When.
“And only when you consent to be ours, Lucy.” He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck as he had last night. “When you say yes, I will fuck your ass,” Sambor said, tugging the neckline of her shirt to the side so he could kiss her lower on the shoulder.
“I will fuck your pussy. We will claim you together. You will bring us together, make us one. Only then, when you accept us both into your body, when you say the ritual words, only then will you be truly and completely ours.”
Sam licked up her neck. “And we will be yours. Why did you cover your freckles?”
She tilted her head, trying to avoid him, but he would not have it. “I’m covered in them. They’re ugly.”
I dropped the collars to the floor, freeing my right hand. While I would not treat something so sacred with such disregard at other times, Lucy was more important than the collars. “Ah, mate. All of you is beautiful.” With my fingers in the hem of her shirt, I slowly lifted it up her body. Sambor leaned back so I could tug it over her head.
She wore nothing beneath, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“What happened to the brave and fierce woman from last night?” Sambor asked.
She looked anywhere but at us. I wished she wore the collars so we could understand.
“She covered her imperfections with makeup.”
“Why would you do that?” I asked.
She looked up at me, eyes wide. “Because they’re awful!”
I reached down and grabbed the collars again. “Put this on. Let us understand.”
It was obvious she had issues with body perception and vanity.
“Did a male on Earth reject you because of them?”
She swallowed hard and still wouldn’t meet our eyes.
“That would be good news,” Sambor said.
Lucy spun on her heel to face him, her hands still covering her chest. “That’s mean.”
He stroked a finger over her cheek that I knew to be silky soft. “It is good news because that means you are unclaimed, that there has been no male worthy of you. Until now. Until us. We see you, Lucy.”
“Let us wear the collars and all will be clear. Trust me,” I said, using my most diplomatic tone. In all the years I’d been in my role, this was the most crucial conversation of my life.
“Fine. But no claiming. No, ‘Whoops, your ass fell on my dick while Nik’s got his in your vagina.’”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You doubt our honor?”
She blushed and finally met my eyes. “No, you’re right. I apologize. You wouldn’t trap me.” She sighed. “Fine. The collars. But I’m taking it off if it doesn’t work out. And I’m leaving after the ball, so…”
It would work out and she wouldn’t be leaving without her collar being dark blue and her body claimed as ours. If I said that aloud, it would push her too far. Although she would know the truth once the collar was about her neck, but at least then she’d be wearing it. She would know the truth. Words were one thing. They could be fake or twisted to make people happy. I was a diplomat, a master of that.
The collars didn’t lie. When I picked them back up, handed one to Sambor and quickly put mine about my neck first, then helped Lucy on with hers, no words would be needed.
Everything we were and would be together would become clear.
7
Lucy
Holy shit. I had to be the only woman on Earth whose one-night stand wanted forever. Oh yeah, I wasn’t on Earth. All those women who’d successfully had their fun and forgotten completely about the guy had done just that. Slept with a normal guy. I’d had sex with an alien. A bossy Prillon warrior.
Not just one, but two.