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  “You don’t need a telepathic link to bend me to your will.” She whispered the words against his lips, hoping to lure him away from thoughts about tomorrow. “All you need is your incredible mouth.”

  Her lips pressed against his, warming them, encouraging him, but he wasn’t quite ready to abandon their conversation. “They’ll question you. Likely have Elias do it. You trust him and you’ll tell him things you wouldn’t admit to a stranger.”

  It was obvious he wasn’t going to relax until this was settled, so she rested her hands on his shoulders and gave them an affectionate squeeze. “They can interrogate me all they like. I won’t say anything that incriminates you. In fact, if you like, I’ll tell them that I helped you escape.”

  “Absolutely not. If Elias senses that you’re lying to him, they’ll have Varrik scan your memories. Tell them the truth.”

  “I won’t testify against you,” she said emphatically.

  “And I won’t allow you to be punished for something you didn’t do.” He buried his hand in her hair and claimed her mouth in a passionate kiss. “You’re my hostage. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ll make sure they know that.” He kissed her again, preventing her immediate reply.

  His mouth was warm, his breath intoxicating and she no longer wanted to argue. She wanted to touch him and be touched by him. She wanted to savor whatever time they had left. The future was too uncertain for them to waste any more time.

  He pulled her down into the water and she melted into his embrace. They kissed and touched and kissed some more, neither in a hurry to escalate their passion. He relaxed against the recliner and she straddled his hips, sometimes arching above him, but more often pressing against him skin-to-skin.

  “What did you think of Echo?” His lips brushed against her neck as he spoke.

  “I’m sprawled on top of you naked and you’re thinking about Echo? Should I be jealous?”

  He cupped both her breasts and nipped the side of her throat. “I’m trying to think about anything except how badly I want to be inside you.”

  “We’ve got all night.” She reached down between their bodies and guided him to her entrance. “We’ll go slowly next time.” His entire body tensed as she lowered herself onto his cock. She closed her eyes and savored the sweet fullness as it pressed deeper and deeper into her core. “Better?”

  “Not yet.” He grabbed her hips and pushed her up then pulled her back down. Creating a rocking motion, he maximized the slide of her body over his. “Now this is better.”

  She braced herself against his shoulders and pushed up, giving him access to her aching breasts. They couldn’t kiss in this position, but everything else felt so perfect that it didn’t matter. His lips fastened onto one nipple as he teased the other with his fingers, then he switched sides. All the while she rode him, reveling in the control he seldom allowed her.

  His mind opened, filling her with longing and tenderness. Desire was obvious in his gaze, but the affection always surprised her. Outwardly Nazerel was gruff and unyielding, which made his warmth even more precious.

  Wanting him to understand how much his caring meant to her, she pushed her emotions into his mind, revealing her love without hesitation or reserve. He moaned and bucked, trusting up into her with possessive urgency. She responded just as aggressively.

  “Next time…” His fingers dug into her hips and tension rippled across his torso. “I’ll make it last.” He threw his head back and arched beneath her, filling her completely.

  She watched him, feeling him inside her mind and body. His overwhelming need thrilled her even though her arousal had just begun to build. He came in shuddering waves. She felt him jerk deep inside her and a fresh rush of love flooded her mind. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his wildly beating heart.

  “That was downright pathetic,” he muttered as she collapsed across his chest.

  Knowing he couldn’t see her face, she allowed herself to smile. “I started it and, as I said, we’ve got all night.”

  Nazerel brushed the damp hair back from Morgan’s face and she pushed herself up again, not all the way vertical, like she’d been before, but far enough so they could see each other. She was so damn beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. With her cheeks flushed and her breasts bare, she looked like a fertility goddess, ripe and ready for more. He’d be more than happy to oblige her as soon as he caught his breath, but the future still loomed in the distance, threatening to consume them.

  “I want you to tell the Tribunal the truth, but perspective is a curious thing. I suppose I should at least hear your version of the events.”

  Her inner muscles clamped down on his length, encouraging his recovery. “You want to talk about this now?”

  He laughed, sliding his hands from her hips to her breasts and back. “Indulge me and I’ll make it worth your while.”

  She sat up, balancing her weight on her legs. “All right. You grabbed me during the raid, not knowing who I was. It had been your intention to release me, but Dekker said my name over the radio so you realized I could likely release you from the collar.”

  “I still can’t believe how long you held out. You are one incredibly stubborn female.” His hands drifted up her sides and over her breasts, his gaze leading the way.

  “You’re not the first to tell me that and it’s doubtful you’ll be the last.” Suddenly restless, she crawled off his lap and moved to the bench across from him.

  He’d obviously upset her and that hadn’t been his intention. Still, he needed to know what she would say before he tried to recapture the romantic mood. “What happened after I figured out who you are?”

  “It became a battle of wills, which I eventually lost. You didn’t want to bring me with you, but by that point I knew too much to leave behind.” She droned on as if she were reciting a shopping list.

  “Did you try to escape?”

  She shot him an annoyed look before sinking deeper into the water. “Repeatedly, but I knew I was screwed once you disabled the collar.”

  Their connection had existed even with his powers suppressed, but reminding her of the fact would only irritate her further. He didn’t want to spend their last few hours together angry with each other. However, this was important. She needed to understand what she’d be facing when they returned. Her friends would expect her to be relieved and joyful that she’d finally been rescued.

  “Elias will try to convince you that I’ve brainwashed you.” He caught her gaze before he went on. “He’ll say I used a combination of physical and emotional techniques to make you feel things that aren’t real.”

  “What I feel for you is none of their business.”

  Nazerel shrugged then finger-combed his hair back from his face. “I doubt Elias will agree. He might even insist that you need to be deprogramed.”

  She straightened, her breasts bobbing just below the water’s surface. “Then I’ll tell him I’ve learned that the government I work for is corrupt and duplicitous. Where I go and with whom I choose to spend my time is now irrelevant because I have no interest in continuing to be their puppet.”

  He finally smiled and held out his hand. “You don’t have to convince me, love. Just be aware that they aren’t going to smile and wish you well.”

  Her expression remained tense, yet she returned to his side of the tub and allowed him to pull her down on top of him. She tried to return to her seated position, but he had something else in mind. He helped her spread out with her back pressed against his front and her head pillowed on his shoulder.

  “My questions got you all wound up. Now I’m going to have to help you relax.”

  “Good luck with that.” She shifted restlessly against him, her ass undulating against his rapidly hardening cock. “This position isn’t conducive to relaxation.”

  “Nonsense.” He drew her arms up. “Grab ahold of my shoulders or lock your fingers behind my neck.” She grabbed his shoulders. He ran his hands down the underside of her a
rms, slowly, moving over her flesh like the water surrounding them. “Close your eyes and stop thinking about anything but the way my hands feel, the heat of my body.” And how much I love you.

  Her sharply indrawn breath assured him she’d heard the declaration. Words of love had gone unspoken between them, yet the emotion was there each time they touched. He cupped one of her breasts and wrapped his other arm around her waist. She remained tense for a moment longer, but gradually relaxed and let her body flow into the contours of his.

  “That’s right. I’ve got you.” He gently circled her nipple until it pebbled against his thumb. “You’re safe with me.” She started to lower her arms, but he growled a warning. “Let go and I’ll stop touching you.”

  “But I want to touch you too.”

  “No.” He splayed his fingers across her belly then slowly pushed his hand downward. “You will accept what I give you.” His middle finger eased between her folds. “Surrender yourself to me.”

  “This is torture,” she whispered, trapped between his skillful finger and the demanding hardness of his cock.

  “Hardly.” He nipped her neck then slid her up along his body so his fingers could reach farther between her thighs. “You’re going to come around my fingers.” He pushed his two middle fingers into her core and rubbed her mound against the heel of his hand. “Then you’re going to stand up and straddle my face so I can lick your sweet pussy.”

  His words had the desired effect. She moaned as her hips rocked, sliding her body along his fingers and grinding her clit against his hand. He shifted his arm to just below her breasts, allowing him greater control over her movements. She rode his fingers with single-minded purpose as her head tossed against his shoulder.

  “Now.” He increased the pressure of his hand. “Come for me now.”

  Her inner muscles gripped his fingers as release throbbed through her body. He prolonged the spasms with the motion of his hand while he drank in her pleasure.

  When the shudders finally stopped, she sat up and reached between his legs.

  “No you don’t.” He caught her wrist and moved her hand back to his shoulder. “I’m not finished with you yet.” He slid down along the lounger until his head was just out of the water. Then he urged her up and around. “Put your knees on my shoulders and brace yourself against the edge of the tub.”

  “I’ll break my neck or drown you—or both,” she cried.

  “I’ll help you.” He pulled her closer and then closer still, guiding her up along the length of his body. Soon she was more or less kneeling on his chest and only her calves remained in the water. “Almost there.” He caught the backs of her knees and pulled her legs apart.

  She gasped then laughed as he stubbornly urged her onward. “Can’t we just…” She was laughing too hard to complete the question.

  Maneuvering one knee onto his shoulder and then placing the other, he soon had her straddling his face. She braced herself against the wall rather than the edge of the tub, but he finally had her where he wanted her.

  His scent was still distinct on her flesh, but her taste was clean and evocative. He traced her slit until she began to rock against his mouth, then he became more demanding. His lips gently sucked and his tongue explored every crease and crevice.

  You’re so sweet. I never tire of your taste.

  She responded with a surge of affection, but was unable to form specific words.

  Thrilled by her obvious arousal, he focused in on her clit, rolling the sensitive nub between his lips and flicking it with his tongue. She jerked and moaned with each caress and he knew she wouldn’t last much longer.

  He’d meant to make her come again before he took her, but his need was simply too great. Moving with nanite-augmented speed, he slid out from under her, spun toward her then surged into her rippling passage from behind.

  She cried out as the sudden fullness pushed her over the edge and her knees slid down to rest on the seat of the lounger. He adjusted the angles of their bodies, bending her forward and pulling her hips up. She grasped the rim of the tub and braced for his next thrust.

  “There is nothing better than feeling you come around my cock.”

  She tightened her inner muscles and matched his next stroke. “Except for when you come too.”

  Unable to argue with that, he grasped her hip with one hand and her shoulder with the other, keeping his thrusts deep and strong. His primal nature was fully roused, yet his earlier release gave him more control than he’d thought possible.

  He showered her with affection as he passionately claimed her body. Their spirits meshed as their bodies melded, creating a joining more intimate than most humans would ever know.

  “You are my morautu,” he whispered into her ear. “My chosen mate. I will protect you with my last breath and dedicate my life to making you happy.”

  “I love you too.” He hadn’t expected the words, but they thrilled him to the marrow of his bones. And better yet, she wasn’t finished. “I want to spend each day at your side and each night in your bed. I want to grow old with you. Share my entire life with you.”

  He was so consumed with emotion that he had to see her face. Momentarily separating their bodies, he spun her around then lifted her to the rim of the tub above the bench. He knelt on the bench and she wrapped her legs around his hips, drawing her back into her waiting heat.

  They moaned in unison, their mouths finding each other as their bodies resumed passion’s dance. He steadied her hips as he thrust between her thighs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with incendiary hunger.

  Her urgency made him more demanding, made him wild. He caught the back of one of her knees and raised her leg up and out, allowing him to reach even deeper into her body. The angle finally aligned his cock with the sweet spot deep inside her body. She tore her mouth from his and cried out sharply, her inner muscles clenching rhythmically.

  Even knowing she’d just come, he couldn’t stop. He filled her again and again, hitting her G-spot at the apex of each stroke. She came again, head thrown back and eyes tightly closed. She surrendered completely, nearly limp in his arms as he drove them to one final peak.

  With her leg still draped over his arm, he grabbed her ass and thrust his entire length deep into her body. He crushed her to his chest and reclaimed her mouth as their bodies pulsed as one. Pleasure and emotion rolled across their link, completing them as nothing else could.

  For a long time they just clung to each other, unable to speak, barely remembering to breathe. Then his lips moved against hers, the kiss slow and tender.

  “No matter what happens tomorrow, know that—”

  She cut off his words with her mouth and saturated his mind with affection. “Nothing can keep us apart. Nothing. We’ll face this together and then live our lives as we were meant to live, together.”

  He wanted it just as much as she did, but he was a realist. The Ontarians would want their pound of flesh, as would the humans. They had one last battle to fight before they could claim their future. At least, as she said, they would fight the battle together.

  Chapter Thirteen

  City of Tears

  Three weeks later

  Morgan sat in the observer gallery of the meeting hall in which the tribunal would soon convene. As Nazerel had predicted, they’d been ripped from each other’s arms moments after arriving on Ontariese. Even Varrik had seemed embarrassed by the aggressive actions, but Lor had overseen their arrival personally and he had no intention of losing his prisoner yet again.

  The hall was long and narrow with a dramatically arched ceiling supported by exposed timbers. The beams had been intricately carved and highly polished, which seemed odd for a room that hosted military meetings. In fact many of the buildings within the City of Tears seemed needlessly ornate. When Morgan asked Echo about the contradiction, she explained that the City of Tears had once been a leisure colony. Then the Great Conflict made military instillations more important than high-end vaca
tion destinations, so the facility had been repurposed.

  “You doing okay?”

  Morgan looked up as Echo slipped into the chair beside her. They had the observation gallery to themselves though the main floor was filled to capacity. Only military personnel were allowed on the main floor, which was why she was sitting in the balcony.

  “Never better,” she grumbled.

  “Never mind the dark circles under your eyes and the worry lines etched into your brow?” She placed her arm around Morgan and gave her a squeeze. “This will all be over soon.”

  Every molecule Morgan possessed hoped that Echo was right. The past three weeks had been the longest and most miserable of her life. She’d endured endless hours of questioning, not just by Elias, but by Lor dar Joon. Nazerel had informed Lor that he didn’t require representation, but he would only state his case for the entire tribunal. Exasperated by the brushoff, Lor had focused on her, but she’d been just as frustrating as Nazerel. She calmly answered each of his questions. He just didn’t like her answers.

  Elias had been a bit more understanding, however, he was still convinced that Nazerel had influenced or compelled her into loving him. It had all be tiresome and predictable.

  Silence rolled across the assembly as the members of the tribunal entered from a door to one side of the dais on which they would sit. Each person who addressed them would stand at the podium facing the platform while they could see the speaker as well as the audience. They obviously understood the advantage of power positions.

  Most tribunals were officiated by a three-member panel. Only those cases involving a possible death sentence required the full five members. This morning’s panel would be made up of Lor, Elias and Overlord Lyrik. Morgan had heard many things about Overlord Lyrik but this was the first time she had seen him. He was younger than she’d imagined, and infinitely more attractive. Overlord had brought to mind a bushy beard, grizzled hair and battle-scared face. Lyrik’s hair was long, but golden blonde and he’d pulled the strands back into a thick braid. He also had a beard, yet it was closely clipped and accented his strong jawline. His exact eye color was lost to the distance separating them, but they were light, likely blue or green.