Chapter 12
Ranek
A snarl ripped from his throat as Ranek thrust up into Maya’s tight channel. Her pussy gripped him, and he had to fight to move, making the water around them splash over the pool’s edge.
“Stars! You feel so fucking good,” he growled through gritted teeth.
His words seemed to drive her need higher.
Maya was loud and expressive, and Ranek loved every moment of it. Every squeeze of her tight cunt on his cock was punctuated by a gasp or a sigh. And the breathy screams when he thrust into her were the best sounds he’d ever heard.
He wasn’t worried about predators coming across them while they were locked in their ardor. The entrance was the only way in, and he’d secured that already. She could scream all she wanted.
Hands gripping her hips, he turned his face to the ceiling, jaw tight, and pistoned into her.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and her movements grew wild.
Then her channel was pulsing around his swollen cock, driving all control from him.
Her mouth opened in another scream, but this one was silent as orgasm racked her body.
Fuck! She felt so good.
Ranek gritted his teeth, trying to last, but it was too much. With a roar he came, emptying into her. The cavern vibrated with the sound, and he continued thrusting until the echoes faded.
Maya collapsed, limp on his body, her cheek resting on his chest, just barely above the water.
“You good?” he asked, nuzzling her temple.
“Mmm, more than good.” She closed her eyes and sighed.
Ranek shifted her slightly, supporting her as he slowly eased out of her, letting the natural spring water clean them. They stayed there in the spring, the warmth and minerals sinking into their muscles and working their magic.
He wished the moment could last forever, but soon, Maya’s delicate human skin was starting to wrinkle, and it was time they returned to the mining station to spend the night.
They’d need to be well-rested for the trip tomorrow.
Ranek lifted Maya’s limp and thoroughly sated form out of the water, his eyes scanning the room for Commander Chaos.
The pup was asleep next to the pool, the soft sounds of his snoring audible over the bubbling water.
Stepping out of the pool, the water dripping off their bodies, he made his way to the pup. He carefully tapped the snoring creature with his foot. “Time to go.”
“Wait. Our stuff,” Maya said with a yawn. He’d tired her out.
“I’ll come back for it.”
He started toward the door, and the pup followed.
They moved through the winding tunnels, making their way back to the mining station.
Maya's head rested on his shoulder, eyes closed, a serene smile on her lips, and Ranek felt a tightness in his chest that made it almost hard to breathe. The stale air of the mining station didn’t help; its cold metal walls were a stark contrast to the geothermal heat they'd left behind.
The skin on Maya’s arms pebbled from the sudden change in temperature.
Instead of returning to the infirmary where the grate to the vents was still broken, Ranek continued farther down the corridor.
“Where are we going?” she asked, lifting her head from his shoulder.
“The station supervisor’s room. It is smaller and easier to secure in case Commander Chaos wants to go exploring again.”
“Good idea.” She rested her head back onto his shoulder and closed her eyes.
The room was clearly marked with a plaque, and the door was conveniently open since Ranek had planned to return on his next trip to loot it out.
The first time he’d been here, the bed had been covered with a blanket, and that was covered in a thick layer of dust. He’d carefully removed it, thinking it would be a better place to sleep, but the infirmary with its intact air filtration system and cleansing unit had won out last night.
But right now, being able to secure the room was more important.
He was glad now that there was somewhere soft and clean to place the precious bundle in his arms. The rest of the room was just as cluttered as he’d left it.
A heavy desk dominated the wall, piled high with ledgers and record books.
Several platters from the now-broken food replicator sat stacked in one corner.
The drawer was so full of Stars-knew-what that it refused to fully close.
There was a simple map of the tunnels below on the wall, and schedules pinned all around it.
The air was still a bit stale, but since he’d left the door open since yesterday, it was acceptable as they were only staying one night. There was even an old pair of boots next to the desk in case Commander Chaos’s teeth got itchy. The pup found them and started chewing immediately.
Ranek carefully lowered Maya onto the bed, which was probably the only bed large enough in the station for them both. It would be so much easier to sleep next to her on it than on two cots pushed together.
“I will bring clean blankets from the infirmary and our clothes. I will return soon.”
“Thanks.” Maya stretched out on the bed, making him want to climb in with her.
By the time Ranek returned with all their belongings wrapped up in a fresh blanket, Maya was already softly snoring.
He moved quietly, spreading the blanket over her soft, curvy form, and then climbed into the bed next to her.
***
Ranek blinked away the remnants of sleep, stretching against the warmth pressed along his body. Maya’s limbs curled around him, her breath brushing his chest slowly and steadily.
Memories of last night filled his head. He’d reveled at the way their bodies had pressed together, her voice rising in soft, breathless sounds, and the way she’d moved beneath him, surrendering to his every touch. Both his heart and cock swelled at the memory.
Mate. Mine!
There it was again, the insistent voice in his head that claimed she belonged to him.
His mate. But no matter how loudly his brain proclaimed it and how much he’d enjoy it if it were, it could not be true.
Channa had been his mate, even if he’d barely known her.
Even if they’d only shared sex twice and never had that connection that he and Maya had last night.
Back in the prison, near the end of his coerced stay, he’d convinced himself that Channa really hadn’t been his mate and that his true mate was still out there. It was delusional, but that delusion had fed him and kept him going. He still sometimes believed it when he’d had too much to drink.
But a partnership of convenience was not delusional and completely possible.
It was for the best that Maya was not his mate anyway.
The males of his line had horrid luck with mates.
Apparently, many had even called it a curse after what happened with him and Channa.
Not a single male from his father’s side had experienced a successful mating for generations until Ranek’s brother, Vasek.
Some found their mates only to lose them tragically to illness or circumstance.
Others were faced with unfulfilled mate bonds and went mad in the process.
When he was young, Ranek had thought himself immune to the curse. And for that arrogance, the Goddess had punished him by letting him find Channa, and then survive both being rejected by her and losing her to the cold hands of death.
And if that wasn’t enough, Ranek had, in his rage, attacked his own brother, injuring him gravely.
When they’d locked Ranek up, he’d already gone mad.
The first few years had been spent mourning the life and the female he would never know.
But as the days turned into nights, and winters turned into summers, he’d slowly found himself again, even if he was no longer whole.
Slowly, he forgot what Channa even looked like.
Forgot that feeling in his chest when he looked at her.
Even the fury of realizing that she’d chosen another male instead of him had started to fade as if it had never really been there.
By the time he’d decided he needed to escape, he’d already come to the conclusion that if he’d already lost one mate, then he could not lose another, since one could only have one mate. That realization had freed him from the prison of his own mind.
He could have a good life after all. Not with his mate, but with a partner of convenience. Which was fine by him. He had such a bad experience the first time around that he wasn't interested in a mate anymore. A partnership of convenience was just fine by him.
Could the female in his arms be the one?
He remembered the disappointment on her face when he had told her that she could never be his mate.
He understood that for many Tallean females, that would be a deal-breaker.
Maya lived on Reka 5, and she had clearly picked up that belief as well.
Would she be happy with a simple partnership of convenience?
Or would she always be trying to find a better male, one who would call her his mate?
Somehow, he had thought that this dilemma wouldn't present itself when dealing with a human female; how wrong he had been!
Maya stirred in his arms, her arms tightening around him. His body responded to her without hesitation, drawn to her scent and the soft weight of her against him. Every cell urged him to pull her closer, to keep her tucked under him where nothing could reach her.
But a faint noise cut through his lust. That sound had dragged him from sleep, though he had forgotten it the moment he felt Maya against him.
His muscles tightened as awareness sharpened.
Commander Chaos was sound asleep next to a barely recognizable boot, his breathing slow and rhythmic. He wasn’t the source of the sound.
Someone, or something, was inside the station with them.
He focused, trying to discern if the sounds were made by a wild animal or by people. Those footsteps were too regular and sounded like they were trying to be stealthy. That didn’t bode well.
His senses locked onto the hallway beyond the door, every instinct ready to defend the female in his arms. No threat would get past him, not while she rested against him, trusting him with her safety. His protectiveness surprised him.
Maya woke in his arms, making a loud, dramatic yawn.
Shit! He quickly threw a hand over her mouth. “We are not alone. There’s someone in the station with us.”
Maya’s body stiffened, and she nodded in understanding. Quietly, they got up and started to put on their clothing.
But as he pulled on his pants, a shrill, “Yip, yip, yip,” rang out by the door. Commander Chaos was up, and he wasn’t happy about their intruders.
“Shit!” Maya swore, tripping over her own clothes to get to the pup to quiet him down.
Ranek reached for the weapon usually strapped to his belt, but it was nowhere to be found.
He scanned the room, searching for both it and his comm, which was also missing.
He spotted his comm on the floor by the door.
It must’ve fallen out of their clothes when he carried Maya back last night.
He was glad Commander Chaos hadn’t found it and decided it was better than the leather footwear.
And the blaster? On a pile of paper on the desk on the other side of the room.
He scrambled for it, but it was already too late.
The door slammed open, knocking Maya and Commander Chaos back.
Her sharp yelp of pain as her arms came up to protect herself spurred him into action.
Instead of going for the weapon, he dove for her instinctively, cushioning her fall.
He grunted from the impact, but Maya was safe in his arms and unharmed. When he looked up, it was down the barrel of a blaster.
“Move, and I’ll shoot your brains out.” The snarled voice came from a Tallean male with an artificial hand and a large scar across his forehead.
The hand was the kind that was supposed to be covered in synthetic skin. Ranek’s brother, Vasek, was a medic who specialized in providing biomechanical enhancements, and he had one himself. But unlike Vasek, this male did not care for the limb, or perhaps he didn’t have the means to repair it.
Knowing this planet, these were most definitely pirates ready to make some credits, and not to be friendly.
“Look, how cozy,” said a second male, stepping into the room.
Commander Chaos scrambled out of Maya’s hold, planted all four paws on the ground, and snarled at the two newcomers with all the rage his little body could muster.
The new male pointed his blaster at it, and Maya threw herself out of Ranek’s arms and between the weapon and the pup.
The action had Ranek’s heart leaping into his throat.
He growled and lunged at the male, knocking the blaster out of his hand.
“You fucker!” The male swung a heavily gauntleted fist toward Ranek’s jaw.
But Ranek was quick; he caught the fist and twisted, driving the pirate back into the wall hard enough to rattle the metal panels.
The male recovered fast and came at him again.
Ranek blocked the next strike, but the pirate corrected and slammed his elbow into Ranek’s ribs, knocking the air out of him.
Somewhere behind him, Maya yelled loudly, and there was the sound of something hard and metallic hitting much softer flesh. It was punctuated with a loud, “Take that!”
Maya’s fight instincts were obviously stronger than her flight ones, though Ranek wished they weren’t. He didn’t want her to get hurt, and the only reason she’d gotten that hit on the other male was probably that he’d been watching the fight and not her. He hoped she’d made that hit count.
But there was no time to check, because the pirate was charging at him again. Ranek stepped into the attack and braced, his shoulder hitting the other male’s chest. They crashed to the ground, rolling across the floor.
A booted foot with four gleaming, sharp claws sticking out the front flew at Ranek’s side. He shifted, letting it hit the floor instead. The pirate cursed and tried to twist away, but Ranek pinned him with his weight and wrestled the blaster from his grip.
Movement flashed at the edge of Ranek’s vision, and the second pirate was suddenly there pointing something at him.
He felt it before he actually saw it; electricity surged through his body, locking every muscle at once.
The blaster slipped from his grip and clattered across the floor.
His knees buckled, and the shock ripped the air from his lungs.
He watched in slow motion as the floor came up to meet him.
“Ranek!” Maya shouted his name, her voice distant through the static in his ears.
There was another jolt and Ranek hit the floor headfirst. His vision blurred at the edges, and he was unable to move. The last thing he saw was the pirate stepping between him and Maya, a satisfied grin spreading across his smug face.
Then everything went dark.