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  He grinned as he thought of his mother’s face when he told her that the new female in the family wasn’t pure Nyal. She had a minor title and genetic relationship to the Imperial House. That and a grandchild would have to be enough for Yem-lal Aricor.

  Quake brought up Drehl’s communication link again. “I will take her. What is the price?”

  Drehl grinned. “Well, the Imperial House is offering her to you as a good-will gesture. Any bride price paid will be held in trust for her to use as she wills.”

  Quake nodded and checked the family accounts and how much was paid for an average bride. “I will put seventy-eight thousand credits in a trust.”

  “That is quite the sum.”

  Quake grinned. “Twice what my father paid for my mother. She will hate that.”

  Drehl chuckled. “I will send the confirmation to Caalos, and he will divert the transport to you.”

  Quake heard an all-too familiar noise. “Excellent. Now, the alarms are going, so I must return to work. Please, excuse me.”

  He closed the system and got to his feet, striding across the room and grabbing his breastplate and helmet.

  Quake grinned as he strode out toward the riot runner and followed the other Guardians to the skies. He buckled on his protective armour and pulled his helmet with concealing visor over his head.

  He was flying out a bachelor and returning as a groom-to-be. It was already a good start to his day.

  * * * *

  Anna opened her eyes in a pristine bedroom. It was wide, open and had a sweeping view out the balcony on the other side of the room.

  She shivered and wrapped the sheet around her, getting to her feet carefully and shuffling to the sunlight and soft breezes coming through the open doors.

  She stepped out onto the balcony and looked at the green-tinted sky, the mountains that carried a rich-blue hue and the surf that pounded against rocks below with a lavender foam.

  Anna tightened the sheet around her again as the wind whipped at the fabric. Over to one side and sixty feet or more away from her current location, a flat flagstone area contained four men, each working on something that looked like a motorcycle crossed with a snowmobile.

  She watched as they joked around with each other, but the wind shifted again, and she couldn’t hear their voices. The wind swept them away.

  A moment later, she was staring down as all four men got to their feet and stared toward her location. Anna squeaked and backed into the confines of the room she had woken in. Their eyes were glowing red.

  * * * *

  Quake glanced at the other Guardians, and he snarled. “Not yours.”

  Reverb snorted. “You may have paid, but if she chooses after her mating, there is a chance for one of us.”

  Quake struck him, and the other two grabbed at him, hauling him back. He used his talent to shake them until they let go.

  Reverb staggered back, rubbing his jaw. “So, you already synced to her?”

  “I did. While she slept.” He snarled it.

  “Then, go and try and woo your bride. She looks a little skittish.” Reverb kept back but smiled as he waved Quake off. “As second in command, that is an order, commander.”

  Quake took a rag and wiped off his hands. “I don’t need time off.”

  “She is already starting your rut and you haven’t even met her. You had better get to her before your mother finds her way to the base.” Reverb winked. “Go.”

  Quake relaxed, but he still felt the underlying tension that had begun the moment he touched Anna.

  The Meradia blood that was mixed with his Nyal family made it very easy for him to attach to the right woman. If she hadn’t been the right one, he wouldn’t be a seething mass of need.

  He paused outside her chamber and collected his thoughts, willing his body to calm so that he wouldn’t frighten his bride. He was a little much to adapt to under normal circumstances, and she knew nothing about the culture she had been dumped into.

  The language burst she had been given was the only bit of information forwarded to her. Communication was going to be key, but she would be able to learn what she needed about Hemcorl and those who dwelled there.

  He steeled himself for a bout of self-control and opened her door.

  Chapter Three

  There was nowhere to hide, but she tried to step behind the bed anyway.

  She stared as the huge man approached, taking in the breadth of his shoulders that were twice the distance of hers, the narrow waist and muscular everything else.

  His skin was a bronzer shade of brown than hers was, but the rich scarlet hair made everything look perfectly appropriate.

  His wide jaw was tense, and his chocolate-brown eyes kept flicking to red, like a malfunctioning strobe light. His nose was sharp and wide. He looked nearly human, just a lot bigger.

  The clothing he was wearing was... well fitted. Every muscle group was outlined, but the piping that trailed from shoulder to the top of his boots made the black articles quite stylish.

  He stared at her, and she stared back. Finally, she broke the silence. “Hello.”

  He jerked when she spoke. “Anna Baxter, I am Guardian Quake, and I am your husband.”

  She swayed. “What?”

  “It was decided to spare you the awkward exposure of the auction. Your heat will only last a few days longer, so it was deemed necessary to speed things along.”

  She shivered and hugged the sheet to her. “Are there clothes for me?”

  “Not yet.” He closed the door and went to an item on the wall that she had thought was decorative.

  It was a mask with no eyeholes. It would completely cover her face, leaving only her nose and mouth exposed.

  “What is that for?”

  He looked down at it. “It is a mating mask. The first time between Nyal mates is often awkward. By removing the sense of sight, much of the fear is minimized and expanding the other senses allows for greater acceptance of the experience.”

  “You want me to put that on?” She licked her lips. “Now?”

  His eyes flared red again. “It would keep you from being frightened. I do not wish to frighten you.”

  “I would rather talk this out.”

  “We do not have time.” He extended the mask to her; it was small in his hand.

  She took it and examined the jewel-encrusted surface. “I put this on, and then what?”

  “And then I try to arouse you to a point where I can join our bodies. After the first time, it will reduce some of the urgency I am feeling.”

  She felt something, but it was a raging case of petrification. She had agreed to this. She put the mask on with shaking hands.

  “If it will end this problem I have and give me five years without another, I will do what you say.”

  When she fastened the strap on the mask, she heard a click. Panic ensued, and she tried to find the connection, but it was gone.

  Warm hands touched hers and pulled them away from the mask. “Easy, Anna. I will remove it when we are both calm again. I have been told that the glow of the Nyal eyes can be a little hard to deal with during mating.”

  “My parents never mentioned anything about it.”

  He chuckled, and she felt the warmth from his body near hers. “They were not both Nyal, and as the male only reacts to the female, it is probably for the best. That you were born at all is a bit of a miracle.”

  She thought about the love that her parents had for each other and smiled. “No, I think repetition was the key.”

  He chuckled and released her hands. She heard him shifting slightly a short distance from her, and when he returned to her, he stroked her arms, easing her toward him. She shuffled forward with tiny steps until she was in direct contact with a lot of bare skin.

  She tried to lean back, but he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. Anna mumbled against his chest, “What kind of name is Quake?”

  His body trembled slightly. Well, at least laughter was a co
mmon factor. That was something.

  “I am a Guardian. That is my position. Quake is my call sign. I am here to protect the population and serve the citizens by keeping them alive in whatever manner I can.”

  “Oh. Like a police officer?”

  He was stroking his hands over her spine over the fabric and caressing the naked nape of her neck with a slow and deliberate touch.

  “Something like that. Yes.”

  She flattened her hands against his chest and desperately tried to relax. He simply held her and stroked her back, and to her shock, her body was reacting like he had a hand between her thighs.

  She quivered in his arms and inhaled sharply. Another sensory wave took over, and she could smell the heat and musk coming from his body with the tang of metal and oil still on his skin.

  Without sight, her senses were trying to get a grip on her environment, and he was becoming all of it. She could feel the steady pulse of his heartbeat between them. Her own heart was fluttering rapidly.

  He seemed content just to touch her lightly, though the hard bar of his cock against her belly belied his outward calm. Who knew, it could be the way his species was all the time.

  “I can almost hear your mind spinning around and around.”

  She felt her skin heat and pressed her lips to his chest. She whispered, “This is not how I imagined my first day away from Earth.”

  “It is not how I imagined meeting my mate, but you are here and I am here and the rest will sort itself out.”

  He continued to stroke her, and the rough skin of his hands was making definite progress down her spine. The sheet was moving.

  He spoke softly. “The first time is always awkward, especially if there has been no previous contact. I will not harm you; you can injure me all you like and there will be no consequences.”

  “Are you expecting injuries?” She let her hands roam over his skin. Moving her arms let the sheet slip downward.

  She had to admit that her body was enjoying his touch. Days of frustration and moisture seeping from her were the last things she remembered before she went under, and now, that sensory overload was coming back in a rush.

  Anna could fight it or just give in to what her body was demanding with this man who appeared prepared to give her what she needed without strings or begging.

  She licked at his skin and continued moving her hands over his sides and back as the sheet struck the floor. The taste of his skin defied description, but every small taste of him ratcheted her need.

  He seemed to be waiting for something, and when she lightly raked her nails down his back, it seemed to be the signal he wanted. He knelt in front of her, and her stomach shimmied nervously when his head was still even with her collarbone.

  He kissed her neck, and she twisted her head to let him continue. She held onto his shoulders as he licked and sucked at her skin, finding little pockets of active nerves that she didn’t know she had.

  Her breath came faster, and she dug her nails into his shoulders when his lips closed over her left nipple and he pulled gently.

  She heard a mewling sound from her throat and held onto him for dear life as he switched from one side to another. Her fingers locked in his hair, and she let her head drop back as her blood coursed faster and her thighs felt slick.

  The silken strands were thick in her grip, but the cool caress on her wrists was another sensation that her body clung to.

  When he slipped a hand between her thighs, widening her stance, she complied and then gasped when he slid his fingers into her. Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs as she got dangerously close to an orgasm.

  He moved two fingers into her and then worked the third in, turning his hand slowly while she let out a soft sob and a whimper.

  Quake released her breast, and she heard a low sucking sound. Her mind filled in the details, as he tasted the honey that was on his hand.

  He coaxed her toward him and eased her onto his lap, nudging his cock into her opening and supporting her hips.

  The throbbing heat of him was a taunting promise, but she waited until he lowered her as he thrust upward.

  She cried out as the girth of him pushed at her walls and slowly forged inside her. Her own weight worked against her as she sank down and impaled herself.

  Her body shuddered as it adjusted to the thick invader, but he soon cupped her buttocks and started to lift and drop her in a determined rhythm.

  The seduction had been under her control. The sex was not. He pounded into her and let out low, guttural growls. If she could see his face, she would have been terrified, but since she couldn’t, she merely held on with her arousal spiking higher and higher.

  He grunted, and she clutched at him, holding tight as he lifted her and laid her at the edge of the bed. He resumed his rapid, deep thrusts, and she clutched at him for a moment before she reached over her head and clutched at the sheets.

  He stroked his thumb over her clit, and she screamed and came after his digit vibrated rapidly.

  Anna bucked against him, and he groaned, snarled again and buried himself in her to the hilt as he shuddered.

  He pulled her toward him and held her against his body, still impaling her as he knelt on the floor next to the bed.

  Musk filled the air between them, and to her horror, her body started waking again. He nuzzled her cheek and jaw, finally brushing his lips across hers.

  She tasted her own tang, but as he deepened the kiss, his flavour took over. If he kissed her in the dark, she would know it was he and she would probably jump him. The taste of him was chocolate, cinnamon and honey.

  Inside her, he swelled to fill her again, and she shivered with anticipation.

  Her body knew what it wanted, and it wanted him.

  He broke the kiss and gave attention to those sensitive spots on her neck. She squirmed against him for a moment and then squeaked when he pulled her off him and laid her down on the bed with her belly to the mattress and her butt and legs hanging off the edge.

  He stroked her back and cupped her hips before rubbing his cock against her, entering her again with a slick surge that drove her forward.

  Her breasts scraped the sheet, and she tried to brace herself, but she was along for the ride as he lost control.

  Quake drove into her relentlessly, and she was a witness to her body accepting the rough handling and speeding toward release on its own.

  When her orgasm hit, she gasped out a short cry, and he answered with a flurry of thrusts while her body tried to grip his cock tight and milk it.

  He grunted, and his hands slammed to the bedding on either side of her head while he pumped into her.

  Anna fought for breath, and as he dropped onto her with care to take most of his weight on his arms, she worked to keep filling her lungs.

  He kissed the back of her neck, licking her slowly.

  She shivered as he scraped away some of her sweat.

  His voice was low and raspy when he murmured, “That went well. How are you feeling?”

  She took a moment and assessed her body. “I feel... better. More in control.”

  He chuckled and kissed her neck again. “Good. Whenever you need me, I shall rise to the occasion.”

  She groaned and pressed her forehead to the sheets. “This is so strange. It isn’t socially acceptable at all.”

  He chuckled and slowly pulled out of her. “Perhaps not for your birth species, but it is precisely what the Nyal need to continue their lines. When your body has a need, mine will respond. It is our way and what we were born to do.”

  He shifted, stood up and arranged her on the bed. She felt that he left her for a moment, but when he returned, he pressed a cool cloth between her thighs.

  Her skin felt hot again. He took care with her and made sure that he got all external slick traces left on her body.

  She quivered softly as he left her again. She rolled to her side and groped blindly for the sheet on the floor. When she found it, she pulled it up and around her w
hile her body continued to shake.

  Quake came back and sighed as he lay next to her. “Come here. Your body is cooling itself to force you to find a warm male body.”

  She scooted toward the heat source that was talking to her. “Is this weird? Explaining Nyal biology, I mean?”

  “It is understandable. I run into many races in the course of my daily duties. Sometimes, the basics are the best place to start.”

  She snuggled against him, and a yawn broke from her. “Sorry.”

  He chuckled and touched the back of her head. The mask came loose. She looked up at his kind and amused expression, reading the possessive satisfaction in his gaze.

  “The mask was keyed to my DNA. You could put it on, but only I could take it off.”

  She felt her skin warm and buried her face against his chest, rather than look at him. “That is weird.”

  “The Nyal are not a very socially developed species. Very powerful, but they like their social traditions very much. The masks go back to organized kidnappings of breeding partners. The nobles just decided that gems were more ostentatious.”

  She nodded, and he rubbed one huge hand down her spine. She wasn’t petite by human standards, but here, she felt tiny. With her eyes open, she had to admit that if he had come at her with her able to see him, she would have freaked out.

  Chapter Four

  After an hour of naked cuddle time, she jolted upright when a loud alarm rang through the room.

  Quake chuckled and pulled her back down to him. “Don’t worry. You will get used to it. That is the mission alarm. We head out at the call and cruise around the world to defend the population.”

  She looked at him and wrinkled her nose. “Missions?”

  “Yes, me and the team of Guardians head out and rescue those who need rescuing.”

  “Like superheroes?” Anna was surprised.

  “I don’t know what that is. The Guardians all have a paranormal talent that they use for the defense of their people.”