Bay's Mercenary [Unearthly World Book 1] (9 page)

“The warrior
killed the female?”

“No, it’s not in
our nature to kill a female; we remember the affection our mothers gave us, if
it was only for a short while. The female would be shamed and, unfortunately,
treated poorly by the other females until she proved herself during the next
cycle. Her next mating, she is more careful; she may even choose a young
inexperienced warrior and that is when the male suffers her anger.”

Bay flopped back
onto the bed.
“
Gawd
, what a nightmare.”

“Why do you have
breasts?”

“What?”

“I mean I know
females have breasts, but our females only have them for a month when nursing
the males. Yours are beautiful, so rounded and soft-looking. Everything about
you is soft and cute. It’s so hard to wrap my head around the idea a female
could be so vulnerable; it’s mind boggling—you have no idea. I think that’s why
my cycle has sped up; every time I look at you my heart hammers in my chest.”

“Breasts are just
part of an Earth female’s anatomy.”

She smiled
inwardly at his words; he looked so astounded every time he glanced at her. Bay
knew he was torn between jumping on her
or
picking her
up. Bay sat up and had a thought. Zane knew she was different from the
Zargonnii
females; if she stressed the point with proof, perhaps
it would be easier for Zane to maintain control. Bay pushed her wrap down,
exposing her breasts.

“Give me your
hand.”

Zane gave her his
hand and she brought it to her breast.

“You are so supple
everywhere, and yet you have no wrinkles to grow larger. I know you seem
surprised when I speak of my mother, only knowing her for a month. I remember
her features, her scent. I remember the way she felt. Her breasts weren’t soft
like yours; they were as hard as the rest of her. Only the nipple was
vulnerable. While nursing me, my mother stayed in the female domain, near other
mothers who nursed sons.”

There was
something in his voice that drew Bay closer. Zane was a man who needed warmth,
comfort.
Her all-powerful, warrior mercenary craved
affection.
Bay traced her fingers over his high cheek bones, down to the
base of his throat. She lifted her other hand and ran the pad of her thumb
across his lips. Zane’s breath increased; his look of wonder was a gift.

Zane was rolling a
nipple in his fingers. His large hand reached down and with a single rip of her
wrap Bay was naked. Zane gripped her under her arms and tossed her higher onto
the bed, she landed with a bounce and shoved her hands against his chest when
he tried to lay over her.

“Easy,” she
warned.

“Sorry, but this
is very arousing.”

“You will get more
aroused if you are gentle. If you crush me, you’ll kill me—not too arousing
then.”

“Every part of me
is screaming I’m to be on top of you; I’m the stronger mate this time.”

“You can be on
top. You have to remember to keep from crushing me.”

“I’m trying.” The
words were torn from Zane’s mouth. “I haven’t mated with a female since
Draven’s
mother; let me mate you, and I swear the next time
I will have more control. Bay, if you only knew what I battle inside, because I
can’t battle you on the outside.”

“Then take me to
the bottom of the bed,” Bay’s words were raspy with her panic. Zane was too
heavy and it was growing harder to breathe. She should have known his first
time with her would be difficult for them both. He had warned her he would be
primal—he also swore he would battle to control his nature. She could see him
battling; one second he was growing, the next he stopped himself, then started
then stopped. He looked like he was being tortured internally.

Zane dragged her
to the bottom of the bed until he stood before her breathing hard and fast. Bay
knew they would have to compromise. She encouraged him to stand between her
thighs.

“Yes, this is
perfect. My weight won’t be on you, and I will still be on top; I can control
this.”

Bay hoped so,
because if he started growing for real, the deal was off. A being of well over
six feet was one thing, but a being over seven feet was another. And Zane was
breathing like a locomotive. His hands were firm as he gripped her hips and
pulled her up until her legs were over his elbows on either side. His firm
thick cock made her shudder as he guided himself in. He was slow and careful.
Bay felt him shaking.

Bay groaned as he
entered her inch by inch. Her breath caught and held for seconds before her
expelled air came out in a whoosh. She had to admit he felt incredible. The raw
power he possessed and tried so hard to keep in check was no doubt killing him.
When he was buried deep he thrust and retreated a few times sharply making her
cry out. His hands were now lifting her behind to meet him. For a few short
moments, his eyes glowed brighter. His teeth sharpened, and Bay said his name
on a whimper; he growled in response and shuddered. Bay watched as he struggled
with primal need, an ancient ritual engraved in his DNA. The stronger of his species
stayed in battle mode while the less dominant submitted.

“It’s all right, Bay;
I have my control back.”

Bay could see he
had. The glowing red stopped; once more there were spaces between his teeth.
Once he was able to overcome the feeling of losing his power position, it registered
the mating would continue until he was satisfied. Bay knew his last experience
was enjoyable; he had stated as much, but this time he was in control. Bay
didn’t mind—for now. For now, she let him set the pace, which wasn’t as brutal
or fast as she thought it would be. Zane seemed content to rock against her
steadily; his thrusts were long strokes and eager, filling her, making her moan
and gasp.

“You’re so tight.
Am I hurting you?” Zane asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

“
Draven’s
mother wasn’t this tight, and she was so heavy I
could barely breathe; yet, it felt nice. Just having contact with a female
after so many years made the experience worthwhile. This feels so amazing, so
much better. You’re here because you want to be, not because of some cycle that
drives you. My cycle brought me to this, but it’s not what drives me now—it’s
you, the feel of you,
your
smell. You’re intoxicating.
Your insides are closed over me, warm and wet, wanting me. I’ve already
exploded into you, and you can’t shove me away. It feels so satisfying just
thrusting and retreating. I’m building again; I didn’t know I could build so
fast.”

Zane looked like
he had entered Heaven. He was no longer shaking as he pushed her higher onto
the bed. Bay mumbled her concern, but he shushed her. He lay over top of her
and kept his weight from pinning her.

“I must see what
it feels like, Bay.”

As long as he
didn’t crush her, Bay didn’t mind. Her face buried into his hard chest, his
thick fuzz tickled her nose. She had never been with such a hairy man before.
Her arms wrapped around his back and she clung tightly; her legs lifted to wrap
around his back. The air in the room was cool, but Zane was wonderfully warm.
Bay decided there was no safer place she could be. With his weight on her, his
body was closer and Bay moved with him. His long hard shaft stroked her insides
like nothing she had ever felt before.

Bay could feel her
body climaxing, there was no fear of Zane; his touch was gentle and no longer
needed to be controlled. As her orgasm swamped her, Bay cried out and Zane
stiffened.

“Oh god, Zane, you
feel so incredible.”

Encouraged, Zane
moved faster. His rhythm increased until their thighs slapped together. Bay
bent her knees, completely hidden under him, his body wrapped around her in
protection and possession. It was bliss.

Bay was spent by
the time Zane lay still; he rolled over, taking her with him. She lay upon his
chest as he settled the blankets over them.

“When a male wins
against a female, he decides when she may leave.”

“Oh
really?”
Bay drawled. He sounded full of
himself.

“Since I will win
every time, you must never leave.”

“I think I can
live with that, when you put it that way.”

“Promise me you
will never leave the house unless I’m with you.”

“After what I saw
come over the fence, there isn’t a chance of that happening. I promise.”

“From now on, when
I take
Draven
to school and bring him home in the
evening, you must stay inside while I’m gone. And let no one in.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Some of the males
who live near me have been commenting their cycles are moving quicker. I think
they sense you. As long as they think you’re a pet, they’ll leave you alone;
but once they find out you’re not…Well, let’s just say things might get
tricky.”

“Will they come
after me?”

“No, if you’re not
in the same house with them on a daily basis, they can control their instincts.
But what if they decide they want you in their homes? When a
Zargonnii
male finds out there are females willing to mate
whenever a male wants, he will be very interested in acquiring one.
Especially if the female is smaller and helpless.”

“You can’t turn my
race into sex slaves.”

“When the
Zargonnii
males discover human females—and it’s only a
matter of time, they won’t want sex slaves, they will want mates who will stay
with them, not dominate them and leave.”

“But
what about your females?”

“I don’t know. Before,
they could afford to be picky. If the option is taken away, they may get even
nastier.”

Bay knew she
didn’t like the sound of that one bit.

Chapter 7

Zane smiled at Bay
when he came through the front door of his home; he had just dropped
Draven
off at school. She was sitting on the furniture
fixture she called a couch. She called the furniture fixture in his room a bed,
and though she knew what drawers were, she also called the furniture fixture
that held them a dresser. Her words in her language were interesting, and the
way she spoke in her own tongue, he knew she wasn’t making things up as she
went along. But it was odd how she gave a name to the fixtures—as though they
were real, live objects.

Bay finished the
food she was eating—she called it yogurt; he didn’t have the heart to tell her
it was baby food. She ate some of their normal food, but not all, and supplemented
her diet with the creamy substance and another substance they gave to older
children who were still teething. She named it beef jerky, except it was made
from the flesh of a being called a
zat
. When Zane
described a
zat
, Bay told him except for having three
eyes and being a deep indigo, it sounded like a cow—whatever the hell that was.

Her smile made his
heart thump. It was always so amazing that she was happy to see him. Zane
remembered his mother’s smile, but during his first mating with
Draven’s
mother, there had been no smiling, just lots of
growling. Bay put her food down and went to him. Zane was surprised when she
wrapped her arms around him; he wondered if all human females were so
affectionate. Earth males had been very lucky.

Bay’s chin was
settled onto his chest as she gazed up into his eyes. “Do you have work to do?”

Zane looked past
her out the window. A storm that had been threatening was now teeming with rain
so hard he couldn’t see into his own backyard. No doubt his communication would
be off until it subsided. Zane helped coordinate his people’s encounters. He
did the research to see if any beings they went to war for had the materials
they actually needed; it was best never to lie to a
Zargonnii
warrior mercenary—it could mean death.

“No work for me
today if my system won’t cooperate.”

“This is the first
storm I’ve seen on your planet, is it usually this bad?”

Zane had a
thought. “Are you scared?”

“No.”

Zane chuckled, she
was scared, he could tell. At this very moment, the
Zargonnii
females were trudging along in this weather, they couldn’t have cared less—rain
was the least frightening of their world. “Didn’t your Earth get storms?”

“My Earth got so
many storms our planet died.”

“Point
taken.”

“The storms were
so bad and struck with so much force thousands died each day.”

“Your
family?”

“I have none left.
You and
Draven
are all I have.”

Zane felt guilty
for thinking the idea pleased him. He didn’t want her to be missing someone.
“You are so beautiful and you smell wonderful, is it too early to ask if we can
join again? I will understand if you say no; I can, uh, go and wash if you’re
not ready.”