The Demon Master's Wife (Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Romance) (FORCED TO SERVE) (2 page)

Ania laughed. “Well, that would probably not take much in his case. He’s been practicing for centuries. I haven’t.”

Gwen snorted. “I’m trying to imagine a whole military trained like you. Who did the Khalsas fight?”

“Demons—for one,” Ania said easily, standing and stretching.

Gwen sighed and shook her head. “Does that help you deal with your situation any?”

“Not really,” Ania admitted sadly. “But I do understand Malachi better because of it. I have been reading about demons. There were many things I did not know, that my training never covered. He is not the scary ‘unknown’ entity in me now. He is Malachi, and I think of him that way. He is bowing to the will of the creators of all just like the rest of us.”

“You trying to make friends with him or something?” Gwen prodded as they headed back to their rooms.

“I guess something like that,” Ania said finally, stealing a full look at Gwen as they walked. “If I can find ways to deal with your volatile Earthling nature, dealing with a demon can’t be much more difficult.”

“That was an unprovoked insult,” Gwen exclaimed, reaching out a hand and shoving a laughing Ania lightly into the nearest wall. “Not so tough off the mat, are you?”

“I’m starting to like you, Gwen. I don’t want to hurt you,” Ania said truthfully, rubbing her arm as she veered off to head to her room. “Enjoy your day off.”

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll see you at the meal this evening,” Gwen said, breaking into a quick jog to cover the distance down the hall faster.

She was looking forward to a relaxing afternoon with Chiang. It was rare when they both got the same day off.

***

Dorian paced the room as he dressed. So far he’d let Gwen get by with ignoring him. Now his patience had reached its limit. When he heard the knock on his door, his spirit leapt inside him, then quieted immediately as he realized it wasn’t her.

He opened the door to Synar who—shock of shocks—waited for an invitation before bursting in this time. Sighing in resignation, Dorian gestured his friend inside with a sweep of his hand.

“Are you heading somewhere?” Synar asked, looking at Dorian who was dressed in more clothes than usual with several hours left before his duty began.

“To claim my mate, if I can catch her alone for two minutes,” Dorian complained. “Gwen has been ignoring me for several days.”

Synar smiled. “Maybe she’s finally using her intuition.”

“Very funny, but not helpful. Where did Ania sleep last night?” Dorian asked.

“Do not project your bad mood onto me. You’re very tense Dorian. I haven’t seen you this way in many years. Did you really think that when you were ready, Gwen would just go along with your mating plans without objection?” Synar asked.

Dorian knew Synar would think him completely arrogant if he answered yes, but actually he had figured that Gwen would at least be open to hearing his offer. She was in most ways a logical being. He knew he still affected her as a male, knew she felt desire for him. Claiming was only a matter of connecting all the dots that were already there.

Sirens weren’t the only species to have figured out the energy settings of mating. They were just the only ones that truly respected the enormous power of such intimate connections.

“Gwen Jet is my mate. That’s just an energetic fact. If she is not yet consciously aware of it, I intend to inform her. I could release my mating vibrations and draw Gwen to me without appealing to her logic, but I do not want to force her to be my mate. It is preferable that she choose me,” Dorian said tightly. “I should never have turned her away in the first place. I made a mistake. Now all I can do is try to rectify it.”

“Do you think admitting your mistake is going to win Gwen?” Synar asked. “If so, I hope you have better luck than I did apologizing to Ania.”

“Something must have worked for you because I felt your bonding vibration with her. You know how sensitive I am to those things,” Dorian said. “I’m aware when anyone on this ship bonds with anyone else. It’s a bloody curse when I’m trying to abstain.”

“Thank the creators I’m not a Siren then,” Synar said, grinning at Dorian’s pained expression. “My time with Ania was two minutes and one vibration long. She assures me she doesn’t need anything physical from me, but she’ll let me know if she does.”

“Ania lies to you and to herself. She’s just hurt still. The female part of her is wounded,” Dorian said, relenting to pat Synar’s shoulder in comfort. “Do not lose faith. I have seen your relationship with Ania is meant to be, but to have it, you will have to compromise more than she will. Be prepared.”

Synar snorted. “I advise you to have faith also, my friend. Gwen now guards the keys to herself with a warrior’s mind set against an enemy. Don’t turn your back on your fierce mate until you win her over.”

“I can be a formidable enemy, but I can also be a determined mate. Now I see that the centuries are very long without a female to warm your bed, and I am done being alone. Gwen will be warming my sheets shortly,” Dorian said with confidence.

“Well, I guess I will believe it to be a truth for you two when I see it happen,” Synar said, walking to the door.

“Did you just come by to offer your poor encouragement to me or did you have another purpose in seeking me out?” Dorian asked, letting his tone indicate his disbelief about Gwen rejecting him.

Synar laughed softly, but with little enjoyment. It was more fun to tease about Gwen and Dorian fighting than to have to inform Dorian about the real reason he’d sought him out. “The documents from Ania’s inquiry were filed today. They announce she is Malachi’s host. It won’t be long before Conor starts trying to find a way to get to the demon again.”

Dorian shrugged. “It was always inevitable that your brother would come after you and the demon. You need to tell Ania about Conor so she can prepare.”

“Tell her that in addition to giving her body to a demon, my evil brother will soon be trying to kill her as well? No. Ania has enough to worry about,” Synar said, opening the door.

“You underestimate her,” Dorian said, shaking his head. “She is much more than you have discovered. Ask her about her life when she met me.”

“There is no benefit in discussing the past. How many more secrets can she can have, Dorian?” Synar said on a humorless laugh. “I would rather she focus on the future and stop asking me for her death. I’m running out of ways to say no.”

“There are many circumstances worse than death, Liam. Keep strong where Ania is concerned. She will always need you,” Dorian told his friend, whom he could see had already tuned him out.

“Let me know when you finally confront Gwen. I’ll send someone to mop up the spilled life force from the floor,” Synar joked.

When the door closed behind Synar, Dorian walked to the ship’s computer port on his wall and touched the screen.

“How may I assist you, Lieutenant Zade?” the computer asked.

“Report present location of Commander Jet,” Dorian demanded, as he had several times over the last few days.

“Commander Gwen Jet is in her quarters,” the computer reported.

Dorian removed his hand from the screen and walked determinedly to the door.

This time he was not going to be put off.

Chapter 2

After her body cleansing, Gwen stepped into the drying tube and spread her limbs while the warm air removed the last of the residue from her skin. When that was done, she stepped out into the chilly air of the tiny washroom. Goosebumps danced along her skin as she strapped on her female hygiene layer of clothing.

“If Chiang didn’t like to rip these damn things off, I wouldn’t have to bother with this crap tonight,” Gwen murmured, hating the absorbent hygiene strips that just seemed a part of every female’s curse in life, no matter the species.

She had just pulled on her favorite pair of off-duty pants over the strips when she heard her door alarm sound. Grabbing her top from the bed where she had thrown it earlier, Gwen fastened the first few hooks on her shirt as she walked to answer the summons.

Looking through the viewing port, Gwen gritted her teeth at the visitor as she yanked open the door.

“I have no time to verbally spar with you, Zade,” she said roughly, opening the door wider. “I’m off-duty and have an appointment to meet someone. Is there a problem with the Captain?”

“No—to the best of my knowledge there is no problem with Liam,” Dorian said. “I would like to discuss something personal. May I come in so we don’t have to discuss it in the hall?”

Gwen felt all the tiny hairs on her body standing up in alarm.

“Since when do you make social calls? What do you want, Zade?” she demanded.

Dorian sighed in resignation, hearing the challenge in her tone.

“I just need to talk to you,” he insisted quietly, working to keep his tone even and his voice well modulated.

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Gwen asked, turning her back to him to finish fastening her shirt.

Dorian smelled the body cleansing ritual on her. Peering into images being created by her thoughts, he saw who Gwen was headed to spend time with, and what she was planning to do with him.

“I’ve waited two years too long already,” he said quietly, realizing when he spoke the words just how true they were. “I have to be on duty in a few hours, so I won’t take long. But it must be done today or I will not be able to concentrate knowing what you are doing without me.”

Turning back to him when her clothes were secure, Gwen rolled her eyes at his dramatic statement. “Let me just say this plainly, Lieutenant.
Go away—I have a date
.”

“Yes, I know you are intending to go to another male for your needs,” Dorian said, meeting and holding her gaze. “That’s why I’m here. I don’t want you to go to him. I don’t want you to go to any other males anymore.”

Stating the demand aloud started a series of chain reactions inside Dorian. Desire for Gwen strained the modulation he carefully kept on his vibrational setting. Any moment now he was going to start emitting pleasure waves. Gwen would succumb of course, but it wasn’t what he wanted to happen. He would prefer that she willingly choose him based on her own desire to be with him.

“Zade, don’t you realize how strange that statement is coming from you when you sent me away two years ago?” Gwen asked, shaking her rapidly drying hair. “The offer to bond with you has been rescinded. I’ve moved on.”

“May I please come in and try to explain?” Dorian asked, fighting his impatience.

Gwen studied Zade still standing in her doorway. He looked uncomfortable, but also unwilling to budge. Thinking she might as well have the confrontation now and get it over with once and for all, she stepped out of the doorway to let him enter.

“Five minutes—no more,” she said flatly.

Dorian bowed his head at her reluctant invitation, and then stepped across her threshold. He had never been in her room before. His first observation was that it smelled of her. He turned in a circle, looking around. Her bed was standard issue, but the rich purple cloth covering on it was not.

“My proposal is very simple. I wish to be your only bonding partner,” Dorian told her sincerely. “I would expect exclusive rights to you in exchange. We will try this until you are more comfortable with discussing other possibilities with me.”

Gwen looked at Dorian Zade, hands fisting at her sides in frustration.

“Raging fires of Helios, you didn’t wish it two years ago when I wanted you then,” Gwen said flatly. “I’m no longer interested in you, Zade. As long as you’ve been abstaining, hell—any female will do for you. Go see Calliope.”

“You are wrong,” Dorian said. “I was interested in you when you asked me, but I was still trying to keep vows I had taken. My vows are why I allowed you to take other bonding partners. I regret those decisions now.”

“What are you talking about, Zade? You haven’t
allowed
me to do anything. I do what I want with whom I want,” Gwen informed him, ignoring the flutter of warning in her stomach as she stomped to her sleeping area and started looking for shoes.

“We are natural mates Gwen Shenu Jet,” Dorian said firmly, unable to remove his gaze from her backside as she bent to lift shoes free from the pile in her upright clothing chest. She was a fine female, and soon to be his female.

Dorian suddenly regretted the last two years with a fierceness that surprised him.

“
Mates?
Have you lost your mind? The only relationship we have is being fellow crew members together—and sometimes that even strains me,” Gwen said with a harsh laugh as she sat on the edge of her bed to put her shoes on. “Like now for instance.”

“As the child of an elite Siren of Rylen, I have to work very hard not to lure females. There have been no females for me since my last mate died,” Dorian told her. “I have been very careful not to lure you to me, but I will do so now if you cannot be reasonable about this. I do not wish you to go to other males any longer, Gwen. I am here now and willing to satisfy you. You have no further need of them.”

Gwen stood and walked up to Zade, tipping back her head to peer up into his fathomless blue gaze. At six feet tall by Earth measurements, she was not overly intimidated by his six and a half feet, but she was leery of his obviously demented mental state.