Guall's balls! He snarled silently as he reluctantly pulled back when the pounding grew more persistent. All I want is for everyone to leave me alone with my mate for a few months. Is that too much to ask for? he wondered in frustration as Riley pulled away to go answer the door.
You and me both, his cat hissed back pacing. I want to run and chase. I want to capture my mate.
Shut up, Vox groaned in frustration. This is difficult enough without you picturing how you want to mount her.
Mates have sexy tails, his cat purred.
Vox's eyes focused on Riley's swaying hips as she walked across the room. Those damn shoes of hers were staying on when he fucked her! He wanted her to wear them and nothing else but the jewels he would drape on her. His eyes brightened as he thought of one particular set of blue crystals he wanted her to wear.
And they won't be around her neck or on her fingers, he thought as an image of her huge breasts cupped in his hands formed in his mind.
He was so lost in the images of Riley in nothing but jewels and heels it took a moment for him to realize there was an awful lot of yelling going on, and it wasn't all coming from his father. He shook his head and hurried over to where Riley and his father were standing practically face-to-face in challenge.
He stepped up behind Riley, wrapped his hands around her waist and tried to pull her back behind him. He grunted when she elbowed him in the stomach and barely missed driving a spiked heel into the toe of his boot. He danced to the side with a scowl and looked over Riley's shoulder at his father who was glaring at his mate with a red face.
"What is going on?" Vox snarled out darkly, furious with his father for upsetting his mate.
"You will send this piece of rubbish back to whatever world you found her! She is not your mate. You are already promised," his father snarled.
"I know you didn't just call me a piece of rubbish, you two-bit piece of cat shit," Riley snapped back, raising a finger and shoving it into Aryeh's chest. "I am his mate and he is mine! If you don't like it, tough shit! I chose him. Possession is nine-tenths of the law and, baby doll, he's all mine," she added with a menacing hiss of warning and a little shake of her head.
Aryeh stared in outrage and shock at the unusual female stabbing him in the chest with her sharp fingernail. He had never had anyone, even his own mate, treat him with such outright hostility before. His pleasure at finding out his oldest son had been rescued and returned was overshadowed by the threat of traitors within the palace walls and now his discovery Vox was mated to an alien female from an unknown species. As far as Aryeh was concerned, the female could join the other traitors in the dungeon.
Two of the traitorous females had been apprehended, but the male who had been working with them had not been captured yet. There was also the concern there might be others. One of his younger sons was working to discover who else might be involved. Aryeh wanted to talk with Vox about his two former bedmates to see if he could discover what type of information they might have obtained.
When he was informed that Vox had returned and taken his mate to his living quarters to settle in before he would be available, Aryeh had been shocked. He had not realized that Vox had stopped on Valdier to claim the Valdier princess Clarmisa who had been promised as his oldest son's mate. His shock changed to outrage when he discovered it was not the princess, not even a Valdier, but another whom Vox had claimed. He listened in growing fury as his advisor explained that his oldest son had mated with a delicate, unknown species that had been on the Antrox mining asteroid where Vox had been held during his captivity. Aryeh had stormed out of his office determined to find out for himself who this female was and eliminate her if necessary. He would not let the treaty be broken by a piece of female ass that had caught his oldest son's attention.
"You will return her or I will slit her throat," Aryeh said coldly, looking at Vox with determination. "You are promised to a Valdier princess. This … this thing is not even worthy of being a bedmate, much less your queen."
"You arrogant son-of-a-bitch," Riley snarled back. "I'll show you worthy."
"Riley," Vox bit out in exasperation. "Don't you dare!"
He struggled to hold her back from attacking his father. He knew it was an impossible battle when he felt the soft fur of her cat ripple over her arms where he held her. He growled deeply, trying to get her cat under control, but it was too late. Before he could stop her, she had shifted and knocked his father back through the door of their living quarters into the outside corridor, pinning him on his back as she snapped at him in warning.
Aryeh's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared up at the very pissed off white tiger sitting on his chest. The female was hissing and snarling in warning, but it was the look in her bright blue eyes that held his attention. She looked like she wanted to cry even as she snapped at him in warning.
"Aryeh, I believe our new daughter is not happy with you," his wife chuckled from behind him. "I like her. I don't believe I have ever seen anyone put you on your back before."
"She put me on the floor twice," Vox said with a grin to his mother. "She is very resourceful."
"She is listening to you talk about her," Riley said suddenly, sitting on Aryeh's chest with her arms folded. "And don't even think about growling at me again. I am in no mood to deal with your royal-assness!" she snapped at Aryeh with a frown. "Besides, you've totally made me mess up my hair! I swear, between you and Vox you both should have been neutered when you were babies."
Rosario chuckled as she moved forward and held out her hand to Riley. "Hello, daughter. Welcome to Sarafin."
Riley grinned, reached out her right hand and placed it in the slender palm that was offered. "Hi, I'm Riley St. Claire from Denver, Colorado. It's a pleasure to meet you," she replied with a dimpled grin.
A dry cough suddenly lifted Riley up a few inches. "Do you think you could get off me now?" Aryeh asked drily.
"Do you think you can be more polite?" Riley asked with a grin at Vox's dad. "You know, I think Vox takes after you more than his mom."
Aryeh grimaced and shook his head in disbelief. His gaze moved to his oldest son who was staring at the female sitting on him like he was a couch, as if she was the most precious thing in his world. His eyebrows rose when he realized that she was the most important thing when he caught her scent. He smelled-a cub!
"She is breeding!" Aryeh hissed out in surprise.
Vox reached down and quickly pulled Riley into the protective circle of his arms. "Yes, I have given her my cub. She is my mate and our new queen. You will treat her with respect and not threaten to harm her," he growled out to his father. "I don't want you scaring her."
Riley looked down at the huge bear of a man lying stunned on the floor. She gasped and moved closer to Vox when Aryeh flipped up, landing on his feet silently in front of her. Eyeing him warily, she watched as his nose flared again as he drew in a deep breath.
"Her species shifts like ours?" he asked curiously.
"No, my cat gave her part of our essences," Vox replied quietly. "We are one."
Rosario and Aryeh's shocked gasps filled the air. "Vox," his mother started to say, looking worriedly at her oldest son.
"It is done," Vox replied in a deep voice. "She is mine."
Riley looked back and forth between the shocked, pale faces of Vox's parents and the deep seriousness on Vox's face with growing alarm. "What? What is wrong?" she asked in a shaky voice. "What has he done that he shouldn't have?"
Rosario smiled gently at Riley before taking a step closer to their living quarters. "He did exactly what he should have done, daughter. Come, let us have some refreshments, and I will explain it to you since my son appears to have left out a great deal of your new world."
Riley bit her lip and looked back and forth between Vox and his mother. "Am I going to want to kick his butt after you are done?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh, most assuredly," Rosario laughed as she stepped through the open door. "I have no doubt."
Chapter 21
Riley grinned as much as she could in her shifted form as she raced across the meadow with Vox in hot pursuit. She had been on Sarafin for over two months now, and she was loving it! Her first meeting with Vox's parents might have started out shaky, but now she could do no wrong and Vox couldn't seem to do anything right-at least as far as his family was concerned. They expected him to cater to her every whim whether she had a whim or not.
If she didn't know better, she would think his brothers were having fun making them up just so they could see their older brother running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Not a pleasant analogy but truthful all the same. He had come in yesterday morning soaked to the skin and covered in sand from scouring the beaches for little blue stones the color of her eyes. When she had asked why he had done it, he said Pallu, his youngest brother by several years, swore she had mentioned she wanted some.