Page 25

JAS

Rodinia Tertius wasn’t what I expected from an alien warrior’s homeworld.

No brutal training grounds bathed in blood.

No sterile military compounds with warriors marching in formation.

Instead, it was all sweeping vistas of amber mountains and valleys filled with vegetation that shifted colors with the passing hours—from deep crimson at dawn to vibrant gold at midday.

The air tasted like cinnamon and metal, and the gravity was just light enough that sometimes I felt like I could jump and never come back down.

Here, I was free in ways I’d never been on Earth, untethered from expectations I’d never realized were weighing me down.

Most mornings, I trained with Rhaekar’s squad—though “trained” was a generous word.

Mostly I talked trash, and occasionally remembered a half-decent kick from my blue belt days back on Earth.

I’d arrive at the outdoor combat arena just as the twin suns crested the eastern ridge, my hair pulled back in a messy braid, wearing the modified Legion training gear that actually fit my human proportions.

Today, I ducked under Tag’s massive arm as he swung at me with deliberately telegraphed slowness.

“Come on, big guy,” I taunted, dancing backward on the balls of my feet. “My grandmother moves faster than that, and she’s been dead for fifteen years.”

Tag’s lips pulled back in what passed for a Rodinian smile—all teeth and predatory intent, but with genuine amusement glinting in his yellow eyes. “Your grandmother must have been a formidable warrior.”

“Nah, she just had a mean right hook when you tried to steal her cookies.” I feinted left, then aimed a kick at his knee that he easily sidestepped.

From the sidelines, Rhaekar watched with arms crossed over his massive chest, his tail flicking with what I now recognized as pride rather than irritation.

Through our bond, I felt his constant awareness of me—a golden thread of connection that hummed with protectiveness, but no longer with the panic that had marked our early days together.

His Reaper squad loved me. Probably because I brought snacks.

Possibly because I talked smack. Definitely because I’d helped their commander—the most fearsome warrior in their ranks—discover a softness they’d never believed him capable of.

I’d caught them exchanging knowing looks when Rhaekar’s tail would curl possessively around my ankle during squad briefings, or when his rumbling purr would escape involuntarily when I’d bring him food during long planning sessions.

“Enough play,” Rhaekar called, ending the sparring session with a command that brooked no argument. “Mission prep in twenty. Tactical assessments due by midday.”

The squad dispersed, each warrior nodding respectfully to me as they passed.

“You’re getting better,” Rhaekar said as I approached, tossing me a hydration pack. “Your footwork is improving.”

I gulped the sweet, electrolyte-rich liquid. “Still can’t land a hit on any of you mountain-sized cats.”

“You’re not meant to.” His hand settled at the small of my back, warm and possessive. “Your strength is here.” He tapped my temple. “And here.” His finger moved to the center of my chest.

“And here?” I asked with a grin, guiding his hand lower to cup my ass.

A growl rumbled in his chest, and I felt a spike of desire through our bond. “Especially there,” he agreed, squeezing appreciatively.

We walked back toward our quarters, the morning sunlight casting long shadows across the training grounds. The commlink on my wrist pinged with an incoming message—the third this week from the same source.

“Everly reached out again,” I said, glancing at the notification. “She wants to know if we will be attending the next meeting at Central Command.”

Rhaekar’s ears perked up with interest. “The human female with the two bondmates?”

“That’s the one.” I scrolled through her message with a smile. We reached our quarters—a spacious dwelling carved into the side of a cliff that overlooked a valley of swaying red grasses. The door slid open at Rhaekar’s biometric signature, and cool air washed over us as we stepped inside.

“You know,” I continued casually, dropping onto our massive bed built to accommodate Rhaekar’s size, “I didn’t realize having two mates was even an option. The whole fate-mate thing seemed like a one-and-done deal.”

Rhaekar went very still, his tail freezing mid-swish. Through our bond, I felt a sudden surge of possessiveness so intense it nearly knocked the breath from me.

“Is one Rodinian warrior not enough for you?” he asked, his voice deceptively calm while his eyes began to glow with an inner light that signaled rising emotion.

I bit back a laugh. “I don’t know...two of you might be fun. One to make me breakfast while the other one makes me?—”

I didn’t finish the sentence. Rhaekar crossed the room in two strides, pulling me up from the bed and against his chest with effortless strength. His growl vibrated through my entire body.

“You do not need two mates,” he said, his voice dropped to that rough register that made heat pool between my thighs. “I am more than sufficient.”

“Prove it,” I challenged, tilting my chin up defiantly.

His pupils narrowed to slits, and then his mouth was on mine—hot, demanding, claiming. I melted into him, my arms winding around his neck, fingers threading through his mane as he devoured my mouth like he was starving and I was the only meal that would satisfy.

“Two mates,” he growled against my lips, backing me toward the bed. “Ridiculous concept.”

“I don’t know,” I teased, even as my body responded to his touch, nipples hardening beneath my training top. “Sounds pretty appealing to me—oh!”

He tore my top down the middle with one swift motion, exposing my breasts to his hungry gaze. “I will ruin you for anyone else,” he promised, lowering his head to take one nipple between his lips, teeth grazing the sensitive peak just hard enough to make me gasp.

“You already have,” I admitted, arching into his touch as his hands made quick work of the rest of my clothing.

I lay naked beneath him, my skin flushed with desire as he stripped off his own training gear with military efficiency. His cock sprang free, thick and ridged in that deliciously alien way, already hard and glistening at the tip. My mouth watered at the sight.

“See something you want?” he asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Just one mate,” I said, reaching for him. “Just you.”

He growled his approval, positioning himself between my thighs, the tip of his cock nudging at my entrance. I was already wet, my body primed and ready for him as it always was. Through our bond, I felt his satisfaction at finding me so eager, so responsive to him.

“Look at your perfect pussy,” he murmured, running one clawed finger along my folds with exquisite gentleness. “So wet for me. Only for me.”

“Only for you,” I agreed, lifting my hips in silent plea. “Please, Rhaekar.”

He teased me, rubbing the head of his cock against my clit in slow circles that had me whimpering with need. “Tell me again about wanting two mates,” he challenged, a dangerous glint in his eye.

“I don’t,” I gasped as he pressed just the tip inside me, then withdrew. “I only want you. Only ever you.”

“Good.” He thrust forward in one powerful motion, filling me completely. “Because this cunt is mine.”

The crude word on his lips sent a thrill through me. He rarely used Terran vulgarities, but when he did, it was impossibly hot.

“Yes,” I moaned, wrapping my legs around his waist to draw him deeper. “Yours. All yours.”

He established a relentless rhythm, each thrust hitting spots inside me that made stars explode behind my eyelids.

His hands gripped my hips, lifting me to meet each powerful drive of his cock.

The ridges along his shaft stimulated me in ways no human male ever could, each drag and catch against my inner walls sending jolts of pleasure racing through my nervous system.

“You think—” thrust “—two mates—” thrust “—could fuck you like this?” His voice was a feral growl, his control slipping as our pleasure built through the bond, feeding back on itself in an endless loop of sensation.

“No,” I cried out, nails raking down his back as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Only you. Fuck, Rhaekar, only you!”

He lowered his head to my bond mark, teeth grazing the sensitive skin there. “Mine,” he growled, and bit down.

The simultaneous sensations—his teeth on my mark, his cock driving deep inside me, the knot at its base beginning to swell and press against my entrance—sent me hurtling over the edge. I came with a scream, my inner muscles clamping down on him as wave after wave of pleasure crashed through me.

“That’s it,” he praised, his rhythm faltering as my orgasm triggered his own. “Take my cock. Take all of me.”

With a final thrust, he buried himself to the hilt, his knot swelling fully to lock us together as he came.

Hot pulses of his release flooded me, triggering another climax that had me sobbing his name.

Through our bond, our shared pleasure magnified, reflecting back and forth between us until I couldn’t tell where my pleasure ended and his began.

We collapsed together, his massive frame carefully positioned to avoid crushing me while keeping us joined. His purr rumbled through his chest, vibrating against me in a soothing rhythm as we both caught our breath.

“Still want two mates?” he asked, a hint of smugness in his voice as he nuzzled my hair.

I laughed weakly, too blissed out to form complex sentences. “One is more than enough to handle.”

His tail curled possessively around my thigh, and through our bond, I felt his satisfaction—not just at having proven his point, but at the bone-deep certainty that I was his, completely and irrevocably, as he was mine.