Harper
Somehow, I knew it wasn’t going to be just a shower with Zared even before we went into the bathroom. We were both aroused from making out, and I could see that he was up for it, pun intended. I expected it to be hard and fast, but Zared was much more tender as though he was saying things with his body that he couldn’t put into words.
I was skeptical about solmatu when he first told me, but I was beginning to believe him. I felt that we were becoming attuned to each other emotionally. He seemed to crave the tenderness that we shared in every kiss and caress, even in our joining. Solmatu was the only explanation I had for the emotional attachment that was growing between us. He seemed to need the physical and emotional intimacy as much as I did.
When we went into the shower booth, Zared said a command that started the shower spraying a fine mist over us. He took me into his arms and kissed me long and slow. That and our naked bodies pressed together with his erect penis pressed against my belly was enough to make me wet and ready for sex. Without taking his lips from mine, he backed me against the wall and lifted me so he could slide his phallus into me.
Even though I was a little sore from the full body workout of our earlier coitus, I moaned in delight as he filled me again and wrapped my legs around his hips. He drew back and thrust into me with deliberate slowness so that he was as deep as he could go and pressing against my core. I hummed and moaned, closing my eyes.
“Harper, look at me,” he whispered urgently. “I want to see the passion in your eyes as I mate you.”
As I did, it was almost like I could see into his mind as well. I saw my future in his eyes and a spark of much more than the carnal desire that flared between us nearly every time we touched. I knew at that moment that even if it were possible, I could never go back to my old life. Just as well, because I felt almost certain I would never be forced to choose.
Zared was mine! And I wanted to be his. This slow, deliberate ascent to sexual nirvana made my whole body quiver as I clung to him with my arms and legs. It seemed like we were on the brink for a long time before Zared murmured huskily, “Come for me Harper. Come for me now.”
He punctuated that with a deep demanding kiss, and my response was almost immediate. I made a sound that was between a scream and a shout as I clamped down on him inside me. Then he came, too. When it ended, we stayed joined under the fine, warm mist.
Gazing raptly into his violet eyes, I brought my hand up and stroked his cheek with my fingera. I didn’t know how I would feel this much this fast, but I did.
“It’s partly the pheromones,” he said softly, as though he had read my mind. “Each time we mate, my body leaches them into you through the pores in your skin. They make you amenable to mating so you will feel an emotional attachment to me.”
I must have looked like I didn’t believe him.
“It’s true. I wasn’t going to tell you yet, but my conscience won’t let me keep it to myself,” he said in a quiet tone.
“Oh, so you seduced me to make sure I would agree to become your mate.”
“I did,” he said without apology.
I smiled at him and laughed softly.
“You’re not angry?”
“Are you sorry?”
“I am not.”
“Neither am I.” I smiled and kissed his mouth lightly. “You gave me a choice in the beginning. I chose. Would you have just let me go if I chose the other way.”
“It would have been hard, but I would have.” He signed. “My honor would demand it even though it would mean I would never mate or have a family.”
I couldn’t bear to think of him alone for the rest of his life. “That’s not going to happen,” I murmured and kissed him where his neck and shoulder met.
He groaned and hugged me.
As I felt him wane inside me I put my feet to the floor and let him slide out of me. He held my head gently between his large hands and kissed my lips gently. The look in his eyes told me what he didn’t say. I was his and he knew it. The funny thing was that didn’t scare me at all.
We finally finished our shower about an hour after we started. I could see for the near future what would probably happen anytime we got naked together. I didn’t know all that much about pheromones as to whether they were potent enough to make me want to fuck a guy who wasn’t as attractive as Zared. I honestly didn’t think so. It was him.
Once we were dressed, he guided me back to the conference room where Scarlet Andrews, Zoe Addison, and Nora Reed were sitting and watching a holographic program with several other species women of humanoid women. The three from Earth seemed especially glad to see me. They got up immediately to come talk to me. They were wearing extra large shirts like the one Zared gave me and they appeared to have showered because their hair was clean and shiny.
We had been lucky to have a toilet and a small sink between us on the slave ship.
Zared discreetly left me alone with my friends and went to the bridge of the ship. He would be back after we had time to talk to show us around the ship and the unrestricted areas we could go without an escort.
After the door closed behind him, Scarlet made a gasping sound for dramatic effect. “You’re fucking him, aren’t you?”
“Well, that’s really discreet, Scarlet,” I said and laughed. “According to Zared we are soulmates and I am his fated mate---for life.”
“We figured there was something between you two the way he was holding you after we found out that we probably can’t ever get back to Earth,” Zoey said.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Nora wanted to know.
“Right now, we are on our way to the Consortium to return Kyanna to her family. Zared says you can either take asylum with them, or on Farseek, where these warriors are from. It’s possible you might find your own mates among the crew. But he says that Farseek would be roughing it. While they were off fighting for the Consortium, the enemy all but destroyed their world and took most of their people as slaves.”
“That’s horrible,” the three murmured.
“Zared doesn’t know if his family is alive or dead. They were all gone when he and the crew got there and most all the buildings on the planet were destroyed,” I explained to them. “They got hired to rescue Kyanna from the slavers. Two of those from the ship that brought us, were from Farseek. They hate slavers and slavery, so they just took us all.”
“It sounds like it would be like the pioneer days back on Earth,” Zoey said. “I love you guys, but I’m not sure I’m up for that. I always said roughing it for me was a hotel without room service. I think I want to see what this Consortium has to offer---modern conveniences, I hope.”
“I’m with Zoey,” Nora said, “---unless I find a big, hunky warrior man like Harper’s.”
“I think I’m going to throw my lot in with the Farseek crew,” Scarlet said. “I was getting discharged just before the slavers got me. They have women in their company. I should be able to fit in. They save our asses from slavery. I feel like we owe them.”
“Well, I don’t know anything about soldiering, and I don’t want to live like they did back in the pioneer days,” Zoey grumble. “The best I can do is give them my thanks. Honestly, I would like to find a rich Consortium husband to hook up with.
“Who can blame you after what we’ve been through?” I said. “I might feel the same way, if this thing with Zared hadn’t hit me the first moment our eyes met. I already made my choice, but if that’s what you want, Zoey, you should go for it.”
“I’m not sure yet, but I want to see how I might fit in there before I decide,” she replied.
“I do, too,” Nora added.
“Just be careful,” I warned them, “I got the impression our mercenary friends don’t think much of the Consortium. They believe that the Consortium deliberately withheld the information about the attack on Farseek to keep them fighting their war.”
“That sucks, considering what happened to Farseek,” Scarlet said. “All the more reason to stick with our mercenaries.”
“They are going on to another world to rescue some more of their people after Kyanna is returned to Halor. Zared hinted that things could get dicey---but they’re going to rendezvous with another of their ships like this one,” I said. Roughing it on a world in ruins was not my idea of a good time, but I didn’t trust the Consortium. They sounded like a bunch of elitists that though the people of Farseek were expendable.
“The Farseeker’s are really hunky guys except for their weird coloring,” Scarlet said, “it’s not quite gray and not exactly blue.”
“Not as strange as their hair colors,” Nora said.
“Color is only skin deep,” I said. “Zared said, if we weren’t genetically compatible, he would not have recognized me as his fated mate.”
“Do you love him?” Nora asked.
I shrugged, because I didn’t really know yet. “I think I will,” I said slowly. “They do things a little differently here. These guys have a keen sense of smell and they can tell by scent if you are their fated mate or solmatu. They feel it is a great blessing and you will be treated well.”
“Even if I don’t find a soul mate, I’m inclined to stick with this bunch. They pulled us out of the slave auction when they didn’t have to---and the Consortium left their world undefended in favor of their defending their wealth.” Scarlet said. “We owe them. But you two can do what you want,” she said to Zoey and Nora.
“When you put it that way,” Nora said, “we kind of do owe them.”
“You’ve got a couple more weeks to decide,” I said. “that’s how long it will take us to get there. You will get to meet some more of the crew---men and women. If you get to know them, you might like to stay with them or not.”
I was going to say more, but someone strode into the conference room behind me. Zoey giggled and Scarlet smirked while Nora looked off to the side. I knew it had to be Zared by their reaction, and I was a little annoyed. They were acting like school girls. Then I laughed because they were behaving like they normally would if we hadn’t been kidnaped by alien slavers and taken so far from Earth no one knew how to get us home.
“All right you three,” I said. “Stop acting like we’re back in high school.”
“Ladies, would you like to get out of this conference room and see some more of the ship?” Zared asked.
I turned around and smiled at him. “We would,” I said. I keep my hands clasped in front of me so I would reach out and caress him to emphasize my claim, as I saw some of the alien females looking up at him with interest.
Zared turned toward the contingent at the other end of the room, variety of humanoid species and asked again. Some of them got up and came to join our little group. There were ten of us all together. The other seven seemed too shy to even answer.