Prime Claiming (The Prime Chronicles) (2 page)

He slapped her butt. “Silence. You do not have permission to speak.”

They left the crew’s dining room to the sound of shouts, lewd suggestions, and applause from their fellow crew members.

And there went the last claim to any dignity she might have had left—and she really didn’t give a damn.

****

Simulation Room 5

Zaek stopped just inside the simulation room and carefully lowered his precious
gemate-
to-be until she was steady enough to stand. He brushed Cheri’s soft, blonde hair off her face and placed a light kiss on each of her flushed cheekbones. Her eyes were partially closed. She raised a shaky hand and fluttered her fingers through her hair.

She was obviously feeling a little shy—but he also read her as excited and scared. Excellent. He wanted her somewhat wary of what would happen next. It would make the claiming earthier.

“Look at me.” Zaek kissed the tip of her cute nose. “It’s time to play.”

Cheri’s eyes, the dark blue of a Cejuru Prime night sky, widened. She looked around and a disgruntled look appeared on her sweet face. “The sim-room? Play? I thought—Zaek, if you don’t want me—”

“What did I tell you about doubting my need … my love for you?” Zaek cupped the back of her head in one hand. “Did you even listen to me?”

“Yes, I listened. But you never mentioned love … just your need…” when he growled, she added, “and that I should never doubt you wanted me.”

“Exactly.” He leaned down, one hand at her lower back and his other holding her head motionless, and lightly nipped an ear lobe. She inhaled sharply and then let out a low whimper. “Each time you question my need … my love … my reverence for your very existence in my life … you will be punished. Is that clear,
lubha
?”

“Yes-s-s.” Cheri’s face flushed. Her body shuddered as her sweet arousal permeated the air. The scent reminded him of the crisp, clean air of a Prime seaside mixed with the earthy, floral undertones of a Prime mountain meadow. She smelled like
his
.

From her earlier words and actions, he’d already sensed his little Terran liked to play in the bedroom and would acquiesce to his dominance in sexual matters. But her current reaction to his touch had confirmed it. He was so blessed.

Zaek released her head and then settled both hands on her firm round bottom and pulled her against him. She melted immediately into his body. Her arms went around his waist and she rested her head on his chest. Her warm breath penetrated his uniform top and tempted a nipple into a tight, painful peak. His other nipple budded in solidarity.

“Little temptress, you will pay for teasing your man.”

“But Zaek, I’m not teasing … I want you … a lot … but you don’t seem to…”

The worry in her voice, the words she left unsaid, stabbed him in the gut. She had been really concerned he didn’t want her. Not want her? He’d died a little inside each torturous second he’d been away from her.

“Shh.” He massaged her bottom and kissed her forehead. “We
will
move forward now.”

“By playing a game?” She leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes. A
claiming
game.” Anchoring her against his body with one hand, he used the other to cup her face. He stroked her satin-soft, warm cheek with shaking fingers. The battle to control the intensity of his lust for this precious woman was an agonizing one.

She sighed and turned her face into his palm and licked it. Her lower body strained closer to his.

Thank the One, Cheri was already attempting to align her physical and mental energies with his, and they hadn’t even completed the last bonding stage—the complete mind-body-soul merger at the peak of shared orgasms at their first physical joining.

They would be magnificent together. She was made for him, every delectable, curvy, stubborn inch of her.

“Maybe you’d better explain this game, darlin’.” Cheri’s midnight blue eyes dilated with arousal as she focused on his face. 

“In ancient times, before the mating mark appeared in our species, Prime males bartered for or stole their mates. In our game, you have been given to me by your father in exchange for my warrior pledge to protect your father’s vast holdings.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Sounds like medieval England on Earth.”

“I am not surprised. I am sure some of my Prime ancestors must have visited Earth during those times and could have influenced your various cultures.” He leaned over to nuzzle the spot just below her ear. “In our game, you have run away from the bartered marriage. I will chase—and catch you.”

“Is that where, the, um, punishment comes in?” Her voice held more than a hint of excitement.

“Yes, and after that, a lot of pleasure.” He brushed a kiss over her full, sweet lips.

“Oh, lordy.” She bit his lower lip and then licked it. “How long will the game last?”

“As I promised earlier, until your pleasure is so intense you can no longer form coherent words. Understood?”

“Yes-s-s, please … but…” Cheri buried her face against his uniform top. “Will you hurt me much? Because my liking for pain is on the lower end of the scale.”

“
Adora
, I don’t plan to stop, but if anything I do scares you or becomes unbearable,” he tipped her face up and captured her gaze, “just say—
ked.
It means
cease
in your language and is not a word you would normally use. Then I’ll stop, and we can discuss your fears, all right?” He studied her face and assessed the chaotic emotions crossing it and coming through her aura. She displayed a healthy mix of excitement, lust, and trepidation. She was ready.

Zaek let her loose and turned her to face the center of the silver, hexagon-shaped empty room. He placed a small earpiece into her ear that allowed the computer simulation program to react with the player’s body, mind, and emotions. Then he slipped on his companion set.

He patted her sweet ass. “Move to the other side of the room,
adora
. I will program the game. When it begins, react to what the program throws at you. The game will adapt to our moves and emotional reactions.”

Cheri turned back, pulled his face down to meet hers, then kissed him.

And what a kiss it was. He had stayed awake nights, imagining what a full, open-mouthed carnal kiss from her would taste and feel like. His imagination had fallen far, far short. Her kiss was better than the best sex he’d ever had with a Prime sex surrogate.

The chase would have to be a short one. He wanted to claim her too badly to prolong the initial part of the game.

“Go!” He turned her and, this time, slapped her much harder on her bottom. “That is just a taste of what your punishment will be.” He couldn’t wait to spank her naked ass and turn her creamy white skin a rosy pink.

Cheri squealed like an angry porcine and took off, throwing a fierce glare over her shoulder. “Beast!”

He laughed. “But I am
your
beast.”

Then he turned to program the game in record time and hit the ENTER button.

****

As the simulated world took shape around Cheri, she hadn’t been sure what to expect, but it sure hadn’t been anything this … rustic.

God, she didn’t do middle of nowhere well. Her usual environment was a nice, antiseptic laboratory.

Cheri shivered with atavistic fear as something rustled in the undergrowth and then jumped and squealed as a bird swooped to scoop up a wriggling rodent of some sort. She’d better get a move on and find shelter and maybe a nice weapon or two before some Prime apex predator decided to have her for a snack.

The only Prime predator she wanted making a meal of her was Zaek.

Just the thought of him claiming her left her breathless. But her man wanted a chase―so the sooner she got a move on, the sooner the fun part of the game could begin.

She spotted a beaten track that had “walk this way” written all over it and headed for it at a light jog. Her uniform had morphed into a thin tunic, leggings, and low, soft-soled boots made of some sort of supple animal skin. The path was rocky and rough on the soles, forcing her to slow to a brisk walk to avoid bruising her feet.

The trail led upward and grew more and more rough. She cursed under her breath and wondered what Zaek had been thinking to plop her down in the middle of such rugged country. If he thought she was nature girl, he had another think coming. Did he plan to strip her naked and take her up against a tree? Or over a rock?

Whoa!
Had her core clenched and her clit throbbed at the idea? Yes, they had.

If her man wanted rustic sex, well, she was willing to give it a try―just as long as he made love to her. She didn’t care if it was outdoors on the ground or inside with a bed, she just needed him. And sooner would be better than later.

As she hiked, she studied her surroundings. The mountainside was thickly wooded and getting more so. The dense forest came up to the edges of the pathway. The air was temperate and smelled of rich loam and trees, reminiscent of Zaek’s own earthy scent. God, just inhaling his scent made her senses reel with need and, oddly enough, centered her. Her body, her soul, recognized him as her safe haven.

“What the…” Cheri stopped abruptly at the edge of a stream that had appeared out of nowhere and now cut across the trail in front of her. “Watch where you’re going, dummy.”

She hopped from one flat rock to another to cross the swiftly moving water. Once on the other side, she could hear a waterfall in the near distance. Maybe she’d find some shelter there? She and Zaek could skinny dip and then make love by the waterfall, that would be romantic.

Her plans for a romantic forest rendezvous were soon cut short. The sound of coarse male voices, lots of male voices, startled her. She chanced a look over her shoulder at her back trail and spotted the source. A group of men were in hot pursuit … of her!

Zaek, what did you program? Frigging game, my foot.

Heading for the waterfall, Cheri ran as fast as she could and prayed she’d find a place to hide until the men passed.

As she ran, her higher brain functions shut down and her primitive brain took over. Her heart pounded with fear as adrenaline flooded her bloodstream, the taste of it acrid and metallic in her mouth.

Diew
, she should be safely at home in front of the hearth. Maybe she shouldn’t have run from the man her father had chosen for her. Her stupid sense of pride had been all she’d thought about. Truly, if she’d met him in any other way, she would’ve been attracted to the man called Zaek the Destroyer. He wasn’t bad-looking and was a strong man, the kind who could protect her and her demesne lands—
What the?—
this was a game—
Not real, Cheri.

Still, every primordial instinct she possessed, bolstered by the sim-program, screamed danger was near.

“Get the woman!” A harsh masculine voice shouted.

The thudding of many feet came ever closer. The ground shook.

Cheri ran faster than she’d ever run in her life. But to no avail. The men soon caught up and cut her off. No going forward. No going back.

Panting from exertion―and hell, she’d admit it―from fright, she studied her pursuers, now her captors.

Six large Prime males dressed in rough-made leather clothing stared at her with lust blazing from their acid-yellow eyes. All were swarthy from exposure to the sun and had long, dark hair bound in a queue at their napes. They were, to a man, covered in filth and smelled … bad.

Guess ancient Prime didn’t practice basic hygiene.

“I’ll go first,” one battle-scarred male addressed his companions. “Then you will have your turn according to your kill rates.”

The other men grunted and nodded as if that was a fair deal.

Where in the goddamn hell was her man?

Despite knowing this was all simulated, Cheri was unwilling to let the scurvy-looking bastards touch her. People could be hurt in sim-programs, and this simulation was very real and frightening and pulled up every nightmare she’d ever had. She took a fighting stance she’d learned over several long, hard days in the
Galanti
gym from Nadia, the Science Officer on the Alliance star ship and also a Terran newly mated to a Prime male.

The men’s uproarious laughter indicated her posture amused them.

“Go ahead, laugh. This is so not gonna happen, boys,” she snarled. “I’ve been claimed.”

Well, that was not quite the truth, but then this was a game, and it sounded like something her sim-persona should say.

The man who’d claimed the right to rape her first moved toward her. “Any man who cannot keep his woman safely by his side does not deserve her.”

He mirrored her movements as she side-stepped to keep some distance between them. His men encircled them both, allowing her just enough room to move. She sensed with every animal instinct she possessed that they enjoyed tormenting her. They were animals who liked to toy with their prey.

One of the man’s pals grabbed her from behind and held her against his smelly body.
Eeuw. Don’t faint. Don’t faint
. She resorted to breathing through her mouth.

Then her captor licked her neck.
Yuck.
She cringed away from the foul touch as much as she could.

“I’ve caught the
karote
, Glim. She is very tasty. Hurry. I’m next.”

Whore?
He called her a whore.

“Eff this.” Cheri snarled and stomped on his foot, wishing she had on metal-reinforced boots. But, to her shock, the move worked. When his hold slackened, she followed through with an elbow to his ribs. Then she turned and kneed him in his obscenely huge and erect junk.

Who makes up these sim-programs? Adolescent males?

“Mother-fucker!” Then she jabbed his throat with a fisted uppercut as he bent over to cup his aching manhood.

Thank you, Nadia.

As the damaged man gagged and his fellow cut-throats jested at his plight, Glim grabbed her arm and jerked her toward him.

Cheri turned and swung wildly with her free arm. She caught him on the side of the head with her fist.

Damn that hurt.
The pain isn’t real
. Yet, her hand and arm had sure as hell felt the impact.
Tuck the thumb next time, Cheri.

“Stupid woman.” Glim slapped her across the face.

Burning pain flared on her cheek, and she bit her tongue and tasted blood. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision so much that she couldn’t see. Glim squeezed the arm he held in a vise-like grip until she thought he’d break the bone and then flung her to the ground as if she weighed less than nothing. The impact knocked the air out of her as she lay helpless at his feet.