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Truly, does anything else matter?* * *I'm elbows deep into a wall-unit filtration system when I hear footsteps behind me. A moment later, Sleipnir butts his head against the back of my leg, my knee almost giving out.
"Hey now." I move to the side, avoiding the carinoux's overly enthusiastic rubbing. "Some of us are trying to work here."
"And some of us slept all day," Sophie says, followed by a long, loud yawn.
I slide my hands free of the filtration system and turn to look at my pretty mate. She's adorably sleep-tousled, her hair a mess around her shoulders, her clothing rumpled, and there's lines on one side of her face from pressing her cheek into the linens. Even so, the circles under her eyes have diminished and her smile is bright, and she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. "You're awake."
"You sound disappointed," she teases.
I grab a towel and wipe my hands free of old dust and oil. "Was hoping to wake you up with my head between your thighs."
She gestures at the door. "I can go back to bed and pretend to be asleep. Give me two minutes."
I laugh, shaking my head, and she laughs, too, and it's such an easy, pleasant moment that I almost forget that I never had them before her. I never had any joy before her. The realization that I almost lost her hits me and steals the breath from my lungs.
Kef me. If things had gone differently…
"Jerrok?" Sophie's laughter dies and she gives me a curious look, tilting her head as I storm over to her. "Are you okay?"
I move close enough to pick her up and haul her into my arms. I want to crush her against my chest and squeeze her so tightly that I never let her go, because right now, my system is flooding with the thoughts of her dead, her wounded…
I have to be careful. Not just for her sake, but for mine, because my existence impacts hers. If I had died and she was sold into slavery again, I know that would break her. And I won't let anything harm my Sophie. Gently, I tug her close, mindful of the strength of my new hand. I wrap my arms around her as if she's fragile glass, and just breathe in her scent for a moment. Her arms go around me, and her hands stroke up and down my back.
"I can't lose you," I tell her. "Ever."
"I'm not going anywhere." Her fingers graze my tail. "You're stuck with me."
Stuck. As if she has no idea of what a gift she is. "I've missed touching you," I tell her, suddenly desperate to be sheathed inside her body. I need to connect with her, need to feel her under me, yielding to me, giving to me just as much as I am giving to her. I need to claim my mate to appease the animalistic, possessive side of me that's threatening my sanity.
I never thought of myself as a wildly possessive type, despite the fact that mesakkah are known to be utterly focused on their mates. I thought it wouldn't affect me, that I'd be unchanged if a female entered my life. Ha. I slide my hands to Sophie's backside and haul her into my arms, carrying her as I head out of the storage room and into the hall.
"Where are we going?" Her arms twine around my neck, the breathless note in her voice indicating that she has some idea.
"To our bed. I plan on claiming every inch of you. Repeatedly."
"And Sleipnir?" She leans in and I think she is going to press her face against my neck, but instead, she nips lightly at my ear.
My cock jumps in response. "I do not plan on claiming him."
She giggles, smacking my arm. "I meant should we give him a chew of some kind?"
In this moment, aching for my mate like I do? I don't care if the carinoux chews a hole right through the station…but then I pause. Sigh. Because I'm growing fond of the irritating beast, and I know Sophie adores him. I set her down on the floor. "Find him something. Anything."
My mate grins up at me with a wicked look in her eyes. "Go and get started without me. I'll catch up."
Start without her? Is she crazed? But it gives me an idea, and I head to the bedroom, stripping my clothes off as I go.87SOPHIEAfter Sleipnir is settled in the terrarium with a nice, fresh hunk of metal piping—his favorite—I practically race down the hall toward the bedroom.
I'm so damn aroused. It's been forever since Jerrok and I had sex. Definitely over a week. And I'm aching with the need for him to touch me. I hope he took my advice and got undressed while he waited for me, because I don't think I can wait much longer—
