Page 26 of Joven's Bride
Chapter Fourteen
Joven was exhilarated as he bounded down the path along the planted field that led to the forest. The last time he ran the trail, he was enraged that the pirate Zaif Crazell had intercepted the ship that was bringing his soulmate to Glasica. But now, she was home in their bed sleeping after they had mated at length.
Nothing ever brought him the kind of joy, he felt the first time, and every time he claimed her with his cock. He loved her enthusiasm in their joining, and he loved her. He was glad that Rader Knight had recommended him for Glasica System Space Patrol. In the scores of rotations since he and his team settled on the planet, he believed he had finally found a place to call home.
When he first came to Glasica, loping through his forest was his favorite thing to do. At first, the native wildlife scurried away in fear when he passed through in his big-cat form. Now they ignored him, even though he was the largest predator in the area, other than the Selkeres dragons.
The dragons were actually omnivores. They preyed on small animals and insects, but they also ate greens and wild fruits. Since his property backed up against the reserve, Joven had frequently seen dragons flying overhead. Occasionally, he would see them foraging in his crop fields. Although they did some damage and fed on some of his vegetables, they usually hunted varmints more often than they fed on vegetables.
He had been warned that could happen, so he planted a few extra rows to compensate. They were protected so they couldn’t be killed or hunted. He could use a sound system to scare them off, but they were animals, and they were there first.
Joven had rarely seen such magnificent creatures on all the worlds where he’d fought. While they weren’t quite sentient, they were intelligent, bore live young and lived in herds or flocks depending on who was classifying them.
It was just a little past daylight when Joven bounded up to his front door and padded inside when the door opened for him. He decided this was as good a time as any to introduce Carly to his alter ego. Although he’d shown her via vid com, that was different than up close.
She was still in their bed asleep, facing the side toward the open doorway. Her scent filled his nostrils mingled with his own. He moved closer and started to purr softly. He nuzzled her with his nose, willing her to open her eyes and look at him.
Next, he licked her bare arm and then her face. Carly groaned and opened her eyes. She shrieked and scrambled backward toward the center of the bed.
Joven made a low rumble in his throat and stared at her solemnly. Carly stared back, clutching the sheet to her bare chest.
“Joven,” she murmured and moved closer to the side of the bed. Carly stretched her arm and stroked the side of his face. “I’m sorry, you just startled me. Is everything all right?”
He made a hissing noise that almost sounded like ‘yes.’
Carly guessed that talking in his cat form was difficult. She was still stroking his face and head. “You certainly make a big handsome cat. …And your fur is so soft.”
Joven started purring again, a loud, rumbling purr of a big cat. By then, she was no longer afraid of him. She was just not expecting to wake up to a huge black cat staring at her. Minutes later, Joven morphed back into his humanoid form.
Carly watched his transformation in awe. Staring for a moment she smiled up at him. He was every bit as gorgeous as a feline man. When her eyes lighted on his engorged cock, she had a pretty good idea what made him return to his humanoid form.
“Hold that thought,” she said as she slid out of bed. “I’ll be right back.”
Joven watched as she padded into the bathroom naked.
Fifteen rotations after completing the mating frenzy of their initial bonding, they were still unable to go a day without sex. Generally, they mated in the evening and again in the morning. Afterward, they shared breakfast in their kitchen in the breakfast nook.
Joven had a meeting with his first team and the new team that morning, but he was free to spend the rest of the day with Carly. They got up from the table and walked together toward the door.
“When I get back, we can order some clothing for you from Jaiba,” he suggested. “They will send it out by a drone. But you don’t have to dress on my account.”
“Oh, you would like that,” she teased sassily.
“I would,” he admitted with a sexy grin. After a moment, he said, “You can probably expect a vidcom from Skye Carter Knight. Rader said she was thrilled and excited to have another woman from Earth to talk to.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. It’s some kind of weird coincidence that we were on different sides of the same city during the Drayid attack on Earth, and now we are on the same planet married to cyborgs who served together in the war.”
“They will be at the gathering next rotation set here, along with Makus and Jhenre Driza.”
“Here?” Carly’s eyes widened. “As in this house, here.” She pointed to the floor.
“Don’t worry,meomee.Our service droid will take care of the preparations, and we have the room,” Joven said in a soothing tone. “It will give everyone a chance to get acquainted. All of the new team members have mates, and one pair has offspring.”
“Well, okay. I’m sure it will be fine,” she said hopefully. “We have a droid?”
“Yes, four, actually. We have one who takes care of the house and serves our meals, and three who work the fields.”
“That doesn’t leave me much to do,” Carly said with a frown. “I’ve been a teacher for eight years. Now I am wondering if anyone even wants to learn what I know how to teach. Technology here is so far ahead of Earth.”
