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to remember everyone’s names, and everyone is going to be there,

watching me, judging me.” She paused to wet her lips again. “And my

dress makes me look like a bay bunny.”

“A bay…”

She nodded. “A bay bunny. They’re prostitutes that hang around the

docking bays on space stations.”

Kai still didn’t have a clue what she meant. “What is a prostitute?”

“Women, or I guess men, too, who have sex with strangers for

payment.”

“Harlots.”

She nodded again. “Yes, that’s the one. My dress makes me look like

a harlot.”

“I somehow doubt that, dove.” She could never be anything less than

beautiful if she tried. “Okay, so you didn’t like the dress, and you’re

worried about what others will think of you. Am I missing anything?”

“Only everything,” she mumbled. “Everyone thinks I can do this.

They expect me to be stunning and elegant and…perfect.”

Kai didn’t expect anything from her, and he thought she was perfect

by just breathing, but somehow, he doubted she wanted to hear that.

“And what do you think?”

Shifting in his lap, she turned to straddle his hips and fisted her hands

in his tunic. “What if I let everyone down? What if I disappoint them?”

Someone in Ivy’s past had hurt her in ways that even time couldn’t

heal. Gritting his teeth, Kai struggled to remain calm, even though every

cell in his body urged him to find the person who had caused such pain

and obliterate them.

Since he couldn’t do that, he turned his focus to the problems he

could solve. “Oh, dove, why didn’t you just tell me?” Sliding his fingers

through her hair, he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. “If you

want to wear a flour sack to the celebration, I will support you fully, and

I’ll still think you’re the most beautiful female in the room.”

“Flatterer,” she teased, and some of the tightness eased from her

shoulders.

“And yes, it is customary for the guest of honor to light the torches,

but, Ivy, you’re human. No one expects you to do magic. You’re putting

too much pressure on yourself.”

“I just don’t want to embarrass you.”

“Stop.” He toyed with the ends of her hair, pulling her close for a kiss.

“That’s not going to happen.” He’d always keep her safe, even if that

meant protecting her from herself. “If it’s important to you, however,

we’ll practice more—together.”

The smile slid from her lips, and she ducked her head. “I can’t tell

you how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you.” Lifting her head, she

stared into his eyes and held his face between both hands. “I would never

hurt you, Kai.”

“I know, and I don’t blame you.” Unfortunately, he didn’t have any

answers, either. “Tell me what happened in the bathroom.”

“I was practicing the spell you taught me, the one with the flame.

Then I kind of slipped into a trance, and my ability went into overdrive.”

“Ability?”

As he listened to her explain how she could perceive events at a

quarter of the speed of actual time, he couldn’t help but be amazed. He’d

known she was special. He just hadn’t realized how special.

“Until we understand more, it may be best if you don’t try to use

magic without me.”

“You think my abilities don’t play well with your powers?”

He nodded slowly. “I think that may very well be the case.” Which

could pose a serious problem once they’d bonded, but that was a worry

for another day. “We can discuss it more later. For now, rest.” Gathering

her close, he tucked her head under his chin and sighed. “Just rest.”

Standing at the foot of the bed, Kai watched over his mate as she slept. It

had been a restless night for Ivy, and she’d awoken several times, calling

out his name as she trembled uncontrollably. Each time, he’d fold her

into his arms and stroked her hair, humming softly in her ear until she

fell back to sleep.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, watching and worrying,

straining to hear her slow breaths over the rain that showered the

windows. Eventually, she began to stir, stretching her arms and arching

her back. Her movements disrupted the sheets, pulling them down to

her waist and exposing her perky breasts.

His cock swelled and strained at the sight, but Kai averted his eyes,

ruthlessly beating back his lust. Ivy needed him, and there would be time

for more carnal pleasures when she felt better.

“Good morning.” She grinned up at him. “Why are you standing

there? Come back to bed.”

“It is you who should be resting, dove. How are you feeling?”

“Better. I’d be perfect if you weren’t standing all the way over there.”

She wiggled her toes, tangling them in the gray sheets so that the silk slid

away, revealing more of her tight body. “Come back to bed,” she

repeated.

His cock jerked at the sight of her, and a pearly drop of moisture

beaded from the crown. He’d been alive for many, many years, and he’d

met many females during that time. Not one of them could hope to

compare to his mate, and none of them had elicited even a fraction of the

desire he felt for Ivy.

Unable to resist her open invitation, he knelt at the foot of the bed and

pulled the sheets to the floor, exposing his female fully to his gaze. “You

are so beautiful, dove, so lovely.”

Skimming his fingers along her calves and up the insides of her

thighs, he applied the slightest amount of pressure, groaning when she

opened for him. The perfume of her arousal saturated the air, sending

currents of need rippling down is spine.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He had to ask, because he’d never

forgive himself if he’d allowed his own wants to dictate their time

together.

“Kai.” Ivy laughed, her voice low and husky. “Stop talking and kiss

me.”

“Mm, but I’d rather taste you.”

Lowering his head, he laved a slow path between her folds, moaning

when her sweet nectar bathed his tongue. Her soft moans sent currents

of need traveling down his spine, and he shivered when she arched up

into his mouth.

He flicked his tongue quickly, teasing the sensitive ball of nerves

between her thighs, and inserted two fingers into her slick, wet core. Her

tight pussy closed around him, the soft walls clenching his fingers until

he could barely move them. Writhing against him, she rolled her head

back and forth on the pillow, calling his name as her fingers tangled in

his hair.

Already, she hovered on the edge, so close to the release she sought,

but Kai wanted to be inside her, to look into her eyes when the pleasure

claimed her. Easing his fingers from her body, he chuckled when she

cried out in protest.

“Patience,” he whispered, crawling up her shaking body, kissing a

wet trail from her crease to the hollow indention between her

collarbones.

Ivy’s breasts heaved with each shallow breath, her perky nipples

hard and erect. As he covered her body, blanketing her from sternum to

hips, she reached up to touch his cheek, urging him into a kiss that spoke

louder than words. Watching him through heavy-lidded eyes, she curled

her long legs around his waist, locking her ankles together at the small

of his back.

Her heated core pressed against his swollen cock, and he hissed

through clenched teeth, rocking forward to grind against her. His heart

pounded inside his chest, thrumming against his ribcage in a manic

tempo.

She couldn’t know what she meant to him, how long he’d waited for

her. Staring into the emerald depths of her eyes, his chest swelled, his

soul filling with warmth and light. She awed him, utterly captivated him,

and he felt humbled that she would give herself to him so freely.

Positioning the tip of his length at her entrance, he pushed inside,

moaning gutturally when her silken heat tightened around him. Ivy’s

shuddering moan snapped the last frayed cord of his control, and he

thrust hard and fast, his hunger for her primal, uncontainable. Gathering

her close, he plunged into her wet core, his hips pistoning in a

demanding tempo that drove them both higher.

Ivy called his name to the sky, her breaths quick and shallow as she

clung to him, locking her arms around his back in an iron grip. Too soon,

Kai found himself hovering at the peak, his stomach tight and his balls

aching with the need for release. Fire ripped through his veins, his blood

roared in his ears, and his dick throbbed within the clutches of Ivy’s tight

walls.

When his mate stiffened beneath him, throwing her head back and

arching against him, he nearly came undone. He could feel her orgasm

pulse through her, her pussy tightening around his cock, coaxing him,

milking him to his own release. With her name on his lips, he tumbled

over the edge, falling into an endless abyss where time stood still.

Sated and exhausted, he rolled to his side, pulling Ivy with him and

cradling her against his chest. Only in his mate’s arms did he truly feel

whole and at peace.

“Kai?”

“Yes, dove?” He smiled into her hair and stroked her back.

Her lips parted, as if she’d say something, but she pressed them

together quickly and shook her head. “Never mind. It can wait.”

Kai had an idea of what she’d meant to say, but he wouldn’t rush or

pressure her. He’d waited centuries for her, and if she needed time, he

could wait a little longer.

* * * *

on Kai’s chest, letting the sound of his steady pulse lull her.
Mate
. She

found it amusing to think that not so long ago, the term had been strange

and foreign to her. Now, it seemed as natural as breathing.

“What are you thinking about, dove?”

Despite her best efforts to shield her heart, she’d fallen head over

heels, crazy in love with him. She just wasn’t ready to let anyone else

know yet, including Kai.

Tracing one of the bluish markings that covered his chest with her

fingertips, she grinned. “I’ve never seen markings like these before. Are

they birthmarks?”

“I was born with them, yes.”

“Do they do anything?”

Kai laughed at her. “No, they’re just markings.” He urged her head

up and tapped the star at the corner of her eye. “Tell me about this. I

noticed Cami has a similar one.”

It was Ivy’s turn to laugh. Oh, if he only knew just how different the

tattoos really were on Earth. “Do you know about the Alien Wars and

the Zyphir?”

“I’ve read about it.”

She gave him the brief history she’d been told about her planet’s

destruction and mankind’s eventual victory over the bugs with the aid

of their allies.

“The virus attacks the female reproductive system, and we still

haven’t discovered a cure. When we’re ten, the boys are tested for

military service, and the girls are tested for fertility.”

“You’re not a male.”

Ivy chuckled. “Good of you to notice.”

“But you are a soldier.”

Ah, she understood the confusion. “Fertile females are given a scroll

tattoo, like Cami’s.” She swallowed around the lump in her throat and

breathed deeply through her nose. “Those of us, like me, who can’t have

children, we’re given a simple star. If we score high enough in certain

areas or have special talents, we can still be selected for enhancements

and ultimately, military service.”

“I’m sorry, dove.” He kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t realize.”

“It’s okay. I mean, how could you have known?” She waited for his

reaction to the news of her infertility. As king, he’d want an heir, likely a

male heir. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s a very personal secret. Thank you for trusting me with it.”

He didn’t sound angry, nor did she detect any pity in his voice. “Kai,

you understand what that means, right? You know I can’t give you little

baby kings and queens.”

“Tell me something, Ivy. Do
you
want younglings?”

“More than anything,” she whispered. She’d never admitted it to

anyone, not even herself, because it did no good to wish for things she

couldn’t have. “I think I’d be a good mother, better than my parents

anyway.”

“Tell me about your parents.”

She did. She told him everything, things she’d never told anyone. She

told him about their desire for a son, about how they’d pulled away

when she’d joined the Academy. Once she’d started, secrets,

resentments, and old hurts came rushing to the surface, bubbling

through her lips as fast as she could speak the words. When she’d

finished purging, she rolled her head on his shoulder and looked up at

him.

“I bet you’re beginning to rethink this whole soulmate thing, huh?”

Turning onto his side, he curved around her, clutching her to his