Shattered Silence

by Anna Carven

Oh. Her heart beat a little faster. Heat surged between her thighs. She leaned into him a fraction, letting him know in no uncertain terms how she felt. The aches and pains that had been with her for so long faded into the background, becoming distant noise in the face of Enki’s intensity.

  “I’m not complaining,” she whispered slowly, carefully, suddenly feeling in control of a very volatile situation. She knew exactly what she wanted, and that was Enki. “I’m most definitely not complaining.”

  Layla Rose would never have been so forward, but up here in distant space, she was a nobody; an insignificant human who had severed ties with Earth. She had faced certain death and survived, not just once, but several times now. She’d even killed a man—a Kordolian. It was as if Layla had walked through the fire and come out the other side unscathed.

  No, not just unscathed. Stronger.

  Really, she could do whatever the fuck she liked.

  And right now, she just wanted Enki, dirt and injuries and everything else be damned.

  He put his hands around her waist and lifted her up onto the hovering platform, once again stunning her with his sheer strength. Somehow, he was able to avoid aggravating the injury to her ribs. Layla’s feet touched the flat surface. Enki stepped up beside her, and suddenly they were moving, drifting into the dark tunnel.

  “I watched you as you slept,” he murmured, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her against him. Okay, so he was definitely not annoyed. “You are very beautiful, Layla.”

  Tons of people had called her beautiful over the years, but nobody’s compliments would ever be as potent as Enki’s. Swoon. Like a cliche in some romance novel, she actually went weak at the knees. Or maybe her body was just tired from all that running and fighting and escaping. Either way, he had a powerful effect on her, making her feel like a virginal teenager on a first date.

  “So are you,” she replied, and while it seemed like an odd thing to say to someone like him, Layla felt it with all her heart. His beauty was hard-edged and severe and otherworldly. Cold, but secretly vulnerable. When one stripped away all those scary armor-like defenses, there was life underneath.

  A walking paradox.

  And he was so irresistibly warm.

  “Hm.” He nuzzled her neck, sounding a little amused. Enki? Amused? Well, there was a first time for everything. “Only you can say such things. The rest of the Universe doesn’t see me that way.”

  “I couldn’t care less about the rest of the Universe.” A fresh wave of desire washed over her. Beneath the generous folds of her borrowed uniform, her body was on fire. “I want you.”

  “Layla…” His voice cracked, and his grip around her waist tightened. Something hard pressed against her lower back, and Layla instantly knew what it was. His erection. Holy moly. “When I claim you, our coupling will not be rushed. I will gladly endure this torture to see you healed and whole again, because I am not going to be gentle with you, Layla.” A growl entered his voice. “I can’t.”

  Layla couldn’t help it; she let out a soft groan. The sound was need and desire and appreciation, all rolled into one. She wanted Enki to take her right here, right now, to slam her against the wall and do it hard and quick and dirty, hoisting her up with those powerful arms of his. At the same time, she knew exactly what he was saying; the thought of a slow-burning seduction was too tantalizing to resist, and for their first time together, she wanted it to be… right.

  He was planning to be rough with her… hoo boy.

  Sometimes, the best things came to those who waited.

  “When I fuck you,” he whispered, “it will be at a time of our choosing, in a place of my choosing, and I will pleasure you exactly as I please.”

  Heat rose in her cheeks as Layla became hot and flustered. The attraction between them was undeniable, and it wasn’t just because Enki had saved her ass in the most horrific of circumstances. An alien…

  Jesus. Could they even… were they even compatible? They had to be, since Layla was seriously lusting after this man. She had no choice but to trust the biology, to trust that her body, heart, and mind knew what they were doing.

  And since when had Kordolians always been this damn attractive? Why was she only noticing it now? They’d been all over the newsfeeds for some time now.

  Silver skin, amber eyes, hair as white as the driven snow, fangs, and I bet he has a killer body under there…

  Layla knew why.

  It was because she’d spent her last few months on Earth holed up in her condo, paranoid as fuck, sliding deeper and deeper into the dark pit of depression, waiting for someone to deliver her from her own neurotic hell.

  Help never came. Shit, what could any of her people do against the relentless push of the drone-a-razzi? On the verge of madness, she’d engineered her own escape. That was what Infinity-8 and Miridian-7 had been all about. Sheer desperation. She’d spent her entire fortune on that dream, only to see it get blown to pieces by a storm of stupid tiny rocks no bigger than the size of a marble.

  She’d discovered what it was like to live at the very limits of human endurance, to dance with death, to kill a man…

  Suddenly, all the things she’d been afraid of before became so insignificant.

  “Excuse me, Enki,” she murmured, wiggling her hips provocatively so her ass brushed against his erection. He growled; a primal, dangerous sound. Careful.

  “What are you playing at, human?”

  “Who said you’re the only one who gets to do all the pleasuring?”

  “I did not say that.” His voice was taut, like a wire wound tight, about to snap. His hand slid down from her waist to the curve of her hip. She shifted her weight. His cock twitched. He exhaled. “But I will make you beg for more, Layla of Earth.”

  Layla didn’t doubt him one bit, because as Enki had already shown, he was a man of his word.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  They navigated a convoluted route down corridors that were alternately wide then narrow, ending up in a section of the station that was—surprise, surprise—brightly lit. Layla could only guess at the distance they’d travelled, but it seemed like kilometers. No wonder Enki had commandeered this weird floating platform. Walking such a distance would have taken them ages.

  Enki uttered a soft command, and the platform came to a complete stop outside a wide doorway. Warm light spilled out of the entrance, making whatever lay beyond seem welcoming and inviting and not at all scary.

  “It has been customized to accommodate humans,” Enki said, following the direction of her gaze. “The lighting is a recent addition. I thought you would feel more comfortable here.”

  “There are humans here?”

  “They come, from time to time.”

  “Who are they?” Layla wondered whether the Federation might be working with this mysterious Darkstar organization.

  “The mates,” Enki shrugged. He held out his hand and helped her off the platform. Layla winced as her injured rib caught, sending a twinge of pain through her chest. She ignored it, hoping it would eventually go away. “It is not always possible for us to return to Earth between missions, so they occasionally spend time here.”

  “Mates?” Layla blinked, suddenly feeling apprehensive. If they were Earth people, then they would know about her and her history, unless they’d been living under some sort of rock. Earth people didn’t tend to have a very high opinion of Layla Rose and her scandalous antics. Shit. How was she going to explain this to Enki? Would he see her differently after this? “I suppose it makes sense that I’m not the first human to fall for a Kordolian.” She looked up at him, deciding that it was better to be open about things that would eventually surface. “I have to warn you, they’ll probably—”

  “Oh my god!” A distinctly human voice rang out. “Layla Rose?”

  Too late. Layla took a deep breath and turned to face the one who had recognized her. “Hi,” she said, offering a half-wave.

  The woman who stared back at Layla was about a head
shorter than her, with brown hair arranged in a messy ponytail, hazel eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. “You’re the Layla Rose…” Her eyes widened a fraction as they flicked across to Enki, but she didn’t seem in the least bit intimidated by him. “Enki, you didn’t tell me who she was.” She shook her head, holding out a hand to Layla. “I’m sorry. You must think I’m some sort of crazy person. It’s just that I’m not used to seeing… well, you’re the very last person I expected Enki to bring in from out there. I’m Abbey. I absolutely loved you in Varaxian Raiders II.”

  Taken aback, Layla took Abbey’s outstretched hand and shook, finding warmth in her firm grasp. “Thanks… I guess.” She paused, not used to interacting with humans after spending so much time alone. She wasn’t used to people professing their love for that particular holofilm, either. She hadn’t thought there was anybody on Earth who thought VRII was a good film, but apparently, she was wrong. “You, uh, live here?”

  “Sometimes. My husband is carrying out a mission on a nearby planet, so it’s more convenient for us to be here for the time being. He can come and see us from time to time without having to travel all the way back to Earth.” She gestured over her shoulder, and Layla saw something most unexpected—plants. Not just any plants, but real Earth plants; palm trees, ferns, climbing plants, even a passionfruit vine. And the light here was… different. Warm and radiant, it almost felt like she was standing in sunlight. “This part of the station is ours. I’ve had it modified to suit our biology. Dark and gloomy isn’t my thing, you know.”

  “This is… cool.” Layla’s head spun as she took in her surroundings. This was only the entrance hall, and yet it was full of plants. Beyond the entrance, the hall split off into several corridors, and Layla couldn’t help but wonder what kind of world Abbey had created on this massive floating fortress.

  How strange, how surreal to find something so warm and human and alive in this cold, shadowy place. It said a lot about Abbey’s relationship with her husband, whoever he was. That he could give her free reign to express herself; that she could sacrifice her existence on Earth and willingly spend time in space just to be closer to him…

  “Abbey,” Enki snapped, keeping one possessive hand on Layla’s waist, even as he radiated impatience. “She has been through an ordeal. She is tired, hungry, and injured. See to her needs first, then I will find you in the med-bay. Zharek knows to expect her.” Enki glowered, looming over Abbey like a towering thundercloud.

  Abbey glared right back at him. The woman was clearly used to Kordolians and their threatening ways. “You should have told me, Enki. Here I was getting all star-struck when Layla is in need of TLC… and Earth food.” She turned to Layla. “Sorry, hun. My head’s all over the place, and I did not get the full information. You’re probably all worn out. I totally get how you must be feeling right now. Come and have something to eat, then we’ll take you to Zharek. The kitchen-bot has just made some cinnamon croissants.”

  Holy shit. Layla’s stomach rumbled, and she remembered that she hadn’t eaten real food in months. “You read my mind,” she murmured. “I’m starving.”

  “Escaping from evil guys tends to do that to a body. Trust me, I know how it feels. You’ll feel a heck of a lot better when you have something decent in your belly. Not their food, though. All they eat is protein.” She made a face.

  Layla couldn’t help it; she laughed. There was something so absurd about these mysterious, hard, vicious warriors hanging around with a down-to-earth, opinionated woman like Abbey, who had the amazing ability to kill pretension dead in its tracks.

  What did that say about her other half, then? Was he as fierce and inscrutable and alien as Enki? Layla’s gut instinct told her that he was.

  How fascinating.

  “Go,” Enki whispered in her ear, brushing his fingers against hers in a secret parting gesture. “I will return.”

  “Where are you goi—”

  “Bye.” He kissed her on the lips. He actually kissed her in front of Abbey; a naughty, deliberate gesture of possession.

  Clearly, he wasn’t intending to keep what had transpired between them a secret. Abbey didn’t even look surprised. She just took everything in her stride, as if Kordolian-human relationships were an everyday occurrence.

  Suddenly, he was gone, slipping away in all his barefoot glory as Abbey stared at Layla with a cryptic half-smile on her lips. “How did you do that?” she whispered.

  “Do what?”

  “He’s the toughest nut to crack. Rarely ever seen, barely says a word. I think that’s actually the first time he’s said anything to me directly. But with you, he’s different."

  “Abbey, I can hear you.” Enki’s dry voice drifted toward them as he disappeared around the corner.

  “I know.” Unfazed, Abbey waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Eavesdropping is rude, you know.”

  “Hmph,” he snorted, sounding mildly exasperated. Then he was gone.

  “Super-hearing can be such a pain-in-the-ass,” Abbey whispered, gesturing for Layla to follow. She glanced back, putting a reassuring hand on Layla’s shoulder. “I know all of this must seen terribly weird to you right know, but trust me, they’re good people. Come. Let’s get you something to eat, then I’ll show where the showers are. Bet you’re dying for one. I know I was when I finally got off Kythia.”

  Layla walked down the corridor, astonished that Abbey didn’t treat her any differently, considering who she was and her infamy on Earth. There was no judgment, no bullshit. Just acceptance, and the offer of cinnamon croissants and a hot shower.

  These were the very last things she’d expected to find on a gigantic scary Kordolian space station in the middle of nowhere. Layla wallowed in afterglow of her lust for Enki, her need for him stretching into a long and torturously delicious thing as she followed Abbey, chasing a whiff of butter and pastry and cinnamon.

  The smell was so reassuring, so reminiscent of Earth, that she actually blinked away tears.

  You are safe now.

  That’s what Enki had told her, and he really was a man of his word.

  But Layla couldn’t help but wonder why he had to disappear all of a sudden, and she hadn’t failed to notice the look of disquiet that crossed his elegant features as he turned away, hiding his darkness from her.

  When it came to Enki, there was still so much she had to learn, but first, she had to get herself right.

  “Hey, Abbey?” A certain kind of hopefulness snuck into her heart. There was one thing that would really help her right now.

  “Yeah?”

  “You got any coffee to go with those croissants?”

  “Do I have coffee?” Abbey laughed. “Layla Rose, I get the feeling you and I are going to get along just fine.”

  “That’s a yes?”

  “Affirmative. And just in case you’re curious, Kordolians like their coffee strong and bitter.”

  “Just like them, right?”

  “Oh, but there’s sweetness in there too. It just takes a little time to come out.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The exercise pool on the lowermost deck was in use when Enki arrived. Splashes and shouts echoed throughout the vast chamber, and he caught sight of a group of four Kordolian warriors playing takrit, an old Lost Tribes game of skill involving a heavy ball made from stone and leather.

  Upon seeing Enki, one of the soldiers stopped, a panicked expression crossing his face as recognition dawned. He muttered something to his companions in Aikun and they all swam to the edge of the pool and got out, silently dipping their heads in acknowledgement. They might not know his name, but they knew what he was.

  In the old military, the First Division had always been given a wide berth. As rumors of impossible missions and brutal world-breaking swirled, their notoriety grew, and some idiot introduced the idea that the First Division had been touched by the hand of Kaiin, the death-god himself.

  The notion stuck. People feared them, and e
ven in the New Universe, some things never changed. The fading patter of wet feet and dripping bodies told Enki the four warriors had left him in peace.

  That suited him just fine. Exhaling, he tried to force some of the tension out of his body, but his efforts were futile. The hold Layla had on him was just too strong. His heart raced, pumping pure lust through his veins. He threw off his kashkan and dived into the cold dark waters, sinking to the bottom of the pool.

  Water surrounded him in a frigid embrace. The transparent bottom of the pool looked out onto the stars, giving him a perfect view of the infinite Universe. The glittering stars had been his favorite thing to look at, until Layla came along. Now, he couldn’t get her perfect face out of his mind.

  Enki closed his eyes, welcoming the cold and silence. The lack of air didn’t bother him. He could go for a long time without breathing, the nanites sustaining his oxygen-deprived cells. Submerging himself in the pool was an old trick he’d learned from cycles upon cycles of Tharian-induced madness. Down here, it was much easier to overcome the Tharian’s infernal rantings.

  Layla was a different matter. He couldn’t get her out of his mind. She pervaded every pore, every cell, every fiber of his being.

  It was strange; he’d always expected he would dislike humans if he ever had anything to do with them. On the surface, they appeared to be fickle, contrary beings. Weak in body and foolish, they refused to understand their place in the Universe. He’d never had any interest in getting to know any of them.

  But now the madness had overtaken him, so he had to do this.

  Tharian. For the first time in his life, he summoned the cursed creature, calling it.

  No response.

  Enki bristled, suspecting the Tharian was being silent on purpose. Do not act obtuse with me, Tharian. He gathered his willpower and put the Tharian in a tight mental stranglehold. You are in my head. You come out when I tell you to.

  A pause, then it surfaced, radiating surliness. I do have a name, warrior.