Chapter Four
With shaky hands, Lana unwound the fine gold threads Trask had woven into her hair only hours before. She smiled, remembering how amazing his fingers felt as he’d twisted and entwined in place what he referred to as a traditional headpiece for mated women on his planet. A languid warmth had invaded her body at his touch and attention. She’d had both all day, with him leaving her side only long enough to attend a morning meeting. When he got back, he took her to bed, but he didn’t make love to her, though she could tell when he rubbed against her he wanted to. Instead, they talked, snuggled, and napped. When they awoke, they snuggled and talked some more. The only reason they got out of bed at all was for dinner.
She’d been excited to witness a bit of Primarian culture, but after their arrival, things became awkward, and rapidly went downhill from there, going from frightening to tense, and in the end, subdued.
Eva had been there along with the others captured with her. She was mated to the Primarian leader, the Princep as Trask called him, and Eva as his mate was their new Prima. It sounded like a fairytale, but Eva was a bit freaked out, and Lana made it worse when she’d referred to her as a queen. Lana felt awful over inadvertently causing her distress, wanting nothing more to snatch back the words which had required the Princep to take her aside to calm her.
“You meant no harm,” Trask said as he led her away.
“I didn’t know,” she replied, peering back over her shoulder in concern, but her friend was no longer in the corridor.
“I hope I didn’t get her in trouble with, um…”
“Max Kerr,” he said, filling in the blank.
“Yes, the primary leader with full authority over his people, a position passed down from father to son, his heir, for generations. How silly of me to mistake that for a king ruling his kingdom and Eva as his queen.”
“Hush, you’re getting loud. Which isn’t proper behavior for an event such as tonight.”
She shot him a glare. “She thinks she’s his concubine. Is it true?”
“As I said earlier,” he whispered sternly, “that is nonsense. We share a physical link which you can see whenever you look in the mirror. It is a bond stronger than any forged by mere words at a ceremony or on paper as you do in your world.”
“You’re certain? Eva seemed convinced something else was going on.”
“Perhaps because she hasn’t transformed yet. Whatever is bothering the Prima, Kerr will set to rights. As for you and me, I’m not used to having my integrity questioned.”
“That’s not what I intended at all!” she cried then snapped her mouth shut as several uniformed warriors passed by and glanced at her curiously. “This is all so sudden and rather frightening. Imagine if a band of men you didn’t understand abducted you, and they went from loincloth-wearing game hunters one moment to military men flying in spaceships with unbelievably advanced technology the next. You’d question everything, too.”
He moved closer, bending his head so that only she could hear. “I’m aware this is a lot to take in, and I can only imagine how scared you are, but you're going to have to trust me, mate. It’s as simple as that. I vow I won’t mislead you. I want only your happiness.”
“But that isn’t quite true,” she said rather snappishly, the situation putting her on edge. “You also want to breed with me, isn’t that the point of all of this?”
While he glowered down at her, she caught a glimpse of the wild barbarian she’d met in the forest and the angry alien captor she’d kneed in the balls in his tent. He didn’t deny her words. “It is my most fervent wish.”
She stiffened.
“This was one of several things I wanted to share with you yesterday, but you insisted you’d had enough and couldn’t take anymore. It was a mistake on my part to let you dissuade me because it has left you unprepared. I won’t let that happen again. I will teach you what you need to know about our customs, later. Not here, in the hallway outside a formal gathering. When we enter, you have one important rule to follow—show respect, always—to me, our leader, and the elders and warriors inside. Is that understood?”
She remained mulishly silent, not liking his domineering tone or his rule. She wasn’t in the habit of being disrespectful in public, or to those in authority. What did he think she was uncivilized? But then, as advanced as they were, his people probably thought they were the barbarians in this equation. She regretted shutting him down the other night; forewarned was forearmed, after all. Now she had to face a group of aliens, unprepared, and he was the one shutting her down.
“Lana, I expect an answer.”
“I’d like to go back to our room. I’m no longer hungry.”
“That isn’t an option.” With a hand beneath her chin, he tipped her face up to his. She caught the cloud of warning on his still-tense face and averted her eyes. “No. You will look at me when I speak to you.”
Upon his firmly issued command, her gaze returned.
“You are the mate of the supreme leader of all Primarian forces. I have many responsibilities, some of them are social obligations, and these will extend to you. Others will look to you as an example, and I will expect you to act accordingly. This means while we dine with the Princep and the elders, you’ll be polite, speak, only when spoken to—”
She gasped, trying to pull away. Is this how they treated their women, like second class citizens, or worse, children?
But before she could argue, his hand tightened on her jaw, and he continued, “You will be deferential, no matter what the others are doing, or you will answer to me. So again, I’ll ask if I’m understood, or must I be like the Princep with his Prima and find a quiet place to expand on it further?”
Translation, he’d take her over his knee and to make certain he was understood.
“Expanding on it further is unnecessary. I will be respectful,” she muttered.
He nodded, and his face relaxed somewhat, as did the hand cupping her face. “I don’t like to be harsh with you, but this is our way. Males lead, in particularly warriors, and females follow, especially mates. This is a formal occasion, and some of the elders are present. Many are sticklers for decorum which means we are more stringent during these affairs than usual, but you must always show respect. I have given you more leeway in the privacy of our quarters, but I’m not sure that was for the best as it didn’t prepare you for tonight.”
Chimes sounded inside, and the jumble of voices inside the room began to quiet.
“We need to take our seats.”
She kept silent, unsure what she was feeling about all of this except she didn’t like it.
He took her hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze. “We’ll get through this, mate. You’ll learn our ways quick enough and adjust to life with me on Primaria. I’m certain of it.”
Glancing up, she saw the affection in his gaze had returned, his anger fading as quickly as it had come. If there were a way to stay locked away from the world alone with him, it wouldn’t be all bad. As for his decorum, she’d like to tell him where he could stick it. But she was still his captive notwithstanding the pretty gown he’d given her to wear and the gold he’d threaded through her hair.
As he led her into dinner, the old expression, “When in Rome…” flitted through her head, a place she’d much rather be.
Now, back in their quarters hours later, as she laid the gold headpiece on the counter in his bedroom, she wasn’t sure about anything. Dinner had become an uncomfortable affair. Eva was at odds with Max Kerr, and the others, likely given the same instructions she had, barely said a word. Eryn was conspicuously absent.
She sighed while peering at her reflection in the mirror. As she’d done at least a dozen times today, she leaned forward and studied her eyes. The colors—his colors—were beautiful and suited her, but it shocked her as much as if she’d dyed her blonde hair midnight black. She still found it hard to believe having sex with Trask had brought about the change. It had been a subtle difference that morning, but as the day went on, and they spent the day kissing, cuddling, and growing closer, the brown in her eyes lessened.
The others present hadn’t changed as far as she could see. Why only her?
The question had bugged her throughout the tense dinner. She’d resisted, fighting him, earning his displeasure, but not for long. A few smiles, kisses, and the ability to give her repeated and utterly amazing orgasms had her singing a different tune, swiftly enough.
Who knew she was so fickle? Where was her staunch resistance, and her loyalty to their mission and her people? True, she had never been the leader Eva was, or a stalwart, duty-above-all kind of soldier, like Eryn. She wasn’t a soldier at all, but a geologist for heaven’s sake. With no family and stuck in a dead-end job where she had dozens of rungs to climb to get to where she wanted to be, which was out of a lab and into the field. The first opportunity to arise was by joining the Odyssey’s crew as one of three geologists, and the only volcanologist.
The difference, the field wasn’t Earth, but planets in far-off galaxies as they searched for a compatible world to replace their own which through years of misuse was on the brink of crumbling around them.
Still, whether career soldier or eager scientist, with so much on the line, how could she have so quickly fallen under Trask’s spell? Was it the connection he spoke of, or otherworldly forces she didn’t understand? Could it be fate, or was it perhaps Trask’s Maker guiding them across galaxies to a small minor planet at just the right time? It seemed too perfect to be a mere coincidence, didn’t it?
Whatever the driving force hadn’t her capitulation come too easy? But then again, why fight the inevitable. Eva was resistant and looked miserable. She couldn’t imagine what Eryn was doing to make her warrior look so frazzled. Was defiance worth it when there was no other out? Conversely, was compliance, and not fighting tooth and nail like Eryn undoubtedly was, a betrayal of her people?
Her brain hurt trying to keep up with the battle being wagged inside her.
“You’re troubled.”
She jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. Her hand flew to her chest as if she could slow her bounding pulse, at the same time she looked up and saw Trask’s reflection next to hers in the mirror. She’d been so deep in thought, she hadn’t noticed him come in and had no idea how long he’d been there.
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” His arms encircled her from behind, and he held her snugly. “The evening was difficult, but I don’t like to see you frowning so.”
“I can’t keep from worrying about Eryn.”
“You don’t need to. Although Ram is big, and a bit surly, he is an honorable warrior, more skilled than any other in my army to have attained the rank of Master. He trains our troops, including our young ones, and the Maker knows that feat requires patience. He will treat your friend with care.”
“You mean he’ll turn her over his knee if he feels it’s necessary?”
“Yes, it is our way, paulova.”
“What does that mean? You’ve used the word before.”
“Little lamb.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure how to take that. In my world, lambs are passive creatures, and likening them to people isn’t always complimentary.”
“In my world a lamb is a soft, cute, gentle creature.” His arms flexed, enveloping her in a tight hug. “When I liken you to one, it is very complimentary, little one.”
“That’s sweet, Trask,” she replied softly, but her mind was still on Eryn. “Your honorable warrior’s mate is as far from a lamb as we get. In fact, Eryn is our female version of a Master Warrior. She leads our security officers who are the toughest of our kind. I fear they are in for a clash of epic proportions.”
He spun her to face him, lifted her by the waist, and plopped her behind on the countertop. “He will have the same care for her as I have with you,” he assured her, while wedging his hips between her knees and moving in closer. She had to spread wide to accommodate him which was undoubtedly his plan. If Ram was like Trask, Eryn had probably skipped supper because she was lying in a bed somewhere on the ship while catatonic from nearly nonstop sex.
“Are you trying to make me eat my words by proving you can do this multiple times in a day?”
“Since I have already had you, multiple times in a day, there is no need to prove anything. This”—he rolled his hips, gliding his hard cock along her center—”is merely the hunger.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mentioned the biocellular match and the chemical reaction before, but you were on what you called ‘overload.’ Are you ready to hear this now?”
“I guess I better.”
He didn’t hesitate to start right in. “We are compatible; the tests proved it. Since we are a match, when I breached you and gave you my seed, it started your transformation. You are becoming like me, and not just your eyes. It is irrevocable and lifelong. Do you understand what that means?”
She shook her head. It was too fantastical to be believed.
“You are mine, as I am yours. Forever, Lana. I said maes eternium when I first breached you, which in ancient Primarian means forever mine. There is no magic power behind the words, they are symbolic, but it doesn’t make it any less true.”
“And this hunger you have for me, is that forever, too?”
“Yes, which is the beauty of mating, though it won’t always be this strong. My body will always crave yours, what we call the mating fire, but in the beginning, this incredible need is like a hunger that must be satisfied many times a day, thus the name. It ensures a bond will form, and the mates will transform, which is something that must occur before breeding is possible.”
“My eyes have to become like yours to have a baby?”
“Yes, that is part of it, but only an outward sign. Inside, your body chemistry is changing to accept my seed alone. Joining with another male after the transformation results in burning and blistering which can be very painful.”
“Blistering? You mean inside my, um…?”
“Yes, because your sweet, incredibly tight cunt, is now also mine.”
She grimaced, not caring for his choice of words—one in particular. “Does this happen only to females?”
“No, both mates feel the burn of infidelity.”
“Hmm, a good incentive to stay true.”
“Indeed. But the mating fire is an even stronger reason.” He dipped his head, trailing kisses along her shoulder to the bend of her neck. “I’m feeling the fire now, mate. Have I answered your questions? All this talk of your cunt, makes me want to be inside you.”
She flushed hotly at the intimate discussion and his vulgar use of that word, which really needed to stop. “I’m sure I’ll have more, but, Trask, so you know, the c-word on our planet isn’t appreciated by women.”
He paused, pulling away enough to see her face. “Truly? What do you call it?”
“Well, that, among other things.”
With a slow, disarming smile, he pressed her. “What other things?”
“They’re mostly euphemisms.”
“Tell me one.”
Lana shook her head, cheeks getting hot, as they often did around him. “We don’t generally go around talking about it.”
“But when you do, what do you call it?”
“My, uh…never mind. New subject.”
His grin broadened. “I think not.” He tugged up her dress, bunching it around her waist, then his hands found her bottom, splayed wide, and squeezed. He also pulled her in tighter and ground the front of his trousers against the bare, and suddenly very-wet flesh, between her spread thighs. “Tell me what you call this glorious haven that gives me so much pleasure.”
“Trask…”
“Don’t be shy, Lana. Not around me. What do you call your beautiful cunt?” His slow staccato question accompanied a firm nudge from his cock. Hard and insistent, and still confined by his pants, she didn’t expect it to stay that way for long.
She groaned and gave in. “My pussy.”
“Mm… That is a soft, furry pet on your world, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” Her head fell back, and he immediately moved in, his lips gliding over her exposed throat, a favorite spot of his.
“Why?” he whispered between openmouthed kisses, “when your pussy isn’t furry at all.”
“It’s an old term, which originated long before we commonly lasered off the, uh, fur that naturally grows there.”
“I see. I have to admit I like the silky smoothness of your skin.” He dropped to his knees as he spread her legs wider. “In fact, I’m going to enjoy it again now.” He slid his hands between her bottom and the counter and brought her pussy up to his mouth.
Off-balance, Lana reached behind her, propping herself on her hands while she draped her legs over his shoulders and hung on. Her head fell back against the mirror as she surrendered her cunt to his wonderfully creative tongue.
Yeah, she’d probably think of it that way from now on, darn him.
Trask held her captive with his mouth sealed over her clit, sucking as he lashed it back and forth from the inside with his tongue. He’d release it long enough to get a better seal then begin the torment again, more thoroughly. He didn’t let up, except to slide downward along her inner folds and right up inside her, tunneling as far as he could with his tongue, making her cry raggedly with pleasure. When she was begging him to let her come, he’d shift, nibbling his way back to the throbbing nub in front only to begin the slow, sensual torture again.
Three cycles were all she could stand before she was arching her hips and clenching his head with her thighs while wave after wave of ecstasy claimed her.
Afterward, he pried her legs apart, spread kisses along her inner thighs and over her mound, nuzzling his face every so often against the tender, pulsing wet heat in between.
“You hum like a contented purrada after you find your release.”
“What is that?” she asked shakily.
“What I think may be like a pussy on your planet.”
She giggled. “It’s actually called a cat or a pussycat. The word for, well, you know, is slang, and got shortened.”
“Pussy,” he replied. “Now it makes sense.”
His words vibrated against the seam of her lips, the sensation combined with his warm breath making her shudder. He’d released her bottom after she’d come. She now reclined on the counter, her legs still hooked over his shoulders. He seemed in no hurry to take what would inevitably come next, and though she knew he would have her screaming to the rafters when she came again, she welcomed the time to recover.
Like an intimate massage, Trask stroked her leisurely, his hands making long sweeps up her legs, around her hips, and over her belly. When he paused at the end of this path, he brushed his thumbs over her mound, edging teasingly close to her tingling center before retracing it in reverse.
As her pulse slowed, she exhaled a long shaky breath and let her eyes drift shut.
“Don’t fade on me, mate. I’m not done with you yet.”
“I’m simply resting my eyes.”
His hand slid across her belly, moving upward until it came to rest on her still faster-than-usual rising and falling chest.
“Mmhmm,” he hummed skeptically. “We need to work on your staying power.”
She cracked an eyelid and looked down her body at his face between her thighs. “Isn’t that what we were doing?”
“Hardly, when I was doing all the work,” he quipped. Curving his palm beneath the lower curve of one breast, he swept his thumb in an arc over the tip.
Lana pushed at his shoulder with a foot, for once catching him off guard. He fell backward onto his butt and she took advantage. In a sudden burst of energy, she quickly hopped off the counter and lowered herself on top of him, her legs straddling his hips. “You didn’t give me a chance. I seem to remember someone coming up behind me while I was unaware and taking over.”
He grinned up at her, his hand curling around her neck, pulling her down until his lips brushed hers. “You mean like this?” he asked, then flipped them both. With her on her back on the plushly padded floor, he deepened the kiss.
Although he’d made her scream with pleasure only moments ago, he expertly stirred her body to life again. She threaded her fingers into his loose hair—mercy, she loved his hair—and kissed him back. When he moved down to her throat, she arched in invitation, and her breathing became shallow as he left a trail of warm, wet kisses between her breasts and along the midline of her belly.
He rose above her, spreading her thighs so she was laid out before him. Lazily, but with heat sparking in the depths of his gaze, she watched as his hands followed the path his lips had taken. Starting at her throat, they splayed wide and slid down her breastbone, veering over her ribs then along her sides, before coming back to the center.
Trask paused when they dipped low between her hips, and he frowned. “What’s this from?” With a lighter touch, he used his fingertips to trace in a slant low on her belly then up her left side.
Lana stilled. How could she have forgotten? She grasped his wrist and sat up, bring both knees to her chest as curled forward, leaning into his big body. “I was in an accident as a child,” she murmured into his neck.
“Let me see.”
“No. It’s ugly.”
“Nothing about my mate is ugly.”
She snorted rudely against his skin.
“Lie back and let me see, Lana.” Said in his commanding general’s tone, it wasn’t a request, especially when his hand came to her chest and applied pressure. He eased her back down, supporting her with a cupped hand behind her head.
Resigned to this impromptu inspection, she flung her arm over her face. She couldn’t watch as his fingertips resumed their gentle exploration.
“What happened?”
“When I was five, I was thrown free of a vehicle during a crash. But not before I was stabbed by broken glass.”
“Paulova,” he murmured, full of sympathy. He bent and kissed the jagged scar.
“Both my parents were killed. Only me and the intoxicated driver of the other vehicle survived. He, of course, didn’t have a scratch.”
“You were only a baby,” he whispered against the haunting reminder from her childhood. “I lost my parents, too. My mother when I was a boy of seven, and my father when I was a young man.”
She moved her arm and looked into his compassion-filled face. “You know.”
“How it changes everything? Yes.” He lowered his gaze to the eight-inch-long, silvery-white, scar that stretched from hip bone to hip bone.
“Our physics have the ability to remove this.”
“You find it ugly, too,” she whispered as her hand dropped to conceal it.
“No, but I despise it for being a painful reminder to you of the tragedy.” His fingers encircled her wrist and moved her hand away. She felt the warm, soft brush of his breath on her skin, as he lowered his mouth to her belly and licked the length of what she found hideous. “As I said, nothing about my mate is ugly.”
She met his gaze between the valley of her breasts.
“How can the big scary powerful general of all Primarian forces be so soft and squishy inside?”
“Only with you, little one. But don’t let that get out. If Kerr thinks his Supreme General is getting soft, he’ll ask for my resignation.”
He kissed his way back up her body and tenderly took her lips, the same way he took her body a moment later. It was as passionate as all the other times but unhurried and with poignancy rising from the newfound intimate connection they shared.