Sailkeeper's Bride Read online

  …took too much of the elixir… Akad’s voice roused him some time later. Fari struggled to make sense of the words.

  He was trying to control the fervor… Krysta? Elise?

  The light scent of berries tickled Fari’s nose, and his soul ached. Fari frowned. The universe was cursing him. He would die without knowing his shanna, and it would be his own fault.

  He looks so bad. The new voice sliced through his confusion. Is this my fault?

  “No!” Fari barked. He would not have Georgia blaming herself for his foolishness. Somehow, he forced his eyes open. His shanna was standing beside him, looking distraught. The expression pained him to no end.

  Using all of his strength, Fari reached for her.

  Georgia took his hand.

  “I am s-sorry,” he managed before darkness swept him away.

  Chapter 4

  Shock stabbed Georgia like cold knives. Fari’s massive hand lay limp in hers, and she didn’t want to let him go.

  “Is this a joke?” she whispered.

  “No.” Akad pushed his brown hair behind his ears, revealing the swirls of pa on his cheeks. The handsome priest looked sad and worried as he tended the Sailkeeper of Arda with infinite tenderness. The warrior giant seemed near death—and from what Georgia could tell, Fari was dying of mating fervor. Or rather, prolonged exposure to the elixir Akad had given him to control the related madness.

  He was dying because she wouldn’t fuck him.

  Oh, great.

  “He’s not dying,” Elise assured her. “He’s taken a toxic amount of elixir. Akad can fix things.”

  Georgia glanced at her cousin. Elise’s cheeks were plump and rosy from her late-stage pregnancy. She wore one of her husband’s tunics, which fit her like a dress. Her golden hair shimmered, as did the flames of pa covering her skin. Georgia had never seen Elise healthier, or happier.

  Fari, in contrast, lay pale on Ki’s bed like a patient awaiting surgery. Akad had removed Fari’s shirt, and the Sailkeeper’s muscled chest looked iron-hard and tempting. The wings of his pa mark seemed dim and sallow, which unnerved Georgia even more than the obvious hard-on straining at the black fabric of Fari’s tight breeches.

  “I don’t want him,” she muttered to herself. “I don’t want him. I don’t.”

  But the simple sensation of his hand in hers made her heart beat faster. His chiseled body, his huge, stiff cock—all of him made her pussy ache. Could this man give her as much happiness as Ki had given Elise? Sweat broke out on Georgia’s forehead.

  Shielding her thoughts, she cursed herself. She’d fucked dozens of guys. One night stands, one week stands. Hell, she’d even kept a few of them for a month or more. Cops, sailors, grocery clerks, panty-waste bosses—it never mattered much to her as long as they were good looking and had the proper equipment. Why couldn’t she fuck this guy once and have done with it?

  No muss, no fuss. Who cares if he wants to marry me? I don’t have to say yes. It certainly wouldn’t be a hardship to sleep with this guy. I mean, look at him. He’s beautiful. He’s perfect.

  The reality of Fari’s suffering and how he had controlled his desires to accommodate her made Georgia think twice about his arrogance. If an Earth man had wanted her so much it hurt, he likely would have taken what he desired and found a way to blame her for it later.

  Like Chuck Sampson did.

  The shadow of Georgia’s high school nightmare chilled her, and Fari’s grip on her hand tightened.

  Never again, beloved. His voice whispered in her mind, as gentle as a light kiss. I will kill any man who even thinks of hurting you.

  Georgia gasped, but she kept her death-hold on Fari’s hand. She knew she must have broadcast the reason for her panic in the barn. And now, this man knew her worst secret. He was half-dead, and he chose to spend his energy comforting her.

  She chanced another look at him. Fari’s ink-black eyes were partially open and trained on her. She saw no trickery or deceit.

  Only raw desire. And something else. Affection? Caring?

  Georgia’s heart rate doubled, but she still didn’t let him go. Her gaze swept his full, muscled length, and her body stirred. The pa on her skin heated rapidly, and her pussy throbbed.

  What would it hurt, to fuck him once and see what it felt like?

  Elise said he was a fantastic lover, even if she’d never felt that incredible cock inside her pussy. That kind of contact was for Ki alone—but Elise could vouch for Fari’s oral and back-door talents, not to mention his raw sensuality. She said he was honest, gentle, and straightforward.

  Intense.

  Yes. Those eyes are beyond intense.

  Fari managed a slightly delirious smile.

  “Okay, enough.” Georgia let go of Fari’s hand and turned to Akad. “Work your magic, then take him to my room.”

  Akad’s gasp was audible. So was Krysta’s sharp intake of breath.

  Elise’s expression shifted from thrilled to worried and back to thrilled again. She threw her arms around Georgia. “Are you sure? It’s such a big step! Marriage, commitment—“

  “Whoa.” Georgia pushed her cousin back. “I didn’t say anything about marriage. This is about sex. Fucking. Nothing less, nothing more. Got me?”

  “But—“ Elise, Akad, and Krysta began before Fari interrupted them with a cough.

  “My shanna’s terms are acceptable to me.” He struggled to prop himself up on his elbows. “If I cannot please her or win her heart, she has no obligation to me.”

  Krysta paled. “You would release her? Brother! Do not be foolish.”

  “Is somebody going to behead you, Fari?” Elise’s question came out in a rush. “If there’s some freaky Ardani ritual involved in this, you’d best tell us now or I’ll kill you myself.”

  “There is not.” Akad answered evenly and honestly, as always. “Fari is Sailkeeper, not Sailmaster. He would not lose his position or his life if Georgia refused him.”

  Already, Georgia had learned enough of Arda’s fine arts of omission to ask, “What would he lose?”

  Akad gave her a perplexed shrug. “I do not know. We have never faced such a situation.”

  “In the history of Arda, no woman has refused her soul’s mate?” Georgia’s stomach twisted.

  “Not ever.” Krysta folded her arms and gazed at her brother. “Soul’s mates know each other at a spirit-level. They have no reason to refuse the natural call to mating.”

  “Stop this.” Fari sounded stronger, but when he tried to sit up, he sagged back to the pillows.

  Akad bent to check his pulse, but Fari pushed the priest away.

  “I do not care what has or has not happened in our history.” His words sounded much stronger than he looked. “Georgia made a request of me, and I granted it with a glad heart. The rest is for us to decide. Alone.”

  With that, he locked gazes with Georgia again.

  Damn. The man can barely move, and he’s more sexy than any guy I’ve fucked. The knots in Georgia’s stomach became tight macramé. Elise’s smile and Krysta’s wide-eyed worry annoyed her. Even the priest’s gentle smile made Georgia want to smack something. With a snort, she smoothed her tunic and loose riding pants. The fabric stroked her skin like the gentle touch of a hundred fingers.

  “When he’s better, bring him to my room.” Georgia managed to keep her voice from trembling. “I’ll be waiting.”

  Akad leaned toward her and handed her a small brown vial. “We have discussed this.”

  Georgia nodded. Before anyone could say another word, she pocketed the bottle of relaxing elixir and made a dignified exit from Ki and Elise’s quarters.

  When she reached the hall and shut the door behind her, she had a powerful urge to run like hell and never look back. Her bedchamber seemed hundreds of miles away, and way too close.

  If I run, he’s too weak to catch me…at least for now.

  And then an idea occurred to her.

  “He can’t catch me in his condition, but I cou
ld catch him.” Georgia glanced back at the chamber door. A commotion was rising inside, and she knew it was Fari, forcing everyone to hurry.

  “Bring it on, big man.” Georgia grinned as she started for her room. “We’ll see who your mama is. Yeah.”

  Chapter 5

  Fari woke slowly, as if from a long, battle-earned sleep.

  What happened? I was in the stables, and—and I cannot remember.

  He shook his head to clear the brain-fog. Even his psi-senses felt dull. The ache in his muscles was tolerable, but annoying. As his thoughts sharpened, his investigative instincts took over.

  He was naked, lying atop a bed with soft sheets and many pillows. A four-poster, but not the bed in Ki’s chamber. All around the room stood easels with canvases in various states of finish. There, a striking sunsrise, with big sun and little sister glowing over Camford’s towers. Beside that, Camford Lake, complete with gentle, sparkling waves. A few unfinished nudes—one male, one female.

  Covered pallets rested in the windowsills, and brushes soaked in jars on every tabletop. An artist lived in this room, but who?

  The intricate carvings on the bedposts, walls, and ceilings told Fari he was deep inside Camford, and the slant of light through the large windows suggested the west wing.

  Where Georgia Steel had been staying.

  The moment his shanna’s name entered Fari’s mind, his senses woke. He remembered what occurred in Elise and Ki’s room, and he could smell wild berries, like the first breezes of spring.

  Fiery energy crackled along his pa mark. Georgia was near him.

  Heat welled in Fari’s gut, and his cock responded.

  He had to find her and talk to her. He needed to touch her. But first, Akad’s potion, so he wouldn’t be a clumsy, insane fool.

  Fari reached for his pocket—but his arm wouldn’t move. At that moment, he realized he was bound to the bed by his ankles and wrists.

  “What is this?” He growled, struggling against his tethers.

  “Don’t worry,” a feminine voice purred. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “Shanna.” Fari turned his head to the left.

  Georgia stood between the bed and one of the floor-to-ceiling windows wearing nothing but a taunting smile. Sunslight spilled through her auburn hair and bathed her creamy, freckled skin in bright yellow heat. Her dark nipples beaded as he stared. She ran her hands over her hips, dangerously near the red curls between her legs, and Fari groaned.

  His brain threatened to short-circuit. He had wild fantasies of breaking his bonds, throwing her to the bed, and fucking her like an animal.

  Calm, he told himself. Gentle.

  “Calm and gentle for now,” she murmured, reading his thoughts. “I may want it wild later.”

  Fari pulled against his cloth shackles as she took a teasing step toward him. He tried to assent, but only managed a delirious grunt.

  “I’m going to try you and see how I like you.” Georgia moved slowly, almost as if she were dancing.

  Fari’s cock throbbed. The fire in his body and mind nearly blinded him, but he kept his eyes focused on the vision approaching him.

  Georgia smiled. She was close enough now to trail one finger down his shoulder. The feel of her flesh against his made him groan again.

  “Do you like that idea?” Georgia’s finger traveled across his chest, nearly touching the wings of Fari’s pa mark.

  Fari felt like a space frigate’s ion engine strapped to a child’s skysailer. Any second, he would explode and burn the works to cinders. Still, he forced his throat and mouth to cooperate, at least long enough to bark, “Yes.”

  “’Here’s the deal.” Georgia sat on the bed beside him, but kept her touch to the single finger on his hip, inching slowly toward his cock. “We do this my way. You don’t try anything I’m not ready for.”

  Biting the inside of his cheek, Fari nodded.

  “We’re not married. We’re not even committed. I just want to fuck you, and you will not get me pregnant. Are we clear?”

  Fari managed another nod.

  Georgia fell silent, but continued her sensual massage, now with her entire hand on his thigh. She squeezed and prodded the muscle in his upper leg, then his calf. And then she started back up again.

  Dizzy, fighting instinct and primal drive, Fari clenched his fists. He heard the soft tear of fabric and quickly willed his bonds to hold. If he tore himself free, Georgia might stop.

  Oblivious to the noise, or perhaps unable to hear it over Fari’s labored breathing, Georgia toyed with the hair around his cock. She almost touched the tender sac beneath—and then moved on, toward the base of his pa mark, which surrounded his groin. He tensed.

  “If I touch this while you’re so…aroused…will it hurt?” Georgia’s soft voice made the ache in Fari’s soul deeper.

  He had to have this woman now. Now!

  Battling a wave of raging desire, he shook his head. “It will be intensely pleasurable. For both of us.”

  Georgia gazed into his eyes for a long moment.

  Fari felt his heart swell. He wanted to hold her, to cradle her—but all in good time, when she was ready.

  With a sigh, she ran her hand across his pa.

  Hot shocks traveled Fari’s body. His cock jerked, and he nearly came from the electric pleasure.

  Georgia gasped and closed her eyes. Her own pa crackled audibly, and Fari felt her thoughts wrap around his. He could feel what she felt, and his ferocious want doubled. His shanna’s clit was aching. The intensity of her desire surprised her. Pleased her. And frightened her.

  Do not fear me, beloved. Fari shook from his efforts not to tear free from the bed. I will never harm you. I will protect you, with my very life.

  “I want to believe you,” she whispered. Her hand moved from his pa to his cock, drawing a growl of need from his very depths. “You’re so big. So hard.”

  Up and down went her skilled hand. Her artist’s hand.

  Every muscle in Fari’s body roared. The pressure, the silk of her skin on his—the sensation was perfect.

  When she opened her fathomless green eyes, he could see appreciation. Her pleasure in his manhood.

  “Elise told me Ardani men can come over and over again. Is that true?”

  Fari ground his teeth. “Yes. Especially with the right woman’s attention.”

  “Mmm-mmm.” Georgia picked up the speed of her massage. “Let’s find out if I’m the right woman.”

  In seconds, Fari could hold himself back no longer. He came with a gut-jarring blast, spilling his seed on Georgia’s hand and chest—but she didn’t stop. She kept stroking.

  “Get hard again for me. Let me see.”

  And Fari obliged. He couldn’t have refused the demand, even if he had wished to.

  As Georgia pumped his swelling cock, she licked his seed from her hand. The tip of her tongue teased his hard, sensitive flesh.

  You are trying to drive me to madness, he said in his calmest psi-voice.

  Georgia didn’t answer.

  Instead, she flicked her tongue against his cock again.

  Fari groaned.

  “You taste good,” she murmured, and then took his length in her sizzling, flower-soft mouth.

  This time, Fari did rip one of his bonds as he convulsed. With sheer force of will, he left his arm still, as if he remained tied.

  Georgia moved her mouth up and down his swollen shaft, sucking, then stopping to kiss and lick the tip. Her fingers cupped his sac, and he was lost.

  Using all of his strength to remain motionless and keep the other bonds intact, Fari immersed himself in her sensual assault. He had enjoyed the talents of many women, but none to compare to this unpredictable firebrand.

  His match. His equal. His shanna.

  She sucked him hard and deep. So satisfying. Fari heard his own rumbles of pleasure as he came again.

  Once more, Georgia didn’t let up. She drank his seed as if it were wine, and her thoughts told him she enjoyed the
warmth and taste.

  Georgia’s thoughts also let him know that she didn’t realize the bonds on his right leg had broken. So much the better.

  She halted her relentless attack and smiled at him.

  Fari smiled back.

  He could do this “Georgia’s way” all day and all night. Forever, if necessary. Touching her, feeling her against him, knowing she was taking pleasure in his body, his presence—these things felt like rewards for his long days of pain and deprivation. If it was the last thing he ever did, Fari Tul’Mar vowed to himself, he would win this woman’s trust, and her heart.

  Chapter 6

  Georgia sat beside Fari and kept one hand on his chest. On his pa. The sight of him tied up, completely at her disposal and enjoying it—what a rush. She held the image in her mind, intent on painting it later.

  Not that she wanted him to know that.

  Georgia’s paintings were too close to her heart to discuss, and she rarely shared them or showed them to others, even Elise. Some parts of her mind and heart, Georgia Steel shared with no one.

  And so, she battled to guard her thoughts. For some reason, Georgia didn’t want Fari to know how attractive she found him.

  At first it had been an eye-candy thing. A cheap thrill. The thought of alien sex with a warrior god. But now, Georgia was feeling something else. Something warmer, and infinitely more frightening.

  She licked her lips.

  Damn, but his come tasted good. Sweet and salt mixed, like a rich, warm cream. And the feel of his cock in her mouth, how the thick length had filled her hand—she was too wet for words. Her pussy ached. Her nipples twinged for attention. She felt linked to this man, connected at some basic level.

  She had never wanted to be fucked so badly in her entire life.

  What was it about Fari Tul’Mar?

  Okay, so his body was a painter’s dream. He had dark eyes she could swim in for days. Even the stubble on his chin was sexy as hell. And yet, it was more than that. The fire she felt was too deep for simple attraction.

  Am I falling in love? Could this arrogant ass really be my soul’s mate?