Thorn's Bondmate (Zarronian Warriors Book 2) Read online

  His hands were everywhere. Touching, exploring, arousing. She returned his touch, stroking her hands down his back and feeling his muscles ripple as his body grew hotter.

  His hand slipped between her legs, his fingers stroking then gently thrusting into her.

  Daria wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed a path from his mouth to his cheek then on to his ear. She licked then nipped his lobe and he turned his head, giving her better access. She smiled against his neck. Thorn was the most sensual man she'd ever met. He loved being touched, stroked, and kissed. At the moment the thought went through her mind she realized she'd always let him make love to her without reciprocating. Determined to change that she ran one hand up his back and into the hair at his nape while she used the other one to touch him everywhere she could reach.

  He groaned and pressed his head back against her hand.

  She combed her fingers through his hair, massaging his head while she ran her foot up and down his leg. She wiggled, moving down and placing a line of kisses from his neck to his chest. He lifted his torso, giving her room to kiss and touch him. She scooted lower, moving her hand to his waist and urging him to lean back. He turned onto his side and she continued kissing him, down the center of his belly then to his left hip and back to the center. When she tried to kiss his right hip he groaned and rolled onto his back giving her room to kiss his belly and move lower.

  She slid her hand over his lower belly to his cock and stroked it, drawing another groan from him. Before he could stop her she slid her lips over the head and licked it. He pushed his fingers into her hair while she licked his cock then swirled her tongue around the head and down the shaft. He raised his head, looked at her, groaned and dropped his head to the pillow as his hands slid from her hair.

  "Tor, you're killing me. Don't stop."

  She ran her hand over his belly, up to his chest, over his nipples then back down to his cock. She surrounded the base with her fingers while sliding her lips over the head and down the shaft. She tasted his pre-cum and hummed with pleasure. He tasted masculine, strong and invincible.

  He reached down, grabbed her and pulled her up toward him, twisting at the same time until she was beneath him. He took her mouth with his and thrust into her at the same time. Their tongues tangled together while their bodies came together. Overwhelming heat radiated from him, warming her. Their breaths grew ragged as their hearts beat out a rapid rhythm.

  "Wrap your legs around me." Thorn slid his hand beneath her ass and lifted her toward his hips as he thrust into her.

  Daria wrapped herself around him and nuzzled his neck. "I'm so cold, Thorn. Warm me."

  "Soon, soon." He increased the depth of his thrusts pulling a moan of pleasure from her.

  She grew colder as he grew hotter. Finally, he drew back, lifted her ankles to his shoulders and increased his thrusts. He slid his fingers over her clit, once then again and she felt the beginning or an orgasm and moaned his name.

  "That's it. Let me feel you come on my cock. Now, little wolfen, now."

  The orgasm exploded through her and Daria felt like she was being deconstructed and recreated. For a moment the blue mist left Thorn and surrounded her. It felt as if it was soaking into her skin. Then as he groaned and came it disappeared. His body cooled and hers warmed. He lowered himself on top of her but held his weight on his arms and placed a sliding kiss from her lips to her neck.

  She slid her hands into his hair and held him until his breathes slowed. When he pulled away she let him go. Without a word he dressed and left her.

  She rolled onto her side, stared at the wall and thought about the blue mist, the heat of Thorn's body, the females on the fourth floor and the warrior's need to concentrate. It didn't take her long to come to the conclusion that she'd been looking at the problem from the wrong end. She'd originally thought the cause was sex sharing and the effect was the warriors were able to think.

  Now, she looked at it from the warriors' point of view. A warrior became aroused and the blue mist appeared. Next, he became overheated, almost feverish, but when he had sex his body cooled down.

  Frowning she scooted up on the bed and sat against the headboard and took the puzzle one step further—the female the warrior shared sex with became cold and grew colder the more aroused she became. The warrior shares sex with the female and when she orgasms she warms up.

  That explained the blue mist and the fever but where did the warrior's ability to concentrate come in? She didn't know what caused the mist but illness or an infection could cause a fever which caused a person to become hot.

  Daria climbed off the bed and went into the bathing chamber. While she stood beneath the hot spray she continued unraveling the puzzle. Blue mist, fever, sex sharing, cooling down, concentration. The words ran through her mind again and again until finally she saw the picture they formed.

  The Zarronians had an illness of some kind. The blue mist and the heat were symptoms of the illness. Was the fever another symptom? High fevers made people delirious. Did the warrior's fever get so high he couldn't concentrate? If so what did he do? He went to a sex sharer and had sex. The orgasm relieved the fever and afterwards the warrior could concentrate again. They still had the illness though because Thorn came to her almost every day and his fever was present every day.

  She shut off the shower, dried off, and looked at herself in the mirror. "The big oaf has exposed me to his illness and now I have it." That explained the times she felt too hot and then got so cold. It explained why she always felt better after they made love. It explained why she got sicker and sicker when he didn't show up for two days.

  She made herself something to eat and drink then sat on the couch and ate while she thought about her situation. Should she ask him about it or not? She quickly decided to keep what she knew to herself for the time being because another question had just occurred to her. What did the women of Earth have to do with the Zarronian warriors' illness?

  Dane and Dev told her that there weren't any girls in their school. She'd assumed it was a boys' only school but maybe what they'd meant was that there weren't any girls anywhere on Zarronia. That would explain why they wanted the Earth women.

  Others had speculated that there were other people on other planets and she knew for sure that the Witvians existed. The Zarronians had said that they were adventurers and traders so if anyone knew of other races they would, but what was so important about the Earth women? Maybe the other races knew the Zarronians and didn't trust them. Or maybe they treated their women badly so the other races refused to marry them. Except they didn’t say 'marry.' They said mate. The nano-second she thought the word another answer popped into her head. Mate and fever. A mating fever. She jumped up and began to pace.

  That would explain almost everything. If they had a mating fever then they had to have a way to control it. Their way was by having sex. If they didn't have females on Zarronia then they'd need females from other planets. Planets like Earth. She wondered what happened if they didn't control their fever. Did it get worse until it burned out of control? Did the warrior die?

  She thought she had the answer until two things came to mind. The females on the fourth floor and ZL3. Obviously the warriors had females they could go to for sex but that brought her back to why they needed the Earth women. What did they have that the women on the fourth floor didn't have? The more she thought about it the less sense it made. She set it aside and thought about the ZL3. It was an aphrodisiac on Earth so did it serve the same purpose on Zarronia? Why would they need an aphrodisiac when the fever seemed to keep them aroused?

  Drugs had different effects on different people. Maybe what aroused a human had the opposite effect on a Zarronian. Maybe it was another way for them to control the mating fever. Maybe they used ZL3 and sex to control it when it got really bad.

  "Yes," she shouted, then lowered her voice to a whisper. "Yes. I think that's it." The euphoria disappeared when she realized how much danger she was in. If thi
s was their most closely guarded secret and she'd figured it out and they found out she knew they'd probably kill her. Just the thought of that sealed her lips. This was one story she'd keep to herself and she wouldn't be asking anyone any questions.

  Chapter Eight

  Daria sat on the couch, staring at the blank viewing screen, her thoughts on Thorn and the time they'd spent together while they traveled to Zarronia. He'd visited her every cycle but she never knew when he would drop in. Sometimes he showed up after the sun's zenith and other cycles he'd stride in late in the evening. He'd even dropped in one cycle while she'd been eating breakfast. He never spent the night but recently he'd begun holding her until she fell asleep after they made love. That made her want to romanticize his behavior but they had sex and there was no love involved, at least not on his part. He'd made that clear many times. She wished she could say the same thing but she'd always been attracted to the bad boy type and he was certainly that.

  As far as she knew he planned to hand her over to the Council when they arrived on Zarronia. When she'd asked what he thought they'd do with her he'd told her he didn’t know. She wanted to believe that once she spoke with Ambassador Eirikson and the Council they would let her return to Earth. She knew the chances of that were slim and it was more likely they'd make her remain on Zarronia. She still refused to give up the hope of seeing her home and family again.

  The less she and Thorn talked the better they got along which was too bad because she felt obligated to tell him about the baby they'd created. She tried to convince herself that the morning's sickness was just nerves but now it was time to accept the truth and tell Thorn, even though she doubted he'd care.

  According to her calculations he had gotten her pregnant the night they met which meant she was a little over two moon phases along in Zarronian time. She'd tried to calculate the time in Earth time and thought it came out to around ten or eleven weeks. They'd reach Zarronia in three cycles so she'd have to tell him this cycle and get it over with. Rising, she wandered to the window and stared out. In the far distance, she could see a planet surrounded by several small moons. Was it inhabited, she wondered. And, if it was what were they like? Lost in her thoughts, she jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. Spinning around she found Thorn standing behind her, looking down at her.

  He glanced out the window. "That's Alteria in the distance. It means we're close to Zarronia and my family." He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her against him.

  "It's very beautiful but such a strange color. I guess I expected all planets to be blue like Earth."

  "Alteria is dark red because of its many volcanoes. If you look closely you'll see the largest one even from this distance."

  Daria watched the planet then nodded when she saw the volcano. It appeared to have a glowing river of lava running down one side of it. She hesitated then turned to face him. "I need to talk to you." She tried to control the trembling in her voice and failed.

  He focused on her and pulled on a silky curl. "Then speak to me."

  She put a few more feet between them so she wouldn't strain her neck looking up at him. She licked her lips then blurted out, "I’m pregnant."

  Thorn's face darkened with anger before he turned back to the window. "I'm sure the Council will take that into account during your judgement."

  She moved on shaky legs to a couch and sat down. For a moment, she watched him and felt like crying but didn't know why. "I don't want anything from you. I just thought you had a right to know about the baby."

  He turned to face her. "Why should I care if one of your lovers impregnated you?"

  "The baby is yours."

  "I can't have any more children so don't even try to tell me or anyone else that I'm the father. I don't believe you and neither will they."

  "Why wouldn't they believe me?" His words didn't make sense. "How could everyone know you can't have more children?"

  "The Council will answer your questions if they decide to let you live."

  "How can you be so cruel? How can you sleep with me night after night and yet feel nothing for me or the baby?"

  "There was no sleeping. It was just sex sharing." He turned around. "I'll turn you over to the High Ruler and the Council and they'll deal with you."

  "Good! The High Ruler couldn't possibly be as horrible as you."

  Thorn laughed. "The High Ruler is my grandfather, Eirik Dagson."

  "But that would mean that Ambassador Eirikson is your father. That's impossible. He can't be over forty."

  "Zarronians age slower than your people."

  Thoughts were speeding through her mind. She suddenly realized what his name meant. Thorn Valanson, the son of Valan. So, Valan Eirikson would mean the son of Eirik. She couldn't wait to speak to his father and grandfather. She wondered what he'd think if he knew he was doing her a favor. While she'd been lost in thought, Thorn shrugged out of his vest and removed his boots.

  "What are you doing?" she asked, amazed that he expected her to go to bed with him after all that had happened.

  "You haven't won the challenge yet. We're going to bed. "

  "We most certainly are not."

  "Drop the drying cloth." His voice was harsh with determination.

  "No. I want you to leave. Now!"

  "You have three more nights to try and win the challenge so drop the cloth."

  "No. "

  "Are you forfeiting?"

  She threw the towel to the floor and stood before him. "I'll win this time, Commander."

  "You'll try, but you won't win. Not tonight." He pulled her close and lifted her chin until his lips hovered over hers. When her violet eyes met his, he said again, "Not tonight."

  # # #

  Three cycles later Thorn entered Daria's quarters but she ignored him and continued to study the huge, docking station in the distance. "Spying?"

  "Just looking, Commander." She pressed her hand against the glass. "Did you come here for a reason, or just to harass me?" Her tone was hostile.

  "Watch how you speak to me. You're still on my starship and in my power."

  "But, not for long. Right?"

  "Actually, I'm going to be around for a while. My grandfather has ordered me to stay close to Zarronia until they decide what to do with you."

  "Am I going to be held here on the Invincible?"

  "No, on Zarronia." He examined her. "Get dressed. My father is waiting for us at the transfer station."

  She began laughing but tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped onto the towel she had wrapped around herself.

  "Daria?"

  She slammed her hands against his chest and shoved him away. "I am dressed, you big oaf," she screamed at him. "I didn't have time to pack anything before I left Earth because I was too busy trying to stay alive."

  Thorn frowned and walked away, going into the bedrooms and bathing chambers and searching them. He opened the closet doors and found them empty then returned to the living area and saw that the shelves were bare. There wasn't a book or viewing disc in sight. "You could have asked me for something to wear."

  "Really, Commander? And, what would I have had to do to 'earn' some clothes?" she asked him, bitterly, "Entertain a few of your buddies?"

  It was the worst thing she could have asked him. For weeks, since their bonding, he'd been fighting his need for her. Then she'd told him she was pregnant by another male and he'd had to fight his jealousy. Since then he'd tried to stay away from her as much as possible, only giving her what she needed to control the fever then leaving her alone. But, now, his control vanished. He stalked toward her, forcing her back until he towered over her, trapping her between the wall and his massive chest. He curled his fingers around her throat and lifted her chin with his thumbs, forcing her head back until they were eye to eye.

  "Thorn?"

  He slammed his mouth down onto hers. She resisted his demand for entry until he scraped her lips with his teeth forcing her to open to him. He clenched his hand in her hair and
held her captive while he plundered her mouth. Finally he lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "Don't ever mention another male in my presence."

  "Let go." She tried to jerk away but he held onto her then reluctantly released her and stepped away. She spun away from him.

  "I'll be back in a few micro-units."

  The warriors Thorn passed on his way to supply took one look at him and scrambled to get out of his way. He forced himself not to think about what she'd just told him while he grabbed a gown and a pair of sandals and carried them back to her quarters.

  As he entered her bed chamber the bathing chamber door opened and Daria walked out wrapped in a towel. She rubbed another one over her hair but froze when she saw him then lowered the towel to her side.

  Thorn handed the clothes to her. "I'll wait for you."

  # # #

  Daria closed the door, dropped the sandals to the floor and shook out the white gown. It was a sleeveless, boat-necked sheath. The silky material stretched and clung to her from her shoulders to her thighs then fell straight down to her knees. For a moment, she studied her image in the mirror then combed her fingers through her hair until it was smooth. She sat down on the edge of the tub and strapped the sandals onto her feet then joined him in the living area. He escorted her to the door. She stepped into the empty corridor and together they took the elevator to the first floor. The corridor they stepped into was crowded with warriors who stared at her, bringing a blush to her cheeks.

  He took her arm and pulled her behind him as they made a path for him. An attractive warrior with long, blond hair and bright blue eyes joined them and began speaking to Thorn. Daria moved closer and eavesdropped on their conversation.

  "-boys to your Mother, Thorn. She's taken them home."

  "Good. After you secure the ship, Dag, I want you to get the engineers started on replacing the number two engine. I want the Invincible repaired as soon as possible."