Captivated: 3 (Mating Ritual) (5 page)

She couldn’t help but appreciate his tight rein on himself, and she used that to her advantage, moving her trembling fingers to the rough buttons of his shirt and undoing them until his chest was bared to her.

“Your skin is so dark,” she whispered.

“From the Spygian sun,” he replied, his deep voice a trifle hoarse.

Which meant every Spygian must have skin that shade. The thought brought a lustful ache to her loins. Her gaze drew up to his. “I think I’d like to see your Spygia.”

A shadow of a smile crossed his face. “You’d like it.”

When she brought her gaze back to his chest and allowed her palms to rest on his bare skin, he let out a hiss, sucking his breath in tight. The movement caused his abdominal muscles to flex, and she bit back a moan of her own. Heavens, but he was magnificent. Knowing what lay under his shirt, and that the other three Spygians were very much the same underneath their clothes, made her warm in ways she couldn’t even interpret.

“You are stunning,” she confessed in a shaky voice.

“And you’ve only seen half of me.”

When her startled gaze met his, he grinned and once again did something that shocked her to her core. One of his hands closed over hers, slowly guiding it down his stomach, until he’d placed her hand at the crotch of his breeches…right over his hard-as-steel rod.

“Oh gods,” she gasped, but when she tried to snatch her hand away, he pressed down on her palm, keeping her imprisoned there.

“I won’t bite, I promise.” His voice had a distinct amused edge to it. “And I would never force myself on you. But if you’re going to see how Spygians differ from Keulot men, you need to see all of it.”

Biting the inside of her cheek, she kept her gaze down, in the general vicinity of his chest. When it became certain he wasn’t going to allow her to pull away, and that he wasn’t going to accost her either, she slowly allowed herself to relax, to actually
feel
what she was feeling. It was…

Nice. His turgid rod was larger than she’d expected, and his width almost fit her entire palm. Heavens, what would it be like to have that
inside
her? Just the thought made her loins clench with desire.

“Feel all of me,” he urged.

When she didn’t reply, didn’t move, he took his hand from hers. His fingers moved to the button on his breeches, and she drew away with a gasp as he undid it, and then slid the metal zipper down.

“What are you doing?”

He snickered. “I think you know full well.”

Don’t look. Don’t look down
, she admonished herself. But that was like trying not to gaze upon a full, glorious moon. Impossible, when she could very well imagine what a wondrous sight awaited her.

Her breath caught as her gaze wandered down his body, to the member he’d freed. It was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. The flesh of his large rod appeared smooth as silk, and it had a bulbous, mushroom tip. Nothing like the disgusting appendages she’d spotted on the farm animals.

“You’re so large,” she gasped.

“Not too big for you.” Letting out an amused chuckle, he closed her fingers over hers, guiding her hand to his erection. This time she didn’t fight it. She needed to know what it felt like, skin to skin.

When her fingers closed around him, they both let out a moan. She almost snatched her hand back, fearful that he’d lost control, but when her gaze flew to his, she saw that he had complete command over himself.

Wondrous.
He was actually going to let her touch him without demanding anything of her in return. This was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

Her other hand shook as she brought that one, too, to his cock. Her fingertips tickled the head, then she encircled his rod and slid her hands up and down, reveling in the erotic feel of his erection.

“You feel so good,” she confessed, unable to stop the words. Down one hand went, cupping his large, full testicles. Those too looked nothing like the ones she’d seen on the local animals, and thank the gods for that. They were hideous, while his weren’t the least bit repulsive.

Experimenting with her movement, she began to slide her hands up and down his rod. He gasped but allowed it, his body and face growing more and more taut, until finally he grasped her hips. He didn’t try to move closer though, just held her tight as if he needed her support to stand. The pained expression on his face empowered her to go faster, close her hands tighter, until finally he let out a strained groan and rested his forehead into the tree right above her.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come,” he muttered, his voice barely more than a growl.

Come?
Yes, that was right. That was the term Bannor had used last night, right before he’d caused her body to explode into ecstasy. Yes, yes she very much wanted Devan to come. Wanted to see what would happen.

She tightened her grip, moving faster, and faster—when the distant sound of a familiar voice shocked her out of her practically hypnotic state.

“Cindra, are you out here?”

What? No, oh no!

“Adamon’s coming,” she whispered fiercely, loosing Devan’s rod and pushing back on his stomach. He groaned but obeyed, stepping back with an expression of barely veiled anger and lust.

“He must have the worst timing in the entire universe,” he muttered.

“Please,” she begged, trying her best to straighten her hair. “If he sees you…”

She couldn’t do that to Adamon. Couldn’t betray him in such a foul, unforgiveable manner.

Devan’s eyes darkened, but he grumbled out a garbled, “Fine,” and began to right his clothes. Cindra almost cried out in protest when he pulled his zipper up, hiding the glorious erection she’d had her hands on just moments ago. But he had to leave. She couldn’t jeopardize her relationship with Adamon.

A branch snapped somewhere behind her, making her wince. Devan noted it, and with a stark nod, turned and headed the other way. With his long, sure strides, he was out of sight in a matter of moments. Had it been quick enough, however? She was too frightened to look behind her, to see where Adamon was.

After allowing another few precious seconds to compose herself, Cindra snatched the bucket up and raced toward the stream. She bit back a curse when, in her haste, she ended up practically dumping herself into the stream, but she managed to pull back at the last moment and take a hasty swipe with the bucket. Filling it with water, she turned and headed back.

“Cindra?” Adamon’s voice called out once again. A moment later, he rounded past a copse of spindly trees, coming into view. His expression grew relieved, and she fought back a burst of guilt. While he’d been worried sick about her, she’d been busy feeling another man’s rod. And she’d loved every second of it.

“There you are! Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

She speared him with a bright smile. “Oh, hi darling. No, I’m afraid not.”

He scowled at her. “I went to collect you at the shop and Deirdre told me you’d gone out for water quite some time ago.”

Her smile evaporated. He’d gone to collect her? This was getting ridiculous. Since the Spygians had arrived, he’d become her shadow. It was getting old.

But then, look at the things you’ve done when he wasn’t being vigilant.

Just like that, her anger melted. Adamon was right to tail her. Give her a moment of freedom, and she turned into a veritable slut.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, casting her gaze down to the ground. “I saw a flock of trilla birds and grew distracted by their song.”

“Well…”

She waited for a long, loaded moment, but apparently he’d decided that sounded like something she would do, because he finally reached out and grabbed the bucket.

“I’ll carry the bucket back to the shop for you. Then we can go home.”

Cindra forced a smile to her face, but as she walked by his side through the copse of trees, she couldn’t help but think,
Is this going to be the rest of my life? A morning at the shop followed by a long, dull afternoon at the farm?

If this was to be her fate, how would she survive it?

Stefon gazed up toward the cerulean sky, wishing with all his might it was the two full moons of Spygia he saw right now, rather than Keulot’s bland night sky. He prayed for patience. Though he wanted nothing more than to return to their own world, to continue training for the inevitable battle with the Malucons, he knew it was worth it to be here now. Their mate was here, the woman he’d dreamt about since he first comprehended just what it was that mates did. And soon enough, she would be theirs.

If she ever broke her puzzling fascination with the Keulot boy, that was.

Footsteps crunched behind him in the desert sand of the empty square. A moment later Bannor pulled to a stop beside him, accompanied by Tempos.

“I ran into Tempos on his way out,” Bannor said by way of explanation. “I gather that, like him, you too were unable to sleep.”

“How can I?” Stefon responded quietly. Looking down toward his boots, he scuffed the ground at his feet, all the while resting his hands on the stone bench he sat on.

Bannor quietly took a seat beside him, and Tempos followed suit.

“Our mate is all I can think of. Her face, her gorgeous body,” Stefon continued. “How I long to hold her, to catch one whiff of her scent.” He waited a beat before snorting. “I sound like a lovesick fool, don’t I?”

“We all are,” Tempos said. “How can we not be?”

Stefon allowed himself a bitter chuckle before turning his gaze to Bannor. “At least you have sampled her sweet honey. You’ve gazed upon her naked flesh. I’ve yet to utter a word to her.”

Bannor clapped him on the back. “Patience, brother. She will come to her senses soon, I vow it. After hearing of Devan’s success this afternoon, I am highly encouraged. Why, she may be ours within the next few nights, if we play our cards right.”

“I hope so.” Stefon wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait.

After several long moments, Bannor rose and faced Stefon. “Would you like to watch over her this eve?”

Bannor had decreed that he’d keep watch on Cindra’s residence during the night, just in case. Yes, they were being overprotective. She’d lived here for quite some time without any harm coming to her. But now that they’d found her, they wouldn’t be able to live with themselves if anything happened and they could have stopped it. The loss of a little sleep was most certainly worth the comfort of knowing she was well and safe.

“Thank you, brother.” Stefon stood. “I would be honored to keep watch over our mate.” Not likely that he’d even glance upon her face this evening, but he lived in hope.

Turning to Tempos, who still sat on the bench, Bannor gave him a short nod. “Would you care to accompany Stefon this evening?”

Tempos’ expression brightened and he immediately rose.

“Let’s go,” Stefon said, nodding at Tempos.

If he wasn’t going to spend the evening with their mate, at least he’d have a pod mate to commiserate with.

Soon enough, gods willing, they’d have more than just a hope and a dream to keep them warm at night.

* * * * *

Later that night, Cindra tossed and turned in her bed, unable to find the comfort of sleep. The events of the past day had left her hot and bothered and completely restless. After last night’s nocturnal visit from Bannor and today’s interlude with Devan, she was unable to think of anything other than the Spygians and their luscious, sinful bodies. Could any other men even compare?

Suddenly she found herself troubled that she’d been with Adamon and his family for two years, had been engaged to him for half a year, and they’d done nothing more than kiss.

Didn’t he want her? Shouldn’t he be half-crazed with lust for her, the way the Spygians were? What did it say that he wasn’t?

Worse, what did it say that
she
didn’t feel that way for
him
?

The Spygians had left her certain of one thing. She needed to confirm that she and Adamon were compatible before she tied herself to him for life. There would be no worse existence than to be irrevocably bound to a man she didn’t truly desire. While she’d never doubted that in the past, she had questions now and she needed to answer them.

No better time than the present.

Taking a deep breath, Cindra slipped out of her bed. No doubt it was highly inappropriate for her to seek Adamon out in his bed in the middle of the night, while clad in nothing more than her long, sleeveless nightgown. However, since she’d come to terms with the fact that she was clearly
not
an appropriate woman, she didn’t care.

After tiptoeing across the room, she slowly opened the door, then continued down the hall, being careful not to make any noise that would awaken the house’s inhabitants. Her pulse raced at the thought of what she was about to do, and when a stray dust bunny floated up to tickle her nose, she had to fight the urge to sneeze. Furiously scratching her nose, she wound her way down the hall until she reached the area of the house holding Adamon’s and his parents’ rooms.