Captivated:Mating Ritual 3(2)

Holy heavens, where did such delicious specimens of manhood come from?

Almost immediately guilt intruded. How could she be thinking about strangers like that, especially in front of Adamon?

Cindra blindly reached toward Adamon, grasping his hand. “Come, let’s go back to the farm.”

But before they could move, one of the men broke away from the pack, reaching them with long strides. His silver eyes speared her before moving toward Adamon. “Pardon, but we are new to this town. Do you know where we could find some lodging?”

Adamon’s grip tightened on hers. “We don’t usually get visitors in this part of town. Are you planning on staying for some time?”

The other men caught up to the one addressing them and Cindra did her best to ignore their heavy gazes.

“Just a few days,” the man responded. “We are but passing by.” He held out his hand, giving Adamon a friendly smile. “My name is Bannor.”

Cindra sensed Adamon’s reluctance as he released her hand and shook the stranger’s. “Adamon. This is Cindra, my fiancée.”

There was no mistaking the emphasis on that last word, and the stranger flinched almost imperceptibly before turning his gaze to her. Nodding politely, he said, “Pleasure, Cindra.”

“Likewise,” she murmured, her inbred politeness getting the best of her, even though what she really wanted to do was hide from the strange feelings the presence of these men aroused.

When Adamon said nothing more, Cindra pointed at the boarding house, its dusty wooden frame appearing beat up and indistinct in the square. “You can find lodging on the second floor of that building. The town store is on the first level.”

“The store?” asked one of the other men, drawing her gaze to his crystalline blue eyes.

“Yes.” For some reason his attention made her blush. “I work there in the mornings.”

Oh hell, why had she felt compelled to volunteer that particular piece of information? Adamon’s hot gaze on her seemed to ask the same thing.

Unable to help herself, she asked, “Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but it’s obvious you aren’t from Keulot. May I ask what your home world is?”

The man who’d identified himself as Bannor grinned at her, seeming pleased with her question. “We hail from Spygia. I am the leader of our pod.”

She sucked in her breath at his admission. Spygia. She couldn’t recall ever meeting a Spygian before, but she’d learned a bit about their race when she’d lived in Chivea, before her race had been killed off. Spygians had traded with Chiveans, but her overprotective father had always hidden her away whenever one had visited the castle.

With everything that had happened in the past few years, though, her memory had gone hazy. What was it that she’d learned about Spygians?

Oh yes, that’s right!

First off, Spygians typically wore nothing other than loincloths, which was probably why she’d had such a difficult time placing them. The thought of these virile men in nothing more than a tiny piece of cloth made her go hot in ways she didn’t dare contemplate.

Also, Spygian women had died off in a plague several years before. As a result, the men now sought their mates among other races. And if she remembered correctly, Spygians were a sexual species, deriving strength and energy from mating.

Fighting back a blush, she forced her mind from that particular thought.

“Welcome to Keulot, gentlemen. I think you’ll find it peaceful here.”

Bannor grinned at her. “Thank you, Cindra.” He turned and pointed to his companions, one by one. “May I introduce the members of my pod, Devan, Stefon and Tempos.”

Nodding at them, she murmured, “Pleased to meet you.”

Adamon muttered out a stilted welcome, then tugged on her arm. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to return to our home.”

Blushing at Adamon’s not-so-subtle message to the Spygians, Cindra allowed herself to be led away. Adamon said nothing as they started down the path to his family farm, just a few minutes’ walk from the square, but his frown spoke volumes.

“You shouldn’t be so friendly with strangers,” he finally said. “They might come to unwelcome conclusions.”

She bristled at the implication that she’d behaved inappropriately with the Spygians. She’d only been trying to be friendly. But then she thought of all he and his parents had done for her, of the way they’d taken her in without question. They’d given her a family, after she’d lost the only one she’d ever known.

Her ire melted away and she squeezed Adamon’s hand tighter. “You’re right. I’ll remember not to be so friendly next time.”

He relaxed into a smile, a soft dimple marring his cheek. “Good.”

* * * * *



Bannor and his brethren watched Adamon walk out of the square with their woman. From the barely muffled growls escaping the men, they were just as unhappy about it as he was.

“What are we doing?” Stefon rumbled. “We should go after them. Take our mate.”

The primitive beast within him agreed with Stefon, but Bannor forced himself to remain calm. “We cannot. You heard him say it. They are engaged. If we stole her from him, she would hate us.”

“So what do you suggest?” Tempos asked with barely restrained fury. “Should we give up? Leave her to him?”

“No.” They could never do that. “But think for a moment. The woman is Chivean. Her entire race has been decimated. What tragedies must she have suffered just to get here? Do we really wish to add to them by forcing her from her beau?”

Beside him, Devan clenched his fists. “So what do we do?”

“We remain here in town,” he said decisively. “Sway her to us, one by one. Make her see that a life with us is far preferable to remaining in this town with a Keulot.”

Even if every moment was pure and utter torture. From the very second he’d spotted her, his rod had been painfully stiff, making him all too aware the woman who was meant to be theirs was nearby. Oh, how he longed to stride after her, to tear that ugly garment from her luscious body and lose himself in her. Bannor knew his brethren felt the same.

Now that they’d found her, the urge to mate was strong within them. But when a Spygian mated, he did it for life. They had to woo their mate gently, to make her see that they were the only ones for her.

“So you’re saying we seduce her?” Stefon asked, his voice a tad more restrained.

“Exactly,” Bannor said. “We’ll approach her separately at first, build her comfort level. And then, when she grows suitably intrigued,” and there was no doubt in his mind she would, “we will show her what it’s like to be with us all.”

Then she would be theirs, helpless to resist them. As they were her.





Chapter Two




The next morning Cindra found herself unusually eager to start the day. She tried not to think about why.

After awaking early and bathing in the women’s area of the stream, she hurried off to work, where she proceeded to pass another boring few hours.

How different my life is now than it was two years ago.

She’d been the daughter of the Chivean king, a spoiled princess of the most royal blood. Her every moment had been attended by maids-in-waiting and bodyguards. She hadn’t even been allowed to bathe alone.

Now she was the fiancée of a poor Keulot farmer, as well as a shop maid. Her father would have been horrified, of course, but she’d learned to take her happiness where she could find it.

What about the Spygian men, some little part of her prodded.

No, they were dangerous. She couldn’t think of them. No matter that the memory of their images made her breasts go hard and her thighs wet. Spygians were space travelers and therefore much more likely to run into Malucons than she was here, in this small, rustic town.

The bell above the doorway rattled as the door opened, and Cindra glanced up toward her newest customer. Her chest tightened when she saw who it was. Bannor.

“Good morning,” she said, drawing her gaze down to the counter.

“Morning,” his deep, sexy voice rumbled. To her shock, rather than perusing the store, he strode straight to her. “I find myself in need of sustenance. What do you recommend?”

“I…” She straightened to full height, trying not to meet his eyes. Pointing toward the wicker baskets in front of the counter, she said, “The fruits and vegetables are very good. They are fresh-picked.”

“From your farm?”

His question startled her into meeting his gaze. “How did you know we live on a farm?”

His silver eyes sparkled as he broke into a charming grin. “Small town.”

“Oh.” How right he was.

“So…” She squirmed in her spot. “What brings you here?”

“My pod members and I are here to collect our mate.”

Our mate, he’d said. Her gaze met his. Suddenly she remembered something else she’d once learned about Spygians. They tended to mate in groups. In pods, as they called it. Which meant…Bannor and his three pod mates were going to share the same woman.

Oh gods. She bit her lip to hold back the lush moan that longed to escape. Her nipples hardened into tight beads and liquid rushed between her thighs. Why did the thought of those four wondrous men with one woman practically electrify her with desire?