Page 21 of Possessed By the Leonid King

“If it's too painful to talk about you don't have to.” Layla placed a hand on his arm. The jolt of her touch surprised him. Not so much the touch itself, but the way he instinctively reacted. He purred and moved closer. It was not the light unconscious purring of simple contentment. This was a deep rumbling purr of possession, the kind a King of Knight would make when you possess something you particularly want and no one else can have it.

It was the purr of a mate.

That is such nonsense, Rupex told himself. My body is simply confused because we performed the act of mating. But she is not my mate. Layla is a human and would never want to live life as a Leonid Queen. She wants to go back to her own people and rescue her friends. She wants to set up a house on land. She doesn't want to travel around the galaxy with you, raising cubs on board this vessel.

“I'm sorry,” Layla repeated, taking her hand from his arm.

“Oh! No, it is not you. It is not talking about Leo Falls. I love that place and I could spend days talking about it. I was only struck by a few logistical considerations. That is the problem with being the King of a pride as well as the captain of a starcraft. One keeps being molested by sudden concerns.”

Layla nodded and spoke up in a voice that was resolute and more positive than he would have expected. “Let me know how I can help. I'm basically going to be an incubator. As long as I'm not vomiting or getting my injections, I ought to be able to do something useful on the ship.” With a nervous grin, she tucked her hair back behind her ears, her neck bared and catching his predatory eye. “Of course, if it's anything like a specific full-time job, then we could take out a secondary contract.”

She is shrewd, but the contract comment was an afterthought. Rupex could tell that her first instinct had been helpfulness and her second had been to keep things professional. That seems to be the way his mind was working, too. First, personal, second, professional.

In other words, completely backwards from the way we ought to be carrying on.

“I’m not sure if you can help with this problem. I was only thinking of how different life will be for my cubs. I do not intend to give up my position as captain. The Comet Stalker is quite large and has plenty of room for passengers. I will turn several into family quarters when the time comes. But eventually, I will have to procure a nanny.” Layla nodded. Her eyes lit up.

Rupex felt a strange fluttering in his chest. She's going to offer to do it. She is going to offer to stay with me and the cubs. That would be wonderful for them to know their mother, even if she is a human.

But instead, Layla’s smile disappeared. “I wish Wendy was here. Wendy, the one I was telling you about? She wanted to become a teacher or a childcare provider for a wealthy family on Sapien-Two or Sapien-Three. I think that’s one reason she took the lab contract, hoping to get money and an education while she was their ‘guest.’” Her tone became bitter. “Maybe she made it out. I don’t know. Maybe she’s teaching now.”

I could find her friend. I could hire her friend and find Layla a job aboard the ship. Then she’d want to stay.

What in Bastet’s name is wrong with me?

Rupex was beginning to wonder if Marcus had somehow given him a breeding drug.

“Perhaps Wendy would be willing to do so. Perhaps all of your friends would be willing to take on positions? As you can see, we don’t have a crew. If we are locked down in this galaxy for a while, it is entirely possible that the crew I was heading to pick up will have found other positions. And if I am to take on a family, I will likely need additional crew members. Obviously, I’m thinking about the few months you’re onboard the ship. Before you set up your permanent residence.”

“Right. Right. But... You mean you would buy my friends contracts from labs on Sapien-Three?”

“Provided they are reasonable and your friends wish to go. I was thinking they might,” Rupex tried to keep his tone nonchalant, “as you are on board.” To cover his eagerness and this whim of his, he added, “Naturally, Wendy would have no purpose unless there were cubs to care for. We would want to wait and make sure our attempts had been successful.”

“And it takes a few weeks to get back to Sapien-Three anyway. Plus time on Leo Falls.” Layla paced in front of him.

Please stop doing that. It’s too much like an agitated beast that I should stalk, Rupex found himself pleasing silently.

To his relief, she did stop her pacing.

To his chagrin, she pounced on him, hugging him around the neck, burying her face in his fur. “Thank you! I...I can’t imagine why you’d do this for me, but it’s the nicest offer I’ve ever had.”

His body reacted without his consent. Rupex felt his cock growing and straining against his clothing, felt his mouth fill with saliva as she rubbed her scent all over him, pressing her warm, squirming body across his.

With a snarl that probably terrified the girl, he pounced, taking her backwards to the bed. Something hard and unyielding rolled under his paw, making him curse.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help what you do to me,” Rupex hissed, dragging his rough tongue over her neck and down her shoulder.

“Good,” Layla panted, grabbing at his collar.

His eyes widened in surprise. “But—”

“Fuck me again,” she whimpered, hands buried in his mane.

“Is it to thank me?” he demanded, tearing her clothes off and pushing his own down. Do I care if it is? He’d do more for her, as much as she wanted, as long as she let him fill her, rut in her, mark her as his.

“Yeah, but not just that.” Layla squealed when he gave up on trying to get the fabric around her waist off and simply ripped it aside.

They shifted and kissed, tongues mating. Hers was a tiny, dancing tease, something he wanted to capture and possess. He stuck his tongue into her mouth and felt her throat closing around it. He pulled back, leaving her gasping. I fill her mouth completely. I could fill other parts completely. He put his paws on either side of her shoulders for leverage and found the cursed hard object again.

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