Mary and the Minotaur by Honey Phillips
Chapter Fifteen
Sendat tried to calm his racing heart and slow his rapid breathing as he tucked Miri tighter against his body. She loves me. Happiness filled him, along with a sinking feeling of guilt. He had told himself that he would not join with her until she knew everything, but in the overwhelming relief of finding her, he had forgotten that vow.
His uneasy conscience wouldn’t allow him to put it off any longer. Reluctantly slipping free of her delightful cunt, he sat up and lifted her onto his lap again. She nestled against him as sweetly as a paka cub, and he wished he could just bask in the moment.
“We need to talk,” he said instead.
“That’s never a good start to a conversation,” she murmured, looking up at him, but her face was serene.
“There are some things I haven’t told you.” Many things.
“I know. And you told me last night you would tell me tomorrow.” A surprised expression crossed her face. “I guess it’s actually still tomorrow—I mean, today. It feels like it’s been weeks.”
“The longest day of my life. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t find you.”
“Thank goodness you did.” Then she wrinkled her nose. “But how did you find me?”
“Jabbwa and Kaiyo helped me identify the properties where Chinit might have taken you.” He hesitated, not wanting to upset her, then sighed. No more secrets. “Yakshi implanted a tracker in you.”
“So that’s what he meant when he said he tracked me. I did wonder why he was so sure I was in Jabbwa’s house.”
“I should have asked more questions. I simply assumed that someone had seen you.”
“It’s not your fault. I just don’t see how—” She broke off, then leaned back against his arm so that her breasts were exposed. “What do you see?”
“A perfect, tempting breast?” He ran his thumb across her nipple, still reddened from his attention to it. His cock stirred, even though he would have sworn it was completely drained.
“Thank you, but that’s not what I meant. Here.” She cupped her breast and for a moment he was too distracted by the erotic sight of her fingers on her own flesh to concentrate. Then he realized she was showing him a small red mark on the underside.
“It looks like a scratch.”
“I thought Yakshi scratched me with his claw,” she said thoughtfully. He growled, but she ignored him. “Now I wonder if he was because he was implanting the tracker.”
“It’s possible. We can have it checked and removed.”
Or could they? Their future was even more uncertain than it had been when he was worrying about it last night.
“Is it going to hurt me?” she asked.
“There is no reason why it should.”
“Then it might as well stay. It will make it easier for you to find me the next time I get kidnapped.”
She grinned up at him, but he failed to see the humor.
“There will not be a next time,” he said sternly. “My heart can’t take it.”
“I hope there’s not. I’m happy to be with you.”
“And I could wish for nothing more than to be forever at your side…”
“This is another time when I can tell there is a but coming.”
“I am a wanted criminal, Miri. It was bad enough when I was framed for Mokuu’s murder, but now I have actually killed a Situni male. Kaiyo said that Chinit had been disinherited, but that doesn’t mean they won’t seek an explanation of his death.”
“Then we should bury him in the jungle,” she said immediately. “Or maybe throw him out to sea. On Earth you can’t charge someone with murder if there isn’t a body.”
He couldn’t help smiling at her resolute expression. “I promised Jabbwa I would return the body to him. And I understand why he wants to confirm his death after I misled him about my intentions.”
“So we have to go back?”
“You don’t wish to return?”
“Not really. Jabbwa’s house was very nice, and Renla is great, but I prefer sunshine and fresh air. Could we go somewhere else?”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, little one. I have spent my time here on Yangu associating with thieves and lawbreakers.”
“I know.” She smiled a little ruefully, but he couldn’t see any blame in her eyes. “I never thought I would fall in love with a criminal.”
He took a deep breath. “I’m not exactly a criminal. I was sent here to work undercover for the Imperial Fleet.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re part of the Fleet? Yakshi said that if they found any humans, they would put us in prison.”
“He was lying,” he said firmly. “We are trying to prevent the traffic in humans—or any other illegal slaves.”
“Is there such a thing as a legal slave?”
“Yes. And their owners are subject to Imperial law regarding their treatment and their terms of service.”
“Like Renla and her ten-year contract.” She shook her head. “It seems crazy to me. No one has the right to own someone else, even temporarily.”
“Karthajin, the new Emperor, has come to agree with you. He is working on eliminating slavery altogether, but it’s difficult because of the economic factors involved. For right now, he is focusing on the illegal slavery because of the abuse involved.”
“How do you know that?”
“I used to be in his personal service. He is a good male. Although I will admit that his feelings were heavily influenced by his mate. She is human as well.”
“Really? What’s she like?”
“A little like you—your hair color and eye color are very similar and you have the same spirit. She is very small, but she is fierce.”
Miri scowled at him, her own expression turning fierce. “You sound like you like her.”
“I do, very much. I trained her until I joined the Fleet.”
She was still frowning. “Is that why you like me? Because I remind you of her?”
Was she jealous?“Miri, there is no one like you. You are perfect.”
“No, I’m not,” she muttered, but a reluctant smile curved her lips.
“You are to me,” he said firmly. “I told you that Bukharans take life mates, but what I didn’t tell you is that it doesn’t always happen. Couples join for many reasons, but what we have between us is a special bond. Do you not feel that way?”
“I do. It’s what I’ve always wanted. It’s why I waited.”
“Waited for what?” Color tinted her cheeks as she looked down, and he suddenly understood. It had not just been his size which had overwhelmed her. “You were untouched?”
“Yes.”
An unexpected—and entirely unworthy—feeling of satisfaction filled him, immediately followed by regret. “You should have told me. I would not have been so forceful.”
“I like you forceful,” she admitted. “I like everything about the way you touch me.”
“That’s good. Because I intend to touch you frequently.”
“Starting now?” she asked, tugging gently on one of his nipple rings.
They still had matters to discuss, but it wasn’t every day a male found his life mate…
“Starting now,” he agreed, and bent to kiss her.
A very long time later,Mary watched appreciatively as Sendat stood and stretched, his muscles rippling delightfully beneath his pelt. Her body felt limp and sated and just the tiniest bit sore. Sendat had been so determined to make up for what he perceived to be his shortcomings in taking her virginity—despite her assurances that she wouldn’t have had it any other way—that he had spent what seemed like hours bringing her to climax after climax with his hands, with his amazing tongue, and finally with his cock.
The second time had definitely been easier, but she could feel the aftereffects as she reluctantly sat up.
“How soon do we have to go back?” she asked.
“Go back?” He frowned at her as he started getting dressed.
“Didn’t you say you had to take Chinit’s body to Jabbwa?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said slowly.
She didn’t like the look on his face one little bit.
“What were you thinking?”
“You didn’t like living in Kalima. I thought perhaps you should go to Ella.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. She believed his earlier assertion that he hadn’t been in love with the tiny female, but she had no desire to meet her.
“Don’t you mean we should go?”
“I can’t. They would arrest me before I made it off the planet.” He reached down and stroked her cheek. “But you would be safer there.”
“No. All my life, people have made decisions to keep me safe. But I don’t want to be safe. I want to be happy. And I’m happy when I’m with you.”
He looked so torn that she almost felt sorry for him—even though he was trying to send her away.
“And besides,” she added triumphantly. “You spent all your credits buying me. How could you afford the cost?”
“I intended to ask Jabbwa for a loan.”
She knew enough to realize that even though Jabbwa had been very helpful to them, he did nothing for free.
“How were you going to pay him back?” she asked suspiciously.
“By working for him.”
“As an actual criminal? Not an undercover officer? I don’t think you want that.”
The minute he had explained what he had been doing to her, all the discrepancies she had noticed snapped into place—the difference between his gruff demeanor and his gentle touch, his harsh words and his kind actions. She had no difficulty picturing him as an honorable warrior.
“I am already tainted by what I have done,” he said, and she could see the pain in his eyes.
“No, you’re not. You did what you did for a cause you believe in. But if you do it simply for pay, I think it would taint you.”
“But what if I can’t keep you safe?”
“You’ve kept me safe until now.”
“I almost didn’t.”
He looked so haunted that she reached over and put her hand on his arm, trying not to be distracted by the soft fur over all those big, hard muscles.
“But you did.” He opened his mouth, but she put a gentle finger over his lips. “This is my choice, my responsibility. We stay together.”
He sighed, but he also looked relieved, and she suspected that he hadn’t wanted to be parted any more than she had wanted it.
“So now we know what we aren’t going to do, what are we going to do?” she added.
