Bonus Content – Reckless

Ethan, Warlord Kovo’s and Adrian’s New Home, Two Months Later

The compound was massive. Secure. Walled and warded, both technologically and with both human and alien guards. The air smelled like sun-warmed stone and citrus trees, and the gravel paths were bordered by soft moss and low flowering hedges that buzzed faintly with defense drones disguised as dragonflies. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a private resort. But the doors were blast-hardened, the windows sealed, and every corner of the property had a line of sight.

This wasn’t just a home.

It was a fortress.

Kovo was practically glowing with pride as he led us through the central courtyard and into the main house. Adrian walked beside him, graceful in a sundress and sandals, her hand in his. “You two will have your own wing,” she said with a smile. “East side. Private entrance. Soundproof walls. Balcony view.”
I whistled low under my breath as we passed through polished stone halls and vaulted archways. “This place is insane. No offense, but how the hell do you afford this? I didn’t know aliens had stock portfolios.”
Kovo grunted.

Adrian grinned. “Actually, Atlan Warlords are obscenely rich. I happen to have four of them in my family now.” She turned to face us, stopping in front of a tall, carved door inlaid with gold and dark violet crystal. “My stepfather and my brother-in-law are both Atlan Warlords. Kovo’s wealth transferred to you, Lyra. Right?”

“Yes. Kovo’s and Reji’s, actually.” She leaned into me but looked at her brother. “I’m happy to give yours back to you Kovo. Now that I know your alive.” Lyra’s sundress was a dark, forest green. Her full breasts plump over the top of the fitted top. The sandals on her feet looked like lace. She looked gorgeous. She’d been out of my bed for less than an hour and I wanted her. Again.

Kovo rumbled a denial. “No need. It is yours. Commander Helion set us up with more than enough wealth when he transferred us to Earth.”

“Wait.” I blinked to clear my head. Warlord Bahre was reportedly a billionaire. My Lyra had inherited the wealth from two Warlords? “Lyra?”

She looked at me with a little secretive smile that made me need to kiss her. I stared at her, then at the door, and said, “How much are we talking?”

She raised an eyebrow. “A lot.”

Adrian laughed. “One Warlord’s fortune is worth over a billion dollars on Earth. On Atlan they are given land and estates that look like castles. Massive castles. Like Buckingham Palace size. Just to give you an idea.”

I didn’t have a response to that. I was too busy trying to wrap my head around that fact that for the last few weeks, Lyra had been content at my shitty little apartment with a dripping showerhead and scraped linoleum floors. The carpet was stained. The couch was old and torn in several places. We’d talked about moving to a new place, but then Kovo and Adrian had made their offer—to let us live in a new place with them. Seeing the joy on Lyra’s face, I hadn’t dreamed of saying no.

I also had no idea we’d be living in a fortress like this.

Adrian opened the door and waved us in. “Go on. Check it out. We’ll see you at dinner.”

Lyra and I walked inside and closed the door behind us. Our new wing smelled like cedar and clean stone, like fresh linen and mountain air piped in from the filtration system. The master suite was straight out of a fantasy—spacious and sleek, with muted bronze walls and shadow-soft lighting embedded into the ceiling. The bed was massive, easily big enough for three Warlords to roll around in, layered in plush black sheets and a storm-gray coverlet stitched with what looked like actual silver thread.

A seating area rested beside a real stone fireplace, low-lit and flickering softly. The floor was polished wood, warm underfoot. There was a massive tub sunken in to the floor of the bathroom, big enough for both of us and then some. Touchscreen panels adorned the walls, offering everything from security feeds to climate control to imported Atlan music. Lyra had played some for me. The beasts, some of them, were incredibly good singers, their smooth, deep voices could put any baritone on Earth to shame.

We stood by the arched window, looking out over the grounds. The night air drifted in, soft and sweet.
Lyra leaned into me, and her voice was soft. “Sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“I’m beginning to think you might never run out of secrets.” I turned to her, the light from the garden catching the edges of her hair and the gleam of her eyes. “I’ve loved every single one of them so far.” I meant it. Her beast was a beautiful, passionate, insanely fucking sexy addition to the woman I loved. I loved fucking her in both her forms.

“I didn’t just inherit Reji’s share,” she said. “Or Kovo’s. They both listed me as next of kin… and I was already wealthy before that from our parents’ estate. I’ve been well paid by the I.C. I’m rich, mate. Between all of it, we could buy half a planet. Or an entire space station. An entire fleet of warships.”

I blinked.

How much did a planet cost and who was selling?

She stepped closer, brushing her fingers across my jaw. “We can do whatever we want. Go anywhere. Be anything.”

I stared at her for a long second, then grinned. Didn’t fucking matter. At. All. I had everything I wanted, and she was standing in front of me. Mating cuffs on her wrists. Love in her eyes. “All I want is you.”
I pulled her into my arms and kissed her like I never wanted to stop—because I didn’t. Her body melted into mine, soft and strong all at once, and the view behind us faded away as heat bloomed between us like wildfire. This woman. This beautiful, terrifying, powerful creature was mine.

And there wasn’t a fortune in the galaxy that meant more to me than that.

She tasted like fire and midnight. Like the wild, alien energy that lived just beneath her skin had seeped into every part of her—and now it was seeping into me.

The second her lips met mine, the rest of the world dropped away. There were no criminals, no secrets, no missions. Just heat and heartbeat, her fingers in my hair, her claws scraping the back of my neck as she pulled me deeper into the kiss. The kind that didn’t ask permission. The kind that claimed.

I walked her backward until the backs of her knees hit the bed, and she went down with a breathless little sound that shot straight to my dick. I followed, covering her with my body, hands braced on either side of her head, her stormy eyes locked on mine like I was the only thing she wanted. I slid my hand up the side of her thigh, pushing aside the sundress she wore like armor—only this time, I wasn’t tearing it off in desperation.

This time, I unwrapped her like a gift.

I tasted every inch of her. Feasted on her wet heat until she whimpered and came on my tongue, coated my lips with desire.

When I rose over her and thrust deep, I didn’t care if she was rich or poor, human or alien. The only thing that mattered was she was my home. My mate.

Mine.