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  “But it has to be a choice. No more hunting brides or holding mates captive. The females have to volunteer or… I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m probably going to resign as soon as you return me to Earth, so I’m not going to be in a position to make stipulations.”

  “Why would you resign?”

  “They’re masking their corruption with the hard work of my taskforce. I won’t be used like that. And I’ll encourage all of my people to do the same.”

  “There is another option, you know.” She looked at him and he smiled, that slow, sexy smile that never failed to melt her insides. “You can work with us, help us understand how human females think and which strategies will be more effective.”

  Her heart lodged in her throat and she could hardly swallow. “I have to go back, Nazerel. We both know I have to go back.”

  He stalked toward her, his gaze locked with hers. “You don’t have to do anything.” He grasped her upper arms and pulled her toward him. “Stay with me. Be my morautu.”

  She adamantly shook her head, but her hands found their way to his chest and then his shoulders. Hot, hard and addictive, just like the night before. She couldn’t make herself stop touching him. “This is insane.”

  He pulled her into his arms then urged her back against the wall. “This is inevitable.”

  His mouth sealed over hers, the kiss deep and demanding. She clutched his back and moved her feet apart, making room for his knee between her thighs. The firm muscle connected with her mound and she gasped. Then he dragged the nightgown over her head, separating their mouths only long enough to rid her of the simple garment.

  She tugged his shorts down then, unwilling to stop kissing him, she let him do the rest. Soon they were rubbing against each other skin on skin, mouths fused, and breaths mingling. He stroked her breasts with one hand and cupped her ass with the other, controlling the undulation of her hips.

  “Open for me.” He whispered the words against her damp lips. “Last night was hell. I don’t ever want to be without you again.”

  She tore her mouth away from his and shook her head as the import of his words rocked her. “I’m not ready for that,” she cried. “I don’t know that I’ll ever be ready for that sort of commitment.”

  He closed his eyes and heaved a frustrated sigh. “The link will ease your doubts. There can be no deception in that kind of communication. You don’t have to believe what I tell you because you’ll feel what I feel.”

  She raised her hand and touched his cheek with her fingertips. “Can’t you form a temporary link like you did before? I agree that it makes things better, but I still need my own space.”

  “I can teach you how to shield your mind from me.” He moved his hands to the wall on either side of her head. “You are my mate. I’m not sure I can take you again without bonding with you.”

  “I need you to try.” She waited until he looked into her eyes to add, “I’m not ready.”

  “All right. I’ll sever the link when we’re finished, even if it kills me.”

  “Thank you.” Emboldened by his willingness to compromise, she grabbed his arms and spun him around, reversing their positions. “Now, I think there’s another promise you need to fulfill.”

  “Is that so?” He brushed her hair back from her face and bent for a lingering kiss. “What did I promise you this time?”

  She ran her hands down his sides then steadied herself against his hips as she sank to her knees. “You promised to let me enjoy you the way you’ve been enjoying me.” She had no way of knowing if he’d meant to object because she grasped his shaft with one hand and circled his broad tip with her tongue.

  He groaned and leaned his head back against the wall as his eyes drifted shut. She stroked him with her hand as she teased him with her mouth. He was silky soft against her tongue and fingers, yet incredibly hard as well. Fascinated by the contrast, she sucked him deep into her mouth and explored him with her tongue.

  His fingers pushed into her hair, clasping yet not restraining. He pulled his hips back, drawing nearly out of her mouth before sliding inward again. She tipped her head back and let him set the pace, thrilled that he allowed her to play at all.

  Keeping her lips tight around him, she savored the warm slid of him over and against her tongue. His scent grew stronger as did his taste. She swirled her tongue over his tip, encouraging the response of his body. She wanted to know him as intimately as he’d known her. She wanted to watch him lose control and know she was the one who’d taken him there.

  He moved faster, his grip on her hair growing tighter. “I need to stop.” He panted harshly, but kept right on pumping into her mouth. “Pull back or I’m going to…”

  She sucked him deep and kept him there as he shuddered and groaned. The tilt of her head allowed her to watch his face contort with pleasure. He looked wild, savage, captivating. She swallowed and licked, drawing every last shiver from his body before she finally released him from her mouth.

  He pulled her up and kissed her deeply, undeterred by his taste in her mouth. In fact, it seemed to arouse him, make him more demanding. “Just like my scent makes you unattractive to other males, my scent, and my taste, makes you even more attractive to me.” Then he pulled her head back and looked into her eyes. “Now open for me.”

  His autocratic tone sent a shiver down her spine. If anyone else used that tone with her she’d immediately rebel, but hearing sensual commands from Nazerel did irrational things to her body. She parted her lips for the bold thrust of his tongue, yet knew that was not what he meant. She closed her eyes and waited for the surge of his energy.

  Rather than thrusting inward as he had before, he eased into her mind then expanded the connection gradually. The path has already been established, so it requires less pressure.

  It was so strange to have him answer a question she hadn’t actually posed. He felt her confusion or curiosity and easily identified the source.

  He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the bed, but instead of lying down, he sat and arranged her astride his legs. His hands moved boldly over her body as their kisses went on and on. Pleasuring him had left her restless and achy and still he seemed determined to play. She reached down between their bodies, but he caught her wrist and chuckled low in his throat.

  Not yet, morautu. It’s my turn to watch you come.

  Then his fingers found her clit and the intensity made her arch, ripping her mouth away from his.

  “That’s right.” He continued the rhythmic caress with his hand as he bent and caught one of her nipples with his lips.

  She rocked her hips, increasing the pressure of his fingers. Her core tightened and the ache turned into a painful emptiness. “Please. I need you inside me.”

  “Then come.” He caught her clit between his thumb and forefinger and carefully pulled on the sensitive knot. She cried out sharply as sensations blasted through her body.

  Somehow he kept the spasms going with one hand and positioned his cock with the other. All Morgan knew was one minute her body was clenching in on itself and the next she was squeezing his considerable thickness.

  Digging her nails into his shoulders, she let out a savage cry. She felt wild and dizzy. She lifted her hips then slammed them back down, wanting him deeper, wanting as much as he had to give. He grasped her hips, creating a smoother rhythm without repressing the force of her need.

  She’d never felt this wild, this feral. She wanted to bite and claw, yet she needed him to hold her down and contain the frenzy. Unable to resist the instinct, she raked his back with her nails.

  He gasped, shock and lust erupting in his eyes and blazing through his mind. Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled onto the bed and swept her beneath him. Then he caught both her hands and pinned them to the bunk on either side of her head.

  With his gaze boring into hers, he filled her over and over. She drew up her legs and took him deeper into her body and her mind. But the fire burned hotter and the frenzy only increa
sed. She dug her heels into the bed and bucked into each of his thrusts.

  He entwined their fingers and squeezed her hands. Then his mouth was on hers again, commanding and calming her. His physical strength soothed her, made her feel secure. And the power of his being allowed her to slow the raging impulses and savor the pleasure ricocheting back and forth across their link.

  It became a dance, a rhythmic blending of bodies, souls and minds. She surrendered to the intensity, and tenderness flowed out of him like a river, a silky caress that surrounded her and strengthened their bond.

  Now. His hips pumped frantically his lips hovering over hers. Let me feel you come around my cock.

  The graphic command left her no choice. Her body arched and her core rippled, triggering his release. They clung to each other, shuddering and groaning as the world spun away. They hung together in velvety silence for one endless moment then plummeted back to reality.

  “Wow.” She shivered then laughed as tingling aftershocks sparked through her body.

  “A little better than average?”

  She laughed again and eased one of her hands out from under his. “Does your ego really need to hear it?” She brushed his hair back from his face. “We are amazing together. It’s not you or me. It’s us.”

  He grinned, clearly thrilled by the conclusion. “I’m glad you’re finally starting to understand.”

  A buzzer sounded and Nazerel looked toward the workstation. “Answer call, audio only.”

  “Sorry to interrupt your training session.” No one could have missed the amusement in Zilor’s tone. “But Garin has a surprise for you.”

  “What sort of surprise?”

  “Report to Garin’s quarters and he’ll explain. We missed you at breakfast.”

  The connection went dead before Nazerel could respond.

  “What did he mean by ‘training session’?” When Nazerel only grinned she had her answer. “They think you’re ‘training’ me?”

  He gave her a quick kiss then rolled away and scooted off the bunk. “Does it matter what they think? We know the truth.”

  “We do?” She scrambled off the bed and raced for her discarded nightgown. “Which truth is that?”

  “We’re training each other.”

  He disappeared into the utility room before she could object or agree. She slipped the nightgown back on with a sigh. Did it really matter what anyone else thought as long as they were content with the arrangement? Content? Was she content with Nazerel? She wasn’t even sure she liked him. How could he possibly make her content?

  But she was warm and sleepy, utterly at peace for the first time in years, maybe decades.

  She closed her eyes and reached for his mind.

  Yes, my love? He made the endearment sound playful.

  If you promise not to enter my mind without letting me know you’re there, we’ll try this for a while.

  Happiness, bright and effervescent, preceded his thought. Are you sure?

  Yes. But I don’t offer my trust often or easily. No spying on me.

  The door to the utility room slid open and he stood there in a freshly pressed uniform, hair still damp from his lightning-fast shower. “If I approach your mind, you’ll know I’m there and you’ll have time to shut the door if you don’t want me to enter.”

  “Or I will if I knew how to shut a telepathic door.”

  “I’ll teach you. As soon as I return, we’ll resume our training session.” He punctuated the promise with a wink that sent heat curling through her body.

  * * * * *

  Nazerel was halfway to Garin’s cabin when the computer rerouted him to the brig. The distinctly female voice told him of the change and a lighted indicator on the wall guided him toward the new destination. His gut knotted and his breathing hitched as he neared the detention level. What sort of surprise would Garin have stashed in the brig? Ontarians was the obvious answer, but how in the five hells would Mystics have found him this quickly? Everyone who knew of his connection to the Nox family was either dead or incarcerated.

  Except for Varrik.

  Dread intensified the weight in his stomach. His former best friend had already betrayed him once. Why should this possibility surprise him? His worst fears were realized a few minutes later when a guard ushered him into the open area between the containment cells. Garin stood there, hands clasped behind his back.

  “Surprise.” He motioned toward Varrik with a sardonic smile. “Decide what you want done with him or I’ll shove him out the nearest airlock. I really don’t have time for this shit.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Garin moved toward Echo, who was in an adjacent cell. “You’re coming with me, so your mate doesn’t feel obligated to perform.” He disabled the force field with a terse command and motioned Echo out.

  “Where are you taking her?” Varrik demanded.

  “Wherever I please,” Garin snapped. “This is my ship. You are the intruders.”

  Varrik’s gaze screamed objections, but he wisely held his tongue. Garin had already explained why he was removing Echo and that was more consideration than Varrik deserved.

  Nazerel waited until the door slid closed behind Garin and Echo before he spoke to his one-time friend. “I’m not going back to Ontariese, at least not yet.”

  “Running away is a coward’s solution. You’re not a coward.”

  Nazerel shook his head and fought back a smile. Varrik knew him too well. Any other accusation would have fallen on deaf ears, but no one called Nazerel a coward. He glanced at the guard standing beside the door. “Wait outside. I’ll call you if I need assistance.”

  With only an acknowledging nod, the guard stepped out into the corridor and joined the guard already stationed there.

  After the door closed again, Nazerel turned back to Varrik. “I’m not running away. I retreated so I could regroup and form a better strategy.”

  “A better strategy for what? It’s over, Nazerel. Sevrin is dead and you must take responsibility for your actions.”

  “Which actions do you find so objectionable? Leaving the City of Tears without permission or communicating with the evil Rodytes?”

  “Rodyte blood flows through my veins too. You can’t pretend I’m a bigot. And you can’t pretend no one was hurt by your presence on Earth. Yes, we know Sevrin’s experiments were to blame for the actual deaths, but how did those females end up in Sevrin’s lab? And a male had to have triggered each transformation. That wasn’t something Sevrin could have done alone.”

  “No one on Team South hunted while we were on Earth. Ask Flynn. Ask anyone.”

  Varrik paused, clearly confused by the claim. His stance remained tense and watchful, but his gaze softened. “What are you talking about? We were told there was a rotation that ensured each team had the opportunity to hunt.”

  “Team South members were excluded from the rotation.”

  “Why? Who excluded them?”

  “Sevrin. I wouldn’t lick her boots, or anything else she wanted licked, so she lashed out at my team. She was hoping my men would turn on me, but the injustice only made them more suspicious of her and more loyal to me.”

  After a long, strained silence, Varrik asked, “Can you give me the names of each man who hunted and what happened to the female or females he caught?”

  “Don’t confuse me with Flynn. Investigating this mess is your job, not mine.”

  Varrik accepted the statement with a stiff nod. “You still violated your contract with the Overlord.”

  “A contract I neither negotiated nor signed,” Nazerel sneered. This conversation was so overdue it was pointless. “It was never my desire to be part of the world above, but you dismantled our world so you could remain with your mate. I accept that. I don’t agree with it, but I understand the consuming need to keep one’s mate at one’s side.”

  Varrik had the audacity to laugh. He ran a hand through his hair as he shook his head. “Let me guess, Morgan? Does she know she’s your mate or does
she still consider herself your prisoner?”

  “We’re talking about me, not Morgan.” He couldn’t let thoughts of Morgan soften his heart or overshadow his resentment. Varrik had escaped this reckoning for much too long and this setting was likely as advantageous as Nazerel was ever going to receive.

  “Hate me for dismantling our world if you must, but at least be honest with yourself. Our world needed to be dismantled. The Sacred Customs were tools used by the elders to control their tribes. Our men deserve more than a life of mindless subjugation.”

  “Maybe that’s all the Customs were to you, but to me they were much, much more.”

  After heaving a sigh of exasperation, Varrik squared his shoulders. “We can spend the next year debating the merits of the Sacred Customs and it will change nothing. The world below is gone.”

  “Thanks to you,” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

  “And it should not be reborn,” Varrik stressed.

  He relaxed his jaw enough to speak clearly. “I agree.”

  That seemed to surprise Varrik. He took a step closer to the containment field. “I didn’t set out to kill South. Your father left me no other choice.”

  Nazerel clenched his fists, needing a physical outlet for the sudden flash of anger. Varrik hadn’t “set out to kill” Nazerel’s father, but Varrik hadn’t denied being the cause of South’s death. “You accused Elder North and Elder South of betraying our people. It’s curious that North—your uncle—is still alive while you had ‘no other choice’ but to kill my father, the only person who could have disproved your accusations.”

  “Why was he on the Rodyte ship if he remained loyal to our world?” Tension deepened Varrik’s voice, adding a menacing growl to his tone.

  Moving closer to Varrik’s cell, Nazerel found the command to lower the containment field on the tip of his tongue. The Sacred Customs not only allowed murder to be avenged, they demanded a life for a life. But this was Garin’s ship. When Varrik breathed his last, it would have to be at Garin’s command. “My father was captured by the Rodytes just like you and Echo.”