Claimed by the Warrior (10 page)

“Done,” the two males said at the same time.

Unfortunately claiming her heart was far from done. He did not want her for simply a moon cycle. That much became clearer every moment he was with her. He needed to figure out how to win her over completely, to make sure she did not want to leave him when the time came.

Chapter 8

“It’s so beautiful here,” Leilani murmured, drowsy from a good evening meal and even better sex with Con. The male was insatiable.

She leaned against his headboard, his head in her lap as they looked out at the snowcapped mountains in the distance. The sun was about to set and the sky and distant mountains were painted a stunning mix of purple and orange.

“Hmm,
you’re
beautiful.” He shifted slightly against her, stretching out across the big bed.

She stroked his head gently, savoring this quiet, intimate moment. Today had been long and exhilarating. She’d met many of the mated females, all of whom loved living here. She realized that she’d known so little about this sector before coming here and still didn’t know much. It was the same for all human females. Today she’d also realized that if they wanted more females here they needed to drop their stupid captivity law and actually invite females up here. Unfortunately she wasn’t sure how hard that would be to overcome.

“So you were born on this mountain?” she asked him.

“Yes, I love it here.”

“I can see why.” It was very different from the mainland but the surroundings were incredible. There was a lot of potential for growth here too.

He shifted slightly, but didn’t look up at her. “Truly?”

“Yes. You need to change the law about single females who visit though.” She might be overstepping but she didn’t care. They’d been open about everything so far. “Not for me, but for the future,” she added.

“You are not the first person to say that to me today.” His voice was thoughtful. “Some of the mated males believe we need to reconsider the law as well.”

“Are you considering it?” She wasn’t certain how things worked here. Con was the leader of this sector but he wouldn’t be autonomous in making decisions. Or she didn’t think so.

“Possibly.” Still on his side, he stroked a hand up her bare leg.

She shivered at the feel of his hand skating over her skin with such gentleness. She knew he’d be ready to go again soon but she wanted to talk for now. She placed her hand over his and was surprised when he linked his fingers through hers. The action tugged at her heartstrings. Their hands lay intertwined on her upper thigh. “What’s holding you back?”

“The mated males are biased. They want more females here for their own females. Many of the single males will likely have an issue, since it is tradition.”

“Well if the single males want more females here, that’s the only way to do it. They’re only hurting themselves.”

His fingers flexed slightly against hers. “Why do you think females would come here, anyway?”

“Why wouldn’t they? I knew nothing about this sector and even after my tour I still don’t know much about it. Maybe if there was an attraction here—other than the males—it would bring more females.”

He straightened and pushed up so that his hands caged her against the headboard. “This facility puts out the best warriors and we do some of the most intense and covert off-world missions. We will not have attractions here like a…carnival.”

She blinked, realizing he’d misunderstood her. Unable to stop herself, a giggle escaped. She cupped the side of his face. Midnight black stubble already covered his jaw. She shivered, remembering the feel of it against her inner thighs not too long ago. “I didn’t mean that kind of attraction. I mean, give the females an incentive, like luxury housing or the chance to run a business here. There are so many business opportunities here for women. So far I’ve only seen one clothing shop and one bakery run by females.”

He was silent a long moment as he watched her. “I think I might be biased too.”

“How so?”

“Because I want to change the law simply to please you.” The way he said it was almost grudging.

His words left her speechless for a moment. She cupped the other side of his face. “That’s incredibly sweet,” she murmured. Spreading her legs, she wrapped them around his waist and slid down so she was underneath him.

“It is not sweet. It is disconcerting.” He braced his weight on his forearms on either side of her head.

Before she could respond there was a sharp knock on his door. Con moved lightning fast, rolling off her, but not before yanking the sheet up to cover her body. He started to get off the bed when the door opened.

It was Cyn, a fact that seemed to annoy Con. “Wait until I tell you to enter!” he shouted, very out of character for the way he interacted with his brother.

“I am sorry. I forgot…” He turned to the side, avoiding looking at Leilani. “I just wished to tell you that I sent two males away. They left more gifts.”

“Here to see me?” Leilani asked before Con could respond.

Cyn turned back to face them and Con went rigid, his back straight. He didn’t make a move to put on any clothes but males didn’t seem to care about nudity in general.

Cyn nodded. “Yes. I let them know you were taken.”

“Good. Now…you must leave.” Con still hadn’t lost his military-rigid stance.

She wasn’t sure why he was being weird. It couldn’t be because of her state of dress. Her shifts covered less than the sheet she had tucked under her arms. “Wait, I was going to make dessert in an hour. I wanted to thank you for cooking for us again. Will you join us?” She hadn’t spent much time with Con’s brother and wanted to get to know Con’s family more.

After a brief look at Con, Cyn nodded then shut the door behind him. When Con turned to her, he had that annoying neutral expression in place.

“What’s wrong? And why did you tell your brother to leave?”

He crawled back onto the bed, moving toward her as if he would consume her. “I don’t like him seeing you like this.”

She let the sheet drop and pushed up onto her knees. “Well, if I was like this I would have understood. Have you told others here that we’re…together?” She wasn’t exactly sure what their relationship title was but she wanted to make sure he’d made it clear she was his. He sure said it enough in the bedroom. But the bedroom and in public were different.

He nodded once, watching her carefully, as if worried about her reaction. “I asked two captains to spread the word that you are…mine.” The last word sounded possessive.

Something primal stirred in her chest. To say she liked the sound of that would be an understatement. He usually said it while he was inside her. “Good.”

“This pleases you?” His big hands settled on her hips as he moved in close.

“Yes. I’d like to know…” She trailed off, trying to find the right words. “So, do I mean something to you?” It seemed pretty obvious since he’d told the others she was his, but she wanted it spelled out even as she inwardly cursed herself for asking him. If she couldn’t make herself vulnerable with the male she was sleeping with then she had a problem.

“You do.” He seemed as if he wanted to say more as he watched her but didn’t. Instead he leaned in to kiss her, but she placed a hand on his chest.

She always wanted to kiss him it seemed, but soon she’d be baking for him and his brother and there was so much more she wanted to know about this male. Whenever they were in his room there was little talking going on. Not that she had complaints. “Tell me more about your family.” Maybe she shouldn’t have just blurted it out, but after the weird conversation with his brother the other day, she wanted to hear about Con’s life from him.

He seemed taken off guard and she didn’t blame him because of the abruptness of her question, but he stretched out on the bed, pulling her with him so that she splayed out over his chest. She loved the feel of being skin to skin with him.

“What do you want to know?” he murmured.

“Everything.” She traced little circles over his chest. His heartbeat beneath her fingers was slightly elevated.

“My fathers were part of Lumineta’s special forces, just as their fathers before them. They did more space travel than Cyn and I do, but we’ve been here for generations.”

“Were either of your fathers leader of this region?”

He trailed a finger down her spine, his touch gentle. “Yes. So was one of my grandfathers.”

“So is it a family thing, to be chosen as leader?”

“No. It is just the way it worked out.”

She looked up at him, propping her chin on her crossed hands. “I feel like there’s more to it.”

He paused and she was under the impression he wasn’t sure if he should say what was on his mind. Finally he spoke. “It was a dream of mine when I was a boy to be leader. I saw the difference a strong leader could make, saw it with both my grandfather and father, compared to another mountain clan, and I wanted to be just like my father. Both my fathers, actually.”

She was touched he’d shared that with her. “Do you like what you do?”

“It can be stressful, but yes. I love it here.” The pride in his voice was evident.

She’d seen enough of his day to day interactions with his men to know his people respected him. “Well you must be doing something right. Everything here seems to run incredibly smoothly. Even my supervisor has mentioned on more than one occasion how efficient you guys are up here.”

“What about you? Tell me more about your family.”

It didn’t hurt as bad as it used to but the ache in her chest always came back when she thought of the horror of her dying planet. Even worse than the savage way people had changed, had been all the natural disasters. “My parents died when things first started going insane on my planet. I’m from a small group of islands and we got hit badly with tsunamis. They were killed in the first wave.”

His grip around her tightened as he cupped her cheek with his free hand. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a long time.” So long she now thought in terms of solar cycles instead of years. She leaned into his hold, enjoying his comfort and the feel of the calluses on his palm. “I want to share it with you anyway… Not long after they died, our world went insane. I was young when everything started so I went to live with an aunt and uncle until…” She laid her head down on his chest and stared out at the snow falling carelessly past the window. His arms tightened around her, a silent comfort. Just being with him was a comfort in general. His presence was so soothing, as if she’d come home. Which felt like a ridiculous thought, but she couldn’t shake it.

“Anyway, I lost everyone. My older sister was away at school in another part of the world. I can’t say for certain she died too, but it seems too much to think she survived. When we were rescued it was terrifying because we thought your people would be as bad as our males. It was like the end of our world made everyone change, become savage.”

“We are considered savage or barbaric by some,” he murmured.

“Not in the same way and despite your law, I think there are some misperceptions about your clan.”

He just grinned, letting her know she was right. “You know, being here is the first time I’ve seen snow up close and personal.”

He shifted slightly so she had to look up. “Are you serious?”

She nodded, half-smiling. “Yep. I’ve seen it on vid screens but it never snowed where I lived and I’ve never been this far north on Lumineta until now.”

“Later this week I’m going to take you out in the snow. There are plenty of fun things to do in it.”

She shook her head. “No way. I’m not taking off my clothes and letting my lady parts freeze so you can get your rocks off.”

His mouth split into a wide grin. It was the first time she’d ever seen such unguarded pleasure from him. “Not that kind of fun. We have hover boards. You can glide down hills at rapid speeds. It’s like you’re flying.”

“I’ve seen that on screen before.” It looked incredibly fun. “You’re sure you can take time away?”

“For you, yes.” His eyes darkened as they flicked to her mouth, the hunger there undeniable.

Just like that she melted a little more for this male. Without trying Con had shoved past all her defenses. She hadn’t been looking for anything serious but the longer she was around him, the more she wondered if they might have a future past this moon cycle. He hadn’t indicated he wanted more, though, and she was too chicken to ask. Not yet anyway.

Instead she leaned forward and kissed him. Dessert might be a little delayed after all.

Chapter 9

“So, what do you think?” Leilani resisted the urge to fidget as she looked for any giveaway expressions on her supervisor’s face.

Marlena was impossible to read. It was a Luminet thing, they were so good at hiding their emotions when they wanted to. Almost six feet tall with bobbed jet black hair a shade darker than her skin, Marlena’s green eyes were piercing over the holo-call. Her image was projected in front of Leilani as if they were in the same room. “I think you need to tell me where you got those boots.”

“I’ll tell you if you give me a hint what you’re thinking. Come on! Am I off-base with this idea?” She’d analyzed the architectural layout of the entire compound and realized there were so many places to add new additions, both residential and commercial. In some cases they could combine both. If Con and his tribunal changed the law, they had more than enough space for females to open businesses and live here. So Leilani had designed a mockup of potential uses for the spaces, showcasing what various sectors would look like with shops. In the 3D hologram, it looked amazing to her, but she needed her supervisor’s approval to move forward with a proposal.