Page 46 of Bonded

“What if she doesn’t mind?” I said.

Vryek sighed. The one who held me laughed, and his joy was palpable. “I knew we would be well-suited for each other, my Priya.” Whenever he said my name, whatever implants were in my head translated it to “beloved.” Something about that soothed something in my soul that I didn’t know needed comfort. “Come, now that you’re fully awake, the sooner we do this exam, the sooner Vryek will stop worrying. The sooner he stops worrying, the sooner we all get what we want.”

I giggled at his naughty tone.

He switched positions, so I was lying on the soft covers. He gently pulled my arms up, telling me his every motion and why. Whatever he did to the cuffs made them tighten.

It felt too familiar. Too much like being strapped down, so I could be taken easier. Panic flared in my chest. Beeps alarmed from some machine, and Vryek hissed a curse. “What’s happening?” I asked.

“Do not be scared, my Priya. The ties are merely retracting. See? You may remove your hands if you are uncomfortable. They are not restraints. The cuffs monitor your vital signs. I will remove them once your medical exam is complete.” They retracted until there was a slight tug to ensure tautness. I gasped at the sensation and an accompanying beep echoed. “Or not, if you prefer to be restrained.”

I would have answered that I never really had a preference, but then his tongue lapped at my breast and whatever rational answer I had vanished. He licked circles around my nipple while he pinched the other. His other hand roamed my body until he reached between my thighs. I gasped as he tested my entrance with a finger.

Light flooded my vision, and I was able to see shadows moving before my eyes.

“So hot and wet,” he said in awe. “So soft and slick, just for me.” As if to prove it, he plunged his finger into my depths.

I pushed against his heavy body, needing friction, needing anything to keep from going insane.

“Soon, Priya. I will let you come only when you can see me. I want you to know who gives you pleasure.” He plundered my mouth then. A lesser, more polite version would have called what he did a kiss. But this man wasn’t polite. What he did was invade, storm, ravish...that long, dextrous tongue waged war with mine, exploring, taking, tasting until tremors racked my body. He pulled away from me, panting and breathless.

I could see the outline of his form as he held himself above me. He was big, larger than anyone I’d ever seen. He was easily seven feet tall. But that wasn’t all. Atop his head were a pair of horns.

This form was both familiar and new to me all at the same time.

He showered my face with innocent pecks as he spoke hot words against my flesh. I arched against his rough hands, wanting more of his gentle, addictive touch. His exploration of my body descended lower, cupping my ass. I wanted him to settle his large body between my spread legs and grind against him. He answered my breathless whimpers by teasing my nipples.

I didn’t know how much more of this teasing I could stand. I was so close, teetering the edge, and I was slowly going insane. One particularly hard suck made my eyes open in shock.

I could see the intricate carvings along the horns. Count the metal rings of his ears—twenty-one from point to lobe. See the battle-hardened face riddled with crossing scars soften with the rapture as he toyed with my nipples, eyes closed as if living a dream. I wanted to hold him, trace the lines along his face.

This was Ruzan. The face of my heart. I knew him, trusted him. Memories fixed themselves in my mind, and all that I’d experienced in recent memory finally fell into place. Some made little sense, as I couldn’t have experienced them firsthand. I realized that those snippets floating in my mind’s eye were from the ship’s perspective, and it shared them with me like a gift.

“Who gave you those scars?” I asked.

He froze mid-lick. His eyelids opened, revealing a startling shade of light green eyes that reminded me of sea glass. His gaze focused on me. “Can you see me now, my beauty?”

The intensity in his gaze took my breath away.

Somewhere, a monitor shrieked. “Do not scare her, Ruzan.”

I couldn’t see clearly past the bulk of Ruzan’s body, so Vryek was still a blur. But I knew him, too. “I’m not scared, Vryek. I trust you. Both of you not to break me.” The words were more for Ruzan’s benefit than anything else. I didn’t like the look I’d seen flicker over his face. It was like he was bracing for rejection. “Your eyes are beautiful. They’re like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Ruzan rewarded me with the brightest smile I’d ever seen. I didn’t care that they had sharp fangs inside of them. That I hadn’t noticed his fangs, even during that onslaught of a kiss, made it even more obvious that even while lost in pleasure, he made sure I wasn’t hurt.

I wasn’t in the habit of stroking a man’s ego, but Ruzan seemed to need this verbal encouragement more than I would have figured. It was wrong of me to assume that he would not need emotional care.

A shadow of doubt lingered on his face, and I wanted it gone. “And your horns are magnificent.”

It was the right thing to say. Heat flared in his eyes and he growled, low and thick.

“I’m almost finished with the exam,” Vryek exclaimed. “Please. We have to make sure all of her is healthy and compatible.”

“What else needs to be done?” Ruzan said through gritted teeth.

“Here, I’ll just place this--“

Ruzan cut him off with a growl. Vryek was still a little fuzzy around the edges—I still had a bit of trouble focusing on longer distances—but I could see the outline of his form. Slightly leaner compared to Ruzan, though not by much. Whatever was in Vryek’s hand, he gave to Ruzan. “Insert these carefully so that we can get the readings we need.”

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