Chapter Eleven
Unable to so much as think about sleep, Eva rolled to her side and called, “Windows open.” Staring out at the rainbow-colored mountains, willing her aroused body to calm, she wondered if she’d ever wake up from her elaborate dream. At a flash of light in the sky, she sat up on the side of the bed for a closer look, and her body, pleasantly sore from all his attention, told her it was no dream.
She crossed to the window and watched as a shuttle, flashing brightly in the sunshine descended and vanished from sight beyond the city. Her gaze shifted to Ariad, sprawled out before her. Out there, somewhere, were seven other women, dealing with the same things she was. How were they faring with their warrior mates? Especially Eryn, who she hadn’t seen since the morning after their capture.
A plan formulated in her mind. First, a hot bath in his magnificent pool—which by no stretch of the imagination was a mere bathtub—second, get the lay of the land, and then locate Lana and the rest of her team.
Because she’d lingered in her bath, and because she had several tender spots which required soaking in soothing, neck-deep hot water, and because it really was a magnificent pool, Eryn didn’t leave Kerr’s bedroom for over an hour. Dressed in the same gown since it was all she had, Eva made her way to the front of the residence. About ten feet from the double doors, she paused, staring at the sensor. Had he locked her in like on the Intrepid? As she reached for the panel, her hand trembled.
“Good day to you, Prima.”
She screeched, jumping almost to the ceiling. She spun, her back to the wall, and found a young man in the hall behind her. Her hand flew to her chest. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
Stricken, he held out his hands as though to offer a soothing touch or reassurance, then snatched them back, as if realizing the inappropriateness of his action. “Your pardon, Prima. I never meant to frighten you.”
She took a deep breath and shook her head then, for some reason, assured him she was all right, though the fluttering beneath her rib cage had not eased. “I’m fine. I just didn’t expect anyone to be here.”
He looked about twenty, with a clean-shaven face, and beautiful teal eyes, his form as striking as all the Primarian males she’d encountered. Even the elders, with their silvery-white hair, were handsome men, their remarkably smooth skin belying their actual ages.
Her gaze dropped to his blue tunic.
Not a warrior.
“Who are you?”
“I am Janus, the Princep’s chamberlain.”
She stared at him for a moment. “Isn’t the chamberlain the steward of a castle?”
He looked back at her blankly. “I don’t understand steward. I manage the Princep’s personal affairs and his residence.”
“And he says he isn’t a king,” she mumbled. Louder, she asked, “What does that involve, exactly?”
“I oversee Max Kerr’s household. Some of my duties include seeing you both have whatever you need, when you need it, directing the other staff, and receiving your guests. Most importantly, according to your mate this morning after several arrived early and without an appointment, is making sure when you are not in or open to visitors, I redirect them.” He pointed to the door behind him. “If you ever need me, my office is here. May I assist you in some way now?”
His question brought her attention, and apprehension, back to the doors. “I thought I’d go for a walk, perhaps explore the other floors.”
He stepped to the doors and opened one for her, holding it wide. “The Princep ordered an escort should you leave the building itself, so you don’t get lost. Will you need one?”
She hesitated. Was this a show of trust or a simple matter of her not having anywhere to go? And, did she really want to run around a strange place with strange customs all alone? What if she unwittingly broke some protocol or, heaven forbid, insulted one of the warriors or an elder?
“I think I’ll limit my exploration to inside today, thank you.”
“As you wish, Prima.” He smiled warmly at her. “Enjoy your expedition of discovery.”
Tentatively, she walked through the lounge. At the outer door, she stopped and glanced back, seeing he watched her go, still smiling. Suddenly, he rushed forward.
“How rude of me.” He opened the etched glass doors, using the scanner.
When no one leaped out and ordered her back inside, she put one foot in front of the other and left the residence, descending the stairs next, which was the only option.
At the third floor, she peeked around the corner and found the corridor empty. Guest rooms didn’t interest her, so she moved on. On the second floor, about midway down the hall, she saw a group of men. From their robes she recognized them as Elders, and what she had learned of them so far, they were sticklers for rules and more old-fashioned than Kerr. These powerful old sages gave her the willies, so she bypassed this floor too and continued to the first-floor landing. There she paused, peering out at the controlled chaos as dozens upon dozens of Primarians came and went.
When no one paid her any mind, she ventured out into the flow of traffic. Surrounded by tall, broad, intimidating men, she felt like a shrub amidst a forest of redwoods.
She kept to the side, out of the way, but had no idea where she was going or where to start looking for Lana, Brenna, and the others. For all she knew, they’d been taken somewhere outside the city.
Heat flooded the back of her neck. She rubbed at it, feeling mildly dizzy as a faint thread of anxiety wove its way through her chest. She turned to go.
“Prima,” a booming voice called. She turned in a circle until she located Aylan approaching. Like the day before, he was grinning broadly and seemed happy to see her. “Kerr says you have an interest in botany. I’ve come to show you the rooftop.”
Her mood immediately lifted, and a wave of relief swept over her. There was an added warmth spreading throughout her knowing Kerr had remembered to send his uncle. Did this mean he was thinking of her, wherever he was, doing whatever?
“I can come back later if you’re busy,” Aylan said, looking down the hall in the direction she’d been heading.
“Oh, no. I was only looking around. I’d love to see the greenhouse now. Thank you, sir.”
“Greenhouse?”
“At home, most plants are green.”
He tutted, correcting her as Kerr often did. “This is your home now, girl, and I dare say an all-green planet must be quite dull. Good thing our Princep rescued you from horticultural uniformity.” He extended his arm toward the stairs. “Shall we?”
Eva needed no other invitation, and, in her excitement—relief was more like it—she mounted the steps she had just descended at double her usual pace. Aylan’s long legs easily kept up.
“You’re jumpy, girl, like you’re about to come out of your skin. Is something bothering you?”
“I think I’m still getting used to the atmosphere, or perhaps the food. Before you arrived, I got hot all over. I’m also very much on edge and the tiniest bit queasy.” She looked up at him as they continued to climb the stairs. “I wouldn’t think much of it, considering…” She vaguely waved her hands. “But a hot rush, almost like my skin is burning, wouldn’t be nerves. Do other visitors experience the same?”
He nodded, answering her question with one of his own. A practice she’d noticed Kerr was good at, too. “When did this begin?”
Eva thought back on her morning. “It started after Kerr left, so two or three hours ago, I mean time-cycles.” She frowned. “Maybe I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast.”
Aylan was grinning again, which made her frown deepen. She hadn’t said anything remotely funny.
“I think missing the morning meal might be some of it. I’ll have Janus send something up, and there’s an herb in the garden, when brewed into tea, which might help.”
Much to Eva’s relief, both did the trick, because she wouldn’t have missed the next few hours spent.
It started off with her on a carved marble bench, sipping tea and eating toast on the rooftop patio at the entrance to the gardens. From her vantage point, they were extensive and beautifully maintained. She wanted to skip her late breakfast and get right to it, but Aylan wouldn’t hear of starting the tour until she drank every drop and ate every crumb. Kerr dropped by and lent his support upon hearing her symptoms and stayed to chat with his uncle. But Eva thought his real intent was to make sure she finished because, when she was done, he announced he had to get back. She didn’t think much more about it—or rather couldn’t, after he left her with a kiss hot enough to curl her toes and muddle her brain.
A beaming Aylan showed off the shrubs and flowering plants carefully tended—many by his skilled hand—and he pointed out favored species here and there, naming a few, but mostly he chattered excitedly about what beautiful nieces and nephews she and Kerr were going to give him.
She didn’t mind because she was in her element, gardening—something she had dearly missed while planet-hopping these past three years—and because she genuinely liked Aylan. He was big, loud, and outspoken, but he shared her interests, had a keen sense of humor, and treated her like family, something she hadn’t had in years.
“This next spot is my favorite in the garden, outside the hothouse, of course, which we’ll go see next.”
Eva heard the gently splashing water first, but she didn’t see where it was coming from until he stepped aside. In front of her, standing taller than Aylan who was close to seven feet was a three-tiered stone fountain.
“I designed it myself. What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful. I love it. In fact, I love everything about this place.” She turned in a circle, staring at the profusion of color, the strategically placed benches, all with the soothing tinkling sounds of water providing a relaxing backdrop, like in a serenity garden. “I could spend all day, every day, here and never get tired of it.”
He tossed his head back and sent peals of laughter to the sky. “Lucky for you, girl, you can because all of this is yours. I just tend it, along with about six others, for your mate.”
They took a seat across from a ten-foot-long plant bed containing what Aylan called a dancing vine. Its white blossoms opened and closed sporadically while the crimson-red leaves fluttered and waved, and the stalks and stems swayed and bent in a repeating pattern. Mesmerized by the rhythmic motions which made it look like it was truly dancing, Eva stared at it in awe until Aylan moved her along.
“More to see, girl. Don’t dally.”
He pointed out a fragrant bush, which had attracted a swarm of what she assumed were butterflies. Aylan gave it another tongue-twisting technical name. In her mind, butterflies were what they would forever be. A magical place, the garden fell short of the real treasure—the hothouse.
After an extensive tour describing the variety of species he had seeded, he showed off his cross-breeding experiments and regaled her with stories from Primarian history.
Over the next several days, the old man became her teacher as well as her research partner, visiting almost every morning and working side by side with her for hours. They’d get involved, debating which breed would match best with another to make a stronger, more resilient species. Even when Aylan wasn’t there, Kerr often had to drag her away to take their meals. He learned to do so with plenty of time to make herself presentable, first, teasing her about her mussed hair, dirt-smudged cheeks, and grubby gardener’s attire. His enthusiasm in helping her get clean in the giant bathing pool said he didn’t mind in the least when he found her that way.
Such became the pattern of the next week: loved well—and thoroughly—by Kerr morning, noon, and night. In between each rendezvous, she got to do something else she loved, exploring the plant life the new world had to offer.
***
Having found a sense of contentment, Eva could almost forget the circumstances which led to her being here. They came rushing back when it came time for the new mate celebration with the entire council of elders at the end of the week. A formal, well-attended, very public occasion, Kerr warned her repeatedly of the need to be respectful at the gathering, even more so than the smaller celebration on the Intrepid. The two elders present then were his relatives, and, according to him, two of the most liberal and easygoing on the council. This had her worried.
“You’re scaring me, Kerr,” she muttered after he’d repeated his warning yet again. In her silky robe, fresh from a bath—with him, of course, which had turned amorous, naturally—she stood in the middle of their huge bedroom, watching him put on his black boots. She was far from ready, stalling for as long as she could as she dreaded the upcoming evening. She was stressed, and it was beginning to show. “Why do we have to have a celebration, anyway?”
He didn’t look up upon hearing her silly question, instead, while pulling on his other boot, he said softly, “I think you’re clever enough to figure out why.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, we’re the salvation of your people, and everyone wants to take a look.”
This earned her a sharp glance.
“What’s gotten into you,” he asked, as he came to his feet. “You’re unusually tetchy.”
Kerr was handsome, always. In his dress uniform adorned with gold on his shoulders and more down his sleeves, with his hair loose and long about his shoulders, as glossy under the lights as his gleaming black boots, he eclipsed handsome and became more beautiful than anything she’d ever laid eyes on. And from what she could tell, everyone else on Primaria, especially the women, were a close second,
Compared to the tall, willowy, dark-haired, brown-eyed beauties she’d seen, Eva felt short, washed out, and fat. How could she compete? If any of them had functioning ovaries, Eva and her teammates wouldn’t even be here.
Already apprehensive, now she felt sick. She walked to the window which was off and gazed out at the twin suns setting over the mountains as she answered his question. “I remember the first such supper not going very well.”
“Whose fault was that, mate?”
She glanced down at her hands, clasped so tightly her knuckles looked white. “I didn’t make up your archaic rules, Kerr.”
He approached, hands sliding up her arms to curl around her shoulders, and he turned her to face him. “Am I to assume, if I visited Earth, I wouldn’t find your traditions or rules just as strange?”
This gave her pause. She tried to imagine Kerr in her world. Where women didn’t jump when he said boo, and wore what they wanted, exposing legs, cleavage, and curves, and worse. Where they could be president or prime minister, and told the male generals what to do. She fought a smile but failed, and couldn’t keep a giggle from bubbling up.
His dark brows shot nearly to his hairline. “I’ve never heard you laugh before.”
The observation sobered her instantly because she used to laugh all the time with her friends.
“I’d like to hear a lot more of it, anisa.”
The new word, said with soft inflection, didn’t translate.
Before she could ask about it, he kissed her, one strong arm looping around her waist and drawing her in as his large hand came up to cradle her cheek. As his lips moved over hers, warm and searching, a wild swirl began in the pit of her stomach, her pulse racing. His presence compelling, his magnetism potent, she surrendered, and all thoughts except of him and what he was doing to her rushed out of her head.
“We can’t; we’ll be late,” he groaned into her mouth, before setting her away.
“What if we don’t go? We could stay here, order in, instead. Do you have delivery? If not, I could cook. I’m a good cook.” Her words came out in a flurry as she cleaved her body to his, initiating contact on her own for the first time.
“The reception is in our honor, Eva. We must attend.”
She looked away.
“What is it?”
After a heartbeat of silence, she shook her head.
“Eva…” his low voice compelled her compliance.
“Every time we go out in public together, something happens, and I end up in trouble.”
“You can’t hide in here forever, sprite. I’ve allowed it this week, but the people expect to see you by my side.”
She wrinkled her nose at the word allowed. Arrogant alien.
“Don’t you want to see the others?”
It seemed like forever since the day they arrived, which was the last time she’d seen any of them. “Yes.”
He put out his hand. “Come, then. I’ll help you get dressed.”
Still bristling, she didn’t take it. “I can do it myself, Kerr.”
“I know you can, but I enjoy it. Besides, you’ll need help with your hair again.”
Not giving her an option, he took her hand and led her into the enormous walk-in closet. He selected her dress—again, not asking. Sleeveless with sheer fabric straps at the shoulders, it came to a vee in front and back, not overly revealing, but offering a hint of her curves. The ruby fabric, woven with fine threads of gold would shimmer in the light when she walked. A band of gold beads tucked it in at the waist before it fell in a full frothy skirt to her feet.
Although it wasn’t what she was used to, she had to admit the dress was stunning, and the style suited her.
Retrieving her hairbrush, Kerr moved her in front of the mirror, and she watched, enthralled as he expertly did her hair. After brushing it thoroughly, with a few twists and coils, he affixed the gilded headpiece and was done. Effortlessly, he’d created another style with a mass at her crown, falling in curls, and several pieces left long and soft down her neck—something she’d be hard pressed to reproduce.
He leaned close and touched his lips to the back of her neck, the ever-present tingling and warmth reigniting.
“You’re stunning, mate.” With his reassurance, he led her out of their residence and down to the second floor and the cavernous dining room.
As she knew it would be, the gathering was large and noisy. A sudden hush fell over the crowd, and every eye turned their way when she stepped into the doorway with Kerr. Her heart leaped into her throat, and she felt like half her breath was cut off, making it worse.
She jumped as a flurry of music filled the room. Her fingers tightened on his forearm.
“Relax, Eva,” he urged, in a low, controlled voice as he dipped his head to hers.
“I don’t think I can.” Her eyes scanned the room for a familiar face. Lana, Thora, Mailynn, even Aylan would do. “I don’t see any of my crew,” she hissed, her panic rising. “I thought some of them would be here.”
“They’ll be along soon, sprite. Breathe.”
His hand covered hers, his warm fingers curling around her cold ones as he removed her nails from his skin.
“Sorry,” she whispered, not aware she’d been clawing him in her fluster.
“Not to worry.” He squeezed her hand again then moved them forward.
As she shot sidelong glances around the room, she noticed all the tables were full except for a long banquet type table up front. She didn’t comment, having learned her lesson about blurting out questions or commentary, especially with the elders already gathered. With their long white hair and flowing white robes they were hard to miss. They occupied half of the lead table, which is where Kerr stopped, dead center.
He turned her to face the older men who stood behind their seats as though waiting for something.
“Esteemed council,” he began formally, in a deep voice loud enough to carry through the room. “I present Eva, your new Prima. Show her your acknowledgment as is her due as my mate and mother to my future heirs.” As a group, the elders crossed an arm over their chests, hand fisted over their heart, as they inclined their heads in acceptance. “Eva,” Kerr said in a quieter tone. “You have met Aylan, Mordrun, and Elgin. Let me introduce the rest of our elder council.”
He singled them out, one by one, each name more unusual than the next, twelve in all. By the time he finished, she couldn’t remember who was called what. Never good at names or memorization, for the first time she was grateful not to have to initiate conversation with any of them.
Kerr escorted her to a seat at the center of the head table and took the large chair to her right. Another flourish of music, which she now recognized as harp strings, had heads turning back to the door.
When the audience rose, she shifted to follow, but Kerr laid his hand on her thigh with a shake of his head. She noticed the council was seated and didn’t rise either.
A cheer went up, and her eyes cut to the door. Leading the other seven pairs, Trask and Lana walked in first. Her friend’s fairness was a striking contrast to the dark-haired, bronze-skinned general. They were so stunningly beautiful, it almost hurt to look at them. When they stopped in front of Kerr, Trask bowed his head, as did Lana, adding the dip at the knees like before.
“General Trask, on behalf of the Primarian people, we celebrate your excellent match and wish you a joyous and fruitful joining.” Kerr made this pronouncement in the same resonating tone.
Lana blushed as she raised her head. Her eyes shifted to Eva, who inhaled sharply at the change in her friend’s appearance.
“Her eyes are teal!” Eva breathed in shock. For as long as she’d known her, her eyes had been a warm-chocolate brown.
“I explained this might happen,” Kerr said. “They have bonded, and because of the transformation, she has taken one of her mate’s characteristics.”
Trask guided Lana down the line of elders.
As they moved on, Lothar stepped up with Brenna. Eva swallowed hard, noting a golden glow encompassed the woman’s previously fair skin. Looking down the row at Mailynn beside Krager, Eva noticed the woman’s red hair was now streaked with black, the same shade as her mate. Dayna, who had been matched to Valen, and Marta to Alseth, both had lavender eyes. Thora was last and had also changed, hers the most drastic of them all. Her hair, once so blonde it appeared almost silver, was now a mass of gleaming onyx locks, identical to her mate, Vardax.
She sat back dumbstruck, for the first time believing all Kerr had been saying about the transformation.
“Eva,” he murmured in her ear. “You must acknowledge those in front of us before they can proceed.”
Dazedly, she nodded before turning front. A disturbing thought struck her suddenly. If she and Kerr were so highly compatible, why hadn’t anything happened to her?
“On behalf of the Primarian people, we celebrate your excellent match and wish you a joyous and fruitful joining.”
She snapped out of her fog at his ceremonial words to see Ram and Eryn now stood before them. He bowed, but she stood tall and rigid, refusing to bend. Her only response was to shoot a withering glare at Eva.
“You should be ashamed,” she practically spat.
“Silence, mate,” Ram growled beside her.
“I won’t. She is a traitor to our people, as are the rest of these mindless, deferential, subjugated sheep.”
“Eryn, I’m warning you for the last time. Stop now.”
“I won’t,” she said, her voice almost a snarl. “Our planet is dying. Soon, it will be our people. They are relying on us to save them. But instead of scientists and a solution, they got pathetic kowtows, bowing at a man’s feet, subservient to his cock—”
Her words suddenly stopped, although her mouth continued to move.
She turned angry eyes up at Ram, her hands flying to the metal choker at her throat.
“I warned you I would not tolerate your sharp tongue. Not tonight.”
Eva shot to her feet in alarm; her eyes fixed on Eryn’s neck. She gasped when she realized the choker was much different than the delicate gold and crystal green one Kerr had fastened around her throat. Made of smooth, sturdy-looking metal, instead of a clasp, Eryn’s had a lock with a small flashing light, like a prison collar.
“What did you do to her?” she demanded of Ram.
Kerr’s hand clasped her arm as he, too, stood up.
“I’m sorry to offend you, Prima, but some Earth females need a firmer hand than others, particularly ones with extremely sharp and vicious tongues and in urgent need of taming.” Ram held up a small box with several buttons. “This is a mate’s best friend when matched to a female who requires both.”
“I don’t understand…”
“It’s a vocal silencer,” Kerr said low in her ear. “A disciplinary tool.”
“A silencer?” Horrified, her voice came out in a raspy whisper. “You mean the collar makes it so she cannot speak? Like a bark collar for a dog? Oh, my God.” Eva’s hands flew to her own throat, imaging how Eryn must feel. You’re cruel. Take it off!”
“It doesn’t harm her or cause any discomfort,” Kerr explained.
“Would you prefer I gag her, Prima?” Ram asked in an impassioned voice, clearly pushed to his limit by his stubborn and recalcitrant mate. “Something which would be much worse. This way, no one need know unless she carries on further.”
“Release her, now,” she demanded, her hands curling into fists as she leaned forward, ready to fly across the table. Kerr must have sensed she might because he pulled her back, his strong hands circling her waist in an unyielding grasp.
“Lower your voice,” he growled in her ear.
“But, Kerr,” she hissed. “It’s beyond humiliating.”
“You will not interfere between mates. It is his right to discipline his female. And humiliating would be taking her over his knee before this elite gathering, flipping up the hem of her dress, and paddling her until she was appropriately respectful.”
“I prefer to reserve such methods for behind closed doors,” Ram said.
“But it would be his right to do so if she cannot control her tongue,” Kerr reiterated. “He obviously knows she cannot. Rather than earning a public punishment, he provided the disciplinary device to help her obey. It is actually kindness.”
“Kindness?” she echoed in disbelief, her voice spiking in pitch and volume. “What kind of fucked-up, stone-aged, caveman rationalization is that?”
“Not. Another. Word.” Kerr bit out sharply, his tolerance at an end. “You will take your seat and remain quiet lest you earn a correction yourself.”
Seething with anger, she glared up at him, her teeth clenched painfully tight as she bit back words she would regret. Barely able to contain herself, she looked away. Her gaze fell on Lana, unease vivid in her pale face as she stood by wringing her hands. Beside her, Dayna seemed equally concerned.
Feeling helpless and hating Kerr, Ram, and all their Neanderthal brethren, she turned back to Eryn. Though she still stared with grim-faced intensity, having watched Eva come to her defense, she lifted her chin with tacit approval.
She also read inflexible pride, bravery, and determination in her gaze—so like the Eryn she’d known for years. Eva couldn’t imagine the extremes Ram would have to go to before she would yield.
“Be seated, mate.” Kerr’s hand rose to the back of her neck and exerted firm pressure. Something occurred to her as she took in Eryn’s usual auburn hair, bright-blue eyes, and fair skin. She looked the same as she did on the Odyssey, before they’d boarded the shuttle for the Primarian’s hunting planet that fateful day. Unlike the others, Eryn hadn’t changed one bit.
And neither have you.
The enormity of it all struck her as she sank onto her chair. Her easy acquiescence earned her a disdainful glare from Eryn, but she was too overwhelmed by her realization to care at the moment. Why had the others transformed but she and Eryn hadn’t? Had the acclaimed error-proof mate tests failed, twice?
“Learn from your friend’s mistake,” Kerr advised sternly in her ear. “Always be respectful and circumspect in public, lest you try a warrior’s patience or wound his pride. What might be forgiven behind closed doors will earn swift retribution before others.”
Eva bowed her head, eyes locked on her tightly clasped, white-knuckled hands. “What about a woman’s pride, Princep?”
He replied in a voice raspy with anger. “She can protect it by being obedient, Prima. Public displays won’t be tolerated, and you don’t ever want to defy your mate, which you have done tonight in many ways.”
Too overwhelmed by the horrible scene to speak, she nodded and lapsed into silence. Her despair was a painful knot inside her, and she choked back the tears clogging her throat.
What would happen to her when Kerr finally came to the same conclusion she had?
They weren’t mates—and they never would be.
***
Another tense dinner followed. By the time they were through, Kerr had to agree with Eva; interaction with others did not end well. When it was only the two of them, they got along. He wouldn’t say smoothly, but things were getting better. Adding the other females to the mix was like pouring fuel on a fire. It did nothing except agitate Eva and annoy him, which made him ready to curtail further social interaction.
After the incident, the remainder of the meal was like a replay of the last formal dinner. Her responses to him were stilted, and her interactions with others brief and only polite enough to keep from seeming rude, and her cheeks burned with anger she seemed barely able to contain. The exception, this time she didn’t pretend to eat, the food on her plate going untouched, although her glass of vilo was filled twice. She’d signaled the attendant for a third, but he intervened and ordered her water instead. The reproachful glare she sent him had been the most animated she’d been since he told her to sit down.
Kerr ended the meal as hastily as he could, leaving the hall took a little longer as he stopped to address those who called to him. Eva remained stiff and silent by his side. At the stairs, he followed her up, watching as, still in her snit, she practically stomped in front of him. He should have corrected her right then, but, instead, he found himself smiling, admiring her beauty and all her delicious curves moving in concert. The sight was so stirring, his cock filled, protesting its confinement in his snug pants.
At the doors, she stopped with her back to him and waited. When he reached past her shoulder and placed his hand on the scanner to release the latch, his chest brushed her back. She trembled visibly, and while he wanted it to be from her desire, when the locks clicked, and she practically burst through the doors, he knew he was in for a very long night.
They repeated the process at the inner doors. He meant to have Janus get her security access, but now he was glad he hadn’t. Having to wait for him prevented her from storming through the entrance.
As soon as the doors slid open, she was inside, moving quickly down the hall, still silent. Her coolness sparked his irritation. It was enough.
“Mate,” he warned sternly.
She stopped, made a quarter turn, and stared at him, her expression cold. “Are you still here? I guess I’d forgotten.” After telling this blatant lie, she turned on her heel to stalk down the hallway, tossing back at him as she went, “Gee, I hope that doesn’t wound your warrior’s pride.”
“Eva,” he growled.
Her pace didn’t slow at his call or when she turned the corner leading to their private suite. With his long strides, he caught up to her quickly.
She was at the entrance to their rooms when he sharply ordered, “Stop!”
Hand raised halfway to the sensor, she halted, though stubbornly refused to face him.
“I don’t like your tone or dismissive attitude.”
Looking over her shoulder, the minx challenged him with an arched brow, fire flaring in her vivid-green eyes. “What are you going to do about it, Kerr? Get your own ‘mate’s best friend’ and put me on mute?” She waved her hand and opened the doors before tacking on brashly, “Why not get a crate and stick me in a corner while you’re at it? Like a pretty pet, I’d be out of your hair until you were ready to haul me out again and fuck me. That’d make your life perfect, wouldn’t it?”
He moved forward while anger sparked within him, adding to his already boiling frustration. Never had he met a more willful species of females in his life. Suddenly, he felt immense sympathy for the males of Earth.
Once inside, he called, “Doors lock.”
In the center of the room, she whirled, finally facing him. “What are you doing?”
“We’re going to have a discussion. I’m making sure I don’t have to chase you down to do it.” As he moved toward her, she backed up farther into the room.
“I’m angry. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“When has this ever been your choice, mate?” Stalking her slowly, Eva keeping pace with his every move, he guided her, a specific destination in mind, although she didn’t appear to notice.
“I’m serious, Kerr.”
“Do I look like I’m not?
Almost to the corner, she bumped into a piece of furniture behind her. She glanced back, out of room, and out of options. She bit her lower lip, uncertainty creeping into her green eyes as they darted around the room, looking for an avenue of escape. It was the first crack in her shell, and, like the warrior he was trained to be, he moved in, literally taking one more long, purposeful stride.
Eva let out a barely perceptible squeak and turned, her intent to run written all over her beautiful face, but she stumbled.
He reached out to catch her, but she steadied herself on the large wooden-and-metal device behind her.
She scowled at it as she righted herself and didn’t moderate her tone or words when she continued. “What is this weird contraption, anyway? You had one just like it on your ship.”
“It’s standard bedroom equipment. We call it a mate’s helper.”
She tilted her head and eyed the series of rods, bars, and planks going in all different directions before she pulled her bathrobe from the top where she’d draped it that morning. Then, as if bored, she shrugged, tossed it over her arm, and tried to move past him.
“I’m going to take a bath and cool down. Alone.”
“Aren’t you curious, sprite?” he asked, deliberately pitching his voice to a low, soothing tenor.
The sudden change gave her pause for a moment. “About an alien clothes butler? No. We have something similar on earth.” She started to walk around him, but he caught her arm.
“I’m uncertain what a butler is, but I’m certain this piece of equipment isn’t what you have on Earth. In all my travels, I’ve never seen another like it. I’m surprised you haven’t asked before now.”
She glared at him, apparently not willing to sacrifice her fury for curiosity’s sake. But as the seconds passed, the inquisitive scientist in her won out. “Fine. What is it?”
“Allow me to demonstrate,” he offered. He moved in beside her. “This must go to get the full experience.” His fingers curled around her robe and pulled it free. “And this lovely piece, as well.” His thumbs slid into the wide straps at her shoulders and lowered the upper half of her dress. The material pinned her arms at her sides long enough for him to ease the rest down over her hips. From there it slid to her feet, leaving her bare.
“Kerr!” she protested. “Why do I have to be naked for a demonstration?”
“You’ll see, my impatient mate.” He took her shoulders and steered her into place, facing toward it. Lifting her, he set her feet on the wooden pedals.
“I changed my mind,” she muttered, pushing back against him. “I don’t like this.”
His hands slid down her arms, fingers curling around her wrists as he pressed his body against her back, moving her closer.
“You will, eventually. Helper, position three.”
With a whirr, the device came to life.
Startled, she tried to step back, but his long body didn’t give an inch. A foot taller than her at least, from his vantage point he watched the stunned surprise on her lovely face as two bars pressed against her upper body, one above and below her breasts. They moved together, tightening around both lovely mounds until they plumped up and poke out lewdly.
While this was going on up top, two padded slats slid between her thighs. They moved outward at an angle until her feet left the pedals, not stopping until her legs were splayed wide in an inverted vee.
Too shocked to speak, she gaped down at her body in silent disbelief.
“The newer models have auto-bands to restrain the limbs, but I prefer something soft against your skin and will use my own.” As he explained, he reached into a hidden storage drawer near the base and removed four cuffs which he wrapped around her wrists then stooped to bind her ankles. Once done, with her completely immobilized, he stepped back and waited for her reaction.
It took until the count of ten.
“I don’t— Did you just…? I can’t—” She cleared her throat and accused, “You tricked me.”
“No, you said fine to a demonstration if I recall.” He ran one finger slowly down her spine. “Comfortable?”
“Hardly.”
“Is something pinching?”
“Yes, my breasts.”
He chuckled. “I meant other than that. Those clamps are supposed to be snug. If you’re truly hurting, I can make adjustments.”
“I’m not, but I’d like to get up.”
“Not until I’ve shown you what the mate’s helper can do.”
“How is this crazy bondage rack supposed to be of any help to me?”
He laughed, moving to the other side until they were face to face. His hands came up to caress her swollen breasts, firmly tweaking her distended nipples as he leaned in, his mouth hovering close above hers.
“You’re mistaken, Eva. I’m the mate it’s intended to help, not you.”
***
Eva gaped at him, too stunned to speak for many reasons. One, finding out the seemingly innocuous clothes rack she’d hung her robe on for over a week was actually alien bondage equipment. Two, it operated by voice command and had at least three positions, and undoubtedly countless more! Three, he’d bound her to the freaking thing. Four, she hadn’t put up the slightest resistance when he’d done number three. And five, she hadn’t resisted during number four because she’d still been stuck way back on number one—the fact he had a piece of alien bondage equipment in the first place.
She hadn’t regained use of her verbal skills when Kerr, his face lit with a smile of unholy delight, moved in for a hungry, all-consuming kiss. As his tongue parted her lips and plunged inside, one hand left her breast and moved lower. Wasting no time with the parts in between, he slid his fingers into her wetness, homing in on her clit, the hard bud conveniently accessible with her legs spread wide and restrained. Then, he circled, flicked, and rubbed, playing there until she cried out into his mouth.
In the recesses of her mind—the ones that hadn’t short-circuited from what he was doing to her body—she tried to make sense of what was happening. How had she gone from ready to commit murder over the barbaric treatment of one of her crew, to ready to run out of fear she’d pushed her big, scary barbarian too far, to ready to come from the unbridled lust Kerr inspired all within a matter of minutes?
“What do you think?” he murmured as he raised his head.
“Think?” she echoed, more than a little dazed and not processing.
“About my mate’s helper. It can position you exactly how I want you while leaving my hands free to provide maximum pleasure.” His hands fell away, and he stepped back, ignoring her soft whine of disappointment. “Position eight.”
Again, she moved without conscious volition as a padded board came up to support her while her upper half tilted forward, forcing her to bend at the waist as if over a bench. He moved behind her and smoothed his hand over her upthrust cheeks.
“Or, it can be useful when it’s punishment time, not only for positioning but safety, I wouldn’t want you to wiggle and fall or for your hand or fingers to get in the way of a paddling and end up hurt. So, you see, the mate’s helper is a versatile, multi-functional tool.” He chuckled softly, though it died swiftly, and Eva suspected he wasn’t amused at all.
“Kerr, wait,” she said, immediately worried. “I think I get it.”
“Do you? Shall we see?”
He gave her two smarting, searing swats in the same spot on each side.
“What is the rule in public gatherings?” When he asked, he paused to rub each cheek.
“Speak only when spoken to first and be polite.”
“Correct. I remember discussing my views on disrespect and foul language as well. Do you?” He delivered four more stinging spanks to each cheek.
“How could I forget since I was over your knee at the time,” she hissed.
His hand connected twice, across the lower curves near her thighs. “Yet you didn’t follow these simple rules tonight, did you?”
“Not so simple when you’re witnessing abuse,” she ground out.
“This was explained, but you chose not to hear it. Ram is an honorable warrior; he would never subject a woman to injury or unduly harsh treatment. There was no pain, the silencer doesn’t cause even the slightest discomfort, and if you or she hadn’t made such a fuss, the collar would have never come into play.”
“How can you justify honor when you’re whaling away on my butt?”
He swatted her behind hard enough to make her yelp. “That is as harsh as you’ll get, Eva. It’s not abuse but discipline, something you sorely lack. As your mate, it is up to me to teach you our ways.”
Lapsing into silence, he applied a round of blistering-hot smacks all over her upturned backside. When he halted, he rubbed with a gentle hand for several long moments, soothing away some of the sting.
She batted away the tears which had threatened but she refused to let fall and tried to center herself, especially her ragged breathing. But she couldn’t with his intimate massage spreading heat to adjacent areas and sending currents of desire coursing through her. She felt pulses in places she shouldn’t as her body reeled from arousal to pain—Kerr spanked hard, no doubt about it—and quickly back to arousal again. Or maybe, though it was hard to comprehend and even harder to admit, it hadn’t stopped but had been there all along.
“Position four.”
She closed her eyes upon hearing his command, steeling herself for what would come next. The helper unfolded until she lay flat, it also stood her up, and she was back to the starting point. Thinking he was done, she blew out a breath—shaky from equal parts relief and disappointment. But it caught in her throat when the device abruptly moved again, rotating her in a half turn. When it stopped, the tips of her long hair brushed the floor, and both legs pointed up toward the ceiling.
Upside down and in near panic, she pulled at her restraints.
His hand slid along the outside of one thigh. “You’re safe, sprite. If there was a razor thin chance you’d get hurt, I wouldn’t take it.”
He moved up against her from behind, his clothing brushing along the tender skin of her backside, although, with her world turned topsy-turvy, she wasn’t sure what part touched which.
“Look ahead of you, Eva.”
It took her a moment to figure out where ahead was. When she did, she sucked in a breath, seeing her reflection in the mirror on the wall, the same one she checked her appearance in before leaving every morning, and sat only a few feet away from the device which supported her now. She couldn’t count the number of times she’d stepped around it and wondered at its odd placement. Now, it was all too clear.
“Imagine all the wonderfully erotic things I could do to you in this position.” She looked up when he spoke, flushing as she saw his face centered in the vee of her legs, right above her bare pussy, so close his breath whispered over damp skin. His fingers came into play, and she couldn’t look away as they brushed lightly over her outer folds, stroking forward in a leisurely glide, the two middle digits slipping into her slit on the slow return.
He continued teasing her back and forth, when he asked in a deep, velvet-edged voice, “Wouldn’t our time be better spent exploring the full range of the mate’s helper? Or in our big, comfortable bed? Or what about the couches in the lounge, or the wide dining table? And the pool. I know you enjoyed the pool.”
Again, he stopped his play and walked around her. He crouched down and wound his fingers in her hair. Level with her inverted face, he caught her eyes, his burning with intensity and passion but also tinged with frustration.
“I don’t enjoy fighting with you, sprite, and the spankings will subside when you learn our ways and comply. The adjustment is difficult, I know, but this is your home now, and you must make a choice. Accept our ways and try to be content as my mate, or be at odds with me, something that will make us both miserable.”
The fingers in her hair flexed, and he angled her head for an upside-down kiss. Hanging by her feet with the rush of blood to her head made her dizzy, but it was only part of it. The rest of it was all Kerr. Too tired, and aroused, to fight him anymore, she surrendered to the sensual exploration of his tongue and gave into his kiss.
He pulled away suddenly and stood. Her splayed pussy was now directly in front of his mouth, and the large bulge in the front of his snug black uniform pants aligned with hers. He unzipped, and his impressive cock sprang free. He guided himself to her lips.
“Now, I think you get it.” Kerr returned her earlier comment, although he gave it an entirely different meaning. “Suck me, while I return the favor. I feel certain the mutual pleasuring will go far in cooling our anger.”
She’d been thinking of tasting him. It wasn’t something she actively pursued or enjoyed, but past preferences and quirks went by the wayside with Kerr, as he stirred the adventurous sexual side of her. With his hardness a scant inch from her lips, she barely had to move her head to lick the smooth head. At the same moment, his hot tongue ran over her clit.
She moaned, the sound becoming muffled as she opened and took him into her mouth. Hungry, she wanted more and took him deeper. His fingers got involved next, free to play while hers were not. Two glided into her, and he quickly matched her in rhythm and pace. As she sucked and her tongue swirled on the inside, she savored the slightly salty, wonderfully delicious part of him responsible for giving her so much pleasure.
His control much better than her own, before long, she cried out, succumbing to the skill of his mouth and fingers. But Kerr didn’t relent, continuing until he wrung a second, equally intense climax from her body.
“Position three,” he growled, stepping back. Once again, she was upright, her bottom poised high and at the perfect height for his cock. He slid into her soaked channel from behind in one, hard, breathtaking thrust.
“Kerr,” she called helplessly, unsure if her cries were for more or a reprieve, as he slammed into her, driving her toward ecstasy once more.
His hands came around to breasts, cupping them from beneath. His thumbs swept across her nipples, the roughness of his skin almost more stimulation than she could take. She arched her back as much as she could, pressing into his palms as his head came forward. Warm and wet, his mouth latched onto the side of her neck, and, in her heightened state, the area was as sensitive as anywhere else. Currents of pleasure rippled through her the next moment, and she convulsed in orgasm for a third mind-blowing time.
While her muscles clamped around his driving length, he followed her, soaring into his own powerful release.