Bonded

Bonded

Ria Candro

Book 2 in the Mating Ritual series

When Inara crash lands on a deserted planet, the last thing she expects is to run into two stunning men from the planet Spygia—who claim she is their mate. While she’d love nothing more than to indulge in a steamy encounter—or two or three—with these gorgeous hunks, she’s on the run from the barbaric Malucons who decimated her home planet. And she’s on a mission to find her cousin, the only other survivor. Nothing, not even the promise of paradise to be found in the Spygians’ arms, is going to stop her.

When Inara refuses to be bonded to them, Neichon and Valeron strive to uncover what secrets she’s hiding before they unveil a few of their own. How will their reluctant mate react when she learns she’s destined for, not two, but
four
Spygian men?

Just so you know—this story contains explicit M/F/M and M/F/M/M/M scenes. Enjoy!

Bonded

Ria Candro

Chapter One

If there was one thing Inara hated more than this damn deserted planet, it was the Malucons. In fact, those bastards were the reason she was stuck here, with nothing more than the clothes on her back and the dagger strapped to her right thigh. After she’d successfully evaded them for months, they’d latched onto the tiny spacejet she’d appropriated and chased her for the past five days, before getting lucky and landing a hit with one of their ship’s guns. Thankfully, she’d been flying by the decimated planet Fresna at the time. Her spacejet had barreled down and she’d managed to parachute out before it hit the ground. She’d landed miles away with nothing more than a few scratches.

“And now here I am.” Trudging through the thick, green forest in search of her ruined jet and praying there were enough pieces left for her to salvage it. If not, she’d be on this dead planet for the foreseeable future, hoping against hope she’d eventually come across a merchant ship who’d decided to brave the Malucons’ wrath and land to gather some of the planet’s remaining resources.

Or until the Malucons track you down and finish the job.

“Oh, fuck me.”

She didn’t kid herself. That was the most likely scenario, given that after she’d crash-landed, she’d caught sight of a Malucon shuttle heading toward the wreckage of her jet. She had to hand it to the Malucons, they were persistent. Once they decided to annihilate a planet’s inhabitants, they didn’t stop until every last being was dead. Look at what they’d done to Fresna. Now it was nothing more than an empty shell, devoid of all life.

Not to mention her own decimated planet.

No doubt the Malucons had examined the wreckage and realized she’d escaped. That would explain why the shuttle traveled through the sky at a low altitude. They wouldn’t stop searching until they found her. Killed her. Her only solace was that they probably didn’t think her stupid enough to go back for her jet. If she was lucky, she would be able to get it up and running before they came back to the site.

A branch crackled somewhere behind her, and Inara’s heart thumped. There was no life left on this planet, other than what resided in the waters, which meant…

Damn it!
How could they have found her so quickly? The Malucon shuttle had gone in the opposite direction, but some of its crew must have gotten off somewhere.

Pulse pounding, she raced through the forest, going as quickly as she dared without rustling the leaves that covered the forest floor. Her only hope was to find a spot to hide. Maybe up in the trees…

Without warning, a figure stepped from behind a tree, right onto her path. She collided with his chest. His bare chest. The man’s arms closed around her, holding her imprisoned in his grasp.

“No,” Inara cried, struggling against him. If the Malucon had disrobed already, that could mean only one thing. They intended to rape her before killing her.

Gods, no.

“Hold still, female,” said the man. To her surprise, he spoke her language.

Come to think of it, he didn’t feel—or
smell
—like a Malucon. He actually smelled good. Really good. Like one of the luxurious desserts she’d enjoyed as a child, before everything and everyone she’d loved had been taken from her by the hideous Malucons.

Ceasing her struggle, she tilted her head up, for the first time allowing herself a look at the man. She drew in a loud breath.

Rather than the seven foot tall Malucon with gray flesh and tangled dark hair that she’d expected to see, the man holding her was just over six feet tall, with silky black hair that fell to his mid-back and gorgeous honey-toned skin. His eyes, an arresting shade of burnished gold, looked down on her with concern. And though she’d mistaken him for being nude, he actually wore a loincloth that barely covered his assets while leaving his broad, muscular chest bare, and soft suede boots on his feet. On his right arm was a decorative brass arm cuff.

“A Spygian?” she gasped.

Forehead smoothing out, he gave her a wordless nod.

Inara pushed on his chest and he released her. She took several steps backward, away from the tantalizing heat of his body.

No longer in immediate fear for her life, her pulse began to slow, though her heart stuttered at the sight of the stunning man.

He was breathtaking. Perfect-featured. Sex personified. But then, of course, he was Spygian.

She’d always thought Spygians were an interesting species. Their females had died off from plague some time ago, leaving them in search of mates from other species. They were an intriguing blend of technologically advanced beings and chest-thumping barbarians.

Case in point, their customary dress—nothing more than a thin, white loincloth.

Well, she couldn’t hate the outfit. He wore it oh so well.

“What are you doing here, Spygian?”

The man’s gaze lowered to her lips, eyes darkening. “I could ask you the same.”

“I know what
I’m
doing here.” She thrust her hands onto her hips, gazing at him boldly. “The question is what
you’re
doing here. You are very far from home.”

“As are you.”

I no longer have a home.
The unspoken thought threatened to bring moisture to her eyes, but she pushed it back. If there was anything she’d learned in the year and a half since her people had been killed off, it was to be strong.

When she opened her mouth to speak again, another rustle sounded out from behind her. She whirled around just in time to see a second man emerge from a copse of trees. Tall, with long, black hair and almond-shaped eyes a striking shade of turquoise, he had a symmetrical face accented by high cheekbones and lush, firm lips. The only clothing he wore was a loincloth that matched that of the man behind her.

Another Spygian.

“How many of you are there?” she demanded of the man who’d just arrived.

He arched one thick, perfect brow. “Only two on this planet.”

Dear gods, but the second man was every bit as yummy as the first. Despite the fact that she was on the run, that her life was in peril, she couldn’t help but respond to them. Something to do with the pheromones they emitted, no doubt. An answering rush of liquid pooled her thighs, making her wish for just one moment she could indulge in a mindless tryst. But that was crazy. There was no time for that.

Inara turned back to the man who’d captured her. “What’s your name?”

A shadow of a smile tilted the corners of his lips upward. “Neichon.”

“Well, Neichon.” She scanned the skies, searching for any sign of the shuttle. “You picked a horrible day to visit this planet. There’s a Malucon shuttle out there somewhere.”

“We noticed,” Neichon said dryly.

They had?

“So…what are you two doing here, then?”

Neichon laughed and leaned against a tree. “We’re here, female, because you called to us.”

Confused, she wrinkled her brow and glanced at the second Spygian, who’d approached and stopped at her side. He nodded in support of Neichon’s words.

“What are you talking about?”

The second Spygian gave her a long, slow once-over. The heat from his gaze hardened the tips of her breasts, and she shifted in place. His lips curved into a grin. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

When she turned her gaze back to Neichon, he let out a small shrug.

“We’re here because you’re our mate.”

Their
what
?

With growing horror, Inara stumbled back, away from the men. They believed she was their mate? Oh no.
No, no.

“Impossible,” she gasped.

* * * * *

Three long, torturous months had passed since Neichon and his pod had reached their mating period and left Spygia in search of their mate. Driven by the desire to find their female, Neichon had followed the homing instinct that came naturally to him as leader of his pod. It had led him on a merry chase throughout space until, five days ago, it directed him here. To the deserted planet Fresna.

At first he and the rest of his pod—his second-in command Reyu, Valeron, and Petros—had thought he’d somehow been steered wrong, for there was no longer any sentient life on this planet. But then they’d spotted the spacejet as it was chased by the Malucon ship. Had seen it shot out of space. Neichon had known then and there that his mate occupied the jet. That she still lived.

Leaving Reyu in charge of the ship, he and Valeron had transported onto Fresna to find her before the Malucons did. And now here she stood before him, a mystery waiting to be unraveled…

Neichon wouldn’t have believed it had he not seen it with his own eyes. But the flesh never lied. The woman was tall and lithe, with honey-blonde hair and tawny skin that gave off a very subtle, golden glow. A clear mark of the Chivean race. The Malucons had decimated the planet’s inhabitants several years ago, yet somehow she’d survived.

Which somewhat explained her being chased by the Malucons. Once they’d conquered a race, they were notorious for wiping it out of existence. If they knew a Chivean had escaped alive, they would want to rectify that.

Still…the Malucons were going to a lot of trouble to do away with one mere Chivean woman.

He exchanged a curious glance with Valeron. No doubt there was an interesting story for why she was here, for how she’d survived. He couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

The woman wore tan breeches that molded into her skin, the bottoms tucked into leather hiking boots. A cream-colored tank top covered her full breasts, though it was cut low enough that the enticing tops of her round globes spilled over. She’d tied her hair into a loose knot at the nape of her neck.

In short, she was stunning.

When his cock hardened and rose to tent the fabric of his loose, white loincloth, he made no effort to hide his body’s reaction to her. If she was to be their mate, she would have to accustom herself to it. Given her lush, bountiful figure, she was sure to keep him and his men in a perpetual state of desire. Right now all he wanted to do was lay her down on the forest floor and take her, repeatedly, until she acknowledged she was his. But of course, that wasn’t the way of it. She had to agree to belong to him and his pod members. A mate bond could never be forced. Such a thing ran counter to a Spygian’s very nature.

Her soft green eyes flicked down to his groin and momentarily softened, then traveled back up his body. An expression of growing horror lined her face.

“What’s the matter, female?” he asked.

She shook her head wildly. “I can’t be your mate.”

Neichon exchanged another glance with Valeron, fighting back the reluctant smile that threatened to erupt.

“Make no mistake.” He gave her another long, lingering look, letting every bit of his lust show through in that stare. “You
are
mine.”

Chapter Two

The Spygian hunks thought she was their mate? No. It couldn’t be. She couldn’t be anyone’s mate.

All she brought to those who grew close to her was death.

She fought back her horror and panic. As she’d discovered in the past few years, those two emotions would do her no good.

Be cool, Inara. Calm.

In charge.

“You are funny, Spygians. Truly. And tempting, were I to be honest.”

Especially with their loincloths tented to such tantalizing heights, demonstrating they were just as aroused by her as she was by them.

“But I’m afraid I don’t agree, and I certainly don’t have the time to debate with you.” She glanced into the forest behind her. “The Malucons are on my tail, so I’ll be leaving you now.”

She sidestepped the Spygians and started toward her spacejet. To her surprise, they not only let her go, but fell into step beside her. The man who’d introduced himself as Neichon walked right next to her, the other Spygian by his side.

“Pray tell me what your plan is, female,” Neichon said.

Inara glanced over at him. “My name is Inara, not female.”

“Inara.” He said the name as if it was a delicacy. Giving her a wicked grin, he motioned to the second Spygian, the one with the turquoise eyes. “That is my brother, Valeron.”

Stepping over a fallen tree trunk, she gave Valeron a nod. From what she knew of the Spygians, male members of a pod referred to each other as brothers. Still, the two looked very much alike. “Are you brothers in fact or by circumstance?”

Valeron chuckled. “The latter, Inara. Neichon is the leader of our pod.”

Neichon moved ahead of her to clear a brambly branch from her way, and she fought the urge to thank him. She hadn’t asked for his help. She didn’t need it.

Raking him with her gaze, she asked, “Oh glorious leader, how do the two of you speak Chivean so well?”

He shrugged. “That is thanks to the trade agreement between Spygia and Chivea prior to your planet being destroyed. Most Spygians were taught Chivean as one of their alternate languages in school.”

Made sense. When she’d been growing up in Chivea, Spygian had been a common second language. She was almost fluent in it, as a matter of fact.

“Do not think you’ve distracted me from my initial question,” Neichon said. “What is your plan for escaping the Malucons?”

Since she didn’t see any harm in telling them, she pointed straight ahead. “Well, first I plan to make it back to my jet. Best I can tell, it’s one or two days walk that way. Then I’ll fix it, and take off before they find me.”

Valeron let out a gravelly chuckle. “Need I point out the flaws in your plan?”

“No, you need not,” she snapped. She knew full well the risks she took in returning to her jet. That she might very well not be able to fix it.

“There’s no need for all this trouble,” Neichon said. “Return to our ship with us. We can simply take the transporter back to it.”

She stopped cold for a moment, considering their offer. She couldn’t deny it was tempting. If they transported back to the Spygians’ ship, they would have a solid chance of fleeing before the Malucons found them. But then she would be without her jet. At their mercy.

Endangering them.

No, she was better off figuring her own way out of this mess. Those who got involved with her always ended up dead at the hands of the Malucons.

“Your offer is very kind, but I’m afraid I cannot accept the sort of protection you offer me.” She started walking once more. “I am not your mate, and I refuse to be bonded with any man, much less two.”

Neichon and Valeron fell into place beside her once again, Valeron opening his mouth to say, “Actually, there—”

Neichon cut him off in mid-sentence. “Does the thought of more than one mate frighten you, Inara?”

Truthfully, no. Polyamorous relationships had been an accepted practice in Chivea, though it hadn’t been terribly common. She had certainly never engaged in one. But it wasn’t as if she was an untried virgin. The muscles of her thighs tensed at the sweet memory of the sheikh in Thesparta who had talked her into becoming his mistress in exchange for his protection. She grinned as she recalled their intense lovemaking. In fact, there had been one time when he’d shared her with a friend, although things hadn’t progressed as far as sex. Though her feelings for him had never gone beyond lust and admiration, she had been truly saddened when those damned Malucons had killed him. Most especially because it had forced her to go on the run again.

It was truly sheer luck that had kept her alive. Until now.

Pray the gods I do not lose my lucky streak.

“The thought of
any
mate frightens me. I’m too much of a free spirit,” she said breezily.

Something told her that if she gave them the true reason she wouldn’t be tied to them, they would convince her otherwise. But there was one thing she knew. Her self-proclaimed mates were from a sexual species who didn’t gain their true strength until they were mated. Right now they were weak. And even if she did agree to mate with them, even if she did it
at this very moment
, the Malucons were still too strong. If she stayed with these Spygians, the dreaded Malucons would defeat them.

Valeron’s brow furrowed. “You would truly rather take your chances with the wreckage of your jet than take the transporter with us to our ship?”

“I refuse to be without transportation.”

Neichon stopped so suddenly that she came to a halt, her eyes raking the forest to see what had alarmed him. When she saw nothing, she turned to take in his calculating expression.

Placing her hands on her hips, she said, “What is it?”

Neichon bit his lower lip, as if debating whether or not to speak. Finally he said, “We carry a pair of spacejets on our ship.”

Inara’s breath hitched at his words. “Are you suggesting that…you would let me take one of your jets?”

“Yes.” Neichon’s almond-shaped eyes bored into her, convincing her of the veracity of his words.

Valeron spoke up, his tone alarmed. “But Neicho—”

Neichon held a hand up, and Valeron fell silent.

“On one condition, Inara,” Neichon continued.

Her stomach dropped. How had she, even for a second, expected otherwise?

“Of course there’s a condition,” she said bitterly.

“Never fear, Inara,” he said softly. “It is not such a terrible request.”

When his hand reached out to stroke her cheek, she surprised herself by leaning into it. His touch was electrifying, the contact of his bare flesh against hers sparking tremors of heat and desire down her body. Right to her very core.

Inara didn’t know what made Spygians classify someone as their mate, but if it was attraction, then maybe they had something here.

Yes, I’d like to know what it’s like to be with a Spygian. Even better, more than one.

She blinked at the stray thought, surprise coursing through her veins. Why would she even be considering such a thing at a time like this? Her only concern should be escaping the Malucons.

Still, she couldn’t help but wonder, if she had a chance of making love with these men,
without
creating any permanent sort of bond…would she take it?

She had a feeling she would.

“What is your condition, Spygian?” she all but whispered.

Neichon’s burning golden gaze flickered down to her lips. “All I ask is that you hear our plea that you become our mate. If afterward you choose not to stay, you are welcome to take one of the jets and leave.”

She considered his words, her eyes narrowing. “I only have to hear you out?”

“Yes.”

“And if I say no, you’ll let me take your jet, and keep it?”

Neichon nodded, his long, silky hair dancing around his heavy pectorals. Gods, but she wanted to touch it. Touch every inch of him. The man made her horny as hell.

Inara’s eyes traveled to Valeron. He appeared distinctly unhappy at the bargain Neichon was striking, but he didn’t say anything.
He wouldn’t
, she realized. Neichon was the leader. His word was law.

“You have yourself a bargain, Neichon.”

Neichon’s lips curved into a satisfied smile. Stepping back, he lifted his hand and pushed the transmitter button on his arm cuff to create an auditory connection to his ship.

Nothing happened.

He frowned and touched the button again. “Central Command, this is Neichon. Can you hear me?”

Again, nothing.

Inara let out a deep sigh and tapped her foot. Patience had never been one of her strong suits.

His frown deepening, Neichon tried again before turning to Valeron.

“I’ll try.” Valeron edged closer toward the two of them, the muscles in his honey-toned abs rippling as he walked. Inara did her best not to stare. Or drool.

Pressing the button on his arm cuff, Valeron said, “Central Command, this is Valeron. Can you hear me?”

There was nothing, not even static to indicate his message was getting across.

Inara bit back an irritable growl. As soon as she’d found an alternate way off this planet, forces conspired to keep her here. Figured.

“I’ll tell you what, Spygians. While you two try to make contact with your ship, I’ll see if I can spot the Malucon shuttle.”

Turning her back on the two men, she strode to a nearby tree and began to scale it, using the thick branches to get her footing, as well as to provide cover. With any luck, the Malucon shuttle would be a fair distance away, giving her enough time to get back to her own jet.

When would she finally learn her lesson? The only person she could count on was herself.

* * * * *

While Neichon once again attempted to contact their ship, Valeron watched their mate’s swift and agile ascent up the tree.

“By severn, she is most definitely not what I expected in our mate.”

Neichon paused and turned to watch Inara. Her lush, round ass swayed as she took the next step up, disappearing beneath the thick leaves of the tree.

“No,” Neichon said, his voice hoarse. “She’s better.”

Valeron couldn’t agree more. The woman was tough. Brash. Irresistible.

Once she was no longer in sight, Valeron turned to his pod leader and arched a brow. “Why didn’t you inform her there are two other members of our pod?”

Neichon shook his head. “You saw how she reacted to the thought of the two of us. I didn’t want to frighten her away.”

Valeron considered those words. Neichon was right. He hated to lie to their mate, but he couldn’t think of it in those terms. It was really more giving her time to get to know them before they bogged her down with further revelations.

After attempting one more time to contact the ship and failing, Neichon sighed. “It’s not working, and nothing happens when I attempt to activate the transporter. There must be an issue with our signal.”

“Which means we are stuck on this forsaken planet,” Valeron muttered.

“For the foreseeable future.” Neichon scowled and trotted over to the tree their mate had climbed, glancing up into the leaves. “If only we’d thought bring along weapons.”

“Why would we? We thought we’d be transporting here, picking her up and bringing her back to the ship without the Malucons being any the wiser about it,” Valeron pointed out.

“True.” Neichon glanced back at Valeron. “Hopefully Reyu or Petros will soon realize the signal isn’t working and get it fixed.”

“But it could take days, considering they knew we were transporting to this wasteland to search for our mate,” Valeron said, voicing his worst fears. “Truly, it’s a miracle we found her so quickly. They would expect it to take more time.”

When Neichon nodded in confirmation, Valeron let out a groan. “This is torture.”

Even if Inara decided to become their mate, they could not complete the mating ritual without the other members of their pod.

Inara’s gorgeous ass once again appeared as she began her descent. Valeron strode to Neichon’s side and whispered, “We need a backup plan, in case our cuffs do not become operable within an acceptable time frame.”

“Yes, brother, I so realize,” Neichon said.

Inara’s booted feet came down on a heavy branch that hung ten or so feet from the ground. Displaying how limber she was, she bent and grasped the branch with both hands, then swung her legs down and landed beside them with a soft plop.

Wiping her hands on her breeches, she said, “No sign of the Malucons. Hopefully they’re far from here.”

Despite the gravity of their situation, Valeron could not help but rake his hungry gaze over their mate. She was truly beautiful with her wildness and self-assurance. And oh, those gorgeous, large breasts. How he longed to close his mouth around them, suckle them one at a time.

His rod, already semi-erect from her mere presence, rose to full attention. Given the customary Spygian loincloth he wore, it was impossible for her not to notice. She glanced down at him, and her lips twisted.