“Only Atlans are larger than Prillons. You are mated to a beast then?” Sambor asked. Had he not heard the Atlan, Rezzer, grumble about her being unmated? Or was he simply seeking confirmation? Our gazes dropped to inspect her wrists, which were bare. No mating cuffs.
When the Viken king bumped into Sambor again, I’d had enough. I picked her up and walked out of the dancing throng. Lucy did not resist. But when we reached the side of the room, I had no choice but to set her back upon her feet.
Her smile was open, welcoming and curious as she glanced up at the two of us. “To answer your question, no. I don’t have a mate.”
“Based on the ring in your nose, I assumed a mate from Trion,” I said, looking again for the outline of similar adornments in her nipples.
“Nope, no Trion mate, nor am I seeking one. From any planet.”
“You’re not? I understand that human females were only allowed to leave your planet to mate or fight in the war,” Sambor said to her. Earth was one of only a handful of all planets that allowed their females to fight, a decision both Sambor and I disagreed with, not because a female couldn’t hold her own in battle, but because we were more than willing to sacrifice our own lives so they did not have to.
Apparently Lucy did not approve of Sambor’s words. She frowned and I did not like to see the crease mar her smooth brow. “Wow. Know everything about us, do you? I understood that a Prillon male got tested for a bride because he couldn’t find one on his own.”
I couldn’t help the smile at the way Sambor’s eyes widened at her well-countered words or the way he bowed his head slightly.
“My apologies. Lucy, correct?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Then if you are not here to acquire a mate, why are you here?”
Her bright green eyes glanced between me and Sambor with… unhidden desire. Lust. Open and blatant appreciation.
Need.
My cock punched against my pants, eager to get to her, to fulfill any need she might have. I envisioned her in bed between Sambor and me. Naked. Our hands and mouths on her. Our cocks in her. I could almost hear her moans of pleasure, screams of satisfaction.
She set her hand on my chest, and I felt the heat of it through my tunic. Fuck, she was a contrary thing. Tiny and frail, yet a tongue sharper than a Viken’s most ruthless blade. Lightness and now this… heat.
Taking a step closer, she placed her palm in the same spot on Sambor. “I am here to enjoy myself. To have some fun.”
“Please do not let us stop you from dancing some more.” I would deny her nothing, and I had to admit watching her dance would be quite erotic. “Unless the queen bids otherwise, we will remain here and watch.”
“I want you to do more than watch me.” Or at least that’s what I thought she said—her voice had dipped almost to a whisper. “So you’re a lord?” she asked, louder this time, her thumb sliding back and forth across my chest, distracting me.
I imagined that thumb sliding over the crown of my cock, and I was ready to toss her over my shoulder and carry her off to an empty room in the palace so she could do so.
Her scent filled my head, and my heart raced as if I’d just outrun a Hive scout in a stealth fighter. “My name is Niklas.”
“Nik.”
I’d never heard anyone shorten my name before, but the abbreviation made me want to yell mine so everyone could hear me over the thrum of loud music. Gods, she was a bold little thing. No Prillon female would make such forward contact with a male. She licked her lips in Sambor’s direction.
“And you?” She looked up at Sambor, who was armed and had to be almost two heads taller than the petite female, yet she appeared unafraid.
“I am Sambor Treval.” He set his hand over hers and bowed slightly at the waist.
“Sam and Nik.” She sighed like we’d revealed the secrets of the universe and filled her with bliss. I suddenly wanted to hear more sounds from her small throat. I wanted to hear her beg, hear the soft cries of her release. Sighs of surrender. I imagined stripping the wispy green fabric from her body, unwinding the golden strands that crisscrossed her waist and breasts as if unwrapping a