She stroked a provocative finger along her lower lip. “Did you just want to look at me?”
“Oh no. I intend to kiss and lick and worship every inch of you. And no one else will hear you when you cry out my name, when you beg me for more, when you bathe my kotra in your sweetness.”
A trickle of liquid heat slid down her thigh. He wasn’t even touching her, and her body was on fire with longing.
“You’d better get started,” she whispered. “That might take a while.”
“All day,” he agreed. “Or even all year. The rest of our lives, even. I love you, Isabel.”
“I love you too.” She put her hand on his chest, loving the familiar feel of silky fur over firm muscle. “Thank you for saving me.”
“You saved me too. You brought me home.” He touched her cheek. “You are my home.”
And then his eyes heated, and he swept her into his arms before he proceeded to make every one of his promises come true.
Epilogue
Three months later…
Baralt didn’t bother to call out when he entered their home—he already knew where he would find Isabel. As he suspected, she was in what had used to be his office, working on the plans for the luxury winter resort the tribe had decided to build. Njkall was overseeing the actual construction, while she came up with the plans and decided on the most appealing options for their future guests. The two of them worked well together. Baralt knew that the older warrior had developed a fatherly affection for Isabel and that relationship had helped her move past her father’s abandonment.
His own job was going equally well. Although some of the less legitimate establishments had not been pleased, most of the merchants fully supported their efforts. He also found he enjoyed the time he spent with the young warriors on his team, despite their sometimes…impulsive tendencies. But neither the law nor the resort mattered right now.
“My aria, I have something to tell you.”
“Yes?” she said absently, still focused on the document on her tablet. “Do you think we should put a roof over the hot springs or leave them open?”
With a sigh, he took the device out of her hand, picked her up, and then sat down with her on his lap. As always, her closeness awakened his kotra, and her eyes widened as she felt him grow beneath her.
“That feels more like you have something to show me.” She wiggled against him, and he almost gave in to temptation, but he had important news.
“The Derian ship is no more.”
“The Derian ship—you mean the one that took me from Earth?” Her eyes darkened as they always did at the memory of her time with the slavers. It was one of the reasons that he had asked Varga to track them down.
“Yes. The crew is dead.”
“I’m glad,” she said fiercely. “Thank you, Baralt.”
She reached up to kiss him, but he held her gently in place. “There’s more.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Varga found records indicating that a third human female was also taken.” They knew that Hanna, the female Njkall had recently encountered, had been on board the same ship. They hadn’t known there was yet another female.
Her eyes widened. “Another one? Oh no. What happened to her?”
“We don’t know yet. Varga has gone after her. He will find her and bring her here to us.”
“But it’s been so long. I can’t even imagine how I would have survived if I hadn’t met you.”
The horrible thought made his arms tighten around her, but his voice was confident. “You would have kept fighting, and you would have survived.”
“And you’re sure Varga can find her?”
“I’m sure. He is a very determined male.”
“Maybe she found someone kind,” she said hopefully.
“Perhaps.” The universe was a harsh place, but sometimes things worked out.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said slowly, her fingers playing with the fur on his chest.
“Those words strike dread into the heart of every male.”
“Nothing bad, I promise. In fact, I think you might like the idea.”
“What idea?”
“If things stay on schedule, your birth control implant will expire about the same time that construction is completed on the resort.”
His heart pounded. “Yes?”
“And I thought maybe we could see if cross-species mating between Hothians and humans is successful.”
Yes! He wanted to shout his agreement, but she still wasn’t looking at him. He placed a finger under her chin to lift her face to his. “Is this what you want?”
Her eyes filled with tears, and his heart sank, but then she nodded. “Yes, I really do. I never thought I would want to have a child, but my life has changed so much. And you will be a wonderful father, Baralt.”
“Our child will never doubt that she is loved,” he promised her.
His kotra throbbed eagerly, and he lifted her dress so that he could press it against her sweet, wet cunt. “Perhaps we should begin practicing.”
“We get plenty of practice,” she said dryly, but she moved slowly along his slick shaft. “And not until the resort is finished. I don’t want to be carrying a baby around a construction site.”
“Which reminds me of my other news.” Unable to wait any longer, he lifted her enough to find her entrance, then worked his way into the silken fist of her channel. They both groaned.
“Wh-what news?” Her eyes fluttered closed as she rocked her hips, adjusting to his size.
“Njkall wants to send us to see the Emperor.”
“What?” Her eyes flew open, and she stopped the sensuous dance.
He took over, moving her up and down his kotra in the same easy motion.
“I can’t go. I’m an escaped—oh God, that feels good.”
“There are no records of that, and even if there were, the Emperor has forbidden all trafficking on pre-spaceflight worlds.”
Her tight little passage was beginning to pulsate around him, and he knew she was on the verge of coming, but she tried to continue
