“I’ll fetch a cleaning cloth,” he said quickly, and disappeared into the bathroom.
Chapter Eight
Unlike the previous night, L’ren did not fall asleep after her climax. After fighting down his unruly cock, T’saran cleansed them both, then gathered her into his arms, content to hold her as they both stared out at the moon. She stroked his chest absently.
“Why are you here?” she asked suddenly.
“Commander T’ngorzul told you. We are here to prepare for the invasion.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant this ship—you don’t belong here. I don’t trust the commander for a minute and S’kran seems like a drunk. Why aren’t you on a better ship?”
“Because this was the best ship I could get,” he said bitterly.
“Why?” she asked gently, her hand still stroking him in a soothing rhythm.
He found that he didn’t want to tell her, but she deserved the truth.
“On my first mission, I was assigned to the planet Ihana. It was the third year of our occupation and things seemed to be progressing well. I was assigned to the Supreme Commander’s personal guard. It was a high honor.” He had been so proud. Fresh out of his Warrior House, full of confidence—sure that this was only the first step to an illustrious career.
“What happened?” she said softly.
“There was a female.” He saw the slight flinch, but he was committed now. “One of the natives, of course. I think she was a few years older than me, but she was very beautiful and charming. In my own arrogance, it never occurred to me that she might not be sincere in her protestations of devotion.”
Her face softened. “She was using you?”
“Yes.” Lingering bitterness still tainted his words. “It was not until there was an attempt on the Supreme commander’s life that I realized. She knew exactly when to seize the opportunity because I did not guard my tongue.”
“Did you tell anyone about it?”
“Of course.” Devastated as he had been, he had never doubted his duty. “I turned both of us over to my commander. I was stripped of my rank and forced to watch as they… questioned her and then executed her.”
He would never forget the defiance in her eyes… or the way she had laughed at how easily she had manipulated him.
“I was sent to Kadah—a labor planet—for three years as a guard.” Three years before he disgraced himself again, but he found he didn’t have the stomach to reveal the second incident to her. Only the fact that the base commander’s son had been involved had prevented him from being demoted a second time. It hadn’t stopped them from rushing him off the planet and into an equally low status position on a mining transport. He had made three attempts to transfer off that ship before Commander T’ngorzul had offered him this position and a new rank. And now he realized that despite the increased rank, he was as trapped as he had been on Kadah.
“What did she look like?” L’ren asked, breaking through his abstraction.
“She?”
“The female, on Ihana.” Her cheeks were flushed, and she wasn’t looking at him.
He didn’t have to think, her image was etched into his brain. Although, unfortunately, it was the image of her lined against a wall with the other conspirators, waiting for execution.
“Golden skin, scaled like an Icluthian female.” It had been bruised and darkened at the end. “Bright blue eyes.” Those hadn’t changed, although they had gone from what he had foolishly assumed was loving to bitter and defiant.
“She sounds beautiful,” L’ren said, and he caught the sorrow in her voice.
“Not as beautiful as you, my lady,” he said firmly, pushing the past aside. Perhaps all his previous mistakes had been leading up to this meeting, to this woman who he knew was destined to be his.
“If you are not too tired, perhaps you will allow me another taste?”
He caught the scent of her arousal, even as she wiggled against him.
“Okay,” she whispered, and he lowered his head, determined to enjoy the present.
The next morning, Commander T’ngorzul summoned him to his cabin. Unlike the rest of the ship, the space was not only pristine, but richly furnished in a tangible display of his family’s wealth.
Remembering their last encounter, T’saran knocked cautiously but T’ngorzul greeted him almost jovially, a satisfied smirk on his lips.
“The test results have been analyzed. It looks promising, very promising.”
“That is good news, sir,” he said cautiously.
“It is indeed. The next step is a true trial. You will attempt to breed the human female.”
Even as his body responded to the idea, he took a step back. The very process was forbidden. “Sir?”
“You heard me.” T’ngorzul waved an impatient hand. “I had thought to do it myself, but I do not find her particularly appealing.”
A growl escaped his lips at both the insult to his female and the idea that another male would touch her.
“And that is the other reason. This bond you have developed… If she is not your true L’chka, you still seem to be experiencing a similar bond. That gives me great hope for this experiment.”
“But what of the Forbidden Cycle?” The Yehrin Supreme Council forbade relationships between warriors and the females of the planets they conquered for an initial period.
T’ngorzul shrugged. “The planet has not yet been conquered. It doesn’t apply.”
T’saran was quite sure that wasn’t true, but looking at the commander’s arrogant face, he knew there was no point in arguing.
“But what if L’ren does not want to be bred?”
“Then you will convince her.” T’ngorzul’s voice turned hard. “Make no mistake, Officer T’saran. We will attempt to breed
