Stealing Jia (Coletti Warlords #12) - Gail Koger Page 0,26

for as long as it takes.”

Something they had in common with the Coletti. I gave him my death stare. “I’m not prey.”

An unwavering determination filled Trayon’s eyes. “All my life, I have been waiting for you. Now that I have found you, I will not let you go. Together we will journey through life and build our dynasty.”

I had to admit I was surprised by his romantic streak. Trayon also knew what to say to win me over. I wanted a partner who would stand by my side no matter what happened and a family of my own. “What’s the next step in this trek?”

“After our bond has been completed, we locate where your brother is being held and free him. If you wish, you may kill the one known as Giovanni Dragos.”

“I do.”

He inclined his head. “Then we liberate his prisoners and destroy the Rodan base.”

That worked for me. “And take Chiara home.”

He nodded. “And return Chiara to her family.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“My lady warrior are you ready to become one with me?”

Butterflies danced in my stomach. I liked kissing Trayon, but doing the nasty? I knew it was part of the deal, but how did I tell him I had never been with a man before. I eyed his crotch. I wasn’t even sure our parts would fit.

Trayon gave me his toothy grin. “They will fit, and I am eager to teach you the art of a thousand delights.”

“Mentally eavesdropping again?”

“Your happiness is important to me. Teaching you to give and receive pleasure will be my gift to you.”

I raised an eyebrow. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. Our priest had always ranted about the evils of fornication and when Sister Sarah caught me kissing a boy, her expression of disappointment had stuck with me. By Askole standards, I was married to Trayon and not breaking any of the church’s doctrines. Even I knew how important sex was to men. “Okay. Show me these thousand delights.”

Trayon snatched us up and zoomed out of the mess hall.

Cason giggled insanely.

“Wahoo!” Laughing with glee, I clung to his neck as we streaked down the corridor at Mach 1. This was better than a wild roller coaster ride at the carnival. We zipped into our quarters. To my astonishment the rooms were spotless. “Where are the kids?”

“They are with Bey.” Trayon’s mouth moved over mine, demanding, sensual and full of carnal need.

A growl escaped Cason.

Trayon let out a grunt and raised his head. “No bite Father.”

“Momma.” Cason patted my chest. “Me.”

A laugh escaped me. “I think he’s jealous.”

Trayon placed me on my feet and took the baby from me. “I had our engineer fabricate a bed for Cason.” He walked over to a metal crib and laid Cason on the thick pad. “No bite Father.”

A feral glint in his eyes, Cason pointed to me. “Me momma.”

My gaze fell on a large black bone in the corner of the crib. I picked it up and gave it Cason. “Trayon. Ours.”

He babbled something and stuck the bone in his mouth.

“Smart move. The Izix bone will keep him busy.” Snikt. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Schlik. Trayon’s armor shrank down to metal jockey shorts.

My jaw dropped. Trayon’s torso was sculpted perfection. Thick muscles corded his arms and legs. Who knew black scales could be so hot? What would they feel like against my skin?

“Open yourself to me.”

I climbed on the bed so I could look him in the eye. “Before we do this, I want to be honest. You said you loved me, but I don’t love you.”

“Yet,” Trayon’s tentacles clamped tightly around my head. “Once our bond is completed, we will be one mind, one soul.”

I had always dreamed of finding my soulmate, but I never imagined my Prince Charming would be an alien. Taking a deep breath, I dropped my shields and winced when his tentacles stung me repeatedly. Before I could vocalize a protest, Trayon’s powerful mind surged into mine. Whoa! A vortex that held millions of images, and memories suddenly spun through my head. I reeled as every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Suddenly our minds fused together, and we became as one. His memories became mine. His knowledge became mine. In that instant I knew Trayon was my soulmate and he would love me until the end of time. I opened my eyes and smiled. “Out of all the star systems in the galaxy you found me. What are the odds?”

“I would have found you if I had