Defender (Battle Born Book 4) (26 page)

“He can be intense,” Chandar admitted feeling defensive of her mate. “But he has a softer side.”

“That he only shows to you. The rest of us have never seen it.” Indigo hooked her elbow around Chandar’s as they started back through the cavern. “And you didn’t answer my question. Are you and Grumpy-face mates or is this just temporary.”

“I can answer that.” Raina waved away the question. “If he hasn’t claimed her yet, it’s only a matter of time. They are clearly meant to be together.”

Not wanting to continue the awkward conversation, Chandar said, “We’re official. He anchored the mating bond last night.”

“Congratulations.” Indigo paused to give her an enthusiastic hug. “And no wonder Garin wanted to give Raylon some time alone. I remember what it was like while Zilor and I were forming the bond. We couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

“It’s been almost four hours,” Chandar grumbled. “How much sleep does he need?” Raina and Indigo both burst out laughing and soon Chandar joined the levity. “How long will this…hunger last? We’re both pretty useless right now.”

“The first three days are the hardest. Then it gets better gradually.” Raina led them through the dank sublevel containing long, narrow pools of nutrient-rich liquid. The liquid circulated through the massive plant trays in the gardens above and the excess dripped into the pools. Despite its huge scale and multi-level design, the system was simple and required minimal supervision.

“If you happen to escape my watchful eye while I’m engrossed in gossip with Raina, I won’t come after you.” Indigo winked at Chandar then nodded toward the door leading to the corridor.

“She’s not supposed to roam around unescorted and you know it,” Raina pointed out.

“
Unmated
females aren’t allowed anywhere without an escort. Chandar’s an old mated female just like us.” Indigo paused then shifted from troublemaker into therapist mode. “Raina’s right. We better take you back.”

“I can find my way,” Chandar objected. “There are only two turns between here and the express tunnel.”

Indigo shook her head. “Your navigational skills aren’t the issue. Garin trusted me with your safety. I can’t screw this up.”

So her chatty companions walked with her as far as the courtyard, then waved her on with naughty smiles.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t,” Indigo teased.

Raina laughed. “That eliminates all restrictions.”

Indigo slapped her arm then whispered something that made her laugh even harder but Chandar didn’t stick around to decipher their antics. She stepped in front of Raylon’s door and smiled when her facial scan triggered the door. Raylon had given her access to his suite after their first night together. The simple privilege still made her feel special, accepted.

She slipped off her shoes just inside the door and crept across the outer room. The door to the bedroom was ajar, so she eased it inward and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. A thin ribbon of light circled the room, providing just enough illumination to keep the occupants from tripping over the furniture.

Raylon sprawled across the bed on his stomach, the sheet tangled around his hips. His torso was bare, but he generally wore the underwear issued with his uniform. She’d seen him naked repeatedly, so why did the sight of him half-naked have her heart thumping in her chest? Even asleep he looked strong and dangerous, but she never felt safer than when she was in his arms.

With a dreamy smile curving her lips, she slipped out of her robes and draped them across the back of a chair. Her undergarments and footwear followed and soon she stood beside the bed naked, pulse racing. Heat curled through her body and her core melted, anticipating the intimacies they’d soon share. Her ghosts were vanquished. She no longer feared that memories would interfere with anything she and Raylon did together. Their psychic link filled her mind with emotions and sensations, transforming physical acts into something spiritual. Their love transported her to a realm without nightmares. Even in her mind that sounded foolish, but each time they touched the phenomenon became more real.

Her gaze drifted down along his body as she imagined one pleasure they’d yet to share. Well, actually he’d shared it with her, but she had yet to share it with him. She wanted to touch him,
taste
him, to know his body as well as he knew hers. With that goal in mind, she eased the covers down to the foot of the bed. She’d been wrong. He was naked beneath the covers and her fingers itched to explore all the muscular flesh spread before her. Gods he was glorious, so lean and powerful.

Careful not to jostle him, she sat on the edge of the bed and began her exploration. She ran her hand from the nape of his neck to the base of his spine. He stirred restlessly and murmured her name. Even in sleep she was with him, drifting through his dreams. She grew a bit bolder, cupping one ass cheek and giving the sculpted flesh a firm squeeze.

He rolled over and blinked into the darkness. “I thought Indigo took you away.” He sounded adorably sleepy and slightly confused.

“I’m back. Did you miss me?”

He caught her wrist and brought her hand to his groin. “You tell me.” He pressed her palm against his hardened length and she curled her fingers around his thickness. “I need you more than sleep.”

She stroked him, thrilled by the desire flowing into her mind. He felt hot and hard sliding against her fingers and she wanted a closer look. Before she could indulge her curiosity, he reached up with both hands and pulled her down for a hot, hard kiss. His fear of hurting her or scaring her had obviously vanished for good. He was a fierce, demanding warrior and she didn’t want him to hold back.

He let her play for a minute or two while he plundered her mouth with his tongue. But when he tried to sweep her beneath him, she wiggled out of his grasp. “Not yet. I want something else first.”

“All I have is yours.” His phitons flashed with green fire and need surged across their link. Her body responded with a shower of tingles. He wanted her badly and still he controlled the demands of his body to bring her greater pleasure.

Empowered by his surrender, she folded her legs beneath her and crawled closer to his hip.

“Chandar, you don’t have to do that. I know they—”

She pressed her fingers against his lips, silencing him. “There is no one in this bed but me and you. I want to do this.” She trailed her fingers down his chest then across his rippling abdomen. Her other hand still held his cock near the base, so she bent and circled his tip with her tongue. “You’re my mate and I want to know your taste.”

He groaned as her words filed him with need. His thighs tensed, released, then tensed again. She stroked him slowly as her lips closed around the flared head of his cock. He held perfectly still, or tried and failed to remain motionless. His hips rose, pushing him deeper into her mouth. She inhaled slowly, refusing to allow memories to taint this experience for her, for them. This was Raylon, her mate, her love. Nothing and no one would intrude on their joining ever again.

Suddenly he grabbed her hips and pulled her over and on top of him. She tried to protest around the considerable obstacle in her mouth, but he was deaf to her objections. Soon she straddled his head and his mouth covered her slit while his hands moved over her back and sides.

She should have realized he wouldn’t lie there and passively accept pleasure. He was a man of action. It was his basic nature to control. Once she understood the purpose for the position, she relaxed and tried to concentrate on what she was doing. His tongue teased her slit and he gently sucked on her folds, each caress a wicked, wonderful distraction.

Working him with her hand and her mouth, she tried her best to make him lose control. But he was more skilled and she was powerless to resist the tantalizing swirl of his tongue. Lust and tenderness twisted through her being, making her dizzy.

He pushed his tongue into her core, triggering the first ripples of her orgasm. She groaned around his shaft then bobbed her head up and down, desperate to take him with her. His clever lips closed around her clit and sucked just hard enough to shatter her composure. She cried out, shuddering violently as pleasure inundated her senses and filled her mind.

Before she could recover enough to protest, he flipped her onto her back and turned around so they were face-to-face. “I wanted to finish you with my mouth,” she murmured.

“Next time. I need this more.” He caught the backs of her knees and opened her legs so he could kneel between her thighs. Then his cock thrust into her core as his being surged within her mind.

She gave herself over to the intensity, surrendering to her mate. He moved with strong, deep thrusts, filling her completely. She stared into his eyes, drunk on the emotions they shared. Urgency tightened his features, but his gaze remained soft and dreamy.

Drawing her legs up against his sides, she no longer needed the support of his hands and he took full advantage of the freedom. He caressed her hips and ass, her breasts and belly, all the while shuttling in and out of her body.

Her second orgasm hit without warning. She cried out and arched into his next thrust, but he didn’t seem to notice. He kept rocking into her and sliding over her as his hands moved to either side of her head. Her desire simmered while his boiled, which allowed her to watch him, to experience their joining from his perspective. His features twisted, nearly savage, as his need for her consumed everything else. It was hot and overwhelming, violent yet tender—uniquely Raylon.

He gasped and trembled, stubbornly fighting off his climax. She didn’t understand his motivation until he slipped his hand between their bodies and found her clit with his fingertip.

“Together,” he insisted and her body obeyed.

His finger strummed over her clit while his hips picked up speed. She opened her mind and saturated herself with his emotions, rapidly accelerating her arousal to match his. Their bodies ground together, desperate for release. He clutched her to his chest and his mouth captured her cry. She arched and he shuddered, then pleasure flowed so freely through their entwined bodies and across their link that it was impossible to tell where each sensation originated.

They kissed and caressed, slowly drifting back to reality. “Much more refreshing than sleep.” He whispered the words against her damp lips and she smiled.

“Do you have to go back to work now or can we shower together?”

Raylon carefully separated their bodies and rolled to Chandar’s side. He was content and sated and he’d like nothing more than to drift back to sleep with his mate wrapped in his arms. “What time is it?”

“Almost two.”

He sighed. “I need to at least check-in with Garin.” After pausing for another lingering kiss, he swung his legs over the side and crawled out of bed. Chandar rolled to her stomach and bent her knees, her legs crossed at the ankle. Her chin rested on her folded arms and she watched him silently. She lay nearly sideways across the bed, her sleek body and tousled hair like the irresistible call of some ancient sorceress. “How am I supposed to give a shit about anything else when you look like that?”

She smiled and her silver phitons shimmered. “Then come back to bed.” Before he could respond to her temptation, she held up her hand. “Hold on. Danvier just pinged me.” Her expression turned vacant and her gaze dulled as she conversed with her brother. When she came out of the trance, her features reanimated, but her expression appeared grim.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, except our romantic evening will have to wait.” She left the bed and headed for the bathroom, obviously intending him to follow. “They have Haven, and Vox will be here shortly with a device that will allow us to track the
Relentless
.”

They showered together, but only to save time. Within minutes, they were dressed and jogging to the new command center on the top tier of the commerce district. Garin had agreed to meet them there.

“Can Danvier sense what we’re doing?” Raylon asked as they waited for Garin to join them. “That’s twice he’s contacted you moments after we finished.”

“He’d been trying for a while, but the signal didn’t penetrate until I lowered my privacy shield.”

He wasn’t sure how that worked. Still, he was relieved that Danvier couldn’t sense their intimate moments. “Did the rescue go smoothly?”

“It sounded like Haven was cooperative until she realized they weren’t taking her back to Integration Guild headquarters.”

“They’re bringing her here?” Danvier and Vox had solidified their plans on the way to Rodymia, so Raylon wasn’t aware of the details.

“Apparently so. Was that not what Garin wanted?”

“I’m not sure.” He motioned toward Garin who had just reached the doorway to the conference room. “Let’s ask him.”

Garin stepped into the room and closed the door, then activated audio dampeners. “Did Chandar have another vision?” Raylon hadn’t told Garin what they needed, just that they had news.

Anxious energy crackled in the room and none of them moved toward the table. They stood facing each other as Chandar explained, “Danvier and Vox have Haven. Despite her vigorous protesting, Danvier is bringing her here. Vox, apparently, has been given a device that will allow us to track the
Relentless
. He’s going to teleport here rather than waiting for the ship to bring him.”

“Haven just happened to have the exact device we need, what in her pocket?” Garin asked, clearly suspicious about the development. “Isn’t that a little too convenient?”

“Danvier didn’t go into details. You’ll have to ask Vox.”

They didn’t have long to wait. Kotto escorted Vox into the room a few minutes later. Garin clasped arms with Vox then motioned everyone toward the table. “Where’s Ulrik?” Garin asked.

“He’s wandering about the outpost,” Kotto told him. “Do you want him here?”

“Just the opposite. I don’t want him to know anything about this mission until it’s over. If we fail—which I’m not expecting—he doesn’t need to know we tried. He’s starting to come around and I don’t want his temper to compromise our progress.”