Paige's Warriors (Bondmates Book 3) (8 page)

“He should be dead.”

“It would hurt her.”

“Are you sure? I believe she would sleep better knowing he was no longer able to harm her or anyone else.”

“Commander, she believes in a happily ever after.”

“What does that mean?”

“From what I can tell, it means she has faith that her life will end in happiness. A happiness that does not include the man of her dreams vengeance killing her father. Happily ever after means she will meet the one man in the Universe she was meant to love, then they will live happily ever after together.”

“Bondmates,” Tren whispered softly.

“Different names, same concept.”

Hanging his head, Tren rubbed the tense muscles of the back of his neck, his thighs twitching with the need to move because of the stimulant. “I need to go to her before I pass out.”

“I will wait for you. If you wish me to leave you alone with your bride, send me a signal. With the transporter in her home I can beam you directly to the ship if there is an emergency.”

“My thanks, Admiral.”

Cormac’s hazel green eyes grew serious. “Anything for my Commander. We have fought together for centuries, and I am honored to be of assistance to you during your bonding.”

He saluted, and Tren had to fight back the once familiar warmth of friendship filling him. At some point he’d stopped caring about his men like he used to, and he found himself remembering this feeling. Kinship. Pride. The love of the brotherhood. He took a moment to let it settle before giving Cormac a brief nod, acknowledging his words.

With a tired sigh, Tren exited the car and approached the thick, metal back door leading to Paige’s small apartment. He punched in the code Cormac had supplied him to release the locks, then moved up the stairs, his muscles protesting every move. The soft fabric of his gray cotton pants felt unusually light against his skin after so many hours being bound up in his battle armor. He’d led the hunt to find the slavers as a clear signal that there would be zero tolerance for anyone seeking to exploit the people of Earth. Now only this comforting fabric encased his body, and as he got closer to Paige’s apartment he realized he was reacting to her hormones saturating the air like a rutting beast.

Another deep breath confirmed this as he had to fight getting further aroused. It would not doubt scare her, and he didn’t need any more reasons for her to be weary of him. If she thought he had anything to do with Casey’s disappearance it would make it next to impossible for her to trust him.

Her door at the top of the stairs was painted a bright red and had an elegant black metal decoration that he soon realized was a peep hole.

This suspicion was confirmed when the hole darkened after he knocked.

“What the…Trenzent?”

Her voice didn’t sound very welcoming, but he pushed that thought aside. “Paige, I need to speak with you, please.”

“What do you want?”

The hostility in her tone threw him. “Please, let me talk with you.”

“Do you know where Casey is?”

“No.”

“Then I have nothing to say.”

“Please, Paige, let me explain myself. I had no choice, I had to leave.”

“Right, and where you went there were no phones or any way to let me know that you weren’t going to make it.”

“You did not give me your phone number,” he said in a gentle tone, knowing he already had it memorized.

“Oh, right. Well, you could have sent one of your buddies.”

“I did not think you would want some strange man showing up in my place. Knowing the other men are single, there is no way I would send any of them to spend time with you. One moment in your presence and they would want you for their own.”

“Yeah, right,” she muttered, hurt threading through her voice.

“Paige, please, do not make me have this conversation through your door. I am exhausted, but I wish to speak with you before I can finally sleep. Give me a chance to explain.”

For a long moment there was silence, then the sound of bolts sliding, along with the jingle of a chain, before she opened the door.

“Come in.”

For a long moment he remained frozen, drinking in the sight of her when he really thought she might reject him. The bond between them was as fragile as the web of a
funtur
beetle, and just as beautiful. That faint connection between their souls allowed him to feel her surprise as she stared at him, the soft arousal fluttering through her nervous system. His own lust roared through him as he took in her rounded, pale legs exposed by the small scrap of her dark mahogany shorts. The curve of her delicate shoulder was also exposed, as was the rather impressive swell of her breasts behind the thin fabric of her pink shirt. She was wearing a covering over her mounds, but her rather large nipples were poking through both layers of fabric.

Her hair was held back from her face in a sparkling band and the scent of something sweet and creamy came from her breath. He found the answer when he scanned the room behind her and found an opened container of butter pecan ice cream sitting on a small wood table before a modest sized television. Her furniture was a pale rose color that showed signs of use, but it was clean as was the rest of the place. While her scent was heavy there, it was still light enough for him to tell she hadn’t lived in the building long. This was a temporary home and it gave him hope that she would leave her world behind for him.

That is, if he got her to forgive him for failing to show up. Her arms were crossed beneath her lush breasts and her little foot had begun to tap a quick tempo against the floor. When those Earth blue eyes of hers met his, they burned him with the heat of her anger. Those were universal signs of female displeasure, and he heeded that warning, stepping quickly into the room before she slammed the door shut. Unable to think of the appropriate Earth response to this situation—he had no idea what ritual they used to apologize to their women—he dropped to his knees before her as he’d been trained to do. All men on Kadothia were raised to be good mates to their Matriarchs, to be worthy of being their husband, to be aware of the sacrifice that led to the honor of having a wife.

Theirs was a hard life, but standing in the presence of his reward made every moment of suffering worth it. She eased him, soothed the open wounds still draining his soul. Parts of him that had become unstable began to settle and a profound peace came over him. The deep calm helped him rein himself in, aware he was starting to scare her.

Her breasts filled his vision, but he made himself look up at her. “Please, my
alyah
, forgive me. I ask for your leave to apologize properly for hurting you.”

A bright flush now covered her neck in pink, a few shades lighter than her shirt, and he smiled in amusement as it crept up into her cheeks. His pale bride was going to be very easy to read, even without the psychic bond. Her delicate skin betrayed her, and he wondered if her whole body would flush with her orgasm. Already her lips were a deep pink, softening for his kiss.

The predator inside of him flexed and focused its sights on the woman who was born to be his. Time was of the essence, the Lord of Life had already reminded Tren of this with his earlier rescue. While he didn’t want to rush her, he had to lock her down, had to make the hormonal exchange that would change her into a Matriarch. The thought of licking her sweet lips, of forcing them open to accept his tongue had him so hard he hurt.

Something about his thoughts must have reflected on her face because the fear in her scent was chased away by interest and light arousal. “What are you talking about? Get up.”

“Please, I beg of you, let me make it up to you.”

“Fine, whatever, just get off your knees.”

“First, your hands, please.”

Frowning down at him, she was so adorable in her confused anger he had to hold back a chuckle. “Are you drunk?”

“No, please. This is a tradition in my country.” He’d never said please to anyone in his life, but he’d beg her for the privilege of seducing her.

Could she not see that she already owned his soul?

She blinked. “Oh, well, okay. I know it sounds weird, but despite your accent I forget you’re not from around here and things might be different in your culture. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“
Alyah
, you are the kindest woman I have ever had the honor of meeting.”

“You hardly know me,” she whispered, her expression softening with pleasure.

“We both know that is untrue. I know you in here,” he tapped his chest, “where it matters the most.”

Her long, dark lashes fluttered, and he marveled again at the way everything about her softened to him when he showed her affection. It startled him to think that she was as starved for love as he was. Her mental shields had softened as well, and he wondered if she could feel his more extreme emotions yet. Just in case, he guarded his thoughts from her, at once yearning for a deeper connection and not wanting his own desperation to affect her decisions about him. Even with his strength fading by the second, everything he did was for her. It went beyond instinct to the core of what made him who he was. Paige Dana Grant, his bondmate, would always come first.

He took both of her hands in his own then brought them to his lips. Her hands were so small, and he wondered again if she should go through a growth regime before they mated, then decided against it. Yes, Earth women produced more lubricant than women of the Bel’Tan galaxy, and Tren was more than eager to bring her to climax repeatedly until her nectar flowed freely, but she was at least a foot smaller than he was. They would deal with that issue later. First he had to make sure she made the Transition from human to Kadothian Matriarch with his blood.

She trembled and asked in a shaky voice, “Tren, what are you doing?”

“Shhhh,” he soothed her even as the scent of her arousal strengthened, tempting him. “I am replacing the pain with pleasure.”

“I don’t—”

He chose that moment to suck one of her fingers into his mouth, the taste of her skin drawing a groan from him that she answered.

The art of pleasuring a woman was more than just focusing on her erogenous zones, it meant learning every inch of her body, worshiping each one, in order to win the battle for her love.

Even something as simple as the palm of her hand could become a source of great pleasure.

He licked the soft skin at the center of her right hand lightly, delighting in the way she moaned and staggered back a step. Without thought he looped an arm around her waist, still holding her hand as he licked at the delicate webbing between her fingers. He couldn’t wait to get his tongue into the heat of her sex, to play with the extra folds of skin Earth women had there instead of the smooth slit he was used to. Most of all he wanted to play with her clit. According to his studies it was a bundle of nerves that was a direct route to an Earth woman’s pleasure, something that would give him the ability to make her climax over and over. Just the idea of riding those waves of pleasure with her had his throbbing shaft leaking pre-cum.

“That feels so good,” she whispered. “Why does it feel so good?”

Teasing the delicate skin of her inner wrist with his lips, he drowned in her desire. “Because we were made for each other.”

Her breast brushed the side of his face as she shifted, her hard nipple skimming over his cheek. Before he could stop himself he had her full mound grasped in his hand and his mouth locked on the thick bump of her nipple through her clothing, sucking hard. Her reaction was instant, her back hitting the wall as she slammed her palms against the surface then moaned.

He started to move to switch to the other breast, but her slender hands buried themselves in his short hair, making him wonder if he should grow it again so she had something to hold on to.

The sharp pain of her little nails pricking his scalp as she held him tight to her soft breast had his hips thrusting on their own, his cock swollen and needing to mate.

The kiss
, his mind whispered,
you must win her willing kiss
.

A trembling started in his thighs, but he ignored it, knowing his body had been pushed to the brink but needing to hold on just a little longer.

Paige’s eyes were barely open, and she appeared dazed as she let out a sound that was an odd mixture of pleasure and pain. Her sweet scent filled him, coated his skin, and he gave her nipple one last nip before releasing it, despite her pressing hands. Bracing one arm on the wall behind her, praying she didn’t notice the tremors rippling his body, he said, “Please, kiss me.”

The greatest moment in his life had to be the second her soft mouth pressed to his own.

Too bad he was seconds away from passing out.

With a groan, he sliced open his tongue and slid it between her pouting lips, pausing to trace their bow. He was met with a fleeting glance of her tongue, then a stronger one as he slipped his hand between them, pinching and pulling at her nipples. Instantly she became more aggressive, sucking on his tongue, kissing him back until he was growling his need. Her nipples were so responsive, and he opened the bond wide between them so she could hopefully feel his desire.