Page 15 of Chased by the Alien Mercenary (Monster Mercenary Mates #6)

An orgasm caught me by surprise, crashing over me with the force of a tidal wave.

My toes curled against the cold stone floor.

My breathing hitched and stuttered, and my feral, possessive alien claimed my mouth like he owned me.

Tongue invading, tangling, stroking. He seemed attuned to everything I felt and liked, but when I came, his mouth lifted, his eyes demanding.

I groaned, and his thigh pressed harder, sending stars across my vision, pleasure bursting in my veins.

“Solear,” I moaned, and his expression turned pleased, smug—a grin splitting the skull-like features that decorated his face.

That look was so sexy it was sinful, and I shivered and shuddered with aftershocks of what had just happened.

I went a little weak-kneed then, but he had me, his arm sliding around my waist to hold me up.

Blinking suddenly heavy eyelids at his red gaze, I surrendered more of my weight to him.

“Solear?” I whispered, questioning, as he swung me up and lifted me against his chest, bridal-style.

Though I was nearly a hundred percent certain it was his name, I still wanted him to confirm it for me.

I wanted to know who to dream of when I fell asleep, my already exhausted body now so drained it was a struggle to keep my eyes open.

His mouth brushed my temple, and the huskily growled “Yes” was barely a whisper.

It was all the answer I needed; sleep pulled me under the next moment.

***

Solear

Lyra’s slight weight in my arms made it feel like she could just float away if I didn’t hold on tightly.

She seemed like she could vanish before my eyes if I so much as blinked.

“ You okay, bro? ” Aramon whispered in the back of my mind.

“ You vanished for a couple of minutes there—what happened? ” I’d vanished?

Good, because what had happened between Lyra and me a moment ago was private.

Until now, I’d always been happy to share anything with my twin, but this was private. Lyra’s moans were all mine .

“My mate needed me,” I told Aramon. I did not explain with what, but his amusement prickled my nerves, telling me his mind had gone straight to sex.

Since he was not wrong, I did not correct him, but I certainly warned him to tread carefully.

For possibly the first time I could ever recall, I neither needed nor wanted his company.

More than anything, I wanted to lie down with my mate and hold her safe while she slept.

“Sure, needed you,” my twin joked, but he sobered the next moment.

“You need to hang tight another day or two. The captain is negotiating with the Aderian authorities for permission to retrieve you. The Varakartoom is currently flanked by two sexy warships.” The image he sent me explained everything.

I hated the sight, even if I could admire the sleek forms of the Strewn-built Aderian warships.

For a peaceful nation, they certainly knew the value of good weapons.

The silver vessels were each streaked with obsidian, shimmering spots in odd, organic shapes—not a single one the same—and weapons bristled from every side. The Varakartoom was a little outgunned.

“ Fine , I’ll find my own way off-planet.

Don’t worry. ” Bold words, but I was resolved to see them through.

Asmoded would not wish to anger the Aderian authorities, who often hired our ship for jobs they did not wish to dirty their hands with.

Not only that, but Aderians were the best surgeons in the quadrant, and theirs was a safe place for humans to walk around freely.

He had a human mate, as did my twin; he’d want to keep those ports open, safe havens his mate could visit.

Since I now had my own human mate, our wishes aligned on that matter.

“Solear,” Aramon whispered just as his presence started to fade from my mind.

“If you can’t steal that data soon, it is likely going to be lost to us.

Just a thought. The captain wants me to tell you to forget about it, your safety is more important.

” Then my twin was gone, slipping from my mind, though I still felt the warmth of his loyalty and love linger after he’d vanished.

The mission. The data that could lead us to another, more hidden stronghold Jalima liked to reside at.

Navigational data I’d been sent to retrieve.

It did not surprise me that the Captain would order me to abandon the mission in favor of keeping myself safe.

Since he’d mated, he’d gone soft like that, and vengeance did not seem nearly as important to him as it used to be.

My eyes dropped to the precious female I was holding in my arms. A female I’d do anything to protect.

Yet, as I gazed at her beautiful, slumbering face, I also knew I couldn’t let go of the need to punish Jalima for what he’d done.

That meant going back to the mansion and stealing the data somehow.

But how could I combine both tasks? Protect Lyra, steal the data?

For now, she needed sleep, so I would make sure she stayed comfortable and warm while she did.

I was fairly certain that this planet had no big predators to worry about, not in this mountainous region.

That made it safe enough, in the confines of the tiny cave, for me to grab a few hours of shuteye, too.

The question was: would I have the usual nightmares, or would they stay away with Lyra in my arms?

I hoped so. Aramon said his dreams were much less frequent now that he had Evie. But he was not as broken as I was.

Piling blankets together into a warm nest atop one of the smooth Tashill rocks, I settled Lyra amid them.

Then I gazed at her small body, admiring the curves and the soft, pale skin that was exposed.

Her breasts were small and firm, pressing against the fabric of the large men’s shirt she wore.

Her thighs were silky and soft at the hem, and when her leg shifted, I saw the wetness that coated them from her release.

Instantly, my cock grew hard again inside my pants, pressing roughly against the stiff fabric of my armor.

What was I supposed to do? Was I allowed to touch her when she slept?

She was my mate, and she had kissed me. She had even heard my name, picked it from the thoughts I’d tried to project inside her mind.

The telepathic bond between Asrai twins was legendary, but only rarely did it form between mates.

Aramon was lucky enough to have found Evie and to have connected with her; I had not believed I would be equally lucky.

And yet… there was no denying the soft, sleepy ball of warmth at the back of my mind that was all her.

I could not peer inside, could not read her thoughts the way I could with my brother, but I felt our connection.

It had been growing steadily with each brush of contact.

My heart pounded with hope inside my chest as I curled my thoughts around that little ball and settled on the blankets beside her to do the same in the physical realm.

I slid my palm over her silky thigh to inspect my mate’s core, her arousal a mouthwatering smell that perfumed the air.

I wanted to taste her; I wanted it so badly that I drew my finger through the drying wetness on her thigh and brought it to my mouth.

Sensation exploded through my veins at her taste, it was too exquisite, sweet and innocent, a tease, a lure.

Yanking open my pants, I roughly took my cock out and feverishly began stroking it.

An orgasm wasn’t far off—not after my mate had caught me by surprise and surrendered to her own desire.

Desire for me, Solear, the broken-minded Asrai.

The twin who couldn’t properly speak, and who scared everyone—except, as it turned out, one sweet, bold, beautiful little human.

“Lyra,” I growled as I came, seed erupting in hard bursts across my belly.

I did not think there was a mate out in the grand universe who could fit the broken pieces of my soul.

Lyra was everything I had never dared to dream of.

And even now, a part of me doubted whether I would be able to keep her.

That it wouldn’t be fair to her. I also knew I would never let her go.

Not now. Not after I’d heard her moan my name as she came apart in my arms.

First, I cleaned her silky thighs with a wet piece of cloth, and then wiped the seed off my own skin.

Then I refilled my empty belly with more bites of dried jerky and a few sips of water, before settling down to sleep.

Despite the languorous feeling after coming, and the happy glow in my mind from knowing I held my mate, trepidation still rose.

I hated sleeping. I hated the dreams. Too bad my body really needed a bit of rest after the blows it had received and the feats of endurance I’d asked of it, racing up and down the mountain.

As always, the dreams were waiting for me as soon as darkness claimed me. And in them, I was always alone; so very, very alone that I thought I’d never see another face again. Except this time, my dreams were different.