Page 46 of Tornn's Mate
I launch myself at her, easily forcing her onto the mattress beneath me as I cage her in, forcing her to hold my gaze. She fights me, swatting at my chest and thrashing in my arms. I secure her wrists in one hand and pin them above her head, then grip her chin and release a thunderous growl that causes her to go utterly still.
“You are mine!” I roar, breathing hard, filled with rage that she would dare ask to leave me. “We are mated, and Darrvasons mate for life.”
“I’m not Darrvason,” she whispers.
I release her wrists and grasp her upper arms, intending to shake her, but pause when a faint red symbol glimmers to life on her flesh. She follows my gaze and gasps, then immediately looks at my chest where my ancestral symbols are located beneath my shirt.
Feral need rips through me, and my cocks go hard, my balls vibrating at a rapid speed. I’m straddling her, but I rearrange us on the bed so I’m positioned at her spread thighs. A snarl leaves me as I thrust against her. She whimpers and her hips jerk forward. Her arousal floods the air, a bouquet of feminine sweetness I could lose myself in.
Another symbol appears on her arm, close to the first one. I rip my shirt off and toss it aside. Her eyes widen when she looks from the new markings on her arm to those covering my chest. They are a perfect match to the first two symbols I wear. The ancestral symbols I was born with.
I’m vaguely aware of the physician leaving as footsteps sound in the entryway, followed by the door to my quarters zipping open and shut. With a shuddering sigh, I unfasten the front of my pants, releasing my shafts.
Ellie groans and digs her nails into my back as I drag my lower appendage through her increasing moisture. She gives her head a brief shake, as though to clear her thoughts, then traces the glowing red symbols on my chest. Pleasure quakes through me and I can’t restrain another fierce growl.
“I’m furious with you, Tornn,” she says, meeting my eyes as she continues trailing her fingers over my ancestral markings. “And I’m terrified. What’s happening? Why do I want to take you inside me? Why am I suddenly tingling with warmth and longing?”
A third marking appears on her arm, and I trace it with my thumb, a deep satisfaction filling me. I never thought it possible, and the belief that we couldn’t share a heartbond kept me from giving all of myself to her. It was why I frequently refused to answer her questions when she inquired about my past and why I hesitated to tell her about the happenings on the ship.
She’s my mate and she’s supposed to live among my people for the rest of her life, yet I’ve been treating her like an outsider. I’ve been holding her at a distance, perhaps a bit cruelly, and now I feel like the biggest fool. She follows my gaze, and a shaky breath escapes her.
“Tornn?”
“The symbols that are appearing on your arm are a match to the ancestral markings that cover my chest. Soon, both your arms will be covered with them. It means you’remine,you unruly little female. It means a traditional Darrvason heartbond is forming between us.” I lean down and nip at her chin with my sharp teeth. She moans and gyrates her slick center against the bulbous head of my largest shaft. “Now, spread those thighs a bit wider and show me how furious you are.”
Chapter29
ELLIE
By the timeTornn finishes pounding me with both his appendages and my pussy is sore and dripping with his seed, my left arm is completely covered in the glowing red symbols. A match to those on his chest. His ancestral markings. I can scarcely believe it.
A heartbond. My stomach bottoms out.Heartbondsounds permanent. It sounds like forever. All my hopes of returning to theJansonnafade, yet I’m not as upset over the prospect of never returning to my people as I was a few minutes ago.
I don’t think it’s love. It can’t be love. But it’s fucking powerful. A warmth and a longing that I can’t deny. As though my soul is tethered to his for all time. The waves of submission I often experience in his presence are coming stronger. His physical strength and his dominance send a thrill through me. I like that he’s holding me tight on his lap, stroking my hair as he keeps smelling my neck and dragging his tongue along my earlobes. Whenever I squirm, he tightens his hold and growls.
“I have never known such a calmness in my soul,” he murmurs into my ear, his breath warm and sweet. “I never knew a heartbond would feel like this. My people believe it’s not possible to share a heartbond with a non-Darrvason, but we are proof that it’s possible.” He growls. “When this becomes common knowledge among my people, all our males will want a human female of their own.”
Despite the warmth that pervades my senses, a little alarm bell rings in my head. “How many unmated males are in your fleet?”
“Over twenty thousand.”
“There aren’t that many women of childbearing age on theJansonna. Even if you claimed every last one of them, not all Darrvason males would get a mate.” I pause and draw in a long breath. “What’s happened between us—the heartbond—once this becomes common knowledge among your people, will it put the alliance in danger? Will your males want to raid theJansonnafor fertile females?” Coldness rushes over me as I think about Jenny.
“I must confess, sweet human, that I’m having difficulty thinking clearly right now. But you make a good point and it’s a topic I’ll put more thought into later. I promise I’ll do everything in my power to maintain the alliance, however, any renegotiations will involve significant compensation to humankind.”
“But you want more women,” I say. “You want to tear more families apart. You want tobuyus and treat us like property.”
His nostrils flare and he tenses. “You belong to me, Ellie, yes, I won’t deny that you’re my possession. But I will protect you and do everything in my power to ensure your happiness. In fact, I’ve already taken steps to do so. Even before I knew the heartbond would form between us.”
“What do you mean?” I shift on his lap as his balls vibrate gently beneath my numb bottom. My pussy isn’t numb, however, and I feel every blissful tremor. “What steps have you taken?”
“We’ve found a habitable planet and we’ve already altered course. It’s called 58-Zallnanis. Sixty-eight percent water. Six large continents that contain lush forests and grassland. It’s perfect for humans, but it’s also perfect for Darrvasons. My people will be settling on the planet as well. This means the brides we take will be able to visit their families and friends on occasion. You’ll live on the same planet as your mother and sister.”
Disbelief courses through me, and it takes a full minute for his words to sink in. I almost pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. It sounds too good to be true. Tears blur my vision, and my throat tightens with emotion. The thought of even talking to my mother and sister again is wonderful, but to know I will live on the same planet as them and be able to drop in for a visit? Tornn couldn’t have given me a greater gift.
“Thank you,” I say, blinking hard as a few tears cascade down my cheeks. My mate is quick to wipe them away, and his expression turns so gentle that it makes me want to weep harder.
“You are welcome, little female.” He exhales a long breath as an uncertain look falls over him, then he leans forward and places a lingering kiss to my forehead.
