Chapter Six
The doctor gave Alex a mild sedative and placed him into the same tanning bed look-alike that had healed Anna’s injuries before. She was reluctant to leave him, but the doctor assured her Alex would be well watched after and any injuries he had sustained would be completely repaired. Still, she refused to go far. Kahn did manage to get her into a lounge of sorts equipped with a food dispenser and a couch.
After getting her a cold drink, Kahn sat down with an arm around Anna and said, “Don’t worry. He’ll be all right.”
“I can’t help it, Kahn. I just got him back and I’m so afraid I’m going to lose him again.” Staring at her untouched cup, she sounded bleak even to her own ears.
“Anna, look at me.” When she complied he said, “No matter what, no matter who tries to say differently, I swear to you on my life and the life of my family and my people, I will never let anyone take Alex from you or harm him in any way. You’re my mate, Anna. Your family is mine as mine is yours.”
“I’ve not consented to be your mate. I’m still upset over my arrival here.” Anna pouted but she wasn’t really mad. Her heart rejoiced that he still spoke in the permanent sense.
Kahn chuckled. “You’re my mate whether you want to be or not. The Universe has already decided for us. Your only choice is whether or not you choose to stay with me.”
“Oh, Kahn.” She loved him, she really did. But there were still some considerations. Unfortunately, Kahn was intent on distracting her from dealing with those issues. He placed a gentle kiss just below her ear, then sucked the lobe into his mouth and nibbled just a bit.
“Now,” he said between kisses as he made his way down her neck and moved a hand to the buttons of her blouse. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Um, Kahn…” She breathed his name gently, her mind and body turning eagerly to the pleasures he was offering. “I can’t stay here. On Gothe’mar. Oh heavens don’t stop that!” The only thing separating his hand from her taut nipple was the lace of her bra.
“And why is that, tarae ?” His voice sent chills down her back and heat coiling in her belly. She was sorely tempted to simply let him take her however he wanted.
“Because you’re going to be a king.” She was rapidly beginning to lose her ability to carry on any sort of intelligent conversation.
Kahn pulled back to look at her. “Now why would that make you want to leave? I would have thought any Earth girl would want to be a queen.” He smiled teasingly.
“Kahn, I can’t change what I am. I’m not Gothe’maran. Even though your people aren’t the bloodthirsty savages I once believed, I don’t think that they would accept me as the wife of their king. I might be happy for a while, but seeing you and Alex both miserable wouldn’t be worth it.”
“You’ve heard several of my people agree with Mikkril, haven’t you?”
“It’s pretty hard to miss.”
Kahn traced circles on the expanse of soft flesh left bare by the modest length skirt he had slid up her thigh. “Did you happen to notice all the ones who were determined to make sure you were unharmed when you rushed after your son?”
“What?” Anna was genuinely perplexed.
“All the soldiers you had to push your way through to get to me and Alex after I killed Mikkril.” He waved his free hand in the air for emphasis.
“Well, yes. But I thought they were going after you.”
“Did it look like I needed their help?” He sounded and felt almost offended.
Anna couldn’t help but giggle. “You were doing pretty well on your own, but they were your warriors. It only stands to reason they would follow you.”
“And did you happen to notice that the majority of them were forming a defensive ring around you, not trying to find an opening to help me?”
“Well, now that you mention it…”
“Anna, the people of Gothe’mar are more adaptable than even I realized. We guard our loved ones zealously and my family has ruled for over a thousand years. Not because the line was unbroken, but because the people loved us enough to allow it. We’ve always held our honor above all else and did the right thing, no matter the personal cost.
“My father and I had a long talk while you slept.” He took a breath. “I’m not sure how to explain all this to you, but I’ll do my best.
“It is a Gothe’maran belief that each soul has one true mate. Each life, the souls seek out one another in hopes of mating yet again. The problem is, there is no predicting where in all the Universe one soul will find the other, therefore the odds of finding one’s soul’s mate are extremely low. But --” he lifted a finger to punctuate his point, “-- if the souls do manage to find each other, they create a bond like you and I share. The more lives they spend together, the stronger the bond becomes.
“Usually, it takes several years of being with a mate before the bond starts to manifest itself. The more lives spent together, the quicker the bond is established. We shared a bond from the moment we first saw each other. According to my father, there has only been one other couple in living memory to have accomplished such a thing: he and my mother.
“It is one of the reasons my family has ruled as long as they have. The very foundation of this belief demands that the ruling family be true to each other. The very fact that we are soul’s mates guarantees Gothe’mar will accept our union.”
“Just how do we go about proving such a thing? Surely everyone won’t just take our word for it.” Anna was enchanted, yet still a bit skeptical.
Kahn chuckled and brushed her nipple through the lace again, lazily. “In part, yes. But should there be a challenge, we will have to prove our link. A simple matter really.
“Anyone wishing to challenge our mating may do so. Once a challenge is made, the couple and the challenger must go to the Chamber of Souls. The Chamber houses souls awaiting rebirth and they alone can attest the validity of the claim of mates.” Kahn tucked his fingers under her bra to gently pinch her nipple, eliciting a groan from her. “What you are forgetting is that Gothe’mar is home to a race of people who value honor above all else. If the people questioned my honor, I would not be accepted as king in the first place. With Mikkril’s disgrace and conviction, there is no one who would question my honor.”
Anna’s senses were beginning to overload again. She loved what he was doing to her body and was not ashamed to let him know. She purred and stretched against him, inviting him to do more. He was only too happy to oblige.
Kahn sank to his knees before her, wrapping his arms around her middle, and took her taut nipple into his mouth through the lace of her bra. Anna’s fingers twined in his hair, hugging him to her as she whimpered in need.
“Feel good, tarae ?”
“Oh yes. Sweet God, yes!”
He grunted his approval as his clever fingers found the clasp and unhooked the lacy scrap, pulling it away to reveal the creamy treasures before him. He buried his face between her breasts and kneaded them softly as he occasionally lapped and nipped each ripe peak.
Anna knew the pleasure he could give her and surrendered to it. He would take care of her. He would take care of her and Alex. Everything was going to be fine. She smiled as she hugged him to her. Everything was going to be fine. Except…
“Kahn?” Her voice was a squeak as he started moving down her belly, gently pushing her into a more reclined position as he did so.
“Hum?” His slide southward didn’t hesitate in the least, even when he reached her skirt. He simply pushed it past her hips and slid her panties to the side. Slowly, he swiped his tongue from her opening to her clit.
“You said your family… dear God, what are you doing?”
Kahn circled her anus with his tongue before sliding one finger gently inside. “Making love to you, sweet. Now what were you going to say?”
His voice was annoyingly calm and Anna puffed a breath of air upwards, causing a tendril of hair that had fallen over her forehead to stir. How could he be so calm when he had her tied in knots?
Kahn looked up at her and smiled. “A warrior’s control is almost limitless.”
Anna snorted. “We’ll have to see about that,” she said as she squeezed his finger with her inner muscles. “Just how in control would you be if your cock was buried there instead of your finger?” Their link flashed with heated lust and so did his eyes. Anna smiled wickedly.
“Say what you will so that I can take what you so generously offered.” If talking dirty to him was the key to his lust, then Anna figured she was going to have loads of fun in the future. The not-too-distant future from the looks of things.
“You said your family has ruled for a thousand years. Do you mean passed down from father to son?”
“In most cases, yes.” Kahn slid another finger into her ass and idly circled her clit with his thumb. “If a son is too young or unable to assume rule, an elder sister or uncle is sometimes appointed.”
Anna stilled even though the sensations he was creating were about to drive her crazy with needing him. “What if a king can’t have a son?”
Kahn shrugged. “Such has never happened. I don’t think a man has ever sat on the throne who wasn’t capable of producing an heir.”
“What if it wasn’t the king, but his wife? What if she couldn’t have children?” Her desire was waning. She wasn’t going to cry. No way. If this was the end, then she’d take what he wanted to give her and pleasure him in return, but she would leave. She would not tie him into a marriage that could not produce an heir to a thousand-year heritage.
Kahn stopped the slow play of his fingers. “Anna, love. What are you trying to say?”
“You know what I’m getting at.” She shoved him away, but he only leaned into her.
“Why is this bothering you? It does not even apply.”
“Of course it does! Kahn, let me up.”
“No. Not until you say what is in your heart, Anna.”
“Can’t you tell?” she asked, almost bitterly. “You seem to have a pretty good grasp on this thing between us. Tell me what I’m thinking.”
“All right.” Kahn didn’t move an inch. His face became blank as he looked intently at her. “You think to leave me because you can’t have children. You think that tradition will ultimately be more important to my people than the happiness of their future king. You think --” He paused, capturing her chin and turning it back to him when she looked away. “You think that I will become bitter or dissatisfied because I will not father a child to ascend the throne when I give it up.”
“Okay. So you summed that up nicely.”
“Have you learned nothing about me?” he said softly, and Anna caught the hurt in him.
“I know you love me, Kahn. But this is serious stuff.”
“First of all, if it had been that important to me, I could have fixed your reproductive system when you were injured upon your arrival here. I could also have had the doctor repair the problem that made you have a difficult delivery of Alex in the first place.”
Anna sucked in a breath. “Really?”
“Oh yes. In fact, the doctor at Medical suggested it but I told him not to. If you want that procedure done, it is up to you. But it will be because you want more children, not because you think I need them.” Kahn raised a hand to her mouth when she would have spoken. “Secondly --” His fingers, meant to silence, turned caressing as his gaze lingered on her lips. “I already have a son to take the throne so there is really no need of any of this discussion.”
Anna stilled, truly puzzled. “You never mentioned you had children.”
“I do. He’s a little over two years old, though he has the mind and body of a five-month-old.”
The breath rushed into Anna’s lungs as she stared, not daring to believe what she was hearing. “What?” she whispered.
“Perhaps you’ve met him. His name is Alex and his mother is a hellcat when it comes to his safety so I know nothing will happen to him. If you choose not to become fertile again, I see no reason you should have to.”
Tears overflowed her eyes as she flung her arms around Kahn. He was accepting Alex as his. But what of the Gothe’maran people?
“They will gladly accept him. You’ll see. Everything unfolds as the Universe intends. They will accept him and love him.”
The fingers Kahn had in her anus slid almost free only to be reinserted with a third. His thumb on her clit resumed its lazy circles. “Now. Where were we?”
* * *
For the first time since he met her, Kahn felt Anna give herself fully into his care and he was determined he wouldn’t let her down again. Starting right now. He would love her good and proper this time.
His head dipped to her cunt once again and he tasted her, pulling gently at her engorged clit. The fingers he had embedded within her slid free and he crawled up her body to press his full weight on her. His hand fisted in her hair and he searched her face. “Tell me you want this union, Anna.”
“Yes. I want you.”
“Now and forever?”
“Always,” she breathed.
It only took a swift tug of his breeches and his cock slid free. He rolled off her to his side, maneuvering her so that she rested her back against his chest. Positioning himself at the slick entrance to her pussy, he paused once again.
“Tell me you love me.” It was not a request or a question. He demanded her love.
She smiled. “With all my heart, forbidden or not, I love you with everything that I am.”
He surged forward, groaning as he thrust into her body. Her soft cries were music to his ears as he slowly, but deeply took her. She met his forward push with a backwards one of her own and soon the writhing of her lithe little body made him hunger for more. Harder. Faster. Deeper. He wanted all she had to give him. He wanted to give her all he had to give.
Lifting her leg, he slid down to give himself better leverage and began to thrust in earnest. The sharp, staccato rhythm of flesh slapping flesh was punctuated by her cries of pleasure with each smack. He knew he wouldn’t last long, but he wanted all of her. His body and his link as her mate demanded it. He knew she was on the edge and would soon find her own release, but not yet. He stopped and pulled out.
“Wha -- Kahn, why did you stop? I need…” She was struggling to turn over. She wanted to mount him and bring release to them both, he knew.
“Hold still, tarae .” He pulled his cock back just a little to the entrance of her ass and pushed slightly.
“Kahn. I’m not sure about this.”
“Just relax. You know I’ll make it pleasurable for you.” He kissed her cheek and whispered, “Trust me.”
She relaxed immediately and turned her head to smile at him.
“Push outward with your muscles. Push against me and it will be easier for me to get inside you.”
Anna did as he asked and he slowly entered her. He knew he caused her some discomfort, but he also knew he made her hot. She was even more eager than before, if that was possible.
“That’s it. Let me fuck your sweet ass, just like you wanted it.”
“I did offer, didn’t I?”
Kahn chuckled. Once he had worked himself all the way inside her, his balls resting against her upper thighs, he reached around her and pulled her back to him by her breasts.
“Now. I fuck you.”
And he did. What started as something slow and gratifying turned almost savage in its intensity. Kahn surged into her again and again until sweat slickened his chest and back and ran down his temples.
Anna desperately sought leverage so she could meet him thrust for thrust. Finally, she blindly grabbed his hip and found what she needed.
Their lust was mutual. Each felt the need of the other and it only increased as they reached their climax.
Anna came first. She screamed and bucked, digging her nails into Kahn’s firm ass as she pulled him to her. Kahn’s cock pistoned rapidly until his own orgasm exploded from him in great spurts. He held her, his cock still buried, until the last of his seed was spent.
They lay like that for a time, catching their breath. Then a soft chime interrupted their peaceful afterglow.
“General. There is a problem. You and Ms. Garrett are to report to the Temple Beyond immediately.”
Kahn froze. “Explain,” he barked.
“Mikkril’s son.”
Fucking damnation ! The little bastard was going to try to avenge his father. Of all the idiotic things !
“I would speak with Kazar before this.”
“Not possible, General. He has already entered the Temple Beyond.”
“What is it?” Anna asked tentatively.
“Mikkril’s son, Kazar, is questioning our union. He shares his father’s prejudice. He will not want you in a position to be queen so he seeks to discredit both of us.”
“Maybe you’d better explain this a little better.”
Kahn helped her to her feet, straightening their clothing, then ushered her out the door. He took her to a transportation unit that would take them across the continent to the Temple. Once they were seated and the unit was moving, he began to speak.
“Within the Temple Beyond lies the Chamber of Souls. When a challenge of mates is made, the couple and the challenger enter the chamber. If the couple are true mates, the souls rejoice and the Temple is filled with an amber light as witness to their happiness.” Kahn looked at the rapidly moving scenery, obviously not liking what came next. “The energy needed to do this is drawn from any life within the chamber. The only way to survive is to be joined physically with a mate. Under normal circumstances, the challenger would appear to age a few years at most. But the stronger the connection between mates, the more energy the waiting souls will draw.”
“Hm. Sounds a bit dangerous,” Anna commented.
“It can be. Which is why it is seldom used. And then only when the throne is in question.” He turned to her now. “A link like ours will destroy Kazar. But I’ll just bet there’ll be no talking him out of this.”