Lisia's Journey (7 page)

“Oh yes, my
arra
,” he affirmed. His fingers withdrew and slowly pushed back into

her. Lisia felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers and desire ripple through her.

She kept her eyes on his satisfied smirk and concentrated on his words and figuring out

why the man thought he could get away with claiming her as his mate-to-be.

“I am not your
arra
and I haven‟t agreed to anything with you.” She clenched her

fists. The sting of her nails biting into her palms helped her focus beyond the slow

stroking of his fingers.

Sharp descended canines flashed in Jarritt‟s wide smile. “Did your people move

away from the old ways?”

She didn‟t trust his all-too-helpful tone. She grabbed his wrist and pulled it away

from her pussy. There was only so much temptation she could resist. If his fingers

stayed between her legs, she knew she‟d be wild again long before she managed to get

an explanation from him.

He lifted his hand sucked the slick juices from his fingers. His tongue swirled across

his palm and fingers gathering any bit that had been missed. She swallowed loudly. The

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Lisia’s Journey

sight of that tongue moving over his finger brought to mind images of him licking her

pussy, lapping at the cream or feasting on her breasts.

“I don‟t know what old ways you‟re talking about. Just remember I haven‟t agreed

to anything.” She folded her arms across her chest and immediately dropped them as

the contact caused a riot of stinging prickles to radiate from the sensitive nipples.

“I‟m fairly sure you‟d know the laws if your people hadn‟t moved away from them.

You‟d know what you just agreed to,” Jarritt informed her.

She wanted to smack that smile off his face. He sounded so amused by the fact that

she didn‟t know some ancient custom. From what he‟d said, it tied them together. She‟d

have to find out just how binding it was and what her options were. There had to be

some way of breaking that ridiculous tie. She didn‟t know if she‟d even be able to ask

about it yet without screaming at him, but waiting wasn‟t a good idea.

She took a deep breath and groaned when the heady scent of his arousal filled her

senses. If it had only been the scent she could have probably ignored it without much

effort, but she could feel his cock pressing against her as well as his emotions

thrumming through her mind. That reignited her desire. She knew that before it totally

burned out of control, she had to get out of his arms. The only way that would happen

was if she asked the questions he obviously wanted her to ask.

“What are these laws that you think give you some right over me?” She leaned as

far away from him as possible, but it didn‟t put much more space between them. His

hand gripped the curve of her hip with easy strength.

“Oh, it gives me more than a right over you. It‟s an unspoken promise that you‟ll

marry me. And every step was done according to the letter of the law.” Satisfaction

rang in his voice.

“And you think you‟re going to hold me to some promise I didn‟t even know I was

making?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“I think your honor will ensure that you keep your promises.” His hand glided

possessively over her hip.

“It might if I‟d made any promises. All I did was let you touch me. And since

you‟re making such a scene about it, you can bet I already regret it.” She frowned and

grabbed his hand before he could repeat the action.

“You did more than that. You just promised to marry me.” He tugged her close and

dropped a kiss on her forehead.

She was so shocked by what he‟d just said that she barely registered the kiss on the

head. Married… She shook her head. It was impossible. How could she have promised

to marry him without even saying the words? He sounded so certain and acted as if he

knew something she didn‟t. That attitude was already grating on her nerves.

“How did I promise to marry you without even once saying a word about

marriage? I wasn‟t even thinking of anything remotely permanent,” she said. She felt

like pacing, but she couldn‟t get free of his hold.

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Rebecca Airies

“It‟s one of the ancient laws and still very much binding here. You invited me into

your room.” His hot breath fanned across her neck as he pressed kisses up the slim

column.

She blinked. “You wouldn‟t do anything more than kiss me until I did. I don‟t

believe that simply inviting you into my room constitutes a promise to marry in

anyone‟s eyes.”

“Not on its own. There‟s more that had to be done to satisfy the law.” His teeth

closed around her earlobe nipping once before he sucked on the tender flesh.

“What else did I do?” she asked, but she had more than a suspicion.

He‟d planned everything. The bastard had driven her beyond thought deliberately.

She remembered now his insistence when she‟d been burning for his touch. She hadn‟t

thought it was anything more than him making sure she wanted everything he did to

her.

“You asked for my touch on your breast and then on your pussy. So by the ancient

law which is still binding, you promised to marry me,” he whispered the last words

into her ear.

She planted her hands on his shoulders and pushed back. She didn‟t know if it was

surprise or if he simply let her put some space between them. Narrowing her eyes, she

glared at him. Anger pulsed through her and she felt trapped, caged. The emotions

made her want to fight, to hit out at the man responsible.

“I didn‟t even know about that stupid ancient law before today so there‟s no way I

could have realized what I was doing by letting you touch me. And I don‟t live here.

I‟m just visiting so it doesn‟t apply to me.” Lisia tossed her head, sending her braid

flying over her shoulder.

“You had to obey the laws on the planets you visited, didn‟t you? You weren‟t

allowed to just go do anything you wanted were you?” Jarritt asked with a knowing

grin.

She knew exactly what point he was trying to make. “It‟s not the same. I knew

about the laws on those planets. I could avoid problems for the most part.”

“Your knowledge or lack of it has no bearing on the fact that you are bound by the

law just as every other woman is.” His hand smoothed up her side cupping over her

ribs.

“You knew I had no idea about it though and you just kept pushing.” She tried to

twist her lower body and slide off his lap before he could catch her.

He hauled her closer. “I knew when you invited me in so easily that you didn‟t

know about the law. Did you think I‟d let you keep a distance between us when we

both know we belong together.”

“It‟s possible mates. The connection doesn‟t mean that you‟re the only man who

could be my mate or that I‟m the only woman for you. It only means the potential is

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Lisia’s Journey

there. You know that. I‟m probably the first one not to try to rush you into a mating the

moment the compatibility was discovered.” She rolled her eyes.

He hadn‟t even tried to see her point of view before he decided to seal their union.

Infuriated, she wondered if she could manage to punch him. Not that she had much

hope of actually hurting him, but hitting him might just satisfy some of her anger.

“I‟d have been pushing for more from you even if you‟d decided to cooperate.

There is something more to our match than I‟ve felt for any other woman,” he told her

with quiet confidence and a leisurely perusal of her body.

She planted a hand on his shoulder. Most of the anger she felt was directed only at

herself. She should have expected his scheming and trickery. He was an alpha and it

was in their nature to at least try to get their way. She wouldn‟t forget it again.

“Don‟t think I‟m just going to let you push me into this marriage. If the ancients had

a way for a woman to promise to marry someone, then they probably had a way to

undo it just as easily. I‟ll find it,” she promised.

“You‟ll try. As my promised mate, you won‟t be leaving the planet without my

permission. Now, we can get back to what we were doing.” He cuddled her close.

“Not a chance, you sneaky, conniving…” She took a deep breath and held her

tongue before she landed herself in a situation she wasn‟t ready to handle.

He smiled and stood, still holding her against him. Her hands clutched at his

shoulders as he held her weight easily. Her toes bumped against his shins, well above

the floor. His lips moved over hers, slowly lingeringly before he moved back and

lowered her to her feet.

“Sleep well. One night soon, you‟ll be in my arms and in my bed.” He dropped a

kiss on her forehead, turned and walked to the door.

Lisia relaxed as the door slid shut behind him.

33

Rebecca Airies

Lisia looked skyward as she heard the quiet purr of an engine whirring overhead. It

was the second one that she‟d heard coming in for a landing in a short amount of time.

With the thick, leafy branches of the trees over her head, she hadn‟t seen much more

than the gray bottom of a large ship.

She‟d left the
marrohl
very early this morning. A wry smile twisted her lips. She‟d

practically set a new record showering and throwing on a bright yellow shirt, sturdy

pants and boots suited for walking. She hadn‟t wanted to chance spending the day with

Jarritt. She needed the time alone to think about how to proceed, to figure out how to

deal with Jarritt and his possessive attitude.

Of course, the obvious step was to learn about that law and if it really existed. She

didn‟t have much hope that he‟d lied about that. He wouldn‟t take the chance of using a

lie when he knew she could easily discover it. He wouldn‟t just let her go about her

research and sleep alone in her bed at night. He‟d press his claim.

She had no doubt about the sincerity of his intentions to bond with her. This wasn‟t

a game to him. She‟d felt it in his emotions when he‟d told her she was his chosen Lady.

That was one thing she couldn‟t change. He controlled his needs and desires. She‟d just

have to find a way around them.

Walking back through the lush forest, she kept her pace slow, in no hurry to return

to the
marrohl
. She‟d come to no real conclusions on her long walk. There were a few

options. She could try avoiding him, but she was almost certain it wouldn‟t work for

long. Ignoring his claim would only push him into making her acknowledge it. Finding

someone else certainly wasn‟t an option. The other men wouldn‟t express an interest in

her. They wouldn‟t even look at her in that way. Every
Aridi
male in this pack probably

already knew of his claim.

On the other hand, “considering” his claim just might buy her some time. It

wouldn‟t be easy to convince him that she was seriously thinking about marrying him

and it did hold some risks. She‟d be playing a dangerous game. There wouldn‟t be any

way to keep him at a distance. He‟d need some kind of proof that she was serious. It

was the one option that she thought actually had a chance of success with him. The only

problem was she had no idea how she was going to get off the planet before he actually

scheduled a marriage. He wouldn‟t be cooperating and letting her board a shuttle.

She strolled into the holding well after the noon meal. She didn‟t like how limited

her choices were, but she had to work with what she‟d been given.

One of the first things she noticed when she walked onto the streets was all the

activity. People moved down the road between the
marrohls
at a quick pace. From the

various scents she caught she knew that some of these people weren‟t
Aridi
. She

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Lisia’s Journey

stepped to the side as a man came toward her carrying a crate. She had to admit that

she was curious about what had caused all the traffic. And why those ships had been

here.

“There you are. The
Shi’an
has been looking everywhere for you. Where have you

been?” A young woman with red-brown hair hanging to below her waist came toward

Lisia at a fast clip.

Lisia raised a brow at the woman‟s exasperated tone. The woman was wearing a

flowing green shirt and loose green pants. Those things definitely weren‟t made for the

forest. Lisia knew the woman hadn‟t bothered to check there, just by the pristine state of

her clothes. She‟d seen the other woman last night in the
Shi’an
‟s
marrohl
but they

hadn‟t been introduced. The
Shi’an
had been more interested in establishing his position

in Lisia‟s life than letting her meet the other people around them.

“Well, where were you?” The woman put a hand on her hip and her tone

sharpened.