~ Nick ~
Music Mix
Being alone with the woman who’d announced to the underworld that she belonged to him was difficult for only one reason. He wanted her with an overpowering need that was becoming ever more difficult to resist. The woman smelled like cotton candy, and her potent mating scent filled the air. She was light on her feet, graceful and totally fixated on him. Those were good qualities for a female to have in his humble opinion.
Her quiet voice pulled him from his internal thoughts. “Why do you fight so hard against something you clearly desire as much as I do?”
Glancing behind him, he caught her dark eyes upon him yet again. “You don’t really want me.” When she opened her mouth to object, he pushed his bare feet against the floor, turning to face her. “I’m aware that you think you want me. The fact is, you’ve only known me for a few months, and you don’t really know me.”
Seeming amused rather than annoyed, she announced. “You are not a complicated being. You eat, sleep, plot with the others to overthrow the Taron and deny your sexual urges. Have I missed anything?”
Unable to keep the grin off his face, Nick replied sheepishly. “I guess you got my number, after all, Miss Acacia. The thing is, if you were on a real planet and had a million men to choose from, you’d pick someone else. You’re choosing me for lack of better options.”
Her head jerked like she’d been slapped. Emotion jumped into her beautiful dark eyes like she finally understood something profound. “Among the Voltaire, there is a saying. Beware when you seek to divine the internal thoughts of another, lest you mistake their motivation for your own.”
It took Nick a minute to figure out what she was saying. “No, that saying does not apply to this situation. It’s an oversimplification of a complex situation.”
“It is simple. You either want me, or you do not.”
“I want you. Jesus, you’re all I think about.”
“Then we mate.”
“I can tell you haven’t thought this whole thing through. We don’t even know if we can mate.”
Smiling, she pulled her hair over one shoulder and began finger combing it. “We are very compatible. My grand sire was like you.”
“A soldier?”
Looking annoyed, her hands dropped to her lap. “He was human, and my grandmother was of the Voltaire.” Gesturing to herself, she asked frustratedly. “Do you not see that I am the one being aboard this ship who is most like you appearance? I wish you for a mate because we are compatible in many ways and our biology is foremost among them.”
“That probably means I can get you pregnant. That’s the best reason of all not to jump into a mating relationship.”
Her eyes narrowed to mere slits. “You think I am unfit to bear you children because…”
Cutting her off, Nick’s voice raised a notch. “There’s no need for you to even finish that sentence. You are totally barking up the wrong tree.”
Going back to messing with her long black hair, her voice communicated quite clearly that she was still miffed. “Then tell me the correct tree to bark up.”
Sighing, Nick began to wonder why he was even trying to do the right thing. The thought came immediately to mind that Navy Seals didn’t take advantage of beautiful alien women with limited options. It was dishonorable. “Think about it for a minute. If we mated and had a child, would you really want them to be raised on this ship? This is no kind of environment to bring a child into.”
“I was born in the underworld. Would you wish me from existence?”
“Of course not Acacia, I did not know that you were born here.”
“Many thousands of us are born, mate, and die aboard these vessels. Before you, I thought this would be my fate as well. You alone have given me a reason to hope for more. Our children may be born in the underworld but they will one day live as free people on your home world.”
“You can choose any man here, and you will still end up on Earth enjoying freedom.
“I see something unique and intriguing in you, and my mind is eager to discover all your most deeply held secrets. My eyes admire your strong male form. My body calls to you. I wish to be naked in your arms.”
“You are making it very hard to say no. We should talk more about this instead of making a rash decision.”
“Warriors act. Political leaders talk. Which are you?”
The stubborn set of her brow was all kinds of adorable. Her words reminded of the double dog dares he could never resist accepting as a child. Being caught off guard by her persistence, he spoke without thinking. “Apparently I’m a warrior with a stubborn and mouthy female on his hands.”
Rising smoothly to her feet, she looked at him admiringly. “We will prepare to mate now. We will soon see if you are a true warrior or something less.”
Tilting his head, Nick looked up into her proud face. “Is this one of those situations where I have to fight off a bunch of other men intent on claiming you?” Rolling to his feet, he stretched his arms above his head. “I don’t want to start any trouble, but if that’s the way it has to be…” Trailing off, he let her fill in the blank.
Instead of responding verbally, her hands slid over her delicate body. His mouth went dry at the sensual and provocative display, which was clearly meant to provoke his arousal. The thing was, it was working better than he would ever think possible. As her hands cupped the curve of her breasts, she purred. “You are an easy male to engage.”
“Exactly how the hell many males have you engaged with?”
“A few, but none were quite as handsome as you.”
Stalking towards her, he looked down at her. “Well, I’m going to make you forget every other male you ever knew. By the time we’re finished mating, my touch will be the only one seared into your memory.”
“Is that so? I’m quite adept at touching myself.”
Pulling her hands away, he spoke. “If you’re mine, you don’t get to touch without my permission.”
Her gaze narrowed slightly, in the look he was coming to associate with suspicion. “My body belongs to me. You will not…”
Wrapping one arm around her, he pulled her up until they were eye to eye. “I’m not of the Voltaire, Taron, or any of the other species you’re familiar with. I’m human, and I like being in charge.”
She quickly glanced away, but not before he saw her expression get smug. The hot little alien was playing him. Running one hand under the small swath of material covering her breasts, he filled his palm with one pert breast. Giving it a gentle squeeze, he found it barely had a soft peak. Grasping it between his thumb and forefinger, he teased her until a strangled cry of pleasure broke from her throat.
Letting her go completely, he stepped back. “No more touching yourself. From this moment forward, all your pleasure belongs to me.”
The woman flushed a soft pink color from her plump little breasts to her hairline. “It will be as you say, my mate.”
Stepping forward again, he asked quietly. “Tell me what we must do to prepare.”
“We must cleanse ourselves and alert the priestess.”
Nick felt his nostrils flare. “Do it now.” Hearing her sweet sounds of submission when he handled her precious body did something to him, fundamentally shifting his thinking on the subject of them being together. He suddenly felt embolden to claim her.
The urgency to see her belly heavy with his child took him by surprise. What kind of guy thinks of that kind of shit when he meets a pretty girl? Shaking his head, Nick knew that with each passing day, he was becoming less like the man he once was and more like someone he didn’t fully recognize. It was terrifying, anxiety provoking and thrilling, all at the same time.
Grabbing him by the hand, Acadia led him into a part of the underworld he’d never visited. The alien mother ships were huge, so there was much he hadn’t had the opportunity to see yet.
Slipping into a large cargo hold, he marveled at the difference between this space and all the others he had visited. The entire room had been reworked into a hive by a brown resin. The substance had been used to create dozens of small individual compartments, giving each the appearance of a single cell in a beehive. Inside were comfortable pallets and sparse furnishing, the likes of which had been conspicuously absent from the other slave compartments.
The beings standing and sitting around were all very similar in appearance and wore a long homespun type robe which opened in the front to reveal vastly different outfits. They had pale, almost translucent skin, pointed ears, and large dark almond shaped eyes. Their height was something approximating average for a human, but they each had a pale bone like ridge running around the top of their head. It shot up like an ornate crown through their long snow-white hair.
They were the Voltaire, and Acacia’s heritage was on full display. After meeting so many Taron, he could see the bloodlines mingled in his new mate. Her pale blue skin was a gift from the Taron, but her small elegant body and pointed ears were all Voltaire. The human part was easy for him to pick up on, now that she’d pointed it out. Her arms and legs were very human as was the size of her head. Looking at her with new eyes, he realized she was far the most beautiful woman of any he’d seen.
An older female moved forward. “Zaphredinelyn, it is good to see you again. Word has come to my ears that you have selected a human mate.”
Acacia’s eyes slid away, leaving Nick with the impression that she was humiliated by the woman using her old name of shame in his presence.
Wrapping an arm around her, he pulled his new mate close. “We no longer use that name. My mate will be called Acacia. May I ask why we are here?”
“All Voltaire must receive the blessing of mating.”
Acacia interjected, asking timidly. “May we be joined in the old way?”
A smile of genuine warmth tugged at the older woman’s lips. “We would be honored to host your joining.”