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Cock still locked inside his mate, Talos turned off the water, gently rotated Maymon s
body on his shaft and carried his semi-conscious, newly claimed lifemate out of the shower
and into their bedroom.
Gently laying their joined, wet bodies down on the bed on their sides, Talos cradled
Maymon to his chest and pulled a light sheet over the pirate s rapidly cooling skin. He
pushed Maymon s wet hair off his flushed cheek and nuzzled at the exposed curve of the
man s slender neck, licking the newly formed sheen of sweat from the pirate s skin.
Detecting the faint flavor of his own body in the salty moisture, Talos savored the new taste.
He inhaled Maymon s distinctive, spicy musk, and let the combined mixture permeate his
senses.
Satisfied by the knowledge his seed had been absorbed by his lover s body, Talos
relaxed and allowed his cock to soften. It slowly withdrew from Maymon causing the man to
moan in protest and press his ass back into Talos s groin.
Maymon half-twisted in Talos s embrace to stare up at the hunter through glazed,
sleepy eyes. He smiled and muttered in a slurred, drunken voice that reminded Talos of raw
whiskey poured over crystalline rocks, a rough but mellow sound that made his cock quiver
in delight.
 Got to hand it to you, luv; never knew a gent could make me feel like this. He tried to
raise his hand to touch Talos, but his arm fell bonelessly back on the bed halfway through
the movement.  I m beginning to see the profit in maintaining our relationship. You keep
this up and I ll never have to drink rum again to lose all the feeling in me body. I d prefer to
get drunk on you. Brandy s me new favorite drink. Maymon leered at the hunter and
grinned, but his eyelids fluttered shut.
96 Laura Baumbach
Smiling, Talos ran a comforting hand down Maymon s shoulder and arm and pulled the
covering up to his chin, then reminded the pirate,  I have to go to Oracan for a council
meeting. I want you to stay put and behave. Marius will check on you.
Maymon hummed an answer, mumbling something unintelligible. Talos scented him
to detect if the pirate was misleading him, but the human s scent and the slow regular rise
and fall of his chest marked him as truly asleep. If Talos was lucky, Maymon would sleep
through most of his absence and lessen the amount of frustration he knew he would come
back to after leaving the inquisitive young man locked up for the duration of his trip.
Talos gently pulled away, tucking the edges of the covering loosely around the pirate s
naked body. He rose effortlessly off the bed, his powerful frame taut with a rippling, raw
strength, his energy renewed by the fierce coupling.
He made a humming sound deep in his broad chest and grinned, reminding himself
that the nicest part about Oracan bonding rituals were that custom demanded they be
repeated frequently. Then he remembered that depending on how the council meeting went,
Maymon and he would either have a lifetime together or no time at all.
Donning his trousers and weapons, Talos strode out of the room without a backward
glance. He knew he would be coming back for the pirate. He just wasn t sure if it would be as
an honored Oracan hunter or as a disgraced rogue warrior.
He retrieved the package containing Maymon s new clothes from the delivery
transport slot in the wall and laid the clothes on the dining table where the pirate would find
them easily.
Wiping the security panel that operated the door, he programmed the locking
mechanism to allow only Marius and himself entrance to the suite. He paused, glanced at the
open door to the bedroom, then re-keyed the panel and added Dr. Rice to the retinal scan
codes. Maymon would need both protection and comfort if something unexpected occurred
and Talos was unable to make it back to his displaced, culturally naive lover again.
Taking a final, deep breath of the pirate-scented air, Talos left to publicly claim what
he had already taken. And may the Gods of Juninus protect any who tried to thwart him.
* * * * *
In an isolated corner of the secluded docking bay, two hooded humanoids, pitted and
grisly under their tattered cloaks, watched from the protective shadows of an unoccupied
shuttle as Talos entered the bay and immediately left in his fighter alone.
Mercenaries from a distant planet, Betovans were an entire species that had earned a
permanent bounty placed on their collective heads from the Oracan High Council for
heinous crimes against all known species. Only a huge reward could lure these creatures out
into the open of a human-operated space station.
Details of the Hunt 97
As soon as the Dango left the hangar, one Betovan, Zrac, pushed the hood back from
his face and pulled a handheld communication device out from under his cloak.  The
hunter s left the station. Alone.
Barlow s clipped, distinct voice clearly vibrated from the communicator.  Alone? Are
you sure?
Zrac ground his jagged, yellow teeth together and flared his flat, disfigured nostrils in
disgust before firmly replying,  Positive. The hunter was traveling light, no luggage, no
companions.
 The council meeting. Barlow s tone turned angry, his voice laced with suspicion.
 And he s not bringing my bounty with him. He muttered in a voice that seemed more for
himself then Zrac.  They re not going to hand him over, the cheating monsters. There s no
other reason to leave the pirate behind. His voice rose until it sounded like he was
practically spitting his words.  Damn it, I ve paid dearly for him.
There was a pause filled with nothing but the sound of several deep breaths being
drawn, then Barlow harshly demanded,  I want that pirate, no matter what the cost.
Throwing an evil grin at his partner, Garn, Zrac reassured his employer.  You ll get
him, don t worry.
In a challenging tone, Barlow taunted the mercs.  You re sure you can best a hunter?
Zrac snorted, but his eyes narrowed dangerously as a sneer further distorted his
unattractive, swine-like face.  No one can track a trail that isn t there, not even an Oracan
bounty hunter.
 Make sure of it, Barlow barked.  I m paying you both a king s ransom. No one can
connect this to me.
Grinning, Zrac nudged Garn with his shoulder, then spit on the floor of the docking
bay.  You just make sure the rest of our credits are ready when we hand over your new toy.
Letting an unspoken threat travel over the void of space, Barlow warned,  And make [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]