Chapter 8

KAMEER

I watch Mandy flush as she becomes lost in an internal struggle. I know she’s weighing her choices and trying to decide whether to obey my order to stand up. If she continues to resist, she will soon discover I am a male who expects total obedience from my mate.

“Stand up,” I repeat in a commanding tone, and I take a step back to give her space.

She sits up against the pillows and shifts position, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes are wide and soulful as she peers up at me. “Please. We don’t even know one another. I only met you a few hours ago. You can’t possibly expect me to get naked in front of you. I-I have never taken my clothes off in front of a man before.”

“The sooner we mate, pretty human, the sooner we will understand one another. Have you heard about Darrvason heartbonds?”

She nods. “A little. I know that physical copulation results in some kind of permanent bond between a mated pair. My friend Leona is mated to a Darrvason, and she has glowing symbols on her upper arms. She told me they were caused by the heartbond, though she didn’t go into any detail about it. Will the bond make me instantly fall in love with you or something?”

Leona? Ah, so she knows Doctor Zahhn’s mate. How interesting.

The hopefulness in Mandy’s dark eyes causes my heart to soften, an unusual feeling I haven’t experienced in ages, if ever. We aren’t yet mated, but already she is having a profound effect on me. How badly I want to tell her yes, yes, a heartbond will make her fall instantly in love with me, but that would be a lie, and I cannot in good conscience offer an untruth to my mate.

“No, a heartbond will not cause you to fall in love with me, nor will it cause me to fall in love with you. But once it is fully formed and you wear my ancestral markings on your arms, we’ll be able to sense one another’s thoughts and emotions. Most mated pairs can also speak to one another telepathically.”

“That sounds terrifying.” Mandy puts out a hand in a defensive manner, scoots across the mattress, and stands up on the other side of the bed, once again using the blasted piece of furniture as a barrier between us. “I don’t want to mate with you or share a heartbond with you. Absolutely not.”

Displeasure flows through me. I’m one of the wealthiest, most ingenious, and most successful Darrvasons my people have ever known, yet she is averse to a heartbond with me. When I was a young male, fathers fought for a chance to betroth their daughters to me. I try to push away a vision of Xersonna, the female who became my mate just two moon cycles before the war against the Yelltzins broke out.

I suppress a growl. The truth is, Mandy and I might never fall in love. But a heartbond will help us understand one another and hopefully share a mutual respect. It will also allow me to better protect her, as I’ll be able to sense if she’s in danger and possibly track her location during an emergency. A phantom pain sears my chest, the same sick feeling I experienced when Darrva was destroyed and Xersonna was instantly killed.

Before I can think better of it, I say, “Perhaps I should remind you that without my people’s help, humankind would have perished many moon cycles ago. Perhaps I should also remind you the main purpose of the Darrvason-human alliance, the reason we agreed to help humankind in the first place, is to ensure the continuation of the Darrvason race. Without human females, my kind would die out in a matter of decades. I have a duty to my people, and I must claim you and breed you as many times as safely possible.”

She pales and wraps her arms around herself, once again backing into a wall. “That also sounds terrifying. Please, let me go home. Let me return to my family. I swear I won’t tell anyone about this.”

As my patience frays, I round the bed and approach her with rapid steps, then grab her and delve a hand into her pants to stroke her increasing wetness.

During her pleading to be returned to her family, the scent of her arousal remained thick in the air. I suspected I would find her slicker than before, and I’m right.

She’s positively drenched.

Her whimpers are a musical sound to my ears, and I revel in the breathless moans she tries to swallow.

I consider her question about heartbonds and love, deciding to further clarify the mating practices of my people. “Darrvasons do not mate for love. We mate for the purposes of companionship and procreation, and until the war, mating unions were arranged.”

But had I eventually loved Xersonna? We shared a heartbond for such a short time that I’m not certain, though the Darrvason female had my unwavering devotion.

I push aside thoughts of my late mate, telling myself she’s gone and there’s nothing I can do to bring her back. For the good of the Darrvason Empire, I must focus on the future. I must focus on Mandy.

I peer into the little human female’s eyes as I zero in on the pulsating button that rests just within her folds. Shortly before the first wave of human females were given to my people, our doctors examined several women to determine their mating capabilities. All the reports mentioned a small, sensitive nubbin located within the female’s nether folds, called a clit in human terminology. The longer I stroke Mandy here, the more responsive she becomes. Her whimpers and moans increase, as does the scent of her arousal.

My fingers glide from her clit back to her core, where I find an immense level of moisture. I push a fingertip into her tightness, testing her readiness to be claimed.

Fluxx , her mating channel is small, yet I also know from the physicians’ reports that human females can accept an intrusion the size of a Darrvason cock. Her feminine core will stretch around my lengths as I pound her, as I claim her as mine for all time.

My dual shafts press against the front of my pants, and I growl as my scrotum vibrates faster. Longing scorches through me, and my ancestral markings tingle anew.

I pray the heartbond will occur quickly, rather than take days or several moon cycles to finish forming. It’s my hope that the more frequently I rut Mandy, the quicker the bond will form.

She’s going to be so sore between her thighs, I muse darkly, the poor little female. There’s a part of me, albeit a very small part, that almost pities her for the carnal torment I plan to inflict on her.

“I think it’s time we finally remove your clothing. Cooperate and the sleeping clothes will remain intact. Struggle or resist in any way, and I will shred them from your body.” Still keeping one hand between her thighs, prodding her slick entrance, I use my other hand to grip her chin and direct her gaze to mine. “Do you understand?”

She gives a small whimper, followed by a barely perceptible nod. “Yes, I understand.”

“Good little female.” After removing my hand from her pants, I guide her closer to the bed. Then I work open the buttons of her pajama top and find she’s wearing nothing underneath. I flip open the front of the top, exposing her bosom, and I admire the sight of her dark pink nipples. Exquisite.

I pause undressing her to cup one of her breasts. She trembles but stands in place while I drag a finger over her hardened peak. So lovely. She sucks in a quick breath and shudders.

“I don’t want to mate with you,” she says. “I-I want to be free. I want to live on the human continent on 58-Zallnanis. That’s where my parents and sister will be.”

I release her breast and finish removing her top, then toss the garment to the floor. Placing a finger beneath her chin, I say, “Once I am certain I can trust you and a heartbond has fully formed between us and you wear my ancestral markings on your arms, which will protect you from the attentions of unmated Darrvason males, I will take you to visit your family on occasion.”

“You will?” She regards me with a look of cautious hope.

“Of course. I would not keep you from your family. Unless they mistreated you, that is. As your mate, it’s my duty to protect you.” I commence pushing down her pants, and I glance at her white underwear, taking note of the wet spot in the crotch area. The proof of her arousal. The evidence of her desire to be claimed.

“I still don’t want to mate with you.” She whimpers as I trace the wet spot with a featherlight touch. A shiver rushes through her, prompting her bosom to momentarily surge toward my face.

“So you keep saying.” I straighten. “Step out of your sleeping pants, please.”

A look of challenge enters her eyes, revealing a brief moment where she considers disobeying. But in the end, she complies and steps out of the garment, then kicks it toward her discarded top.

I step back to admire the sight of her in nothing but a pair of panties. Desire thickens my cocks and my sudden ravenous growl echoes throughout the room. Her skin is so smooth and pale compared to mine. Unlike Darrvason skin, hers isn’t hard and textured and able to withstand blaster fire and other weaponry.

The urge to protect this beautiful, delicate creature rises from deep within, and I resolve that I must keep a close watch on her even once she wears my ancestral markings.

“Remove your panties and hand them to me, pretty human.”

Her eyes flare wide and her lips part on a tiny gasp. She glances down as a blush stains her cheeks. Again, I watch as she struggles to obey. Perhaps I’m a beast for enjoying her internal battle, but I find I like pushing her boundaries, and I intend to push so many of them tonight.

“Mandy, I told you to remove your panties and hand them over.” I hold her startled gaze and harden my tone. “Failure to comply will result in punishment.”

She must learn.

She must learn to be an obedient mate.