Page 19 of Raven Blackwood
The female let out a small, breathy laugh, shaking her head. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or a warning.” He tilted his head, considering her. “It is a truth.”
The silence that stretched between them did not seem uncomfortable.
She looked down at their joined hands, her fingers flexing slightly beneath his, but she did not pull away. Instead, she turned herpalm up and let their fingers brush.
I hated to interrupt their tender moment, but my duty was clear. The Mesaarkan did not belong here, yet the female seemed to care for him.
Moving from under the window, I stood and walked to the front door, opening it silently. I stepped inside, my hand resting on my sidearm. Both of them looked at me, startled.
“Who are you, and what do you want?” the female cried, gripping the alien’s arm.
“He wants me,” he said. “He is a cyborg enforcer.” Noting my hand on my sidearm, he added, “I am unarmed.”
“Why are you here?” I demanded.
“I saw your light and came to investigate. I never expected to find a ‘Saark this far south in Wyoming,” I said.
“I deserted. I never wanted to be a warrior. I was conscripted and brought to this world against my will. I could not stand the cruelties I witnessed of my kind against yours. And I loved being in these mountains. I found this dwelling unoccupied, far from any others, and I just wanted to be left alone.”
“What about you, female?” I asked. “What is your name?”
“Ava Blake, this is my mate Koha’vek Draal. He rescued me when a bear scared myhorse, and she threw me. I was banged up pretty good, and Koha’vek took care of me. Please don’t take him. I don’t have anyone else. He’s not hurting anybody here. Those horrible men of Callum Jenkins stole my father’s ranch from me, and he was going to force me to have sex with him. So, I took my horse and ran away. Koha’vek has kept me safe, and I want to stay with him. He can’t go back; they will imprison him.”
The more I listened, the more I was convinced that this Mesaarkan deserter had not remained on Earth to hurt anyone. That a human female had taken him as her mate surprised me more than a little, but it seemed by the way she clung to him, it was consensual.
Sending him back to Mesaark is exactly what I am supposed to do,” I told them.
“Then, who would protect Ava? Jenkins has already sent men to find Ava and take her back to him. I convinced them to leave, but I doubt we’ve seen the last of them.”
“I’m working on that. I’m Cyborg Protector Raven Blackwood. I came to the Brislow area to meet my genetic mate and discovered Jenkins’s thugs harassing her and her sister-in-law. Iran them off, but they are persistent.”
“Ava Blake, will you state for my record that you have fully consented to your relationship with Mesaarkan Koha’vek Draal?”
“Yes, I have accepted Mesaarkan Koha’vek Draal as my mate,” she replied.
For the first time since I had been awakened, I was torn between my duty as a protector and what I believed to be right. If I revealed his presence, I must arrest him and take him in. If someone asked me if I found a Mesaarkan here in the mountains, I could not lie. I could only withhold the information. However, I believed that removing the Mesaarkan would not be in the best interest of the female human. Then I knew I’d made my decision.
“Very well. If you stay out of trouble, Koha’vek, I will say nothing of your presence until I can find out whether the Federation will grant you asylum here,” I assured him.
Then I turned and left, sprinting back to my hovercycle, eager to get back to my female and lose myself in her.
Chapter Twelve
Hannah
I had been drifting in and out of sleep most of the night, waiting for Raven to return. Every night since our first one together, I’d fallen asleep in his arms after he’d fucked me senseless. I’d resigned myself to a semi-sleepless night when I heard the bedroom door creak ever so slightly as he slipped otherwise silently into the room.
Even though I could barely see him in the dark, I knew it was him. “Raven. I’m glad you’re back. I need you.”
“To breed?”
“Yes!”
“Retracting my armor now.”
A moment later, he slid into bed beside me and took me into his arms for a long, deep kiss. As we kissed, he slipped his hand between my legs and pushed a finger into my slick opening.
“Take me now,” I whispered when he lifted his mouth from mine because I knew he was hard and ready.
