Read i 0e57392105b539eb Online
Authors: Unknown
to remember everyone’s names, and everyone is going to be there,
watching me, judging me.” She paused to wet her lips again. “And my
dress makes me look like a bay bunny.”
“A bay…”
She nodded. “A bay bunny. They’re prostitutes that hang around the
docking bays on space stations.”
Kai still didn’t have a clue what she meant. “What is a prostitute?”
“Women, or I guess men, too, who have sex with strangers for
payment.”
“Harlots.”
She nodded again. “Yes, that’s the one. My dress makes me look like
a harlot.”
“I somehow doubt that, dove.” She could never be anything less than
beautiful if she tried. “Okay, so you didn’t like the dress, and you’re
worried about what others will think of you. Am I missing anything?”
“Only everything,” she mumbled. “Everyone thinks I can do this.
They expect me to be stunning and elegant and…perfect.”
Kai didn’t expect anything from her, and he thought she was perfect
by just breathing, but somehow, he doubted she wanted to hear that.
“And what do you think?”
Shifting in his lap, she turned to straddle his hips and fisted her hands
in his tunic. “What if I let everyone down? What if I disappoint them?”
Someone in Ivy’s past had hurt her in ways that even time couldn’t
heal. Gritting his teeth, Kai struggled to remain calm, even though every
cell in his body urged him to find the person who had caused such pain
and obliterate them.
Since he couldn’t do that, he turned his focus to the problems he
could solve. “Oh, dove, why didn’t you just tell me?” Sliding his fingers
through her hair, he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. “If you
want to wear a flour sack to the celebration, I will support you fully, and
I’ll still think you’re the most beautiful female in the room.”
“Flatterer,” she teased, and some of the tightness eased from her
shoulders.
“And yes, it is customary for the guest of honor to light the torches,
but, Ivy, you’re human. No one expects you to do magic. You’re putting
too much pressure on yourself.”
“I just don’t want to embarrass you.”
“Stop.” He toyed with the ends of her hair, pulling her close for a kiss.
“That’s not going to happen.” He’d always keep her safe, even if that
meant protecting her from herself. “If it’s important to you, however,
we’ll practice more—together.”
The smile slid from her lips, and she ducked her head. “I can’t tell
you how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you.” Lifting her head, she
stared into his eyes and held his face between both hands. “I would never
hurt you, Kai.”
“I know, and I don’t blame you.” Unfortunately, he didn’t have any
answers, either. “Tell me what happened in the bathroom.”
“I was practicing the spell you taught me, the one with the flame.
Then I kind of slipped into a trance, and my ability went into overdrive.”
“Ability?”
As he listened to her explain how she could perceive events at a
quarter of the speed of actual time, he couldn’t help but be amazed. He’d
known she was special. He just hadn’t realized how special.
“Until we understand more, it may be best if you don’t try to use
magic without me.”
“You think my abilities don’t play well with your powers?”
He nodded slowly. “I think that may very well be the case.” Which
could pose a serious problem once they’d bonded, but that was a worry
for another day. “We can discuss it more later. For now, rest.” Gathering
her close, he tucked her head under his chin and sighed. “Just rest.”
Standing at the foot of the bed, Kai watched over his mate as she slept. It
had been a restless night for Ivy, and she’d awoken several times, calling
out his name as she trembled uncontrollably. Each time, he’d fold her
into his arms and stroked her hair, humming softly in her ear until she
fell back to sleep.
He didn’t know how long he stood there, watching and worrying,
straining to hear her slow breaths over the rain that showered the
windows. Eventually, she began to stir, stretching her arms and arching
her back. Her movements disrupted the sheets, pulling them down to
her waist and exposing her perky breasts.
His cock swelled and strained at the sight, but Kai averted his eyes,
ruthlessly beating back his lust. Ivy needed him, and there would be time
for more carnal pleasures when she felt better.
“Good morning.” She grinned up at him. “Why are you standing
there? Come back to bed.”
“It is you who should be resting, dove. How are you feeling?”
“Better. I’d be perfect if you weren’t standing all the way over there.”
She wiggled her toes, tangling them in the gray sheets so that the silk slid
away, revealing more of her tight body. “Come back to bed,” she
repeated.
His cock jerked at the sight of her, and a pearly drop of moisture
beaded from the crown. He’d been alive for many, many years, and he’d
met many females during that time. Not one of them could hope to
compare to his mate, and none of them had elicited even a fraction of the
desire he felt for Ivy.
Unable to resist her open invitation, he knelt at the foot of the bed and
pulled the sheets to the floor, exposing his female fully to his gaze. “You
are so beautiful, dove, so lovely.”
Skimming his fingers along her calves and up the insides of her
thighs, he applied the slightest amount of pressure, groaning when she
opened for him. The perfume of her arousal saturated the air, sending
currents of need rippling down is spine.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” He had to ask, because he’d never
forgive himself if he’d allowed his own wants to dictate their time
together.
“Kai.” Ivy laughed, her voice low and husky. “Stop talking and kiss
me.”
“Mm, but I’d rather taste you.”
Lowering his head, he laved a slow path between her folds, moaning
when her sweet nectar bathed his tongue. Her soft moans sent currents
of need traveling down his spine, and he shivered when she arched up
into his mouth.
He flicked his tongue quickly, teasing the sensitive ball of nerves
between her thighs, and inserted two fingers into her slick, wet core. Her
tight pussy closed around him, the soft walls clenching his fingers until
he could barely move them. Writhing against him, she rolled her head
back and forth on the pillow, calling his name as her fingers tangled in
his hair.
Already, she hovered on the edge, so close to the release she sought,
but Kai wanted to be inside her, to look into her eyes when the pleasure
claimed her. Easing his fingers from her body, he chuckled when she
cried out in protest.
“Patience,” he whispered, crawling up her shaking body, kissing a
wet trail from her crease to the hollow indention between her
collarbones.
Ivy’s breasts heaved with each shallow breath, her perky nipples
hard and erect. As he covered her body, blanketing her from sternum to
hips, she reached up to touch his cheek, urging him into a kiss that spoke
louder than words. Watching him through heavy-lidded eyes, she curled
her long legs around his waist, locking her ankles together at the small
of his back.
Her heated core pressed against his swollen cock, and he hissed
through clenched teeth, rocking forward to grind against her. His heart
pounded inside his chest, thrumming against his ribcage in a manic
tempo.
She couldn’t know what she meant to him, how long he’d waited for
her. Staring into the emerald depths of her eyes, his chest swelled, his
soul filling with warmth and light. She awed him, utterly captivated him,
and he felt humbled that she would give herself to him so freely.
Positioning the tip of his length at her entrance, he pushed inside,
moaning gutturally when her silken heat tightened around him. Ivy’s
shuddering moan snapped the last frayed cord of his control, and he
thrust hard and fast, his hunger for her primal, uncontainable. Gathering
her close, he plunged into her wet core, his hips pistoning in a
demanding tempo that drove them both higher.
Ivy called his name to the sky, her breaths quick and shallow as she
clung to him, locking her arms around his back in an iron grip. Too soon,
Kai found himself hovering at the peak, his stomach tight and his balls
aching with the need for release. Fire ripped through his veins, his blood
roared in his ears, and his dick throbbed within the clutches of Ivy’s tight
walls.
When his mate stiffened beneath him, throwing her head back and
arching against him, he nearly came undone. He could feel her orgasm
pulse through her, her pussy tightening around his cock, coaxing him,
milking him to his own release. With her name on his lips, he tumbled
over the edge, falling into an endless abyss where time stood still.
Sated and exhausted, he rolled to his side, pulling Ivy with him and
cradling her against his chest. Only in his mate’s arms did he truly feel
whole and at peace.
“Kai?”
“Yes, dove?” He smiled into her hair and stroked her back.
Her lips parted, as if she’d say something, but she pressed them
together quickly and shook her head. “Never mind. It can wait.”
Kai had an idea of what she’d meant to say, but he wouldn’t rush or
pressure her. He’d waited centuries for her, and if she needed time, he
could wait a little longer.
* * * *
on Kai’s chest, letting the sound of his steady pulse lull her.
Mate
. She
found it amusing to think that not so long ago, the term had been strange
and foreign to her. Now, it seemed as natural as breathing.
“What are you thinking about, dove?”
Despite her best efforts to shield her heart, she’d fallen head over
heels, crazy in love with him. She just wasn’t ready to let anyone else
know yet, including Kai.
Tracing one of the bluish markings that covered his chest with her
fingertips, she grinned. “I’ve never seen markings like these before. Are
they birthmarks?”
“I was born with them, yes.”
“Do they do anything?”
Kai laughed at her. “No, they’re just markings.” He urged her head
up and tapped the star at the corner of her eye. “Tell me about this. I
noticed Cami has a similar one.”
It was Ivy’s turn to laugh. Oh, if he only knew just how different the
tattoos really were on Earth. “Do you know about the Alien Wars and
the Zyphir?”
“I’ve read about it.”
She gave him the brief history she’d been told about her planet’s
destruction and mankind’s eventual victory over the bugs with the aid
of their allies.
“The virus attacks the female reproductive system, and we still
haven’t discovered a cure. When we’re ten, the boys are tested for
military service, and the girls are tested for fertility.”
“You’re not a male.”
Ivy chuckled. “Good of you to notice.”
“But you are a soldier.”
Ah, she understood the confusion. “Fertile females are given a scroll
tattoo, like Cami’s.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat and
breathed deeply through her nose. “Those of us, like me, who can’t have
children, we’re given a simple star. If we score high enough in certain
areas or have special talents, we can still be selected for enhancements
and ultimately, military service.”
“I’m sorry, dove.” He kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay. I mean, how could you have known?” She waited for his
reaction to the news of her infertility. As king, he’d want an heir, likely a
male heir. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“It’s a very personal secret. Thank you for trusting me with it.”
He didn’t sound angry, nor did she detect any pity in his voice. “Kai,
you understand what that means, right? You know I can’t give you little
baby kings and queens.”
“Tell me something, Ivy. Do
you
want younglings?”
“More than anything,” she whispered. She’d never admitted it to
anyone, not even herself, because it did no good to wish for things she
couldn’t have. “I think I’d be a good mother, better than my parents
anyway.”
“Tell me about your parents.”
She did. She told him everything, things she’d never told anyone. She
told him about their desire for a son, about how they’d pulled away
when she’d joined the Academy. Once she’d started, secrets,
resentments, and old hurts came rushing to the surface, bubbling
through her lips as fast as she could speak the words. When she’d
finished purging, she rolled her head on his shoulder and looked up at
him.
“I bet you’re beginning to rethink this whole soulmate thing, huh?”
Turning onto his side, he curved around her, clutching her to his