Page 41 of The Commanders' Mate

“I will not be Lady Karter in all ways but one.”

Yes, it appeared that in this mating, she would indeed be giving the orders.

And I’d be blessed by the gods themselves to follow them.

“Are you sure, Erica? You might want to be involved with the evacuation, but that is different than knowing what I feel. What I sense. The burden is great.”

She sighed. “Again, you underestimate me. Perhaps you are forgetting that you will know what I feel, what I sense. Perhaps that will lift you up, not take me down.”

“Ah, mate,” Ronan said, cupping her cheek with his hand. “Give him hell, Erica. Make him beg.” He kissed her on the lips, hard. Fast. “I want to see it, at least once in this lifetime.”

Erica smiled up into his eyes and wrapped her arms around him. They had both made up their minds, as had I. I would trust in the matching protocol, trust in my family, in the female who held my heart in the palm of her small, human hand.

“Very well,” I said. I had fought this long and hard, but knew it wasn’t something I could win. She would soon learn the burden I carried, and I hoped the testing was correct and she could handle it. I turned to the PC. “Send someone to fetch my collars from my office.”

She turned and fled with haste.

“Kaed, you need to go with her,” Ronan said.

I frowned. “To the safe zone?”

He nodded. “One mate should remain with her, in safety. Need I remind you of the main reason for a second in Prillon mating?”

“No,” I snapped.

“Remind me,” Erica said.

“A mate is cherished, loved, protected and possessed by her two mates. Because Prillons are mostly fighters, death is a strong possibility. Having a second means a mate will never be without a male. For love, for children, for their future.” Ronan kissed her forehead. Damn him for being the gentle one. I felt like an Atlan beast in comparison.

“I must lead one of the advanced groups so the Hive doesn’t win this fight. It will reassure me to know he is with you. That if I die, you will not be alone.”

“Ronan,” she whispered, then nodded.

I wanted to argue with him, but I sighed instead. I didn’t want to fight anymore. I was jaded, angry, stressed. Frustrated. I was at my breaking point at the thought of losing her. Was that why I’d been matched? Was the testing that accurate to know exactly when I needed a mate to take care of instead of leading others into battle?

Was my new role not only commander, but Erica’s mate? Her personal protector?

“You are the commanders’ mate, Erica. One will lead while the other remains at your side, protecting you,” Ronan added.

The PC returned with the familiar box that held my collars. I opened it, took the three out and handed the empty box back to the PC. She smiled as she took it from me, then stepped back.

“I will not claim you in the usual Prillon custom, mate,” I said.

“But—”

I put a finger over her lips. “It involves stripping you naked and fucking you. In a traditional claiming, I would be deep in your pussy and Ronan in your ass as witnesses observe and chant.”

She flushed a bright pink at the words. I took my finger away. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“I have made one concession already by allowing Ronan to have your pussy in equal measure. I will not allow anyone to see you as your mates do, your body is for the two of us only. The sight of you coming, the sound of it, belongs to us.”

“We’d be sharing your body here. Now. Do you wish for your claiming to occur in the landing bay of a battleship?” Ronan asked.

She swallowed. “Do we have to do that, in front of everyone? I admit, I’m not really into exhibitionism.”

 

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