After all, humans didn’t have the same mating force. Not exactly.
Right?
Even as I made the promise to myself, I knew it was wrong.
Slipping one hand between us, I slid my thumb against her clit, stroking it in time to our motion, pressing harder every time I trapped my hand between our bodies.
As she shattered around me, my name ripped from her throat, even as my lips claimed hers.
My gaze met hers, and I fell into her eyes, my entire being held as warm and secure as her body held my cock, the entire universe pulsating around me in a moment like nothing I had ever felt before. Groaning, I buried myself deep inside her again, her delicate hands grasping my ass, her legs wrapped around me as she rose to meet me. With every thrust, I claimed her—or rather, I allowed her to claim me.
Still, that primal part of me growled, Mine.
The thought drove me to the edge, heat throbbing through me as her slick pussy squeezed my cock, holding me tight even as I drew my mating cock out and thrust it back in, her cries growing louder as I pounded into her, harder and harder. My balls drew up tight against my body and I exploded into her, mixing my mating cum with our earlier orgasms.
Tying me to her forever.
I didn't even realize I had been calling out her name until I held myself above her on my elbows and whispered it into her hair.
“Amelia, my perfect mate,” I whispered into her hair in my language, “I love you.”
It will all work out, I told myself. It’s going to end up being even better than it could have been otherwise.
Even I didn’t believe my lie to myself.
The sound of Alveron aerials woke me. I didn’t know how long we had slept, but I was certain it had not been long enough.
Then, over the sound of the Alveron Horde drones, I heard boots drumming down the walkway.
Reaching over, I shook Amelia awake. Her eyes popped open, and she opened her mouth to say something but quieted when I placed one finger over her lips. When she nodded her comprehension, I tapped my ear and pointed at the door.
She tilted her head, listening to the thumping coming toward our rented room.
Maybe we can learn to communicate without a translator, after all.
Without a word, she sat up and slipped out of bed, pulling on her Earther clothing and slipping her feet into the shoes she had worn.
I did the same, pulling on my chavan and drawing my sword out of its scabbard. I positioned myself at one side of the door and gestured for Amelia to hide in the sanicleanse room. But she shook her head, picked up one of the Earther lamps made of a heavy ceramic substance, and situated herself on the other side of the door.
I pantomimed the door swinging open and hitting her in the face, rolling my eyes and head to indicate how dizzy she would be if that happened.
She stifled a snicker and stepped several morits to the right. At least she would be out of their immediate line of sight if anyone burst through. They’d have to enter the room to see her.
So we were ready when the bounty hunters kicked the door in. It was a stupid move on their part.
They act like they’re not up against a trained, seasoned warrior, I thought as I swung my sword into the neck of the first one to enter. He dropped to the floor with a final gurgle.
Amelia blanched but brought the lamp down atop the second bounty hunter’s head with enough force to leave him reeling. He stumbled out of the way, and I waited for the third bounty hunter to enter.
Coward that he was, though, their leader had sent his two men into the room and had not followed them. I flattened myself against the wall and scooted over enough to peer around the wooden frame.
I had expected an ambush of some kind. Instead, I found the leader staring up into the sky, his mouth wide open.
One of the Alveron Hordeships streaked overhead, and I jerked back and flattened myself against the wall again with a curse.
“What is it?” Amelia hissed, moving back to her original position against the wall, too.
“Alveron,” I said pointing upward, toward the ceiling and the sky outside.
I had assumed Amelia couldn’t get any paler than she had when I had almost decapitated the first bounty hunter to enter. But she did.
At least Earthers were aware of the danger the Alveron posed. I calculated our chances of survival if we made a dash for the car, but Amelia had moved it to the rear of the building. We would be exposed for far too long if we left now.
I wracked my brain to come up with any alternative escape route, but everything involved us leaving this room.
If I had been fully aware when Amelia had chosen this place, I would have suggested one of their common houses with rooms that entered into internal hallways rather than onto external walkways.
The sound of another engine flying overhead caught my attention, and my heart leaped in my chest. Could it really be true?
I chanced another peek outside, just in time to see a Khanavai ship tracing the same path the Hordeship had taken.
At that moment, the leader of the bounty hunters raced into the room.
I leveled my sword at him. “Get out.”
The leader began babbling. “I can’t. That’s an Alveron Hordeship outside. Please don’t make me leave. I’ll give you the bounty, I promise.”
I sneered at him. “I don’t want the bounty. I want the female.”
The red leader unbuckled his sword belt and let it fall to the floor, holding his hands up in the universal sign of submission. “You can have her. I’m unarmed, and I won’t hurt you or your female.”
Although she couldn’t understand what we were saying,
