Page 37 of Devin (Warriors of Etlon #5)

“Oh stop sounding so disappointed. How am I supposed to explain how I made it back unharmed, while the other three are dead? Rutra will drop me out of an airlock.”

“You will not go back to the pirate ship,” Kave said, determined.

“You’ll have to punch me,” Bright said at nearly the same time.

She looked at Kave and tilted her head up as if waiting for a blow. Kave shrank back from her. He would rather stab himself than hit a female for any reason. Bright shook her head and made eye contact with Zenik.

“I have to go check the dust levels in the engine before take-off,” Zenik said before turning and heading to the cockpit.

“I’ll go get the other one,” Goru said, nearly tripping over his own feet in haste.

“Fine,” Bright said. She turned and looked Val right in the eye. “I put you in a crate for hours. Surely you have enough anger to give me a good solid punch.”

Devin wrapped his arms around his mate protectively, but she seemed to be in no mood for violence either.

“You rescued me. Why would I want to punch you? I mean, it wasn’t the most comfortable of rescues, but I have a feeling it could have been a lot worse,” Val said.

“No one is going to punch you,” Grena said, stepping in. “The warlord is correct. The risk of you going back is too great. If the captain had trusted you, he would have let you go alone.”

“Besides,” Grena said, linking her arm with Bright’s, “I hear you have grandsons to coddle back on Etlon 2.”

“Etlon 2? Is that what they are calling it now?”

“Yes, my son renamed it. He is the architect. You should see the city. It is so grand. I bet we can talk him into giving you one of the penthouse suites. You are, after all, the only full Etlonion that will be living on the planet. I love your hair, by the way. Can you truly do any color?”

And with that, his mother silenced any more talk of punching Bright in the face. They were on their way to being fast friends. Devin was not sure if that was a good thing or not.

Goru came back with the third Neder draped over his shoulder.

They would put them in cold storage pods until reports were filled out and they could be returned to the Neder government in accordance with the treaties.

Pirate or not, the Mahdfel would not leave their bodies to be covered in dust and forgotten.

“I’ll fly the other ship out of the atmosphere. It will be easier if we link them up. At least faster,” Kave said as he exited, closing up the hatch behind him.

“Are you going to keep standing there, holding me? Don’t get me wrong. It’s nice, but I’m sure you have other things to do,” Val said.

“Actually, I have nothing else to do. I have accomplished my mission,” Devin said.

“To rescue your mother,” Val said.

“To rescue my mate. My mother is perfectly capable of rescuing herself.”

“But I’m helpless?”

“No. But you are mine to protect, and I failed.”

“You could have just let me go. You didn’t want me anyway,” she said.

Devin wanted to continue this conversation, but this was not the place.

He scooped her up again and carried her into Clover’s quarters.

On the way here, they had remained empty, an unspoken promise that he would need them when he reclaimed his mate, safe and sound.

They were the most comfortable and had the biggest bed.

The rest of the Mahdfel had bedded down elsewhere, determined to be alone and miserable without their mates, so that they could look forward to bedding them soon after returning home, if they were in any shape to do so.

Once Kave and Zenik connected the two ships, Zenik would press the ships to top speed in order to get home hopefully before the birth of their sons.

A happy little chirp sounded from the bed.

“Nivy!” Devin put Val down and she immediately crossed to the fluffy creature that had apparently made itself at home in Clover’s quarters.

Devin had known it was aboard and several times seen the other warriors leaving food out for it, but he had not actually laid eyes on the creature.

How it had followed them aboard was the real mystery, but his mate didn’t seem to care about any of that.

She just went to stroke the fur of the creature.

Val picked it up and they began cooing at each other.

His mate was pleased. His mate was pleased and safe and that was all that mattered. Her scent was strong. Val had not showered for days and the scent of her was not making it easy to ignore the tent of his cock. But he would, because his mate was happy.

“I never could have a pet growing up,” Val said. She put Nivy down on a carpeted shelf near the bed. “Too much trouble and money.”

“You may have all the pets you like,” Devin said, and he meant it.

“No, I think Nivy is all I need, though I think he likes you better,” Val said.

“Zenik has been feeding him a nutritional meal called cat food. He likes it well enough. I will take him hunting again when we return home, so that he will not lose his skills.”

Val drew closer to him and Devin forced himself to stay rooted to the spot. His mate was probably exhausted and needed a shower, and all of his thoughts circled on being inside her.

“You should shower,” he said, trying to refocus on her needs instead of his.

“Are you trying to get my clothes off?”

“No. Yes. Your scent is distracting.” Devin paused. “I would also like to further examine you for injuries.”

“How you can make ‘you stink’ sound so erotic is beyond me,” Val said as she got even closer to him. “But I’ll take my clothes off if you ask nicely.”

“Please.”

Val pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor.

“To be fair, most of my injuries are just muscle crampage after being in the same position in a box for so long,” Val said as she unbuttoned her shorts and slid them off as well, standing there only in her panties.

“Then let me assist you,” Devin said. He went to the replicator and ordered up some Takalian oil. He poured a generous amount on his hands and rubbed them together. As tempted as he was to begin on her breasts, he resisted and motioned for her to turn around.

“Mmmm, minty,” she said with a murmur as he began to massage it into her back. After a minute or two her muscles began to loosen and he guided her up onto the bed. Val laid on her stomach while he kneeled next to her and continued down her back.

Val’s scent and the Takalian oil coupled with the feel of her warm flesh, made him hungry for more.

He flipped her over and she opened her thighs, inviting him in, but Devin wanted to taste her.

She was slippery wet, as he knew she would be.

He slid two fingers inside her and settled into his feast. His tongue played relentlessly with her clit and her thighs clamped tightly around his head.

Val’s hands reached out to grab the covers and she arched her hips into him.

Devin was not satisfied yet. He slowed the lashing of his tongue and just as her hands relaxed, he pushed his fingers inside her and quickened the pace.

Devin delighted in how he was learning all of the ways to push his mate into orgasm, letting her explode over and over before finally taking his own pleasure.

His own needs became more demanding and he knew she was ready for his cock.

Devin rose up and lifted her hips to meet him and claimed her in one deep stroke.

He nearly shot his seed into her right then and there, but instead he rolled over and put her on top of him.

Devin once again reached for the oil and poured a generous amount in his hands.

He reached for her breasts, each topped with a perfect hard nipple, and gave them a generous coating before moving his hands down her body to her hips.

Val took his cue and began to rub the oil into her breasts while she rotated her hips. He guided her as she built momentum and arched her back. Then he let himself achieve his own pleasure and filled his mate fully.

Val collapsed down onto him and he held her there for a long moment.

Her scent was still too strong for his cock to lose interest, and soon enough she would realize that and their dance would start again.

But for now, he was content to have her in his arms, knowing they had several uninterrupted days where he could enjoy her fully.