Pursued by Presley Hall
Zatir
When I wakein the morning in the barracks, I haven’t forgotten about Nadia. She’s the first thing on my mind, and as I get out of bed, tying on my loincloth and joining the other warriors in the mess hall for breakfast, she remains there. There’s plenty of teasing from the other warriors about the events of last night, but I hardly notice it. I’m too busy thinking of what I should do next.
I’m determined to show Nadia that she’s meant to be mine.
Last night, I told her sister that I would give my mate a choice, and that was the truth. But I also made it clear that I would do everything I could to win her over—and I intend to follow through on that promise.
For now, I’ve been given a brief respite from training and missions, a chance to recoup and rest before I rejoin the Alpha Force in their regular schedule. I intend to take full advantage of that time, and the first thing I do when I’ve finished eating is head directly for the building where I’ve been told that the rescued, unmated women are housed.
It’s easy enough to find which pod Nadia is living in. There’s a call system near the front door, with each woman’s name and her pod number listed next to the button to call up for deliveries or guests. I grimace in frustration when I see the name Brielle next to Nadia’s. That must be her sister, and I was hoping to be able to see Nadia without having to go through the other woman.
But I’m not that easily dissuaded. I take note of the number and stride upstairs, heading purposefully toward the door, where I knock firmly, twice.
The door opens, and there she is. My breath hitches all over again the moment I see her. She’s even lovelier than I remembered. A surge of desire rises in me sharply, making my cock twitch with the urge to step inside and press her up against the wall.
I want to cage her in, hold her there with my body pressed against hers as I stare at her, memorizing every feature. I want to learn every inch of her body at length, but something tells me that’s not the right tactic to use with my Irisa. Not only because I’m not sure how she would feel about it, but because I can only imagine what her sister would say if she walked in on that.
Instead, I grin charmingly at her as her mouth drops open. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting me, and I take advantage of the element of surprise.
“Good morning, Nadia.”
“Zatir.”
She whispers my name, and the sound of it on her lips sends a shiver down my spine.
“I was wondering if you’d accompany me on a walk through the city. It’s a lovely day, and I haven’t been home in a long time. I’ve got some time on my hands today, and I’d very much like to use it to get to know you better.”
Brielle enters the room just in time to hear my offer. Her brow creases immediately, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. But before she can say anything or protest, Nadia speaks up.
“Yes,” my mate says quickly. And then more slowly, clearly not wanting to seem too eager, she adds, “Just let me put on my shoes. I’ll be out in a minute.”
She darts past her sister into the bedroom, which makes my pulse speed up. The mental image of Nadia in any bedroom, anywhere is enough to quicken my heartbeat and make my cock pulse under my loincloth. I push the thought away. The last thing I want is to get a very inappropriate erection in front of Brielle. She’d throw me out immediately. Instead, I think about Nadia’s acceptance of my offer, rather than how very close she is to a bed right now, and how I could stride across the living room in moments, toss her atop it, and—
Krax.
I look at Brielle, who has her arms crossed, and manage to rein in my desire.
“I don’t know what you’re up to,” she tells me, her lips pursed. “But just be sure to keep your hands to yourself on this little walk. Nadia hasn’t—”
“—accepted the bond yet. Yes, I know. I want to get to know your sister better, just as I said. Nothing more.”
She makes a small noise in the back of her throat, clearly not convinced. I just smile pleasantly at her as we wait for Nadia to return. I’d like Brielle’s approval. I don’t want to create friction between my mate and the only family she has left. But ultimately, Nadia is the one I want to win over most. It’s her happiness that means everything to me, and as she walks out of the bedroom with a shy smile on her face, I can’t help but feel an answering grin spread over mine.
If I had any doubt about Nadia being my Irisa, this would be yet another reason to dispel it. Just the sight of her smiling face sends a rush of happiness through me. I only want to bring her joy and pleasure.
She’s so very beautiful. Her black hair is loose today, long and thick around her delicate pale face, and I find that I like it better like this. She was lovely last night, dressed in her fine clothes for the feast with her hair done up. But today, wearing a loose, flowing dress that wraps around her petite body, her hair loose and wild, she’s absolutely breathtaking.
“Shall we?” I offer her my arm gallantly, and Nadia smiles up at me.
“I think I can manage on my own,” she says with a grin. “But let’s go.”
“After you.” I gesture toward the door, ignoring the hard look her sister shoots me as we step out into the hallway.
“Your sister really doesn’t like me, does she?” I ask after we walk down the stairs and out into the sunlight. It truly is a beautiful day, the mildest of Kalix’s third season, the air just cool enough to be refreshing.
“It’s not that. She’s just being protective,” my mate says.
“She doesn’t believe in the bonds?”
“She does.” Nadia presses her lips together. “I don’t think there’s any doubt anymore, really—we’ve seen enough of them by now. But she thinks we’d be better off without them. Or I would, rather.”
“She doesn’t think the women are well-treated?” I’m careful to keep the offense out of my voice, but I can’t help but feel a little frustrated. I saw Druxik and Tycran with their women last night, as well as Khrelan and his brother with theirs. I can’t imagine anyone thinking that the women are worse off for being bonded to them. I’ve never seen couples so enamored with each other since the original bonds existed, when the Kalixian women were still alive.
“No!” Nadia exclaims quickly. “It’s not that. She knows they are. And she knows the Kalixians are honorable. It’s just—”
“You don’t have to explain, if you don’t wish to. I didn’t want to bring up an unpleasant topic on our walk. I apologize.”
“It’s okay,” she says. “It’s just that I’m young. Brielle is a lot older, and she’s seen me make some… some bad decisions. Back on Earth, I mean. Before we came here. She just thinks I’m too young to choose something like this.”
I pause. “How old are you?”
She’s certainly the age of maturity. The bond wouldn’t have chosen her otherwise. But I’m unfamiliar with how Terrans age, and her clear pale skin and delicate frame make it impossible to know. All I can see is that she’s beautiful.
“Twenty.” Nadia flushes a little. “I know I’m young. But I’m still old enough to figure out what I want. And I’d like for her to give me that space. But it’s hard for her, and I try to be understanding.”
I frown, considering. “Well, that is young for a Kalixian to mate, as well. When our females were alive, we would typically begin to pair off between the ages of twenty-three and twenty-five. But it’s not unheard of. And the bond wouldn’t have chosen you for me if it wasn’t right.”
“Has it ever been wrong?” She looks up at me, those wide, beautiful blue eyes searching my face. “I mean… has there ever been a couple who were unhappy? Who split up?”
I blink at her, surprised. But then I remember what Tordax told me last night about Terran mating, and how it doesn’t always last. How their vows are not always unbreakable, as ours are.
I shake my head. “Never,” I tell her firmly. “There has never been a couple for whom the bond has chosen wrongly. But,” I add, even as my mind and body scream at me for doing so, “that doesn’t mean you don’t have a choice. Until the bond is consummated, or even after, either person can refuse it. You won’t be forced into anything.”
She flushes when I say the word consummated, and it’s enough to make my body prickle with desire all over again. She’s so innocent, so shy. It makes me wonder if a man has ever touched her, ever claimed her. The thought that I could be the first is intoxicating, but I can’t imagine how that could be true. I’m aware that Terrans frequently share beds with each other outside of any kind of bond, and to be fair, I have as well.
I’m far from inexperienced, and I don’t expect that from my mate. Still the thought of teaching her everything there is to know about physical pleasure, the idea of seeing her face as she feels all of it for the first time, of being the only male to ever touch her in that way—
I push the thoughts away firmly, focusing on Nadia. On my mate. I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.
“I know I have a choice,” she says quietly. “It’s just that I don’t know what I want yet.”
Her admission strikes directly at my heart. There’s a chance, then, that she might reject me. But I shake it off, choosing to focus on a happier subject as I glance down at her.
“Tell me about yourself,” I encourage her. “I want to know everything about you. Is Kalix the only planet you’ve been to other than your own?”
She shakes her head, her dark hair shifting over her shoulders. “We crash-landed on a planet called Wauru, after Commander Tordax and the other warriors rescued us. I don’t know if you’ve heard about all that. But before the Orkun abducted Brielle and me, I never even knew all of this existed.” She gestures at the space around us. “I never knew there was anything but Earth, and humans. I didn’t know there were other species, other people, whole other worlds.”
“Terra is remarkably isolationist in that regard.” I chuckle lightly. “Do you like it here?”
“Yes.” I can hear the enthusiasm in her voice, some of her shyness slipping away as she relaxes. We’re not touching, not so much as holding hands, but I feel her move a bit closer to me as we walk, keeping pace. “I was scared at first, obviously, when the Orkun took us. And suspicious after the Kalixians first rescued us.”
“You can’t be blamed for that. You’d just been abducted, and I’m sure everything seemed so strange.”
“Exactly.” She smiles up at me, and it sends a thrill through me to see it. “But then, on Wauru, once I got a little more used to everything…” She pauses, taking a deep breath. “Then it started to be exciting. Whole new worlds, ones I never knew about and had never seen. I couldn’t quite believe it. It started to feel like an adventure. By the time we made it to Kalix and the king told us that we could stay or choose to go back to Earth, it didn’t feel like much of a choice. I wanted to stay here.”
“And your sister?”
“She did too,” Nadia says quickly. “She might be suspicious of the bonds, and she’s pretty much entirely kept me away from the warriors until the feast last night—herself, too. But she knows we’ve got an opportunity for a better life here, and we don’t have a lot to go back to there. It made sense to stay for both of us.”
“I’m glad you did.”
As I look down at her, a breeze springs up, whipping her hair away from her face. She turns it up toward me, and my pulse lodges in my throat. I want to take her into my arms so badly, to draw her away from the street and behind one of the buildings, kissing her until neither one of us can breathe. It’s taking every ounce of self-control I have not to do exactly that.
I’ve heard stories of the mating lust, of the drive to claim one’s Irisa, and I always thought it might have been a bit exaggerated. After all, I’ve felt desire often. But nothing like this. It’s a concentrated effort to keep my cock soft in her presence, and even so, I can feel myself steadily rising at times, the moment I’m even the slightest bit distracted.
The throb of anticipation in my blood is like a drug, making me feel restless and achy, and I know that if she accepts me, it will multiply a hundred-fold. I’ll be so desperately aroused that I won’t be able to keep myself from taking her as often as possible, as many times as she’ll allow. Just the thought of it, of that much pleasure, of that kind of wild, wanton coupling with this devastatingly beautiful woman is enough to drive me out of my mind with desire.
But I manage to keep ahold of it, nonetheless. I can tell that she’s shy and nervous, and I don’t want to frighten her. I want her to trust me implicitly, to know that I’ll always have her best interests at heart.
“It’s a beautiful city,” Nadia says, glancing around.
We’re nearing the market quarter, and the air is filled with vibrant scents wafting through this part of the city—fried foods and greasy meats, the warm, dusty smell of live animals waiting to be sold, the earthy scent of plants and the bright scents of fresh fruits and vegetables. The noise of it is invigorating. No matter what city I’m in, on any planet, the market quarter is always my favorite. Something about the sounds and smells of it, how vibrant it all is, the crush of people and eager bargaining, makes me feel more alive than almost anywhere else.
“It’s the most beautiful city in the universe, I think,” I tell Nadia. “And I’ve been to almost all of them,” I add, grinning rakishly down at her. “Whatever there is to see, I’ve just about seen it.”
“Yes, I hear you’re very worldly,” she says with a musical laugh. “Which makes me wonder, what do you see in me? I couldn’t be less like that if I’d tried.”
I turn toward her at that, opening my mouth to tell her exactly what it is that I see in her. How lovely she is. How sweet and kind and earnest she seems.
But before I can say any of that, there’s a sudden loud noise nearby. Voices rise in alarm as the Kalixians around us scatter.
It takes me only a heartbeat to see what’s happened. A large brovar has escaped.
Brovars are hooved, horned creatures used for pulling carts and sometimes for meat, and this one is a particularly massive example of its species. The thing is charging down the street, head lowered and a loud bray falling from its mouth as it thunders directly toward us.
Toward Nadia.
I react without thinking. I push her aside, using just enough force to get her off the path, and then I lunge forward, meeting the animal in its headlong rush as I sidestep it. As the brovar passes me, I grasp both the animal’s horns and pull its head back so that its front hooves come off the ground and it’s forced to stop. The muscles in my arms flex and strain powerfully as I haul the brovar backward.
There’s a general gasp from the crowd around me, but I ignore it. It wasn’t my intent to harm the animal—something spooked it, nothing more—and I murmur to it calmly, keeping it restrained with one arm over its eyes and a firm hand on one horn as I hold it in place. I keep patting the dirty fur of its neck and speaking in a low voice until it stops trying to charge and settles down, stamping one foot but remaining in place.
The brovar’s owner isn’t far behind, panting and cursing as he runs down the street with a length of rope in hand.
“I’m so sorry!” he exclaims. “Thank you. I can pay you for your trouble, if you want. I hope no one was harmed—”
“No one was hurt,” I assure him. “And there’s no need. Just keep a better eye on your stock, all right?”
He nods effusively, staring at me as he wraps the rope around the animal’s neck and leads it away.
The moment the brovar is restrained, I turn to find Nadia in the crowd. She’s watching me, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated and cheeks flushed. She’s breathing a little heavily, her petite breasts rising and falling quickly above her arms, which are wrapped tightly around her waist.
As I stride toward her, I can pick up on what she’s feeling, just a little. I don’t know if it’s the bond or the simple matter of reading her body language—but I get the feeling she’s excited by what she just saw. It wasn’t particularly difficult for me to restrain the animal, if a little dangerous, but she doesn’t know that. And in this moment, I can see that she craves a little danger and adventure.
The bond drew her to me, but I know she’s attracted to my nature as well, to my confidence and worldliness, to the reckless adventure that the stories she’s likely heard about me represent to her.
If I were a man of more restraint—like Malav, perhaps, or Tordax, or Tycran—I would be cautious of that. I’d disabuse her of the romantic ideas she has, letting her know that my missions were dangerous and not lightly undertaken, that the far reaches of space can be frightening and deadly.
But I’m not that kind of man.
I was exhilarated by the danger of it just as she is right now, and something about the look in her eyes calls to me, heating my blood as I approach her.
Restrainedor cautious have never been words to describe me. Since I was eighteen, I’ve known that my time to live could be cut abruptly short at any time. So I chose to live completely, vibrantly, and fully. I chose to grab on to life with both hands, enjoying all of it that I could while exacting revenge against the ones who took it away from so many others at the same time.
And I can see in Nadia’s eyes that she wants to do the same. She wants to live entirely, deliciously, dangerously. She might not know what that means yet, not really. And I know that I should warn her. I’m older than she is, more experienced. But if I’m being completely honest with myself…
I don’t want to.
I stand over her, looking down into her wide eyes. Her pulse is beating visibly in her throat as she looks up at me, and all I want to do is throw every ounce of caution to the wind and show her everything she could ever want to learn, to take her anywhere she could ever want to go. I want to do everything in the universe with her, and to her.
Something about her makes me feel more reckless and desirous than I’ve ever been in all of my existence.
“Come up in my ship with me,” I hear myself saying before I have a chance to think about the words coming out of my mouth. “I want to show you the view from space.”
Nadia breathes in, and my gaze drops to her mouth. I can’t help it. I want to crush her against me right here in the middle of the market, to wrap my arms around her and kiss her so thoroughly that she’ll never forget the shape of my lips or the way they feel pressed against hers.
She blinks slowly, almost as if she’s considering saying no. But I can see the yearning in her face—for me, for my offer, for everything that the universe could possibly have to offer her. I see her hovering on the edge of an internal precipice, caught between the safety her sister insists on and the adventure she longs for.
It makes me smile. My Irisa is small and delicate, fragile to look at, but there’s a fierceness hidden inside of her.
I’m certain of it.
