The Demon Master's Wife (Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) (6 page)

“No way—you’re kidding, right?” Gwen asked, shocked.

Ania shook her head, unable to stop smiling even when confronted with Gwen’s genuine dismay.

“So Zade’s put me in a permanent state of lust for him and stamped an energetic ‘no trespassing’ sign on me,” Gwen said. “What if I kill him? Does that end his Siren whatever-you-called-it?”

“In English, it is referred to as the ‘Siren’s call’ dubbed that from ancient Earth literature. The Siren term for it is much less romantic. To answer your question though, did knocking him unconscious stop him?” Ania asked.

Gwen pounded the console again and rose to pace.

“What are my choices then?” she asked.

Ania laughed again, but her smile was now one of pride.

“You were right, Gwen Jet,” Ania conceded, crossing her arms but nodding respectfully to her companion. “While my body still breathes, you and I are going to be friends. I admire how you face problems and move right into solutions. I’ve known beings many centuries older than you who still haven’t learned to do that.”

“I need answers not philosophy, Ania. How do I sleep tonight without looking Zade up and jumping him?” Gwen demanded. “And before you ask, no I’m not going to. It’s the principal of not giving in to a male trying to force me to bow to his will. I promise you I would only want to shoot him again after I had used him for sex, no matter how great he might be.”

Ania rose and walked to her. “I understand your resistance completely. With your agreement, I can help you bear your burden for maybe enough time for you to finish this shift of duty, but the effects are only temporary. Tomorrow you will be in this same lusting condition again.”

“How can you help me?” Gwen asked.

“By being willing to share your discomfort,” Ania said, reaching out to put a hand on each of Gwen’s arms. “
Shalan te shalan me saren
. The gift of the Pleiadians has become great empathy for all creatures. When our empathy is engaged, we must act.”

“Okay sure—help me then,” Gwen said, then immediately felt something being pulled from her body. She kept her gaze trained on Ania’s until she finally let go.

“Wow—I can see why you’re struggling to constrain this,” Ania said, dropping her hands and laughing.

“Why? What do you see?” Gwen demanded.

“I see that Dorian’s even better at bonding than he brags about being. Maybe sharing wasn’t such a good idea after all. I won’t be able to look at him the same way again.”

Ania laughed at her own joke, because she never thought of any male that way, but then saw Gwen frowning at her. It only made her laugh more.

She also felt Malachi relaxing inside her. Apparently sharing Gwen’s pleasure echoes were good for him as well.

“Do you regret my assistance? Do you want me to return Dorian’s full desire to you?” Ania asked. “It is easily undone and no one will know but us.”

Gwen raised her hands in front of her. They were steady for the first time since Zade walked into her room.

“No,” she said firmly, determinedly meeting Ania’s amused gaze. “So now what?”

“You need to cross your fingers that I don’t get an urge to bond with Dorian before this dissipates,” Ania teased.

Gwen frowned again. “If I told you I was jealous and wanted to hurt you for even joking about bonding with Zade, would you think I was crazy to want to stay away from him?”

Ania grinned. “No. I would say you are being very angry and very—
Earth female
.”

Gwen snorted and looked away. “Why don’t you just kick my ass again and get it over with instead of insulting me?”

“Can’t—it’s hard to fight well when you’re trying to deal with someone else’s mating urges,” Ania said dryly. “I need to go walk this off. Dorian will suffer without you for one sleep cycle, but I don’t see him lasting for two. Try to reconcile yourself to the situation by tomorrow. He will seek you out so be prepared next time. You can bond with him without mating him. It might be your only solution for now.”

Gwen nodded. “I hate it, but thank you for telling me the truth.”

Ania bowed her head. “I am happy to help you deal with your destiny. Please excuse me though. I have to go report to Synar about both of you. I will leave out the angry parts and say you are repentant.”

“Are you kidding? I’m not in trouble. Synar wasn’t even upset when I told him what I had done,” Gwen said, still amazed by the fact. “He just looked frustrated that it had happened and swore a lot in Norblade. When I left, he was in a bad mood, but I couldn’t tell if he blamed me or Zade.”

“Synar and Dorian have been friends a long time. He personally knew Dorian’s last mate who accompanied him on the ship they were serving on back then,” Ania explained. “He’s seen Dorian in mating mode before and knows how unreasonable he can be in that condition.”

“Unreasonable is putting it mildly. If I did take out Zade, it would just be sparing all of us more grief,” Gwen said, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

“You can’t kill Synar’s best friend,” Ania said. “Then he would be truly alone after I am no more. You are not that hard-hearted, Gwen Jet.”

“I could learn to be,” Gwen said fiercely. “And will you please stop talking about your death like that. It creeps me out. I don’t want you to die. I’m starting to like you.”

Ania laughed as she left, knowing for all her fierceness Gwen would never be able to kill a male she loved as much as she did Dorian.

Chapter 5

Ania stood outside Synar’s cabin door waiting for him to open it. She had walked around until she had adjusted to the sexual arousal she had taken from Gwen. Knowing that she had received only part of what the female was enduring made her more respectful of Gwen’s strength of will and for the depth of Dorian’s repressed desire.

How they could be near each other for two years and never act on that level of bonding lust was beyond her comprehension. She hadn’t felt anywhere near that kind of desire for Synar the first time she’d relented to bond with him.

Realizing there was still no answer, Ania knocked a second time on Synar’s door, wondering briefly why Synar was in a room meant for a normal crew member. While she waited again, she allowed herself to be distracted from her apprehension by more pondering about Dorian and Gwen.

If the willful female would simply learn to use her intuition, Ania thought Gwen Jet would be worthy to be trained as Khalsa. Dorian could even teach her once they reached some peaceful arrangement about their mating.

When Synar opened the door to her at last, Ania took in his disheveled condition and realized he had been sleeping.

“Forgive me for disturbing your rest, Synar. All is well and I will see you tomorrow,” Ania said quickly, frowning at his tired eyes and her urge to pass her hands over them to soothe him. “You obviously need rest. I’m sorry I woke you.”

“No—I’m awake now. I meant to wait for you in my office, but the stimulants weren’t able to keep me awake any longer,” Synar explained, stepping back and holding out a hand. “Please come in and talk to me.”

Ania didn’t really want to enter his private room, but didn’t see that she had much choice. Given his condition, it was unlikely that he would challenge her anyway. She’d just make her report and go, Ania decided, stepping hesitantly across his threshold.

“You look like you haven’t slept properly in a long while,” she said softly.

“It’s been three sleep cycles, but I will manage. I want to know how Dorian is healing. Is that his sexual energy on you?” Synar demanded, his voice tightening as he asked the question.

“Yes, but do not conclude anything perverse from it. Dorian doesn’t know I carry his lust. He did not give it to me. I am aiding Gwen,” Ania explained.

Synar adamantly wanted it gone regardless of Ania’s reasons for carrying it around in her aura. Not trusting his ability to prevent himself from taking actions to ensure that outcome, Synar walked to his bed and sank down.

“You look too tired to have this conversation, Synar. Let me return tomorrow morning,” Ania said.

“No,” Synar said, reaching out a hand, then dropping it when he remembered she didn’t want him touching her. “I want to know about them now. Please stay and talk with me. Don’t make me order it—I’m too tired to do so tonight.”

Ania sighed at his lame attempt at humor and walked inside.

When Synar looked at Ania standing resolutely in the middle of his room, he saw what he always did when he looked at her. He saw the most beautiful, strong female he’d ever met. She looked uncomfortable facing him, but also brave and determined. His admiration was as strong as ever for her.

How could he accept that he was going to lose the amazing female he mated soon?

Dorian was never wrong about such predictions, which likely meant Ania was indeed going to choose her death and find a way to achieve it. Synar might not know all things about Ania Looren yet, but he had recently learned that his mate didn’t fear much, including him.

Maybe he couldn’t stop the inevitable from happening, Synar conceded as he studied her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try to delay it. For certain, he didn’t want to spend his last days with Ania fighting over a past neither of them could change. He’d rather spend their last days together mending what was left of their relationship, starting with making sure Ania ceased her concerns about talking openly to him.

“I’m glad Dorian Zade is not the direct reason you reek of him. Now I won’t have to lock him in a retaining cell for soliciting my mate,” Synar said calmly, stretching out on the narrow bed meant for someone much smaller than him.

“Synar—we have discussed this. You have no right to care. The two of us are no longer mated,” Ania corrected. “Why do you persist in denying our relationship status has changed?”

“We will be mated in my mind until you draw your last breath, Ania Looren. Then after you die, I will grieve for you until I am gone as well. Not even dragging the energy of my best friend’s bonding lust into my personal space is going to change that fact. It makes me angry, but fortunately my trust in you exceeds my senses,” Synar said firmly. “Now—tell me about Dorian and Gwen. Do they both still live?”

Despite her irritation with most of his comments, Ania laughed at Synar’s joking about Dorian and Gwen. She was amused still when she thought about them.

Looking around the cabin, Ania realized she was still standing just inside Synar’s doorway. She took a deep breath, stepped inside, and turned to close the door behind her.

Walking deeper into his space, it occurred to her that she was alone with Synar in his room for the first time in two years and that it wasn’t as awkward as she had imagined it would be. Instead, it just felt natural for her to be there, which in its own way was disturbing. She didn’t like feeling comfortable or natural with him. She would have preferred to not feel anything.

Ania walked to his desk chair, pulled it out, and sat down uninvited. Looking around with even more interest now, she saw his room was not much larger than hers. This was not the captain’s quarters, she thought. She remembered the quarters on his other ship. It was definitely bigger than this.

“Why are you not residing in the captain’s quarters?” Ania asked.

Synar kept his eyes closed as he responded. “I have my reasons. Report on Dorian and Gwen quickly. I need to rest and my consciousness is slipping away.”

“Dorian is physically fine and mostly recovered. He admitted both to claiming Gwen and that it went poorly. She asked him to stop pleasuring her, but he says he couldn’t control his urge to mark her enough to stop. From what Dorian said, he doesn’t blame her for stunning him and admits it was her only recourse,” Ania said quietly.

Synar laughed. “Getting stunned won’t stop Dorian from trying to claim her again. I was around to watch him with his second mate. Dorian is an extreme person. He is either going to mate with Gwen or die trying now that he’s finally made his decision.”

“I agree that Dorian will try again. He is only part Siren, but from what I carry, it is his true nature. He needs a female willing to meet his needs,” Ania said logically.

“How likely is Gwen to be that female?” Synar asked. “You can tell me the truth. I would prefer hearing it from you because you will at least answer logically. Gwen is still too angry at Dorian to answer such a question calmly or rationally.”

Ania laughed a little, knowing personally just how true Synar’s assessment was.

“Their claiming fight is not resolved. What Dorian has done to Gwen will have repercussions for her until the Liberator can visit Rylen. She is already addicted to him from what I can determine. If they cannot reach an amicable bonding arrangement, you will have two very frustrated warriors on your hands within a couple of days,” she said softly.

“As if I didn’t have enough problems already,” Synar said wearily. “This is partly my fault. I should never have goaded Dorian into acting on his feelings for Gwen. I wreaked this havoc on myself just like everything else in my life.”

Ania frowned at his closed eyes and his words. “Your words annoy me, Synar. Your arrogance is preferable to your self-pity. Hopefully, resting will restore you.”

Surprising both of them, Synar belly laughed at her statement. “Do you truly mean that you actually
prefer
my arrogance? Who would have believed such a thing was possible? I have missed you, Ania. You always found creative ways to make me laugh at myself.”