by Anna Carven
“Don’t put limits on yourself, Alexis. You can move faster than that.” He frowned, looking every bit the stern instructor.
She put her hands on her hips and stretched her neck, taking a moment to study him. Nythian’s dark armor was gone. In its place, he wore a pair of loose black trousers and a sleeveless tunic that revealed his silver arms.
She was sure it wasn’t intentional on his part, but the sight of his bare arms was damn distracting.
Every time he moved, his powerful muscles flexed. She’d never seen such perfect anatomy in her life. She could spend all day just staring at those twin examples of masculine perfection. She could spend all day studying his wide shoulders, staring at his broad chest, trying to imagine what lay under the dark fabric of his shirt.
If the sight of his arms was anything to go by, then—
“Alexis,” Nythian snapped. “What are you doing? Don’t lose focus.”
Before she could respond, he moved, becoming a sliver-and-black blur. His hand snaked out and tapped her right in the middle of her sternum.
“You’re dead.” His voice was soft and deadly, and Alexis froze as she got a taste of how lethal he really was. What if there had been a blade in his hand? There was no way she would ever have seen it coming.
She suppressed a shudder.
“Not fair. I can’t react that quickly,” she grated. It was hard to come to terms with the fact that this alien was physically superior to her in every way. “Do all Kordolians move like you?”
“No.” He shrugged. “Without enhancement, Kordolians are naturally stronger and faster than humans, but my body has been modified, so I am twice as fast again.”
“So you’re twice as fast as an ordinary Kordolian, and you’re expecting me to be able to block you?”
He gave her a cryptic look. “You don’t have to block me. Just get inside my guard. Use distraction if you must. All humans possess the instinct, the danger-sense. You just need to recognize it and hone it. We have trained others and seen vast improvements. The aim is not for you to fight back. You only need to dodge once, because once you are close enough…”
She held up her obsidian hand. It glistened under the bright artificial lights. “This is supposed to do all the damage, right?”
“Precisely.”
“I don’t know how to use it, and Anuk isn’t able to help me right now.” Ever since she’d undergone the procedure in Zharek’s labs, the Tharian had been silent.
A terrible sense of urgency rose up inside her. She had to get the Tharian home. Anuk was part of her now, and if she didn’t do the right thing, it would haunt her forever.
Nythian removed his hand from her chest, and part of her wanted to beg him to put it back, to hold her like he had before.
“Zharek captured the entire incident on his physiological monitoring streams,” he said. “He is currently dissecting the data and logging the exact physical changes that occurred in your body at that time. Sooner or later, he will understand the exact physiological mechanism behind it. You will harness this power, Alexis, with or without the Tharian.”
“What if I can’t?”
“That is not an option,” he growled, suddenly looking very severe and intimidating. “You are going to master this, Alexis. Do not even try and think otherwise. Let’s try again.”
She had to give it to him, he could be damn persuasive when he wanted. The strength in his words flowed into her, and she found a sliver of her old confidence.
He moved, and this time she put her arm up, blocking his first as she darted in and curled her fingers around his neck. His skin was impossibly warm, and now she was so close she could see the pulse in his neck, his carotid artery—or whatever the Kordolian equivalent was—beating steadily, evidence that just like her, he had a heart, a mortal body.
“That’s better.” Nythian smiled, his approval washing over her like warmth from the sun.
She basked in it. “So, if I knew how to activate this thing, theoretically, I could kill you.”
“Not me, but to some human or Kordolian enemy, you could do a lot of damage, yes.”
“What are you… immortal or something?”
“I’m very hard to kill,” he said, and she believed him. “I will be at your side the whole time, but it is vitally important that you learn to defend yourself. These situations tend to get… unpredictable, believe me.”
“I know,” she said dryly, remembering the countless times she’d turned up to a police raid only to have the situation spin wildly out of control. Three times, she’d been injured in the line of duty. “What if they’re wearing some sort of armor, though? What if I can’t get skin on skin?”
“That’s why I’m going to teach you to shoot plasma. You already shoot, yes?”
“A little.” In fact, she’d won the Agency’s short weapons tournament three years in a row. The idea that these Kordolians would actually entrust her with powerful plasma weapons was a little bit… daunting, but also exciting. “Do the other humans get this sort of training, too?”
“Not quite, but we’re planning on extending the program for certain others, depending on how this goes.”
“So I’m a test subject?” She didn’t know how to feel about that.
“That’s why it’s so important that you and I succeed.” She thought he almost smiled then, but he was still in stern instructor mode, so different to how he’d been the day before…
When he’d kissed her.
“So you’re going to train me up… and then what? What’s your endpoint with all this, Kordolian?” Even with her transformed, Callidum-bound fingers, she could feel the steady beat of his pulse.
He leaned in. “I have many desired endpoints. One of those is to see you become strong.”
“And the others?”
“One of them includes this.” He leaned in and kissed her on the lips again! It was a bold, possessive kiss. His lips were warm and insistent, and he slid his hand down her neck, her back, pulling her close.
Their bodies touched. She felt his hard body through the thin material of his shirt. She wanted more, wanted to feel his bare skin against hers, wanted to run her hands along the planes and ridges of his torso, wanted to appreciate every single hard inch of him…
She responded to his lips with hungry kisses of her own, unable to control herself any longer.
This can’t be happening.
In past relationships, she’d always been the one in control.
With this man, it was different.
He called the shots, and she couldn’t help but respond. Mixed in with her surprise and desire was a strange sense of relief.
She ran her obsidian hand down his neck, his chest, his stomach, feeling the sculpted contours of his body.
Alexis tugged playfully at his bottom lip as she broke away from his kiss. “I thought this training session was supposed to be serious.”
“It is.” His brow crinkled in amusement. “This is your reward.”
“For what?”
“For getting inside my guard.” His smile became devious. “Nobody ever does that.”
“But…” A feeling of suspicion grew inside her. “It’s true, I reacted a lot faster, but I didn’t think I would…” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you let me do that?”
Nythian offered an enigmatic shrug. “In such a short amount of time, you’ve improved. It’s impressive. You still have a lot of work to do, but with time, you’ll be able to take on a wide range of opponents.”
“Not you, though.” The note of approval in his voice did strange things to her. She wanted to work even harder, to show him that her first strike hadn’t just been a fluke.
Strange. Nobody else she knew could make her feel like this.
“You don’t need to fight to get close to me,” Nythian murmured. “Just give in. You can’t hide it from me.”
“Hide what?” Her hand was on his chest. She felt the steady ba-bump of his heart. Always steady. Never frantic. Never out o
f control.
Did he ever lose control?
“What?” She insisted. Now he was really driving her nuts. She could so easily burn away this frustration by jumping his bones.
They were alone. Nobody would ever know.
“Your body doesn’t lie.” He took her wrist and pulled her hand away, twining his fingers through hers. He lifted her obsidian hand up to his mouth and kissed her fingers. His lips were gentle, almost reverent. Brilliant red eyes locked onto hers.
Her heart pounded. She forgot to breathe. “We barely know each other. How can you be so sure? You’re my guard. Are you even allowed to…”
Sharp fangs gleamed. “Oh, I’m definitely allowed. You might even say that amongst our kind, it’s encouraged.”
He wanted her.
She found him utterly irresistible…
But there were too many barriers in her mind, and this was all happening too fast.
“Nythian, I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to get attached.” The words felt like broken glass as they came out of her mouth.
Nythian’s eyes narrowed. “Why would you say this? You are already mated?” He looked a bit scary then. Did the mere thought of her being with another make him… jealous?
“No. There’s no other.”
“Then what is the problem? You do not find me desirable?”
“No. That’s not it. I… I mean, you’re definitely—”
“Then what point is there in holding back?” He almost seemed angry. “You have spoken with Abbey and Layla. You know they are mated. You know our species are compatible.”
“I understand that now. It’s just that…”
“What?”
She threw caution to the wind. She couldn’t lie to him. Not about this. “This is a difficult thing for me to talk about.”
“Oh?” Nythian listened patiently.
“I know your species needs us to survive. I know Kordolians and humans are reproductively compatible. I’m not, though. I can’t have children.”
The injuries she’d sustained in the Kordolian attack had damaged her reproductive organs. Even with stem cell therapy and organ printing, it was too difficult to repair.
She could hardly believe she’d just told him this terribly intimate and painful secret, but he just had a way of making her talk.
She didn’t understand it.
Nythian had gone quiet; too quiet.
Did this change everything? It didn’t matter. She’d rather know his reaction sooner than later, before she fell too deeply for him.
“I want you,” he said at last, squeezing her hands tightly. His fingers were rough and warm. His words chased away her pain. His eyes burned with an intensity that was completely alien. “I want you. That is all.”
Stars, this man…
He was going to ruin her completely.
He already had.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from his, couldn’t release herself from his grasp.
But suddenly, he hesitated.
“Wait, Alexis. Sorry…” Nythian cursed softly and cocked his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. He uttered something in Kordolian, and she got the sense he was speaking with someone else.
But… how? Were Kordolians telepathic creatures? Or was it just their insanely advanced technology?
“We’ve been summoned,” he said, and the tone of his voice changed, becoming brisk and businesslike. “Let’s go. We will continue our training later.”
Alexis couldn’t help it; feeling giddy, she chuckled softly.
“You find this amusing?” Nythian raised an eyebrow.
“I was just thinking that this isn’t like any training I’ve ever had before.”
“You like it?” He grinned. Now he was just messing with her.
“Let’s go,” she huffed, pulling away from him. She walked to the corner, where she’d left a synth-fiber towel and a bottle of water on a small ledge. She slung the towel around her neck and took a long drink from the bottle. Surprisingly, it was made out of regular old glass.
Now it was Nythian’s turn to chuckle. “Straight down to business. I like that. I can’t wait to teach you how to shoot.”
“I already know how to shoot.”
“Not like this, you don’t.”
“Hmph.” She strode outside as the freaky door unraveled for Nythian. “We’ll see. Where are we going?”
“Command room. Boss wants to see us. I’m guessing there’s a problem.”
A flicker of fear rose up inside her, but she pushed it away. It was easier to do that now. “You don’t seem particularly worried.”
“Nah.” His gaze traveled slowly up and down, turning deliciously intense. Her body sang with need. Sooner or later, he was going to make her do a crazy thing or two. “Problems are what we do, Alexis. Whatever it is, we’ll handle it.”
FOURTEEN
THE MATING FEVER had hit Nythian like a punch in the gut.
Alexis didn’t know it, but it had come upon him in the middle of their training, a thunderclap of agony that hit him in the temples, extending right from the throbbing points of his horn-buds to the hard length of his cock.
That’s why she’d been able to lay a hand on him. For a moment, he’d been distracted. Kissing her had relieved the pressure only slightly, just enough for him to regain his senses. Now his need was a tender and painful ache, and he wondered how long he could keep it contained.
Slowly, she was opening up to him, starting to trust him, but she wasn’t ready yet.
She reminded him of the sleek sarabin that prowled at the edge of the Vaal on Kythia. The beautiful creatures sometimes came to the outskirts of the Flatedge in search of prey, but they were wily and suspicious by nature, and it was notoriously hard to earn their trust.
Alexis didn’t trust him completely, not yet.
But by the time he was done with her, she would understand that she had nothing to fear from him, ever.
Her scent was all around him. Spicy, musky, with a hint of feminine sweetness, threatening to drive him berserk.
Shit. So this is what it feels like. One by one, he’d watched his brothers fall into a state of barely-controlled insanity as they grew increasingly obsessed with their mates. He’d never really understood the madness.
Until now.
He had to be careful here. He had to play this right. Nythian had a bit of a problem with losing control. He’d always had a nasty temper, and he suspected that when it came to lust and sex, his restraint could so easily shatter.
Then she would be scared of him.
He didn’t want that to happen.
That would be the worst thing ever.
As he walked ahead of Alexis, fighting the urge to steal her away to his quarters and do what his body was telling him to—claim her most savagely—a powerful memory entered his thoughts.
The memories had been creeping up on him lately, breaking through at the most inconvenient times. Zharek had warned them this kind of thing would happen from time to time.
The programming… the memory wipe that had been forced upon all the First Division soldiers…
It was beginning to wear off.
Nythian tensed. The pain in his temples was almost unbearable now.
He wandered through the slums, his bare feet silent on the frozen black earth. The varhund loped beside him, its black tail held straight and low, a sign that it was on the hunt.
In Nythian’s left hand was a twisted bar of heavy Vancadium. It wasn’t as good as black metal, but Callidum was rare and expensive; the Imperial bastards kept it all for themselves.
No Flatedge dweller could afford anything made out of Callidum, but Nythian didn’t care. When the opportunity came, he was going to kick one of those Imperial bastards to his death and steal his Callidum blade.
He whacked his palm with the Vancadium bar, glaring at an old man who sat in a crumbling alcove. His crimson eyes were unfocused, and he had the stench of Tariss smoke all over him.
&n
bsp; The man shrank away as Nythian passed. Everyone in Flatedge knew his reputation. He was the boss here, one of the strongest in this cursed slum. He had no choice. Here, weakness meant death.
Nobody fucked with Nythian. Not even the local cutthroats. Here, he was King.
It was good to be strong. Anger simmered in his chest. It was his drug, his power, the dark fuel that kept him alive. The Empire and the cursed Universe would not deny him. He would take what was his by force, because that was all he knew.
“Hey.” A soft, irresistible voice brought him back to the present. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing,” he said sharply, avoiding her gaze as they entered Tarak’s command room. A dark, empty antechamber led to the office beyond, where massive windows looked out onto the Universe. How did he explain to her that he was having some seriously carnal thoughts right now, that all of his self-discipline could unravel in an instant if she merely looked at him the wrong way?
The bad part of him wanted to take her by force.
She was no match for him physically.
It would be so easy…
No! He was furious at himself for even considering it.
If he gave in to his basest desires now, she would be lost to him before he had a chance to truly claim her.
An unwilling mate was no victory at all. Only a spineless coward would take a female against her will.
That was why he gladly endured this torture, clenching his teeth as he strode into Tarak’s office, tasting his own bitter blood as his fangs pierced the inside of his lower lip.
She would be his mate, but she would yield the way he wanted her to... willingly and without any fear.
She would choose him.
He paused at the threshold, sensing her apprehension. “Relax. You won’t be getting any trouble from my boss.”
“It’s a long time since I’ve been summoned,” she said wryly. Her voice was low and throaty; she almost sounded conspiratorial, as if they were long-time lovers sharing a secret. “Reminds me of my old job.”
He liked it when she spoke to him like that. It was comfortable and intimate, and he could listen to her for an eternity. He could close his eyes and drift away on the sound of her voice, let it take him to places he didn’t even know existed. “I’m guessing that when you got reprimanded, they always let you off the hook, eventually.”
