Page 44 of Matched and Mated

Brax rose to his feet behind her and I noticed that he wore loose fitting clothing, which he quickly removed. When he was naked as well, he walked to one wall and opened a small storage compartment. He turned to me and Miranda, most likely sensing the sudden seriousness of his mood, released her hold enough to turn in my arms and face him.

“I had something made, Trist, back on Trion. I had it transported to the ship while you were healing.” Brax walked forward and laid down a dark green fabric that was layered upon itself several times.

He unwrapped the contents and I saw not clamps, but piercing rings. They were on display in the shape they would take on our mate’s body, one for each breast and one for her clit. There was a delicate gold chain hanging from the dark green gems attached to each ring, and within th

e links of that chain were small disks with alternating symbols. One was the symbol of House Treval, my house. The other I had never seen before, but I assumed the emblem belonged to Brax’s family on Trion. There were also golden bangles for her wrists, decorated with green gems, and an elaborate necklace that looked like the delicate spinnings of a spider’s web in gold and green. Two large rings were affixed at the top.

“Trion adornments always cover the nipples, but that was not enough for me…or for our mate.” Brax looked pleased with himself. “Miranda is too beautiful not to cover completely. And I had them exchange half of the Trion seals with the symbol for the Treval family of Prillon Prime.”

The adornments were beautiful and looked to be of the highest quality. Hand made, not produced from an S-Gen machine. The links were too delicate and imperfect.

Miranda slipped from my arms and dropped to her knees to inspect the gift, but she did not touch them. Instead, she looked to me for permission. Approval. I could feel her desire for them, but her need to please me came first. If I said no, she would put them away with no regrets.

That knowledge was humbling. “They are beautiful, mate. And they will look even more so upon your body.”

Her smile brought me to my knees, and I slid down next to her and lifted the necklace from the soft fabric. “Lift your hair, Miranda. Let us adorn you.”

Brax knelt on her opposite side and his anticipation fed mine. I could not wait to see our mate adorned in gold and green. The green matched the Treval family collars and would make our mate look like something out of legend. A goddess made flesh.

With a grin I was beginning to enjoy too much, Brax slid one ring onto his finger and handed the other to me.

“What does this do?” I asked.

Miranda shivered, her lust a sudden inferno through the collars.

Interesting.

I looked at Brax and raised my brows.

He laughed. “You’ll see.”

16

Brax

* * *

This was my dream come to life, not exactly the way I’d imagined, but better. Miranda needed Trist. I had wounded her, left her alone when she needed me those long months on Trion. I had broken a bond of trust—no, not broken, her previous male on Earth had done that—but I had reinforced the idea that she could not depend on a male to be there for her. To put her first. To make her a priority in his life.

Trist had healed that wound in her. Even now, as she lay sprawled out on the bed before me and I placed the piercings in her body, she looked to him for reassurance. Strength.

He kissed her, nuzzled her, pleasured her with his hand and mouth as I adorned our mate with the most beautiful emeralds I had been able to acquire. Each piercing healed instantly with the ReGen wand I held over her body. She felt no pain as I placed the green jewels on her luscious curves. That the Treval family’s mating collars were nearly the same color as the stones seemed a confirmation from the gods that everything had worked out exactly as it should.

Miranda was mine. I didn’t have to give up my need to feel as if I were making a difference. Out here, doctors were in high demand, the stream of wounded warriors who needed life-saving attention nearly constant. The official transfer had been easy, once Commander Zakar saw the green collar around my neck. He’d clapped me on the back and welcomed me to the crew of Battleship Zakar.

I was part of this war now. Out here, in space. A turn I’d never expected my life to take. But then, I hadn’t expected Miranda, either.

My mate’s breasts were adorned beautifully and I placed my fingertips along the lips of her wet core to find her clit, teasing it from its hiding place to adorn it as well. Trist slid two fingers into her wet, eager pussy, her nipple in his mouth, his fingers slowly fucking her as I played with her clit, making her squirm before I placed the second ring.

She gasped, her hands twisted in the bedding even as her body arched beneath me. She was so aroused, so on fire for us both that my hands were shaking as I finished the second piercing.

That done, and healed by the ReGen wand, I set the wand aside and gave Trist the bracelets I’d ordered for Miranda’s wrists. I knew she would not be wearing traditional Trion gowns here, on a Prillon battleship, and I wanted to be able to see her adornments no matter what she wore. The delicate circular bands were only the beginning. I had also purchased golden and emerald nets for her hair, rings for her toes and fingers, golden chains for her ankles and hanging gems for her ears.

With an intensity I, too, felt, Trist lifted first her left hand, then her right, sliding a number of bracelets over each hand. We both stepped back, admiring our mate as she displayed herself on the bed, naked, adorned, beautiful beyond measure.

Aroused. Wet. Her pussy gleamed in the light nearly as brightly as the gold and jewels.

Now. I wanted her now.

---