Chapter 12

ZAHHN

Situated in my temporary quarters aboard the Rorrsa , I toss and turn in bed, trying to allow sleep to claim me. But my mind keeps drifting to Leona, making rest impossible. With each inhale, I can almost smell the sweet pungency of her arousal. I lift a hand toward the ceiling and feel as though I'm reaching for her dark silken hair. As I move my fingers, I swear I feel the softness of her wavy tresses.

Sweltering need seizes me, and I growl and sit up in bed. Fluxx . This is madness. How long has it been since I examined her? About sixteen days, perhaps. It's a struggle to count the days when I can't stop calling her lovely face to mind.

Her name echoes in my psyche, over and over. Eventually, I start uttering it aloud. It's a compulsion, one I'm hopeless to stop. "Leona. Leona. Good little female."

I hear a tiny gasp, and I peer around the darkened room, but I see no one. I'm alone. Of course I'm alone. It's the middle of the night. The scent of feminine excitement fills the air, and my dual shafts become hard as Rullian steel. My scrotum vibrates faster with each breath I take. I growl again, depart the bed, and hasten to the small viewscreen in my quarters.

My eyes instantly seek the Jansonna , which is situated on the edge of the Darrvason fleet, right next to the Haxxal . I can't help but wonder if Leona has spared me a thought since we parted. I know she's been released from the brig, for which I am relieved. I casually inquired about the human female patients, asking a guard who frequently protects Emperor Radakk for information. I couldn't bring myself to ask the emperor directly for fear that he would discern my true motives.

A snarl rips from my throat. What are my true motives? It's not as though I'm plotting to break the alliance by stealing away with Leona. I almost laugh at the idea. Me, a sterile but highly respected doctor and researcher, single handedly violating a treaty by absconding with a human female. Not just any human female, but the one I examined, the one who was briefly my patient.

The one I claimed after pushing Doctor Ammdox out of the way.

I groan and bang a fist on the viewscreen. I wasn't subtle in my attraction to Leona. Anyone who was present that day—my colleagues, the human doctors, the security officers, and fluxxing Commander Hampton—knows I felt possessive toward the female. If the emperor finds out, he'll likely increase his efforts to get me to accept a mate from among the two remaining waves of females.

I cannot fathom claiming any woman but Leona.

I yearn for her. I see her in my dreams each night, and it would seem I'm now sensing her presence during the waking hours too. The scent of her feminine arousal remains thick in the air, and I keep hearing her tiny gasps and moans.

Turning away from the viewscreen, I run a hand through my hair as I utter curses. How will I endure not seeing her at least one more time? The constant wanting of her is affecting my day-to-day life, making it difficult for me to concentrate on my important work, the trials I'm running to discover a cure for forlonggsa . I resolve that I must put her out of my mind. I must forget her.

I return to bed and get under the covers. Through sheer force of will, I banish all thoughts of Leona from my mind. I visualize an endless expanse of star-encrusted space interspersed with planets as I listen to the steady hum of the hyperdrive bubble that the entire fleet is traveling within.

Finally, I drift to sleep, ensconced in a vision of a beautiful galaxy.

But at some point, the stars fade, and the planets disappear. There's naught but darkness until… a small bedroom illuminates. Somehow, I know I'm on the Jansonna .

I approach the bed and notice it's not empty.

Leona . She's tucked beneath the covers, her eyes pressed shut, a look of concentration on her face.

There's movement under the covers near her crotch, and when her lips part on a gasp and the scent of her excitement thickens in the air, I nearly growl at the realization of what she's doing.

She's touching herself.

Shock rises alongside my dark satisfaction at having caught her in the midst of self-pleasure. I stand above her for some time, observing as her hand moves beneath the covers and her breathing increases.

Tiny whimpering moans keep escaping her throat, and she also occasionally lifts her hips as she gyrates against her hand. I imagine she's swirling moisture from her core overtop her pulsating clit, mimicking the very treatment I gave her as I'd brought her to a climax during her medical exam.

"Zahhn… oh, Zahhn."

My name. Star Gods, she's moaning my name.

My shafts harden further, and as I glance down I realize I'm only wearing sleeping shorts. But of course that's all I'm wearing. It's nighttime. I was in bed sleeping only moments ago, yet now I am here. In Leona's bedroom aboard the Jansonna .

Confusion grips me as I try to recall what transportation method I used to reach the human worldship—a transport vessel or the docking tunnel?—but I quickly push away the questions.

The details don't matter. All that matters is that we've been reunited.

I clear my throat, and Leona's eyes shoot open. She stares at me in shock, her lips parting on a soundless gasp. "What… how…" Her voice trails off and she shakes her head, as though she can't quite believe I'm here.

"Naughty little female." I cross my arms over my chest as I stand tall above her. "Do you have permission to touch yourself?"

Her face pinkens as she gulps in shaky breaths. She glances around the room and then sits up against the pillows, keeping the covers pulled up to her neck.

Is she naked beneath the sheets? I suppose I'll find out soon enough. And if she's wearing clothing? I'll fluxxing rip it off.

"I asked a question and I expect an answer." I step closer to her. "Do you have permission to touch yourself?"

Her wide eyes sparkle with disbelief, but I also catch a glimmer of shame. Yet she lifts her chin in a defiant manner and says, "No, but I don't need anyone's permission. What are you doing here? How did you get inside my bedroom?"

I sink down on the bed beside her, grab the sheets, and wrench the fabric from her hands. She makes a squeak of protest, then shields her breasts with her hands. I allow the covers to rest at her waist. For now. I tilt my head to the side, studying her loveliness. She's adorably flushed and breathless, and so very guilty.

Drawing in a long breath, I savor the scent of her arousal. "If you were my mate, you would not be permitted to touch yourself in my absence. Not without explicit permission." I reach out and stroke a hand through her hair, luxuriating in the softness, as well as the tiny whimper she makes as I finally touch her.

"But I'm not your mate. Therefore, I can do as I please." Though her words are brave, she cannot hide the tremor in her voice. The shakiness that betrays her nervousness.

I tangle my fingers in her hair and give a slight tug, causing her head to tilt back and exposing a tantalizing expanse of her neck. The urge to kiss her there prevails, and as I hold her in place, I lean down to trail my lips over her flesh. She stiffens and attempts to pull away, but I tighten my grip on her hair.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order. Perhaps I should show you how a Darrvason male would deal with a female who touches herself without permission." A growl vibrates through me, and I revel in the quick intake of her breath even as she tries to shake her head.

"You have no right to be here. I demand you leave at once." As she trembles, the scent of her excitement becomes stronger, so pungent and sweet that I almost grow delirious as I take long inhales of the enticing aroma.

I lean back and capture her gaze. Defiance continues to flicker in her dark eyes. Training. She needs training. If she's to become my mate, I must teach her to serve and obey me.

Yes, there are many reasons I should leave. Many reasons I shouldn't claim her, including the strict terms of the alliance. Yet I cannot resist, and deep in my soul I know she'll belong to me before the night is over.

I will mount her and ride her to completion.

I resume tearing the covers off her. She gasps and tries to grab them, but I succeed in stripping them from the bed and hurling them to the floor, out of her reach. An outraged gasp leaves her, and she pushes at my chest, but I don't budge. Doesn't she realize I'm not going anywhere? I'm here to stake my claim on the female who consumes my thoughts.

Desire scorches me as I glimpse her nearly unclothed body. She's only wearing a small covering over her nether area, practically a scrap of fabric. I reach for the undergarment, slipping my fingers into the crotch area, then give a sharp tug. The sound of fabric shredding combines with more shocked gasps.

"That's much better." I grin at her as I toss the remnants of her undergarment to the floor. "Now, lie back and spread your legs, little female, and show me how wet you've become while touching yourself."

She sucks in a quick breath, and her face reddens further. "I will do no such thing."

When she attempts to flee, I grab her arms and hold her in place, not allowing her to leave the bed. I make a noise of disapproval deep in my throat, and I'm pleased when she finally ceases her struggles.

Fear gleams in her eyes, and an almost violent tremor racks her petite body. "Please," she whispers. "Please let me go."

A frustrated growl emits from my chest, and I tighten my hold on her face. The pull between us feels stronger than ever, and my ancestral markings won't stop tingling. Surely it's a sign that we're meant to be together. A sign that I'm meant to claim her.

"You're mine, Leona." Still holding her face, I press my lips to hers, overcome with the need to taste her. To devour her and conquer her no matter how fervently she protests. As I kiss her, the scent of her arousal invigorates my senses, causing my shafts to throb harder and my scrotum to vibrate faster.

She gives a tiny moan, and then her lips part. I sweep my tongue inside to tangle with hers. Mine mine mine. My mate. It doesn't take long for her to surrender to the roughness of my kiss, and I pour all my need into her as I clutch her face.

When I finally break away, she's so breathless that her chest is heaving, which naturally draws my gaze to her bosom. Her nipples are hard and ripe, and I reach out to trace one of those stiff peaks, gently circling it with my thumb. She whimpers and arches into my touch.

At some point during the kiss when she ceased struggling, I'd released her arms. But as I touch her, she doesn't make a move to shield her breasts or her pussy. She also makes no move to push me away. Instead, she rests against the pillows, trying to regulate her breathing as she stares at me with an increasingly heated expression.

"You're mine." I caress her hair. "Do you understand?"

Though a small glimmer of fear remains in her eyes, she gives a subtle nod and leans into my touch. Her eyes flutter shut, and she releases a satisfied sigh.

"Spread your legs for me, little female," I say with a growl. "Show me how wet you are."