“He did not lure me, he invited me. As he is the elder in charge of this region, I was obligated to visit when he requested that we swing through. I am very glad that the imperial house was amenable to the request.”
He was warm, so warm while they had this conversation, his mouth idly nibbling at her shoulder. He murmured, “So, your drake was waiting for healing.”
The words out of his mouth caused her appetite to roar to life. Her stomach growled angrily.
She groaned. “I am sweaty, sticky, stuck, and now hungry. This is not what I had planned for today.”
“Physical sex is a lot messier than it is in a scenario, well, at least if you do it right.” He chuckled. “I will order food, help you bathe, and hopefully, the bots will have managed to find all the sheets and tidy up the bed.”
She moved sluggishly and winced. Her body was limp, and the smallest movement took tremendous effort. Yr-el pulled out of her and moved around the room while she tried to unsuccessfully push herself upright. She got halfway up, saw the wreck of bed, fixtures, and sweaty body prints on the walls. She flexed her shoulders. Oh. Right.
Yr-el was going to have a helluva cleaning bill. Maybe she could extend him her discount.
He sent the catering request and walked over to her, looking obnoxiously spry and alert.
“Come on. The first shift hurts the worst. Your body has been compressed, and it isn’t fond of the feeling.”
He lifted her and carried her to the bathroom, sitting her on the small chair near the shower wand before rinsing her skin of obvious traces of their mating.
She looked at him with squinted eyes. “Oh. Yes. I am sure it is just the transformation that is causing aches and pains. Nothing else of note has occurred.”
He grinned but kept working on her until she was shivering but ready for a bath. The bath was full, and he helped her into it before quickly rinsing himself off and then joining her. He pulled her toward him and settled her with her back to his chest.
“Is this so that I don’t bite you?” She grumbled.
He chuckled. “That might be a concern. It certainly helps when I am inside you. Your little jaws pack a powerful amount of compression.”
Styra snorted and turned slightly, seeing the bite mark on his neck. “Yeah, that was fun.”
He snorted and slowly moved his hands over her. Caressing rather than arousing. It was like he was petting her.
“So, tomorrow, we will leave for my home. Do you have any objections?”
She sighed. “Can my cousins visit?”
“Cousins?”
“There are close to a dozen of us here. All related to Mr. Blue, a bunch of generations back and all about to step foot into being drakes ourselves. He’s been matchmaking for generations.” She watched as he placed her hand between his and made a strange sandwich.
“That is interesting. I will have to ask my father about it. I mean, I know some drakes go out and create progeny without finding a mate, but it isn’t recommended. Their partners don’t always survive.”
She chuckled. “Mr. Blue’s partners all survived. He took care of them, but I still have no idea why the elders would send one of their own out for this purpose?”
“The universe is expanding. Colonies are being formed in every habitable corner of every star system. We are needed.” He pressed his lips to her shoulder.
“So, I am in heat?”
He chuckled against her skin. “Yes. Definitely.”
She nodded. “How long will it last?”
“Don’t know. A day, a week, a month? No idea. I will be here for you.”
He bit her shoulder gently, and she shivered. “Oh. Great. That has a tone of cheerful menace to it.”
He chuckled against her skin. “Good. You are paying attention.”
He licked her shoulder and neck before turning her with a splash and pulling her astride him. The moment that his cock found her opening, she thrust her hips and took him inside her with the water sloshing around them. She slowly rode him, his hands stroking her breasts and cupping her hips, sliding over her and pulling her in so he could use his mouth on her skin. The friction caused by the water rinsing away her essence was sweet, and it was heightened by the nipping kisses that Yr-el gave her while she slowly rode him until she arched back and shuddered in his arms.
The message on the flashing com was from Mr. Blue, and they listed as they ate. Styra, you are hereby relieved of duty and are assigned to the Ackerwol Imperium. Your base will be Harva. Your position is as security protocol programmer. Your cousins want to throw you a going-away party if your mate will part with you for a few hours.
She blinked. “Harva? Where the hell is Harva?”
He chuckled. “It is my home. We have two dozen large cities and lots of open space. It is the ideal place to raise offspring.”
She froze. “Offspring?”
“Certainly. That is what your heat is about. I am surprised that Mbrak is encouraging you to meet up with your relatives.”
She curled up, and he wrapped around her back. “What is so weird about me meeting up with my cousins?”
“Well, unless I miss my guess, they are all female, and as you are in a strong heat, you will begin the process to trigger the ones who are developed enough to pursue a mate of their own.” He slid his hand down and pressed it to her belly. “That is if your heat is still active.”
Her body had lit up when he ran his hand across her skin, but she sighed. “I don’t give a fuck what my body wants right now. My brain needs sleep.”
He chuckled. “Then, as long as I can touch you, sleep it shall be.”
She gave a low huff and wiggled against him to get comfortable and make him uncomfortable. She wished that she had been able to keep the smirk off her face. He stroked a hand across her cheek and turned her head for a kiss. Her body warmed rapidly, and then, he cuddled her close, chuckling softly.
She closed her eyes and pretended that the slight contact hadn’t set her blood on fire.
Her body was content to rest, but she was not going to sleep deeply. She had an agenda to plan for. When she was dumped on a new world, she was going to need a plan and possibly some clothing that didn’t have a magnetic closure.
Dancing for hours with her cousins was highly enjoyable. Mr. Blue had given them all a few hours off and was managing the entertainment center himself during that time.
Styra enjoyed flinging her limbs around with her cousins, but it was disconcerting that Yr-el had invited himself to the party. Weirdly, the ladies had been happy to have him.
Styra was still aching from her previous activity, so she took a seat in the private room of the club near the port. Abil was there, smiling with her clipboard in her hands.
“You look happy, Styra.” Abil nodded as if affirming her identification of the emotion she was seeing.
Styra sipped at a juice. “I am. I think. I don’t know. It has been so long since I felt more than the small trill of excitement when rescuing a client. Now, it seems to happen every few minutes when I am with him.”