Mary accepted Fiona’s outstretched palm. “No need to apologize. You did nothing wrong. Do you think I should go back and wait in Rykaur’s apartment? I don’t want to cause a disruption during the celebration.”
“No,” Rykaur growled, pulling Mary closer to his body. “You are with me. If there is a problem with that, we will both leave.”
Rykaur could feel Mary’s insecurity, her fear. “There is nothing to be afraid of, Mary. Do not leave my side, and all will be well.”
Coaxing a reluctant Mary to enter the great hall was no easy feat. Not only would she have to see Maulkryth, but she’d have to face an angry king as well. “You will not be alone, Mary. I will not allow any harm to come to you.”
Gryke suddenly appeared at the entrance, his stance relaxed and his expression contrite. He reached up and gripped Rykaur’s forearm. “Forgive me for my earlier actions.”
Rykaur returned the other Bracadyte’s gesture, grasping Gryke’s arm in return. “Thank you, my friend.”
“I spoke with the king regarding Mary’s presence in Aukrabah. He is not happy with you for allowing the threat to enter our halls, but he does not blame the female.”
Relieved, Rykaur released his hold on Gryke’s arm and nodded his thanks. “We have much to discuss after the festivities.”
“I will be ready.”
Chapter Sixteen
Mary’s heart pounded with more than a little anxiety as she followed Rykaur into the great hall.
The massive room was filled with Bracadytes of all ages, from babies to the elderly.
A long table sat in the center of the huge space, filled with more food than Mary had ever seen in one place, including any restaurant she’d ever been to.
“Most of the food was brought in from outside,” Rykaur informed her, flanking her right side. “The land walkers have the best foods I have ever tasted.”
Mary glanced up at him, once again struck by how handsome he was. “If something tastes good, it’s usually bad for you.”
Rykaur’s gaze became hooded. Mary opened her mouth to ask him if she’d said something wrong, but the room suddenly growing quiet, catching her attention.
She looked around her to find every gaze in the room aimed in her direction.
Swallowing around the anxious lump that had formed, Mary stepped closer to Rykaur’s side.
“Happy date of your birth, Rykaur,” a chorus of voices rang out.
Mary was so relieved that knives weren’t being thrown at her, that she found herself leaning against Rykaur’s side.
His arm came around her in a protective manner, his booming voice echoing throughout the room. “I thank you all for being a part of my birth date, and for putting together this wonderful feast in my honor.”
Cheers went up all around.
A daunting-looking Bracadyte sat at the head of the long table, his attention focused solely on Mary.
Mary tried to look away from who she assumed to be the king, but the intensity of his eyes held her prisoner.
“Come.” The elder Bracadyte beckoned her.
Mary wished a hole would open beneath her and swallow her up.
Rykaur gave her a little nudge. “Go ahead. I am right beside you.”
Gathering what little courage she could muster, Mary trailed over to the head of the table, stopping just short of the intimidating figure. She could feel Rykaur’s heat as he stayed by her side every step of the way.
“Mary? Rykaur spoke in a soft yet clear voice. “This is Klause, King of Aukrabah.”
Unsure whether to kneel, kiss his feet, or shake his hand, Mary decided on the latter. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”
Klause stared at her outstretched palm before accepting her gesture of greeting.
Clasping her hand in his, he tugged her closer. “I have been informed of your business in Aukrabah. And though I do not approve of Rykaur’s decision to bring you here without my consent, I am glad that he did.”
Mary’s eyebrows shot up. “You are?”
Klause released his grip on her hand and leaned back in his chair. “Indeed. You are the first lead we have had in locating the land walker Jefferies. You are also evidence that we need to tighten security around our food and water sites.”
Heat from mortification rushed to her face. “I’m so sorry, Your Majesty. I—”
The king waved a hand through the air, silencing her attempt to apologize. “I am aware of the circumstances surrounding your trip to Aukrabah. Have you informed Rykaur of Jefferies’s whereabouts?”
Mary shook her head. “Rykaur doesn’t seem to think Jefferies will be where I left him.”
Klause glanced at Rykaur. “What is your plan?”
Mary inched back a few steps as Rykaur filled the king in on his plan to take out Jefferies.
“Bring him in alive if you can,” Klause responded after hearing Rykaur out. “I would prefer to know where the land walker Howell is as well. As long as he still lives, the threat to our race does not end with Jefferies.”
A tall, good-looking man suddenly appeared next to the king. Mary immediately recognized him as human, even though he was nearly as big and tall as the Bracadytes. He wore his dark hair short, and a pair of mirrored Ray-Bans covered his eyes.
Though she couldn’t see behind the sunglasses the man wore, she could feel his gaze on her.
“Klause is right,” Ray-Bans murmured, shifting his head slightly in Rykaur’s direction. “Howell is just as sadistic as Jefferies. If not more so. He’s just a little more cunning and better protected. But you can bet your ass that Doug knows where to find the ex-president.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, the newcomer nodded toward Mary. “I also think we should send her out as bait.”
“No,” Rykaur growled, taking a threatening step forward. “It is far too risky.”
Klause calmly interrupted. “It is too risky not to. The fiery-haired human is too short. There are no females here in Aukrabah who fit that description.”
“There’s one,” Fiona announced, sidling up next to Mary. “I’m a natural redhead. I’ll be the decoy.”
Gryke was instantly there, disapproval in his emerald-colored eyes. “I cannot allow you to put yourself in danger. We will find someone else.”
“You can’t allow me?” Fiona sarcastically shot back.
Klause held up a hand for silence. “We will discuss this after the celebration. For now, let us eat.”
Mary wasn’t sure she could eat, given the circumstances.
She glanced over at Rykaur to find him staring back at her with an unguarded look in his eyes.
If she didn’t know better, she might easily mistake it for lust.
Something passed between them. Something warm and tingly. Mary wasn’t sure what to make of the sensation. She only knew that she liked it. “Happy Birthday, Rykaur…”
Chapter Seventeen
Rykaur wanted to scoop Mary up, throw her over his shoulder, and take her back to his room. She had to be the most intriguing female he’d ever known.
She is a prostitute and a thief, his mind whispered, pulling him back to the reality of his situation. She sells her body to males for money.
Rykaur could never trust her, could never live life always wondering about every male she came in contact with. Always looking for a hidden meaning behind every word spoken to the opposite sex.
Why did it matter to him what she did with her body? He didn’t know. He only knew that it did.
Hurt drifted through her beautiful gray eyes, and Rykaur realized she’d read his thoughts. “Mary…”
He reached for her, but she quickly sidestepped his advances.
Clearing his throat, Rykaur pulled out a chair and offered it to her. He waited for her to sit and then took a seat next to her, his elbow brushing against the side of her breast.
Lust slammed into him as warmth radiated from her body and her incredible scent drifted up his nose. Blood rushed to his shaft, form
ing an erection that couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Mary seemed to read his inappropriate thoughts, if her body language was any indication.
She shifted in her seat and spoke in a faint voice. “I’m not a prostitute.”
It took Rykaur a second to realize she’d spoken the words rather than sent them through their connection.
“But I saw you go into the tents with different Marines, Mary. Mine included.”
Mary lifted her gaze and blinked up at him. “You can read my thoughts and emotions, Rykaur. You tell me… Am I lying?”
It was true. He hadn’t picked up on anything to do with other males in her memories, but he’d chalked it up to the overwhelming presence of her abuse. “We will talk about this later once we return to my apartment.”
She simply nodded, accepted the plate Gryke handed her, and sat with her elbows resting on the table.
Rykaur was more than aware of the defensive position. He’d done it himself on more than one occasion. She thought to keep him at arm’s length. And who could blame her? After everything she’d been through in her life, trust obviously hadn’t been a luxury.
A pair of feminine hands suddenly slammed down on the table on either side of Mary’s plate. “You might have everyone else fooled, little human, but not me.”
Rykaur was on his feet in an instant, his knife in hand and at the throat of the white-haired Bracadyte before she could gasp. “Back away slowly.”
Kaspyn carefully lifted her hands from the tabletop and inched back away from Mary. “You are making a mistake, warrior. You defend her because you have become smitten by her. You stink of her blood.”
Murmurs erupted throughout the room.
“If you come near Mary again, it will not be her blood that you smell. It will be your own. I will drown you in it.”
Rykaur eased his blade away from Kaspyn’s throat and slightly pushed her toward the wall. “I meant what I said.”
Kaspyn spun to face him, a look of rage on her face. “Bracadytes have resorted to harming their own to protect land walkers?”
“Not all land walkers,” Rykaur corrected, “only the ones that we care about.”
Speaking the words aloud triggered more sharp intakes of breath from the room’s occupants. Rykaur was more than a little stunned by his confession as well.
He quickly glanced down at Mary to find her staring up at him with a look of confusion on her face.
Melvin pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning against. “I suggest you go mingle with another crowd, blondie. Before ole Rykaur here puts you on your prissy little ass.”
“You think I fear Rykaur?” Kaspyn shot back, taking a step toward Melvin. “Unlike the land walkers, Bracadyte males do not harm their females.”
Melvin stared back at her from behind his mirrored Ray-Bans, the corner of his mouth lifting. “You’re not his female. Mary is.”
Rykaur’s stomach clenched at Melvin’s words, the truth in them resonating within him. He’d taken Mary’s blood without a second thought, damning the consequences of his actions and placing himself in a position of bonding. But mating? That was a different story.
Though he understood the difference between bonding with someone and mating them, he’d never imagined he’d do either one. Not since Kaura had broken his heart all those years before.
His gaze lifted to scan the room at large, searching for the one who’d hurt him in his youth. And there, standing in the back, her beautiful emerald gaze locked on him, stood Kaura.
Funny how Rykaur had once thought her the most alluring female he’d ever encountered. But looking at her now, her beauty paled in comparison to the fiery-haired human seated before him at the table.
Was he falling in love with the land walker Mary? He couldn’t be. He’d only known her for a few days. And yet every time they were in the same room together, his chest felt tight, his palms grew sweaty, and a near constant erection pulsed from behind his shorts.
Oh yeah, he silently admitted, shifting his attention away from Kaura. He was definitely developing feelings for Mary.
Chapter Eighteen
Rykaur’s emotions slid through Mary without warning. Visions of a beautiful, dark-haired Bracadyte swam around in his memories to embed in her mind.
Kaura, he’d mentally acknowledged, letting Mary know the female was in attendance.
Mary’s gaze slid around the room, coming to rest on the beauty she’d seen in Rykaur’s memories. Though the Bracadyte female faced Mary, her attention seemed glued to Rykaur.
Jealousy, swift and strong, slammed into Mary with a force that surprised her.
What the hell am I jealous of? Mary wondered, watching Kaura’s every move. I don’t own Rykaur, nor do I want to. Do I?
Rykaur abruptly touched Mary on the shoulder, drawing her attention away from Kaura. “Would you like to get out of here?”
Grateful for his intervention, Mary stood and gave him her hand.
He led her from the room without speaking, ignoring the questioning looks being thrown his way.
“I am sorry for the treatment you received in there,” he murmured, once out in the hall. He took a right at the first bend and casually strode through the beautifully lighted tunnel. “Kaspyn is a guest. She had no right to speak to you in such a manner.”
Mary trailed along beside him. “A guest? But she’s a Bracadyte.”
Rykaur’s lips twitched. “You think simply because she is a Bracadyte that we are all the same?”
Mary shrugged. “I really don’t know much about your people, Rykaur.”
“You are human, yet different from humans in other countries, no?”
Realization dawned. “I see. She’s a different race of Bracadyte.”
He nodded. “Kaspyn is a northern Bracadyte. She resides in Arkadia and is the daughter of King Kryten.”
“And Kaura?” Where had that come from? Mary thought with more than a little embarrassment.
Rykaur slowed but didn’t stop. “Kaura and I were to be mated, or so I had thought.”
Mary’s stomach tightened with more jealousy. Rykaur obviously had feelings for the beautiful Bracadyte. “Do you love her?”
He hesitated. “At one time, I thought I did. But that was long ago, and obviously a mistake.”
Sending no deception coming from him, Mary persisted. “And now?”
“No. I no longer lose sleep over Kaura. I was young when she and I began spending time together. I had never known the touch of a female and knew not what to expect from my overabundance of testosterone. Kaura was beautiful, and she gave me the attention my young body was seeking.”
Not really wanting to know, yet unable to stop the question, Mary asked, “Did you sleep with her?”
Rykaur glanced down at her in confusion. “I do not understand the relevance.”
Searching for the right words, she tried again. “Did you two…”
“Ah, did we copulate? No. Female Bracadytes do not copulate with males they are not mated to.”
“I see.” For some reason that little piece of information relieved Mary.
Rykaur tightened his hold on her hand. “I did not mean to sound insensitive. I realize that is not a human custom. I meant no offense.”
“It used to be,” Mary softly replied. “Women used to wait until marriage before giving themselves to a man. But times change, and people change with it.”
They came to a stop in a large area with a beautiful aqua-blue pool situated at one side. A raging waterfall fell behind the pool, creating an ambiance of peace and tranquility.
Mary had never seen anything so breathtaking. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
“This is a place of enlightenment. The water there is known as the Pool of Life. It is a very spiritual place for the Bracadytes. Warriors come here to cleanse the mind before battle or a hunt.” He paused. “Have you ever been in love before?”
His question caught Mary off guard. She shook her h
ead and strolled across the room toward the pool. “I was never allowed to date. And by the time my foster parents died, I had the responsibility of the children. I was only seventeen when they passed away.”
Rykaur followed. “What about the Marines you visited in my camp? Tell me about them.”
Mary toed off her shoes and took a seat on the edge of the pool to dangle her feet in its soothing depths. “There’s nothing to tell. I conned them into letting me inside their tents where I drugged them and took their money.”
“You did not copulate with them?” Rykaur took a seat next to her without removing his boots. Mary figured they were waterproof.
“I didn’t have sex with any of them. But Jefferies didn’t know that.”
The feel of Rykaur’s finger abruptly touching her chin sent warmth through Mary’s body.
He lightly tugged, coaxing her to face him. “Jefferies forced you into prostitution?”
“He thought he did,” Mary whispered, her gaze dropping to Rykaur’s lips. “He gave me the stuff to drug them with during sex, so that I could take their money. But I would drug them before the sex so that I wouldn’t have to endure their touch.”
Rykaur’s face moved slowly toward her own. “You have never been with a man?”
“No…”
His lips brushed across hers. “Mary?”
Mary’s entire body was alive with feeling. Her nipples tingled to life, her heart hammered, and butterflies took flight in her stomach.
The feel of Rykaur’s mouth moving against hers had to be the single most exciting thing she’d ever experienced.
Without breaking the kiss, he wrapped an arm around her, slid off into the pool, and took her with him.
The warm water surrounding her weightless form, coupled with Rykaur’s demanding mouth and ever tightening arms, sent Mary into a tailspin of unchartered territory.
Rykaur: A SciFi Alien Romance (Enigma Series Book 8) Page 7
