HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And now… some smut for you to be thankful for on this most joyous of turkey days…

Turles wasn't surprised at how quiet Minako was on the flight home as he recalled how he'd also went horribly cold after his first kill. At least she had someone there to bring her back to normal, unlike himself. He'd stayed cold after his first for weeks, and still felt that ice creeping over his soul every time he killed again. "Let's get you cleaned up," he said gently as he landed, carrying her straight to the bathroom.

When she detransformed, he stripped the clean clothes from her and threw them on the floor before removing his own and pulling her into the hot spray with him. He washed her hair first, and didn't miss the way she looked down at the blood going down the drain as he continued to scrub first her, then himself. Once they were both rinsed, he pressed her to the wall and kissed her tenderly, his hands sliding over her wet skin. "Come back to me, beloved," he whispered in her ear, his chest vibrating in a gentle purr. "I want my mate back, not this shell you've become."

Mina finally licked her lips and spoke. "You wouldn't rather have a ruthless Saiyan woman?" She asked without emotion. "I'd be a lot less trouble that way. You could actually have me like this."

"True," he whispered, nipping at her lower lip. "But she wouldn't be you, Minako. And it's you that I want." He kissed her again, and pushed every ounce of emotion he felt for her through the bond, combined with comfort and understanding. Turles knew he had her back when she sagged against him a little and he smelled her tears mixing in with the hot spray of the water. And when she suddenly shoved at him, he didn't fight her; he'd known from the start that this would be coming. After all, it had happened to him, too.

Turles kept her from tripping and falling as she stumbled out of the shower and proceeded to vomit, barely making it to the commode in time, and he held her soaked hair out of the way as he soothingly rubbed her back. "Here," he offered, handing her a towel when she was finished, tears streaming down her face and a little puke lingering on her mouth. "It's ok, Mina. It happens to all of us. Don't be ashamed for getting sick."

"It happened to you, too?" She choked as she cleaned up her face and flushed the toilet.

"Mmhmm. I was sick a few times, actually. But then, I'd killed more than one man. And it wasn't exactly justified, like what happened today."

"What happened with you?" She asked softly.

"Eh, my temper just got the better of me," he answered with a hint of embarrassment. "That was right after I'd turned fifteen, and I was all hopped on Saiyan hormones. If I'd been older and more in control, it wouldn't have ended in bloodshed." He scooped her up then and dried her with his ki. "Come on, woman. You need to rest."

It was only when Turles snuggled her into his chest, still purring, that Mina realized he was still naked. And so was she. She closed her eyes for a moment and discovered that she really didn't mind; in fact, she was enjoying the feeling of their bare legs intertwined, the sensation of his partial arousal pressing against her inner thigh. She trusted him, she admitted to herself. Totally and completely. Maybe sometime soon, she'd be able to give herself to him fully.

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Serenity woke to a mouth roaming her bare breasts, nipping and licking and sucking, while a pair of calloused hands teased and caressed her thighs, slowly lighting her on fire as a fierce arousal pressed against her lower stomach. She moaned softly as she clutched at the hard, warm body she was pulled tightly to, but the moment her hand brushed over a fuzzy length at his lower back, she froze in horror. "Damn it, asshole, get OFF!" She yelled, shoving at him ineffectually.

"That's what I was trying to do!" He yelled right back, nipping hard at her shoulder. "At least I was considerate enough to try and get you off first!"

"Ugh, that is so not what I meant, and you know it! Gods, you're such a rat bastard!" Serenity shoved at him one more time, a lot harder, and rolled out of the bed once she was free, tugging her nightie back into place. How he'd managed to get her that close to naked without her waking was beyond her.

She shivered in the cool morning air, her body craving his warmth once more, and cursed herself mentally for wanting to feel him touching and kissing her like that again. Fuck, that had felt so good that it was ridiculous that she should even have to fight it! Why couldn't he have just been kinder, a little more considerate, and waited a little while for her to get to know him?

"Serenity?" Damn it, she was crying again.

"I hate you," she whispered, wiping at her eyes.

"I'm getting really tired of hearing that," he sighed, unable to hide the pain from his voice. Vegeta dropped the ki shields on the doors and pointed at the one that lead to her bedroom. "Go change clothes. We have training to do," he ordered briskly.

Serenity wasn't about to wait for a second order to get the hell away from him, and quickly left the room to dress, until she realized that she owned absolutely nothing but gowns, dresses, and a few skirts and blouses for casual wear. She hadn't done any type of training since before she'd been crowned queen, and that had been hundreds of years ago. "Shit," she sighed, and settled for a long white skirt and blouse that she had tucked away in her subspace.

When Vegeta knocked and strode into the room, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and snarled in frustration. "Please tell me that you're aware of what training with an Elite warrior entails, woman."

"I know," she replied, more than a little embarrassed. "I trained with Jupiter and Uranus plenty of times. But that was a long time ago, and I'm afraid that my wardrobe is a bit short of the necessary items."

Vegeta noted her blush and counted to ten before stepping into his own room and returning with a black tank top and a pair of black spandex shorts. "I'd let you wear my fatigues, but your hips look a bit wider than mine, and they're already a tight fit on me."

So I've noticed, she thought to herself. She'd only caught herself checking out that tight ass on several occasions, and she'd come to the conclusion that she would actually nibble on it if it wasn't attached to her worst enemy.

"Here." Vegeta handed them to her and scooped her up, striding to the window. "You can change when we get there. I… wouldn't want you to be embarrassed by the loose fit of the shorts or anything," he admitted.

"Huh… ok. Thank you," she said with more than a touch of surprise. She hung on when he took off, and she couldn't help taking in that warm, spicy scent; it never failed to stun her how calming and arousing it was at the same time. Ugh, fine. She was attracted to him, she couldn't fucking help it! Serenity sighed at that thought, but kept quiet until they landed on a grassy hill in the middle of nowhere. "I'll change if you turn around. Please."

"I've already seen you naked, woman," Vegeta huffed, "but fine." He waited for her to indicate that she was finished, and simply gazed at her with naked desire. He'd been wrong about the shorts, they fit her perfectly, and along with that skin-tight tank top, it showed every inch of her curves. Vegeta cleared his throat before speaking, not trusting his voice to sound normal right away. "Alright, woman. You know how to summon your ki?"

Serenity shook her head, noticing the shift he'd made from the man trying to seduce her, right into a Saiyan commander.

"Alright, then. We start with the basics. Sit down and get comfortable." Vegeta sat across from her, folding his legs, and closed his eyes. "Now… you're going to focus on your inner strength, I'm sure you won't have a problem finding it."

"Oh, the silver crystal?"

"No, not that thing. It's formidable, yes. But you have your own strength without it, woman. Put it away for now," Vegeta ordered. When she hesitated and blushed, looking away from him, he sighed. "What now, woman?"

"Well, you see… I… uh…" Serenity twiddled her thumbs for a moment before looking back up at him, her cheeks stained crimson. "Gods, you're gonna laugh at me."

"I can't promise I won't, but I can promise to try not to. What's wrong?"

Oh fuck it, why in the hell did she give a shit how he saw her!? Dear gods, the man was insufferable, and here she was, actually giving a shit about his opinion of her appearance! "Here, it's just…" Serenity held her hands in front of her chest, and the crystal appeared, coming out of her body. She put it in her subspace and immediately felt the transformation back to her former self.

Vegeta watched in interest as her hair color melted from silver into gold, and her eyes darkened to a deeper shade of crystal blue. That gorgeous blush still stained her cheeks, and she was clearly waiting for his verdict even though she was trying to feign indifference to his opinion. He couldn't stop himself when he leaned forward and pulled her into his lap, kissing her like he'd die if he didn't, and bunched his fist in her hair when she suddenly let out a soft moan. And when she pulled away, panting, her eyes wide in surprise, he breathed deeply as he tried to rein in the urge to throw her down and kiss her again. "You're so damned beautiful," he breathed against her lips.

"Thank you?" She replied, completely unsure of how to answer to such a sincere compliment.

Well, it wasn't 'I hate you,' so he'd take it. "Damn it, this is supposed to be training time," he grunted, resting his forehead against hers. When she tried to separate from him, he held her in place and shook his head. "Just wait a moment… my inner Saiyan is being a bit of a prick. I want you right now, Serenity. So badly that it hurts. So just hold still."

At a total loss, Serenity simply did as she was told, trying her best to ignore the rock-hard arousal poking her backside. "Is this what happened this morning, maybe?"

"Feh… no, that happened for three reasons. One, you had your face buried in my chest and your tits pressed into my stomach. Two, you're the most stunning creature I've ever laid eyes on. And three, you were petting my tail in your sleep."

Forgetting for just a moment that she hated his guts, she blushed again and shook her head. "Um… what does your tail have to do with it?"

"Woman, that thing is even more sensitive than my balls. Playing with a warrior's tail is the fastest way to find a mate. I know that sister of yours is well-educated in Saiyan matters, didn't she teach you anything?"

Serenity shook her head in embarrassment and looked away. "I pick up languages quickly, but… I've never been very good at social studies. Or math. Or science. Or well… anything academic," she admitted. "My daughter's inherited those qualities from me, unfortunately," she sighed. "But she did get her father's intelligence. If only she could apply it."

Vegeta felt an odd mixture of jealousy and sympathy when she mentioned her dead husband, there was a hitch in her voice when she did so, and he held her a little tighter as a result. "Like her mother?"

"Ugh, now you sound like my earth mother," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest indignantly. When he looked at her in confusion, she shrugged. "I was originally born to my mother, Selene, a few thousand years ago. Some shit went down, Endymion died, I killed myself, and we were reincarnated on Earth a thousand years later. I was reborn to my earth mother, Ikuko, and my earth father, Kenji."

"Who was your real father?"

Serenity shrugged. "I honestly have no clue. I never asked my real mother, and she never offered to tell me. I assumed that he died before I was born." Gods, were they having an actual conversation? "Anyway… sorry about your tail. Even though I don't remember doing it." She looked away as she said it, more than a little embarrassed now that she knew how sensitive it was.

Vegeta turned her face back to his and nipped at her lower lip. "Woman, you can play with my tail anytime," he purred. "Just don't expect me to sit still and take it. Now…" Vegeta gently eased her out of his lap and onto the ground in front of him. "It's training time. No more distractions… hopefully."

"At least you take something seriously," she muttered.

He lifted a brow and just stared at her. "I'm Saiyan. I always take training seriously. Now close your eyes and concentrate, woman. Now that you don't have your sissy little crystal, you should be able to find your ki. It will be like a flame, burning inside of you."

"I think I have it," Serenity said distractedly. It was almost the exact same as how she summoned her power from the crystal, so she had no trouble finding the little silver fire within her.

"Good. Now make it bigger. Tangible. You need to summon it up outside of your body." Vegeta cracked a proud smile when he felt her ki level rise; yes, she'd had practice of sorts with her other powers, but she was still an awfully quick study. Quicker than anyone else he'd taught. "Feh, I take it back. You do apply yourself."

"Now that I'm older," she muttered. "What's next?"

"That's a bit more complicated. Summon more of your ki. I want to see it, woman." Vegeta cracked open his eyes as he felt her energy level increase, and nodded in satisfaction when silver flames erupted around her. "Not bad for a girl. You got more than that?"

"It burns," she whimpered.

"That's normal on the first try, just ignore it for now. You'll get used to it. Just block out the pain for now and summon as much as you can," he finished, almost gently. He smirked and nodded when her ki flames grew huge, a lot bigger than he'd ever seen on a novice, and she cried out softly in pain. "Alright, beloved, that's enough. Lower it back down until it's just visible around you." He couldn't help but caress her cheek when she did as she was told and sagged a little in relief. "You hurt?"

"Fine," she said flatly, not wanting to seem weak. "What's next?" Serenity squealed when he stood and scooped her up. "Hey! Put me down!" She yelled.

"Woman, I'm not trying to put the moves on you, this is training time. Business before pleasure, and all that. Time to fly," he added with an evil laugh. He continued to cackle as he shot into the air as fast as he possibly could, while his cargo clung to him in terror and screamed her head off. Well, that's one way to get her plastered all over me.

Serenity punched him in the stomach when he finally stopped, but she was trembling too hard to hit him as forcefully as she'd intended. "YOU ASSHOLE! WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" She railed at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, woman," he replied sardonically. "Did I scare you?"

"YES!"

"Good! Now… let's scare you even more!" Vegeta immediately dropped her then, laughing harder than he'd laughed in ages as she screamed even louder than before, while he shot down below her to catch her in case she didn't figure out how to stop herself with her ki. Then he realized that he hadn't told her how, and his mirth only increased. "Ye gods, she's going to kill me," he snickered.

Then he realized that he couldn't hear her screaming anymore, and he darted up to catch her. "Serenity?" Damn it, she was shaking so hard that it was scary, clutching at him tightly with her eyes squeezed shut. Vegeta sighed and stroked her hair back as his beast rose up and demanded that he hold her and destroy whatever had terrified his mate. It was sort of difficult to do that though, when it was he that had frightened her so badly. "Beloved?" He whispered. "Look at me. You're safe, I've got you."

Vegeta sighed, more than a little annoyed with himself when he loosened his hold on her a bit and she let out what sounded like a sob as she wrapped her arms and legs around him like a pair of vices. "I'm not going to drop you," he breathed against her neck. "Serenity… I'm… sorry," he managed. Like 'love,' 'sorry' was one of those words that he never said, but his recent actions warranted an apology. "Are you scared of heights?" He asked curiously.

That finally got her to speak. "Only when I'm falling," she answered, her voice shaking as hard as her body.

"Feh, woman. Why didn't you say something?" Vegeta groaned. "I would have started you from the ground, damn it. Come on."

Serenity vigorously shook her head when she felt them floating down. "No, Vegeta. I can do it. Take me back up. Just… please don't drop me," she added desperately. "Let me let go, instead."

Vegeta's brows shot up to his hairline in surprise, but he did as she asked and took them back up, albeit a lot slower than he had the first time. "I'll catch you, Serenity, if you can't do it. So don't worry about whether you'll become a splatter on the grass. Relax," he sighed, nuzzling her hair as he purred low in his chest. "Just relax."

Serenity couldn't stand him, but damn it if his scent and his sudden gentleness weren't helping her out. And secretly, she was even enjoying it just a little bit. "What do I do?" She asked, a lot more calmly than she felt.

"Bring your ki out like before, and tell it to take you up. Or at least to stop you."

The blonde nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "Alright, I'm ready."

Vegeta was surprised when she let go without hesitation, and like before, he flew down to wait. He wasn't surprised when he had to catch her, though. It had taken him a dozen times like this with Nappa before he'd finally gotten it down. Never mind that he'd been two years old at the time. "You alright?"

Funny, she actually was. Serenity internally groaned when she realized that it meant she actually trusted him. What was wrong with her!? "Again," she said determinedly. "I think I almost had it that time."

Vegeta nodded and took her back up, then suddenly kept her from letting go. "Tell you what, woman. I'll make you a bet." He grinned at the suspicion in her eyes and shook his head. "Not for that, woman. If you can't do it on this try, I get a kiss. And you have to kiss me back, too, damn it."

Serenity snorted. "Not a chance," she said stiffly.

"Wait, you haven't heard the rest of it, woman. If you do it, however, I'll get air conditioning installed in my room, and I'll sleep with shorts on."

"Wait a damned minute, asshole!" She yelled furiously. "Who in the hell ever said that I was sleeping in your room on a regular basis!?"

"I did?"

"No deal. If I win, you leave me the fuck alone."

"Not a chance, woman. At least try for something that's attainable, because I'm not going to just leave my mate alone for the rest of her life. Hm… let's sweeten the deal. If you win, you can sleep alone two days a week. And when you're fertile," he added quickly. "At least while I have yet to claim you. I don't think I could stop myself if I smelled that in my sleep."

"Well, you're never going to claim me, so that's a moot point," she added tartly.

"So… deal? You at least stop yourself before I catch you… or you hit the ground," he added teasingly, "and you get all that. If you don't, I get a kiss. That's all. Just kissing."

"Tongue or no?" Serenity asked bluntly. "I'd rather know what I'm getting myself into."

"Woman, there's going to be tongue. A lot of it."

"Ugh, why am I not surprised? I knew you'd wind up slobbering all over me like a dog."

"Woman, I am a Saiyan prince! I do not slobber!"

It was Serenity's turn to smirk in triumph, since she knew she'd gotten to him. "Too bad I won't ever find out then, huh? You have a deal, Vegeta, at any rate. Let go so I can win this bet. And don't you dare fly up to catch me, either. I want all the running room I can get."

"Whatever you say." Vegeta let go then and put on the speed to await her failure or success from the ground, and was a little disappointed to see her slowing as she descended. "Damn it, she's actually going to do it," he muttered, kicking at a clod of dirt. When he looked up, however, she was a lot closer, and still falling, albeit not at full speed.

"Don't you dare catch me, Vegeta!" She yelled at the top of her lungs as she squinted her eyes shut in concentration.

He huffed and rolled his eyes as he positioned himself below her; if she kept falling at that rate, she'd break bones at least when she landed. "You'd better focus, Serenity, or I'll be forced to!" He yelled back. She suddenly slowed even more, and when she was ten feet above his head, he had no clue if she was going to be able to do it or not. He stepped out of the way as she continued to drift down like a falling leaf, her ki flaring in frustration. "I'm gonna wiiiin…" he taunted in a little sing-song voice.

"Shut up, Vegeta," she growled at him.

Five feet from the ground, Vegeta chuckled. "Lots and lots of tongue, woman."

"Shut up, Vegeta!"

Her ass was a foot above the ground now, and he let out a laugh as she continued to descend an inch at a time. "Woman, you are so mine in less than a minute."

"SHUT UP, VE—" She felt her backside touch the ground before she could finish yelling at him, then sighed heavily. "Again, damn it."

"Ooooh, no, woman. First, I get to claim my prize," the prince growled softly, stalking towards her. He smirked at the nervousness in her eyes when he sat next to her and yanked her into his lap. "You'd better kiss me back," he warned softly, just before lowering his mouth to hers.

Serenity gasped in surprise when he'd didn't immediately try to shove his tongue into her mouth, and she found herself being kissed slowly and thoroughly, on a skill level she was totally unfamiliar with. She blinked when he growled at her, and realized that she wasn't upholding her end of the bargain. "Sorry," she whispered, pulling away for just a moment. "Surprised me, is all."

Vegeta's only reply was to kiss her again, and he moaned with pleasure when she immediately returned it, tilting her head for a better angle as she lightly moved her mouth against his. She felt herself melting into his embrace as one of his hands cupped her face, his thumb stroking over her cheek, while the other wandered her back, tracing her spine and her shoulder blades.

The prince moaned when her hands began to move with a will of their own and stopped at the nape of his neck to bunch in his hair as she tried to pull him impossibly closer to her. Gods, she tasted so good, so light and pure, and his inner beast was purring happily to finally be holding her like this, while it screamed at the same time for completion.

The small part of Serenity that was berating herself for enjoying the embrace lost its argument for what felt like the millionth time in the span of a few minutes, while she gasped with pleasure at the sensation of her lips being nipped and licked as Vegeta sought entry with his tongue. Goddess, where in the hell did a Saiyan learn how to kiss like this!? He took advantage of that gasp, and before she could either protest or give him permission, he was trailing his fingers up and down her jawline as the wet, sleek muscle entered her mouth to tangle with her own.

Serenity moaned with desire as he deepened the kiss, skillfully exploring the inside of her mouth while keeping his motions slow and gentle. Another moan escaped her unbidden when he shifted her in his lap and she was suddenly straddling him, his arousal rocking into her core as he moved his hips upward. She managed to halt what was easily the hottest kiss she'd ever participated in when he ground against her a second time, sending a wave of pleasure through her body. "V—Vegeta, we need to stop," she whispered breathlessly, trying in vain to ignore how his mouth had yet to stop its assault; the fingers caressing her jawline had subtly tilted her head back, and now his lips were moving over her throat. "Please," she whimpered, as she felt her body responding to his, "please stop, Vegeta."

"Why?" He whispered in her ear before nipping his way back down to her chin.

"Just kissing," she replied breathlessly. "That was the bet, Vegeta."

At that, the crown prince chuckled into her throat. "I don't recall you ever specifying where I could kiss, woman. Or for how long," he added mischievously. He frowned when she tried to squirm out of his lap, and he wound up locking her tightly against his chest in response. "Just let me have this, damn it. Please," he added desperately. "You have no clue what you do to me, woman. Just looking at you makes we want you like I've never wanted anything else in my life, and touching you…" He slipped his fingers under the back of her shirt then and stroked the silky skin. "Tasting you…" His lips caressed her throat at that, his tongue flicking out over her pulse. "You're like some sort of drug," he finished hoarsely, "and I can't seem to get enough of you."

Vegeta moaned when she slowly turned her face and kissed him, her own teeth nipping at his lips as her tongue smoothed over the hurt. He growled in satisfaction to feel her dominating the kiss, taking advantage of a gasp to slide her tongue in his mouth as she moved her hips against his. The prince smoothly shifted her a little in response and thrust upwards, skillfully rubbing over that little bundle of nerves through her clothing. He relished her whimper of pleasure and began to move slowly but steadily, capturing her moans as they increased in frequency and volume. "Come for me, my moon goddess," he whispered huskily, nipping at her lower lip once before bending his mouth to her shoulder.

Serenity cried out softly as he pushed the fabric to the side and sucked on the skin before licking and kissing it tenderly. For a brief moment between thrusts, she tried to fight her way up through the haze of lust humming through her, tried to protest—but then he ground harder into her nub and she moaned his name, clutching at him tightly as her lips moved to his neck.

God, she'd only meant to kiss him, to make good on that stupid bet to give him what he wanted so he'd shut the hell up. And she hadn't meant to kiss him so enthusiastically, either, to touch him and move against him with such heat. But she had, and now she was so overwhelmed by what he was doing to her that she no longer gave a damn that she was about to climax in the arms of her worst enemy.

When Vegeta heard his name on her lips for a second time, he thrust a little harder and moaned into her shoulder. "That's it, goddess… that's it… we'll come together, Sere."

"So close," she whispered desperately, her hands bunching in his unruly spikes as he bit down lightly. "Please… Geta… I need—" Her plea was cut off by a sharp cry of pain and pleasure as he sunk his teeth into her shoulder without warning, and the sound melted into a low moan as she began to crest as he cleaned the bite with his tongue. "Feels so good," she breathed in wonder.

"Let go," he groaned, teetering on the edge; he had been for over a solid minute, and it was getting more difficult with every passing second to keep himself from his own pleasure before she'd taken hers. "Please, Sere… I want to watch you come."

His words pushed her over the edge, and she cried out again, this time in sheer rapture as her eyes rolled back and her face fell forward, pillowing on his chest as he sighed her name. It was his turn then, and he nearly crushed her when he exploded, yelling hoarsely as his arms tightened around her. Then Vegeta claimed her mouth once more and kissed her as he continued to move, riding out both of their climaxes while she whimpered and gasped from the aftershocks.

He felt her go limp and immediately loosened his hold out of worry that it had been too tight. "Sere?" Vegeta could feel her mind joined with his through the half-bond, and sighed heavily to find her conscious… even if she was close to tears and ready to scream at herself for what they'd just done. "Shh… woman," he whispered into her hair, cradling her to his chest. "Don't you dare be upset about this," he added with a steady purr. "You're my mate, there was absolutely nothing wrong with giving each other some relief."

"This changes nothing," she choked out. "I still hate you, Vegeta."

"No, you don't," he replied softly, the relief audible in his voice. He could feel all of her thoughts and emotions now—at least until she learned to block him out—and while there was a shitload of confusion and emotions roiling around inside of her, none of them were hatred. Except for maybe a little hatred directed at herself. "And I liked it when you called me 'Geta,' Sere," he added gently.

"I'm as bad as my daughter," she laughed humorlessly as she tried to escape his embrace. No surprise, he wouldn't relinquish his hold on her.

"No, you're not," Vegeta chuckled lightly. "She gave it up, remember? What we've done is merely an appetizer to your full surrender. Call it a free sample," he whispered seductively, making her shiver. "And Sere…? I'm not averse to giving you a few more samples until the day you'll let me have you."

"Let me go," she ordered coldly, having finally gotten her own raging hormones under control. "I don't want you, and I never will." It was a lie, and they both knew it, but Vegeta didn't contradict her. Serenity was oddly grateful for that, that he would still allow her some of her illusions, and nodded when he sighed and released her. She felt strangely cheated when she was no longer surrounded by his warmth and scent, and silently sputtered, livid that she'd allowed herself to feel anything but intense dislike for the Saiyan prince. "And did you have to bite me!?" She snapped the moment she realized that her shoulder was still bleeding.

"I didn't do it consciously, if that makes you feel any better," he admitted. "My beast was in control for that one." Vegeta sighed and climbed to his feet, offering her a hand up, and wasn't surprised when she refused his touch. "Consider it an engagement ring, beloved. We'll be married when you choose to bite me back." He eyed the gold band on her left ring finger, and the way she idly thumbed it. "You can take that off and put it away at any time, woman," he added, but not without a touch of sympathy. "You're mine, now."

"Never," she snarled, her blue eyes hardening to ice chips as she glared at him. "And if you ever mention it again, I'll snap your dick off."

Vegeta held up his hands in a peaceful gesture, not wanting to argue so soon after they'd given each other such pleasure. "You know what, woman? I'll pick my battles from now on. That ring isn't worth fighting over, since you're mine anyway." He looked up and sighed. "Shall we continue the lesson, then?"

More than a little floored that he wasn't trying to jump on her and finished what he'd started, she hesitated. Then she nodded slowly, gathering her ki around her. "I think I can do it, now. I nearly had it before."

"Yes, you did. And for that…" Vegeta thought for a moment before deciding that his idea would, in fact, be the best course of action. "…you win the bet as well." He smirked as he felt her shock through the bond, and he gave a little shrug. "If it makes you happy, woman, I'm willing to try and compromise. You sleep with me at night, and I sleep with some clothing on, and have air conditioning installed in my chambers. It seems like an even trade."

Unable to resist, despite the fact that she knew she was pushing her luck, Serenity eyed him curiously. "And my two nights a week?" Her eyes widened a little in surprise when he nodded.

"And when you're fertile. As for your woman time, blood's never bothered me, and you might find it beneficial to sleep with me during those days since I can help with the cramping. Massage," he added, when she gave him a blank look. "Now… come on, woman. Back in the air," he ordered, scooping her up. "And as soon as you can fly, we'll work on ki shielding and some energy blasts."

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Mina shifted uncomfortably as she slowly woke up, and peeled back the sheet sticking to her skin. God, she'd never get used to the heat on Vegeta-sai, and it seemed that all Saiyans were a bit cheap when it came to using air conditioning. Well, not cheap, exactly. Turles had said something once about there being limited electricity on the planet, and how everyone tried to do their part to conserve it. Saiyans being green, who would have thought? "Turles, I'm awfully hot," she whispered, knowing he would wake up the moment he heard her voice.

"Yeah, me too," he answered, his voice a half-groan. Gods, he was hot! Too hot, really, when the forecast had been for a fairly cool night, at least by his home planet's standards. "Go ahead and cut it on."

Mina sighed in relief as she slipped out of the bed and turned on the wall unit, setting it for what was an acceptable temperature back on Earth. She even closed the bedroom door to keep the cooler air in with them so they wouldn't use too much power, and the advanced unit had the room rapidly cooling in only a couple of minutes. "So much better," she sighed happily, sliding back into bed with him.

She gasped in surprise when he tugged her to him, but not because of the contact. "Turles, honey? You're burning up," she whispered in concern, running her wrist over his sweaty forehead. "Sweet goddess, you're hot as hell." She pulled a thermometer from her subspace and stuck it in his mouth. "I was going to be a nurse before I ascended to goddess status, you know. Hold it under your tongue."

Turles shivered, suddenly cold, and held her tightly until the thing in his mouth beeped.

"What the fuck? That can't be right, can it?"

"What does it say?" Gods, he was hot again, and her skin suddenly felt cool and wonderful rubbing up against him.

"It… it says one-oh-eight. But that's like, not even possible. You should be dead at that temperature. One-oh-five, sure. I could see that. But one-oh-eight?"

"Saiyans have higher body temperatures," he grunted. "I've had fevers higher than this before, especially whenever the b— oh, fuck me running." Turles looked up at her seriously and ran his fingers over her jawline. "I'll need to send you away for a few days, Minako."

She felt a very real flutter of fear at the idea of being away from him for any amount of time; he was the only Saiyan she trusted on the whole damned planet, and he was going to send her away!? "But where would I go, Turles? I… I don't think I'm ready to be around another male… w—why would you want me to go anyway?"

"I think this is the burning. This is how it starts, anyway. In about twelve hours, I'll want to fuck anything that moves, and I won't be able to control myself at all. And I mean at all, woman. If you stay, I'm getting laid. Period. It's alright, beloved," he whispered, tugging her back down to him as she began to tremble. "We've still got about half a day before it hits. We'll go back to sleep for now, and when we wake, we'll figure out who to send you to. Ok?"

Mina nodded meekly into his chest, trying to ignore his half-arousal digging into her hip. "Is there anything at all I can do to help it without… you know?"

"Nothing. The burning is a drive to mate, a hormonal thing that hits every year or two. I haven't had one in three, so this one will be pretty intense, I'm afraid." Turles purred comfort to her as he smoothed his hands up and down her back. "We'll send you to my brother, Raditz. He's arguably the least Saiyan of us all, with his sense of humor, and he's renowned for his ways with women. You'll like him in no time."

Mina shook her head and fought back tears. "No, Turles, I—I can't face Rei. Not yet. She saw what they did to me."

"Woman, I saw what they did to you, and you don't mind my presence." Then he saw it in her head, as she looked up at him, her blue eyes filling up with tears. A flash of memory, of her mouth being filled, but she was too terrified to bite down; she'd done that once before and had paid dearly for it. And then another man, filling her on the other end, thrusting savagely, making her sob in pain. She'd been beyond screaming at that point, her throat so raw that—Turles snarled and shook his head, trying to block out the images. They were making the burning worse, the combination of rage and fear and sex driving it forward.

Another flash came, of a dark-haired woman in a red uniform setting everything around her on fire, her own eyes burning in her fury as she caught sight of what they'd done to her sister. Mina had blacked out then for a few moments, and had come to at the sound of Rei's voice. We'll make them pay, little sister. I swear it. Mina's mind told him that the tears on Rei's face had been a rarity to the extreme; the goddess of war had only cried four or five times that any of them could remember, and in this memory she was practically bawling in a mixture of grief and uncontrollable anger. Let's get you out of here. Mina had barely nodded, and then blacked out again, and remembered nothing else until Ami had woken her days later to tell her she was going with Turles.

"I get it," he growled, rubbing his forehead, trying to banish the images of her being taken like that. "She actually saw. Fine then, not Raditz. That leaves Bardock, Nappa, and maybe Broly." Turles sensed her terror rising, and heard her answer with her mind before he could even ask the question. All of them had recently claimed mates, and likely wouldn't be able to stop themselves from filling their homes with the sounds and scents of sex. "Minako," he whispered, "those are the only options. There is nowhere else for me to send you, don't you understand? I don't trust anyone else, and Broly was a bit of a stretch. The only other option is for you to stay here, and I guarantee you I won't be able to stop myself. I will wind up taking you. I'm not going to lie here and make some sort of grand claim that I'll somehow be able to stop myself, because that's just not going to happen.

"If you were simply in heat, yeah. I could stop. But not during the burning," he finished. Turles shivered and pulled her tightly to him, wiping at her tears with the back of his hand. "Relax, Mina. I'm fine for right now. We'll go to sleep, get a little rest, and you can make a decision in the morning. Remember, you have to face your sister sometime, and I doubt she'll want to talk about it. She'll probably just be relieved to see you're alright. And I'm telling you, Raditz is the best choice out of all of them. He gets on my nerves to no end ninety percent of the time, but I'd trust my older brother with my life and my mate."

Mina merely nodded, and after an hour, managed to doze back off, feeling secure with his arms and tail wrapped tightly around her face buried in his chest, taking in his scent. She woke again just before dawn to find Turles shivering uncontrollably, his nose in her hair and his hands clutching tightly at her back. He hadn't slept at all, it was obvious, and judging from the rock hard arousal pressing into her lower stomach, he was starting to have a difficult time controlling himself.

Turles grunted when she whispered his name, and shuddered at the sensation of her stroking his tail, trying to give him some comfort. "Don't do that, woman," he rasped into her hair. "Making it worse."

During that hour before she'd slept, she'd wondered about a few things, and knew that now was the time to voice them before he completely lost his shit. "Turles… if I…" Mina swallowed and steeled herself before speaking again. She trusted him, damn it. He'd never hurt her, he'd sworn he never would, and he was obviously trying like hell not to do so even while his hormones were beginning to spiral out of control. "If I stay."

"I don't know," he grunted, hearing the rest of the question in the way she was trembling, and in her mind, which she was obviously trying to keep calm for his benefit. "I wish I could say for sure, beloved, but I don't know. There's a very good chance that I could maintain some semblance of control so long as you let me have you, but I can't make any guarantees."

"Tell me the odds."

"I don't know, woman… maybe seventy-thirty? In favor of not hurting you or scaring the living hell out of you. But if you panic, Mina, I won't be able to stop, and I'll only wind up hurting you."

Minako nodded and slowly ran her fingers through his hair as she thought about her options. "And right this very minute?"

Turles's brows lifted in surprise as she looked up at him, her eyes showing only a hint of fear. The rest of the emotion in them was complete and total faith in him, mixed with something deeper than he'd ever seen in a woman's eyes before. "I'm in control right now, if that's what you're asking. But for the record, woman, I think it's a very bad idea."

Mina found her lips twitching up at the sound of him actually advising her against sleeping with him, especially when she thought about how she'd woken up that very first time and he'd tried to get her off the moment she was healed. "How much longer do we have?"

"I—I honestly don't know," he answered hesitantly. "A few hours at most. I think your presence is making this whole thing accelerate," he admitted softly, brushing his mouth over hers. "Gods, you taste so damned wonderful," he murmured, unable to stop himself from kissing her again, this time a little harder. He could feel her fighting to relax, to return the kiss, and moaned when her tongue flickered out over his mouth.

Mina blinked when he suddenly pulled away and shook, his eyes hazy with lust. "You can kiss me, Turles, remember? I'm ok with that. And… and touch a little, too, if you'd like."

"Mina… could you touch me as well? It'll help ease the burning. It'll give me more control. I know what you're doing, woman… and I still think it's a bad idea."

She nodded slightly, but ran her fingertips lightly down his chest, softly outlining the ridges of his muscles. Mina was going to test her limits, see what she was capable of handling, and if she thought she could get him through this, she would. But if the fear started to overwhelm her, she'd go and stay with Rei and Raditz. "Turles, I owe you this much, for being such a wonderful and understanding man. And I trust you. With my life." She moved her hand lower, and shakily unbuttoned his fatigues; he still insisted on sleeping with clothes on to keep from scaring her, despite the secret, occasional ache she'd felt to have him bare and pressing against her. "I think it's time that I tried to trust you with my heart and body as well," she whispered.

"Will you be able to handle this?" He asked hoarsely, fighting back a shudder as her hand drew the zipper of his pants down to bare him, followed by the sensation of her fingertips ghosting over his length.

Mina shut her eyes and palmed him slowly as she ran her mouth over her jaw. "I'm the goddess of lust, damn it. And I think it's about time for me to reclaim my title," she finally replied, arching slightly into the large, battle-worn hands that had slid up to cup her breasts.

"I do too, but not at the expense of me hurting you, woman." Turles hesitated to let his hands wander anymore for just that reason, and was surprised when she took one of them and placed it on her upper thigh. "You're sure about this?"

"We'll just try and see, since you're in control," she answered breathily. "I—I think I may be able to go to third base anyway. Touching below the waist," she explained. "But honestly, I don't think I'll be able to do anything with my mouth."

"Mina, I understand, and I'm not worried about that." The Saiyan in him was already rising to the surface at the scent of her arousal—it was light, but it was there—and his beast was already hatching a battle plan of sorts, one that Turles surprisingly agreed with. "Come here," he grunted, rolling onto his back.

Mina gasped as he took her with him, and she found herself suddenly straddling his waist as his hands moved to the bed sheets, gripping them tightly. "Turles?"

"You're in control, woman. Total control. I won't move at all unless you give me leave." He switched to Solarian, since there was no way for him to say it in Saiyan without sounding like a woman. "I'm yours, Mina. For the duration of the burning."

The goddess of love just gaped at him in wonder as she heard his thoughts; they explained that male Saiyans never, ever, ever said those two words. Those words not only translated to 'your woman' in Saiyan, but they gave her complete and absolute dominance over him. Not only physically, but emotionally as well. She was now the alpha in his eyes, at least while he was suffering from his 'illness.'

Mina was so genuinely touched by the gesture that she didn't know what to say. "Turles, are you sure about this?" God, if any other male ever found out about this, he'd be ridiculed endlessly. This was even bigger than saying 'I love you.' That thought made her blink, and she leaned down to kiss him when he gave her a slow nod. Mina licked her lips before nipping at his jaw. "My beloved," she whispered in Saiyan.

Turles shivered, and not just from the raging fever running through him. "Go nuts, beautiful. You can do whatever you want to me. And I'll do whatever you tell me to. Name it and it's yours."

"O—Ok." Mina started with simply touching him, stroking her hands slowly up and down his chest, but when she felt just how bad the burning was becoming, she slid down to fully remove his pants, and fought to control her trembling at the sight of him hard and ready.

"I won't do anything, Mina," he assured her hoarsely. "Gods, as much as I want to, I won't." His eyes rolled back a little when she straddled him once more and ran her hand over him slowly before circling him with her long, soft fingers and stroking upwards once… then twice. "Beloved, that feels so good." Turles couldn't help it when his hips bucked a little as she stroked him once more, his body instinctively seeking relief and an end to the burning. "Please don't stop," he begged softly, when her hand paused for a moment and she just looked at him from under her lashes.

She nodded in wonder as she felt herself responding to the sight of him; watching his face contort in pleasure was arousing her for the first time in a month. When her hand moved a little harder and he moaned her name, she felt a strange flicker inside of her and gasped in surprise. Had that been a flicker of her power that she'd felt? It had been small, but it had definitely been there!

"Minako… can I come?" Turles whispered, looking up at her with black eyes clouded with desire.

She nodded ever so slightly, and was surprised when he came almost immediately after she'd given permission, moaning her name and clearly trying not to move before she told him he could. "Better?" She asked softly, trembling again as she continued to straddle his thighs. It wasn't all fear though, that was making her shake, it was the sensation of power trickling into her for the first time since the rape.

Power received for giving pleasure, just as she'd always gained it.

"Yeah," he sighed, laying his head back and closing his eyes for a moment. "That always helps ease the burning for a little while. I'd like to return the favor if you'd let me," he offered, making sure to keep his tone light and undemanding. When she nodded timidly, he licked his lips and slowly raised his hands to her waist. "May I be on top for this?"

"Ok," she whispered. "I—I trust you, Turles." Mina tried to relax when he slowly reversed their positions and hovered above her, his hand trailing up her thigh. The feeling of having a man on top of her made her tremble, and she couldn't help but squeeze her eyes shut as she tried to control the urge to shove him off of her and bolt.

"Not on top, then," Turles breathed, gently easing them both onto their sides. "Better?"

She nodded, sighing in relief. "Sorry, guess I'm not ready for that yet."

Turles managed a chuckle and a smirk, now that the burning wasn't quite as intense. "Well, beloved, there are quite a few other positions I can think of that don't require me on top. Maybe not as many as the goddess of lust can come up with, though."

Mina actually smiled and trailed a hand down his chest, tracing his abs delicately with one finger. "Hm, yes. And since you can fly, the Italian Chandelier will be much easier on my back."

"The what?"

"Heh, never mind, we'll save that for a much later date," she giggled. "It's pretty advanced."

"Hey, I can do advanced!" Turles protested. "Show me!" When she blanched, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "No, woman. Through the bond. Show me through the—oh… oh, wow. Hot damn, woman. I'm going to have to tell Raditz about that one, I think we've finally discovered something he hasn't tried yet."

"Well, if he's looking for new and exciting things to try, I'm likely about to be his best friend," she laughed. "Poor Rei, she's gonna be the subject of much experimentation, and she's still a virgin."

"Poor Rei is right. You know, Raditz is even bigger than me," he teased. When Mina looked down and she just shook her head a little, Turles let out a bark of laughter. "If you think that's bad, you should see my father, woman. He puts us all to shame."

"Dear goddess," she whispered in wonder. "Poor Mako. Or lucky Mako, depending on how you look at it. Oh gods, Ami!" Mina suddenly laughed. "Poor Ami! Nappa must be monstrous if he's proportional! And I actually gave her instructions to suck his cock." She looked down again and made some mental measurements. "She'll choke on less than half of it," she finally stated firmly.

"I saw it once. I choked on it from across the shower room, and it wasn't even up," Turles remarked with a chuckle.

Minako noticed that his hands were wandering her while they spoke, obviously without his knowledge, and blushed a little when he stroked his fingers over her curls. "Turles?"

"Hm?" He could feel the burning starting to creep up on him again, and was finding it harder to focus as it got stronger by the minute. Oh, they definitely didn't have a few hours before it completely took over; they had one hour at best. "Minako? You need to make a decision now. I'm already losing control."

"Huh, but why?" She asked nervously. "You said a few hours."

"It's because I want you so badly that it's already made me a little crazy," he explained hoarsely, unable to stop his mouth from roaming over her breasts. "Gods, you taste so fucking good," he groaned, "let me have you, Minako, I swear that I'll go slow."

"I—I'm in c—control, right?"

Turles nodded as he bit down lightly on a nipple. "Once the burning hits full-force, I don't know how well I can keep that promise, but I'm all yours until then, woman." He looked up at her then and licked his lips. "What's your pleasure, woman? Name it and I'll gladly give it to you." He watched her eyes cloud over in deep thought, but stayed on his side of the bond to give her privacy when he sensed that was what she wanted. "Minako?" He asked after a couple minutes.

Her eyes cleared, and she pulled him up to her. She'd been recalling her entire conversation with Ami three weeks prior, and had finally come to a decision. He wouldn't harm her, she knew that without a doubt, and this man had done more than enough to deserve her undying trust.

Turles moaned and purred at the same time when he felt her lips graze over his shoulder, and immediately lowered his ki in response. "Beloved," he whispered, "I swear I won't hurt you, with or without the bite. You need to be sure about this."

Remembering her conversation with her sister, Mina recalled her envy over her sister's mate treating her like the most precious thing in the world, and how she'd always wanted that kind of love for herself. She realized, in that moment, that she had that with Turles, she'd only been too afraid to see it. He already treated her like that, and she hadn't even given herself to him yet. "Turles?" She replied softly, followed by raking her teeth over his shoulder. "I love you."

The wave of devotion and love that crashed over her through the bond nearly brought tears to her eyes, and without a moment's hesitation she sunk her teeth into his shoulder, moaning immediately at the taste of him. Then her eyes rolled back when she felt him do the same, and she cried out, her teeth still buried in the muscle as she suddenly came.

Turles groaned and trembled as he held her tightly, reveling in his own immediate climax, and felt the burning ease back as a result. "Was that as good for you, beloved?"

"Holy shit," Mina replied weakly. She could hear all of his thoughts now, and feel the emotion running through him, most of it a deep, raw emotion bordering on love. And it was all focused on her, the desire to please her and keep her safe, to get rid of her fears of intimacy. And below all of that was a thrumming need that was steadily gaining strength and taking over his control and better sense. He was right, they had less than an hour before it completely took over and he claimed her whether she liked it or not. "Slow," she whispered, her hands sliding over his body, memorizing the feel of her lover. "Just go slow."

"Anything you want, beloved," he replied gently, still riding the high of the full mating bond. Turles rolled back on top of her then and slid down her body. He kissed and nipped at her hips first, moving on to her thighs, and growled in approval when she whispered something in her native language. "More?"

Turles got his answer when her fingers ran through his hair and she whispered something else in Solarian that he didn't quite catch. Bending his head, he licked her once, slowly, gauging her reaction. He'd never done this with a woman before, and was actually a touch nervous about trying it.

He tasted her again and was surprised that she actually tasted… good. Really good, in fact. Well, it seemed he wasn't going to have an issue with doing this to her ever. Turles purred happily when she moaned as he easily found her nub and began to give it his full attention, punctuating the strokes of his tongue with the occasional suck. He stopped when her breathing began to get heavy, and looked up at her smugly when she whimpered for relief. "Tail?" He asked, waving it in front of her face.

"Tail," Mina repeated, panting hard as her body burned and begged for more. She nodded and ran her fingertips over his shoulders, arching her hips in total trust. "Just please don't stop," she whispered softly. "I'm so close, Turles."

Turles chuckled and gleefully went back to work as he slid his tail into her, moving it slowly, giving her a preview of what she was about to experience with him. He stopped the motions of his mouth when he felt her flex around him just slightly, and returned to kissing her thighs, turning his head occasionally to give her a slow lick or suck, just enough to keep her on edge. "Slow," he grunted, when she murmured something heated and needy. He thrust his tail into her a little deeper, but kept the motions slow and gentle. "Good?" He asked teasingly; he knew how damned good he was doing, if the pitch of her moans was any indication.

"Please," she begged softly, her nails digging into his shoulders, "please, Turles."

"You want…" He gave her the lightest of caresses with his mouth before continuing, "…to come?"

"Yes," she moaned, bucking her hips. "I want to come, Turles, please." Mina groaned softly when his mouth returned to her nub, and he sucked on it lazily, flicking the tip of his tongue against it while he continued to make love to her with his tail. They both moaned when she suddenly clutched at him and tightened around that furry appendage, which continued to move despite the fact that it was being squeezed to the point of pain.

When her cries had ebbed to tiny noises of pleasure, Turles slid back up her bare body to kiss her while his tail continued to massage her intimately. "Minako, I want you so badly," he moaned against her mouth, just before it slanted over hers. Please, beloved, it burns. Please let me claim you. Be mine, Mina.

Yes, she whispered in his mind as she kissed him passionately. Make love to me, Turles; I want you inside of me.

Turles practically sobbed in relief as he withdrew his tail and pressed himself against her entrance, finding her soaked and ready for him. "Tell me you're mine," he pleaded desperately, trailing his mouth over her mark. "Please, beloved, I need to hear it."

The goddess of love and lust wrapped her legs around him in trust and surrender, and whimpered a little as he began to fill her. "I'm yours, Turles… dear goddess, honey, that feels so good." She trembled a little once he was fully locked inside of her, but she felt his desire to give her only pleasure, to make love to her as gently as he was able, and that tremble became one of anticipation and need.

Turles felt her tense once more when he withdrew nearly all the way and prepared to thrust into her, and he stopped, despite the sheer amount of effort it took. He nipped at her lower lip then, and gazed into her cornflower blue eyes when they cracked open and stared up at him. "Relax, beloved," he breathed, "I'd never, ever hurt you. I only want to pleasure you."

Mina forced herself to relax, resting her forehead against his shoulder. This was Turles, the man she'd come to trust and love over the last several weeks. Not some random male in the temple or even a priest, and he was most definitely not one of the shitbags that had hurt her on the transport. Then she whimpered as he thrust into her and he moved again, this time not ceasing the rhythm he was trying to establish.

Her head tipped back and she moaned at the sudden onslaught of pleasure coursing through her body as he moved slowly and gently, the corners of his eyes and mouth creased with intense concentration. Being the goddess of love and lust, she had known what to expect, but still, some part of her had expected pain, lots of it, couple with hard and merciless thrusting, and that side of her had been amazed by the lack of it.

She suddenly grabbed him by his spikes as she felt herself cresting and drug his head down for a passionate, unrestrained kiss. You feel so good, love… don't stop… please don't stop…

That's it, Minako. Come for me… please come for me, beloved. I want to feel your pleasure, he moaned in her mind. He broke away from her lips to moan aloud when he felt her suddenly tighten and she cried out, her head tilting back in rapture. Turles bit down on her mark instinctively, gasping as she clamped around him as she immediately climaxed again, and found himself joining her in ecstasy as his world exploded and her body milked him for all it was worth.

Next chapter: The burning hits full-force! Yeah, yall thought that was IT with Mina and Turles!? HA! Oh no, I think we've waited long enough for this couple, so I'm breaking out some extra-long smut for the two of them! And yall, we are steadily nearing the end of this fic. Only a few more chapters left!

And YES… there will be more of Serenity and Vegeta. God, you could cut the tension with a damned knife…