Join by Viola Grace Page B

and she enjoyed the blended work of the team dynamic. A few events indicated that they had a problem getting off the ground, but Solos was a good team leader, and he had bullied them with the threat of disappointing their new matriarch.
    She looked out at the sea of earnest expressions and realised that she was indeed their matriarch. She was in charge of the base, the team and their lives. They would live or die depending on her logical assessment of the situation.
    Sure. No pressure.
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
    The second mate ceremony was the same as the first, but her clothing was lighter. She wore a light Grecian-style blue gown, white crystal headdress and she held Solos’s hand on the way to the magistrate.
    She took Urgan’s hand and held it while she signed, but the moment that she was done, she took Solos’s again. He held her hand while she and Urgan kissed for the first time. Tweliak administered the touch of tears, and Urgan kissed Brigs again.
    Urgan’s hand heated up as they kissed, sending tingles through her.
    Tweliak cackled and pounded her cane on the floor. “Dinner at my place. My grandson is yours, Matriarch Alass.”
    She nodded and hauled both of her men through the crowd that only half-heartedly tried to stop them. Urgan’s family held any of the greedy folks at bay. They wanted him safely in the custody of his new matriarch.
    The Guardians were all in attendance. Two skimmers had been pressed into duty for the event, and Solos took off with their bond group, Deniali and Kardu.
    The others were right behind them.
    The Guardian base was not a secret. It could easily be seen from the sky. They cruised up on it and landed neatly.
    Brigs and Urgan headed to her room with Solos. He kissed her softly at the doorway and shook Urgan’s hand. “Welcome to the family, Urgan Alass.”
    “Thank you, Solos. It is an honour.”
    The two men had their moment, and Brigs got bored and wandered into her bedroom.
    Urgan scuttled in after her and closed the door.
    She laughed. “Lock it, please.”
    He darted back to the door and flicked the lock.
    As his matriarch, she was expected to lead him, so she started without him. She pulled her headpiece off and set it aside. Pin by pin, she released her hair until it tumbled around her.
    He was staring at her with rapt attention. “You are lovely.”
    “You don’t mind the split facial colour?”
    Urgan came toward her and cupped her face in his hands. “I caused it, so of course, I don’t mind. When my grandmother told me she was eager to give me to you, I was delighted. You are beautiful.”
    “Flatterer.”
    “Not flattery, truth. I have seen ugly in others, and it does not burn in you.” He leaned in and kissed her.
    She leaned up and tried to take over, but his hands moved over her, loosening her clothing and letting the gown slip to her feet. His tunic fought her hands, but he parted from her for a moment and stripped.
    “Whoa.” She was sure she had only thought it, but he was ripped. He may look lean, but it was all lithe muscle.
    He unravelled his dark mane and approached her again. The kiss rocked her senses, but the feel of his skin against hers sent electric shocks through her.
    She pushed him back onto her bed and climbed on top of him. His hands ran over her, waking her nerves and causing more prickles to run through her. It was like trying to have sex with static cling.
    She growled and rocked against him, working her hips so that her clit rubbed against the length of his cock.
    He groaned and rolled so that she was under him. She laughed and wriggled under him. “I am gathering that you have been talking to my first mate?”
    “It is traditional before the bonding ceremony, Matriarch. One wouldn’t like to go outside of the matriarch’s preferences.”
    “Well, show me what you have learned and what you have figured out yourself.”
    He grinned and kissed her savagely until she sighed and relaxed in his arms. He worked down her body,