Lydia
I run my hand over my stomach. My barely there bump is still, well, there.
Beside me, Deus rumbles with interest. A vast, clawed hand covers mine, spanning my abdomen with ease.
“Filled.” He rasps.
Of course, it hasn’t taken long, after our dance for this to happen. I’m not entirely sure I didn’t get pregnant the first time we were together, and since then my friends have informed me the male Sarkarnii have the conceit they can’t get a female pregnant unless she’s hooked.
Apparently the female Sarkarnii have made it very clear that is not the case at all.
In fact, there are going to be babies galore. Not just me and Deus, not just my human friends but our Sarkarnii warriors too. There are so many baby bumps everywhere you look these days. Especially in our sector, given all the female warriors live in it with us.
Deus nudges at my chin.
“I thought you had a good scent before you were with sarkarnling, but now I can’t get enough of you.” He says, his claws toying with the hem of my dress.
“If you want to mate me, you could wait until we’re somewhere less public.” I suggest.
“I want everyone to know you belong to me and the sarkarnling is of our union.” Deus rumbles.
“I think they know.” I reply, but he’s already nibbling at the skin on my neck and lifting my skirt.
I don’t bother with underwear these days. It gets destroyed far too often. Deus is insatiable and I’m not complaining.
“My Lord.”
Deus groans and looks over his shoulder.
We’re in one of the many clearings within the forest of his sector, one like no other on Vorostor. It is public, although not one which is often frequented by other Sarkarnii. It’s the reason we’ve chosen it for our picnic and other things…
“What is it?” He says, gruffly. “I’m busy.”
“I appreciate your present situation, my Lord.” The female warrior is grinning broadly. “Lord Darax is on the comm for you.”
“Darax is determined to be the death of me, mostly by interrupting my mating time and leaving me with blue balls.” Deus grumbles.
“Hardly.” I point out.
His hand runs over my stomach again, his eyes burning at me. “Could you forgive me for answering this comm, my little ember?”
“If it means no interruptions later,” I raise my eyebrows at the warrior.
She grins back at me. The encouragement I’ve had from the females about Deus is possibly bordering on obsession, but it doesn’t bother my Sarkarnii warlord, so it doesn’t bother me.
Deus holds out his hand for the comm and the warrior places it in between his claws.
“What is it, Darax? I’m busy.” He growls at the screen.
“Mating again? Your cock will drop off.” Darax responds.
“You’re one to talk, isn’t your female with sarkarnling again?”
Darax huffs, I see smoke curl around him, as I grab the comm.
“Is Kerra pregnant?”
Darax stops smoking and gives me a smile with quite a lot of fang.
“She is.” He says happily. “Another sarkarnling.” He has a dreamy look on his face.
Deus takes the comm back.
“Given Lydia has a direct comm to your mate,” he says, “I presume you didn’t interrupt me with this news or to insult me.”
“I thought you’d want to know Driok has tracked down and eliminated the remaining Ulep.” Darax says.
“About time.” Deus growls.
“He also has the agreement of the other species in the galaxy to increase our protective ring to the outskirts in order to avoid further incursions in the future.”
“And the wormhole?”
“We have them under our control, permanently.”
“And does Dalox still want to return to our part of space?”
Darax shakes his head. “He says it’s up to us. We can stay, or we can go. I will be staying.”
“I don’t doubt it. You’ve made a good living here.”
Darax shrugs. “What can I say? I’m good at business. Like you’re good at growing trees.”
“If that’s all you’ve got to say, I will be bidding you good bye.” Deus says, terminating the comm connection.
“Bit rude?”
“He’s my brother, he can’t help but be rude.” Deus says.
“I was going to say…” Deus pulls me into his arms and tosses the comm back to the warrior. “It doesn’t matter.”
“The Ulep is gone, I didn’t have to sacrifice myself to do it, and I have you, filled with a sarkarnling.” Deus says. “All is right with the universe.” He fixes the warrior with a glare. “Providing we get left alone.”
“As you wish, Lord Deus.” She’s grinning again. “Anything you need?”
“Time with my mate, and no one else.” He says through gritted teeth.
For a moment, I think she might be going to push things a little further, but instead she transfers her smile to me and turns on her heel, striding out of the clearing and into the forest, now devoid of carnivorous plants.
“I wonder what you could possible want time alone with me for?” I say, innocently.
“The nova-day I don’t want time alone with you, I suspect will be the very end of my nova-days.” Deus slides his hand under my dress and up my thigh to my apex, and he doesn’t stop there, causing me to gasp out loud.
“And you’re going to be the very death of me.” I murmur as he presses his lips on mine.
“I would much prefer to continue making life with you.” Deus growls. “To fill you with sarkarnling over and over, so I can worship your delicious ripeness.”
“I’m not going to complain about being worshipped, not now, not ever.”
“Then let me begin, little ember, and I will never let it end.”
Thank you so much for reading Deus and Lydia’s story - I hope you enjoyed it, along with the rest of the Fated Mates of the Sarkarnii Warlords series. I certainly had so much fun writing them.
The Sarkarnii will return!