by Hope Hart
I can’t blame him, even as my heart aches. He lost his mate. The woman he cherished. And while he was slowly losing his mind, no one paid any attention until it was too late. Then, he was banished, locked away for centuries and mostly left alone. If Harlow had never visited him, he’d likely still be there, locked away. I clench my teeth at the thought.
“What are you thinking?”
I turn as Korva brings his hand to my face. I allow it, still contemplating. After my mom died, so did any chance of a real family. But I think it would’ve been worse to lose my family as an adult, after already suffering the loss of a spouse.
“I’m thinking that you should get me a drink.”
Korva lifts my hand and kisses it, and my stomach erupts in butterflies. He disappears into the kitchen and I blow out a breath.
Why did he bring me here?
I wander the room, imagining a life where we come here every few weeks. A life where Varian lets me avoid the blood test and Korva wants to be with me, and we have an actual relationship.
That’s not going to happen, Eve.
I shake myself out of my fantasy as Korva returns with a bottle of wine and I raise an eyebrow.
“I didn’t think Arcav liked to drink.”
He shrugs and gestures for me to sit on a sofa in front of the window.
“Another thing we have picked up from humans.”
He pours me a glass and I sigh in pleasure as I take a sip. The Arcav have expensive taste. They don’t believe in cheap food, wine, or anything else.
Korva leans forward and swipes at my bottom lip.
“You tempt me beyond reason.”
I feel my eyes widen and weirdly, my cheeks heat. I don’t even recognize myself anymore.
We sit in silence, drinking wine as we enjoy the view. It’s not awkward, more… peaceful. I like that about Korva. I’m guessing that spending so long in silence, and then re-learning how to talk has made him appreciate peace and quiet.
Finally, he turns to me.
“Eve,” he says. “I would very much like to seduce you.”
I choke on my wine, and Korva deftly plucks the glass from my fingers as my hand goes limp.
“Uh—”
He leans forward and takes my mouth, and I sigh against his lips. We should not be doing this. This is like watching the beginning of a car wreck. Some dumbass has run a red light, tires are screeching, and all you can do is watch helplessly and wait for the crash.
We’re both going to get hurt.
He pulls back and eyes me, and my fight-or-flight reflexes sit up and make themselves known. As much as I enjoy his huge body, I don’t appreciate knowing that he’s higher up on the food chain than I am. If we were to fight right now, I don’t know if I’d win. And that pisses me off.
“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking that you should get on with it before I fall asleep.”
He smiles and I hate that it lights up the room.
“You are a very interesting female, Everly.”
I narrow my eyes at him. Now he’s just trying to annoy me.
He leans forward, and I freeze as his lips brush my neck, making me shiver. He scrapes his teeth teasingly along my throat and I erupt in goosebumps at the feeling, letting a groan loose.
“Do you miss me when I am not there?” he murmurs, and I say nothing.
He gives a low laugh. “Your silence is telling.”
My eyes flutter shut as he leans over me, pushing me back on the sofa, which helpfully shifts around my body.
“Korva,” I say warningly, and then I sigh as he begins peeling off my clothes, slowly, as if I’m something to be treasured.
His scent wraps around me, masculine with a hint of spice, and I sigh again as he hovers over my mouth.
Then I reach up, grab his horns, and drag him to me.
He growls against my mouth and I growl back.
A jolt of desire hits me and I wrap my legs around him, grinding against his length. His kiss increases in urgency, and I feel him tense against me as I gently move my hands to his horns, stroking them lightly.
“Eve…”
I smile against his lips and he pulls away, eyes dark as he stares down at me.
“You are a temptress.”
Within a second, my underwear is gone, and I blush as he brings them close to his face, inhaling deeply.
Korva kisses his way down my body, licking and nipping until I’m squirming against him.
He groans as he feels my wetness and looks up, his eyes dark as they meet mine. His fingers dance along my clit, unerringly knowing exactly where to hit, and the exact amount of pressure I need. I gasp for air, and the world drops away as I groan, shuddering against him.
“Again,” he says.
I can’t possibly.
But then his mouth finds my clit, his tongue flicking as his hands move to my butt, holding me in place as I writhe against him. I howl as I come, everything in me contracting as my body shakes, my teeth chatter, and I know nothing but pleasure.
“This pleases me,” he says arrogantly, staring down at my body, splayed out under him as I pant. That was the mother of all orgasms.
Korva holds himself above me, and I cry out as he thrusts inside me. Just like that, I’m aching for him again, desperate for release.
He leans down, entwining his fingers with mine as he takes my mouth, thrusting deep. My heart clenches, as he pulls away, eyes savage as he watches me while he moves inside me.
I want to look away, to hide from whatever is happening, but it’s like Korva’s eyes are magnetic. Strangely, I feel tears well up, and I’m blinking them away as his eyes soften, and his thrusts turn gentle as he kisses away a traitorous tear that somehow escaped.
I gasp as he hits that special spot inside me, and he smiles, twisting his hips and changing his angle so he can hit it again and again.
“Shit…”
Everything is tightening again, and I’m writhing, desperate, even as he grinds against my clit, still hitting that spot.
And then a shock wave hits me. Pure ecstasy as I groan his name, and he shudders above me, finally burying his head in my neck as I stare at the ceiling and pant. Destroyed.
Chapter Twelve
Korva
This time, I am the first to wake and I enjoy watching Eve sleep. Her face is peaceful, her lips pressed together in a soft pout, her long lashes brushing her cheeks.
She is beautiful, my Eve.
I sigh as she stirs. She is not My Eve. I know I must tell her about my work, but I know that the moment I admit my plans, I will lose her. Never again will her defiant mouth soften for me. Never again will her warrior body embrace me.
I’m scowling at the thought when Eve opens her eyes, and she frowns slightly, running her hand along my brow.
“What’s wrong?”
I catch her hand and press a kiss in the center of her palm, delighted by the way her cheeks flush. It is not often that I can catch Eve off guard.
“It is nothing.” I am suddenly desperate to know of her life before I knew her. “Tell me of your family.”
Her eyes shutter, and she pulls on her hand, but I keep it captured in mine, nibbling on her fingers. She narrows her eyes warningly at me as I scrape one fang along her finger but sighs, shifting closer.
“What do you want to know?”
I shrug. “Who are your parents? Why did you not see them when you were on Earth? Or is that what you were doing when you disappeared?”
“No.”
I’m suddenly desperate to know where she went for those few hours before our ship left Earth, but I will wait. Push Eve too far, and she is likely to run. Instead, I wait until she sighs, shooting me an exasperated look.
“My mom was killed in a hit and run when I was eight. She was pregnant. My father spent the next two years trying to find out who did it, but nothing came of it. After that, the dad I’d always known kind of disappeared. He’d always been serious, you know? He w
as a fed, and he’d worked on some tough cases. Some of them changed him. But my mom could always make him smile. She had a rule— when he came home, he was allowed an hour just for himself, to decompress, and I wasn’t allowed to bother him. Then, he was expected to shake it off and join us for dinner.” She smiles softly, and I can imagine an older, softer version of Eve laying down the law.
“I’m sorry. You were so young.”
“Yeah. It was right before that age when girls need their mom’s the most, you know? Dad tried, but he was never the same. He basically tried to pretend that I was really a boy. The only thing we had to talk about was the FBI. Sometimes, he’d sit down with me and discuss his cases.” Eve laughs. “Jen would not be pleased if she knew the shit he’d tell me about.”
“Why did you not see him on our trip?”
She sighs. “A few years after mom died, my dad got married. Julie was the opposite of mom in every way. My mother was gentle and caring, but she couldn’t care less what she looked like. She cared about people, you know? She was the first to buy a homeless guy lunch or volunteer her time for a good cause. Julie was the opposite.” Eve’s mouth twists and something inside me aches for the young girl who lost her mother, only to have her replaced with a woman so different.
“I could’ve handled it if it was just the personality difference. But Julie is a stone-cold bitch. She was obsessed with looking perfect all the time, and by the time she entered the picture, I was a total tomboy. She was jealous of my relationship with my father and she started making up lies about me. She’d say I threatened her, or that I was dating the wrong kind of boys. She’d plant her shit in my room and tell my dad I stole it…”
My claws extend and Eve grins. “Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Eventually, it got so bad that I moved in with my best friend. Her parents loved me. They’d known my mom and saw Julie for exactly what she was. But that was the beginning of the end for my relationship with my dad. He thought I didn’t want to be near him, but he would never believe me when I told him what Julie was doing to me. When I graduated from Quantico, he said he was sorry and that he was proud of me.” She swallows and I stroke my hand down her hair, pleased when she burrows closer to me.
“You no longer talk to him?”
She shakes her head. “We were trying to rebuild our relationship, and it was going okay. As long as Julie wasn’t around, it was almost like the old days. But when everything went down at the FBI… he told me I should’ve handled it better and I asked him if I should’ve handled it the way he handled mom’s death. Maybe I could’ve pretended it never happened and replaced it with something mediocre.” Eve snorts. “He slapped me right across the face.” She touches her cheek as if she can still feel it.
I’m shaking with rage, shocked that her father would lay a hand on her. She looks up at me. “Uh, Korva, your horns are looking a little sharp, are you okay?”
“He should not have touched you.”
She sighs. “No. After I decided I was moving to Arcavia, I stopped by to talk to him. I could tell by the look on his face that we were done. Maybe one day we’ll be able to have a conversation, but I doubt it.”
I pull her on top of me, and she tenses for a moment but then relaxes. I stroke my hand down her back and her eyes slide closed as we lie in silence.
Finally, I clear my throat. “Daliz and I were friends from the time we were children,” I say. Eve’s eyes fly open and she lifts her head off my chest. I close my eyes and rest my hand on the back of her head until she lays back against me.
“Our fathers were close and we grew up together. When the mating bands appeared, no one was surprised. She was my mate, but she was also my best friend. When the mating bond is complete… it’s like having your mate with you all the time. It’s a comfort. We could feel each other. When she died, a piece of me died with her. When her end of the bond disappeared, it was like I was lost in a void of nothingness.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this, only that it feels good to finally talk to someone else who knows the pain of loss.
“I can’t imagine how that feels,” Eve says softly.
I shift. Talking of my mate reminds me of my mission. I should not be lingering with another female in my arms, even if she makes me feel as if I could one day be happy again. I was happiest when I could see Daliz every day. Could talk to her of my work, listen to her laugh about her colleagues.
“I should have been on that ship.”
“What?” Eve lifts her head off my chest again, her expression dark.
“I wanted to go. I wasn’t happy that she was going without me. If I’d been there…”
“You would’ve died too.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I would have noticed that something was wrong with the ship. Maybe I could have protected her.”
Eve is silent for a long moment. “I was with my mom the day she died. We were both standing crossing the road in the path of that car. She had a split second to decide what to do, and she pushed me out of the way. Do you think I should’ve died with her?”
I growl. “Of course not.” To never meet Eve? Never see her fierce eyes or hear her throaty laugh? Unimaginable.
“Then maybe, after centuries of mourning, you should consider dropping some of the self-blame.”
I stiffen. “You do not understand. Daliz was my mate. It was my duty to protect her.”
“You can’t protect people from everything, Korva. Don’t you think she would want you to be happy?”
Daliz? I wonder what she would say if she could see me now.
I gently lift Eve off my body and sit up. “I need to get back to my lab.”
Eve
I frown after Korva as he leaves after dropping me off at the gym. I’m telling myself it was a good thing we left the cabin this morning so I can get back to my life. In reality, I enjoyed being alone with Korva more than I want to admit.
I’m desperate for a hard workout. According to Korva, Jackson is banned from the entire training center. After I was suspended, multiple women came forward to tell the Arcav about all the shit he had said to them. Arcav are insanely protective of women. I heard Jackson will be sent back to Earth, but he’ll be lucky not to be taken out before then.
I shrug, taking a deep breath as I walk through the doors of the huge training center that houses the gym. I haven’t seen anyone since I beat the crap out of Jackson, and whistles and cheers greet me as I walk through the massive space.
“Uh-oh, Small’s in the house, better find a groin protector!”
I narrow my eyes at Rob.
“You’d have to have a dick to protect first,” I say, and he grins good-naturedly at me.
“Hey Eve, you might want to check the mats near your self-defense class. Pretty sure Jackson left a few teeth over there.”
I wince, even as Mike throws his head back, slapping me on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, girl, Jackson was a douche. He had it coming, and you were just the woman to give it to him.”
I blow out a breath. Well. I’d expected disgust and was prepared to be treated like an outcast. I don’t deserve a literal pat on the back, but at least no one’s spitting at me.
Jaret nods as I pass him where he’s working out with a few of the other Arcav guards.
“Varian wants to see you.”
Shit. What did I do now?
My expression must show exactly what I think of that because he grins evilly.
“Right now?”
He shakes his head. “Be there in an hour. I left a message on your Communicator.”
I find Bree hitting a bag in the corner of the gym near where I teach self-defense. I study her for a moment and nod. Good form. Bree had cystic fibrosis. That meant that she couldn’t do a lot of the stuff we take for granted. She spent a lot of time in hospital and was dying before Jaret and Amanda brought her back to Arcavia. Over the past few months, she’s been working on her endurance, and she can hit hard too.
“You want to fight?”
Bree backs away from the swinging bag, panting.
“With you? You’ll kick my ass.”
“I’ll teach you a few things.”
She grins. “Sure.”
We spend the next half an hour going through drills and some light hand-to-hand. Finally, Bree holds up her hands, bending at the waist as she gasps for air.
I chew on my lip, pretending to be worried.
“Are you okay? Did I break you?”
She flips me the bird. “Be gone, Satan.”
I laugh as I head for the Arcav version of a treadmill. I’m pounding along a forest path, the scent of foliage in my nostrils when a beep reminds me I need to head toward the palace.
Blake’s waiting for me when I arrive, and I lift a brow.
“We need to talk.”
“Here?” I gesture around us at the busy corridor and he frowns as he takes in the Arcav and humans coming and going.
“Let’s grab one of the meeting rooms.”
My stomach sinks a little. We’ve never had a ‘meeting room’ relationship. We’ve spent months chatting over beers after shift, making fun of each other during training, and working together to protect Harlow. When Blake and I bounce ideas off each other, it’s a thing of beauty.
I follow him into the small room and stare across the table at him. If this is the way it’s going to be now, then so be it.
“I need to know why you didn’t tell me about the FBI.”
I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat. If I cry, I’ll embarrass both of us.
“It wasn’t relevant.”
“Except it was. You knew we’d be dealing with them.”
I grind my teeth and then sigh. “When I left Earth, it wasn’t relevant. Honestly, I was trying to forget about it. The way I left the FBI… I’m not proud of how it went down. And it still hurts to think of it. I never wanted to do that mission, and I convinced myself that we wouldn’t be dealing with Fields, or anyone else I worked with. I was hoping I could hide from it. “
“How about you tell me what happened?”
I take a deep breath, and it spills out of me. Finding out my fiancé was dirty, following the leads to his friends and colleagues, taking it to Fields, only to realize he was in on it and I should’ve gone higher.
