Adeeana's Mate

Chapter 2: The Capture of Adeeana

Sheron paced the rooms of Adeeana's quarters like a caged animal. Where was she? How had she managed to leave without waking him? He was a warrior trained to awake at the slightest disturbance and yet his mate managed to wake, dress, and leave while he blissfully slept on. His eyes scanned appreciatively over her collection of weapons and art noting with pleasure that her taste ran parallel to his. They would live well together, if he did not kill her for leaving him without word. He had almost convinced himself to go search for her when the door slid open. He turned on heel to give Adeeana a piece of his mind but was instead greeted by Brock.

"You are looking well Brock," Sheron said formally, "Being mated agrees with you."

Brock's smile set Sheron's teeth on edge, "I would say the same for you my friend if I didn't think the statement would get my head removed. What's the matter?"

"You have not seen my mate this morning?"

"Yes I did. She collected Trish this morning to help with some book work that they needed to complete." Brock laughed as he realized the source of Sheron's displeasure, "Haven't you seen her?"

"No." He replied running his hand through his long black hair in irritation.

"Trish does it to me all the time. Wears me out the night before so that she can sneak away in the morning. You'll get used to it."

"I should have sensed her leaving." Sheron ground out.

"Were it her intent to leave permanently you would have. As it is, a mate who means you no harm will not set off any internal alarms." Brock clapped him on the shoulder. "As I said, you will get used to it."

Sheron nodded feeling his heart beat settle down into a normal rhythm. She was coming back.

"I've got Trish almost packed for the move. Have you told Adeeana yet?"

"I have been," Sheron paused looking for the right word, "distracted. I had planned to inform her this morning."

Brock nodded his expression turning serious. "You need to get her out of here soon. The counsel will not take kindly to your claiming of her."

"They can not take her from me Brock. She has been mine since we were children. I would have come for her whether or not they issued warrant for her capture and sterilization."

The news had filtered through the Garu ranks like wild fire. The counsel had not only passed a law that now banned all marriages between Garu and human but they had decided that all marriages that had already taken place would be declared void and that all half breeds would be rendered childless. "For the safety of Man and Garu kind," they had said. Sheron himself had been first on the sterilization list but due to his high rank and association with Garu royalty. He had secured a waver for himself and his mate so long as she moved inside of the Garu boarders. Adeeana had no knowledge of any of it and it was possible that she would not mind being rendered childless, but Sheron worried about the capture order. She had been loyal to the human counsel and their laws all her life; why had they not just asked her to do it? There was something else they wanted from her and Sheron would not allow her stick around and find out what. He had come to collect her and return to his homeland.

"What will you do if she doesn't want to go? How will you explain to her about me?" Brock asked shoving his hands in his pockets.

"She doesn't have a choice Brock and I don't have the time to argue with her. If I must, I will force her to leave, and there is nothing to do but tell her that I sent you."

"I owe you more then I can say my friends," Brock said softly, "If you had not sent me to watch over Adeeana I would never have found Trish, nor had the rank to gain permission to court her.

Sheron shook of the thanks, "It is I who am in your debt. I was going mad thinking that she was alone somewhere and that I was unable to get to her."

"Why did you not just come for her yourself? Ask her to be your mate?"

"Sometimes my mate knows not what is best for her and I must show her the way."

Brock snorted in laughter, "Better to beg forgiveness then to ask permission eh?"

"I am ground troop commander for the whole Garu nation Brock, I do not know how beg."

"Actually you are a husband of a very strong willed woman and one of the best Dramulan healers on the planet. My advice would be to learn"

"Learn what?" Adeeana stood in the door way with a soft smile. She let her golden gaze travel the length of Sheron's body and felt her chest tighten. By the stars he was beautiful. She had been contemplating wicked things to do him all day driving Trish crazy with her day dreaming. In the end she had given up trying to complete work and come home to him. He looked like something a thunder cloud might deliver when his gaze swung to her.

"Why did you not alert me that you were leaving woman?"

Adeeana smiled coming in the door to plant a soft kiss on Sheron's lips, "Good morning to you too."

"On that note I think I will take my leave." Brock said with barely repressed gruffles.

Sheron didn't even look up to see him go, "How can I protect you if I know not where you go?"

The smile slipped off of Adeeana's face, "I've survived 10 years without your protection Sheron, and I shall continue to thrive with or without it." She pressed her body close to his wrapping her long arms around his neck and pressing soft kisses to his chin, "Besides I wasn't gone that long."

Sheron wrapped her in his embrace arching a dark brow in amusement, "You will not attempt to distract me from my anger with your beautiful body." His hands traveled down her back pressing her into his larger frame.

Adeeana grinned up at him taking a piece of his skin lightly between her teeth and suckling. The action caused Sheron to squeeze her with an almost crushing motion and tilt his head back to allow her better access, "Woman....imaria...Adeanna!" He growled as he began to strip off her clothing, "I must speak with you."

'Speak later." Adeeana replied pulling his tunic over his head, "I've been waiting all morning to taste you."

Sheron grabbed both of her wrists locking them behind her back in an attempt to get a hold on his lust but Adeaana just leaned forward to lick the center of his chest.

"You would not have had to wait if you had bothered to wake me."

She gave him a rough bite on his nipple, "Are we still talking?"

Adeeana laughed as Sheron swung her around so that her back was pressed against him. She could feel the claws extending on his hands as one pulled her back side firmly against him and the other slipped up into her blouse to cup her breast. He couldn't think with her so close. He thought as he kissed the skin between her shoulder and ear. He had to tell her about... The thought was brought up short as Adeeana rubbed her backside against his hardening length, tilting her head back to give him her throat. She gasped as he ripped the scraps of lace under her shirt that kept him from her skin and then moaned as he kneaded each breast in turn paying almost painful attention to her nipples. His claws scraped down her rib cage until they rested on both hips twining the fabric of her long skirt in his fists until her panties showed.

She purred stumbling forward a couple of steps so that she could lean her forearms against the back of her couch. One of his hands drifted down the front of her panties to flick the nub of her pleasure back and forth. She widened her stance rubbing her juices against his hand and forcing herself on one of his fingers. Her wanton actions brought a sound from Sheron that was close to pain as he watched his lusty mate fill herself with his fingers. He released her breast long enough to free his throbbing member from his pants. He tore her panties off reveling in Adeeana's startled gasp. He rubbed the moisture beaded at the top oh his cock back and forth from her dripping lips to her tight neither opening spreading the liquid generously. She tensed as he pushed the head into her backside, but he moved his fingers against her clit and teased her nipples until she relaxed against the intrusion.

"I want all of you imaria, will you give it to me?" She nodded stepping back to help him impale her on his length. Another finger joined the first two inside her, stretching her beyond thought until she cried out in pleasure.

Sheron willed himself to be gentle with her this time, to not brutalize her as he had done in their first joining, but could not hold back. He pushed inside her hard almost causing her to loose her balance then with drew and did it again. He pounded into both holes as she melting into him, reveling in the sweet taste of her acceptance. His teeth sank into her shoulder painfully as he felt her orgasm clamp around his dripping fingers. He withdrew his hand to pull her into his thrust slamming hard into her body. He couldn't get close enough, deep enough, to satisfy himself. He would never get enough of her. She began to meet each thrust, her little growls of pleasure flowing over Sheron like lava. His body froze as he attempted to stave off his orgasm but Adeeana wouldn't have it. She reached back, her claws biting into the skin of his thighs, pulling him into her until he exploded inside of her.

They both dropped to their knees as if in prayer, holding each other close. Sheron thought of a thousand ways to tell her that she made him complete, that he could not be without her but his warrior's tongue refused to obey his heart...so he just held her. He felt her lips against his forearm.

"Now what was it you wanted to tell me?" She teased.

He hugged her hard enough to make her squeal with laughter. He gathered her up and took her to the couch smoothing the long pieces of gold hair around her face and noting the teeth mare that was already beginning to form on her shoulder, "How long is it before you complete your healers training imaria?" She smiled up at with such trust that for a moment Sheron felt guilty for his earlier thoughts of forcing her compliance.

"I am already done. My graduation was the day before Trish's wedding." She frowned as she reached up to stroke his face, "How did you know where to find me."

He tried to make light of it because he knew the information was going to hurt her, "Think you that I do not have enough senses to find my own mate?" Adeeana arched a golden brow at him but did not comment. Sheron took a deep breath and continued, "Do you remember when Brock first came here."

She nodded, "He was sent to me because he had been wounded. Some sort of fusion weapon wound that and melted his fingers together. I was sick that day and Trish was covering for me. By the time I first met his she has already repaired most of the external damage but we were afraid he would never recover the use of that hand."

"The fusion explosion was meant for me." Sheron said his expression turning dark, "It was a package sent to my quarters the day of my appointment as head of Ground troops. I thought it was..." He stopped looking away from her. "I thought it was a gift from you. The paper was covered in your scent. Brock was the one who noticed that it had no labeling and that no one could remember anyone bringing into the barracks."

"I didn't know about you coronation until it was said and done." Adeeana whispered.

"I know that now," he smiled brushing his lips across her forehead, "I opened the package. Had Brock not ripped it from my hands the amount of liquid silver in it would have killed me. He saved my life but he paid with the use of his hand. The ranks of the Garu are unforgiving; if you can not defend yourself and your position with strength then another will take it. So I told no one of his injury and I sent him to the one person I knew would heal him."

Confusion lit across Adeeana's features, "How did you explain his absence?"

"I told the others that I had sent him to protect my mate until I could come from her."

Sheron expected anger and wounded pride from her but instead she laid her head on his chest with a resigned sigh. "I can take care of myself Sheron. You can't keep treating me like a child."

"I can not bare the thought of your pain, imaria. Even the thought that I could not keep you safe makes me insane."

She pushed against him in an angry motion, "Do you think it's any better for me? At least I am not standing in the thick of some foreign battle where you can only scan the headlines of the news and pray that you don't find my name."

"Death is just as much a part of your existence as it is mine, imaria."

"That's all you're taking?" Trish asked looking at the small pile of boxes that were being loaded onto the transporter ship.

Adeeana shrugged, "I'm not much of a pack rat Trish."

"You're not much of a liar either."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adeeana asked color staining her cheeks.

"You aren't planning on staying are you?"

It was a statement not a question. Tears filled Adeeana's eyes, "I don't know Trish. He is everything I knew he would be but he deals out like it doesn't matter to him. How can we ever be happy when we are so different?"

Trish wrapped Adeeana in her arms, "I asked the same question from Brock before we got married. He said that life was a balancing game and that for each life we saved from the gods another had to be exchanged."

Adeeana pondered the words rolling them around in her mind...she wanted it to be true, but nothing in life could be that simple. From where she stood all she could see was that her lifemate excelled in the art of killing and that was something a healer would never understand.

Adeeana turned back to her quarters to pack a few last minute things sending Trish to go and fetch them some lunch. Brock and Sheron were busy planning for supplies that they would need on their journey and Adeeana desperately needed a couple of moments to clear her head. She looked around the skeletal remains of her apartment wondering why she did not feel a sense of loss. She had agreed to stay with Sheron for a year on his territory if he would give her the same amount of time. After some hostile and not so hostile negotiating they had agreed that Sheron's time would come first. She blushed as she thought of some of the things he had used to bribe her with. Who knew that you could use ice like that? Adeeana hefted her last box, one filled with odds and ends, feeling the heat pool between her legs when she heard a strange whirring noise. Before she could completely turn around a weighted net wrapped her in a cocoon so tight she could hardly breathe. The box pressed painfully into her chest as she struggled to see what was going on.

"That's a good girl." A deep masculine voice hissed from behind her, "No screaming. You wouldn't want your mate to get hurt would you?"

"What do you want?" Adeeana tried not to let her fear show but her voice trembled anyway.

"Head Couselor Kempoe wants to chat with you."

She heard the captor come closer to her and she struggled against her bonds but each attempt made them tighter and tighter until she thought they would crush her. Something pricked her arm and she felt the world swim before her. Her last thought before the world went dark was perhaps she did need Sheron's protection after all.

The owner of the transporter was a short fat balding man named Jek that panted when breathing like he'd just ran laps. He looked at his clipboard and then his watch and groaned. He would be almost two hours late for his next pick up and that was if they left immediately. He had gone up earlier to tell the Garu that he was leaving with or without their final passenger but one look from the dark one and he'd quickly changed his mind. As if the dark one had heard Jek's thoughts he stopped mid stride and stared. Jek had opened his mouth to apologise or beg or do anything that would get the look of death of the Garu's face when he spoke.

"They've taken her."

"Who?" Trish asked.

"Adeeana. They've taken Adeeana." Sheron ran toward her quarter his praying to every god he knew of that he was wrong, that it had been like it was this morning and she would arrive any minute but he could taste her fear. He could feel the constriction of restraints around her but that is not what freighted him. He was hunter by nature. There was no where they could take her that he couldn't find her. They were connected as all true mates were, sharing a mental link to each other that transmitted signals like a beacon, but Adeeana's soul no longer called to him. He reached with all that he was and found only blackness. He burst through the doors of her quarters noting the absolute stillness. He opened his sensed to find a trace of the captor but everything in the room smelled of Adeeana. His heart constricted, "Please," he silently begged but was not quite sure for what.

To Be Continued...