“I don’t see that changing,” he admitted.
“Then I propose a union with E’lofi of House Tiene,” she said, shocking him again. House Tiene was newly formed from a rich merchant family, and from what he recalled, Lord F’tonu was a brash, loudmouthed male who very clearly showed his plebeian origins. He couldn’t think of anyone less likely to appeal to his sophisticated mother. And as for E’lofi, he vaguely remembered her as a very shy, pretty debutante who had barely managed to speak a word to him the one time they had danced together.
“I must say you always manage to surprise me, Mother.”
She shrugged again. “It’s a logical choice. The family is wealthy, and they have excellent trade connections. F’tonu wants his daughter to move up in the world. She’s pretty enough and better mannered than her father—and meek enough not to interfere with your chosen way of life.”
That barb also sank home. He sometimes forgot that his mother knew him just as well as he knew her. It was true that he couldn’t see little E’lofi attempting to interfere with his studies or make demands on his time…
Wait. Was he actually considering this? He suddenly felt the weight of the net closing around him and sprang to his feet.
His mother gave him the sharp-toothed smile of a deep sea predator. “I invited her to tea tomorrow afternoon so the two of you could meet. Quite informally, of course.”
“I am devastated to have to miss that meeting, but I’m afraid that I will no longer be in the city.”
“Why not?”
“I have to make a visit to the southern reaches and determine the issue with the algae production.”
“Surely that can wait?” His mother sagged back against her couch reaching for one of her pill bottles. “Especially when you know that I am not feeling well.”
“As you pointed out, if our production goes down, so does our wealth. And I know you wouldn’t want that to happen.” He hid a smile as a spike of annoyance flashed across her martyred expression, and bowed. “Perhaps when I return.”
“When will that be?” Her voice floated after him, but he pretended not to hear as he hurried out of the room, already making plans.
He needed to get out of the palace, and he needed to get out now. Her next step would be to send her physician to talk to him about her precarious health, and if that didn’t work, a parade of his counselors to try and convince him it was in the best interest of the House. He was quite capable of refusing all of them, but it would be unpleasant and tedious and because he believed his counselors had his best interests at heart, he would have to mind his manners. Best for everyone, if he was unable to be found.
He rang for Uauna as soon as he returned to his quarters. “Has Warden Pulata already left?”
“No, sire. I believe he has a meeting with Enetisi first.”
Damn. The old scientist liked to talk, and he suspected it would not be a brief meeting. Uauna’s tablet chimed, and he raised it to check the message.
“Physician Hollia is here to see you.”
Just as he had predicted. He glanced at the open windows and made a quick decision.
“Please tell him that he just missed me, then pack a bag for me and give it to Warden Pulata. Tell him I will meet him on Ataian.”
“Yes, sire. May I ask how you are intending to make your way there?”
“The old-fashioned way, of course.” He grinned as he shucked his robe and headed for the window.
“But Prince A’tai…”
“Don’t worry about me. I may even take some extra time to enjoy the journey.”
Ignoring Uauna’s shocked face, he dove out of the window and into the depths below. Despite the stringent rules governing the disposal of waste, the water around the city was cloudy and thick with the myriad scents of the population. No matter. He let his limbs unfurl, moving swiftly away from the congested area.
The cool water rushed across his skin, invigorating his senses. It had been far too long since he had indulged in the simple pleasure of the open ocean. Although he didn’t think his mother was desperate enough to send someone after him, he kept well beneath the surface, allowing the currents and scents to guide him.
An hour passed before he finally rose to the surface to observe his surroundings. The Sisters—the two suns that usually filled the sky—had vanished beneath a thick covering of clouds. Darkness loomed on the horizon, and he caught the distant flash of lightning.
Damn. Open water was no longer quite so appealing.
He could weather the storm beneath the surface, but the currents would grow stronger and more turbulent as it neared. He studied his surroundings again and spotted an outcropping of coral in the distance. If he remembered correctly, it was the formation known as the Tears of Latiti. It was riddled with caves, and he could wait out the storm there in relative peace.
He headed towards it, skimming along the surface of the water to make sure he remained on course. As he crested one of the rapidly swelling waves, he saw a foreign object in the distance—a spherical metal ball that looked like an escape pod from a spaceship. By the Sisters, what was that doing here?
If there had been an accident with one of the ships coming into port, then word would have been all over town. Perhaps it was just debris.
Curious, and a little annoyed that some captain might have polluted his waters, he headed for it. As he topped the next wave, he saw that the pod had settled lower in the water. The cheap vessel must have sprung a leak. Annoying, but perhaps for the best. Once it settled to the ocean floor, he could mark its location and send someone back to retrieve it. He was about to resume his original course when he saw a flutter of movement as the door began to open. A pale arm appeared in the narrow gap. It was occupied?
For a moment, he froze, and then he saw another wave break over it, rushing into the opening. The arm disappeared. Fuck. He dove beneath the surface and raced towards the pod.
He spotted it just as it sank beneath the waves completely. The person inside was still moving, fighting to pry open the heavy door but the weight of the water was against it. He swam even faster, but by the time he arrived, the occupant was barely moving. He wrenched open the door and found himself staring into two wide green eyes just before they fluttered shut.
Fuck.
He grabbed the female, yanking her out of the still descending pod. Pale, defenseless skin, no scales, no gills—she was not a creature of the sea. He snatched her up into his arms and headed for the surface, her body limp and unresisting. Rain had started to fall by the time he surfaced, but he did his best to shelter her, using his limbs to support her body as he forced the water from her lungs. She coughed just as a wave swept over them. The intensity of the storm was building. They couldn’t remain on the surface.
He pressed his mouth against hers and forced it open, pulling water in through his gills and releasing oxygen into her mouth. For a moment, she fought him, but then she sighed into his mouth as her body softened, and he pulled them both back down below the waves.
Her mouth was unexpectedly delicious, her natural sweetness mingling with the salty tang of the ocean. He could feel her breathing in his oxygen, and he was suddenly conscious of the full, heavy weight of her breasts rubbing gently against his chest as her lungs filled. The only time a Mafanan female had engorged breasts was when she was with child, but he had seen enough offworlders to know that it wasn’t true for all species. However, her species seemed to have particularly generous breasts.
In the past, he had considered such an enlargement to be rather unnecessary, disrupting the natural smooth lines of a female. But now that the soft mounds were pressed against his skin, the hard little points of her nipples an unexpectedly erotic counterpoint, he had an entirely different reaction. His mating arm stirred in its sheath, threatening to emerge, and he almost drew back in shock before he remembered that she needed his breath to survive.
Her legs drifted out next to him at an awkward angle, so he reached down to pull her closer.
And found himself cupping a round, full ass, another trait so different from his people. His hand clenched involuntarily in the soft, ample flesh as he aligned her body with his. To his shock, her legs came up to curve around his waist as she clung to him. She was so close that he could feel the slippery heat of her cunt against his stomach, a shocking contrast to the cool water.
Her soft little tongue danced along his, as smooth as the finest silk, and his moa escaped his control and sprang free. He could taste her essence in the water, her sweetness washing over him, even more delicious than her mouth. His mating arm grew thicker as his limbs automatically moved into position, preparing to hold her open for him. But then she sighed into his mouth again with a soft little sound. Instead of resisting the mating like a Mafanan female, she seemed to nestle closer. It might just have been the action of the currents, but the unexpected gesture finally penetrated the haze of lust.
By the Sisters, what was wrong with him? He’d never had this type of reaction to a female before, and certainly not to an offworlder. Although she seemed to be encouraging him, he suspected that she was only partially conscious, dazed by the near tragedy. He would have to wait until he was sure she was awake. But perhaps then, if she was willing and his unnatural desire persisted…
His pace increased at the thought, heading for the Tears of Latiti with renewed urgency. Once there, she would no longer be reliant on him for oxygen and she would be free to choose him. His engorged moa throbbed painfully, and he swam deeper, hoping the cooler currents below would finally persuade it to return to its sheath. But then she shivered in his arms and he reversed his course. His unexpected protectiveness horrified him. Was he destined to repeat his father’s mistakes after all?
No. She was a creature of the land. This could be no more than a temporary liaison. He had nothing more to offer.
Chapter Four
Kate swam in and out of consciousness, only vaguely aware of her surroundings, which seemed to change every time the darkness cleared momentarily. Her bed felt hard and uncomfortable beneath her, but then it was replaced by something soft and silky that cradled her aching body. The light changed from a cool, flickering green to a soft pink glow and back again.
Sometimes, a strong arm supported her as someone gave her careful sips of cool water. Other times, something rubbery and disgusting was pressed against her lips and she did her best to bat it away. Her arms felt weak and ineffectual, but apparently whoever was trying to feed her got the message.
The one consistent memory was a deep, rippling voice like water rushing over rocks. The voice soothed her, comforted her, and was always there. Golden eyes floated in and out of her vision, beautiful but alien, and something about them made her nervous. But then the voice would soothe her and a cool hand would stroke her burning head and she would slip peacefully back into the darkness.
But eventually, the illness passed and she awoke, fully aware of who she was—if not where she was. Her memories felt strangely distant, but she picked through them until she found the thread of her abduction. Abduction.
She started to surge to her feet, but her body was still too weak to obey her commands. As she collapsed back into her bed—bed?—she remembered the need for caution. Keeping her body still, she glanced around, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. Where the hell was she?
Instead of the white metal walls of the ship or the ragged interior of the escape pod, she saw what looked like an underwater cave. Dark green coral in fanciful shapes formed elaborate arches over her head. Tiny plants speckled the coral, glowing with a soft pink hue. To her left, the floor of the cave sloped down to an open pool with jade water lapping softly at the rock. To her right…
Her breath caught as she realized she was not alone. A man crouched next to a small depression in the rock. No, not a man. An alien.
She could see a broad, heavily muscled back, similar to human anatomy but covered in shimmering teal-colored skin. His hair was the same color—or perhaps it wasn’t hair. The wide, wavy strands bore a definite resemblance to seaweed. Her heart skipped a beat.
Was he the one who had been taking care of her? It seemed to be the only logical premise, but why? Was he simply being compassionate? Or did he have something else in mind?
She frantically ran through her various aches, but there was nothing to suggest that he had molested her. How long would that last? The Ithyians had been quite clear that she and the others were to be sold for a very specific purpose. And since they had gone to the trouble of kidnapping them, there was obviously a market for human sex slaves.
The water looked temptingly close, but she didn’t think she had the strength to swim away from that big, powerful body. But maybe she didn’t need to. If she could get outside the cave and find a place to hide, she could return once he went in search of her. Then she could drink some of the water she could hear trickling down the wall. Her parched mouth eagerly endorsed the idea.
She started to edge cautiously towards the water but as soon as she moved, the silky strands that made up her bed rustled. The stranger turned towards her at once.
Golden eyes. The ones that had haunted her dreams. Huge, slit-pupiled, and utterly alien. For a moment, she felt trapped, drowning in those golden depths, then she snatched her gaze away. The rest of his features were not as striking. His nose and ears were flatter and more streamlined than those of a human, his mouth wider. Then he smiled and she saw his teeth—white, pointed, and sharp, more like those of a shark than a man.
Her stomach clenched and she tried to scramble towards the water, but her body still refused to obey. He frowned and quickly came to her side, moving with an odd gliding gait before bending down next to her.
“You must be still. Your body has not yet recovered its strength.”
The deep, rippling voice washed over her and somehow calmed her panic. She took a deep breath, then another. However unlikely it seemed, maybe he was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.
“Thir—thirsty,” she croaked.
“Yes of course.”
As he hurried back to the other side of the cave, she noticed that he was wearing very tight trousers, almost exactly the shade of his skin, that seemed to flow directly into odd shaped boots. Maybe that was the reason for his strange gait.
He returned almost immediately with a curved shell filled with water. She started to reach for it, but he put his arm behind her and lifted her into a sitting position against his shoulder. Part of her wanted to protest, but it felt oddly natural and she realized he must have been helping her drink like this while she was sick. She tried to reach for the shell cup, but her hand trembled so badly she couldn’t clasp it. He put his hand over hers, long, cool fingers enclosing her much smaller digits, and lifted it to her mouth.
Two sips of cool liquid slid down her throat before he pulled it away.
“More.” She tried to make it a demand, but it came out more like a plea.
“In a minute. If you drink too quickly, your body will reject it.” Those disconcerting teeth flashed briefly. “Believe me, I have made that mistake.”
The heat threatened to rise to her cheeks, but she sternly pushed aside her embarrassment. She wasn’t responsible for her bodily reactions while she was ill. As they waited, he continued to hold her tucked against his chest. His skin felt cool and silky against her cheek, with a faint intriguing texture that was not quite scales but was definitely not human skin. This close to him, she was aware of just how much bigger his body was, but her panic hadn’t reoccurred since he first spoke. His skin warmed slightly where they touched, and she became aware of a faint, tantalizing fragrance like the clean air after a storm.
To her horror, she realized she was sniffing him, seeking more of that intriguing scent. He moved slightly, restlessly, but didn’t pull away. Instead, he gave her another few sips of water. They lay heavily in her stomach for a moment, but they soon settled.
“Where am I?” she asked, her voice still hoarse. “What happe
ned?”
“What do you remember?”
“I’m not really sure.” Still not sure of his intentions, she kept her answer deliberately vague. “The pod landed in the ocean, but then it started to leak.”
“Outdated equipment,” he growled, his voice deepening. “You were lucky to even make it through the atmosphere. And even luckier that I saw you trying to escape.”
“I didn’t see a boat. What were you doing there?”
He shrugged a shoulder, and she actually felt his muscles rippling against her body. Wow. She didn’t think she had ever been this close to somebody with such an impressive build. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so quick to dismiss Lily’s attraction to her cheating boyfriend. Stay on track, she scolded herself.
“I was swimming,” he said casually.
“In a storm?”
He shrugged again, and she sternly ignored how good it felt.
“I did not expect a storm. I was in a hurry to leave the capital and rather foolishly did not check on the weather.”
There was the faintest tinge of blue along his cheekbones. Was he embarrassed? The sight was unexpectedly reassuring, and she found herself smiling up at him.
“I’m Kate, by the way.”
“And I am Pr—I am A’tai. At your service.”
She was quite sure that if he hadn’t been holding her, he would have bowed. Apparently, not all aliens were as uncouth as her captors. But the thought of them reminded her of her friends, and she tried to struggle upright.
“I wasn’t alone. There were two more of us. Did you see any other pods? Any other humans?”
He helped her sit up, but he kept his arm around her back, a cool, reassuring band of muscle.
“I’m afraid not. But my focus was on rescuing you from the storm.”
Kate and the Kraken: A SciFi Alien Romance (Alien Abduction Book 11) Page 3
