Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,1

and he leaned down to press his lips against the top of her head, swaying his vibrissae to hide the gesture from prying eyes. His kind didn’t kiss, but he was picking it up quickly and rarely hesitated to shower her with such affection when they were in private. Only in private. This was as close to a kiss as she was going to get outside of their quarters. In Veral’s mind, kissing was akin to sex in intimacy.

The gesture still was comforting as his mandibles scraped through her hair a little and his hand smoothed over her belly. “Very well. I understand your irrational instinct. I will provide you with sustenance to sate your angry hunger momentarily. Be still while I finish my negotiations.”

Terri grimaced and nodded her assent as she entertained herself by glaring holes through the merchant. The male seemed to be in no hurry, but dithered over the promised credits until Terri gritted her teeth so hard that they were on the verge of breaking. She could tell that Veral’s patience was evaporating as well by the way his vibrissae began to move erratically.

Good. She wouldn’t be wasting any sympathy on the merchant when he got a boot up the ass.

She was still glowering and had paced a couple feet away to look at a box of fascinating gems to keep her mind off her hunger when a trilling sound distracted her. Glancing up from the box, she found herself staring at a dull brownish-red creature with enormous yellow eyes, the one who’d been selling delicious meat sticks moments earlier. It no longer held tasty snacks. Instead, several tentacles unwound from its neck, moving toward her as the tentacles along its back and sides moved in.

Terri watched them warily, kicking away one in disgust when it got too close to her boot. What the fuck? She choked out a surprised gasp when a tentacle slithered up the back of her thigh, darting between her legs. Though she was wearing the black armored suit that Veral had fitted her with, she still squeezed her legs together in shock, gripping the tentacle with one hand, attempting to rip it away as it prodded at the strong material covering her sex. The tentacle dripped fluid from small tubes near the tip, and she felt sick as a substance like pale blue cum smeared over her gloved fingers, but still she couldn’t dislodge it.

Gross!

She snarled and fought with it as other tentacles closed around her, the male drawing nearer. Another tentacle neared her face, and she sank her teeth into it. It tasted awful, and to her horror, the thing moaned rapturously and moved nearer, its tentacles reaching, stroking, and grasping.

An enraged roar made her attacker freeze. Veral’s mandibles clicked threateningly as he pulled it away from her, dangling the creature in the air. The tentacle that had been prodding at her sex moments ago was gripped firmly in her mate’s hand, his claws extended through the slits in his gloves. The alien squealed and attempted to break free, but Veral laughed as he held it in place.

“You dare to touch a mated female? My female?” he growled.

The alien shook its bulbous head. “I did not know—”

Veral snarled, shaking the alien in his grip.

“I am not ignorant of your kind. Male Manvi taste the air, seeking mated and unmated females alike guaranteed to be of breeding age to deposit your seed and breed when opportunity presents itself. Your mistake was daring with an Argurma’s mate,” he hissed, his mandibles widening aggressively.

The Manvi began to shriek as Veral’s claws dug into his mating tentacle, tearing into the flesh as he twisted and pulled on the limb until it tore free, blue blood spurting everywhere. His screams were so terrible that they drowned out the panicked shouts of the merchants fumbling as they searched for a safe place to hide.

Terri watched as the blood splattered on Veral, but he didn’t appear to notice it. His teeth bared in a savage grin, he transferred his iron grip to the male’s jaws, forcing them apart, and silenced his screams by shoving the tentacle deep into the gaping mouth.

Her assailant made a ghastly gurgling sound as Veral finally dropped him and turned nonchalantly to greet a group of males. They were dressed alike, and each possessed an air of authority. She determined that they must be the space station guards her mate hadn’t wanted to attract the attention of.

Wiping a bit of blood off her