Page 33 of Saving the Sautiitions

Willa swallows as I look at her, her eyes filled with concern. “I think it still means something.” Her voice is soft as she explains, “She’s still using the title of captain, isn’t she? So why couldn’t you? You’re the lieutenant, but that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t make you captain when she becomes Chief. If the title means something to you, on this world or not, then let it. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

She steps closer, rubbing a hand along my arm. Maybe she’s right. I may never be Chief, not sure I’d ever want to be, honestly, but I could become Captain. I’m acting Captain when Kari is away, and her acknowledging my skills matters, at least to me. That may not mean anything to others, but it does for me.

I thought that I might be a failure when put into this situation. I’ve never had to work without Kari here to instruct me before. It’s a completely different feeling to know that you’re the one making the tough choices. On the other hand, I’ve watched Kari for a long time, I know what sorts of things need to be handled. That experience alone is enough to help me through this.

“I am proud, Willa. I’m glad that she trusts me, that she sees my skills, and knows that I can handle this. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to, that I would be in this alone, but I’m not. I have you.” I kiss her sweet lips, pulling her tight against my body. “And now I have the hunters to help me as well. We’ll be just fine.”

“I believe in you, Captain. Have since the moment I realized you were my mate.” She rubs her nose against mine, her body leaning into me.

I lean forward, stealing a kiss from her. She sinks into me, falling into the kiss as I hold her up. I lift her, her legs wrapping around my waist as I walk us back toward the bed. I lay her down, my body pressing hers into the mattress as we kiss and caress each other.

The shirt she’s wearing of mine barely covers her body, and it rides up her hips as I grind against her, my hands seeking more of her skin. Her thighs part farther, her heels pressing into my ass as she pulls me to her, begging for me. I slide my fingers across her cheek and into her hair, gripping it as I use it to tip her head back so I can look at her.

“You want this cock, Kitten?”

Her head nods with enthusiasm, her lips parted as she licks at her teeth, her breath coming in shallow pants. I release her hair and kiss her roughly, our teeth and tongues clashing as we try to devour each other.

As her fingers scratch across my chest and abs, I realize that after the tender moment we were just having, perhaps we should be making sweet love instead, but there’s an animal quality to her that is a bit surprising. She’s pulling and nipping at me like she’s starving, and who am I to deny my good little kitten what she wants?

I free myself from my pants, not bothering to fully remove them before pressing myself against her, wetting myself with her essence. She moans at the contact, her thighs parting further for me, and I slide in easily. She bites my lip, her fingers sinking into my hair as she scratches at my scalp.

I keep my pace steady, kissing her as if my life depends on it. Her nails scratch my back as she bites down on my shoulder, causing me to fight my calm resolve. I thrust into her with force, my right hand sliding up to pinch and pull at her nipple through the shirt, causing her to scream in her throat as her teeth sink into my shoulder, her core clenching me tight within her.

I groan at the pain, but it simply morphs into pleasure as I explode inside her, filling her. We stay like that for a moment, pressed tightly together, slowly grinding out the last of our release before we relax, my body going slack atop hers. She kisses my shoulder as she holds me close, rubbing my back as I catch my breath.

“Did I hurt you?” Her fingers brush the bite mark on my shoulder, and I shake my head, tickling her neck.

“Not at all, Kitten. I’m tougher than I look.” I kiss her nose and lift myself up, sliding out of her and heading for the bathroom. Grabbing a small cloth and wetting it, I use it to clean Willa, then myself.

There’s a knock at the door as I’m fixing my pants. Willa sits up in bed, pulling the blanket up over her legs. “I’ve got it, baby, just wait there.” I grin at her and head for the door, pulling it open as I peer out.

“Sorry to bother you, sir, but we wanted to let you know the village is secure.” Kosiiba smiles as he awkwardly addresses me, Cruzig standing at the bottom of the steps below.

“Thank you. I should tell you, Kari has found somewhere to gather communicators for us, as well as some other things to help us in our efforts to fix this world and others. She and Vahru could be gone for weeks before they return, so it’s up to us to keep the village safe. I’ll keep you guys updated on anything else I can.”

Cruzig turns and nods at me, his eyes widening as he slowly steps up onto the porch. He pushes Kosiiba aside, and I follow his gaze, looking at my shoulder. “What the…” I shift my shoulder, my eyes following the strange gold filigree across my chest to my heart.

I turn my head back to Cruzig, our eyes meeting, both of them wide. “You are very lucky, Lieutenant Mooney.Neverlet her go.”

He thumps a hand to his chest in salute before he starts to turn. I grab his arm, stopping him. He looks sad as he attempts to give me a happy smile, but the easy-going attitude I’m used to him having is gone.

“What does this mean, Cruzig? What is this?”

He lets out a small sigh, his eyes focusing on the mark. “It is the mark of a true soul bond. It is told that when soul-bonded mates mark each other, they will each take on a unique swirling pattern in a unique color on their shoulders, showing their special bond to everyone around. It is so rare here now that it has not been seen in this village for many years. As I said, you are very lucky.”

He gives me a small smile before bowing and turning to walk back down the steps. “I’ll go fill in Terax and the others on the good news, for you and Kari.” He thumps his chest in salute before walking off into the village. Kosiiba gives me another awkward smile and salutes before scurrying after him.

I turn around and close the door, walking over to the bed and a curious Willa. She jumps up, standing on the bed as she fusses over me. “Oh, my gosh! This is amazing! It’s so beautiful, I didn’t realize that would happen. I’m sorry for biting you, but this means that we’re true soul-bonded mates!”

She squeals as she throws herself against me in a hug. I catch her and spin her away from the bed, gently setting her feet on the floor. I cup her cheek as I stare into her eyes. “You always knew, silly. Why is this a surprise? Because it’s a rarity now?”

“Yes, but my mother told me about it. She never had one, but her grandmother did. It’s been a long time since it’s been seen in the village.”

Her glee is tangible as she squeals again and squeezes me close. I chuckle and hold her to me, kissing her deeply. This is a day that’s just full of surprises. My heart swells as my mind drifts through all the possibilities for a future that I might have here.

I pull back from her, looking into her eyes before shifting the collar of the shirt to look at her body. “You don’t have the mark. How do we remedy that? I thought we should both have it?”

She bites her lip, her fingers slowly sliding up my arm before stopping at my shoulder. She gently touches the tender mark as her eyes lift to mine. “I think you have to bite me,Captain.” She gives me the most seductive look I’ve ever seen, her bottom lip back between her teeth as she grins.

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