Meg shook her head but threw her husband an affectionate look. She crossed to Dante. “Are you sure about this?”
“You, too, Meg? Don’t think I can handle her, do you?”
“No, I was thinking of her, actually. She seems very innocent.”
Kaja frowned. She seemed to be trying to figure something out. “The First told you to leave. Do you not fear the First?”
Meg had the audacity to grin. “Fear Dante? Only if I were a cat. Or a bottle of Scotch. He can tear through that, if you know what I mean.”
Kaja shook her head. “I do not.”
Meg sighed and stepped back. “I know. I’ll see you in the morning, Kaja. If you need anything, we’ll be in the tent next door. Good night.”
Kaja let the towel drop the minute the others were gone. There was no exhibitionism in it. She just seemed comfortable with her nudity. Dante wasn’t comfortable with his own state of dress. His cock was trying to tunnel out of his pants.
“You should beat them more often,” Kaja said. “I do not think they properly fear you.” She leaned over and sniffed at the Scotch. She wrinkled her nose and moved to the water, drinking it down.
He couldn’t help but laugh at the suggestion. He also couldn’t help but notice that he was alone with a naked female whom he was practically obligated to fuck. He’d signed papers promising to fuck her and fuck her often.
“Beck, Ci, and Meggie are family, sweetheart. I scarcely think I’ll be beating on them anytime soon.” He turned and pushed the pants off his hips. He tossed them to the side, but the clever nanites readjusted themselves, folding the pants neatly in a square.
Kaja stepped back. “The coverings are magic.”
It was going to be fun to show Kaja his plane. “I’m sure they seem that way to you. Would you believe me if I told you they’re really tiny machines that a rival corporation makes? We tried to make our own at Dellacorp. They developed their own intelligence and attacked the people wearing them. That was a lawsuit, let me tell you.”
Kaja stared at the pants. “What is a machine?”
Dante decided to leave that part of her education for another time. He sank down into the tub, hoping the heat would wilt his raging erection a little bit. He found it necessary to talk through his fangs. The damn things wouldn’t go away. “Don’t worry about it. Come here, Kaja.”
She didn’t hesitate. She gingerly stepped into the tub and placed herself between his legs with her back to his front. She leaned back and sighed. “I like the warmth. It is very cold where I come from.”
Her shoulders rubbed against his chest, and her little ass nestled against his cock. Nope, the heat wasn’t helping one little bit. His cock was long and thick against her skin.
“Kaja, this home you were taken from, do you want to go back?” He needed to ease his conscience a little. If she had a home and a husband, maybe he should think about asking Beck to help her find her way back. His cock protested.
“No,” she said quietly. “I do not wish to go home. I do not really have a home.”
“Why do you call me First?” He was curious. “Is that what you call the leader of your people?”
He didn’t mention that he wasn’t the leader of anything, really. Or had that changed? When he thought about it, he was kind of the leader of her.
“The First is the most important,” Kaja explained. She spoke slowly, as though measuring each word. “He is First among the pack, though his mate is usually First among the women. He selects a strong mate. Because they are First, they get the best of the meat and the warmest place to sleep. The Second gets the next best, you understand?”
“Yes,” he replied. He let his hands cup her shoulders, reveling in the smooth skin. He breathed in her scent now. Her head rested close to his face. Now she smelled of citrus and soap. It was the same thing Meg used, but it smelled different on Kaja. “So, does everyone have a number? What number were you, sweetheart?”
He felt her deflate. “I had no number. I was not allowed to ever move up, so I did not need a number.”
“What do you mean?” Dante felt a righteous indignation starting.
“My father, he attempted to become First. He lost. The pack executed my brothers and my father. My mother died while birthing me. I was alone. I was female. They allowed me to live, but I had no real place in the pack.”
Her words were even, as though she was working hard to cover her emotions, but Dante could feel her hurt. He thought about the strange connection he’d felt to the female from the moment he’d seen her. He didn’t like the restless feeling it gave him. He preferred to think about screwing her. That didn’t bring forth any odd, protective instincts in him. He understood sex, but he felt the need to set the ground rules first.
Kaja was smart. She would understand the bargain he wished to make with her. They could be partners.
“I’m sorry about that, Kaja. I don’t pretend to understand your people, though I suppose my people are just as brutal in a way.” When a rival corporation went under, no one came out to help the family. He recalled a man he’d gone to school with. He’d had a bad run and ended up moving down from the penthouse almost to the street. Dante was sure no one he knew had spoken to the man again. They weren’t so different.
She sighed and wriggled against him. “Now I am here. Stellan was right. It is good that I left my home. I will be your mate. I will make sure you have the finest meat and the nicest bed to nest in. I think the fat one will make a good feast. I will catch him for you tomorrow.”