Zekke: A Scifi Alien Romance (The Azziarin Series Book 5) Page 7

  “I knew it!” she said excitedly and almost spilled her drink. “Sorry,” she righted herself even though she could greatly feel the effects. “How long do you think it will take?”

  “I do not know. They have a stronghold here.” That was an understatement.

  “Are there other ships here besides yours?”

  “Of course. I command the fleet.”

  A fleet! That sounded promising, and Lord knows they needed all the help they could get. If she could tell her squad, it would lift their spirits. Not that they were depressed, but everyone felt the weight of the war. Soon, she thought.

  Now that that was out of the way, she addressed his other statement. “Your brothers have human mates?”

  “They do.”

  She pursed her lips. “You don’t talk much, do you?”

  He shrugged. A mischievous thought took root. Maybe if she talked him to death, he’d let her go. Drive him crazy, now that was a plan! Ava didn’t talk a lot, but she would, if it would help her cause.

  “How many humans are on…” She drew her eyebrows close in concentration.

  “Azziar. There are currently four humans on my planet.”

  “Four. Wow. That’s a lot,” she said sarcastically. “How are they adjusting?”

  “I suppose all right. They just celebrated some holiday called Christmas.”

  Ava laughed. “I guess that’s close enough. Christmas was a month ago.” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “How many brothers and sisters do you have?”

  “I have five brothers and one sister.”

  “Wow. Your parents were busy.” He never made eye contact, just looked down at his drink. The topic of his parents must have hit a sore spot with him.

  “Do you have…”

  “Enough, female!” He pushed up from the chair. “I am exhausted, and it is time to rest.”

  Ava crossed her arms, an involuntary way of comforting herself. “And where will I sleep?”

  “In the bed, of course.” He shot her an aggravated look.

  “Fine. Then you can take the couch.”

  He rolled his eyes, but she didn’t wait for a response. Before she made it to the bed, she felt him behind her and rounded on him. With her hands on her hips, she asked, “What do you think you are doing?”

  “Going to bed.”

  She stabbed her finger at him and said, “I am not sleeping with you.”

  He grinned and said, “Fine. You can take the couch.”

  Her eyes slid to the couch and back. It was smaller than her cot. “I am not having sex with you.”

  The grin dropped from his face. He lowered his head until his lips almost touched her ear. Her breath hitched with his nearness. Her heart pounded with excitement when she felt his warm breath as he spoke. “I do not force females to join with me. I do not have to.” Then he walked past her, shucked off his trousers and climbed into bed.

  She stood stock still. What did that mean? He didn’t have to. Ava tightly clenched her jaw when she thought of him with other women. Jealousy was something new to her, and she didn’t like it.

  The effects of the alcohol weighed heavily on her. She left the jumpsuit on, crawled into bed, and scooted as close to the edge as possible. No way he could take her actions as an invitation.

  Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her were of her team and the naked male next to her in bed, who hadn’t even bothered to ask her name.

  Chapter Eight

  Zekke

  As they left the bridge together, Rhett asked, “Why are you avoiding her?”

  “I am not avoiding the female.”

  “That is good.”

  Rhett was right; Zekke was avoiding his mate. So many emotions churned inside him, and he didn’t like it at all. Raising his chin slightly, Zekke looked at his second in command and said, “I will be in my quarters if you need me. Also, have Iann deliver a tray of food.”

  He spun on his heels and stalked away. When he entered his quarters, he found her sitting on the couch in a black military jumpsuit, drinking Fire’s Breath. She was stunning. Easily the most beautiful female he’d ever laid eyes on.

  He joined her in the living area. When she asked, “Well, you went to a lot of trouble to kidnap me and bring me to your ship. Why?” he wanted to grin. She wasn’t cowering even though he could smell her fear, anger, and desire swirling together. When she held his gaze, he was impressed with her courage.

  The more she talked, the more he liked her, which in turn put him in a foul mood. “Enough!” he finally said and headed to bed.

  Now he lay naked on his back while the female hugged the edge of the bed. He sighed as he stared at the ceiling. This wasn’t the way he meant for things to go.

  ****

  “Female, you need to stop,” Zekke grated out. At some point, he had finally fallen asleep only to be awoken with the female nearly on top of him. Her arm was strewn across his waist, her head on his chest, and she kept wiggling her hips, which rubbed his hard shaft.

  Her eyes popped open, and she scuttled away, putting distance between the two of them. “Sorry.”

  Zekke stared at her in fascination as she sat up and clutched the blanket to her chest. Her short yellow hair stood on end, very messy. Her eyes were clear blue and warm. He stared at her soft pink lips as her tongue darted out to moisten them. She was beautiful—stunning. He wanted to take her, as evident by the tent below his waist, but he knew that now was not the time.

  “It is all right.” He grinned as he placed one arm behind his head.

  She turned toward him. They both had their guard down.

  “You look so different,” she said as she attentively reached for his hand. She stopped mid-way, so Zekke stretched his hand out for her inspection. Her eyes darted to his before she reached out and touched his hand. “Five fingers,” she said as she traced them, “and one long thumb.”

  “Is it really so different?” he asked.

  “Well, I did have a cousin who had six toes on one foot, but that was a birth defect.” Zekke chuckled and she grinned. “I like you better like this.”

  “Like what?” he asked as he turned his hand and took hers, giving it the same inspection.

  “I don’t know. More open. Less military.” She looked at his mouth. “Why do you have fangs? Do you drink blood?” He grinned and bared them for her. “Stop it!” He could smell the start of fear, and that was the last thing he wanted.

  “No. Relax. I do not drink blood.”

  “That’s a relief.” She blew out a breath. “Then what are they for?”

  He shrugged, “Nothing important.” Why he chose not to tell the truth puzzled him greatly. His fangs were very important and used for only one thing, to make someone his mate. To change her chemical makeup so she could carry his young.

  Her stomach rumbled loudly, and he laughed at her horrified look. “Let’s get dressed and have first meal.”

  “Okay,” she said but never moved.

  He slid out of bed and stood facing her. When her eyes zeroed in on his shaft, Zekke wanted to laugh. “I am taking a shower.”

  “I need one, too,” she called after him.

  “You are free to join me, but I’m not sure there is room.” He silently chuckled when her curses reached his ears. Five standard minutes later, he strolled out of the bathing room naked and headed to the small closet. His backside tingled with the weight of her gaze.

  “It’s all yours,” he said while dressing in the standard black jumpsuit.

  “Thanks,” she said. In that one word, he could hear how much his nakedness affected her.

  “Hey,” she shouted as she leaned her head out the door. “I can’t get the water to turn on.”

  Zekke headed to the bathing room. It was small, and after he turned the water on, he spun around, and his body brushed against hers. He froze. So did she. He smelled her desire and was sure she could feel his hard shaft against her stomach.

  “Ah…” she swallowed hard. “Th
anks.”

  He leaned down and put his mouth to her ear. The small hitch of breath made him smile. “You are welcome,” he said and smelled her desire skyrocket.

  With a grin, he left her standing in the bathing area. Maybe this mating fever affected her just as much as it did him.

  Ava

  This was terrible! Ava was in big trouble. From the moment she woke, her guard was down. His playful nature was irresistible, and she loved his laugh. He looked so sexy lying in bed, so relaxed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt that way.

  When he got out of bed, he stood naked in all his glory. His shaft was thick, long, and hard. She unconsciously licked her lips and clinched her core. Resisting him would be hard. Much harder than she had first realized.

  When he walked away, she reached down and touched herself. Dripping wet. She quickly withdrew her hand. The last thing she needed was for him to catch her pleasuring herself.

  When he turned the water on for her, their bodies brushed together and her insides tingled with want. It had been awhile since she had had sex, and Zekke was driving her crazy. Her core creamed even more when he leaned down to her ear and whispered, “You are welcome.” The sexy tone of his voice was an aphrodisiac.

  The shower was the diversion she needed. The sound of the hot spray, along with the privacy of the shower gave her confidence as she reached down and touched her sensitive nub. She needed relief. Her release was quickly approaching when the door slammed open against the wall, and Zekke stepped in. Her hand quickly left her nub as she watched him through the clear glass door. He looked… feral, his fangs protruding even lower than before. His chest heaved. “Female, you try my patience,” he growled in a guttural voice.

  What was he talking about? Ava couldn’t think straight. She wanted…needed something. Her body demanded it. Her eyes found his wild ones yet again. Maybe just once…

  She opened the door and stepped out of the shower. Zekke’s eyes followed the drops of water as they ran down her naked body, dripped from the ends of her dusky nipples.

  Fast as lightening, he licked one of the drops before it fell to the floor. Ava couldn’t breathe. She tilted her head backward and moaned. Zekke took his cue and sucked the hard bead into his mouth, lavishing it with his tongue. Ava’s legs quivered, but he wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her up.

  Before the fog cleared from her lust-filled mind, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed. She watched anxiously as he stripped down. Like a predator, he crawled up the bed and covered her with his body.

  “I want you,” he said. His voice was laced with need. His shaft lined up with her entrance, he surged forward, stretching her as he went.

  “Oh, God!” she cried, arching her back and closing her eyes.

  The slight pain of being stretched quickly turned to mind-altering pleasure unlike anything she had experienced before. He set a hard, fast rhythm as he pounded into her, but she matched him with every thrust. With her hands on his shoulders, her nails dug deep, leaving claw marks. It took only minutes for her to scream out her release as waves of pleasure pulsed through her body.

  Zekke

  He could hear the slight moans as her strong scent drifted through the door. He knew she was pleasuring herself, and he lost control.

  When he plunged into her core, he was shocked that she took every standard inch of him. She was tight and soft; her moist channel gripped his shaft. It was pleasure unlike anything he had ever felt before. No other female compared.

  He didn’t think; he let instinct and desire take over, at least for a while. She screamed out her release, and he felt her walls contract around him. She was so tight it was almost painful, but in a good way. His release was near. His fangs distended even farther. When he felt the familiar tingle at the base of his spine, he grunted his release and lowered his mouth to the junction between her neck and shoulder. Just as he was about to sink his teeth deep, the fog lifted long enough for him to sink them into the pillow right above her shoulder.

  That sobered him up. Just like that, he was almost mated. It didn’t matter that they’d just had mind-altering sex—the fact that he’d almost mindlessly mated her scared the sish out of him. He withdrew his shaft from her channel and rolled off her until his feet hit the cold metal floor. Without a word, he headed to the bathing room.

  Ava

  What the hell just happened? Ava blew out a harsh breath as she watched Zekke walk away. She felt… dirty. He never said anything, he just left. It hurt, not that she would ever admit it to him. She shook her head in annoyance. She thought they both had enjoyed it.

  She jumped up and quickly headed to the small closet. She needed clothes, and fast. The last thing she wanted was to be naked when he came out. She pulled the jumpsuit down and angrily put it on while fussing under her breath. “Who does he think he is?” she grumbled.

  “Are you ready?” he asked. Ava jumped. She hadn’t heard him come up behind her.

  She turned and faced him. His face was devoid of all emotion. His eyes were guarded and indifferent now. She schooled her features and said in a flat voice , “Yes.” Two could play this game.

  ****

  Breakfast, or first meal as they called it, was busy. Zekke showed her where to get the food but didn’t offer any help. What was his problem? Ava’s emotions were all over the place. She wanted to scream at him, but she held her tongue.

  They sat down, and soon another… male joined them. Apparently, they liked to be called male instead of men. Whatever.

  “Commander.”

  “Rhett,” Zekke answered. At least now she knew the officer’s name.

  The two talked about the ship and how things were on the “small planet,” a term that ticked her off. She tuned them out and thought about her squad. How were they making it without her? She couldn’t imagine how worried everyone must be. It the tables were turned, and Kim went missing, Ava would worry herself sick.

  Her attention turned back to the two males just long enough to notice Rhett sniff and then glare at Zekke. Ava rolled her eyes. She’d had enough of alpha males to last her a lifetime.

  “Can I speak to you in private, Commander?”

  Zekke looked sharply at Rhett, and after what looked to be a stare-off, he stood. Rhett followed.

  Ava was finished eating and wanted to head back to the room. She walked up behind the two males, intending to let Zekke know, but when she heard part of the conversation, she kept her mouth shut, crossed her arms, and listened.

  “Go ahead,” Zekke said in an annoyed voice.

  “Commander, she is your mate.” Zekke shrugged. “Are you not planning to mate her?” Rhett asked.

  “No.”

  Rhett snarled, “but you will bed her as though she is one of your consorts.”

  Zekke glared and said, “This is none of your concern.”

  All the air rushed out of Ava’s lungs. She thought they were already mated, even though she didn’t like the idea. But he said he had no plans to mate her, just bed her like… what did Rhett say? Oh, yeah, one of his consorts. Did that mean he had a lot? He’d said the night before that he didn’t force females, he didn’t have to.

  Tears welled up in her eyes. He thought of her as nothing more than a prostitute. She forced the tears back down, stiffened her spine and raised her chin. She was strong. She was Ava Thompson.

  As she walked past the two of them, Zekke called after her. She ignored him as she hurried out the door. The corridors all looked the same as she tried to find her way back to his quarters. She tried to enter one room after another, but the doors wouldn’t cooperate. Trying one last time, she stood in front of a small door and it slid open. “Yes!” she said in triumph.

  It was a laundry room of some kind. Maybe a place to dispose of garbage. Ava really didn’t know, but she grinned when she spotted her uniform and body armor laying in a heap on the floor. She searched her belongings. The knives and other weapons were missing, but she found her bundle
of zip ties in the inside pocket of her jacket. She grinned as she clutched them in her fist as a plan of escape started to form.

  Walking down the corridor once again, she rounded the corner and hit a wall. Not a wall—an angry Zekke. “Where have you been?” His voice was hard.

  Ava batted her eyes and took on the helpless female role. “I was trying to find my way back and got lost.”

  “This way,” he said as he turned and headed down the corridor. He didn’t even wait to see if she followed. What an ass!

  Alone in his quarters, she ate the lunch and dinner he had delivered. They called them second and third meal, which was very practical. She ate it all, needing to keep her strength up. She hoped to execute her plan later that night.

  ****

  When Zekke came walking in, Ava sat on the couch with an empty mug. She pretended to sip the strong drink. He glanced her way and then grabbed his own and sat in the chair facing her. Déjà vu, she thought with a grin.

  He never spoke, just sipped his drink. Every now and then she would catch a glimpse of his eyes darting her way. After some uncomfortable silence, Ava slowly placed the mug on the table and got to her feet. “I’m going to bed,” she announced as she strolled to the bed.

  Modifying her plan, she quickly stripped naked, climbed onto the bed and lay on top of the covers. She knew the affect she would have on him. Like it or not, he had the same effect on her. Why not have a little fun before she left?

  Zekke came in shortly after and stopped mid-step, a statue frozen in time. Ava watched him through the slits in her eyes. She wanted to laugh but lay unmoving instead.

  He undressed and crawled in on the other side but never said a word. His actions hurt her, but she pushed those feelings aside. This would all be a distant memory soon enough.