by Gail Koger
“That happens when she overuses her powers. The Tomb Raiders’ transporter beam dropped me in a cavern beneath the Superstition Mountains. Adan was locked inside this funky glass cage.”
Adan ate the fence along with several laser cannons and rolled toward us.
“Keep that crazy shapeshifter away from me or so help me God, I’ll find a way to kill him.”
“A feeble human could never harm me,” Adan scoffed.
I gave him the one finger salute “Try me. You’re one ungrateful bastard. I saved your ass and you almost got me killed.”
“You did not save me. I saved you,” Adan countered.
“I wasn’t the one locked in a cage. Now was I?”
“It was a temporary setback.”
I threw my hands up in disgust. “You were dying.”
“I should have eaten you.”
“If you had tried, Granny would have turned you into a gigantic popsicle.”
“No one has that kind of power,” Adan countered.
“My grandmother does. Wanna find out?”
Zarek barked, “Enough children.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Who captured you Adan?”
A head suddenly bulged out from Adan’s hide its mouth frozen in an endless scream. “Bjarke warriors. One still lives. Do you wish to interrogate him?”
“I do.”
Adan’s tentacles twisted wildly as his body heaved and pulsed.
“Oh hell! He’s gonna blow!” I took cover behind Ethan.
Buuuaaahhh. Adan spat out a goop-covered warrior. His skin was bright red and kinda melty looking. Big clumps of his hair were missing. A few green tattoos covered what was left of his face. “He is called Ulf. He is the commander of a Bjarke’s mercenary group called the Skadi.”
Zarek studied the pieces of melted flesh decorating his spiffy boots.
“Clean up on aisle four,” I muttered and linked mentally with Ethan. Can we leave? Zarek’s about to blow a gasket and we both need a shower.”
Ethan took one look at the moaning Bjarke, the gooey mess on the tarmac and nodded. “Do I have permission to take Kizzy to sick bay, my lord?”
“Tend to your female.”
Ethan wrapped an arm around me. Poof! We were in sick bay. I looked around the spotless room. Six top-of-the-line regen tubes lined the back wall. There were four examining tables with all sorts of thingamabobs to ensure a sterile operating field and enhanced diagnostics.
A soothing voice asked, “How may I assist you?”
“My mate needs treatment for heat exhaustion and dehydration.” Ethan placed me on an examining table.
“I’m not your mate.”
“Yes, you are.” Ethan gestured at his goo covered battle suit. “Only a mate would hold a woman who has been in contact with a dying Katanic.”
He had a point. Ethan’s battle suit was covered in green slime and he smelled as bad as I did.
The medic walked over to us and my jaw dropped. He had green skin, tubular ears and exotic features. He looked like the ogre in that vid. Except he was a lot smaller. “Holy hell. Don’t tell me. Let me guess. Your name is Shrek. Right?”
“It is.”
I broke into hysterical giggles. “I’m a Barbie. My doctor is an ogre. A drop dead gorgeous Coletti warrior wants to have hot, monkey sex with me. How crazy is that?”
“She rode the vortex,” Ethan explained.
“No, it was more like a F-5 tornado. I’m never, ever doing that again.”
Shrek ran a scanner over me. “You found Adan?”
“Yup. Some dudes with purple hair had him locked in a glass cage. I let him out and things got crazy.” I shuddered. “Starving a Katanic shapeshifter is never a good idea.”
Shrek and Ethan exchanged glances.
I rubbed my forehead. “Sorry, I’m still a bit freaked out.”
Ethan massaged my shoulders. “You have every right to be, sweetheart.”
“This will correct your metabolic imbalance.” Shrek placed a pressure injector against my neck and triggered it. “Have you taken your mate’s blood today?”
“I did and it tastes like shit.”
Shrek handed me a chocolate bar.
Giddy with glee, I ripped the wrapper off and practically inhaled the bar. “I think. I. Love you,” I said between bites.
Ethan swallowed hard. “How can you eat now?”
“Easy. You got anymore chocolate?”
“I do.” Shrek gave me another bar.
“Yum.” I gobbled it down.
Ethan’s face got paler. “Do you have anything for nausea?”
“Yes.” Shrek injected himself, then Ethan. “Will Adan need treatment?”
“Doubtful. He ate three hundred Rodan soldiers,” Ethan replied.
I licked the last of the chocolate off my fingers and gave Shrek a bright smile. “You got a mate?”
“No, I do not.” Shrek handed Ethan a bar of soap.
“Want one?”
Ethan picked me up. “He couldn’t handle you Angel.”
“Use the sick bay’s decontamination shower and I will find suitable clothing for you and your mate,” Shrek said.
“I need some alone time with Kizzy.”
I eyed Ethan in alarm. “What? No funny stuff, buster.”
“I can give you thirty minutes,” Shrek said with a knowing smile.
“That’ll do.” Ethan carried me into a large glass shower and started taking off my clothes.
I smacked at his hands. “I can undress myself and I’m not taking a shower with you.”
“Yes, you are.” Ethan’s tone was implacable as he yanked off my boots. “I almost lost you today. The sooner I convert you, the safer you’ll be.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” I wiggled frantically as Ethan peeled off my jeans and granny panties.
“No. You’ve got that damn chaos gene.”
“Maybe I do, but it doesn’t give you the right to rape me,” I shouted.
Ethan flinched. “I would never harm you.”
In my heart, I knew that, but everything was moving too fast. “Please put me down.”
His face a hard mask, Ethan released me and backed away.
“I’ve only known you for a couple of days. I don’t have sex with strange men.”
“I’m not a stranger. I’m your mate.”
“See, that’s the thing. Not even a day ago, you were my enemy. All you wanted to do was lock me up and suddenly I’m the other half of your soul. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“It’s a Coletti thing. Look into my mind and you’ll see I’m telling you the truth.”
“Uh, I think I’ll pass. Coletti warriors are sneaky bastards.”
A faint smile touched his mouth. “Yes, we are.” Ethan quickly removed his weapons. One tap on his warrior’s bracelet and his battle suit shrunk down to a thin metal belt.
My eyes bugged. Oh. My. God. Talk about male perfection. Ethan’s muscular chest was lightly furred. He didn’t have six-pack abs. Oh no, he had a twelve pack. My gaze froze on his abdomen. Huh? No pubic hair. No penis. No sign of his balls. There was only a slit on his abdomen. Getting his junk rearranged had to hurt.
Totally ignoring me, he tapped the control panel and water rained down on him. Grabbing the bar of soap, Ethan lathered up, showing off his bulging biceps, massive thighs and great ass.
There was no way this drool-worthy guy wanted to have sex with Plain Jane me. I had been down that road before and it only led to humiliation.
Ethan turned toward me. “Don’t listen to what Ivan told you. You’re one sexy lady.”
“Me? Sexy?”
“Very much so.”
“Wait a minute. You’ve been snooping in my head again.”
“I’ll do whatever is necessary to keep you happy. Did you or did you not find Ivan in bed with your best friend?”
I bit my lower lip as I remembered that awful day. “I did, and I fried Ivan’s nuts with my stun gun
.” I smiled as I remembered his shrieks.
“That’s my girl. Now I want you to concentrate on me not that pansy-ass prick.” Ethan flexed like a body builder. “Can you do that?”
“Ah, yeah. I’d have to be dead from the neck down, not to enjoy looking at you.” My cheeks heated under Ethan’s slow scrutiny. Did I feel self-conscious about my less than perfect body? Hell, yeah. He was the second man to see me nude, but instead of disgust all I saw in his eyes was desire.
He made his pecs dance.
I laughed in delight. Ethan might be a hotdog, but he was a lovable one. “Where did you learn to do that?”
“In my misspent youth I took a job as a dancer.” He flexed his pecs in rapid succession.
“I’m surprised General Jones allowed it.”
“As soon as he found out, he dragged me home and made me join the Marines.” Ethan did a slow body roll, followed by a hip grind and pelvis thrust.
I hooted.
Grinning, Ethan spun-kicked into a floor hump, then broke into some raunchy moves that put those erotic dancers in Las Vegas to shame.
He was sex on two legs, and I wanted to lick every inch of him.
Ethan boogied up to me, grabbed my hand and twirled me under the water. Before I could protest, his soapy hands were everywhere.
My senses reeled as he stroked the bar of soap between my legs. “You’re. You’re. Seducing me.”
“I am.” His big hand cupped my crotch, and my inner muscles quivered in anticipation. “Admit it. You want me as much as I want you.”
“Maybe.” I moaned as he finger-fucked me until all rational thought vanished and all that was left was carnal need.
His warm mouth closed over my right breast, sucking it to a stiff, aching point. “Say the words and you can have all the hot, monkey sex you desire,” Ethan murmured in my mind.
My body was on fire. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I burned for Ethan. “Fuck me, please.”
Dozens of phantom hands suddenly caressed every inch of my body, sending quivers of heat streaking through me. “Are you sure? Once we do this, there’s no going back.”
Was my loneliness playing a part in my decision? Probably. I wanted what Ethan was offering. “I’m sure,” I cried. “Please. I need you. Now!”
Ethan’s mind swept away all my mental barriers until we were as one. His body moved against mine, hot, aggressive and perfect.
I met him kiss for kiss, touch for touch.
The muscles of Ethan’s hard torso flexed with a sinuous strength as he lifted me. “You ready for the ride of your life?”
I wrapped my legs around his hips. “Yippee-ki-yay! Ride ’em cowboy!”
I caught a fleeting glimpse of inch-long tentacles before he thrust into me. The shock of his powerful invasion made me cry out. The tentacles vibrated wildly, and my eyes rolled back in my head. It felt so damned good.
He drove into me harder, deeper, stretching me until we were a single entity. I felt the mating bond snap in as a brain-jelling climax hit. Spasm after spasm shook me as I fought to get my breath back. I was amazed at the sense of contentment that settled over me. Ethan was the other half of my soul. The lonely spots in my heart were gone. He would never abandon or betray me. I was no longer clanless. I had a family again.
Shrek called, “Are you sanitized?”
I sniffed my underarms. “Nope. I still stink.”
“Give us another ten minutes Shrek.” Ethan’s mouth closed over mine.
Chapter Eleven
“The honeymoon is over. Come to the war room,” Zarek stern voice instructed.
“Yes, my lord.” Ethan gave my nipples one final lick.
“Zarek thinks having sex in a decontamination chamber is a honeymoon?”
“Making love,” Ethan corrected. “There is a difference.”
I stared up at him in utter surprise. Few men would acknowledge that. “Are you real or a figment of my vivid imagination?”
“I meant every word of it, sweetheart.” A big hand cupped my right breast. “And I’m very real. As soon as we find Montezuma’s treasure, I’ll take you to Hawaii for a proper honeymoon.” He handed me an emerald green tunic with matching leggings, fresh underwear and black ankle boots.
“Deal. I’ve always wanted to go to Maui.” I quickly got dressed. Everything fit me perfectly. I watched Ethan detach the metal belt from his waist and replace it with another one. He tapped his bracelet and poof! He was back in battle armor.
I finger combed my hair. “I could use some battle armor.”
“I ordered you a suit. It should be ready within a couple of days,” Ethan said.
I threw my arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
“Being my mate does have it perks. I can’t wait to introduce you to the family. They’re gonna love you.”
A delighted smile curved my mouth. “You really think so?”
“They’ll find you as adorable as I do.”
Adorable? Me? Not so much.
Ethan pulled me close and teleported.
We appeared in Zarek’s war room. One wall was covered with instruments of death. Swords, knives, laser pistols, rifles, war hammers and what looked like a variety of thermite grenades. The opposite wall held a huge view screen and an assortment of scanners.
Zarek and Voss were sitting at the long platinum conference table. Built into the right arm of each chair was a high-tech control panel.
Voss ran a scanner over the sacred stone. “Nothing unusual about the stone or the amulet.”
“You have to be able to talk to the dead to learn their secrets.” Linking with Ethan, I picked up the stone and allowed him to see the image of a neon sign casting a red glow over ancient dust covered stucco warriors. An elderly man with yellowing parchment skin and wearing a molting black wig stroked one and laughed gleefully. The Best Whore House in Vegas was embroidered on his blue silk robe.
Ethan shook his head in disbelief. “A brothel?”
“I go where the visions tell me to go.”
Voss’s index finger tapped impatiently against the table. “What else did you see?”
“That’s it for now.” My gaze locked on my bracelet. “Do I get it back now?”
“You do.” Zarek pointed to box on the table. “Detja is arranging a proper bonding ceremony for you on Tanith.”
“Ah. Ok. Thanks.” I’d never been off planet and wasn’t sure how I felt about it.
Zarek handed the box to Ethan. “You will wear Ethan’s ownership band starting now.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Ownership band?”
“It’s the Coletti version of a wedding ring,” Ethan hastily inserted. “It proclaims to the universe that you belong to me. He opened the box and held it out to me. It contained an onyx neck band with intricate copper etchings.
Everyone knew the Coletti were a possessive bunch. “It’s beautiful.”
A relieved smile lit up Ethan’s face and he quickly fastened the band around my neck. The warm metal band adjusted to fit my neck perfectly. “Our souls are forever united.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet, but you do realize I come with a lot of baggage?” I grabbed my bracelet and quickly put it on.
“Such as?”
The temperature dropped radically as Granny Annabel materialized looking like something out of a zombie movie.
“Her.”
Ethan’s right hand dropped to his weapon.
Displaying nerves of steel, Zarek and Voss remained seated and casually studied Granny.
“Gentlemen, this is my grandmother, Annabel Dragos, and I’m not sure why she looks like this.” I gestured at her scary as hell form. “What’s up with the walking dead look?”
Granny threw out her arms dramatically. “I was searching for you and this creature attacked me.” She flashed me the image of a feathered serpent with a dragonlike head.
“Holy crap! When you said beware of the serpent, you weren’t kidding! I never imagined the Thunder
God was Quetzalcoatl.”
“He is not Quetzalcoatl. He projects this illusion to frighten people. The Thunder God was once an Aztec priest. He touched a sphere of great power and was transformed into something other. He believes this sphere granted him Godhood. Every full moon he captures a dozen men and women and performs ritual sacrifices to appease the ancient Gods.” Granny shuddered. “The trapped souls scream for vengeance.”
A knot formed in my stomach. “How many?”
“Too many for us to safely cross over.”
“Even if we had a summoning circle?”
“With the blood vendetta, none of the others will risk helping us,” Granny said sadly and turned her attention to Zarek. “The sphere’s power is fading, and the monster is looking for another source to feed from.”
“Which explains why he took Adan prisoner,” Ethan growled.
“I bet the Thunder God thought Granny would make a tasty treat too.” I grinned. “You opened a portal and drew him in, didn’t you?”
Granny gave me a smug smile. “I did. The Thunder God expended a great deal of energy escaping the wraiths.”
“Wraiths?” Ethan’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead. “Are you talking about things that go bump in the night?”
“In a way. Remember the esoteric plane is basically its own universe inhabited by unusual lifeforms.” I popped the image of a skeletal figure cloaked in vaporous shadows into his mind. “The wraiths are soulless creatures trapped in a hell of their own making. Anything they touch, dies.”
A worried frown creased Ethan’s forehead. “What keeps them from killing you?”
“This.” I held up my cross. “It’s been blessed by the Pope himself. The wraiths can’t touch me as long as I wear it.”
“And if you lost it?”
“I’d be a fool to open a portal,” I stated calmly.
Ethan wrapped a protective arm around me. “I’m getting you more crosses.”
“The Pope excommunicated the entire Dragos clan and refused to give me another blessed cross.”
“You’re not Dragos anymore and the Pope will give you as many crosses as you need,” Zarek stated darkly.
I couldn’t wait to see the Pope’s face when I showed up with my new clan. “That’s a good idea. Everyone needs to wear a blessed cross until this monster is defeated.”
