Chapter 20

Min-Ji

I had never wanted to reach out and crawl into Corin's lap as badly as I did right then. I held back because I knew that's what he wanted me to do, but it felt wrong. He'd looked so happy moments ago, relaxed in ways I hadn't ever seen him. Now, he was sitting ramrod straight, his scales whispering as they rattled along his spine with his unease.

I didn't have to guess to know what had set this off: the Queen. Though my instincts shouted at me to reach out and touch him, to offer him silent support, I scooted away instead. My chest felt heavy as I did, and I felt tiny under the gaze of the pretty Naga teacher. Her golden eyes felt disapproving, like I'd done the wrong thing. I knew that; it felt wrong to me, too.

The two Thunder Rock Naga women paused on the gangplank as they exited the medical ship and gazed out over the camp. The younger female had so many scars all over her arms and chest that I wondered if she'd been in a paper shredder. She looked fierce, proud, and utterly fearless. But it was the Queen herself who struck fear inside my chest. Her face was pulled into the most vicious snarl I'd ever seen, and I felt tiny as a bug when her gaze landed on me—like dirt beneath her tail when she started to approach.

The Thunder Rock Queen was big and imposing, wider across the shoulders than her daughter, and definitely much stockier than Avrish. She looked like she could squash my head in her fist like a grape; her expression said she was planning to do it too. Corin rose and moved between me and the approaching thundercloud, his fists balled at his sides. My heart went out to him, knowing how that woman had altered the course of his life. She had held power over him that she had not deserved and had mistreated in the worst way.

Corin looked angry rather than afraid, and that anger struck a chord inside me. Yeah, that was the right response. Screw her! She had no right to this. When she opened her mouth and spewed her vile words, it only stoked the flames.

"Why are there humans here? I came here to warn you of their threat! I want them removed or isolated!" she shouted and flung out a claw to point my way. "Don't just stand there, protecting that vermin, Corin. Remove her." It was as if the direct order made him snap, jerking him out of his silent, simmering rage and bringing all that anger fully to the surface—years of bottled-up rage against her mistreatment, resentment over what she'd made him lose. But it wasn't any of that he expressed.

"Do NOT talk to my mate that way, Asizza!" Corin growled in the deadliest, most bone-rattling sound I'd ever heard him make. His tail snapped out and curled around my middle, sigils flaring brightly to life for everyone to see. My stomach swooped, my anger vanishing like snow before the sun from the shock of this rapid turn of events. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected Corin to declare me his this loudly, and in front of the person he feared the most.

The Queen responded with an outraged yowling sound, her claws raising as she lurched forward. I thought she was going to attack me, but she reined herself in at the last moment, halting a dozen feet away from Corin, fire spitting from her eyes and her chest heaving. The angry Queen didn't get quite the response she was looking for.

Behind me, Avrish ushered the young Naga away, helped by Altare, whom I hadn't even realized was present. When he curled his tail around hers just as they ducked with their students into the nearest shuttle, his sigils lit up. That left us without the prying ears of children, but dozens of adults had slithered out from their traveling homes and research labs to witness what was going on.

On the gangplank of the medical ship, the three elders who had taken Reid into their care appeared. They lined up in a neat row, arms crossed, expressions stern. Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I still felt called out. They had that stern headmaster thing going on right now, and it was almost instinct to go over and apologize. Of course, the Queen just glanced over her shoulder and then hissed with more anger; she wasn't intimidated.

"Mate?" the Queen hissed. "You mated that… creature?" It was completely quiet in the clearing. Nobody said anything; they just watched. The Naga female seemed to shake herself out of the gripping rage from a moment ago and turned on the haughty and disdainful coolness now. "Out of all my hunters, I expected much better from you, Corin."

"Yeah?" Corin drawled. The loop of his tail pushed more tightly against my hip. Suddenly, I found myself tumbling forward until my hands collided with his side. He immediately wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You expected me to be your lover, your plaything, until you grew tired of me. You're a sick female, lusting after your son's friend when I was only a youngling. It is you who forbade me from returning to my studies here because I refused your advances. I have nothing to be ashamed of. You, though?"

The Queen blanched, flinching back before she straightened her spine and began uttering all kinds of denials. It wasn't my imagination that more than one expression in the crowd of onlookers had turned disapproving—not to Corin, but to the Queen. Corin wasn't done either, and I was so proud of him for facing his worst fear, for standing up to this bitch. Honestly, being proclaimed his mate so publicly was also like a dream come true, and it was completely unexpected.

"You're a terrible female, Asizza, and a terrible Queen, not deserving of that title. I am done fearing you, and I am done letting you control any aspect of my life. Min-Ji is my mate, and I love her—she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. You will not take that from me." It felt like my face was on fire by the time Corin finished his declaration, but I discovered I could blush even harder when he swept me up with his tail and claimed my mouth with his.

The Naga didn't kiss, so this was a double shock to everyone watching. I heard hissing, surprised gasps, and an utterly furious growl, followed by more angry demands from the spurned Queen. Corin ignored it all, and with his mouth on mine, I soon forgot about our audience. The taste of him was home—spicy and sweet. His split tongue tangled with mine, mimicking all kinds of naughty things. I felt like a puddle in his powerful embrace, all noodle legs and molten core.

He loved me; he said that! That wasn't something Naga normally declared either, but he'd embraced all the human customs for me. I was so happy right now that I felt like I might burst. Tears clung to my lashes and trickled down my cheeks. My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt like I could linger in that moment forever. Cling to Corin's wide shoulders, his mouth on mine, and his arms to shelter me.

"Ahum," a voice, low and rough, broke into the moment. "Corin, let your female breathe. She's leaking." Corin instantly yanked his head back, and I gasped, my fingers clinging to the back of his neck as if I had the strength to pull him back to me. His silver eyes were glowing as they roved over my cheeks, but while the voice sounded mildly alarmed, Corin didn't spook at my tears. He knew what they were by now, and it made him grin.

"Nothing to worry about, Shaman Altare. Humans cry when they are sad, or when they are very happy. Isn't that right, mate?" How I'd longed to hear him call me that, and now he'd done it so many times already, in front of others. Yeah, happiness was right. I nodded, a smile spreading on my face to answer the one on his.

"Very happy," I said, my voice embarrassingly husky. It made Corin groan, and his arms tightened around me, the heat of his hard cock pressing eagerly against my belly. It was the naughtiest thing I'd ever experienced, the press of his extruding erection against me, hidden only by my body from the prying eyes of one of his former mentors.

"Good. Congratulations on your mating," the male, Altare, said. I was pretty sure now, now that I was no longer caught up in Corin's kiss, that this was the guy who had helped Avrish with the Naga youngling a moment ago. Avrish's mate. Altare was also the guy whom Corin had declared to be a loner who liked his privacy, which explained why he parked his shuttle all the way near the trees.

He was a hard-looking red male, possibly from Bitter Storm once, but his hair had streaked white, leaving some locks looking incongruously pink. "You called her by name," he said, jabbing a claw in the direction of the medical ship. "That's a grave insult, my boy." Ah, it had seemed odd that everyone, even Corin, always called her ‘Queen,' and now he'd called her Asizza twice. I didn't even know Queens still had names. They were only ever referred to as Queen or with their Clan name added.

"She deserved it," Corin hissed. "Funny how she seemed so much larger than life in my memory, but here… today. She was nothing to me. Nothing." He hissed the last word with a deep lilt of satisfaction and flicked his eyes from his stoic mentor back to me. They glowed with warmth and happiness, lightened from a darkness he'd been carrying for far too long. "I'm sorry, Min-Ji. I should have known that we would be stronger together. Always stronger together."

Ignoring the eyes of Altare, still hovering next to us, he bent closer and gently nuzzled the side of my face. His cock was still pressing fiercely against me, and it didn't feel like that erection was going to abate anytime soon. If I wasn't so elated right now, I might have started feeling embarrassed, but I just didn't have that in me. I wanted him in me—that's what I wanted.

"It's all right, Corin. That was tough, and I'm proud of you. I love you," I said. I'd given up on trying to pull him closer and slid my fingers into his pretty, dark blue hair. If not for our audience that still peered at us from nearby shuttles and Altare hovering close by, this moment would have been perfect.

"Yes, well," Altare huffed. "Be that as it may, if that Queen challenges your mate in a formal fight, you know the rules. You can't protect her." That felt like a cold splash of water down my back. A formal challenge? That sounded bad. There was no way I could defeat a Naga female in a fight, not a chance in hell. No wonder Corin had been so worried.

Corin turned us, keeping my body still pressed against his rampant cock, and shot his mentor a devastating smirk. It made my insides go all twisty and gooey. That smirk. So confident, so happy. What did he know that I didn't? "I'm not worried. Now, where can my mate and I nest for the night?"

The words made the red-scaled Shaman bark a surprised laugh, and then he pointed over his shoulder. "Chen and Erish have arranged a tent for you over there, with the triangles. Keep it down, please. It's near my shuttle, and Avrish and I would like to be able to sleep at night." With a loud guffaw, the male turned away and slithered off. I could just barely catch him muttering under his breath about the bizarreness of mouth-matings.

"Come," Corin said as if I had a choice about where we were headed. My feet were dangling in the air, and his arms were clutching me tightly to him, as were at least three loops of his tail. "I think we need to celebrate our mating again, and again." He winked at me with his nictitating membranes as he started to move in the direction Altare had pointed.

More people were still staring at us as we passed them, but nobody tried to stop us or looked outright disapproving. The nasty Queen had vanished without a trace, but I saw Sazzie peering at us from the shade of the medical ship, a thoughtful expression on her face. This felt like a monumental shift, like danger was still looming around the corner, and yet… it felt like I'd just been handed the world on a platter.

"Hey, Triff. Go entertain the younglings. I think they'll enjoy a sleepover," Corin suddenly said to our little shadow. I hadn't even realized that Triff was still following his favorite Naga. I'd been too caught up in my mate. The cleaning bot didn't have as much trouble on the moss here as he had in the forest, and he beeped with a high, indignant note, followed by a more excited squeal. Then he careened away, his path haphazard until he suddenly honed in on the shuttle the younglings had disappeared into.

Then we found our tent, and my world narrowed to a single point of focus: Corin, and the lush furs waiting for us.

***

Corin

I felt like a weight had lifted from my shoulders the moment I declared Min-Ji mine in front of everyone. It was the peace and happiness I felt at being back here and talking to my mentors. There was only one right way to treat my mate, and only one way to keep her. Seeing the Queen ill and so much smaller than I remembered her also helped. She had been a giant monster in my memory, but I was no longer a small boy, and I wasn't helpless about the course of my fate. I made my own choices now, and I would choose Min-Ji every time.

Spreading her on the furs inside our little sanctuary, I took my time to take her in, to admire every silky bit of skin I exposed to my greedy eyes. She was smiling, and it was a genuine smile, one that reached every part of her. I felt honored to be gifted such a pure sign of happiness and to know that it was my declaration that had caused her to feel that way.

"I am going to taste every part of you," I warned her as I freed her small foot from its covering. It thudded to the ground, oddly heavy for such a small object. She was already shimmying out of her pants, her fingers hooked beneath the waistband of both the outer and inner garments. She was as eager for this as I was, and that made me hiss in satisfaction. "Yesss, undress for me, my pretty little mate."

Once I had her naked, I curled her in my tail, pinning her in place just the way I wanted her. Then I bent my head to her flesh and started licking and nibbling, as promised. She moaned and writhed beneath me, wetness soon coating her thighs, her scent tantalizing and sweet. My scales lifted along my spine to help me cool, while I ground my aching cock against the furs to stave off my mounting desire for her.

First, I needed to taste her at her core, and then I was going to fill her with my seed over and over again. She wasn't going to forget that she was all mine now, and I wanted our scents to combine so that everyone else would know it too. When I dipped my head between her legs and drew my tongue through her folds, she bucked in my grip, moaning and thrashing her head. "Corin, please. I need you." Her words were music to my ears.

Curling the tip of my tail around her hip, I pierced her core with the appendage and felt her inner muscles flutter and spasm as they clutched at my invasion. A few more licks and a firm tug of my tongue around that little pleasure bud, and she shattered, moaning my name and pulling on my hair with abandon. I kept licking, drinking her in as I guided her back down from that first peak. It wasn't enough. I wanted more of that—much more.

When I raised myself on my arms above her, she flung her legs eagerly around my hips, meeting my searching cock so eagerly, so sweetly, that I nearly lost all control. When I sank into her tight clutch, it was like fire bursting through my veins. It was like coming home. I was, without a doubt, an idiot for thinking I could ever stay away and that staying away was the right thing to do. I vowed I'd make up for it, make sure she still received every missed drop of pleasure.

"You are mine now, Min-Ji. Forever. I love you," I groaned when she squeezed me tighter and tighter. She shattered first, her pleasure cresting when I pressed deep and rubbed her just right with the agile tips of my cock. Her grip was snug like a vise, and I couldn't hold back, couldn't stop the seed that erupted from me in hard bursts. It filled her, filled my tiny mate to overflowing, and gushed out around my cock. It coated my scales and her skin, and I was tempted to rub it in, mark her even deeper with my scent.

Then she gave me a challenging stare, slid her fingers down between our bodies, and brought some of the glistening white seed back up. My chest grew tight, my cock kicked hard inside her snug grasp, threatening to burst again. She brought that tiny taste of me to her mouth, her pink tongue darting out as she tasted it. It was my undoing. She knew what that would cause—the heat, the mating fever it aroused in humans—and she did it anyway.

***

Min-Ji

My body was already on fire for him, nowhere near satisfied after two orgasms. It was a gamble, but I'd heard too many whispers from the mated girls at Haven not to want to try this. Just a single drop, licked from my finger after that heated clash, and it was more than enough to turn that heat into a conflagration.

Corin's eyes flared with light, silver fire glowing at me in the cozy twilight inside our tent. His cock grew even harder inside of me, the split end twisting and curling against my walls. He loved this, and as the heat grew hotter and my body grew slicker, I knew I'd love every minute too.

First, he fucked me again, just as we were. And when we came together, it wasn't enough. He rolled us, pulling me on top of him, and this time I rode him. Watching avidly as his eyes locked onto the bounce of my breasts with each collision of our hips. This differed from before, hotter, harder. Much more compelling. I was ruled by the desire to have him, to take his seed as many times as he could give it to me. They were right; this was mating heat, all because I'd tasted him.

Delirious with desire, with the happiness that preceded this moment, with being his, I felt no inhibitions—nothing held me back. I shouldn't have risked more, but when Corin pulled out, seed gushing onto the furs and my legs, I turned and licked his intriguing cockhead, tasting him at the source. He smelled so good, like caramelized popcorn—like salt and sweetness combined.

We weren't going to come out of this tent for a long, long while.