Alien Sentinel’s Mate by Mina Carter

13

“You bit me. I can’t believe you actually fucking bit me.”

“You enjoyed it, though. Didn’t you?” Seren’s voice was lazily amused as she lay cuddled up against him, drawing patterns on his broad chest with her fingertips.

She was pleasantly exhausted, her body still tingling from their lovemaking—if the explosion of passion could even be considered lovemaking. She wasn’t sure. It had been entirely too raw and primal for that.

“Yes, but that’s not the point. You bit me. Is that even normal?”

She turned her head to look up at him. He looked even more wolfish than usual. Almost as if here on his home-world and with her in his arms, he didn’t see the point in hiding what he was anymore.

He met her gaze levelly, without deceit as he’d promised. “For me, it is.”

Irritation and something else filled her. “How many other women have you bitten?” she demanded.

“Why? Does it matter?” He raised an eyebrow, his hand sweeping down her naked back in slow, skin-tingling strokes. She knew he wasn’t tired, the semi-hard cock pressing against her stomach proof of that, so his insistence that they rest a while wasn’t for his benefit.

“Yes, it matters!” she hissed, slapping his chest as she tried to shove away from him and get off the bed. Men! They were the same no matter what species. Pain in the ass, irritating—

She didn’t get very far, his arm snaking around her and hauling her close. He held her captive, pressed against the solid wall of his chest as he looked down into her eyes.

“I have never bitten another female,” he said in a low rumble, bringing his free hand up to scoop her hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear. “I never wanted to until I met you.”

Oh. Okay, that was sweet. Even verging on romantic… if they weren’t talking about him actually biting her.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked, concern in his eyes.

They really were quite lovely, a combination of the blue of all the seas she’d ever seen, both terrestrial and spatial. Even his pupils were slightly more rounded than normal for a Lathar.

If he wasn’t so big, she could almost believe he was human… if he was asleep and not looking at her. The instant he did, something about his expression and the intelligence in his eyes warned her that he was not anything close to human. She wasn’t even sure he was close to Lathar.

“Gracie?” he prompted, a hint of his fang grazing his lip with his smile as she disappeared into her own thoughts for a moment. “Did I hurt you, kelarris?”

She shook her head, lifting a hand to touch her neck. “No, you surprised me more than anything, but then…”

Heat hit her cheeks, her body tightening at the memory of the orgasm that had slammed through her following his bite. She’d never come that hard or fast before. Ever.

His rumble of amusement was deep and sinful. “This is why the rest of the Lathar don’t want a Vorr anywhere near females. They’re afraid we’d steal them all and there would be no more Lathar. Only Vorr.”

Interest filled her as she settled over him, tucked against his chest with her legs on either side of his lean hips. His cock had flared to life as soon as she’d straddled him and lay trapped beneath them like a hot, hard iron bar. She shivered a little, still amazed she’d been able to take all of him.

“Explain about the Vorr. Why do the Lathar hate you guys so much?” she asked idly, concealing her interest. A division of this depth within the Latharian forces… that was actionable intelligence, something she could pass on to command. If she ever got back to Earth, that was. “I thought you were all the same species?”

His lips quirked and she caught sight of the edge of his fangs again. He had both upper and lower ones, but only the top were sharp. The bottom were bigger and heavier, but he concealed those more.

“We are, and we’re not.”

He paused for a moment, a small frown creasing his brow as though he were marshaling his thoughts. At her look he smiled. “Trying to condense millennia of history and politics into something you’ll understand is… challenging.”

“Hey!” She reared back. “Are you calling me stupid?”

“No, no…” His hand snapped out, cradling the back of her neck as he stopped her escaping again.

She held rigid in his grasp, rather liking the way he controlled her movements but not prepared to admit it just yet. Not to him…hell, she barely wanted to admit it to herself.

“It’s a lot of politics, love. And I’d much rather kiss you,” he murmured, his callused thumb stroking the side of her neck over where he’d bitten her. It was healed somehow, the touch of his lips and tongue sealing the wound over, but it was sensitive, as though the bite had changed the very nature of the skin and made it more sensitive. The touch soothed her, and she relaxed against him with a small sigh and a nod.

“So talk,” she whispered, her hands smoothing over his broad shoulders as heat began to mount in her blood again. “And make it quick?”

He nodded, pulling her down so he could graze his lips over the side of her neck. Each time they brushed the bite, she shivered again, liquid heat escaping her to bathe his shaft caught between them.

“Before the empire, there were the princes. Seven of them,” he murmured, spreading his thighs to settle her more securely in his lap. “The princedoms existed much as the clans exist today, in a complex web of alliances and treaties to ensure peace. Until the Tanel came.”

“The Tanel?” she gasped as he rocked his hips against her, the hardness of his engorged shaft pressing and rubbing against her needy clit.

He nodded, nipping at her earlobe. “A vicious, warlike race. They threatened to wipe out the princedoms and enslave every free being to use them for food or entertainment. But one of the princes saw the threat. He unified us and became the first emperor.”

Her nails bit into his upper arms as she rocked her hips against him, seeking more stimulation. It was hard to keep her mind on what he was saying, but it was important.

“He sounds sensible. But that doesn’t explain why the Lathar hate the Vorr.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” he murmured, his hands slipping down her body to her hips. His grip hard, he made her slide up and down against him, each long slow ride making her shudder in reaction.

“The first emperor was Kayan Vorr. My ancestor.”

She blinked, fighting her arousal and growing need to look at him in surprise. “So… if you’re a direct descendant from the first guy, why aren’t you on the throne? And why do they hate you?”

“Because of the way Kayan defeated the Tanel. All Lathar are genetically adapted for something. Hunting, heavy gravity worlds, aquatic environments. Kayan started that process and they hated him for it.”

He leaned back as he lifted her up, pressing the broad head of his cock at the entrance to her body. She bit her lip in anticipation, wriggling as she waited for him to impale her inch by delicious thick inch. But he didn’t. He held her there, strong hands around her waist, his gaze firm on hers.

Oh yeah, this was important. She frowned, sliding her hands down his forearms and scraping her nails along flesh and metal. “But why? They sound like assholes. He found a solution to the problem… and they hated him for it? Why? What happened to the Tanel.”

He grinned, flashing his fangs as he circled his hips. If he didn’t do something soon, she’d come from sheer need. “We became them.”

Then he thrust upward, impaling her on his cock, and she screamed his name as she came.

* * *

Gracie had wokenup in a nest of blankets, the sheets next to her long since cold. It hadn’t taken her long to get ready with a small stack of clothes and boots left on a nearby chair for her. She’d smiled in approval as they’d turned out to be a shirt and tough cargo pants, the boots a perfect fit. The dress Seren had left for her last night had been beautiful but these were something she might have picked for herself.

Within minutes she emerged from the khaaitan’s suite at the back of the long hall, looking for her new mate. At least, she assumed the new little scar on her neck meant they were mated. The Lathar had a bonding ceremony, but she wasn’t sure if the Vorr ascribed to that. Besides… she’d never been one for formality or being the center of attention. Calling attention to oneself tended to be a no-no when you spent most of your life undercover, but she’d been that way long before that.

The long hall was a hustle bustle of activity, the long tables filled with Vorr as they jostled for space. She smiled despite herself at the raucous laughter and sheer life of the room.

“Hey, beautiful.” Seren appeared at her side, a wide smile on his handsome face as he slid his arm around her waist. “You’re finally awake.”

“You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long,” she hissed as he led her to one of the tables. It looked like breakfast was being served with large platters of bread and what looked like boiled eggs on the table. A wonderful smell wafted through the air.

“Oh my god, is that bacon?”

Seren’s lips brushed her temple. “Well, we call it beskan, but you can call it whatever you like.”

She smiled as two big farmers scooted up to make room for her on the bench. Tarveth turned from his plate and smiled up at her. He nodded toward the bench next to him as he shoveled food in his mouth, his other arm looped around what looked like a small goat with six legs. It bleated softly.

“Hey, big guy,” she said as she took a seat, mouthing her thanks to Seren as he slid a mug of something hot and steaming in front of her. A sniff assured her it was the Latharian equivalent of coffee. “Who’s this?”

“This is Talli,” the boy said in a low rumble that was too deep for such a small body. He smiled as he tickled behind the goat’s ears. “She’s my friend.”

“She’s very pretty.” Gracie reached out a hand and then paused. “May I?”

Tarveth nodded and she tickled the goat under its chin, much to the animal’s delight. She laughed gently as it head-butted her, its trio of tiny horns battering against her arm.

“She likes you.” Tarveth grinned.

“I like her too.” She said, sipping at her “coffee” as she petted the goat. “On my planet, we have something similar called a goat, but they only have four legs. I’ve never touched one, though.”

The boy’s eyes widened. “Why not?”

She chuckled. “I wasn’t brought up in the country. I lived in the city. There was a small park near where I lived, but there were no goats or livestock. I saw pictures, though, through virtual schooling.”

He shoveled some more food in, chewing thoughtfully. “What is… schooling?”

“Surely you have lessons here? Reading and writing?”

He shook his head and then sat up and puffed his tiny chest out. “I start weapons training soon. Will be a big, scary warrior like Cade when I’m grown!”

He looked over to where the older Vorr was on the other side of the table, grinning as he joked with another male. That conversation ended abruptly when he wrapped his arm around his neighbor’s neck and hauled him backward off the bench. The hall erupted into roars as vicious snarls echoed around the walls.

“Oh shit…” She was on her feet in a heartbeat, not sure if she should pile in and stop it or call for help.

“No!” Tarveth jumped to his feet on the bench, standing protectively in front of her. “Iz dangerous to get between fighters. Stay here. I protect you.”

“Okay, thank you.”

It was so sweet, the little alien boy bristling with purpose as he protected her. She didn’t offer a smile, not wanting to hurt his fledgling pride as he stood guard with tension in his tiny shoulders. The instant she sensed that fight spilling over to this side of the table, she was hauling him back and shielding him. She could make it seem like she’d fallen and he’d broken her fall or something.

A roar shook the rafters and Cade emerged for a moment, the bigger fighter held over his head and fury on his face. For a moment it didn’t look right, like his features were in flux. Then he grinned and bellowed a war cry as he threw his opponent over the table. The alien sailed through the air, his arms and legs windmilling before he crashed into the opposite wall.

She blinked in surprise. The guy had to be nearing seven foot and over three hundred pounds, yet the slender alien youth had thrown him like he was a cushion.

“See? Cade wins. Cade always wins.” Tarveth grinned and plonked his backside down to continue eating. Typical boy, nothing got in the way of food. She smiled and ruffled his hair.

“Does he?” she asked mildly, sitting down next to him and smiling as she picked up her coffee mug. Things sure were interesting around here, in more ways than one.