Ki's Redemption

by Keri Kruspe

  He took in a deep breath and his tongue flicked between the folds. “Oh, I like very much. Such a beautiful, sweet pussy undressed just for me.” Without another word, he dove in and licked, stroked, and nibbled. Not only the stiff nub but also on the surrounding sensitive skin.

  Her lower core tensed as the sensual oils seeped out of her pores and her labored breaths matched each swipe. Then her toes curled when he probed with two thick fingers. Ki found her sweet spot with unerring accuracy, teasing and stroking the sensitive nest at the front of her upper channel. Her hair looped to encircle his wrists, not to stop him but to help hold on for dear life.

  The explosion was coming, and she wasn’t sure if she’d survive.

  “Are you ready, yofie-na?

  Cheithe whispered my love, translating the words Ki had been using for so long.

  “Re-ready?” She stammered with eyes squeezed shut. A whipcord of strained nerves tightened, and she was more than ready to detonate.

  His smug grin said he was pleased at taking her to the brink so quickly. “Yes, my own.” A low croon. “You will come for me now.”

  His full lips wrapped around her slit while he flicked her stiff clit as his fingers scissored and probed her inner core, giving her a sense of fullness. At the coordinated plunge between his tongue and fingers, Sherri’s straining nerves released in a pleasure so sharp it brought bright stars that flickered across her closed lids. “Ki-i-i…” tore through her throat on a high-pitched wail.

  Before the last note left her lips, Ki shifted to widen the space between her legs. With unerring accuracy, he thrust his cock inside. Wrapping his arms under her head, he brought her lips to his in a scorching kiss and held tight. He plunged into her over and over, a male rigid with determination.

  In response, she wound her legs around his waist. The move opened her wider for their mutual gratification.

  As the strokes became deeper, Ki tore his mouth away. With a harsh roar, he lowered his head and latched on with sharp teeth at the tender place between her neck and shoulder. The bite was hard enough to puncture the delicate skin.

  The pain caused her to catch her breath in shock before a euphoric wave burst in ecstasy. A tsunami of completion tore through and left her weak before it was over. Her legs slid off to bonelessly flop to his sides.

  Ki unlatched his sharp teeth from her skin and nuzzled the wound.

  He gave a hard push of his hips that woofed a gasp out of her. Above her, his large frame shook, then stilled. Raspy puffs of air escaped against her ear as the big Zerin tightened his hold. A soft masculine sigh sounded as his weight bore down.

  Sherri welcomed the heavy body on top of hers. She plunged her hands into his thick, silky hair to let the strands fall through her fingers. In reaction, the mahogany tresses wound around her wrists and forearms in a gentle stroke. She nuzzled against the fragrant column of his throat, breathing in the scents of musky brine with a tinge of a fresh sea breeze with feminine satisfaction. His unrestrained lovemaking made her giddy. Sherri’s heart was weightless while intense joy rushed through.

  This was right. This was what life was all about. Having someone in your arms who represented everything to you…someone who complemented you in every way without being the same. A person who effortlessly filled those holes you’d lived your entire life with.

  With sudden clarity, it dawned on Sherri she truly was madly and irreversibly in love with Ki. She might have guessed it before, but now there wasn’t a shred of doubt in her mind.

  Great, now that she’d figured that out, where to go from there? She had huge responsibilities on Earth she needed to stay and finish. Did she have the right to ask Ki to remain and join her hectic life here?

  One thing was for sure, she’d assume nothing. Time to take a deep breath and give him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

  Chapter Thirteen

  SHERRI

  Sherri’s opportunity to discuss her relationship with Ki came sooner rather than later. Entangled with Ki in the wide bed, she was startled when one minute he was all over her and the next he wasn’t.

  He’d jumped off the bed and crouched in front of the open door to her bedroom, arms and legs spread in a defensive gesture.

  Sitting up, she flung away the hair hanging in her eyes and blinked at his unusual move. With a grunt, she grabbed a sheet off the floor to cover her naked self. Should she be scared or impressed by his actions? A befuddled smile crossed her face. Eh, probably both. She leaned over to the maple nightstand and pulled out a baby Glock. With the sheet tucked under her arms, she pointed the weapon at the open door. She had absolute faith in Ki’s instincts, and his movements screamed that someone was in the house.

  At first, the air was still, the wait heavy. Then a muffled, masculine voice barked just out of eyesight, “Police. Put down any weapons and raise your hands.”

  Sherri lowered her pistol and cocked her head as two men in black armored suits filled the doorway with the words “SWAT” across their bulletproof vests. Seeing the familiar human law enforcement unit, she put the Glock under a pillow and raised her palms outward.

  Obviously, Ki did not understand who they were. He tensed as if ready to spring.

  “Ki.” She made sure her tone was calm. “Stand down. It’s okay.”

  His hefty thighs trembled as his posture screamed of a man ready to engage.

  The SWAT team’s guns remained steady, pointed in their direction.

  Crap! Time to defuse the situation before it got out of hand. Sherri scrambled off the mattress, keeping the light-blue sheet plastered around her as she stood in front of Ki. “Stand down!” She yelled at the SWAT team. A low growl rumbled out of the male behind her who had a tight grip on her upper arms.

  He tensed as if to pull her behind him.

  “No!” She twisted out of his grip and kept an eye on the two men. She couldn’t see their faces behind the black helmets, but she was sure they thought they were in a hostile situation. “Ki, don’t move.” She kept her attention on the threat in front of her. “I am Leader Sherrilyn Cantor. What can I do for you, gentlemen?”

  Bodies stiff as marble statues, they stepped aside in unison as a third man walked in. This one was in the same black uniform as the helmeted men minus the helmet. A fit middle-aged man, well over six feet tall, his buzzed hair liberally salted with gray, exposed a hardened, craggy face.

  Although he had deep brackets framing his full lips, Sherri doubted he smiled much.

  Hazel eyes flashed impatience. “Leader Cantor?” The hard authority in his voice matched the no-nonsense demeanor. His wide nose pinched as he glared at Ki.

  Sherri nodded. “Yes.” Wrapping the sheet tighter, she stayed in front of the large, naked Zerin. “What is the meaning of this?” She swept the room with a wave of her hand to encompass them.

  The man stiffened, back ramrod straight. Ice-cold eyes narrowed as he scrutinized her.

  Hmm, looked like she’d been found wanting.

  “We were called in by your assistant, a Ms. Basimah, who informed us your guards have not reported in as directed. In fact, they have dropped off the communication grid assigned to them.”

  A hard rock squeezed her stomach, and she became dizzy for a moment. No way would Basimah call in American police to check on her in Canada. Not only that, all she had to do was contact her by the communication implant Sherri had. A quick glance at the guards holding weapons at her confirmed her suspicions. They weren’t from any law enforcement agency and those weren’t standard-issue weapons aimed in their direction. American SWAT teams usually carried a 9mm HK MPS or a Beretta. These two both had .40-caliber Smith and Wesson handguns. She’d opened her mouth to respond when Ki placed a large palm on her shoulder.

  “Our sincerest apologies,” he answered behind her. “They have been replaced and I’m afraid we neglected to inform the proper Earth authorities.”

  Puzzled why Ki stated it that way, Sherri kept quiet. Where he was going with that statement?
<
br />   “Is this true, Leader Cantor?” The spokesperson for supposed SWAT team maintained a stony appearance.

  Sherri doubted it would be easy to change this guy's mind about anything but nodded. “Yes.” She gestured at the man behind her, the warmth of Ki’s chest covering her back. “This is Ki of Zerin who is now my guard.”

  The man’s gaze focused above her at Ki. “I see.” He stared at her with an unemotional expression. “Any objection to speaking with me alone?”

  Before Ki could respond, she did. “No, not at all.” He had no idea who they were dealing with and it was up to her to protect him. With a tight grip, she clasped the slipping sheet. “Allow me to change first, so please leave.”

  The man shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t allow that, Leader Cantor.”

  Sherri opened her mouth to protest but Ki strode from behind her dressed in the dark battlesuit of the Solaherra dragon. Bemused at the widening of the man’s eyes, she watched Ki come over and wrap the sheet tighter to tuck the ends between her breasts.

  “Go get changed. I’ll wait here for you.”

  Sherri’s eyes widened at the serious frown. Maybe he wasn’t as unaware as she thought. “Um, okay.” She glanced to the men standing at the doorway, their guns held steady in Ki’s direction. “Don’t do anything until I get back.”

  He shrugged his massive shoulders. “No promises, so I’d hurry if I were you.”

  The back of her neck tightened. “Yeah, okay.”

  Racing to the heavy, maple dresser on the other side of the room, she took out a peach-colored bra and matching boy shorts before grabbing a pair of jeans and a blue cotton pullover from the bottom drawers. Rushing to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, she dressed as fast as she could before running a toothbrush across her teeth. Her hair smoothed out and plaited into a loose tail down her back.

  Damn, that was all kinds of wonderful. She had no hair fasteners since she’d never needed one before, so she left the end of the braid alone. It would be great to see if it stayed in place without one.

  She hoped nothing happened while she’d been gone. It was awfully quiet out there. With the light-blue sheet in one hand, she opened the door an inch with the other. None of the men had moved except Ki.

  Who was missing.

  “Where’s Ki?” She hid behind the solid-wood door.

  “Come out, Leader Cantor, and no one else will get hurt.”

  Well…shit. That can’t be good. Looked like the pretense was over. Sherri slammed the door and twisted the lock. She blinked to activate her communication bud, but dead air greeted her. Damn it! The signal must be blocked somehow. Heart in her throat, she spun around and checked the bathroom with fresh eyes. She’d never considered trying to escape from there before. A chill crossed her spine.

  Can you sense where Ki is? she asked Cheithe. The few seconds it took for the dragon to answer had Sherri shaking in worry. Is he hurt?

  They are near and fine.

  Sherri got the impression the question confused Cheithe.

  I do not understand why they are not here since they are amused and relaxed.

  A hard pound on the door made Sherri squeak in alarm.

  “Come out now or we’ll use force.” A deafening male voice boomed.

  “Where is Ki?” she yelled at the closed door.

  The answer she got was a loud thud against the solid oak. The hardwood bowed under the stress. Son of a bitch! They weren’t kidding. Her frantic search hadn’t help much. The only window in the plush room lay above the claw-footed tub and was too small for her to wiggle through. Fuck! She’d wanted to expand that window for weeks now but had never gotten around to getting it done.

  Another hard thwack made her jump and spin around. The door curved under the pressure. One more hit and it would splinter.

  Okay, escape was not going to happen. A weapon. Yeah, that’s what she needed, a weapon. Shit, why did she leave the Glock in the other room? The closest thing in here that might be some kind of weapon was a blunt-tipped pair of tweezers and a box of tampons.

  Hardly fear-inspiring utensils.

  Crash! The door split in two as the helmet-clad cretins grabbed the splintered wood and tore them free from its hinges. There it went…her last chance at defense or freedom.

  Sherri stood her ground, faced the invaders with legs a length apart and arms folded. “Get out,” she demanded.

  Like all bad guys, they ignored her.

  “Take her and let’s go.” The leader snapped. He turned to leave, not bothering to check to see if his men obeyed.

  The two thugs grabbed her upper arms and hauled her out of the bedroom. Rat-bastards didn’t even give her time to grab shoes or socks. Pulled between them, they weren’t too gentle as their thick fingers clamped around her arm in a tight pinch. Sherri winced at the biting pain.

  They towed her across the beige carpet of the hallway and down the steps to the wooden floors of the short pathway to the front door. It was open, showing the shaded patio and the wooden steps leading to the grass outside.

  When they brought her into the blinding sunshine, she squinted and tilted her head to avoid the bright rays. They approached the leader who stood with his back to them with leathery fists on slim hips.

  The guards flung her, and she landed with a painful thunk on her knees and palms with a whoosh of air. Damn…that hurt! Her palms and knees might sting for a while, but at least she didn’t face-plant on the grassy knoll. A low growl let her know where Ki was. Sherri sat on her heels with hands resting on her thighs and jerked her head his way. There he was, a few feet to her left.

  He was sitting on his knees, his fingers laced behind his head with his wrists zip-tied together. His mahogany-rich braid was draped over his shoulder, the tail curled over his lap to fan on the ground. His face was blank, lips parted with the tips of his fangs on full display. Those hazel/navy eyes skimmed over her before the skin across his iridescent cheekbones relaxed. His lush mouth curled at the ends. With a blink, the smile widened.

  What did he have to smile about?

  Be calm and let your mate take the lead. Cheithe chided.

  Take the lead? How could he do that tied up?

  Trust him.

  The leader turned around to face her. “Get up.”

  Sherri glanced at Ki, who nodded. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his odd behavior, she rocked back on her heels and stood before the black-clad terrorist. “Let me guess… Basimah didn’t send you, did she?” She wasn’t going to show fear to this ridiculous asshole. “And you’re not the police either, are you?”

  A sneering glare. “You were an embarrassment to the human race before, but now you are an abomination.” He walked over, grabbed her chin, and jerked her head to the side to stare at her MalDerVon scroll. “What is this shit? You’ve marked yourself up to fuck this alien?” He tossed her face aside in disgust. “You think making yourself look like him will somehow save you?”

  “What do you want?” She stepped back and rubbed the abused jaw.

  The older man leaned in with teeth bared and spittle flying. “I want you to die.”

  When the words came out in a whisper, Sherri shivered at his fanaticism.

  “Tom!” He straightened and barked at one of the guards who’d brought her outside.

  “Yes, sir!” The young guard scrambled over and gave a sharp salute.

  “Let’s get this over with. Set it up.”

  “Right away, Headman Addison!”

  The slim guard pulled off his helmet and dropped it on the ground. The fresh-faced boy who couldn’t be over twenty scrambled with bumbling feet to the black SUV sitting in the curve of her driveway. With jerky movements, he opened the door and grabbed a small video camera before rushing back.

  Tom rushed to stand next to his leader, trembling so hard the camcorder shook. The guy might be nervous or excited, but that didn’t stop him from pointing the thing at her.

  Well…crap. Sherri’s stoma
ch dropped. She tried to take comfort in the serene expression on Ki’s face, but it was hard. She stepped back and hit the solid wall of the other guard. Damn, she’d forgotten all about this other bozo.

  Addison grabbed her and forced her to her knees.

  She squealed in protest.

  “Stay down, whore.” A wet hiss came from his scowling mouth and he maintained his firm grip until the guard with-no-name came over and retained the punishing hold.

  Sheesh…up or down? Damn idiot should make up his mind.

  “Anytime, Tom,” Addison commanded from next to her.

  Tom nodded and the little red light on the camera came on.

  With narrowed eyes, the leader spoke while staring at the lens. “Fellow Humans of Earth, my name is Headman Paul Addison, the leader of NARF—The North American Resistance Force.” He puffed out his brawny chest and stood tall.

  “I am here today to usher in a glorious revolution to take back our country and planet Earth. Not only from these traitors.” Grabbing a fistful of Sherri’s hair, he snatched her head back.

  A wave of agony shot down from her scalp to the base of her spine. She yelped in response and tried to yank his hands off.

  He jerked harder. “But from the alien oppressors who’ve taken our God-given right to choose our own leaders.” He nodded at Tom to put Ki in the camera sights.

  Tom swung to point the lens toward Ki before swinging back.

  “As Americans, it is our duty as the only superpower on the planet to lead the way to victory. We will show our fellow nations how to eliminate traitors.” He waved a large, serrated knife in his free hand and placed it across the vulnerable skin of Sherri’s neck.

  Sweat rolled down her back and her temples as she quivered. She tried to catch Ki’s attention, but he wasn’t in the same place he’d been only seconds ago. Out of the corner of her eye, a dark blur passed behind Tom and his camera, moving too fast for her to track.

  Sherri held her breath, waiting for the guard or the pain-in-her-ass leader to react to whatever she spotted. Maybe someone was there to help. Between the burn of her hair being pulled, and the fiery sting of the knife against her throat, she’d had enough. Even though she wasn’t in the most dignified position, she glowered at her tormentor as he blabbed his nonsense.