Alien Savior (Zerconian Warriors Book 5) (17 page)

“You can’t be with me every second of every day.”

“No, but I can feel you. I can know you are safe.”

“Through the bond?”

“Yes. But I will teach you how to build those walls. I know you value your privacy and I only want you to be happy.”

She wanted the same, but the thought of him in her mind all the time made her feel uneasy.

Willa stretched, preparing for her workout. Across the room, Zuma was cooling down.

Darac was on duty, giving her a rare moment alone. His possessive side had grown since their mating. She hadn’t thought he could become more protective.

They had dropped off Frederick and his cousin and collected the rest of their credits two days ago. They were less than two days from Joyadan.

“Want to spar?” Deacon asked, walking into the work-out area.

She studied him. “Hmm, I don’t know. Reckon you can take me?”

He snorted. “Anytime, pipsqueak. Anytime.”

She moved onto the mat then crooked her fingers at Deacon.

Deacon let out a low noise as he rushed forward. He kicked out. She spun away. Not quick enough, his foot glanced off her thigh, and she stumbled slightly. He came at her, a fast flurry of kicks and fists. She blocked him and ducked. Occasionally she wasn’t fast enough. Each blow he landed made her bones ache, pain swimming through her body.

She’d feel this tomorrow.

She dropped to the floor and swung her legs out, tripping him. As he stumbled back, she jumped to her feet. A familiar roar reverberated through the room. She froze, watching on in shock as Deacon rose into the air, his feet dangling.

Behind him, holding him without a hint of strain, stood Darac. He roared again.

She stuck her fingers in her ears. When he quieted down, she pulled them out, giving him a quelling look. “Have you heard of using your inside voice?” she asked, hoping she sounded much calmer than she felt.

Her heart pounded furiously as she watched Darac. His face was cold, merciless. His eyes glowed red. She forced herself to meet his gaze.

Shit.

Zuma moved over, watching Darac closely.

He dropped Deacon to the ground, looming over him. Deacon lay on the ground, not moving. Wise choice. Even she could see that Darac was just waiting for an excuse to pounce.

Okay. She was the only one who had a chance of getting through to him.

She stepped forward. “Hey! Beast man. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“He hurt you.”

“Like a broken record, isn’t he?” Zuma joked, moving closer. He gestured towards Deacon. She nodded, telling him she got it. He would take care of Deacon.

While she got Darac.

Yeah, that sounded like a fair trade.

“We were sparring, Darac. I asked him to fight with me.”

The muscles in his neck were tense, his whole body straining. She couldn’t tell if he was listening to her at all.

“Darac! You listening to me?” She gave him a shove. Or at least she tried to. It was like trying to shove a small building. He glared down at Deacon, who was slowly moving away. “Don’t look at him. Look at me. You need to calm down.”

“Hit you.”

“Sparring. We were exercising. You do that with your friends, right? Mila told me you like to fight with each other to release aggression. That’s all this was.”

“I do not fight women.”

“No? Well, I think we’ve established I’m not like other women you know. The question is, can you take me as I am? Or are you constantly going to be trying to change me? ‘Cause this shit is getting old, real old.”

Deacon stood, moving back slowly. Darac turned to growl at him.

“Stop that! You can’t keep growling at anyone who touches me, Darac. It’s insulting. I can take care of myself. The sooner you get that through your thick skull, the better.”

With an irritated huff, she turned and stormed off.

Darac stared after Willa, feeling confused.

Deacon whistled. “You really pissed her off.”

“You were hurting her.” He still felt like removing the other man’s head from his shoulders.

You cannot. Willa would be mad.

“No. We were sparring. She’s right. You’re holding her to your standards, how you believe she should act, and you’re not seeing her. Willa is who she is. I happen to think she’s great the way she is. Bet she wishes you did as well.”

“I do not wish her to change.”

“Don’t you? You don’t wish that she’d let you protect her? That she’d give up her job here, move to Zerconia with you, maybe have a child, stay at home and look after your house?”

“No!” He didn’t, did he? “I know that Willa enjoys what she does.” Had he been trying to change her into something he wanted? “Life would be easier if she did as I told her.”

Deacon snorted. “Said every male in the universe at one stage. But you love someone for who they are, not what we think they should be. Stop trying to mold her into what you want and start loving who she is.”

“And how do I protect her if she is determined to risk herself?”

“You’ll find a way. You compromise. Find a middle ground you can both live with.”

“I apologize for my reaction. I hope I did not hurt you.” He held his hand out to help the other man up.

“Yeah, no worries. Remind me not to choose you as a sparring partner, huh?” As he left, Deacon smacked him on the back.

Darac took a deep breath. Deacon was right. He had been trying to change her. Not because he didn’t love her but because he loved her so damn much he lived in fear of losing her.

He moved towards their bedroom. They’d moved his mattress into her room when everyone else was asleep, making a larger bed on the floor. It was their haven. She was his haven. His savior.

“Willa?” he asked as he stepped inside.

“In here,” she called from the bathroom. He sat on the chair and waited. She stepped out.

“So,” she said, leaning against the doorway.

“I apologize. I jumped to conclusions.”

“Yes, you did. Darac?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love me?” she asked.

It was a punch to the stomach. Didn’t she know? Hadn’t he told her? No, he realized. He hadn’t.

“Yes. I love you.”

“I love you too. But I can’t keep living like this.”

His heart beat harder, a sick feeling developing in his stomach. Did she want to leave him? “What are you saying?”

“I guess it’s natural to have teething problems, especially considering we didn’t know each other well when we mated. We have to establish some sort of compromise. Some rules.”

“Rules?”

“I need my independence. I am who I am. I can’t change. I know that you wish I would let you protect me, that I would be happy with a quieter, safer life, but I feel smothered.”

“I am sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I get that I’m not what you bargained for in a mate.” She attempted a smile, but he could see the way her lips trembled. “I don’t always know what to say or how to act. I’m more comfortable with machines than people. But I want us to work, Darac. Because I love you more than anything.”

“Then you do not want to leave me?”

“No.” Her eyes widened, shocked. “No. Never.”

“Whatever you need I will do my best to provide.” He could do nothing else, all he wanted was her happiness.

She moved over and sat on his lap. “What we need.”

“Yes, what we need.”

“So what would it take for you not to worry every time I am out of your sight?”

“I have been so obvious?”

“When we at that port on Tarra, you tried to follow me into the bathroom.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, oh. And I know you watch me sleep at night. That’s kind of creepy.”

“I apologize.”

She patted his chest, giving him a gentle smile. “Would it help if I took down my shields?”

He stilled. “You need them to retain privacy.”

“If this means I get to go to the bathroom on my own, then I think it’s a step up on the privacy scale.”

He let out a long breath. “Yes. That would help.”

“I promise, Darac. I’m not going to take unnecessary risks. But you have got to let me be myself. I’m tough. I’m well-trained, and I’m a scrapper. I might not be a hulking huge beast man, but I can look after myself.”

“I will try to remind myself of that when those overprotective urges come over me.”

“And I’ll try not to freak out when you read my thoughts. Now, we get to the best part of having a fight.”

“That was a fight?” he asked as she stood.

She shrugged then peeled off her t-shirt. “Well, if it wasn’t a fight then there is no need for hot, make-up sex.”

“Fights end in joining?” Now this was a human custom he could get fully behind.

“Uh-huh.” She grinned as she reached for her pants. “Now, what is it, fight or no fight?”

“Oh, this was definitely a fight. A big one. We need a lot of made-up joining.”

She giggled as she stripped completely bare. “Make-up not made-up; that would be no fun.” She straddled him, kissing him gently.

Darac knew his worry over something happening to her had eroded his good sense. He still had a lot to learn when it came to having a mate. Particularly a human mate.

But he would do whatever it took to make her happy.

She dropped from his lap, and knelt between his legs. She reached for his pants, pulling and tugging. Darac stood and tore off his top then his pants.

“Damn, that’s hot.” She reached for his rod, surrounding it with her hand. The feel of her hand, so silken and smooth, against his heated flesh made his head swim.

He reached for her, intending to pull her up but she shook her head.

“Sit down. I want to taste you.”

He froze. “You wish to taste me?”

“Yes, now sit. I’m in charge right now.”

He sat, riveted by the way she licked her lips as she stared at his rod. Leaning in, she took the tip of him into her mouth, up and down in small movements. She squeezed her hand around the base of his shaft. Then she moved her hand down to his balls, cupping them gently, squeezing ever so slightly as she licked her way from the base of his shaft to the top.

Suddenly, she took him deep, sucking strongly. He let out a yelp, nearly coming right then. How was it that she affected him so deeply? His balls tightened, pleasure building through his body as she moved up and down his cock, growing faster and faster until he erupted. A storm of pleasure thrashed through him, and he held onto the chair beneath him, needing to anchor himself.

Breathing heavily, he watched as she sat back, a satisfied smile curving her lips.

“Now my turn,” he told her. He pulled her up and quickly tugged at her pants, dragging them down her legs. Then he stood and sat her on the chair in his place, kneeling between her legs. He spread her legs wide then parted the lips of her pussy, just staring.

“Darac!”

“Yes, my own?”

“Stop staring at me and do something.”

“I cannot help it. I love watching you.”

“Yeah, kind of got that. But if you don’t move then I’m going to take matters into my own hands.”

He sat back on his heels. “That would be interesting. Show me.”

“I was joking.” She couldn’t do that in front of him.

“But we are mated. We share all.”

“Ah, no. We do not. There are some things you don’t need to see. Like me going to the bathroom, for instance. That is not something we need to share.”

“Please.”

Oh hell.

“It’s not sexy,” she protested.

“Yes. It is.” He cupped her face. “But I do not want you to feel awkward or embarrassed.” He kissed her. Fire flicked through her veins.

He moved down her body, kissing as he went, taking her nipple into his mouth. He sucked strongly until she let out a low whimper. He dropped down until his mouth was next to her pussy. He drew her lips apart again, breathing against her. Warm breath tickled her clit. Teasing her. Tormenting her.

“Darac. Please.” She wasn’t above begging. Whatever it took to get him to ease the ache bombarding her.

He slowly licked at her pussy, covering every inch, then suddenly he thrust his tongue deep and she let out a loud cry, reaching for his hair, tangling her fingers through it.

“Hold the chair and do not let go.”

“Darac!”

“Do it now or I do not continue.”

“You’re a bastard. You know that?”

He gave her a wicked grin. Damn, his smile had the power to send her to her knees. Probably because he rarely smiled. Or he rarely had before they had mated. “But I am your bastard, yes?”

“Yeah, baby. You’re all mine. My very own, crazy beast man.”

She grasped hold of the chair, desperately needing something to cling to as he expertly played her until she was a gasping, limp mess, her body shuddering with every pulse of her orgasm.

Darac grabbed her, pulling her down onto the mattress and holding her close. When her thoughts managed to find their way back into her head, she leaned up on one elbow and looked down at him.