Daahn Rising (17 page)

“Is there any particular place in the center nest that we should sleep?” he asked.

Daahn turned toward them, made an expansive motion with his hand, and tipped his head. With that, he disappeared behind the cover of the high plants that circled the pool.

“Anywhere we want,” Evan interpreted that move.

He chose a soft patch of grass five meters from the pool and settled Zondra on it, then wrapped himself around her. In moments, the calming sounds of the center nest, the feeling of Zondra in his arms and her scent, and the stresses of the day herded him into sleep with her.

Chapter Fourteen

The sounds of the center nest surrounded her, and Zondra smiled at the tricks her mind played on her. Although she rankled at the fact that they’d given her drugs, this side effect was a pleasant surprise. It was a lush hallucination, complete with scent.

Scent?
Zondra had never realized hallucinations could be so detailed and involved.

She forced herself toward what passed for consciousness, hungry for every sensation that connected her to home and family.
Even if it’s fake.
Fake security was decidedly better than the reality she’d face when she opened her eyes.

It was so realistic and vivid, Zondra swore she could hear the insects that pollinated the plants. She sighed, wishing she could hold on to the hallucination.

A movement brought a potent and very familiar scent.

“Evan,” she breathed.

“Thank the stars.” He sounded relieved.

Zondra forced her eyelids up, focusing blearily around at the center nest. “How did I get home? I don’t remember...”
Anything past the female doctor asking me to relax for the scan plate.

Evan pushed himself up on one elbow and stared down at her. “You were drugged unconscious by the doctors. Mac and a bunch of Xxanian warriors escorted us here.”

He stroked a hand along her cheek, bringing a strong smell of clove. The center nest always smelled faintly of the spice, but it seemed Evan was nearly bathed in it.

Bathed.
“You bathed me with clove?”

His jaw tightened. “Me... and Mac, Aleeks, your
seir
, and your
gran-seir
.”

A smile curved the edges of her lips. “That must have been a tense moment.”
For everyone involved.
She wished she’d been awake to witness it. Watching Dominants posture and jockey for position was usually quite the show.

“You have no idea.”

“You didn’t kill any of them, did y —” The rest died in her throat, and memories of Reynolds made her shudder.

“No. I doubt your family would give me reason to. You’re safe here. You know that.”

She nodded. A Xxanian nest was probably the only safe place for them on the planet, for the time being.

But there were other concerns. “What about you? You’re not in a cell, but I’ve never heard of the military returning justifiable homicide as a ruling... or releasing someone that did kill someone aboard ship on bail, no matter what the situation was.”

His smile was strained and lopsided. “Mac’s doing. I have a medical discharge.”

“Good.” He was out and not facing charges. That was a relief.

“It is. I still have my clearance.” But his expression didn’t make it seem like it was good.

He needs to work. He needs to feel he’s providing for me.
Maybe she could help with that. “Did I ever tell you what Daveed Raashh does for a living?”

His brow furrowed. “Who?”

She knew she’d never mentioned him to Evan. There’d never been a reason to. “Daveed is my
gran-seir
’s second-in-command’s eldest son.”

When he didn’t reply, she continued.

“Daveed owns Spice Luxuries.”

“The Xxanian-style catalog you had on board ship,” he murmured.

She’d been intending to use some of her earnings as a translator to purchase things from it. “Yes. And his younger brother Arren owns Spice Automotive.”

His eyes glittered at the name. “Most guys I know would sell their mothers to own a Spice performance machine.”

“The entire Spice Enterprises is owned by Raashh’s nest. They are very picky about who they hire, and the pay would be... well, at least double what the military paid you... maybe more. That’s not counting performance bonuses. The Xxan are big on paying well for those who work effectively.” She knew how prized Evan had been as a technician.

His eyes narrowed. “Are you trying to set me up in the family business?” There was a challenge in that. She’d offended him.

“No. For one thing, they aren’t family. And I would have nothing to do with your decision to apply with Spice Enterprises or the process of it. You are simply... uniquely qualified to apply.”

The look of confusion returned. “I am?”

Zondra nodded.

“My security clearance makes a difference?”

“Spice also has a space division. They
build
some of the equipment you were maintaining aboard ship. Having a security clearance means you are able to work in production on military projects. That and being human means you can do on-site maintenance without the... difficulties the Xxan face in the same situation.”

He didn’t reply to that. Evan’s face was studiously neutral. “And that will be the only reason they want to hire me? No... strings?” He searched her face for a response, even as he waited for her words.

Oh, he was astute. “If a bunch of Xxanian Marines helped transport you, it is possible that Daveed’s son Marcus was one of them.”

“And?”

“Daveed will know your connection to my
gran-seir
.” He opened his mouth to speak, and she hurried on. “It wouldn’t be a favor to either of you or to me to hire you. The Xxan do not practice nepotism.”

“Then what
would
it be?”

“Our nests are allies. You would be seen as a trusted ally.”

“Nothing else?”

Answering that was difficult.

Evan must have seen the struggle in her expression. “Zondra?” He paused only a moment. “It’s the daughter thing again, isn’t it?”

That forced a gasp from her, and she nodded dumbly. How had Evan learned that?

“I am not making that promise to them.” It was a solemn vow.

“What promise?” What promise did he think someone was asking him to make concerning any daughters they might have?

“That one of theirs can take care of her quickening if we have a daughter. Or that we’ll convince her to mate with one of them.”

She smiled and pressed a hand to his bare chest. “No one would dare ask it.”

“Or expect it?”

“No. Not even expect it. Even my
gran-seir
would only suggest several for you to choose from for her. My
seir
would have considered Marcus for my quickening, I’m sure.”

His muscles eased beneath her fingers. “Good. Then we should get some food into you.”

How Xxanian.
“Not yet.”

He tensed at her outright refusal. “And the reason why is... ?”

“I assume my
gran-seir
ordered you to bathe me with clove daily for a period of time?”

“Two months. I’m not sure if it’s a punishment or —”

“A cleansing of violence for me and a bonding ritual for us as a couple. Sometimes it is a punishment for neglect, but that isn’t the case here.”

His expression spoke his relief. The lines in his forehead eased, and he offered a tense nod of thanks. “But we can do that later,” Evan decided.

Zondra shook her head. “The first bathing wasn’t completed correctly.”

The tension, adrenaline, and musk rolling off him were enough to make her nipples go hard and her musk flow.
This is going to be so good.

“In what way? For that matter, how could you know it wasn’t completed correctly?” There was an edge of violence in his tone, no doubt at the idea of the other men in the pool with them again. Or maybe it was a promise to gut Daahn and the others if they’d taken liberties.

Zondra wrapped her arms around his neck. “The family bath ends with a private bath between the mated couple.”

“I did that.” He sounded offended by her statement, as if she’d accused that he hadn’t bathed her.

“Not really. Any formal spice bath between the couple ends with making love in the pool or on the grass or stone surrounding it. Here or in our private pond upstairs. But always here first.”

His eyes went hot in interest, and his musk was potent in the promise of precisely what she was asking for. “I think food can wait for a bit. I wouldn’t want to offend, after all.”

“You’re probably right.” She sighed as if conceding an argument.

One eyebrow arched. “Probably right?”

“Maybe? Definitely?” she teased.

He shifted his position so that he leaned over her. “Definitely,” he informed her.

“Definitely.”

“So your
gran-seir
sentenced
me to sex once a day with my mate?”

The thought seemed to amuse him. It was good that he wasn’t offended by it. Dominant males tended to posture and hold grudges. Neither would help them.

“At least once a day,” she corrected him. “You’ll want to scent our rooms properly.”

His smile said he was about to take up the challenge. “How properly?” He knew already.

And she knew how much Evan loved a mating frenzy. They’d indulged in a dozen of them so far.

“Mating frenzies as many evenings as you feel my condition will allow.” Stroking a male’s ego and protective instincts could never hurt.

“Are you saying you want or need careful handling in that department?” It was delivered in a soothing, almost crooning voice.

“No, but if I do, I trust you to know it.”

He lifted Zondra into his arms and took her to the bathing pool in the center nest. There, he settled her on her feet. She glanced down at his dungaree pants, wondering at the fact that he wasn’t wearing a
S’suumea
. Had Evan refused to? Or had no one told him
Gran-seir
’s rule in the confusion of their homecoming?

His head swiveled to the left and right, and his eyes narrowed. “No one will be watching us, right?”

She shook her head. “
Gran-seir
’s cavern is through there.” She pointed to the cave on the far side of the pool. “He will hear us and know all is well between us, but no one would dare watch another man with his mate.”

Evan started stripping off her
S’suuhhea
. “I wonder if Spice employees get a discount,” he murmured.

The change of subject shocked her. Zondra would like to claim it hadn’t offended her. That would be a lie. She planted her hands at her hips, stopping the flow of silk down her body. “You’re thinking about a performance car
now
?” she demanded.
He is not dominating his way out of this one.

He placed his hands over hers. “No. That thought would have come later.
Much
later.”

Mollified, she nodded.

“Your hands,” he hinted.

Zondra started unbuttoning his dungaree pants. Evan released her
S’suuhhea
and let it drop to the boulder they were standing on.

“What were you thinking about then?”
I sound like a pouting child.
But she couldn’t seem to help herself.

He planted two fingers under her chin and tipped Zondra’s face up toward his. His eyes were warm and inviting.

Soothing.

There was no bite of displeasure in his expression. It appeared that he was pained by her mood. She relaxed, and Evan rewarded her with a kiss.

“I’d started saving up to buy you the leather and emerald choker from the Spice catalog,” he informed her.

“I know the one.”

And she knew why he liked it. Zondra had simply found it pretty. He’d likened it to an ornate sub collar, right down to the heavy silver rings decorating the lower edge that could have a leash hooked onto them.

“With the raise in pay and a discount, I could give it to you very soon. Not as soon as I want to, but soon.”

Zondra knew what he was asking. “I will wear it proudly, whenever and wherever you want me to.”

Though it looked like a sub collar on close inspection and could doubtless be used as one, it was ornate enough to pass for jewelry, even if Evan wanted her to wear it out around town with him.
And the emeralds are a close match for my eyes.

His kiss left no doubt that he was about to reaffirm his dominance in their relationship. “You won’t regret that choice,” he vowed.

“I know I won’t.”

Evan stripped his pants off and led her into the pool, snatching up the clove oil on the way in.

The water was warm and smelled lightly of the spice, despite the filtering systems that cleaned the water constantly. The water wall covered the hum of machinery, lending natural sounds that soothed her.

Waist deep, Evan turned toward her and popped the top on the clove oil. He started at her neck and worked his way down her body, sealing his mouth to hers in a heated kiss. The clove stung pleasantly against her musk ducts, not unlike a weak
Zhigaaal
, and her nipples rose in response.

Evan massaged them with the clove oil, testing her responses. His hands were rough against her breasts, soft against her womb. He poured more of the clove oil into his hand and reached around her body to work at her neck and her mating stripe. The need to have him follow through was pressing, and Zondra tipped her hips against his ready cock.

Evan released her mouth. “Are you sure?” His scent announced that a positive response from her meant nothing would stop them.

“Oh, yes.”

He turned her, washing her back while he urged her into shallow water. The clove oil did delicious things to her buttocks and thighs. By the time he reached her slit, Zondra was murmuring pleas for more.

Evan helped her to her knees, solicitous even though he clearly wanted to dominate her. He sank to his knees behind her, but Evan didn’t rush to more. He took his time, stroking handfuls of water down her body to wash the excess oil away. That left a slick sheen between them that she was certain would feel wonderful during sex. As if in confirmation, Evan trailed his hands up and down her body, ruthlessly arousing her.