“Easy, gara.”
“Who… who are you?” Her voice was soft and tentative. Delicate.
“I am Roark, your mate.”
“Roark.” Her eyes widened and I forgot to blink when she focused them on me. Such a color I had never seen before. Blue, as pale blue as frozen ice in a glacier, and clear as a cloudless sky. The people of Trion were darker by nature, dark of hair and eye. Her exotic beauty, pale blue eyes and golden hair, would make her much coveted by all who saw her. While she attempted to relax, I could sense her nervousness.
“It worked,” she commented.
“What?”
“The transport.” She nodded, her head rubbing against my chest with the slight movement. “Am I on Trion then?”
“You are. We are at Outpost Two in the southern continent. What is your name?”
“Natalie. Natalie Montgomery.”
Natalie.
“Do you feel well, Natalie Montgomery?”
She took a moment, as if thinking about each part of her body. “Yes.”
“Good. Then I can perform the remainder of the medical tests.”
“Remainder?” she wondered.
“Yes, you slept through the doctor’s initial scans and she assured me you are well, but there are a few others that must be done now that you awake.”
She struggled to sit up, so I assisted, but did not allow her off my lap. When the robe slipped off a shoulder and exposed one breast, she gasped.
Her hand moved to cover herself, but I stilled her action with one of mine. “Do not hide yourself from me.”
“I’m naked!” she said, stating the obvious, then frowned. Pulling the robe away from her body, she peeked down at herself, then up at me. “I… I have nipple rings!”
I couldn’t help but smile at the look of utter surprise on her face. “Females on Earth are not adorned by their mates?”
“Um, a few.”
I made a sound of agreement. “Mated Trion females have nipple rings. As my mate, you are also adorned with gold, and with my chain, which marks you clearly as mine.”
“Chain?”
I removed her hand from her robe and the garment dropped to her waist. She looked down and gasped. I picked up the delicate gold chain that dangled and swung, perfectly displayed between her nipples and held it up so she could see the string of small disks woven into the links. Every small gold disk was embossed with the mark of my family. “This symbol is the mark of your new family, mate. You are mine, and this adornment ensures all who see you will know exactly who you belong to.”
“I don’t want to be tagged like a stray dog, like I’m property.”
It was my turn to frown. “What is this stray dog? You are not a stray, Natalie. You are the matched mate of a councilor. You will be treated with respect and reverence. None will dare insult or belittle you. You are mine, and under my protection.”
“Wow. Are you for real?” She looked up at me, and the crystal blue of her eyes shocked me with their intensity.
“I am very real. And you are mine to adorn, mine to protect. You need not fear ever again. I will take care of you, Natalie. You are the most important thing on this planet to me now. You have my solemn vow.” I lifted my hand to her cheek, unable to release her gaze from my own. I wanted her to look upon me for a bit longer. As I stroked her cheek with the softest touch I could manage, I wondered what her eyes would look like clouded with desire. Trust. Love.
She was the one to look away. “I’m just…I don’t know. Not used to having a chain dangling from my nipples.”
“You do not wish to be marked as mine? To let everyone on Trion know who you belong to, who is your master?”
“My… my master?” Hearing that word fall from her lips made my cock swell uncomfortably in my pants. I wanted to hear her chant the word, preferably as I thrust into her wet heat. No, I wanted her to scream it.