Page 21 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)

Freya

T hat was amazing—talk about following instructions.

Slowly, I’m coming back to life, and I let out a loud groan, which makes T’Rak chuckle, and it vibrates on my clit, making me realize I am still holding on to his horns for dear life and clutching his face with my thighs.

“Oh no!” Quickly, I let go and scramble back. “I’m sorry, did I suffocate you?”

He raises his upper body and licks his lips. “Not even close,” he says, and my chest pulses. The adoring look on his face makes my awkwardness go away, and I smile.

He lies beside me and pulls me in, and I let him.

Are you okay?” he asks as I quickly dress myself.

“Yeah.” I give him a smile. “Thank you. That was mindblowing.”

“I did good?” he beams at me, making me laugh. This guy goes all alpha, but deep inside, he’s just as soft as they come. I tip my chin to kiss him. It starts innocently, but it quickly turns into another make-out session.

I twist my body a bit, only to be met with wetness. I look down and notice the wet spot in his pants. “Did you… cum?”

He nods solemnly.

“From pleasuring me?” I almost don’t believe it, it sounds so strange for him to be aroused by giving me an orgasm.

He smirks. “You are very sexy when you cum.”

I squirm; I am officially embarrassed now. Luckily, T’Rak’s wrist com chooses this exact moment to start beeping, and I look at him expectantly.

Grim determination shines in his eyes. “We have arrived at Tekrov.”

T’Rak

“What do we do now?” she asks.

“We freshen up and meet in Command, where I can do scans.” With a nod, she grabs her clothes and quickly dresses while I rush towards the bathroom. The shower is quick and efficient, and I’m back in Command within minutes.

I just started up the scans when Fr’ya enters in clean clothes.

She takes a seat in the other chair and turns towards me. “What about me?”

I only grunt in response. I need to focus on these things.

“What can I do?”

I push the screen back and turn towards her. “I need to start the scans, which will take some focus. They will be done quickly, though. We can eat while the scanners are processing. ”

She does not speak, her body moving stiffly as she walks to the back of the room and starts making breakfast. I will join her when I finish with the scans.

We eat in silence, and I sense that she is anxious about arriving at Tekrov and insecure about what is next.

A beeping sound comes from my wrist, and I pull up the results and begin analyzing the scans.

“What… what do they say?” Fr’Ya says in a small voice.

She sounds near, and I turn my head to see that she has moved from the other side of the table to sit next to me.

Instinctively, I pull her in, and she lets me.

Fear is coming off her in waves, but she relaxes when our bodies touch.

The pull strengthens, satisfied with her nearness.

I whip up a big map in front of us. Pointing at the map, I begin.

“The red dots are settlements. You see one over here…” I point towards the north side of the planet and zoom in on the location.

“This is a small settlement, from the looks of it.

We cannot count bodies, but based on the size and the closeness, I would say it is a small encampment. Primitive.

I change the location of the map more towards the south.

“This red dot over here is more like the place we are searching for. This is near the water, which would be a great escape route, and has what looks like a clearing next to the forest. Do you see how the heat signatures are spread out more? Looks like multiple houses and or shops.”

She leans in, and I get lost in her scent for a moment. Too late, I realize she is talking to me. I blurt out the first word that comes to mind. “Yes.”

“Really?” She looks at me funny.

I shrug. “Why not?”

“I figured you were going to put up more of a fight, that’s all. But I’m glad we’re on the same page. I think that would be an amazing hiding spot. ”

Inwardly, I curse. What did I just agree to? “We will still have to make sure it is good enough once we get there.” I try to win back some ground - and it seems like it’s working, because she silently nods.

“Fair enough,” she says, then looks at me expectantly. “Where are we going to land? Wouldn’t they know we are coming?”

“Our shields will protect us, but we will have to be careful and make sure not to land too close. You can nap now, and I can see if I can find a place to land.”

“Yeah, I guess I could do that,” she sighs, throws her arms around me, and holds on tight. “Hug me back, big guy.”

Instantly, I pull her into my arms, and my tail goes around her, and she sighs. “Thank you.”

Pulling myself together, I focus on my Warrior Calm. I need more than a good plan. I need a great plan, because apparently I just promised my mate I would take her somewhere she for sure did not think I would take her.

I let go of Fr’ya and focus on my wrist com.

Pushing several buttons, I redirect the scans and execute a surface check.

This will give me a reasonable estimation of what it will look like on the ground.

The results come up as the scan progresses, and I am very happy with what I see.

A dense forest surrounds the location, or more precisely, a jungle.

That means the High Commander has a small chance of escaping, but that also means we cannot land the spaceship too far away because the hike will not be easy.

Scouting through the map, I settle on a landing spot that is to my satisfaction.

It is far enough to stay invisible to the scans of the location, and close enough so we do not have to hike more than half a day.

This day is still young, and if we leave right now, I have enough time to scout out the location and make sure it is indeed the Den before making the final plan and finding a good hiding spot for Fr’Ya .

“Time to strap in and get down to the surface.”

Big eyes look at me, and her sweet scent hardens. Besides me, the bond pulses in distress. I need to do something—anything. So I reach over and grab her hand, squeezing it in reassurance. “You are strong, Fr’Ya, but strong does not mean you cannot be scared.”

“You’re not scared,” she whispers.

“I am very scared. But I am also confident. I choose not to let my fear rule me. Fear makes you do unwise things in battle, and I cannot let myself be unwise or stupid.” I caress the back of her hand with my thumb.

“I have you with me, and I would not bear it if anything happens to you, so I am very scared indeed, my mate. But I also know what I can do in battle. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. As long as I stay calm, it will all work out.”

She does not even react to me calling her my mate, a testimony to how far gone she is. A tear trickles down her cheek, but I pretend I do not see it, knowing that is not what she needs right now.

She sniffs and straightens her shoulders. “Okay, let’s get this party started.”

Shaking my head at her weird human words, I pull up the map of the planet’s surface I made last night.

“We will land here,” I point at the landing spot.

Then we will hike towards the location, you will hide, and I will scout the surface.

We can also hide you halfway so you will not be too close if I run into any trouble.

She huffs. “I will be right by your side, buddy. You promised me. I think there’s greenery here that will be big enough.” She points towards the trees right at the edge of the clearing. “I will wait for you there so I can shoot anyone who comes at you.”

A feral grin appears on my face. She is so fierce, and she is such a good fit for me. A pang shoots through the bond when I remember that she does not want me. At the same time, resolve strengthens me. I am going to do everything I can to change her mind.

Wordless, I move towards my chair and fire up the systems—time to land this ship and check out the planet’s surface.