are handed over to your people after we reach 58-Z.”

“Ah, yes, technically I’m not supposed to bother any human females while I’m here. Yes, I know this.” I reach to stroke her hair, delighting in her soft tresses. “I’m not exactly known for following the rules, but my superiors tolerate my antics because I’m one of the most skilled engineers my people have ever known.”

Her eyes widen further. “Are you saying you’ve been… harassing women aboard the Jansonna and getting away with it?” Anger ignites in her gaze, and I bask in the loveliness of her fury while imagining all the creative methods I will use to tame her.

Poor little human female.

She has no idea the savagery that awaits her.

“No, Mandy, that is not what I’m saying.” I continue stroking her hair, and when she tries to retreat from my touch, I pin her to the counter, allowing my raging hard appendages to press against her stomach. “You are my first victim, you poor, poor thing.” I lean in and bury my nose in her hair. Star Gods, she smells divine.

She cries out and pushes at my chest, but no one comes to save her. Not the unconscious man and not any of the security officers who are nearby in the corridor. They must’ve seen me enter the business, but they know better than to interrupt whatever I’m doing.

“Don’t worry, my pretty human. I won’t hurt you. Not until we are mated, that is.” I pull back and meet her eyes. She’s brimming with a mix of fear and fury, and the slickness between her thighs smells more pungent than ever. Does she understand what’s happening to her body? I think about the hormone suppression shots the young women aboard the Jansonna received until very recently. Does she understand the newly unleashed cravings she’s experiencing?

“Mated?” She scoffs. “You must be mad. I’m not mating with you or any other Darrvason. I’m not on the list.”

My spirits darken, and my grip on her momentarily tightens. I glance over my shoulder at the info screen. A low growl emits from my throat. Fluxx . Not on the list? I’d thought nearly all the women in the nineteen to twenty-five age range would be on the list, though perhaps I am mistaken about Mandy’s age.

“How old are you?”

She lifts her chin. “None of your business.”

My shafts throb harder, and I smile as I release the female and step away. Her boldness is intoxicating. A challenge I’m ravenous to accept.

Fluxx . The voices of my Darrvason comrades reach me from the far end of the corridor, and I know they’ll come looking for me soon. Having no wish for another unmated male to be near Mandy, I resolve that I must leave her side. The thought of any other male venturing near enough to detect the sweet pungency of her excitement makes me murderous.

“I must leave now, but I will see you soon, pretty human. I’ll be watching, and I look forward to our next encounter.”

The shock in her eyes deepens, and she gives a slow shake of her head, as though not quite believing my statement.

But I mean every word.

I will be watching her, and I am eager to see her again. Very soon. Eager to get her alone, smell her, and touch her. To make her moan and whimper. To make her obey.

I find my comrades in the corridor and note that several of them also hold human blasters. Technically, we aren’t supposed to interfere with day-to-day security breaches on the Jansonna , but I doubt Captain Warren will dare to complain when we fought on the side he commands.

“Kill any human males during the scuffle?” I ask the group of engineers under my leadership as I finger the blasters attached to my belt. “I fear I lost count after exterminating the first twenty who crossed my path.”

The youngest of the crew, Ensign Harrek, goes pale and peers at me in shock. “We set the blasters to incapacitate the rebels so the security officers could safely take them into custody. Please tell me you didn’t actually kill any human males, Chief Kameer. I fear such behavior might jeopardize the alliance.” He makes a sweeping gesture with his hand to indicate the other ten engineers in the group. “Emperor Radakk has promised all of us human females as a reward for our service on the Jansonna . If you do something to break the treaty?—”

“Ensign Harrek, you blubbering fool,” Officer Gorrsum interrupts with a dramatic sigh. “Chief Kameer was joking. If you’re going to be part of our team, you must learn to adapt to the chief’s unique humor.”

The tips of Ensign Harrek’s ears darken, and he appears taken aback. Then he forces out the fakest laugh in the history of the Darrvason Empire. “Of course, of course! I too was… joking.”

Four human security officers rush down the corridor in our direction. I exchange a look with Gorrsum and we begin to collect the blasters from our comrades, knowing the security officers will want the pilfered weapons back.

After we return the weapons to the officers and inform them where the incapacitated rebels on Deck Twenty are located, as well as the locations of the dead security officers we encountered, the human males depart to deal with the cleanup.

I turn to my crew. “Resume work on the environmental controls on this deck. Once you’re finished, send a message to my wrist comm. I’ll be on Deck Twenty-One. I’m late for a meeting with one of the human engineers.” It’s a lie. I actually have a video comm call scheduled with Admiral Tornn concerning several recent attempts on my life, but I don’t wish to admit this to my crew, as the admiral has advised me to keep quiet on the matter while an investigation is conducted.

I spin on my heel and head for the elevator, though my mind isn’t on my work or the impending meeting or the recent attempts on my life.

All I can think about is Mandy Benton, the beautiful golden-haired creature who claims she’s not on the list of two thousand, the final wave of females who are scheduled to be handed over to my people in a moon cycle.

Is she truly not on the list? Why not? Is it due to her age or another reason?

As I board the elevator, I pull up the list that Captain Warren just released on the info screens that are spread throughout the ship, scrolling rapidly as I search for Mandy’s name. But she truly isn’t there.

Fluxx . I run a hand through my hair and curse again.

But I know her name. I also know where she works and what deck she calls home. I can easily track her down, which I fully intend to do. I also plan to look her up in Jansonna’s database. I will learn everything I can about the pretty little human who incites my desires.

Then I will develop a plan.

A plan that will allow me to claim her as my mate.

I’ve smelled her. I’ve touched her. My ancestral markings tingled in her presence. Though I’m owed a human bride from the group of two thousand, I cannot fathom taking any other female as my own.

I want Mandy, and I won’t rest until I have her trembling and writhing beneath me. I won’t rest until she’s mine , until a traditional Darrvason mating bond has formed between us.