Chapter Three
Kysen leaned against the wall in the headquarters and watched Akori say goodbye to his mate before they all left for a night of hunting the undead. The other mated warriors had already finished with their goodbyes to their women, but Akori seemed to be taking more time with his mate, Jordan.
He shook his head and smiled as Akori kissed Jordan as if he weren’t ever coming back. It was hard to believe the warrior at one time thought finding his mate would be akin to being in a living hell. To look at Akori now, you’d never know he’d wanted to remain unmated, or that he’d felt so strongly about it that he even asked Ra to count him out of all the mate business. Of course the sun god hadn’t listened to him.
Finally Akori ended the kiss. For once Kysen found the display of tenderness didn’t bother him as much as it had in the past. Just last night, he’d felt more than a little envious that the mated warriors had their women for the rest of eternity at their sides when he’d lost his. But that wasn’t the case tonight and he knew it had a lot to do with meeting Cena.
“Now that we’ve all had to watch you clean Jordan’s tonsils with your tongue, Akori, can we leave?” Kysen asked.
The newly mated warrior flipped him off. “As you so liked to tell me repeatedly in the past, your time will come.”
To himself, Kysen wished that were true and that Cena would be the woman he’d one day get to kiss goodbye before leaving to hunt. “We shall see.”
He pushed away from the wall and headed for the door that led to the docking bay they used to park their cars. Mehen, their leader, Set, Denger and Takan were already there waiting.
As the others filed through the door, Kysen nudged Takan with his elbow. “Did you ever ‘see’ Akori turning into such a lovesick fool?” Takan was the only warrior who Ra had gifted with the ability of sight to see into the past or future.
Takan shook his head, sending more of his long bangs into his eyes. Kysen didn’t think he’d ever seen the warrior without his hair hanging in his face. They’d all given up long ago trying to figure out why Takan did it. As far as they knew there wasn’t anything wrong with his face that he might want to hide with all that hair. After living with him for thousands of years, all the warriors had accepted it was just a part of who Takan was.
“Actually, I saw him a little more henpecked than he is now,” Takan said jokingly.
“Hey, I heard that,” Akori said when he joined him at the door. “And I’m not henpecked. Jordan would never do that to me.”
“Maybe not with everything,” Kysen said, “but she might do it to get you to pose for her again. Only this time in the nude.”
Jordan was a fashion photographer and she’d met Akori when she’d been scouting for a location for one of her shoots. She’d even managed to get Akori to model for her.
Akori looked over at his mate who stood a little way away with an expression of longing. “Who said she hasn’t already done that?”
Kysen pretended to gag as Takan laughed. “By the gods, Akori, I really didn’t need that visual right now.”
Akori turned back and smiled. “You brought it up, not me.”
“And I only did that to make a crack at your expense.”
“It backfired on you, didn’t it?”
Mehen poked his head through the open door. “Kysen, if you and Takan are finished riding Akori, get a move on.”
In answer, Kysen brushed past Takan and walked into the docking bay. A night of hunting the undead was just what he needed to help keep his mind off how many hours he had to wait until he could see Cena again.
After driving to his section of the city to hunt, Kysen parked his car on one of the side streets. He took a quick look around to make sure there weren’t any mortals to see him before he slipped off his black suede jacket and opened the Mustang’s trunk. Not seeing anyone close by, he pulled out his sword and strapped it to his back, then pulled his jacket back on over top it. His sword—a khopesh, an ancient Egyptian-type sword that had the upper most part of the blade shaped like a sickle—was made out of bronze. That particular metal was an undead’s weakness. One cut from his khopesh and they instantly decomposed, leaving nothing but a pile of dust and empty clothes behind to mark their existence.
Weaponed up, Kysen hit the street, waiting for the familiar prickle of his skin to warn him when an undead was nearby. He walked past a nightclub on the opposite side of the street. He heard the loud thumping of music through the closed entrance door. If he’d needed to feed, that was the type of place he’d go to look for a donor. But he’d fed a couple of nights ago, and since his blood hunger hadn’t increased, he didn’t feel the need.
That thought had him thinking about Cena again. Even though he didn’t show the signs of her being his mate, it wasn’t exactly something he felt the loss of. Without his blood hunger riding him, he could afford to take his time getting to know Cena better. He didn’t have to make a rash decision about telling her what he truly was because only her blood would satisfy him and he’d starve without it.
He broke out of his musing when his skin prickled. Following the sensation until it grew stronger, Kysen ducked into a dark alley, one of the places an undead liked to lure their victims. One bite was all it took for an undead to take a mortal’s soul and change them into what had attacked them.
At the very back of the alley, he easily spotted his prey. With excellent night vision, he saw just as well as if it were daylight. Glad to see it was only a regular undead and not one of the undead warriors—or one of Mot’s stronger, new generation undead warriors—Kysen unsheathed his sword. He then moved in to end the existence of what he stalked, keeping the mortals safer with one less undead to attack them.
* * * * *
Cena woke with a start and looked around the room to find it no longer night. She glanced at her alarm clock on her dresser and saw it was only eight in the morning. She settled deeper into the covers and put her hand on the left side of her chest. Her heart beat at a fast pace beneath her palm. With a deep breath, she forced it to slow.
She’d dreamed about her dream man again. Only this time instead of not having a clear picture of him she’d been able to see him in more detail. It was Kysen’s face she’d seen. And for once she remembered everything about the dream after awaking—vividly.
The dream had been more erotic than anything, nothing like the recurring ones she’d had since she was young. Her dream-Kysen had taken her in his arms and kissed her as the real one had done, except they hadn’t stopped at kissing. The dream-Kysen had done so much more, and her to him as well. They’d explored each other’s bodies, touching and tasting, until they’d both been wild with desire.
Cena frowned when she recalled more of the differences in the dream from those of the past. Not just its clarity marked it as different, but where she’d been with her dream-Kysen, and what they’d both been wearing before stripping each other naked. They’d been inside a small room with mud brick walls and tall clay jars all around them. She’d worn a tight-fitting, strapless sheath dress while dream-Kysen had worn a kilt with a loincloth under it. Both sets of clothing reminded her of what ancient Egyptians had worn.
Stretching, Cena told herself it had only been a dream. More than likely because she’d had dinner with Kysen at the Egyptian place, her subconscious mind had focused on the images that were painted on the walls inside the restaurant. Her brain had superimposed that theme onto herself and dream-Kysen while she’d slept.
Wide awake now, she decided to get up. For one thing, her dream had turned her on too much to be able to relax enough to go to sleep again. Cena stretched, then slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. At least she had lots of time to get ready before Kysen called.
Showered, dressed and with a little something in her stomach for breakfast, Cena sat down in the living room with a cup of tea to wait for the phone to ring. She took a sip of the hot beverage as she thought about how she wanted her second date with Kysen to g
o. She wanted him, there was no question about that. While in the shower with her dream replaying in her head, she came to the decision that he would be the one. The one she finally could see herself actually sleeping with.
Still being a virgin at twenty-nine sucked. It wasn’t as if she’d purposely set out to hold onto her virginity for so long. It was her damn high expectations that had caused it. And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried to get rid of it. She had some experience when it came to the bedroom, only she never could bring herself to go beyond heavy petting and oral sex. Something always stopped her from taking that final step. After a few failed attempts that had the man she’d been with calling her nothing but a cock tease, Cena had started dating less and less.
It could be a bit rash to use Kysen to get rid of her hated virginity since she hardly knew him, but she didn’t want to let the opportunity to finally go “all the way” to get away from her. There could very well not be another guy who met all her expectations when it came to sex showing up in her life for quite some time. She didn’t want to end up being fifty and still a virgin.
When the phone rang at close to eleven, Cena had become so caught up in the TV show she’d been watching she jumped at the sound. She took the time to look at the call display before she answered and saw the number showed as unknown.
She hit the talk button on the cordless phone. “Hello.”
“Hi, Cena. It’s Kysen.”
The sound of Kysen’s deep, slightly accented voice sent a shiver through her. “Hey. You managed to wake up in time to call me.”
“I told you I would. Are you still okay with spending the day with me?”
“Of course. What do you want to do?” She knew what she wanted to do, but she wasn’t about to blurt it out loud.
“How about I come over? Once I get there we can figure out what we’ll do with the day.”
“All right. You’ll be able to come right into the building when you get here. It’s not a secured entrance. I’m on the second floor in apartment 204. You’ll have to take the stairs since there isn’t an elevator.”
“Will do. See you in a little while.”
“See you then.”
After Cena disconnected the call, she returned the phone to its base. Since Kysen would be arriving shortly, she went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth again so she wouldn’t have smelly tea breath. In a last-minute decision in case things worked out the way she wanted them to, she changed the sheets on her bed.
Before she left the bedroom, she took a look at her reflection in the mirror attached to her dresser. She looked all right, she guessed. The yellow cotton ribbed t-shirt she wore had three small buttons at the collar. She undid the top two to create a deeper vee. Pushing her shoulders back, she figured enough of her cleavage showed to hopefully interest Kysen. Turning around and looking over her shoulder, she checked out her butt in the mirror. Her jeans were tight enough and didn’t make her ass look big. With one last fluff of her hair, she returned to the living room.
Just as she was about to sit on the couch, someone knocked on her apartment door. Crossing over to it, her heart raced. Since she wasn’t expecting anyone else it had to be Kysen. Looking through the peephole, she saw it was indeed him. Quickly she undid the deadbolt, the lock in the doorknob and the chain.
Cena opened the door and smiled. “Hi. Come on in.” She stepped aside for Kysen to walk into the apartment.
Once he was inside, she closed the door and redid the locks. That done, she turned to find Kysen standing behind her. Today he wore blue jeans and a snug white t-shirt that showed off his tanned skin. He looked good enough to eat.
Moving around him, she walked toward the living room and said, “Take a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“I’m fine,” he replied before he sat on the couch.
Cena seated herself next to him. Kysen seemed to take up a lot of room on her not-overly-large couch. Not that she wanted more space. She shifted a bit closer until their thighs touched. The heat from his body soaked into her side and the scent of his aftershave filled her nose.
“So,” she said. “What did you have in mind to do today?”
“I figured I’d take you out for an early dinner again since I have to work tonight, but other than that I’m open for suggestions.”
Her gaze drifted down to Kysen’s full lips. The dream she’d had of them together rose inside her head. She remembered what he’d done to her with that mouth of his, driving her almost insane until she begged for the release only he could give her.
She licked her suddenly dry lips and said, “I don’t know what to suggest. Dinner sounds good. We can find something here to eat for lunch. If you want to stay in the apartment.”
“Staying in the apartment suddenly sounds like a very good idea,” he said, his voice taking on a husky tone.
Cena forced her gaze off Kysen’s mouth and looked him in the eyes. They were dilated with arousal and seemed to be staring at her as if he would pounce on her at any minute. Wanting nothing more than for him to do it, she pushed her shoulders back a little bit more so the open part of her shirt parted a little wider. Kysen’s gaze dropped to her chest and stayed there. In reaction, her nipples grew taut. Having specifically picked a bra that was sheer and lacy, she didn’t have to look down to know he could see how hard her nipples had become.
Her breath caught when Kysen slowly lifted his gaze. “I can’t think of anything else I would rather do than be here with you—all day.”
“And I’m sure we can think of something to do to use up the time before we go out to eat,” she said in a breathy voice.
Kysen leaned toward her. “And what would that be?”
She squeezed her legs together to help ease the ache inside her pussy. “It’s something you and I can do together. Something I think we’ll really enjoy.”
“And does this something involve a lot of touching?”
Cena licked her lips again. “Most definitely.”
Kysen cupped the back of her head and brought his mouth to hers. A small sigh escaped her once he settled his lips fully against her own. She opened to allow his tongue entrance and sucked it farther into her mouth. The feel of it tangling with hers, stroking and tasting, had a fire building in the pit of her stomach. Wetness pooled in her pussy.
Shifting on the couch cushion to face him, Cena put her hands on Kysen’s wide chest and ran them up to the top of his shoulders. She loved the feel of his hard muscles under her hands and couldn’t wait to touch him without the barrier of his shirt.
Their kiss became more heated as Kysen lifted her and brought her to sit across his lap. The feel of his thick length nestled against her butt made her squirm. The ache in her core intensified.
Kysen put a hand on her hip to still her movements and said against her lips, “Keep doing that and I’m going to embarrass myself.”
Cena pulled away from his mouth and took hold of the bottom of his t-shirt. She slowly lifted it, exposing Kysen’s well-defined six-pack abs. “Then maybe we should do something to stop that from happening.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I’m thinking we need to move to my bedroom and give us a little more room to work on your problem.”
Kysen leaned in and nuzzled the base of her neck. “An excellent idea.”
With an arm around her waist and under her legs, he stood with her held against him. He handled her as if she weighed nothing. Cena put her arms around Kysen’s neck and stroked his nape. When he walked toward the short hallway that led to her bedroom, excitement heated her blood. The need to join her body to his had her breathing quicker.
At her bedroom, Kysen carried her over to the bed. He didn’t settle her on top of it, but turned her in his arms and slowly let her slide down his body. He dropped his hands to her ass and held her to him as he lowered his head to claim her lips once again.
This wasn’t anything like the gentle exploring exchange they’d shared in the living room. Kysen
used his teeth and tongue, deepening the kiss until she moaned into his mouth. She rubbed her body against his where the hard length of his cock was wedged between them. Wanting to feel more of him, Cena lifted Kysen’s shirt again, but this time she didn’t stop at his abs. Once she reached his chin, he pulled away only long enough to yank it over his head.
With all that hard male flesh exposed, she couldn’t stop herself from getting a taste of his skin. She nipped at his chin before she lowered her mouth to the hollow of his throat. Cena ran her tongue across it, then moved to the top of his muscled chest. With hands and tongue she explored every inch of it, learning each curve and dip.
Kysen’s hand tightened on her ass as he let out a low groan. “I didn’t want to rush, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to hold out much longer.”
“Who says I won’t like it hard and fast?” A tremor shook Kysen’s body at her words.
Without saying anything else Kysen took hold of the bottom of her t-shirt and pulled it off her. He bent his head and laved each of her nipples through her bra before he removed it as well. He returned to her breast and circled a taut nipple with his tongue before he sucked it inside his mouth. Kysen rolled the other between his thumb and index finger, making it ache to be sucked.
Cena buried her fingers in his hair to hold him to her chest as she rolled her hips into his. Kysen shifted to suck at her other breast and dropped his hands to the top of her jeans. With nimble fingers, he undid the button and zipper. His large hands skimmed down her hips, taking her jeans with them. When they pooled at her ankles, he released her nipple and kissed a path down her stomach until he knelt in front of her. Kysen dragged his tongue across her hipbone as he removed her jeans all the way off along with her socks.
Wetness leaked into her panties when Cena looked down and watched Kysen trace the top of the lace edge with a finger. She was so turned-on she didn’t think it would take much to make her come. She wanted to beg him to touch her more intimately. As if he’d heard her silent plea, he tugged her panties down her legs. Cena kicked them away.
Reincarnated Hunger Page 3
