Page 49 of Tornn's Mate
But she’s smart to be afraid. Because I’m currently envisioning myself taking a strap to her bottom, her back, and perhaps even her breasts. I’m thinking about the most painful, humiliating methods of punishment.
When she starts pleading for mercy, my shafts thicken and my balls vibrate faster, the need to conquer her heats my blood and blurs my vision.
“Please understand the position I was in, Tornn. Please don’t be angry. If I would’ve immediately told you about Nathan’s texts and the plot, it would’ve meant his death and the deaths of his accomplices, either by your order or Captain Warren’s. While I don’t love Nathan anymore—and I’m honestly not sure if love was truly what I once felt for him—I don’t want to be responsible for a rash of executions on the worldship.”
Thrusting forward, I impale her with one rapid drive, surging deep in her tight pussy. Despite her fear, she’s drenched for me, and the scent of her arousal fills my lungs with each breath I take. I remain submerged inside her, unmoving, and lean down to stare her directly in the eyes.
I sense her regret through the bond. It’s a flood of desperation that causes my rage to cool somewhat.
“Please, Tornn.” She blinks and a few tears slide down her face. Her lips tremble, and her entire body shakes as I remain unmoving inside her, my lower shaft throbbing hard in her pussy, my erect upper cock resting upon her stomach as my balls vibrate against her ass.
“Please what?” I lean down and lick her tears away.
“Please try to understand things from my perspective. Please try to understand that I want the alliance to succeed as much as you do. If at any point, I’d thought there was an imminent threat, I would’ve said something sooner. I-I just kept hoping that nothing would come of the plot. I’d hoped to change his mind, but then he insulted me and called me some names, and we haven’t spoken since.”
Rage flares inside me, but it’s not Ellie I’m angry with. “What names did he call you?”
I sense her hurt and betrayal through the bond, her surprise over the way Nathan has treated her since she’s come to live on theHaxxal. And it makes me want to slice the repugnant human man’s throat.
“He said I was a traitor and a whore. And he was angry that I wouldn’t tell him your name. Whenever he asked who I was mated to, I-I couldn’t bring myself to tell him your identity. I felt… protective of you.”
Her confession cools my anger further, and I’m no longer envisioning myself tying her up and thrashing her with the strap until my arm grows tired. I cup her face in my hands and experience a resonating warmth in my chest that seems to flow from my heart to hers. Her eyes widen and I know she feels it too.
I gaze upon the markings that cover her arms, and the current of warmth becomes stronger. Not for the first time since the markings appeared, awe fills me. It’s a shocking turn of events that Darrvasons and humans can share a true mating bond.
After taking a few deep breaths, I give myself fully to the warmth that’s flowing through the tether between our hearts. I sense Ellie’s sincerity and her openness, and I don’t think she’s holding anything back, though the bond is new and I’m still not accustomed to it. I pray she’s told me all she knows about Nathan and the plot. I pray she’s not intentionally guarding any additional secrets.
The protectiveness she feels for me—the reason she withheld my name from her former fiancé—well, it makes myfluxxingthroat burn. I doubt there’s any way the human male or his comrades could cause me harm, but her desire to protect me is another testament that her loyalties lie with me. That her heart belongs to me, and likewise mine belongs to her.
“Sweet human, I believe you, and I know just how sorry you are for keeping these secrets from me.” I press a lingering kiss to her forehead, and she shudders as relief floods the bond. “My cousin, Officer Brute, is currently stationed on theJansonna. I sent him to watch over your uncle and make sure he doesn’t harm any of the Darrvason brides’ families. I will ask him and the engineers who are currently making repairs on the worldship to quietly investigate Nathan and his comrades. We’ll do that before we alert Captain Warren, as I don’t want him or his command team to interfere with our investigation.”
“Thank you, Tornn.” A worried look enters her eyes, and though I can’t yet read her thoughts, I know she’s wondering if I intend to punish her. I haven’t yet decided whether to take a whip to her, kiss her senseless and hold her in my arms, or claim her until she’s too sore to walk for days. Perhaps all three. Judging by the immense shame I sense through the bond, I suspect she might need help alleviating her guilt.
“Paddax was released from the medical bay this morning,” I inform her, “and Sheila has already been returned to his custody. He has promised to contact me the instant he extracts a confession from her. It’s possible Nathan and his group had something to do with her attack on Paddax. If this is the case, then she might be able to tell us more about the group and any other plans they might have.”
She pales a bit, and a quick breath escapes her. “I hope Paddax is able to learn something useful, and I hope Sheila confesses before he starts to torture her.”
“He won’t torture her. She’s his mate, and he still intends to claim her. The worst he’ll likely do to her is—"
“Whip her? Spank her?” Ellie shivers and her insides tighten around my cock. “What if she refuses to confess? What if he loses control and really hurts her?”
“That won’t happen.”
“I would like to speak with her. Please. Let me talk to her before he takes a strap to her. Maybe I can convince her to—”
“No.”
“No?” A spark of anger lights in her eyes, and frustration sweeps down the bond.
I grasp her hips, withdraw slightly from her center, then slam back inside, so hard she winces and cries out.
“No,” I repeat. “Sheila is Paddax’s mate. Whether he’s fully claimed her yet or not, I won’t interfere in their mating union. Not only is he capable of questioning her, but it’s his right to do so. Besides, she was returned to him some time ago. If he was going to take a strap to her, he’s probably done so already. You would be too late.” I give her another thrust, though this one is gentler.
Her frustration gives way to understanding, and she finally nods as the anger fades from her eyes. Her worry about Sheila is admirable, as is her desire to help uncover any impending threats to the alliance, but I cannot usurp Paddax’s authority to question his mate.
“I never told Nathan about Paddax and Sheila and the hypospray,” she says. “Something held me back from volunteering the information. I guess I didn’t want him pressing me for news about the happenings on theHaxxal. Somehow, I knew from the very start that I couldn’t quite trust him. I was also waiting to see if he would ask me whether Darrvasons were getting sick on theHaxxal, but he never did.”
I’m still holding Ellie’s hips in a firm grip as I slowly plunge in and out of her tightness. Each time I drive forward, her center lurches against me and she releases a tiny whimper. I know she’s probably sore from five days of nonstop mating, but I need to be inside her now.
