Chapter Twenty-One

There was a flash of black and we stood on the bridge of a luxury ship. Gold-trimmed consoles, plush leather seats and thick, bloodred carpeting. I blinked in surprise and looked around. Was this Amir's ship or Drach's? I studied the bodies littering the floor. They were all Tuxrai. "Whose ship is this?"

"Mine."

I caressed his stiff shoulders. "Smart move taking the ship as payment for winning all those fights. It's very, ah, fancy and are there any Tuxrai left alive?"

"One."

"And who would that be? I winced. My nose hurt like the devil, and it was definitely broken.

"Drach." Lifting me gently, Jedrick licked the blood off my face and throat.

"Do you need blood, Jedrick?" I studied his battered face. "You can take all you need."

His tongue stroked my nose. "Broke."

"I know it's broken and it's okay." I stroked his cheek. "I have you back. That's all that matters."

Jedrick sat me on the floor and bit into his wrist. "Drink."

"No, I can't, you're injured."

"Drink."

I took one look at the feral glint in his eyes and drank. A healing warmth spread through my body. All my aches and pains faded away. I smiled at him. "I love you so much. You know that don't you?"

Jedrick licked his wound. "Mine."

"Yes, I am." The one-word answers had to stop.

He reached into my side pocket, pulled out the healing wand and ran it over my face. "You are the other half of my soul, Imp."

Surprise! He could talk! Detja had said a mate's blood had incredible healing properties, but I wasn't quite a mate yet. I brushed my lips across his torn knuckles. "And it's my turn to take care of you." I plucked the wand from his hand. "Where do you hurt the most?"

Jedrick just stared at me.

"Everywhere, huh?"

"I am going to annihilate the Tuxrai slavers." Jedrick's voice vibrated with rage.

"And I'll help you. Now sit. I'll start at the top and work my way down." I hid a smile as he sat in the captain's chair.

"This ship's computers will tell us everything there is to know about the Tuxrai slavers," Mister Chatty said.

I ran the healing wand over a nasty bruise on the back of his head. "And the ship will make a great Trojan horse too."

"I agree."

I gave his bald head a smooch. "You know, you look like a badass with no hair.

"I am a badass."

"And a famous one to boot."

Jedrick stiffened. "They broadcast my matches?"

"Ah, some of them." Did I have a big mouth or what?

"I want to see them."

Over my dead body. I nibbled on his ear, and mentally caressed his groin.

"That is not going to distract me," Jedrick stated.

Ballock's balls. It seemed to get the males all hot and bothered in the pleasure vids. What had I done wrong? "Okay, after you have eaten something and had a shower. Then, and only then, will I show them to you."

Jedrick scooped me up and poof! We were in a mess hall fit for an emperor.

"Whoa! I can't wait to see what kind of chocolate they have programmed into their food processors." Wiggling out of Jedrick hold, I ran over to it and hit the menu icon. My shoulders slumped. There was no chocolate.

"They have tomahawk steaks with mopane worms," Jedrick exclaimed and ordered four.

I had noticed the rather dead bridge crew had puncture marks on their necks. So, Jedrick wasn't low on blood anymore. Thank the Goddess. A Coletti warrior in bloodlust wasn't a pretty sight. From the way he devoured the steaks and went back for seconds, it had been a while since he had eaten a proper meal. Wait a minute. Mopane worms enhance sexual pleasure! Were we going to do it? I wasn't twenty-one yet, but I wanted to know what all the fuss was about.

Detja popped into my head. "Are you safe?"

I jumped about a foot. "Yes. He has the beast under control and is talking in full sentences now." Did she know about mopane worms?

"Keep him calm. Until Shrek can treat him, it will take little to provoke the beast. Wulf will arrive in the next hour to take him into custody."

My temper flared to life. "You're going to arrest him? Hasn't he been caged enough?"

"The Battle Commander is not being arrested nor will he be locked up. The treatment takes twenty-four hours to complete. Until then he is a danger to you and others," Detja said firmly.

"I still don't like it."

"You are allowed to stay with him."

"Okay." I looked over at Jedrick and froze. His lips were drawn back in a feral snarl. I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. "All done?"

He just growled.

"Knock it off. I'm not going anywhere and if you want to exterminate the slavers and rescue all the slaves, you'll need Zarek's help."

He stopped snarling.

"Once you're done with your shower, I'll show you the vids."

"Yes, my lady." He stood up and held out his hand.

I took it. There was a flash of black and my jaw dropped. The bathroom was luxurious. Golden sea creatures were etched into the mosaic floor tiles. White marble surrounded the huge shower. Gold-leaf naked females danced on the double glass doors and the faucets were designed in the shape of golden swans. "Gotta say, I'm impressed."

Jedrick stripped down and walked into the shower.

I eyed his fine ass.

He glanced over his shoulder. "Are you going to wash my back?"

"You betcha." Maybe I could try some of the moves the pleasure females used to arouse the males. I really wanted to see his man parts. I stripped down to my underwear and joined him in the shower.

Jedrick raised an eyebrow.

"I'm still not legal."

He nodded and tossed me a bottle of gel.

I caught it and for a long moment just enjoyed the water beating down on me, washing away the sand and blood.

"Did you fall asleep?"

"No, I'm relishing the fact that no one is trying to kill us."

I was suddenly pinned to the shower wall and Jedrick's lips captured mine in a blatantly possessive kiss. I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him back.

Something thrashed against my crotch.

I let out a startled cry. "What was that?"

"The drive to complete the mating bond is very strong in Coletti males." Jedrick's amber eyes burned with need.

I pointed to the slit in his abdomen. "Can I see them? I mean, we are mates."

"As you wish." Jedrick sat me on my feet.

The slit opened and out slid his penis. It was snake-like with a fringe of tentacles around the top.

I gestured at the tentacles. "Joy toys?"

"Some females call them that."

"Yours is bigger than the ones on the porn vids."

Jedrick gave me the stink eye. "You have been watching porn vids?"

"I wanted to know what all the fuss was about." I reached out and wrapped a hand around his penis. It was velvety to touch, but I could feel a steel-like hardness under the skin. The tentacles slid sinuously against my arm. Up. Down. Up. Down.

A groan broke from Jedrick. "I want to be inside you, making you mine, watching your face as you come." He took my lips with a devastating blend of hunger and gentleness.

The Battle Commander was a fever in my blood. I burned for him. He was everywhere, touching my mind, my body. Heat coiled in my belly as the tentacles slid inside my panties and stroked my clit. I sucked in a shuddering breath. The sensation was unbelievably hot. "Don't stop! Feels so good."

"Mine," Jedrick rumbled.

"Yes. Forever." The pulsating tentacles wiggled up my channel. My inner muscles clenched and throbbed. "Wow. That's…incredible." The sensation grew stronger and stronger until I could feel myself getting wet. A gasp broke from me as the pressure built. Another pulse, and a vortex of pleasure exploded inside me.

The water pouring down on us turned freezing cold and Wulf bellowed, "What are you doing! Zadie is not twenty-one."

I wanted to kill him. "Go away! Not. Done."

"Yes, you are."

Jedrick spun to face his brother. "Mine."

I grabbed his arm, before he could attack Wulf. "Stop! You are stronger than the beast. Do you hear me?"

"Yes." He clamped his arms around me.

"If you are not legally mated, other warriors can challenge you for the right to claim Zadie."

"Over my dead body." The toe-curling aftershocks continued to shake me.

"Calm yourself. There are only a few warriors with the ability to defeat me," Jedrick assured me.

"I don't care. I'm not a piece of property to be fought over."

"You are my heart, not a possession I own."

Wulf glared at us. "Shrek awaits you in sickbay brother, and Zarek is very eager to talk to Zadie about Ted."

I grimaced. I just bet he was.

"Ted?" Jedrick asked.

"Long story."

"Zarek wants to know if Drach is dead." Wulf interjected.

"No. I locked him in the cell with his champion fighters."

Wulf muttered something vile and teleported.

Detja was suddenly standing in the shower. Her furious gaze roamed over us. "Did you claim her?"

"No, my lady."

"Good. Sickbay now."

Jedrick bowed and teleported away.

"I guess you have some questions about Ted too."

"I do." I felt her rummaging around in my head. "Until you turn twenty-one you will refrain from mental sex. Am I clear?"

"Yes, my lady. Is kissing, okay?"

Detja rolled her eyes. "We will discuss it later. We must deal with the Tuxrai first."

"Yes, my lady."

"I want a bathroom like this," Detja stated, grabbed my arm, and teleported.