Pradorian Mate (13 page)

His mouth freed hers only to burn a path down the line of her neck. She tried with every fiber of her being to hold on to her sanity. Her hands touched the firm skin of his chest while his traveled all over her body, rubbing her breasts and forcing her red buds to rise in response. His searching tongue and lips flowed down the length of her flat belly, bringing him closer to her warm female center. Even the water didn’t seem to bother him.

Sara felt his hand cupping her womanhood, his fingers pressing upward to open her to him. Fear again struck her, warning her they had gone too far. Sara tightened her legs together to deny him access as she yelled, “No!” in her mind. There were so many things she still wasn’t sure of, and letting him claim her body was one of them. She had so many doubts in her mind about him, and it wasn’t something she could allow, not yet. “Stop, don’t!”

He immediately stopped, drawing himself upright in front of her. He looked down at her coldly. “You need to make up your mind what you want, little one. There will come a time when you will beg me not to stop.” His voice held a threatening promise as he turned around and gave her the time she needed to leave him.

Sara shook softly from the arousing sensations still coursing through her body. She was barely able to subdue her trembling enough to quickly get out of the bathtub, grab a towel, and dash out of the room.

Chapter 10

She rushed out of the bathroom while hastily covering herself with a towel. There was a small chill on her wet body, but she didn’t want to risk removing the soft towel for fear he would change his mind and follow her. She paced the room for a while, trying to calm down and considering how close she had come to giving in to him again. She knew how lucky she had been that he’d stopped again when she asked him.

But she believed he was right, and cold hands gripped her heart. If he had persisted a little longer, like he had that night in the cave, she wouldn’t have been able to prevent herself from surrendering to him. He was dangerous to her in more ways than she cared to admit.

Sara went out onto the balcony to feel the soothing breeze of the night air on her skin and try to cool her heated thoughts. When Archail left the bathroom wearing a cloth cover, she made a point of not looking at him. Without saying a word, he climbed into bed and turned his back to her.

She waited quite some time to make sure he was sleeping before deciding to lie down at the far side of the bed, putting as much distance between them as she could. After listening to his steady breathing for a while, she relaxed enough to close her eyes and drift into a deep sleep.

* * *

It was late morning when Sara awoke from a deep, dreamless sleep. She looked instinctively to the side of the bed next to her, but found it empty. With a sigh of relief, she stretched her body over the soft bed.

The rays of the morning light crept gently and silently into the bedroom, and the sounds of people walking and talking could be heard beyond the balcony.

Sara rose from the bed, but stopped when she realized she was still wearing the long towel. She remembered leaving her clothes on the floor of the bathroom, so she headed that way to dress. Much as she disliked her skimpy outfit, she thought it would be better than no clothes at all.

As she left the bathroom, dressed once again, the large double doors opened slowly   revealing a female Pradorian standing in the corridor. As the doors opened farther, the female looked around the room as if searching for someone or something.

On spotting Sara, the Pradorian spoke in a soft, low voice, a broad inviting smile on her face. “Good morning.”

“
Hello.” Sara returned the female’s smile out of courtesy even though she was confused. She was surprised at seeing a female of their species for the first time. Why was that?

“
I am Toria, and I work for our great Vasil. I was sent to escort you to the dining room.” She opened the door wider as she waited for Sara to follow.

Sara studied the new Pradorian female called Toria and noticed that, just like the males, she was taller than Sara. Her clothing was quite impressive as it hugged her lean, softly-built body. Her long, colorful dress was similar to the ones she had seen the night before in the bathroom closet. It hung down to her ankles, and her breasts and womanhood were successfully hidden as the darker colors led into the lighter ones, leaving the rest of her body visible under the thin material.

“Oh, but you should not go out like that. Let me find you some clean clothes.” Toria walked past Sara toward the bathroom. She beckoned Sara into the bathroom and opened the closet. She picked out an earthy-toned, translucent dress that seemed to be made of the same material as the one she was wearing. When Toria tried to help Sara undress, Sara held up a hand and explained she was perfectly capable of dressing herself. The female Pradorian remained there expressionless, as if undressing in front of someone else was normal. Maybe it was on this planet, but Sara’s modesty forced her to turn her back before undressing.

The dress flowed nicely around her and fit surprisingly well. It obscured the important parts and felt very soft. It was not at all itchy, as Sara had initially thought.

“Now then. If you could follow me, please?” Toria offered, as she stood near the bathroom door, watching Sara with mild interest.

“
Yes, of course.” Sara moved to follow the young woman, or at least she looked young. In fact, she couldn’t remember seeing any old Pradorians, but then again, maybe she’d only seen a fraction of this planet’s people. Sara wondered what other surprises awaited her just around the corner, although she wasn’t sure if she was happy with the prospect.

Toria led Sara silently down the same long corridor she had passed through the night before. When Toria halted in front of a large, light-brown door, she pushed it open and waited for Sara to enter the room. “You will find everything you need in here.” Toria then closed the door and left Sara hopelessly alone again. It had been nice to see another female again, even if it was of the same species as Archail.

Sara walked into the spacious room, which was filled with the usual wall paintings depicting wildlife and landscapes in rich colors. There was a long, black stone table with matching chairs set almost in the middle of the room. A generous selection of different fruits and meats were laid out on the table on large plates, and there were jars filled with alador liquid. Everything was in small portions, though, as if they had only served enough food for three people. Large balcony doors at the far end of the room allowed ample morning light to enter.

She moved toward the side nearest the balcony doors and sat on one of the chairs near the end of the table. There was an empty plate and a glass in front of her. She chose not to eat anything yet, instead picking one of the jars up and filling her glass with the purple liquid.

Glancing through the glass balcony doors, Sara could see the square area they had passed through the previous night. Pradorians were going about their jobs and mulling about a place that looked like a market. Both females and males seemed to be browsing goods. “So, you are my brother’s surprising mate.”

Sara turned abruptly to see who was speaking, almost spilling her drink in the process. “I’m sorry?” Sara’s eyes met those of the Pradorian woman who now stood at the opposite side of the table.

“Oh, how rude of me.” The young female took a seat. She looked at Sara, smiling broadly, and introduced herself.  “I am Irina, Archail’s sister.”

Sara’s mouth opened in surprise before stopping mid-motion as she tried to comprehend what this young-looking Pradorian had just said. All she could think to say was a simple, “Hi.”

“I like the color of your hair.” Irina regarded Sara curiously.

“
Thank you.” Sara smiled back at the Pradorian. The female was impressive, even with her relatively small stature. She was lean and very richly curved. She had Archail’s yellow-gold eyes, and her long hair was nearly the same color, matching her eyes nicely. She wore a dress similar to the one Toria had on, and Sara decided it looked even more impressive on Irina when contrasted with her natural colors.

“
When I heard the female earthlings had arrived, I had to come meet you.” Irina’s eyes seemed to love looking over the newcomer as they probed Sara up and down.

“
I see,” replied Sara.

“
I wanted to be one of the first to welcome you to Prador. Oh!” she exclaimed, as if just remembering something, “What’s your name?”

“
Sara.”

“
Well, Sara, I hope we can become good friends for as long as you choose to be with us,” Irina said cheerfully again.

Sara wondered how much this Pradorian female knew, because she was talking to her as if she actually had a choice in something. She almost asked about it, but on remembering she was talking to Archail’s sister, she chose not to. “Thank you. That would be very nice.”

Irina took a bite from an obicon fruit and swallowed. “You must have so many questions to ask. I would be more than happy to answer them.”

Sara looked at the woman with disbelief at first, but when she saw the sincerity in her eyes, she decided to take a risk. “Were there other women like me here…before?”

“Oh yes, of course, the poor souls.” A soft cloud of sadness passed through her bright eyes as she spoke.

“
Do you know what happened to them?” Sara pressed, hoping to get some answers before they were interrupted.

“
They all died.” Irina sounded as if she was talking about the most natural thing in the world.

“
Yes, I know,” Sara said flatly, trying not to arouse suspicion. “I was just wondering how they died.”

Irina looked a little surprised. “Oh! Certainly, of course. They all died because we had not been informed of the limited time the de-aging process lasted. Archail tried to save them by ordering they be given the immortality injection, but their fragile bodies were too weak to handle it. We were, unfortunately, unable to prevent them from dying.” She sounded sad as she spoke, but her voice became more cheerful as she continued. “But now we can correct this, and everything will be better for all of you.” She then leaned forward, as if sharing an important secret. “Archail ensured there would be no mistakes this time.”

“Did he?” Sara sounded cautious even to her own ears. She wasn’t sure what to believe, but one thing was certain, if what Irina had just told her was true, she had wrongly accused Archail. The realization came with a sense of regret, but there was also an element of relief that he wasn’t the murderer she had feared him to be.

She then recalled the ultimatum he had given her in the cave just three days ago. He had told her that if she chose death, the others would also die. A cold hand gripped her heart as she realized that he had lied to her.

“Yes, of course.” Irina looked Sara in the eyes.  “Everything will work out, you’ll see.” She reached across the table and patted Sara’s hand supportively.

Sara smiled halfheartedly for a moment, realizing this young female was giving her more information than she had expected. “Do you bring Earth women here often?”

Irina looked at her seriously before smiling softly. “Of course not. This is only the second time we’ve brought people from Earth.”

Her softened voice made Sara relax a little as another realization hit her. Archail had said she wasn’t the first, nor would she be the last. Had he lied again? She wondered if any truth had come from this male’s mouth. Was he a pathological liar? What reason did he have to lie to her? “Why do you need us to carry your children?”

Irina suddenly looked sad and thoughtful. “Well, we—” Her answer was cut short as the door opened, and Archail walked in.

Archail paused for a moment, seemingly surprised by what he saw. “Irina, what are you doing here?” He smiled as he moved toward her with his big arms opened.

His sister jumped out of her chair and ran to meet his open arms, hugging Archail as he chuckled and teased her gently.

Sara observed the changes in his features as he embraced his sister. She almost envied the young woman for invoking such a change in the big Pradorian that Sara thought of as a captor.

“I came to see you, of course,” Irina said playfully.

“
Well, well, this is a pleasant surprise.” He ran his hands through her hair.

“
I thought you would see it that way.”

“
I see you have already met Sara.” Archail’s voice deepened subtly as he referred to his mate.

“
Yes. I told her how I hope we will become good friends.” Irina’s cheerful disposition once again pointed itself at Sara.

“
I am happy to hear that,” Archail said, although his vanishing smile said otherwise.

Sara suddenly felt uncomfortable under Archail’s intense gaze. His renewed presence had unsettled her, as had the newfound truths his sister had unwittingly revealed. She decided it would be better to leave the room. “Will you excuse me?” She rose from her chair, readying to leave.

“Oh Sara, do you have to go?” Irina sounded sincere in her disappointment.

“
Yes, I’m sorry but I feel a little unwell.” Sara almost whispered as she forced a smile for the young female, drawing her eyes quickly away from Archail’s searching stare.