Prime Imperative (The Prime Chronicles Book 3) (26 page)

“You’re the new Caradoc mate. Of course they want a look.” Mel smiled, her expression sympathetic. “I had to do this meet-and-greet, too.” Wulf’s mate shuddered, and Wulf placed a kiss on her shoulder. “So I understand. Just hold on, you’ll be second choice and old news once Nadia gets here. Nadia just commed me. She’s not speaking to her mate right now. Huw picked out her dress to make a statement.”

Mel pulled her com unit out of her evening bag and showed it to Bria. “See the dress? No one will notice you once she walks in the room.”

“As Cheri says ‘oh, lordy.’” Bria looked at the others. “The dress has more fabric at the bodice and back than mine, but, wow, Nadia’s dress has that huge cut-out at the waist on her right side. It’s cut low enough to show the edge of her
gemate
mark.”

Mel shook her head with distaste. “I’m sure that was Huw’s plan. He’s pissed that no one believes he marked his Terran mate. Tonight, he plans to show her off.”

Wulf and Iolyn snorted with laughter. Bria elbowed Iolyn in the stomach. Mel scowled at her mate.

Bria rubbed a hand over her marking, which radiated the lingering effects of her and Iolyn’s marathon sexfest. “I’m not sure I’d want to show my mark off at a formal sit-down dinner. Poolside? Can’t avoid it. Exposed skin is inevitable when swimming and sunning. But here? Not so much.” She turned to Iolyn and kissed the edge of his jaw. “Thanks for keeping my mark covered.” She shivered. “But next time, I get to pick out my dress. My back is freezing.”

Iolyn’s response was a sexy grin and pulling her even closer to share his body heat. Yes, he did make a good personal furnace.

“Huw’s issues with the doubters are why mother and father expanded the guest list. There’s been some raucous dissent in the Elder Council. Father wasn’t happy at all and sided with Huw on the dress.” Wulf tossed back the rest of his drink. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Huw doesn’t pull off his shirt to show everyone they have matching marks.” He looked at Bria and grinned. “I’m getting another scotch. Do you want me to bring you one?”

“Yes, please.” Bria smiled at her brother-kin.

“Little one, do you want some more scotch?” Wulf brushed a kiss over Mel’s lips.

“God, yes. It’s going to be a long night.” Mel traced Wulf’s lower lip with her tongue before sinking her teeth into it.

Wulf’s low groan and rumbled pleasure incited Iolyn to fondle Bria’s bottom.

“Later,” Iolyn whispered, “I’m claiming this.” He swept a finger along the crease of her ass.

Biting back a low moan, Bria shuddered, whether with excitement or fear, she wasn’t sure. She clenched her thighs tightly against the rush of moisture spreading over her labia. Her
gemat
was sex on a stick. And deep inside she had to admit she liked being the sole focus of all that Prime male sexual desire and adoration. She especially liked him taking control in the bedroom. Something, as an independent and highly educated woman, she would’ve denied vehemently before mating with him.

Iolyn chuckled at her reaction and hugged her. “Trust me,
peata
, you’ll love it. I’ll make it very…very pleasurable.”

Bria moaned at the images she plucked from his mind. She probably would enjoy it, if she didn’t die from shock and a surfeit of pleasure first.

Mel must’ve seen Iolyn’s gesture and heard their whispers, because she choked back a laugh. She patted Wulf on his ass. “Hurry back,
gemat.
The only reason some of these people don’t approach us and ask rude questions is because you’re here glowering at them. And I’m very sure they don’t need to be close enough to hear our topics of conversation.” She turned and winked at Bria and Iolyn.

“I’ll go with my brother,
peata
, and help him carry the drinks.” Iolyn leaned over and brushed a kiss over her naked shoulder. She felt the light touch of his lips all the way to her core.

“Looks like dinner might be delayed some. Mother has quite a crush. I’ll bring back some finger foods to absorb the alcohol. I don’t want you too tipsy for later, and,” Iolyn patted her bottom, “I don’t want you wasting away to nothing. I think you’ve lost weight since we mated fully.”

Before she could respond to the inanity of his remark, the two men walked away.

Bria turned to Mel. “Was he serious?”

“About what?” Mel laughed. “The anal sex and you liking it? Or you having lost weight?”

“You can’t talk about…um,” she looked around and seeing no one really close, she whispered, “anal sex here.” Her whole body flushed with embarrassment, she added, “I’m not wasting away. I could stand to lose a few pounds. My job is very sedentary, and my bottom is wider than I’d like.”

Mel laughed and shook her head. “First, sister-kin, get used to talking about sex. Prime mated couples all have it, a lot of it, and it gets alluded to…often. Second, to our men, we’re small, dainty, and helpless. Get used to that idea, too.” She finished off her scotch and set the glass on the next tray to pass by. “Yes, it makes no sense since I put Wulf on his ass regularly in hand-to-hand combat, and yet, he insists I need his protection.”

“I noticed he was mad at you earlier, almost as mad as Iolyn was with me.” Bria spotted Nadia entering the room and waved. “Nadia’s here. Oh my, the dress is…um…looks even more drafty in person.”

The tall blonde’s smile seemed plastered on her face as she hurried to join them. Every person Nadia passed stopped what they were doing and stared after her.

And no wonder. She looked like an ancient Terran Greek goddess in the long, body-hugging column of white, diaphanous silk. The infamous right side cutout was set off with exquisite gold embroidery and sparkling white gemstones, which looked even richer against her naturally golden skin tones. The edge of her mark glowed and swirled in brilliant colors.

Huw must’ve teased her sexually all the way here. Poor Nadia.

He’s teasing her now,
peata
. Just like this.

Bria glanced toward the bar where Iolyn stood with Wulf and Huw, who’d joined his brothers. When Iolyn rubbed a finger over his mark, Bria inhaled sharply and just managed not to cry out. All she wanted to do at that moment was curl into a ball and howl at the tortuous sexual buildup. From her recent and many sexual encounters with her mate, she knew it would take actual intercourse to relieve the sexual tension that stimulating the mark caused.

Well, at least, for her it did.

Mel was correct, sex needed to be discussed if for no other reason than to see what was normal or not. Bria made a mental note to have a
gemate-
day-out, somewhere in private, so she could ask the other women how they reacted when their men stimulated the mark.

She could chalk it up to research, and not being nosy. After all, the marking had been, and still was for now, important culturally in mating, but it was grounded in the neurochemistry of reproductive compatibility. And it was an adaptation, so it made sense that how the mark reacted would change over time and from couple to couple…or at least that was her hypothesis.

Peata
, even at a party and sexually aroused, you can’t stop being a scientist, eh?

Bria shot her grinning baboon of a mate a nasty look, then fingered her marking through the thin silk of her dress in slow, sensual strokes. She was happy to notice his face flush and him rearranging his cock.

Later,
peata
, you’ll drown in the pleasure I’ll give you.
His mental voice was the purr of a predator.

“
Ansu bhau,
Nadia.” Mel had also noted Nadia’s aroused mark. “Huw’s making sure everyone knows you’re marked and his. Sometimes I think Prime males have more in common with the lower animal life forms than the higher.”

Mel touched Nadia’s arm lightly and pulled her fingers away when Nadia moaned. “Sorry, forgot how sensitive you still are. It does go away the longer you’re mated. How
are
you doing?”

“Don’t worry, Mel. Even the silk is irritating since I’m very aroused right now. I’m lucky my legs are holding me up.” Nadia shot a glare over her shoulder, aimed at Huw and his brothers. “I told him he’d better get me a double shot of vodka for all this suffering. The perverted ass also promised if I let him demonstrate the mark was real…” Nadia took a shivery breath. “…then we’d go to his old suite of rooms before dinner and take the edge off.”

Then Nadia shook her head and snorted. “He’s being an idiot. As if I care what some gossipy, skeptical, throw-back-to-the-ancient-times Prime Elders think. We know the truth.” Her lips twisted into a sneaky-looking smile. Then as Bria’d just done with Iolyn, Nadia rubbed her finger over her mark.

All three women snickered when Huw’s shout of “Nadia!” rang out.

Nadia, her back to the bar, looked at Bria and Mel. “Is Huw adjusting his cock?”

Mel laughed.

Bria nodded and smiled. “Yep. I think you might be taking a nookie break, as Cheri has taken to calling the need for frequent mating sex, sooner than you’d planned.”

“That was my objective. I’ve been at a low simmer since we left the house.” Nadia fanned her flushed face. “Two can play at the teasing game. Enough about me, how are you doing, Bria? Iolyn’s emotions were really potent in the gym earlier. Even Huw commented on it. Did Iolyn hurt you?”

“No.” Bria blushed and waved the two in closer then lowered her voice. She couldn’t wait for
gemate
-day-out, she needed to share and get their reaction.

“He spanked me…a lot…and it was more erotic than painful.” She blushed, but she couldn’t help it. Just recalling how once they’d reached their bedroom, he spanked her bare ass, then stroked her pussy and fingered her asshole had her hotter than a star going super-nova.

Nadia sighed. “I love it when Huw spanks me before sex. Well, I love it during sex and afterward, too.”

Mel nodded. “Oh yeah. Go on, Bria, then what? We’re all sisters here.”

This was what she needed. The confirmation that what she and Iolyn did was natural, and not abnormal.

“After the spanking…oh my stars, it was amazing. He’d build me up and then deny me an orgasm. He did that for an hour. I thought I was going to die.” Both women uh-hummed. “And when he finally entered me, I had the longest orgasm on record. I swear I lost touch with reality, had an out-of-body experience, and then sort of floated on the orgiastic waves. It was glorious.”

The two women moaned and nodded.

Then Mel muttered, “Sounds like Wulf’s
modus operandi
. Wonder if Prime males compare notes?”

Nadia giggled. “Huw likes to prolong sex, too—why do you think I was simmering when we left to come here?” She nudged Bria. “Come on. What happened next?”

Bria inhaled and let out a shaky breath. Just talking about it, made her want to do it all over again.

She shivered and then shared. “He began again, minus the spanking part. This time, he projected his tension—his sexual build-up—over our mind-link. His arousal fed mine and, well, let’s just say it was an explosive situation. Then after all that, he took me from behind in the shower and told me later…” Bria looked down at her fingers as she pleated her dress. “…later, he’d take my ass.”

“God, when Huw did that the first time…” Nadia waved a hand as if erasing the scene from her mind. “No, I can’t think about it, or I’ll spontaneously combust right here in front of the upper echelon of Prime society.”

Mel nodded, a slight smile and a dreamy look in her eyes. “It’s really nice when done right. I’m sure Susa worked with all three on the technique.”

“Susa?” Bria licked her lips and checked that her mental shields were up and the men still occupied at the bar. “Is she here tonight?”

Mel looked around while Nadia frowned. Obviously Nadia wasn’t a fan of Susa.

Bria’s supposition was proven true when Nadia said, “Really, Mel. Do you think Lorinda would insult us that way? I know the sex surrogates are accepted in the higher levels of society, but the Caradocs are introducing two new
gemates
to their friends and family.”

Mel shook her head. “I don’t see her. And Nadia, you need to get over Susa. I feel sorry for her. Think of what her life must have been like. No love. No closeness. No chance at children. Just sex with men whom she might or might not have even liked.”

“But Mel…Huw…” Nadia started.

Mel cut her off. “Huw was being an ass—and in total, mule-headed denial when he went to her that one time, and I will remind you it was only once. You two didn’t know what was happening. You didn’t mark first, so Huw, while intensely attracted to you, was confused. Now, we know Terrans, if they mark, bond in reverse. But you two had to go through what you did for us to realize it.”

“You’re right. But I still don’t want to meet the woman face-to-face and picture her doing intimate loving things with my mate.” Nadia wrinkled her nose. “It would be icky.”

Bria had to laugh. “Icky is a good word. And, I have to say, I feel the same as Nadia. But I also would like to help the sex surrogates find spouses or
gemats,
whichever the case might be. Because I agree with Mel, women like Susa must feel isolated and alone.”

‘You’re both nicer than I am,” Nadia said. “But I understand your points.”

Bria rubbed her hand over her lower abdomen. “Changing the subject, I think Iolyn and I might also need to sneak out and hit our suite before dinner. I really need him…right now. Is it always like this?”

We will make time,
peata
. Just hold on for a few more minutes
.

Obviously, his empathy reading was on high and fine-tuned to her even in this huge crowd. Plus, she’d let her partial shields slip at the end.

Stay fully open, please. Mel was attacked in this very room when she was introduced to the family.

There could be rebels here?

They can be anywhere.

“Bria, that’s the way it was—and is—with Wulf and me,” Mel said. “He can make love to me for hours and then an hour after the last orgasm, I’m aching for him again. The only way I get any work done is to ignore the need until it’s more convenient. It also helps that we work together.”