10. Holoth

ten

Holoth

G etting this all set up should earn me some major points. Hopefully, it also shows K'Vella how devoted I am to her. I mean, she has to see that I had to work with Alik, Jovi, and Phial to make this happen.

Okay, so maybe Jovi was easy to work with, and normally Phial would be, too, but he's been cranky and territorial since Avery came on board. It's only gotten worse now that they can actually talk with one another.

I thought this would be easy to pull off. I'd get the food synthesizer working over time, move the furniture in the entertainment room around a little, and we could have a housing ceremony.

Then, the issues started popping up. By issues, I mean Alik not wanting to leave Sloane's side at all and Phial hissing at us when we talked about speaking with Avery.

I had to bring Essa into the plans because my crewmates were acting possessive to the highest degree. I wasn't about to fight someone with more arms than me or someone who could go invisible and fuck with my life forever.

I'm just as possessive over K'Vella as they are over Avery and Sloane, but they didn't see me growling and snapping my teeth at even the idea of someone else talking with her.

It took us two hours this morning to come up with the rotation for who could talk to which female at which time and for how long. Two hours! For something that isn't even that hard to do without a whole whiteboard decorated with charts and pros and cons lists.

"I know you don't want Alik to kill you, but you could at least look at me," Sloane laughs as she draws my attention away from setting up this event.

I look at her from the corner of my eye, making sure I'm still pressed as far away from her as possible on the couch because Alik looks like he's going to murder someone tonight.

I'd feel bad for Avery since he's supposed to be talking to her right now, but she's managed to find her voice after an awkward half-hour talking with me and is chatting away to Alik. He grunts and nods at the appropriate times, but his attention is on Sloane and sometimes on me, just enough to make it clear that I'm not to move an inch closer to his mate.

"I think if I were to look at you, he might come over here and rip me apart," I tell Sloane with a laugh.

I love Alik like a brother. He allowed me onto his ship with barely any questions asked, paid me fairly for my work, and never once made me feel unwelcome on this ship. However, he's also dangerous, and he warned us before we set up this whole thing that he might ruin tonight because of how much he hates even thinking about Sloane wanting to be with anyone else.

"Pretty sure your female would stop him," Sloane says.

I can't help that I'm a simple male. Someone tells me the female I want more than anything else in the universe would try to protect me, and I have to look at my female to confirm. It's not like it's hard to look at K'Vella. I want to do it all the time, every single day.

K'Vella has done a good job of paying attention to each male she's been with throughout the night, playing the role of a female going through the housing ceremony like a pro. This only irritates me because it makes me wonder how many males housed her before she got sick.

I don't care that she was open in her affections. I don't think one can be a Rytharian and care about that, considering how we're all raised and act once we're adults. No, what I care about is that she was obviously good at this, and no one mated her.

How could they not when she's obviously perfect?

Sloane's right that K'Vella looks unhappy, but it's only for a brief flick of her eyes toward Alik. Phial notices and throws something at Alik's head, hitting him in the temple and causing the vitriol he's staring me down with to be turned to Phial, who's laughing. At least he's done being upset that Avery's talking to other people. He probably realizes it's good for her and her growth not to be scared all the time.

"Pay attention to your female, Alik," K'Vella tells him with a voice dripping with too much sweetness.

She's trying to play nice but not because she wants to. Oh no, I think my female might be just as territorial over me as I am over her, but she's much better at hiding it.

Alik inhales deeply through his nose, his nostrils flaring like he's keeping himself from making a face at K'Vella. He better not. No snarling, no teeth snapping, nothing like that. We're so close to the end of this thing, and then he can take Sloane back to their room and do all kinds of weird Varon stuff to her, but right now, he needs to pay attention to Avery and not stare down my mate like he's about to snap at her.

"Now, Alik. This isn't how you were raised," K'Vella says, shifting from sweet to stern.

It does two things. One, it has my dick hardening in an instant because there's a chance that I might want her to get all stern with me like that. The second thing is that Alik's demeanor changes. He might not like being called out like he was, but it seems K'Vella hit the nail on the head because he's giving her a hard nod before turning to face Avery.

"Oh, are Varon women all take charge?" Sloane asks.

She's way too close now, leaning across my lap to peer over at where K'Vella is smiling as she talks to Phial. If Alik were watching or if he was still in the same foul mood from only moments earlier, I'd be a dead male right now. Thankfully, Sloane moves back to her side before anyone notices.

"I don't know," I tell Sloane honestly as I rub the back of my neck. "I think maybe in some ways. I think you'd have to be if you were in charge of two males. You tell your mates what to do often. I think they're used to following their females' lead."

"I do get away with a lot." Sloane taps her chin and purses her lips as she thinks.

Thankfully, I don't have to sit here and listen to her muse about how she's about to use this newfound knowledge to her advantage in her grouping because the timer is going off, and I'm finally going to get to be with the female I've wanted all night.

I say a quick goodbye to Sloane, who's barely paying me any attention since Jovi is already pushing her long across the couch and taking up the space between her legs. His lips are on her, his hands tangled in her hair and wrapped around her waist before any of us can object.

Essa grumbles something about not getting her one-on-one time because Alik is now watching as his mate and partner try to devour one another.

I don't care.

I have one thing on my mind, and it's the pretty Varon looking at me from where she's sitting on the loveseat filled with blankets and furs I provided her with. I'm sure they smell like the others on the crew since they all sat on them, but I can get over it since K'Vella looks so happy.

"I can't believe you did this," she whispers to me when I'm close enough that she can grab my hips and tug me close to where she's sitting.

When she pulls me between her legs, with me standing and her sitting, my mind goes to inappropriate places. Well, one specific scenario where I'd also have to be looking down at her.

I close my eyes and suck in a gulp of air. Nope, even a deep breath isn't helping things. I can just imagine K'Vella on her knees, looking up at me as she tugs on the strings of my leathers until my cock is free. I've been too eager to be inside her that I haven't felt her lips around me yet.

Her eyes go wide as the purring in my chest picks up. I imagine she's piecing together how much I like looking at her from this angle. If I were to strip her of her dress right now, she'd be nice and dark for me. I want her back in the nest now. I want to undress her, wrap my hand in her hair, and help her to greedily suck me into her mouth.

"Holoth," K'Vella whispers my name with humor in her voice. "As much as I'd like whatever you're imagining, that's meant to happen after you've decided you want to house me."

"I've already decided," I tell her. The corners of her mouth rise even higher, and her lips peel back to reveal her stunning smile. "I'm housing you, K'Vella."

"Oh, really?" She tilts her head to the side, and I lift my eyes to hers so I'm not just staring at her mouth.

I lower myself so our faces are close together. I'd love to do what Jovi and Sloane are doing: wrap her in my arms, lay her out, and enjoy being with her physically, but I can wait. I planned all of this out. I can wait.

"Yes, K'Vella," I reassure her. As much as she might not admit it, she needs reassurance all the time. Someone, probably her mom and sister, hurt her so badly that she doesn't think she deserves anyone to want her for very long. "But first, I think you're meant to sell yourself to me."

"Sell myself?" Her voice sounds almost outraged as she repeats the words. "No, you're supposed to sell yourself to me."

I scoff at that and sit down next to her on the couch. My legs cross in front of me, and I lean against the armrest of the couch. K'Vella quickly matches my pose so we can speak to one another.

"K'Vella, you absolutely stunning, intelligent, amazing female, you've already agreed to carry my young. I've sold myself to you already."

K'Vella rolls her eyes but doesn't argue with me. "I don't know if I should be insulted by that or not."

"Not," I reply, nudging her knee with mine. "I just want to hear you speak highly about yourself. You have many good qualities. Tell me of them."

K'Vella seems taken aback by my statement, but I don't say anything else. I'll watch the look of disbelief and surprise morph on her face. I'll wait out the way she shakes her head like she doesn't believe what I'm saying.

I'm fine with staring at her for our half hour of talking if that's what she wants. It's not, though. I can tell by the way she fiddles with her hands in her lap, how her eyes flicker from my face to around the room like she'd rather us not sit and stare at one another in silence.

"Fine," she finally sighs. "I'm considered beautiful on my planet—"

I cut her off almost immediately. "You're considered beautiful on every planet, K'Vella."

Her mouth opens and closes before she shakes her head again and tries to suppress her smile. "Okay, I'm considered beautiful on every planet. I'm strong as well." She looks at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I might even be stronger than the future father of my children."

My purr rumbles back to life, loud and vibrant in the room. I love it when K'Vella mentions what and who I am to her. "You probably are."

"I'm also proficient in tending to a house and preparing most Varon dishes, though cooking is never my favorite thing, and I believe we're compatible sexually."

I trail my tongue over my teeth, wanting more than anything to sink them back into K'Vella's pelt when she's teasing me like this. "Your nest building skills are top notch, too."

"Mmm," she murmurs as she leans closer to me, her lower hands resting on my knees. "Have I sold myself enough, or are you still pretending like you won't house me?"

I snatch her hand off my knee and interlock our fingers before she can think of pulling away from me. She bites her lower lip as a breathless giggle leaves her. I shift around until I'm sitting on my knees and can lean into her, invading her space. I want her to uncross her legs and let them go long so I can lie between them like Jovi is still currently doing to Sloane.

"You forgot to mention how friendly you are, how good you are at putting others at ease and building relationships with them. You didn't even mention how caring you are. Don't think I haven't noticed the books you've been reading when you're relaxing. You've been learning all about your future babe and their culture because you want them to know both parts of who they are."

K'Vella brings her lips close to mine, her upper hands interlocking behind my neck to tug me closer. I let her, but don't kiss her. Not yet.

"You haven't told me about your creativity either. Were you ever going to let me know about your writing or your drawings? I haven't looked, but I see you closing your journals when I get too close. All of this talent you have is tucked away inside, and I want to see it."

"Holoth," K'Vella whispers my name, a mixture of apprehension and joy in saying my name. "Please."

"Please, what, K'Vella?" I ask. The words are pressed against her lips, muffling them, but she hears them well enough.

"Don't be so nice to me if this is going to end," she whispers like she doesn't want to voice the thought at all. I hate the way it has my heart pinching and my stomach turning. How can she still not think she's worth keeping after all of this?

"Let me house you," I growl the words, lacing my command through it. "Tell me yes."

K'Vella doesn't answer me at first. No, she wants to distract me with kisses and touching, which partially works. I'm easy for her. If she wants me to yield to her, I will. But, that doesn't mean I'm going to drop the questions.

"K'Vella," I growl her name as she pulls her lips from mine.

"Yes," she answers with a blissful look on her face. "Yes, you can house me, Holoth."

I don't wait for her to tell me she's just roleplaying to go along with the housing ceremony I put on for her tonight. I don't let her qualify her answer with anything. She agreed to let me house her, and I'll hold her to that.

"Six months," I tell her, and this time, it's my turn for the wicked gleam to shine bright in my gaze. "Six months of you being all mine."

K'Vella rolls her eyes and attempts to object, just like I know she's going to. I don't let her. My lips are on hers, biting down hard on her lower one until I feel her instinctively reach for her wrists.

"You can argue when I tell you I'm keeping you forever, but you don't get to argue about my six months. You agreed. I'm pretty sure it's a binding law." I tell her quickly and kiss her again when she tries to interject. I can do this all night. I'll keep her agreeable and unable to object until all her worries die.

"I think the housing ceremony has gone on long enough," I tell her when her eyes are left hooded and her fingers are curled tight in my clothing and against my skin. "Let me take you back to our nest. We can celebrate our agreement there."

K'Vella makes a soft grumbling sound of annoyance, but when I look at her, she's pleased with herself, with me, and with how tonight has gone. Now, I need to prove to her that every night can go this well if she trusts me to know what I want.

I want her. Nothing and no one but her and all the babes I can fill her with. Yes, that's everything a male could dream of.