Driok
I’m still internally cursing the comm I received while my little mate slumbered.
I did not want to bring our arrangement to an end so abruptly after it started.
Nor do I want to take Maggie off world with me but then, if she’s not safe with me and my fleet out in the galaxy, I would not be a member of the High Bask and a Sarkarnii warlord.
I certainly couldn’t leave her behind. My original rut may have abated, but the desire I have for her is worse than ever. Being out of her presence for one moment causes me physical pain. It’s mostly in my groin, but there’s something around my heart too.
And the display she put on for me in the bathroom has not assisted with my cock at all. My sweet little mate is far more of a match for me than I ever thought any female would be.
I suck in her scent as she exits the quarters in front of me and raise my eyes to the waterfall outside, silently thanking Deus for creating this place and for deigning to show it to me before he started firing on less than two star engines.
I doubt we’ll ever find him. He was legendary as a warrior, far better than Darax. If he doesn’t want to be found, he will not be.
Shame the same couldn’t be said for me. But then I have responsibilities. And Maggie.
A scout ship roars somewhere nearby. I direct Maggie through the vegetation until we reach the edge of the forbidden sector which is cut off from the rest of Vorostor by way of a forcefield I know we can pass through. The ship waits perched on the dune above us.
Maggie looks over her shoulder at me and steps through the forcefield before I can stop her.
She appears on the other side unscathed.
I walk through to see her climbing the dune, which runs in a wave of red sand down into the jungle below, unconcerned about the barrier which delineates the lush forest from the barren desert.
Just as Deus would have liked it. Maybe he still does.
I see two of my warriors exit the scout craft and make a move towards my mate. I’m instantly in the air and landing between her and them, snarling loudly over the sound of the engines.
“Driok, really?” Maggie toils past me and into the scout ship as the two warriors stare after her.
“Look again and I will have your eyes,” I rasp.
“You are mated, my lord?” The first warrior turns his gaze on me.
I pull myself up to my full height. “I am mated. That is my mate. If anyone touches her, they will lose a limb and spend the rest of their miserable lives cleaning the air ducts.” I grin at my warriors.
“Of course, my lord.” The pair of them bow but keep their eyes fixed on me, as they have been taught.
I am the Butcher of Haldane, and it would be an unhinged warrior who would turn his back on me, especially now I am a mated male.
I lift myself up to my full height and square my shoulders before entering the scout ship.
“Let’s go,” I bark at the pilot. “The sooner we get this over, the sooner I can get on with mating my female.”
“Really, Driok?” Maggie says from behind me.
She has her hands on her hips, and the clothing she wears emphasizes the subtle rounding of her stomach. Not that I chose those very items for her, for this reason, but it does work.
“I genuinely don’t think these Sarkarnii need to know what you’re planning in the bedroom department.”
The scout ship is already cresting the outer atmosphere of Vorostor as I cage my Maggie against the bulkhead. She stares out the window, ignoring me until I put my hand under her chin and pull her gaze back to me.
“Who says what I’m planning will be in our quarters?”
Maggie cocks her head on one side, not pulling away from my grip. “You like a bit of exhibitionism?”
“A good Sarkarnii male mates his female whenever and wherever she wants to be mated.”
“So it’s my choice?”
“Always,” I growl.
“I’ll bear that in mind.” She stares up at me as if daring me to do something.
Blood, hotter than fire, courses through me. My accelerant sacs fill, my flight lungs are on fire. I want to take her here and now, the way she is goading me.
I place my mouth near her ear. “In my ancestors’ times, males would think nothing of mating their female where she stood, no matter where that was, and in our Sarkarnii form,” I rasp. “I can bring back the ritual if you like.”
I’m rewarded by a waft of her scent, her intoxicating liquor which is so heady I’m sure the entire bridge can smell her.
I growl deep in my chest. Maggie’s eyes are still defiant. She opens her mouth, and I’m preparing to remove her clothing for easy access.
“We’re about to dock, my lord,” the pilot announces, far too loudly.
I turn with a snarl, and everyone is pretending to do their jobs, which is highly annoying. Maggie releases a snort of amusement.
“I like your crew,” she says, ducking underneath my arm and strolling over to the viewing window. “And I’ve never seen a spacecraft dock with another.”
It would appear my cock has been frustrated on this occasion, but it will not be in the future, I vow under my breath.
“Then you will see the best.” I stride over to where she stands and wrap my arm around her waist as my main ship comes into view.
Beside me, I hear a tiny gasp and my heart swells in my chest.
“Big, isn’t it?” I say to her. “Biggest ship Vorostor has.”
“Bigger isn’t always better,” Maggie replies.
“I think you know that isn’t true.” I look down at her as she stares straight ahead. “Bigger is always better.”