Bonded Read online

  “We can do this,” Inara sighed, a dreamy smile transforming her face. “I think it’ll only take a matter of hours!”

  Thank the heavens.

  As Valeron watched Inara’s fingers smooth over her jet, he heard a whisper of sound from deeper in the forest, back where they’d come from. A feeling of foreboding caused his body to tense. When Inara kept her gaze on her jet, Valeron realized she hadn’t heard it, but Neichon shot him a look.

  “Go check the forest,” Neichon muttered to him.

  Giving his pod leader a curt nod, he stalked back into the forest, finding the nearest tree with branches good enough for climbing and making his way up.

  He’d only gone up about ten feet when he spotted them.

  Malucons.

  His heart clenched, tightening his chest.

  The Malucon shuttle hovered several miles away, its rope ladder swinging down and disappearing into a copse of trees. Six Malucons, their burlap clothing grimy and tattered and their long hair knotted, spread out through the forest no more than a mile and a half away from him, their gazes on the forest floor. One of them squatted and touched the earth, then rose and gestured to the others. They pointed in his direction and began to trot that way.

  No!

  He didn’t bother climbing down, just dropped to the ground and raced after Neichon and Inara.

  Neichon stood at attention, waiting for him. When he saw the expression on Valeron’s face, his eyes went wide.

  “Malucons,” Valeron said when he’d gotten close enough that he didn’t have to yell. “No more than a mile and a half away.”

  “What?” Inara jumped to her feet, and the fear and horror on her face made Valeron’s chest tighten in agony. “How’d they get so close?”

  “Sheer luck,” he said grimly. “They are searching the forest and must have spotted our tracks.”

  Neichon gave him a tense nod before grasping Inara’s hand and gesturing toward the forest in the opposite direction. “We must run.”

  Inara snatched her hand away, shaking her head. “If we go that way, they’ll just chase us, and we’ll be going further away from my jet.”

  “What other option do we have, female?” Neichon bit out, his jaw tense.

  Heart racing, Valeron turned to survey the area. That was when he spotted it.

  “Look.” He pointed to the small opening at the base of the mountain. Racing toward it, he dropped to his knees and crept inside. The hole opened up into a dark cave. In what little daylight made its way inside the space, he could see another opening up ahead. He scooted out and rose, turning to Neichon. “A cave. There’s another opening, too, so it goes further back, at least somewhat.”

  Neichon shook his head. “No, it could be a death trap.”

  But Inara bit her lip and dropped to her knees, scooting inside. She appeared again just a moment later. “I think this is a good place to hide.”

  Again Neichon shook his head. “If they track us in here, there may be nowhere else to go.”

  His breath hitching, Valeron looked back toward the forest, where even now the Malucons made their way toward them. An idea formed.

  “What if you two go in and I form tracks leading to the opposite side of the forest? With any luck, they’ll think we went that way and bypass the cavern.”

  Worry lines marred Neichon’s forehead. “And what of you?”

  “I’ll backtrack, making sure to erase any evidence of it.”

  It would be risky, but perhaps there was enough time to do it.

  Neichon frowned. “I don’t—”

  “There isn’t any more time, brother,” Valeron bit out.

  It only took a moment for Neichon to recognize the veracity of his statement. He nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”

  “I will.” Valeron took one quick look at their mate, wishing there was time to hold her. Comfort her. Tell her it was going to be okay.

  But there wasn’t.

  “Go.” With those words, Valeron turned from them and started back toward the ship, then began making the tracks he hoped would lead the Malucons away from his female.

  * * * * *

  The inside of the cavern was dark and moist, certainly not any place Inara would choose to spend time. But then, she’d been forced into many a spot like this during her time on the run.

  Her hand clutched in Neichon’s, she made her way to the back of the cave, where an opening led further into the mountain. Her heart ached with the thought of what Valeron did for them. With the understanding that he might not make it back…

  This was exactly what she hadn’t wanted. To get emotionally attached to people who would then be endangered. Who might lose their lives.

  Because of her.

  Her heart heavy, she allowed Neichon to lead her through the opening. To her surprise, there was more light here. Some fissures in the rock over their heads allowed streams of daylight to ribbon through, casting an orange hue in the space. Enough for them to make out a long, winding corridor. They followed it for several minutes, until it opened up to a second cave, this one half the size of the first. A hole about a foot in diameter cut into the roof, giving this cave even more light than the corridor before it.

  Inara let go of Neichon’s hand and strode to the far wall, turning and sliding down to the ground. She buried her head in her hands. “What are we going to do?”

  Neichon strode to her and knelt, placing his arms around her. “The only thing we can do. Wait.”

  The next several minutes crept by with agonizing slowness. Finally Inara heard a scraping sound from inside the corridor. She and Neichon jumped to their feet. Holding her breath, she slid her dagger out of its thigh holster. When Neichon stepped in front to block her, her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t protest out of fear she’d alert the person in the corridor they were here.

  Another tense, horrifying moment passed before Neichon relaxed his body and let out a relieved sigh. “Valeron,” he whispered.

  Yes. Dropping her dagger to the ground, she stepped around Neichon and launched herself at Valeron. His arms closed around her and she dug her face into his chest, breathing in his comforting scent. “You made it.”

  “Yes, my female.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “What happened?” Neichon muttered.

  “I made the tracks and then hid at the mouth of the cave,” Valeron said. “It worked.”

  “Thank the gods,” Inara breathed.

  “But given the time, I couldn’t make the tracks extend that far,” Valeron continued grimly. “I’m afraid the ruse won’t work for long.”

  Inara pulled back to glance at both men. “So what do we do now?”

  Neichon and Valeron exchanged a meaningful glance before Neichon turned to her. “I’m afraid we’ll come face-to-face with them at some point.”

  No.

  Inara wrapped her arms around herself, as if that would dispel her sudden chill. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want them to die.

  “What can we do?” she whispered.

  Valeron gave a sober shake of his head, his gaze locking with Neichon. “There are six of them. Big. Strong. If we had our full strength, we might stand a chance, but the way things are now…”

  He trailed off, but Inara understood what he hadn’t said.

  There was only one way for them to gain their full strength, and according to them, she held the key. If she truly was their mate, then mating with her would give them the strength that could mean the difference between life and death.

  But first she had to agree to become their mate…to be with them forever.

  Her stomach knotted into a ball, weighing down the center of her body. She couldn’t do that. She’d promised her uncle she would look after Cindra. Promised herself she would stop at nothing to find her cousin. Being mated was not in the cards for her. At the same time, given the choice of mating or dying…

  Swallowing hard, she looked toward Neichon. “I’ll do it.”

  H
is sharp gaze whirled over to her. “What?”

  “I’ll do it. I’ll become your…mate.” She practically choked on the last word.

  Stunned silence permeated the cave as the men gaped at her. Valeron finally broke it, his voice grim. “But, Neichon, the ritual…”

  His body rigid, Neichon looked at his pod mate. “It is the only way we will escape here alive. The mating ritual can be dispensed with during times of mortal danger. This is clearly one of those times.”

  Something dark and primal flashed in Valeron’s eyes, like a mixture of regret and pure lust. He nodded, his hungry gaze flicking to Inara, and her heart thudded in response.

  “Inara, love,” Neichon said, drawing slowly toward her. His burnished gold eyes glittered fiercely in the dim lighting of the cave. “Are you sure?”

  She eyed him, a combination of exasperation and desire coursing through her body. “If I say no, we die.”

  He shrugged. “Most likely.”

  “Well, I don’t have much of a choice then, do I?”

  “There is always a choice,” Valeron responded.

  Inara’s heart beat furiously as she contemplated the reality of their situation. Like it or not, there wasn’t any time left. She liked these men. Desired them. She didn’t want a permanent attachment, but she also didn’t want to die.

  It suddenly occurred to her that she could promise forever, without actually keeping her promise. It was dirty. They would despise her for it when she left. But it might be the only way.

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  When both men grinned, the muscles in their bodies bunching, her breath caught in her throat.

  Oh boy, what had she just agreed to?

  Chapter Seven

  Like a rabbit caught in a trap, Inara could do nothing but watch as Neichon and Valeron stalked slowly toward her, their greedy expressions indicating just how much they desired her.

  Feeling as if she was about to hyperventilate, Inara inched backward until she hit the wall of the cave. “Is…is there time? Is it safe?”

  “Safe enough,” Neichon answered, his silky hair falling over one shoulder.

  “We’ve no time for anything else,” Valeron added, his voice tight.

  Her hands balled into fists at her sides. Body quivering, she allowed her eyes to flutter close. Much as she desired Neichon and Valeron, much as she’d thought about this for the past two days, the reality of it was almost too much to bear.

  Someone’s mouth found hers, his soft lips brushing against hers before his tongue eased out to taste her. She moaned and opened her lips to accept him inside, and the slippery slide of his tongue against hers sparked a twinge in her pussy. He moved aside, and a second later a second set of lips replaced his.

  Her body started to relax as both men took turns kissing her. Slowly. Erotically. When fingers brushed against her waist, she realized someone was undoing the buttons of her breeches. Pulse racing, she opened her eyes to see Neichon.

  His fingers paused and he examined her face. His brows furrowed. “Inara, before we do this I must tell you something.”

  She eyed him with trepidation. “What?”

  His eyes closed for a moment, as if he feared her response to what he would say. “There are two other members in my pod.”

  “There are…” It took her a minute to process his words. She gasped. “You mean, you expect me to fuck all four of you?”

  His face took on a pained expression. “It’s our way. But I can promise, you would enjoy it.”

  She snapped her mouth shut, her mind racing with erotic images she couldn’t stop. To her surprise, the thought of not two, but four men taking turns fucking her, made her pussy moist with desire. Yes, she had a feeling she would enjoy that.

  But not enough to abandon my mission.

  Weighed down with the thought that she was fooling these men, that she planned on leaving them after all, she swallowed and gave him a small nod. “Okay.”

  His face relaxing, Neichon eased her breeches down, slowly and sensually. She wanted to complain, to tell them there wasn’t much time for seduction, but Valeron moved her head toward him and slid his tongue deep in her mouth, making speech impossible.

  Kneeling to the ground, Neichon tugged her boots off, then peeled her breeches off her body. Wasting no further time, he parted her labia with his strong fingers and slid his tongue all the way inside her. She cried out at the exquisite sensation. He flickered his tongue in and out, alternating between fucking her with it and licking her clit.

  “By severn, you taste so sweet,” he groaned. His lips and tongue worked her over, sliding along her slickened flesh and swiftly bringing her to a mind-shattering climax.

  “Gods,” she cried out, tearing her mouth from Valeron’s. The feel of Neichon’s tongue alone bypassed any other sexual experience she’d had by far. She wanted more. So much more.

  “Oh fuck me. Please!”

  “As you wish.” Neichon stood, lifting his loincloth to reveal his engorged, jutting cock. She stared down at it, her heart practically pounding out of her chest.

  “Valeron, hold her open for me,” he said, his voice hoarse as he looked down at her with unfettered excitement.

  With a grunt, Valeron nudged his body in behind her. He leaned against the wall of the cave for balance as he grasped the inside of her thighs and lifted her up. The large, stiff ridge of his arousal pressed against her ass cheeks when he held her against his chest and spread her legs open wide.

  Neichon groaned and took a step back, his features tight with hunger as he stared at her spread body. The thought of what he was seeing made her squirm with lust. She wanted him inside her. Now.

  “You are so stunning, Inara,” he whispered, the words practically a prayer on his lips. “You’ve the most beautiful cunt I’ve ever seen.”

  “Please,” she gasped, unable to formulate any other words.

  With a chuckle, Neichon moved forward. She held her breath as he placed the engorged tip of his cock at the entrance to her body, moistening the tip with her juices before beginning to force his large tool inside.

  Inara gasped at the intrusion, at the melding of pleasure and pain that racked her body with quivers. “So big.”

  “Perfect for you,” he replied, his teeth gritted as he continued to work his way in.

  Valeron spread her legs even more, further impaling her onto Neichon’s shaft.

  Too much. I can’t bear it.

  Neichon pushed onward, sweat beading on his brow. She cried out, bucking against him, unsure whether she wanted him to go on or stop. “Please!”

  He thrust slowly, inch by inch, until he finally succeeded in burying himself in to the hilt, his body pressed tightly against hers.

  “Oh gods!”

  Neichon pressed her head to his chest. “I’m sorry, love. I want you too badly. I cannot be gentle.”

  She didn’t know if she wanted gentle. Right now she didn’t know much of anything. Couldn’t think past the exquisite sensations buffeting her body.

  Letting out a soft grunt, Neichon withdrew his cock a fraction before plunging it back in. Then again, and again, and again, moving further out each time, until her body began to accommodate itself to his large size. Unable to move, to do anything other than accept his deep thrusts, she let her head fall back onto Valeron’s shoulder. Her heavy moans, intersperse with harsh cries whenever Neichon thrust particularly deep, echoed loudly within the vast space of the cavern.

  With her pussy soaked in moisture and so full of him she didn’t know how she could stand it, she finally began to move her hips. Slowly. Tentatively.

  “She’s ready for you,” Valeron whispered, the muscles in his arms straining as he spread her legs a little further open for Neichon.

  “Yes,” Neichon responded with a grunt, withdrawing his stiff cock almost all the way before ramming it back into her. Inara cried out, almost insensible from the pleasure of it all.

  “By severn, Neichon. I cannot wait a
ny longer,” Valeron exclaimed, his voice gruff and impatient.

  Neichon mumbled a response, then pressed a deep, openmouthed kiss to her lips, swallowing her cries while he gave her several more punishing thrusts. With a groan, he slid his tool from her soaked pussy. Her greedy muscles clenched, as if eager for more of him.

  His face dark and his eyes glazed, Neichon muttered, “Take your turn, brother.”

  Not wasting any time, Valeron did nothing more than tip her upper body forward, toward Neichon. Neichon caught her and took a step back, and Valeron pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. “I need you so badly, beloved.”

  She sighed in response, unable to formulate any words to respond to him.

  A second later, his stiff, thick rod prodded at the entrance to her soaked core. She barely had a moment to process the thought that he must have done nothing more than shove his loincloth up, when he unceremoniously thrust in to the hilt.

  Inara screamed at the unexpected pressure of his stiff cock deep inside of her. So deep she almost feared she’d be torn apart. Firmly holding her thighs open with his hands, Valeron planted his feet and began to fuck her furiously. His large tool drove in and out of her without mercy. Burying her face in Neichon’s chest, she used the bare flesh of his chest to muffle her cries. Each and every rough thrust felt like the most exquisite of tortures. Her muscles ached from strain and the walls of her vagina pulsed against Valeron’s rod, squeezing him tightly within her channel.

  Neichon staggered backward from the force of a particularly deep thrust. “Hold on, love,” he whispered, planting his feet and holding her upper body still so that Valeron could fuck her hard. Forcing her to absorb the pressure of every thrust as Valeron slammed into her from behind.

  “Yes,” Neichon grunted, pulling her head back by her hair so that he could see her face as she uttered insensible cries. His eyes glittered with satisfaction as they raked over her. “Take all of him, mate.”