Kede held Joyce tightly in his arms. He knew his words neared a lie. Neared but did not cross the dim line.
It would have to suffice for now. If what was discussed came to pass… the new High Warrior would have a difficult choice and a narrow beam on which to balance. He would represent their caste, represent each male within the room and those spread across the galaxy.
If they had their way… warriors would answer to none but the High Warrior. The male would deign to participate in council discussions, but the laws governing the males would be his to declare. It would require a Doshan of great strength of body and character to fill the position.
And they all stared at him as if he was the answer to their desires.
He was not sure if he were up to the task.
Joyce stirred in his embrace and he pressed his lips to her forehead once again. He could not keep his hands or lips to himself when she was near. More than one male watched their interaction with longing in their gaze. More than one stared at him as if the light rose and dimmed in his shadow.
He was the only warrior to claim and fight for his harae. He was the only one to earn such devotion that an entire ship of warriors was prepared to battle for his female’s safety. Even those brought by the council members joined in the political fight.
All for Joyce.
His strong, fierce, determined Joyce.
A low chime filled the room and he directed Vehly to grant the visitor entrance. He did not fear the males on his ship any longer. Each one swore their fealty to him once again. The system recording each pledge and testing the warrior’s truth.
They were loyal. Two thousand two hundred and five Doshan males and one annoying Toshan. If he did not respect Sampson for his accomplishments, Kede would pound him into the ground.
But he did, so he didn’t. Damn the darkness.
The Communications—Comm—Commander strode into the space, his steps stuttering when his gaze landed on the seated males and Joyce snuggled in his arms. He seemed to catch himself and slid to a stop and saluted.
“Report.” He snapped out the word. He did not like how the male stared at Joyce.
“They have all agreed, Commander.”
“Agreed to what?” Joyce spoke up and Kede swallowed his groan.
“Nothing, my harae.”
Then she stiffened and he truly did groan for he recognized the tension within her. She was gearing up for a ‘raging ball of hatefire.’ He did not like those words, but that did not make them untrue.
“Kede?”
He sighed and finally admitted defeat. “When you entered your Needing, Suthta, Yare, Hassee, and Resane spoke with the other commanders on the ship. These are high-ranking, respected males. They serve under me and I only allow the strongest of both body and mind on my ship. If they speak their truths, their Houses will listen.”
“Not all of them,” she grumbled.
“No, though even Terra has their dissidents when others make decisions.”
“Good point. Continue.” She waved her hand and he ignored the sudden tension in the males. To others, it appeared to be disrespect. To Kede and his friends, it was merely Joyce being Joyce.
“They detailed the plan and encoded it to the warriors.”
“Which ones? The commander guys?” Her question caused more stiffening.
“No, all of them. They each received the same set of questions and were asked to respond.”
“And… Like pulling teeth here,” she groused.
Sampson chuckled and Kede glared at the male. He would happily send the ex-Terran out an airlock. Unfortunately, the male’s commander would be disappointed if he disappeared.
“They were provided with the facts regarding your arrival on the Vehly and your subsequent transition. A vid of the councilmen’s arrival and their actions until we stepped into my quarters was also included. Visuals were not provided of your nude body, but no detail was spared, my harae, and I beg your forgiveness for the violation.” He had nearly beheaded Resane when he’d heard the male’s truths.
“Will it help the warriors? Will it help you guys be given a fair shake when all is said and done?” He could barely hear her words.
“Yes, they will.”
“Then I’ll pretend you all didn’t see me cry like a baby when the chocolate tried to kill me.” Her laugh was hoarse and false. He would soothe her when they were alone. “What did you ask for them to vote on?”
“Whether they agreed to our plan to force the hand of the Terrans, Councilmen, and Planetary Collective in one sweep and who on the Vehly they would like as their High Warrior for the next six months. We will make no new laws hindering our males though there are several that will be loosened based on the warriors’ responses.” Kede tilted his head toward the comm commander. “He is here to report.”
With that, the male expressed their caste’s desires to save the identity of their chosen representative. That would be decoded before the gathering tomorrow so all could see no subterfuge determined the election.
“They are in favor of our terms, Commander. The High Warrior will have the caste’s support and all voe-ted,” —not all his warriors were familiar with Terran terminology quite yet— “for altering the laws regarding females. They desire the ability to approach a female for possible joining. They also are in favor of negotiating with Terra. The option to choose their own destiny was also met with great favor.”
Kede forced that option into the message. Warriors were always trained to fight and should they not wish to wield their blades, they were allowed to become medicos. There was no other option. Kede thought of his young nephew. At four turnings, he already exhibited the traits of a warrior. He did not want the sweetness beaten from the boy. Not if he chose another path.
“And a High Warrior? Was that decided as well?”
There were millions of warriors and Kede refused to accept the position if their caste had another wish.
“Yes, Commander.”
“Excellent.” He tilted his head in welcome. “Thank you for your diligence, Comm Commander. We will see what tomorrow holds.”
The male moved to turn and then faced Kede once again. “The males wish to offer their thanks for your strength and give blessings on your joining. The ship’s comm was flooded with congratulations, Commander. We support you no matter what tomorrow may bring.”
The weight of their belief settled on his shoulders and it nearly drowned him in the responsibility. Not since he was first placed at the helm of a small pod did he feel such fear.
Then Joyce stirred, her small palm flat against his chest and resting over his heart, and some of those emotions bled away. She was the reason they would tear apart the Doshan government.
One single female would either destroy millennia of history or mold it into something that was greater than any other. He placed a finger beneath her chin and urged her to meet his gaze. He stared into the mis-matched eyes of the female who would raise or demolish an entire race.
Destruction in a short, vibrant package.
And he loved her more than the bright light.
The silence stretched and he finally turned his attention to the gathered males. “We’ll disband for now. I will see you all tomorrow at the gathering. The meeting will be broadcast throughout the ship and beyond. Every warrior will know the outcome. Make sure our guests are properly monitored this night and ensure the Terrans are fully searched before being granted access beyond the hold. I will have no violence on my ship. If they do not relinquish weapons, they are ejected from the Vehly.”
“In what way, Commander?” the security commander spoke up.
“However you deem fit though I would prefer not to turn them into…” He glanced at Joyce. “Terran-cicles?” At her nod, he repeated the phrase. “I would prefer not to turn them into Terran-cicles. Dismissed.”
In truth, he would love to send Wardsen into space, but he would refrain. For now. It would be up to the new High Warrior to make that choice tomorrow.
Wardsen should pray Kede was not placed in office. He should pray very hard.
Still snug in Kede’s arms, Joyce watched the males file from their suite. One after another saluted her harau and then took his leave. It was not long before they were alone in their space.
Mostly.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, Resane remained and was focused on her.
“Joyce? Do you need me?”
Kede stiffened and she soothed him with a gentle stroke.
“Yes, I’m concerned I lost too much weight through, you know, that thing that happened.” Ugh. She felt so weird talking about her fuckfest with her male friend even if he were a medico.
Resane frowned. “Stand please.” He turned toward Kede’s command center and she noted he’d brought along one of his bags-o-tricks. Lovely.
She pushed from the couch, frowning at Kede when he tried to keep her in his arms. “We gotta figure this out and then we’ll get some peace.”
He harrumphed and released her.
In no time, Resane was before her, small device in one hand while he placed another on the ground. She eyed the little globe-y thing with suspicion. “What the fuck is that gonna do? I don’t want any healing going on here. Just tell me what’s wrong.”
Resane rolled his eyes. “I will not heal you without permission. Kede would gut me. This is merely a portable scanner.”
“Fine. But I’m watching you. I already owe you a knee to the balls for that IUD stunt. Don’t think I won’t deliver.”
He snorted, she glared, and Kede laughed but tried to cover it up with a cough.
He was so not getting laid no matter what her body desired.
“Understood. Remain still.”
“Fine,” she grumbled and stood straight as the little machine got to work.
It hovered above the ground. It rose higher, and the pale yellow light flickering over her skin. It traveled from her toes to head and back again before finally coming to a rest.
Resane stared at the pad in his hand, fingers playing over the smooth surface and he frowned at the readouts. Seconds ticked past and she began to squirm, worried over what he’d found.
“Resane? What’s wrong? I mean, I know I lost a lot of weight, but I’m fine, right? I mean, I feel okay.”
He continued frowning and still didn’t say a word.
Damn male.
“Kede, order him to say something,” she snapped at her harau.
“Resane, say something.” He was quick to do as she demanded.
So was Resane. “Something.”
Oh, the bastard had picked up her sarcasm. Stupid jerk. “Resane, I mean it. What’s wrong?”
Instead of speaking to her, he focused on Kede. “Is she always like this?”
Joyce swung her attention to her harau and noticed his shrug. “Patience is not one of my harae’s virtues.”
“Oh, I’ll give you a damned virtue. Hell, I’ll take away my best virtue, you big alien jerk.”
Kede flinched and she knew her threat hit home. “What I meant to say my beautiful and sweet harae is—”
“Nice try. You were doing good until you called me sweet.”
He rose from the couch and came to her, gathering her close. “But you do taste sweet. Sweet and sinful. That is the Terran word, yes?”
Joyce’s body responded to his deep purr and she shuddered with desire. The man was entirely too good at that.
“Ahem,” Resane drawled. He really had spent too much time around her and Terran vids. They both turned their attention back to the male. When they were both focused on Resane, he spoke. “My research indicates you did lose a small amount more than the average Doshan female. Continued supplements and regular meals should enable you to return to your previous form.” Joyce released a relieved sigh, but it was too soon because the male kept speaking. “And then some.”
“And then some?” She raised her eyebrows. “Are you saying I’m gonna get fluffier?” She turned and whacked Kede on the chest. “What’d you go and do that for? I’ll have to get new clothes now.”
She didn’t truly care about the extra weight as long as she didn’t end up achy and her health wasn’t affected. She’d always been a damned healthy poofy chick. She wanted to stay that way.
“Joyce, it is not due to the Needing. Perhaps not entirely. You are… That is…” Discomfort was written across his features.
“Spit it out.” She crossed her arms over her flatter chest.
Oh, he spat. Those words just went spit-ily flying through the air and struck her in the chest. Well, really, more like her uterus. “You are with young.”
Joyce stiffened and she felt Kede do the same. She raised her arm and twirled her hand in a circle. “Roll that back up and say that again. Smaller words as if you were speaking to a one-year-old who wants to play with your Ginsu knives.”
Resane furrowed his brow. “I do not know how to simplify it further. You endured your Needing…”
Yeah, endured wasn’t the word she’d use. More like reveled or enjoyed or screamed Kede’s name over and over again.
“…As a result, you are now with young. The Terran word is pregnant, I believe.”
She cupped her stomach, rubbing her lower belly. Pregnant?
Kede repeated her thoughts. “Pregnant? Young? You are sure?”
Resane nodded, eyes still trained on the pad. “And fully Doshan. It is yet another strike against the council and Terrans.”
Joyce stiffened. “I won’t let my child be used like some sort of red flag for those men.”
“Joyce… It would prove to them that—”
She shook her head. “No, I already have a target on my back because of my conversion. Those men are crazies. The last thing I want to do is give them another reason to come after me. It’s bad enough those zealots tried to take me once. Knowing about the baby will make them more determined.”
“Bay-bee?” Kede repeated the word.
“Young,” she supplied. “They would want me even more because I’m with young. Please, Kede.”
“Joyce is not wrong, Resane. Her condition will remain between us.” Kede’s voice was firm.
“Besides,” she cupped her rounded belly. “I may not keep it.”
That had Resane gasping and Kede roaring and Joyce slapped her hands over her ears as she waited for her harau to finish his outburst. When the sound no longer echoed through the room, she lowered her arms.
“You will do nothing to be rid of our young.” His voice was harsh and strained.
“Of course not.” She placed her fingers on his forearm. “I would never do anything to harm our child, but Terrans sometimes miscarry in the first three months. It’s a risk any female faces.” She looked to Resane. “Tell him about the risks. Don’t Doshan females worry about losing the baby?”
The medico frowned. “I have never heard of this, but I do not regularly treat females. If this is part of Terran physiology, I shall have to monitor you closely. It requires regular visits to doctor.” Joyce nodded. “You will have to submit to the biobed.” Joyce shook her head. “I will not perform any procedures, Joyce. I swear it. A scan only and with Kede present. Nothing more.”
“For our bay-bee, my harae.” Her harau’s voice was soft and tender, a plea evident in each syllable and she knew she’d lost.
“Okay. I’ll come by medical.”
Resane dipped his head in acknowledgement. “I’ll see you before tomorrow’s events.”
He turned to leave and nerves got the better of her. They overrode her anxiety over climbing onto the biobed and she called to the medico. “And after, Resane.” She rubbed where her child rested. “And after.”
“Whenever you wish. I’ll see you both in the morning.” With that, Resane retreated. He reached the doors and paused, looking back to them. “This is a private question and you will pretend I did not ask if it offends you.”
She sighed. “Spit it out. I don’t expect you to hold back on me now.”
Kede chuckled. “He is worried about my reaction, my harae. Continue, Resane.”
“Have you discussed her marking? To record your joining?”
Joyce stroked her throat. She’d forgotten about the markings. She and Kede had passively agreed to join, but the markings were a permanent sign of their union. They could not be removed and they could not be contested.
She shook her head. “No, we never talked about it.” She refocused on Kede. “Is that something you want? Me to wear you mark? I don’t have to if you don’t—”
He cut off her words with a harsh kiss, his lips firmly against hers for a moment before he pulled away. “I crave nothing more than to see my mark on your skin. And… and your mark on mine.”
Resane’s gasp was not the only one that filled the air though his might have been the loudest.
Males didn’t get marked. Ever. The female showed her submission—she hated that word—to their male by accepting the mark. But if Kede took hers… What would the warriors think? Would he lose the respect of his crew? Of other Doshans?
“Kede, you can’t—”
“I am Commander Kede Tria-se of the Vehly and Holder of my House. I can do as I desire. Any who object to my actions should prepare to meet their end in a Kerosa.” He snared her hand and gently squeezed. “I will take your mark gladly, my harae. You have given me your faith, your trust, and a family I never imagined I’d have. The least I can do is show others that I wear your claiming mark with pride.” He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. “You need only decide its form. Yours will be my name,” he brushed the hollow of her throat, “here for all to see.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Wanna slap it on my ass, too? Property of Kede?” He paused to think on it and she snapped at him. “It was a joke.”
“The idea has merit.”
She shook her head and turned to Resane. “If we do this, will it harm the baby?”
“No, it will be a slight heat on your skin. No more than two heart beats, perhaps three.” Resane reached into his bag and removed a slim box. “The process is simple and easily completed.”
“Define slight. Your ‘menstrual pain’ was a fuckton bigger than my monthly cramps.”
The medico winced. “I have done additional research and spoken with Yare. He states it is no more than when you test the heat of the cooking surface without touch.”
“You spoke with Yare of this?” Kede snarled.
She wondered if the male would ever not snarl. Since she gave it up to him, he sounded more like a growling dog than a male.
“It was for Joyce’s protection. I was incorrect with the IUD removal. I could not risk that again. Besides, it was Yare. You trusted him to help run the ship during Joyce’s Needing. You cannot suddenly rescind your trust so easily.”
Kede’s anger fled. “You are correct.” Her harau held out his hand. “Give me the device and explain its use. We will do this without an audience.”
Resane was quick to dart forward and then retreat. “I have coded in your symbol and provided several options for Joyce though she can design her own should she desire.”
The two men discussed the small machine and before long, Resane was gone, leaving them alone.
Kede pulled her close, encircling her with his arms, and she leaned against him. She took what comfort he offered, enjoying being embraced by her harau.
Neither spoke, both welcoming the silence, and as the seconds passed, she let him take more of her weight.
“You are with young, Joyce. And you wish to become my harae so none may part us?” The awe in his voice was unmistakable.
“Yes. To both.”
“I… I never thought to have…” His arms tightened. “You are with young. You will be mine.”
She tilted her head back and rested her chin on his chest. “Yes. To both.” The slim box, device resting snugly in its confines, still occupied a place on the nearby table. “Kede?”
“Yes, my harae?”
“I want to take your mark and then I want to give you yours if you wish to accept it. Then I want you to take me to bed.” She pressed to her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. “Make me yours in all ways, my warrior.”
Kede did not believe his legs would hold him. Him, Holder of House Tria, Commander of the Vehly, stood upon weak knees due to a few whispered words from Joyce. From his harae.
His.
She bore his young, a sweet female or a worthy male, growing within her body. And she wanted him as her harau.
His.
“Come, my harae.” He withdrew his arms from her and reached for the slim device Resane had provided, one his friend had cobbled together using machinery from medical. Never before had any on a battleship required joining. “Let us go to our bedroom.” He used the Terran word, the syllables tripping on his tongue, but his Joyce liked them so he allowed himself to feel foolish as he used her native words. “We will program your symbol and then we shall claim one another.”
Her smile was blinding, brighter than the bright light itself, and joy filled him. He, gruff warrior, seduced a beautiful female and was joining with her now.
Kede led her to the room they’d been sharing for days and she was quick to strip, to expose her curves to his gaze. He knew every inch of her body, every dip and fall of skin and flesh. He knew she liked to be licked on her hip, but she liked her cleet nibbled. And her pussy. Her pussy enjoyed being filled by him. If it wasn’t for his physical limitations and duties. He would always be inside her.
She had lost all inhibition during her Needing, no longer timid before him and he loved seeing all of her. He followed her, eyes trained on the sway of her hips and her ass. He had become a fan of her ass. And her tits.
“Are you coming?” Her husky voice had him focusing on her face. It was flushed pink and he read that as excitement—sexual excitement—and joy. His harae seemed to be filled with anticipation. And not him. But he would remedy that soon.
“Not yet.” The joke—he had read of these extensively—caused his harae to giggle and smile widely.
She rolled her eyes and crawled atop the rumpled bed. None had been allowed access to their private space and it showed. The sheets were twisted and half gone, and after the hours of mating, he was glad their mattress was made of biopad. All fluids and evidence of their furious and tender joinings were taken away by the material.
“Come on, you.”
Yes, he would like to come on her. In her. Instead of voicing the words for he was not sure how she would take them, he followed her example. He tore his clothing from his body, not missing the way her pupils dilated and the hitch in her breath. Just as she stole his control, he did the same to her.
As it should be.
He moved until he sat beside her, reclaiming the device as he settled. Accessing the necessary data was easy.
“This is my symbol,” he murmured as he brought up the emblem of the House Tria. “And I have added my own name here,” he pointed to the characters that represented his name. “It is not very feminine…”
He thought over the markings of other females he’d seen in the past. Theirs had been swirling and delicate whereas Kede’s was blocky and rough and much like a warrior who had seen many battles.
“Perhaps this is not right.” He frowned and a new worry assaulted him. What if she disliked it so much she denied him?
No. She carried his young. She said the words in front of a witness. She could not reject him now.
It is always at the female’s wish.
Perhaps she could. He frowned harder.
“What’s wrong with it?” Her voice refocused his attention on her, and saw a frown that matched his own.
“It is very…”
“Beautiful? Yours?”
Kede shook his head. “You are delicate and soft and this is… not. Other females—”
Joyce rolled her eyes. “Other females aren’t in bed with you. Give it to me.”
“My harae—” She snatched it from his hands and he clenched his hands into fists to restrain himself. He would not battle with his harae over the tablet. She might still change her mind.
She poked and prodded the small device, rapidly opening and closing files, manipulating the image. He watched as she brought up her name, twisted and turned things until they were left with a perfect balance of them both.
“There. What do you think of that?”
It was strong yet soft. It would not embarrass him on the field—not that he would ever be embarrassed of his harae’s choice of marking, he had a mate and they did not—while it also wouldn’t overwhelm her femininity.
“It is…” More emotion overwhelmed him, desperation to carry her marking overriding all else. “You are mine. This will say that you are mine,” he could not hide the harshness in his voice. “Mine.”
His cawk was hard and aching, ready to fill her and claim her both inside and out. He craved her with every breath and he could not suppress the desire to stake his claim.
“No,” she shook her head and he froze.
His heart no longer beat, blood no longer rushing through his veins. “You…” shock had him whispering. “You are denying me? You carry my young! You cannot do so!” That same shock had him shouting. “I will not let you!”
Joyce glared at him, her brilliant eyes darkening and he realized perhaps he spoke in haste. She growled at him, his sweet harae, and then he found himself with his lap filled with her. As fast as a Terran snake she struck and shoved him back as she climbed over him, placing knees on either side of his hips. Her wetness kissed his cawk and he fought the need to grasp her hips and fill her in one stroke.
He managed to keep his hands to himself. He did, however, rock his hips and slide his length along the soft wetness of her pussy. She enjoyed this. He knew she did.
Joyce shuddered and moaned and he knew he had her. He would keep her drugged on pleasure while he marked her and then—
“I wasn’t saying no, I was saying…” He flexed and she gasped. Yes, he enjoyed this game. “I was saying that you would be mine.” She circled her hips and it was his turn to moan. His harae’s body was so… She did it again and he lost speech. “Do you hear me? Mine.”
“Anything, my harae.” Anything.
“You’ll wear my mark, my warrior?” She traced her fingers over his collarbones and across his chest. “Here?”
She repeated the move and his bahls drew up tight against him. “Anything.”
“It could say ‘My name is Kede and I’m an asshole.’”
Kede grinned. “If it says I am your asshole, then I shall wear it with pride.”
Her smile slipped and he cursed himself. What had he said wrong? He would apologize and hope she explained later.
“Joyce—”
“That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard,” she whispered and then lifted the tablet to show him her design.
It held the power of his family name while cradling the gentleness—when she was not shouting at him—of his harae.
A blend of them both.
“It is beautiful, my harae. The most beautiful symbol I have ever seen.” He did not acknowledge that his eyes ached or throat hurt. These emotions were reserved for his harae. Warriors did not embrace tears.
“You’ve see many?”
He tore his attention from the mark he would soon wear. “Every male and female in my House sends announcements of their joinings to me. So that I may know who else falls under my protection. There are many Trias in the galaxy, my harae, and truly this is the most beautiful.”
Pink stained her cheeks and he knew that—this time—it was not in anger. He had said something right. He did not know what. Perhaps she would explain that later as well.
“You’ll wear it?”
“With pride,” he immediately answered. With pride, he would find every reason to expose himself to others to boast of his claim.
Her eyes softened and she sighed. “How do we do this?”
Joyce still seemed willing so he would hurry before he said something else to annoy her and join them before she changed her mind. He reached for the other half of the pieced together joining plate. “This piece is placed on your skin while the command is given to the device. It will imprint the symbol.” He clutched it in his hand. “It will never be removed, my harae. Even at my death, it would remain.”
“I don’t want it to ever come off and if you mention dying I will beat you.”
Kede tilted his head to the side. “I may enjoy this. What else would drive you to—” His harae growled at him and he smiled. “You are glorious when you are angry with me.”
She shook her head and reached for the fabric joining plate. “Here, let’s position it on me and—”
He snatched it away before she could make contact. “No,” he shook his head. “I will go first. I will make sure this pain is as Resane described. If I feel it is too much for you to take, I will at least be tied to you. We can complete the ceremony when I am assured it would not harm you.”
Joyce’s eyes softened once more and he believed he saw love there. He prayed to the bright light he was correct. He would savor her love and would give her his own in return. He would tell her so once they were bound. A male could only be so vulnerable.
“Okay,” she nodded and he allowed her to take the fabric plate, to drape it across his chest and then press it in place. “There.”
“It is where you desire it?” He glanced down to see that it rode high on his chest. It was possible some would be visible above the collar of his uniform. That pleased him greatly.
“Yes. What next?”
“You shall press this button on the pad.” He reached over and sought the datapad so she could “do the honors” as Terrans said.
Her expression changed, transformed as it often did during her Needing and desire replaced all other emotions inside her. “Do you know what helps offset pain, my harau?”
She purred the word.
He did not believe she spoke of a hypo. “No, my harae.”
Her smile turned knowing and enigmatic. “Let me show you.”
Joyce’s showing included a gradual slide along his body, her moist pussy leaving his cawk and she traveled down him until she lay beneath his spread thighs. His length twitched in anticipation. He had learned to enjoy this position. She would lay before him and taste him as he had tasted her the first time they came together. He truly loved being tasted. She explained she was giving him a “blow job” though he did not understand why it was referred to as “blowing” when she sucked.
It felt good. He did not argue.
“My Joyce?” He would not admit to a soul that his voice squeaked as he said her name for that was the moment she licked the head of his cawk and pressed a kiss to his flesh. “What about…” She did it again and he gasped. “The mark…”
She did not answer him with words, but merely swallowed his length in one gentle lower of her mouth. His bahls immediately tightened and his cawk throbbed and he fought to contain himself lest he explode. He was not prepared to come before his harae. Before he became her harau.
“Joyce.”
She scraped her teeth along his cawk and he groaned deeply. He would never admit he enjoyed pain to his cawk as part of their lovemaking. No, he would never admit to lovemaking. Saying the words aloud might bring other males’ minds to such an act and then they would imagine… She cupped his bahls, gently rubbing them with her fingertips and then tugged on that part of him. “Fek, Joyce!”
She sucked harder and he thought she would pull his genetic material from him through will alone. The pleasure of her mouth and hands drove him mad, making him burn for her. Her pace increased as she drew him in and then released him, baring his slick skin to the air. She was beautiful, her dark locks rippling over his hips and those teal and coral eyes locked on his. She was a trusting soul. Now. Though there were many times when—
She moaned around him and trembled, and he knew she found pleasure in the act as well. She would not find her woman’s pleasure, but she would be prepared for his possession.
“Please, my harae. I wish to fill—”
Joyce released him, drawing a whimper from him. If asked, he would deny it unto death. “Come for me, my warrior.” She drew the datapad close. “Come and I will initiate the mark.” She licked him once more, sending a bolt of pleasure down his spine. “I will make you my harau.”
Kede recognized her resolve and jerked his head in a stiff nod. He was a warrior and he knew when a battle had been lost. He was not sad to admit he’d lost this one. It was a sweet, sweet failure that he embraced with open arms.
His harae returned to her task, swallowing him, tasting and teasing him with her teeth and tongue. He kept his gaze trained on her and allowed himself to become lost in the sensations, in the feel of her hot mouth on him. He managed to keep his hips still as she pleasured him, licking and sucking in equal measure.
Once again his bahls were hard and tight against him, ready to fill his beautiful harae’s mouth. Rising to the edge was quick, the pleasure close and nearly within grasp. He panted with the need, the desire for her, and he prayed to the bright light that he would recover quickly to fill her once he accepted her marking.
“My harae,” he gasped and groaned, eyes drifting closed as the ecstasy overtook him. He was so close. “My harae…”
His spine tingled, the feeling settling on his lower back and then wrapping around him as if invisible hands stroked his cawk. Stroked him and then he arched without thought, mouth hanging open as a shout escaped his lips. “Joyce!”
At that same instant, heat and stinging pain assaulted his chest, the burn adding to his pleasure and not stealing an ounce of joy he experienced. The warmth intensified, the pain growing, and that sent his release even higher. His cawk pulsed within her mouth, bahls releasing down her throat and she rippled around his length as she swallowed his genetic material.
“My Joyce, my harae,” he gasped and fought for breath. “My heart.”
Kede collapsed against the bed, exhausted by the most powerful or-gah-sm he’d ever experienced and he forced his eyelids to part. The heat on his chest told him of her mark’s presence, but he tugged the fabric plate anyway and looked at the black design now marring his skin. With a trembling hand, he traced what he could see of the symbol they’d designed.
The joining of two houses. Enner and Tria forever linked.
“My harae,” he murmured, meeting her intent stare. “Mine.”
Joyce gave him one last lick and propped herself on her elbows, a smirk in place. The position allowed him to see her breasts and his mouth watered, his lips aching to wrap around those plump nubs. He loved suckling her, loved—
“Am I?”
Kede shook his head. “What?”
She pushed to her knees and brushed her midnight hair over her shoulder, giving him a better view of her body. “Am I yours?”
“Yes,” he growled and realized that while his skin was now covered in their symbol, hers was not. That would change. Immediately.
Joyce wasn’t sure why she teased. Hell, yes she did. Because it was fun. It was fun to tease her serious warrior.
Which was why she found herself flat on her back with Kede kneeling between her spread thighs. He held the fabric and narrowed his eyes as he stared at her.
“I will place this on you. Make you my harae for all to know.”
“Yes,” she hissed, anxious and ready.
“It does not hurt much, but pleasure will make you forget.”
She grinned. “You make me forget my name when you’re inside me. I doubt I’ll notice.”
He gave a stiff nod. “As long as you do not forget my name, I am unconcerned.”
Of course.
He didn’t seem to need her to say anything because then he placed the fabric on her skin, draping it exactly as he desired and then pressing it into place to ensure it didn’t move or shift. God love alien adhesives. When he was done, she realized he was already ready for her, his once soft cock now firm again.
Ah, alien stamina and recovery.
“It is my turn to make you mine.” He sat on his heels and palmed his cock, stroking himself from base to tip. It was something else she’d taught him during her Needing. Teasing each other heightened their pleasure and he knew how much she enjoyed watching him.
Hopefully he wouldn’t tease her for too long because she ached, ached for him.
“Are you prepared, my Joyce?” She nodded, but it wasn’t enough. She knew it wouldn’t be. “Show me.” He was gruff and demanding and that intensified her cravings.
Without a thought to denying him, she spread her knees wider, exposing herself to his gaze fully. She was soaking wet and ready for him. But that wasn’t just what he craved. No, it went further. She slid one hand between her thighs, slipping them through the evidence of her need, and then lifted the glistening digits toward him.
“I’m ready for you. Taste me. See that I want you.” She murmured the words and was gratified by the new light that filled his eyes.
He leaned toward her, mouth open, and sucked the two fingers past his lips. He lapped at her skin, licking each finger with a deep moan before retreating.
“You crave me, my harae, and now you shall have me.”
He gave her what she craved above all. He gave her himself. In one smooth thrust, he filled her, stretching and stroking as no other had before. He touched her in places she’d never known existed and then each time he helped her discover more. He was strong, her warrior, driving deeper and harder with each thrust. He jarred them, sending her breasts bouncing with each entrance and forcing a gasping moan or groan from her lips.
He fucked her roughly but with emotion that surprised her. He was hers in a way she’d never imagined. She wasn’t someone who warranted a second look, a deeper inspection. She didn’t attract notice.
But to Kede… she knew she was his world just as he was hers.
His pace was maddening and delicious, the push forward and gradual retreat sending pleasure thrumming through her with his every shift of muscle. She couldn’t remain quiet beneath his attentions, calling for him and begging him in equal measure.
Her nipples were hardened nubs while her center was hot and pulsing with growing bliss. Her clit twitched with each meeting of their hips and she didn’t imagine it’d take much for her to rise to the precipice and topple off the edge into the abyss of ecstasy.
She clutched his arms, hands gliding over his sweat-dampened body until they rested on his shoulders. She clutched him tightly, fingernails digging into his skin. He liked the marks she’d left on him in the past. They drove him wild, he said. Made his heart race as if it would burst from his chest. Then he assured her that was a good thing.
He also said it told him when she was near the edge and she agreed it was a good measuring stick. Because her pussy was rippling and tightening around him, squeezing and milking his cock as if begging for his cum.
Which, she was. His seed was warm and soothing against the fire of needing that he stoked. As if her body knew exactly what it needed and refused to relent until it got what it desired.
“Kede. Harau.” She gasped with his next thrust, the fierce slap of his hips against hers that sent an overshadowing wave of pure pleasure crashing through her.
“Mine. Harae.”
“Please.”
“Mine.” He withdrew and slammed forward. “My harae.”
Joyce’s gaze collided with his, mis-matched eyes drawn to one another and she hoped he saw the love she felt for him. When his color brightened, she realized he did. That was also when his pace increased further, his strength behind each thrust and she found herself lost to the sensations.
She floated along a tsunami of ecstasy, allowing it to drag her to the top, the pinnacle, and she hovered there as she waited for what would push her over. Waited and waited and then… waited no longer.
Kede brushed the datapad, his finger ghosting over the flashing symbol on the screen and then a burning heat enveloped her. It seared her skin, delving into her body and warming her nerve endings. That sudden flare of pain sent her tumbling forward, tripping into the pool of pleasure that had her screaming his name, shouting her pleasure to the stars.
And still he continued, tormenting her with his cock as she rode the precipice and allowed the joy to overwhelm her every thought. Then she sensed the change in him, the slight alteration that told her he was there with her as well. His pace faltered, rhythm stuttering and then his thrusts became jerky and uneven before he finally sealed his hips to hers.
This time it was her name that came with an echoing shout, her name that bounced off the walls as he found his final joy. “Joyce!”
He trembled and twitched, her body responding to each of the small jerks and when he finally lost the battle to lethargy, she welcomed him with open arms. She held him close, hugging him for the brief moment before he rolled to the side and dragged her with him.
But this time… He didn’t lower himself. He retained his balance on one hand and reached for the plate with the other, dragging it aside and exposing her marked skin to the room’s cool air. She lowered her gaze to what she could see of their combined marking.
“Kede?”
His smile was lazy and cocky in one with more than a hint of uncontrollable joy. “You are mine now, my harae. A warrior has laid claim to his female. I shall never let you go.”
Joyce smiled as well, warmth filling her heart as she stared at the mark that marred his skin. “I don’t want to be let go.”
“Good,” he grunted.
And then he preceded to show her, once again, how a warrior claimed his harae.