The Siren's Call (Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) (31 page)

Gwen nodded.

“Speak your agreement aloud, Sweet Joy,” Dorian ordered, his life force thrashing at her instant capitulation. He wanted more of her, so more much of her. And by the Creators, he was finally going to have it.

“What do you want me to say, Dorian?” Gwen asked sweetly and politely, pretending to ignore the tittering male laughter and female giggles around them.

After all the time she’d spent with the demanding Zade of the past week, she was finely tuned to the effect her seemingly surrendered will had on the male in front of her. Gwen figured she could have him ripping her clothes off in front of everyone if she merely whimpered once and begged him to take her. It was oh so very tempting to test the theory on this more reserved version of Zade.

He might not remember the past week, but she damn sure did. They had been playing the who’s-in-control-now game several times a day, and she knew all the rules. She was only playing nice at the moment because it was in her best interests.

Mating ceremony or not, all she wanted was the male in front of her to kiss her again—and again. And about a hundred times after that until she turned to liquid and begged him to end her torture.

Yep—she was a goner all right, Gwen decided.

Her mother would be so proud. She’d fake pretty much anything to have her way with Dorian Zade. She’d just have to hate herself for it tomorrow.

When he remained quiet too long, Gwen felt the rising heat in him. Her body answered with an echo she knew he felt.

“Dorian? What words are required?” Gwen asked sweetly, trying to make it sound like a question instead of a demand as she pretended not to be aware of his discomfort.

“Say you will be my mate for the rest of your life. If you do, all that I am will be yours,” Dorian vowed, keeping his voice as level and authoritative as he could.

“Yes, Dorian Zade. I will be your mate for the rest of my life,” Gwen repeated, her gaze never leaving his.

“Ask her to obey your every command too,” Chiang suggested, receiving a steely glare and an elbow jab from the female at his side.

“Request that she never yell at you again,” Synar suggested, laughing when Ania stumbled as she smacked his arm hard on behalf of a female she valued.

Dorian laughed at their comments but ignored them. The only control he wanted with Gwen was her promise to be his female and his alone.

“Never would I take such an advantage with a strong female who would risk her life to save mine,” he said firmly, in as chastising a tone as he could manage. “I want only what this female will give me freely. I will earn her surrender if it can be had or not consider myself worthy of her.”

Smiling at Sarinnea and nodding, Dorian dropped to his knees, pressing his face into Gwen’s belly. She was still standing perfectly still, not having moved since he’d kissed her. He worried that she might be upset with him later for forcing the public surrender, but he pushed ahead because like her, he now just wanted this done. In fact at the moment, Gwen was all he wanted, all he could think about.

“Bless us quickly, Sarinnea. I have waited too long and must have this female,” Dorian said, not even attempting to hide the lust in his voice.

Sarinnea’s lip quivered at her child’s impassioned plea, knowing it came from the depth of his great compassion for Gwen. Behind her, she felt a male’s hand gently stroke up her back. Turning, she looked into Jordon’s proud gaze that she had set aside her personal distress. He was going to make someone a good mate, Sarinnea decided, turning back.

Sarinnea firmed her mouth and lifted her chin. Raising her hands as she closed her eyes, Sarinnea sent all the compassionate energy she could into the room while she blessed her child and his mate in the native tongue of Rylen. Then she switched to English for the final confirmation.

“Never let this mating be challenged. Would the witnesses to this union swear their fidelity by saying ‘Aye’?” Sarinnea requested, her voice clear now and echoing through the room like a rung bell.

A resounding chorus of agreement rose among the still-laughing group. In hearing it, Dorian hugged Gwen’s hips with both hands, feeling relief that at last their union was both legally and spiritually sanctioned. He was gripping Gwen hard enough to have her calling out to him to ease up. He didn’t mean to hurt her, but her enticing smell was driving him crazy, and lust for her always made him forget how strong he was.

“Sorry,” Dorian apologized, looking up to meet his mate’s gaze. “I’m excited.”

“Indeed—that is a profound truth I am well aware of,” Gwen said lowering her voice and mocking him well enough to have everyone laughing as he climbed to his feet. “Don’t you realize the effect of that kind of kiss wears off after a couple minutes, Zade? In fact, I might even be immune after this week. Got anything else in that Siren bag of sexy tricks before I show you what kind of uncontrollable mate I intend to be?”

Dorian grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, before running his fingers down into her palm and linking their hands. “I still have a few. Want to go to the training room? My headache is gone now.”

“Yeah, sure. You might be surprised at what I learned while you were gone. Let’s just say you’re not going to be throwing me across the room anymore,” Gwen assured him, tightening her grip.

“Let’s go to my quarters so you can change into fighting clothes,” Dorian suggested with a grin.

Gwen smiled in return, her sigh of pleasure audible in the room. “So are we done here?” she asked.

“Yes. We have my parent’s blessing on our mating,” Dorian said on a laugh.

Gwen looked at Sarinnea, who was smiling but also looking like she was going to fall to the floor. Jordon wouldn’t have let her, but tomorrow Gwen promised herself to look into what was sapping the Siren female’s energy so much.

She turned back to her new, and finally official, mate.

“Okay. Let’s go, Zade. I’m wound up and tired of waiting,” Gwen said, hearing male laughter and not caring. “Shut up, Chiang. Your time is coming.”

Chiang held up a hand. “I wish you nothing but pleasure with each other. Truly,” he vowed.

“I would like to thank you for allowing me to witness your mating, Lieutenant Zade. After helping Ania bear your claiming energy the first time, and helping your mate bear it the second time, I feel quite invested in your relationship,” Malachi said, addressing mostly Dorian with his comments. “Also, I would like to tell you that I find myself less uncomfortable in this room than I imagined. I won’t be reluctant to return in the future. Perhaps we can visit sometime and I can explain my new situation.”

Dorian bowed his head to the person addressing him, who seemed so much less the creature that had cut the hands off Lotharians without remorse.

“I assure you I am the same basic spirit,” Malachi said in reply to the images he saw in Zade’s mind. “Sorry. Your thoughts are very loud right now. I normally try not to intrude. I find it makes life much more interesting to let everyone just tell me what they are thinking. My congratulations to you both.”

Dorian raised his eyebrows and felt Gwen squeeze his hand again.

“It takes some getting used to. Don’t worry. I’ll catch you up on everything later—much later I hope,” Gwen added, leaning against his arm.

“Then I thank you for your kindness dem—I mean, Malachi,” Dorian said, bowing his head.

“Well, I am still a demon, so the term does not offend me. And honestly, this is as good as I can be today,” Malachi said firmly, glancing over to smile at Ania leaning on Liam. “Do you have Ania in your care, Liam?”

Synar nodded, deciding for once not to chastise the demon for using his name. “Yes. I have Ania in my care.”

“Then I’m heading to my quarters. Call if you need me,” Malachi said.

Dorian studied him with amazement as he walked out. The demon’s energy signature was so different than what he recalled it being in Ania when he read her.

Maybe he wasn’t reading anyone correctly yet. The headache had eased, but he still felt disoriented. Just as the doubt crossed his mind, the door opened again by Malachi’s hand, and a stranger entered.

“Shades of Kellnor,” Gwen said fiercely, freezing and pulling away. She pushed hard against Zade’s arm to create enough space between them for her to move freely. “Watch out. This nutcase will be coming for me in a moment.”

The stranger let out a warrior’s yell and started towards Gwen in a run. Dorian watched fascinated as Gwen took a fighting stance, not retreating, just preparing herself. He heard her dress rip, which upset him greatly because he had appreciated her effort to make herself alluringly female for him.

Instinctively to protect her, Dorian reached out with both hands and snagged the smaller male mid-leap before he could connect with Gwen. Flipping him into the air, Dorian watched him spin twice and land face down on the floor with a grunt. Then Dorian pressed his foot firmly down on the crazy male’s back to keep him from getting up. When he looked up from subduing his victim, he noticed Chiang and Jordon looking at him in shock, neither obviously having seen what he was capable of until now.

Hearing Ania and Liam laugh, Dorian turned to watch his captain and truest male friend lean forward cautiously to peer down trying to see who was underfoot. Something about Liam’s wicked smile gave him reason to frown, but he was still trying to figure the fool out. Dorian stared at the squirming male as he turned his face to Liam.

Then Liam laughed so loudly, all the attention went immediately to him.

“After what happened at your ceremony, you honestly think this male’s attack on Gwen is amusing?” Dorian demanded, glaring at the loudly laughing male who wasn’t acting like much of a friend.

“Amusing? Perhaps a bit. I was mostly thinking it was a strange way for you to meet Gwen’s father,” Synar said calmly, peering down again. “Nice to see you again, Cahir. I guess the last time was when you inspected the Liberator before Gwen joined my crew. Sorry you missed the better part of your daughter’s mating ceremony, but you probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it.”

Dorian looked at Gwen with wide eyes. “This is your father. But how can that be? He was planning to attack you. I saw his intentions when he came through the door.”

Gwen sighed, unable to explain her Thelorian father’s strange ideas about teaching her protection. “Attacking me is Cahir’s unique way of saying hello. You can take your foot off him now, Zade. I’m sure he won’t try it again while you’re around.”

“Sorry,” Dorian said, removing his foot and walking around the male on the floor. He reached down a hand to help him up. “I thought you were trying to hurt Gwen.”

“I was,” Cahir informed the large frowning male, mouth unsmiling as he glared at his female offspring. “As her father, I pride myself on making sure my daughter is fully prepared for the unexpected.”

Gwen swore. “Cahir, I am thirty-six Earth years old and rightful commander of the Liberator. I am as prepared as I need to be. Since when do you surprise me with a visit?”

“What surprise? It’s your birthday. I sent word a year ago that I would be arriving today,” Cahir said, letting the very large, still-glowering male pull him to his feet.

“A year ago?” Gwen said, rolling her eyes. “I work on a rescue ship. I handle crises all day long. What do you think? That I have someone to remind me of year-old social obligations?”

Cahir looked at his daughter, who towered over him by six inches, and then to the male now standing by her side, who towered over everyone in the room including his tall daughter. “A Siren? You genuinely mated a Siren? Shenu, I know your physical needs, like mine, are great, but this male will control you for the rest of your days. Siren mating agreements are rarely broken. I am very disappointed. I expected you to choose your life partner more wisely.”

“Yeah, well no offense, Cahir, but my life partner sure put your ass on the floor pretty quickly didn’t he? I’d say I did damn well,” Gwen said fiercely, crossing her arms, gratefully noticing Synar was motioning for everyone to leave the room.

Gwen bowed her head to her superior, sighing when Synar saluted her. Her captain had seen Cahir’s interference first-hand just before she had joined the Liberator. She really didn’t want everyone else to witness her pathetic family drama, nor did she want others to hear her father berate her skills.

Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but Dorian put a hand on her shoulder.

“My apologies for the way we met. Let me help you get settled in your quarters while Gwen changes. We’ll see if we can have a late meal together and visit,” Dorian said, addressing his comments to Gwen’s father.

“But we just—” Gwen stopped when she saw her mate’s gaze intently boring into hers.

“I know. I’d like to speak with your father, just for a few moments,” Dorian said, bowing his head respectfully to the female he adored.

Dorian could feel the fight in Gwen growing, and part of him wanted to turn her loose on the disrespectful male who had sired her, but another part of him demanded he handle it differently. Not to make peace between child and parent, but to lessen his initial hatred for the male.

“I realize this is very bad timing and quite offensive to all your preparations for our ceremony. It is a tradition on Rylen for a male to state his intentions to the parents of his intended mate. You and I seem to be doing everything backwards, but we will not let these tiny obligations in any way affect the outcome of this day. With your permission to leave you for just a short time, I would like to see to the needs of your father,” Dorian said formally, bowing his head respectfully to Gwen who merely arched an eyebrow at his soothing speech.