STORY EXCERPT

He’d felt lust, of course, but never to this extent. It had been magnificent, and almost suffocating. When Patrick’s mouth had touched the side of Halvard’s throat, Halvard had done something that he’d never once done before in his life, not even as a desperate and horny teenager.

He’d come without a hand on his cock.

He’d also flown out of the bed and stood over the other man. God, just thinking about that night.

Patricks’ dark hair had been mussed up from sleep. His eyes half-lidded with lust. He’d reached his hand out, taking Halvard by the fingers, bringing them to his lips.

It had still burned, still felt like liquid pleasure had been forcefully pumped into his blood stream.

“I want you.”

Patrick had been the one to say those words, his bright blue eyes, so bright and such a pretty shade they had to be special, were still lazy with lust, with desperation, and Halvard had been able to smell Patrick’s lust in the room.

So yeah, he hadn’t fucked the man, but Halvard had to do something to him. Patrick’s cock had been tenting the pants he’d been given to wear, and since he’d been wearing Halvard’s sleeping pants, they were already so loose on him…

Halvard could still taste him. His lips tingled and moisture filled his mouth as he recalled the taste of Patrick’s cock between his lips. His ears buzzed as he relived the sound of Patrick’s eager moans. He’d tried to be quiet, as though worried someone would walk in at any moment and hear what they were doing.

Which was about when Halvard remembered that Patrick had been a pleasure slave. Hell, he’d probably thought of this as some sort of payment.

Halvard was a disgusting bastard because in that moment, he hadn’t cared. He hadn’t cared that Patrick was only offering himself to Halvard as some twisted method of payment, that he was confused and didn’t want this.

That Halvard was basically taking advantage of him. He hadn’t cared.

And then he did care. Halvard came back to his senses the instant Patrick moaned and a warmth splashed on Halvard’s tongue. The taste had been sharp. He hadn’t expected that because he’d never swallowed down anyone else’s pleasure before. Only Patrick.

Patrick had reached for him, a lazy smile on his face, unaware of what it meant for Halvard to do that to him, unaware that it made Halvard the enemy, the bad guy.

“You need to go.”

What could have otherwise been a lazy, pleasant mood had been destroyed shortly after. Halvard didn’t often see other men cry. The people on the crew weren’t the sort, even when in extreme pain, but he’d seen it a time or two before.

The sight of it had never twisted Halvard’s heart up, spitting it out in one grotesque lump, quite the way seeing Patrick rush out of his quarters had been.

Halvard blinked out of the long memory, remembering where he was, that he was still talking to Axel.

Humiliation flooded him as he looked at his captain, who was suddenly eyeing him with a strange, mostly unreadable expression on his face.

One thing was for sure. Axel definitely thought Halvard was strange.

Great.

“You’ve got it pretty bad.”

“Shut up. And don’t tell anyone either, Captain.”

Might as well make an attempt at showing respect to their stations when Halvard didn’t want Axel blabbing.

“You stink like lust and sex right now. What the hell am I supposed to do, or say, when you’re clearly pining after the guy?”

“I’m not pining.”

“You want him. And I’m pretty sure he wants you. That’s what Tomas told me.”

That got Halvard’s attention. Patrick was talking to Tomas about this? It made sense. Tomas had been the one to make up the plans for escaping Raxsor.

Had Patrick cried to Tomas? Did he tell Tomas what a terrible person Halvard was? A scoundrel?

“Just do something about it. Find out if you’re mated to him or not. Stop torturing yourself. If you are mated, you’re just torturing him too.”

“Mated?”

“What else do you think your symptoms sound like?”

Halvard had never once considered that to be a possibility. To be mated to Patrick? Was it possible?

“What did you feel when you realized you were mated to Tomas?”

Axel blinked, swiveling around in his chair and turning the holoscreens back on. “Why don’t you go to Patrick and find out?”

Such an asshole. Such a Goddamned prick.

It was probably why he made such a good captain.

“Where are they?” If Halvard left right now, maybe Patrick would be willing to let him walk with the group. They wouldn’t be able to speak privately, but he would be there. It would be something.

Axel pressed his fingers against the holoscreen, the computer zooming in and out. “They are…right here. This group.”

Halvard looked at it. “Why are they scattering?”

They should be sticking together. It wasn’t wise for anyone to go off on their own private shopping spree.

“Don’t know. I’ll give Tomas a call.”

Before Axel could lift his watch to his mouth, a small, red alarm sounded, beeping on the holoscreen.

“What is that? What the fuck is that?” Halvard demanded.

“Shut up.” Axel pressed the spot. A video of Setana opened.

“Captain, we’ve got a problem here.”

“What is it?”

Setana was the new guy, but he’d so far proven to be loyal.

At least, he’d better be loyal. Halvard could kill him if this was his doing.

“I just spotted some people I recognize from General Ren’s ship. They’re on the surface. They’re targeting the group.”

Halvard roared. His scales popped out of his skin as his claws came in so fast they pushed his regular fingernails clean off the skin of his fingers.

He didn’t bother taking a pistol as he ran out of the ship and onto Mars’ surface .

ADULT EXCERPT

The steam picked up around him. All the shower heads that had moved along their tracks on the walls made an intense pressure against his skin. The only thing that felt more wonderful than this was the touch of Halvard’s hands, and the sensation of his fingers pressing between his cheeks.

“I’m glad you’re here, too.”

Patrick’s heart soared.

Then he realized the large presence behind him seemed to get smaller. Patrick glanced back, noting the way Halvard was on his knees again, just like the first and only time he’d gone down on Patrick. Only Patrick wasn’t facing him, which could only mean…

Patrick shivered and moaned, he couldn’t contain it when he felt the touch of Halvard’s tongue against his hole. The sensation was wet and soft, but somehow hard at the same time with the way Halvard hardened his tongue into a point.

Patrick struggled not to inhale any water as it dripped down his face. It was definitely a struggle. He panted for breath wildly, and when he felt that wicked tongue pushing through the ring of muscle, Patrick screamed. He reached down, his hand fisting the base of his cock, feeling an orgasm coming but desperate to not let it get to him. Not yet. He didn’t want to come yet, he couldn’t allow it!

The tongue pulled away from his asshole. Patrick puffed out a heavy breath, glancing down at his mate, who smiled wickedly up at him.

Patrick had never before seen that sort of expression on Halvard’s face before.

“That’s it. Hold on. Don’t let yourself come until I say so.”

Patrick tensed. “But, what if I can’t do it?”

“You can do it,” Halvard said, spreading Patrick’s cheeks apart again, exposing his hole. “I know you can do it.”

His tongue, his amazingly beautiful, wonderful tongue touched that spot again, touched Patrick’s asshole and pushed inside.

Once again Patrick was forced to hold on if he wanted to do as Halvard said.

He’d promised his mate that he would be able to give him everything he wanted, and Patrick was going to do it! He was going to show he was worthy to be the man’s mate.

But it was hard. Oh God, Patrick panted for breath. If the water hadn’t been spraying his body down, he might have started to bead up with sweat, especially when that tongue pushed even deeper inside him, and the tip flicked against something that made white stars appear in front of his eyes.

“Oh!” Patrick arched his spine. He humped back against the tongue that was inside him, back and forth, and might have accidentally moved in such a way that Halvard’s tongue fell out of him had it not been for those large hands holding tightly to his hips.

“F-feels good.” This was what he wanted. This was absolutely everything he wanted and needed. His mate touching him, claiming him, making love to him. This was different from all the other times Patrick had been taken, and he knew what that difference was. He had his mate here with him. He was being made love to. That was the difference.

Halvard pushed his tongue forward and back, flicking the end and hitting that sweet spot deep inside Patrick’s body. He clenched his eyes shut until he saw spots, then it was too much.

“Ow!”

Halvard immediately pulled his tongue back as Patrick doubled over, the pain making him groan.

“Did I hurt you? What did I hurt?”

Patrick shook his head, keeping one hand on the tiled wall of the shower just to keep his balance. “Not you, me.”

“What?”

Patrick wasn’t looking at his mate, but it was clear Halvard got the picture and saw the problem.

Patrick still held tightly to his cock, trying to hold off that aching throb before he finally felt good enough to loosen his grip. He didn’t have to worry about coming anymore, though he was still hard.

“I gripped it too tightly.”

Halvard laughed at him.

Patrick glared at his mate. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny. Want me to kiss it better?”

The pain in his dick was suddenly in the back of his mind as Patrick remembered what it had felt like to have Halvard’s mouth around his cock.

He wanted to feel that again.

“Turn around.”

Patrick couldn’t obey him fast enough. Halvard kept his hands on Patrick’s hips, gently pushing him back against the tiled wall. With their height difference, he still had to lean down a little so he could lick the shaft of Patrick’s cock.

Patrick’s breath hitched. “I love this. I love that you’re so big. I love that you’re a dragon.”

Halvard sank his lips down around the shaft of Patrick’s cock. Patrick couldn’t hold back anymore.

“I love you!”

Halvard bobbed his head back and forth. The warm pleasure was almost too much to handle. Patrick wasn’t going to be able to do as Halvard wanted him to.

“I’m going to come. H-Halvard, I’m sorry I won’t be able to stop.”

Halvard pulled back quickly. Patrick tensed, worried he might be upset about that.

His expression was intense, but there was no anger in his voice. “Don’t hold back. Come if you need to come. I’ll get you there again.”

Patrick wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but he nodded, trusting his mate as Halvard returned his mouth to the head and shaft of Patrick’s cock, sinking his lips down, and hollowing them around Patrick’s dick.