The Bonding Page 5

  “But, Nissa, I’m really glad you’re you.”

  “Good.” She rose on tiptoes. “Now kiss me. Before everything changes.”

  His lips were warm. He tasted sweet and her body must have become used to him, because while lust coiled in her loins, it didn’t blind her.

  “You ready?” He looked worried.

  “I am.” She straightened the neckline of her dress, stroked a hand through her hair and together they walked toward the airlock on the main deck.

  She took his hand in hers while he used the other to enter the codes that would open the last barrier between them and a universe at war.

  As the hatch hissed, she squeezed his hand. “Tam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’d have been grateful for what you did, even if you’d been mean, pockmarked and toothless.” She dropped her gaze to his lips. “But I’m really glad you’re you.”

  As the hatch slid open and pressurized gas swirled around them, Tam tilted his head toward her and laughed.

  Blinding lights flashed. Huge men bumped shoulders and hurled questions through the air—so much more crowded than she could have imagined. Her belly clenched.

  I am the Queen-Designate of Triannon. I will represent my people with honor and determination. I will save them.

  APPARENTLY word of their arrival at Base Command had leaked The docking bay seethed with Argenti. Not just politicians and war chiefs, but reporters and laymen, ship-workers and civs filled the space, shifting and jostling for position, angling for a glimpse of a woman. Of his mate.

  A shit-show. By far the unruliest behavior Tam had ever witnessed from the Tribe. Unlike the civilians of Argentus, the Tribe warriors were usually strictly controlled, rigidly adhering to protocols and tradition. Not today. Grown male warriors elbowed one another, craning their necks.

  Nissa stiffened beside him in surprise at the onslaught. A crew of Guarda guided them through the packed docking bay and into a private chamber. The commanders and war chiefs circled them, decked out in their formal military dress. Vests, gray, silver and white, announced their ranks. The quiet in the dark chamber deafened after the commotion on the dock.

  She was overwhelmed, he could feel it, but she moved beside him regally, head high and shoulders back. Tam felt like a fool, eying the males around them, uncomfortable at having a mate to protect for the first time. Nissa changed everything.

  He’d spent some time trying to convince her to put on one of his shirts over the clinging dress she wore, but she’d refused.

  “This is the royal dress of my people, Tam,” she had said, “I hide from no man.” She’d been adamant that she would meet the people of her mate dressed properly, as the representative of the people of Triannon.

  The dress was made of layers of some kind of translucent, weightless red fabric that draped over her shoulders and hips, revealing the sides of her luscious breasts and the supple skin of her back. It trailed in her wake like a red fog.

  Tam felt a ridiculous animal urge to rip his own shirt over his head and cover her. Or fuck her again right there in the chamber so everyone knew that this beautiful creature was his and his alone.

  He doubted Nissa would appreciate either act, nor would such behavior be likely to facilitate cooperation among S-6 Command, so he curbed his myriad jealousies.

  Her hand was small and cold in his as they approached the last and most important of the males standing in the receiving line. “Nissa, this is Admiral Fior of Base Command, Tribe Argentus,” Tam said, introducing her to the old, gray-haired warrior he had known his whole life.

  Admiral Fior bowed formally and clasped her forearm.

  “Admiral, this is Nissa of Triannon, daughter of King Himnor, Queen-Designate of the Trianni.”

  Nissa inclined her head with a calm smile that belied the nerves tingling across their bond.

  “Can we offer you a celebratory meal?” the admiral asked with a warm smile. His teeth flashed white against dark skin.

  “Forgive me, admiral, that’s very generous of you but we ate on the ship.” Tam spoke with caution. The admiral could be prickly and he didn’t want to risk giving offense. “Nissa’s transceiver shows that her people have been in cryo for nearly five hundred years. The pods break down within ten years of that time.”

  Several of the chiefs approached, impatient to participate in the conversation. The festive atmosphere dimmed palpably. “So there is a chance all of the pods have already failed?” asked Communications Chief Furrows, shrewd blue eyes dimmed in a pale, pinched face.

  Shameful hope built within Tam. If all her people were dead, she didn’t owe shit to anyone. He hoped she couldn’t read that across the bond. He didn’t mean it, not really, but it would certainly simplify things.

  Nissa spoke. “The pods would cease to send out a signal if they had already broken down.”

  The chiefs nodded, heads bobbling on their shoulders. Tam suppressed a sigh and reminded himself that nothing would happen as quickly as he’d like.

  The admiral nodded grimly. “We should move to WarCom then. Can you show us how the transceiver works?”

  “I can.” Nissa held out her hand, palm up toward Tam in a silent request. He smiled inwardly, proud of her, as he reached into the little bag of her belongings he’d carried for her. He knew through their Bonding that such forcefulness didn’t come naturally to her. The Argenti were no longer accustomed to dealing with females. Nissa had just warned them, subtly, but in no uncertain terms that she would be a part of these talks.

  The admiral raised a brow as she carefully handed over the small device, and Tam squeezed her hand in silent support.

  The chiefs led them into WarCom. And so it began. The posturing and debating spread as war chiefs took sides, some arguing for immediate retrieval and others extolling prudence. No one wanted to instigate war with the Vestige, and that part of the galaxy was thick with Vestige colonies.

  It was boring. And frustrating as fuck. A variety of chiefs spoke, each presenting a problem scenario of their own.

  “It’s a logistical nightmare,” said Furrows, hours later, and Tam had to agree.

  Ajax cleared his throat. The chief of Healing Bay had passed away a month ago and they’d yet to name a replacement for him. Ajax had taken on most of his responsibilities. “Admiral, may I interrupt?”

  “Please, go ahead, Captain Willo.”

  “We must take the illness into consideration.” Ajax inclined his head in Nissa’s direction. “The longer a person is in cryo, the more likely they are to be afflicted with the blue-tinge. We have to assume that each pod we recover could have an individual suffering from the same illness.”

  Furrows shrugged visibly. “Then we give her to a warrior who will use his serum to save her.”

  Nissa stiffened. “Bonding should be used only as a last resort,” Tam said through gritted teeth. Furrows was an asshole.

  “We should start work on language translators immediately,” Ajax said.

  Tam nodded. “That way, at least it could be explained to them first.”

  Next to him, Nissa shifted uncomfortably, her frustration palpable. He swallowed his own growing irritability. She smelled so good he had a hard time focusing on the topic at hand. His gaze drew repeatedly back to her. He still couldn’t believe she was his mate.

  The admiral cleared his throat, with a glance in Nissa’s direction. “Chief Furrows, we should explore alternatives before we jump straight to the use of Bonding.”

  Ajax rested his hands on the desk in front of him. “I’d feel more comfortable if, in addition to language translators, each rescue Op-ship was outfitted with at least one medic.”

  Tam struggled to focus after that. The debate circled the room, as they discussed protection of any females who were retrieved. Argenti were an orderly people and life at Sierra-Six relied on compliance with strict procedural codes, but the hope for a mate could easily cause good men to take drastic action.

  He’d like to take som
e drastic actions, now. Having a mate had messed with his mind. Upset his entire existence. He’d never had anything to worry about before. He was downright befuddled. He’d never been befuddled in his life.

  He cracked his neck, flexing his fingers. Nissa wriggled her ass in her chair. He wanted her to do it again. On his cock.

  The chiefs’ gazes kept landing on Nissa, glancing away, then returning, like bugs to a potent flower, poorly concealed lust on their faces.

  Tam barely stifled the snarl building in his throat. He was going insane. His cock throbbed heavily. An unexplainable and abnormal sense of fury made him wary. He wasn’t prone to random fits of temper or unreasonable emotions. His erratic mood seemed strange. Uncharacteristic.

  Nissa crossed her legs for the third time in as many minutes. Ajax caught his eye, pausing midsentence and jerking his head toward Nissa. Tam didn’t know what Ajax wanted and he didn’t give a shit. He bounced his knees in an attempt to distract himself from his own building irritation. His cock pulsed in his pants as if it was confused, as if it thought it was playtime. He shifted awkwardly, trying to make room for the thing, but it kept bumping against the table, painfully.

  Nissa looked a silent question at him, her face flushed. Ajax moved toward them, cautiously. What did he want? Tam surged to his feet, nustal sword clanking against the chair.

  Ajax spoke too quietly for anyone but Tam to hear. “You need to attend to your mate.”

  “What did you just say?” Tam was furious, his body vibrating with barely controlled ferocity. He actually reached a hand toward one of the blades on his chest before stalling. What was wrong with him? Ajax was his closest friend.

  “Tam.” Ajax kept his voice calm as Tam clenched his fists. Although Ajax’s voice rose barely above a whisper, Tam heard him over the roaring in his ears. “The effects of the bond will linger for a long time. Months, certainly. Years maybe. She cannot go more than a few hours without your serum. You’ll become increasingly unreasonable.”

  The rest of the warriors in the room spoke loudly, in awkward conversations, attempting to afford them some privacy. Tam couldn’t think. All he saw was red. He took a step in Ajax’s direction.

  “Her scent is strong,” Ajax said by way of explanation and this time it was enough.

  Tam looked around the room and saw it with fresh eyes, the warriors with their carefully averted eyes, tight faces and shifting postures. A glance at Nissa confirmed what he had missed earlier.

  Her cheeks pink with desire, she shifted as the heat built. He could smell the slick pooling between her legs, flooding the room with the scent of her sweet wet pussy.

  It had to be torture for the other warriors, unaccustomed to it. He was such an ass. With another growl, he reached for Nissa’s hand, pulling her from the room, mumbling apologies.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, stumbling along behind him, her shorter legs incapable of keeping up with his long strides. Walking was difficult so he stopped in a long corridor, giving her a chance to catch up and him to readjust his throbbing cock, heedless of the fellow warriors who passed, staring at Nissa with hungry eyes. His balls ached.

  Sierra-Six was massive, larger than most of the cities on his home planet, and his quarters were too far away for them to walk.

  He steered them in the direction of the train system that would take them to the third quadrant where he lived on base. Each time they passed a warrior, anger mingled with guilt. They weren’t inconspicuous with Nissa’s vibrant red dress shining like a beacon.

  The train system was fortunately uncrowded in the middle of a workday and an ornery glower cleared the car as they entered. Three warriors exited quickly, eyes wide with curiosity and excitement at a rare glimpse of a coveted female.

  As soon as the train took off, Tam rounded on Nissa, pulling her against him to grind his cock against her stomach. He ran his nose through her hair, breathing her deeply into his lungs, reveling in all that female softness. “I want you,” he said gruffly.

  If she replied, he didn’t hear it over the rushing in his ears and the speeding train and his own panting breaths.

  Grabbing handfuls of the fabric of the dress, he raised it to her hips and worked his hand up to find her pussy. She was boiling hot, and so wet it dripped down her thighs. He closed his mouth over hers. He wanted to crawl inside her and never leave. He circled her clit with his thumb. They’d both been so desperate it didn’t take her long. Her hips rocked and as the train car sped along, she screamed an orgasm into his mouth. She’d been too close.

  “I need to taste you.” She dropped to her knees before him.

  Tam smiled. Ah, he could get used to having a mate.

  He thought he might pass out when she slid down the zipper that covered his cock. He was in her hot little hands and then he was in her hot little mouth. He didn’t last long. He barely had to look at her, sucking away at his cock, before his balls began a familiar tingle and cum raced along his shaft to flood her mouth.

  “Ah, eyana. Ah. That’s a good girl,” he purred, stroking her neck, holding her close as he pumped at the back of her throat.

  She only sucked him deeper. Her eyes rolled back as she swallowed him down, momentarily sated. He zipped his pants and picked her up off the floor as the train stopped. It had helped dim the fire of their lust but it didn’t come close to quenching their need.

  He barely got her to the privacy of his quarters before he had the red dress in a puddle. Her limbs were as limp as jelly as he lowered her to the floor and climbed on top of her, pushing her knees out of the way.

  He didn’t even bother to pull down his pants, merely released his rock-solid cock from the fly of his flight-pants to thrust deeply inside, and he knew he was home.

  There was nothing better in the universe than a warm wet pussy. She smiled, stretching her neck back as he slammed inside her. He ran his teeth along her neck, smiling when she made a little high-pitched squeal and wrapped her legs around his waist.

  “Yes, just like that,” she said in a moan that pulled at the back of his spine. “Fuck me just like that,” she demanded. She hadn’t yet used the word of her own accord.

  It made him smile and roll his hips, getting the angle just the way she liked it. Hard, but slow.

  Hours later, when the need had run its course, Tam carried her to bed. She was already half asleep, a gentle smile curving her lips.

  “I guess we need to set a timer,” she murmured, “so you don’t go insane again. I thought you might kill Ajax. I felt it through the bond, I think.” She pressed her fist to her chest, right over her sternum.

  It was the same place that Tam felt her feelings. The seat of their bond. “It was the smell of your greedy little pussy that made me insane,” Tam countered, pulling her against his body and burying his face in her hair.

  “I don’t smell.” She sounded vaguely shocked behind the fatigue.

  “Yes you do. When you’re hot and wet.” He closed his eyes. “If paradise doesn’t smell like your pussy, I don’t want to go there when I die.”

  The sound of her drowsy laugh carried him off to sleep.

  6

  Give me all your dirty words.

  Sweet and spicy on your tongue.

  BASE FLEET has become increasingly divided in the three days since the arrival of the mysterious Nissa, a female from a far-away planet called Triannon in the Saharajan system. Two main factions have spoken out regarding the female, each growing more supporters daily. For those of you just joining us...

  Nissa turned away from the digi-screen that sat across from the long white sofa in the seating area of Tam’s chamber. On the screen, Childers, a reporter she’d come to know well, prattled away. He was, quite possibly, her best friend on board Base Fleet, aside from Tam, which was sad, really, because they’d never met, though she spent plenty of time staring at his kindly eyes and soft, spiky gray hair.

  She and Tam watched him every morning as they ate breakfast, before the chemistry of their bo
nd demanded another round of addiction-satisfying sex. After Tam left, Childers was her only company for long days. She worked on a language translator. She paced, she ate, she did her frantisa exercises, she relaxed—all under the eternal gaze of the friendly reporter.

  She glanced at Tam, his nose buried in a small see-through digi-tablet reading the news on its flat, glowing face. He muttered and absently sipped from his mug of eeffoc.

  Behind him, the wind grabbed coils of snow to blow over icy mountains on the massive screen that covered the entire back of their chamber. The scene was always the same. Tall mountains, blanketed in white. The only difference was the light and the weather that changed with the time of day or year back on Argentus.

  “It’s so cold,” she said idly. Tam immediately set down his tablet and lifted his napkin from his lap. “I’ll turn up the temperature.”

  “No, no. Not me. There,” she said, pointing at the long screen.

  “Change it then.” He lifted a remote from a recess and handed it to her, showing her which buttons to press.

  The screen changed to a vast gray desert under a brilliant blue sky. Nary a tree in sight. Not even a tiny weed. Nothing but gray stones stretching to the horizon.

  Chief Furrows and Chief Slinnyar are among those who argue that the risks inherent to a recovery mission to save the Trianni in the pods is likely futile. Here’s a special report.

  They turned to the digi-screen to watch as the scene switched to reveal Childers standing before WarCom. Slinnyar stepped into view. Tam snorted.

  The risks simply do not meet the rewards. We don’t even know if this female can breed. We have only her word for what we could find in those pods. Recovery involves the use of Vestige portals. The whole thing could be a sophisticated and deadly trap.

  She looked away but she couldn’t turn off her ears. At best, forty to fifty female survivors. No, Childers corrected, few males were frozen. There were ninety-eight females altogether. At least Childers was on her side.