Owned by Luna Voss
13
Barion
It’s Korva. I answer the door in frustration, my cock still halfway hard inside my pants.
“What?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Someone’s in a good mood.”
“Sorry. I was just… in the middle of something. We were going to meet about that job, weren’t we?”
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
For a moment, I consider making an excuse to send him away. And then I sigh. Korva and I spend enough time together that I won’t be able to keep Melyta’s presence a secret from him for long. Besides, he helped me rescue her in the first place. I know he’s trustworthy.
He follows me into the living room, where Melyta is sitting awkwardly on the couch, her cheeks very red. She smooths her skirt out as we enter, looking very flustered.
The moment Korva sees her, he just stops. He turns to me and shakes his head. “Barion, what the hell?”
I knew this was coming. “I don’t want to hear it,” I growl. “It’s my decision.”
He closes his eyes, then opens them. “No, seriously, Barion, what the fuck is wrong with you? You know I respect the hell out of you. But this is stupid. You’re going to get yourself killed.”
I lower my voice and pull Barion to the other side of the room. I don’t want Melyta overhearing all this and thinking she’s a burden.
“I know, I know. But they were watching the spaceport, so I couldn’t take her off planet. And then I—”
“So you take her to the spaceport today. Sarizor put you in charge of finding her, for fuck’s sake. How do you think this is going to work out? Get her off the fucking planet!”
I sigh. “It’s not that simple.”
“Of course it’s not that simple, now that you’re getting your fucking dick wet. Look, I get it. She’s beautiful. But Barion? There are lots of beautiful women out there. Get her off the planet, get her to safety, and then we’ll find you a nice, submissive Vostra girl who thinks the sun shines out of your ass, and who isn’t going to get you fucking murdered.”
* * *
Melyta
I sit on the couch, clit still throbbing from my orgasm, listening to Barion argue with his friend. I recognize this man. Jacked, curly red beard, bit of a devil-may-care vibe, despite his obvious disapproval of my presence. It’s the same guy who brought the car to us the night Barion rescued me. I get the feeling we can trust him. I’m sure Barion wouldn’t have let him see me otherwise.
I can’t tell what they’re saying, but it’s obvious that they’re arguing about me. Which, obviously, makes me feel like shit. I hate the idea that I’m making life difficult for anyone, even if it is a couple of Vostra gangsters. I’m starting to feel really crummy, really rejected, when Barion’s whisper gets louder, and I’m able to make out his words:
“Korva, I think she’s my Fated Mate.”
His friend goes silent after that. I don’t know how to interpret the look he gives him, but he nods, and it seems like that’s the end of the discussion. I keep my eyes trained on the floor, not wanting them to think I was intentionally eavesdropping.
“Melyta,” says Barion, walking over to me, “this is Korva. We can trust him.”
I glance at the other gangster and nod. “Thanks for helping us the other night.”
He nods awkwardly in response. I look down, and flush as I realize that my panties are still on the floor.
“Korva and I have some business to discuss upstairs,” Barion tells me, putting his hand on my shoulder. “We won’t be too long. Will you be okay down here for a little while?”
He doesn’t make eye contact me, and I wonder if he’s feeling guilty. Guilty about leaving me alone after what we just did together? Guilty about doing that with me at all?
Well, the last thing I want is to be a burden. If they have business, they have business. “Sure,” I say. “I’ll be here.”
I cuddle with a pillow on the couch as the two vostrata go upstairs together, wishing badly that Barion was here to wrap his arms around me. Even though I feel rejected, his words to Korva are still repeating themselves over and over again in my mind:
I think she’s my Fated Mate.
* * *
Barion
I know I’m supposed to be focusing on my conversation with Korva, but all I can think about is Melyta, and the experience we just had together. It’s not like I wanted to leave her there. I would much rather be cuddling her, holding her, treating her like my mate.
But she’s not. And I can’t. And we have work to do.
Korva is trying to talk to me about this heist we’ve been planning, and I can’t even keep my attention on his words. It just… doesn’t feel important right now. Melyta feels important. She’s the only thing that feels important.
“You’re seriously checked out tonight,” says my friend, half-amused, half-frustrated. “You doing okay?”
I sigh. “Sorry. I guess I’m distracted.”
“Yeah, no shit. You really think she’s your Fated Mate?”
“I don’t know. It’s just, the way they always say you’ll feel, I feel that way about her. Look, you remember that night a year ago, when I got made underboss?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“You remember I met a woman?”
He nods, and then understanding dawns. “Wait, that was her?”
“Yeah. I… I marked her that night.”
His jaw drops. “You what?”
“I don’t know what came over me. I just had to, if you know what I mean.”
“I don’t know what you mean. Fuck, maybe she really is your Fated Mate. But wait a second, where the hell is your mark? I didn’t see it on her neck.”
I shuffle my feet. This is something shameful, something I would only ever admit to Korva. Something that’s hard for me to even say out loud.
“She… removed it. You know. With pills.”
Korva’s eyes widen, but he says nothing. I continue:
“I left her alone after that. Wasn’t about to chase someone who didn’t want me. I figured I dodged a bullet, that I’d never see her again, and that would be that.”
“That’s why you risked your ass to rescue her that night,” says my lieutenant, understanding.
“Mate or not, I couldn’t let anything happen to her. I just couldn’t.”
“I understand.”
We’re quiet for a moment, but the silence is comfortable.
“Can I meet her?” Korva asks finally.
I can’t help but grin in spite of myself. What a friend.
“Not tonight. But maybe soon. Depending on how things work out.”
He gives me a wry smile. “Hey. Either way, good on you for helping her. I know I give you shit, but you’re a decent guy. For a vostrat.”
We both laugh.
“Let’s finish this another night,” Korva suggests. “I kind of get the impression I walked in on something. I’ll leave you two alone.”
After Korva leaves, I head to the living room to find Melyta. To my great disappointment, however, she’s already in bed, and her door is closed. I hover outside, considering knocking, and then I think better of it. If she still wanted to see me, she would have waited on the couch.
Dejected, I go upstairs to my bedroom and have the world’s most depressing masturbation session. I really wish I had her to cuddle with tonight.
