Flames of Arousal

by Kerce, Ruth D.

  Brianna heaved a sigh of relief, not overly concerned with that type of problem. “I have more important issues to deal with at the moment. Handle the situation yourself.”

  Initiations of Warriors and Breeders were important, but not as important as the survival of the Lair and Xylon’s security.

  “This is a high-priority Initiation. The situation is serious. Possibly life-threatening.”

  “Life-threatening?” Hell, she’d better check on the status and find out what was going on. They needed every Warrior they could get, even a newly-initiated one, to be healthy and able to fight. She followed the tech to one of the five Initiation Chambers and looked inside the observation portal. A tall, muscular, and very naked man was going berserk, throwing things around the room and yelling.

  “What happened?” She admired the stranger’s physique and wondered who he was.

  “He’s having a negative reaction to the Initiation chemicals.”

  “Did you allow too much time to pass after the chemicals were administered?” The chemicals enhanced desire to aid in the completion of the Lair’s Sexual Initiation Rite. If the initiate wasn’t adequately sated in a timely manner, his or her mind could snap, causing insanity or even death.

  “Not at all. When the chemicals should have been taking effect, increasing his sexual desire, that’s when he started going crazy. The reaction was immediate. We, um, did a liquid ingestion, instead of the normal transfer.”

  “What? Why?” The normal transfer was oral, but from a chemical coating, not a liquid. Their Healers had searched for alternate ways to administer the chemicals in the past, but nothing worked as effectively as the old ways, so they’d relented. The Lair’s Initiation Ceremony was an ancient rite—a protection and bonding ceremony, full of tradition and very powerful—not to be changed or altered in the name of progress.

  The tech handed her the man’s file. “You better read this.”

  She flipped on the handheld device and quickly scanned the file. What the fuck? She glanced back at the man in the room. “He’s from Earth?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Why the hell are we initiating an Earth man?” They initiated Earth women for breeding purposes, those with the proper DNA, but never men. This didn’t make sense.

  Although Xylon Warriors, males and females, were initiated to protect them from sexually-transferred diseases and poisons, this man wasn’t a Xylon Warrior. From his records, he didn’t seem to have any Xylon blood in him at all. Not that was noted in the e-file, anyhow.

  “It’s a special project,” the tech informed her.

  “Ordered by whom?”

  “Um…Laszlo.” She pointed to the clearance icon on the bottom corner of the screen.

  Laszlo—the Lair’s leader prior to Braden, a powerful man—a rumored Visionary as well as a former Healer, who’d disappeared shortly after a trip to Earth when Alexa was brought back for breeding with Brianna’s twin brother. Oh, this just got better and better.

  The order had been issued and entered into the Lair’s database before Laszlo disappeared, she saw in the file. The fact that the order had been carried out surprised her. She thought the Council would have killed the project, as was standard operating procedure with a change of command—according to Lair regulations, at least. Unless the Council knew nothing about Laszlo’s project. Or too much maybe…

  She couldn’t remember a time when Laszlo wasn’t in control of the Lair, and even the Council itself, before his recent disappearance. No records existed on the Lair’s previous leaders, and nobody ever spoke about those times. An oddity, since the Lair had supposedly been in existence for hundreds of years. How long exactly, she wasn’t certain. Xylon’s historical records, due to past wars and the resulting destruction, were sketchy at best.

  A roar from the Initiation Chamber pulled her thoughts back to the situation at hand. The Earth man was definitely large enough to do himself and others harm.

  “Sedate him.”

  “We tried. The sedation didn’t work, and none of the Healers can materialize down here with anything stronger for us to use. The transport-connectors aren’t functional right now. What should we do?”

  Hell, nothing was functioning right now. She hoped Tara had their security forces in place. Somehow Daegal must have gained control of their entire technical system.

  Someone had betrayed them, giving over Xylon’s control codes. That was the only explanation. Not many people had special knowledge of those operational codes.

  Whoever had sold them out could look forward to a slow and tortuous death once caught.

  She needed to find an override to regain control before Daegal shut down their whole network. Unfortunately, while stuck in Initiation, her hands were tied. She glanced back at the information on the small screen she held.

  Earth. Military. Air Force Pilot. Lieutenant Colonel Samuel “Ramrod” Briggs.

  Special Project ACE. ACE? No explanation noted on its meaning. She was getting a bad feeling about this.

  Chapter Two

  When Kam stepped out of the orbiter, the intense heat hit him in waves. “Damn.”

  Without warning, something in the air, beyond the oppressive heat even, began to affect his breathing, his thinking. “What the hell?” Disoriented, he stumbled forward through a cloud of hot fog.

  Where was he? He turned, circling back around. Or so he thought. He couldn’t see the orbiter anymore, and he’d barely walked a few steps. He again turned, moving sharply back and forth, trying to get his bearings.

  “Kam?” someone called.

  Not Pitch. That was a female’s voice. The one he was supposed to meet, perhaps?

  “Here.” He squinted, trying to see. Where was she? Her voice and his seemed to echo in the air.

  Finally, she stepped through the fog.

  Not believing the vision in front of him, he wiped his eyes. But he wasn’t hallucinating. The woman strolled toward him with easy steps, gliding really. Her short black hair seemed to float around her face. Gorgeous, even though eerily strange. She wore some sort of pelts, which showed off her long legs to perfection.

  Of course, he recognized the beauty at first sight. Not who he’d expected. “Halah?”

  Finding her this quickly seemed impossible. Had she been waiting for him? Had she somehow known he was coming? She must have. Otherwise, this encounter would be too much of a coincidence.

  “I know everything. I will help you,” she said to him. “And you will help me.”

  Relief rolled through him. She had been informed. “Yes, of course I’ll help you.”

  They’d fulfill the mission, then get off this rock together.

  Her hands settled on his chest. “It’s so good to see you again, Kam.”

  “Is it?” He detected no anger in her, which puzzled him, given their last encounter.

  “You don’t believe me?” She rose up and pressed her soft, luscious mouth against his.

  Oh, yeah. His arms automatically slid around her back, and he held her close. So fucking hot, but then he’d always thought her so. The feel of her firm breasts against his chest made his fingers itch to caress them. He ached to suck her nipples. His tongue played with hers. She certainly knew how to greet a man and how to forgive.

  She pressed her pelvis against his groin, and his desire for her escalated to painful proportions.

  When she broke the kiss, she stepped back slightly. “We need to mate.”

  “Excuse me?” Her words took him so much by surprise that he barely managed to choke out the question. His cock had no such difficulty responding and hardened in anticipation. Mate… The image assailed him—yes! A picture of his cock pushing into her wet cunt burned through his body even more than the atmospheric heat.

  “It is destined.” She unhooked the bottom pelt she wore, exposing her pussy to him.

  Ah, beautiful. The dark hair covering her mound looked so silky that his fingers trem
bled with the need to stroke her.

  Her fingers tugged open his uniform. “I need you to fuck me, Kam, right now!”

  Her words rang in his ears— fuck me, Kam. No damn problem. His balls felt ready to explode. Not thinking about anything except his desire for her, he grabbed her around the waist and forced her down to the sand. He pushed her thighs wide and without any hesitation plunged his cock hard into her pussy, pushing into her as deeply as he could get.

  “Yes!” she screamed.

  Kam grunted and plunged into her again. And again. “Come!” He was ready.

  Ready to spill his seed inside her. And he needed to know that she was ready too.

  He jerked and the fog lifted.

  Pitch sat beside him. The lights from the orbiter’s controls flickered in front of him.

  He groaned his disappointment. He’d fallen asleep. For just a few minutes, according to the time gauge. He should have known those visions were a dream and too good to be true. But then, he wasn’t the only one fooled. His cock certainly thought them real.

  Down, boy.

  Something in the dream made him think twice. Halah had said, “It is destined.”

  Could that actually be true? He’d experienced too many dreams about her lately not to at least consider the possibility. Breeder-mate visions?

  “The Sand Moon is in range,” Pitch said, breaking into his thoughts. “Still no fighters on tracking. With the help of the drone-bot, we lost the Marid ships. That Xylon ship following us, which turned back, has not returned. How long will that code you had me feed into Xylon’s weapons computer keep the planet’s ground-to-space lasers out of commission?”

  “Not long. I just wanted to give us a little extra time to get out of range.” Kam took the controls, disengaging the computer’s auto-navigation. “Let’s land this thing.”

  * * * * *

  Dome of Marid

  “Are you prepared?” Daegal asked the female on the other end of the comm, needing to confirm their plans. “He should be arriving soon.”

  “Yes. We will meet at the prearranged location. Everything has been set up for his arrival and subsequent conversion.”

  Eagerness flowed through Daegal. If everything went smoothly, the Lair would be his. “Keep a close eye on this one. I don’t fully trust him. Even though we have lured him to our side, his ties are still strong.”

  “Which is why we need him.”

  “Yes. But still…don’t let your guard down around the man.”

  “I’ve never had problems controlling a man, Daegal. And I know this one. He won’t cause me any trouble.”

  Daegal chuckled. “Yes, of course, my dear. My apologies. I trust your abilities. I’ll check in with you later. Out.” He clicked off the speaker and settled back in his command chair.

  With the help of the turned Warrior he would be able to greatly expand his reign.

  The operational codes the man would provide would allow him to further access and finally control the entire Lair. And he would then be able to bring all of Laszlo’s Warriors to their knees.

  The female he’d sent to the Sand Moon had provided him with the base codes already. She’d been so clever stealing them years ago. Without those, his plans would not have been as easily achieved. He’d also obtained a few control codes over the years from various sources. Now with all the data combined, Xylon wouldn’t stand a chance.

  The power and control he’d gained over Marid and the Egesa Slave Masters, years ago, had become addictive, and for many years since he’d craved more. The time had come for him to act. Soon, he would rule the Xylon system. And then the entire quadrant.

  A deep laugh rumbled up from his throat. Once achieved, anyone who refused to serve him and his appointed governors would meet with a very unpleasant death.

  * * * * *

  Sand Moon

  Having evaded not only the Marid fighters, but a persistent Xylon fighter trying to lock on to them, Kam and Pitch were now free to land the orbiter in a remote area of the Sand Moon. By the time their planetary clearance expired and security sent out a team to check on them, they’d be gone. Until then, the temporary Scientific Mission permit Kam had electronically forged, allowing them landing and surface clearance, should keep the authorities off their asses.

  Once on the moon, Kam engaged the ship’s shield protection against intruders, then administered one of Leila’s specially-designed shots in his thigh, right through his uniform. He felt the effects immediately. His head still ached, but at least the severe pounding eased. Now he just needed to wait for the nausea to pass and his mind to clear. It didn’t take long, for which he was grateful.

  Feeling well enough, Kam left Pitch with the ship. Pitch’s duty was to protect the orbiter, program in their escape route, and remain ready for takeoff. When he returned, they would need to leave quickly.

  Pitch initially protested the assignment, but then agreed to stay, to do as asked, and while he waited, he’d use the ship’s locator device to search for Josella. Useful for short range only, the computer was still their best chance of finding her, Pitch had said.

  She didn’t have an implanted computer tracking chip like Xylon Warriors and Breeders, but her unique Sunevian genetics would register. Most Sunevians, like her sister, were of mixed blood, but Josella was full Sunevian—a rarity in the system.

  At least searching for her would keep Pitch occupied. Kam had promised the man, if he found Josella, they’d pick her up, before leaving the moon. He’d lied. Well, not technically, he supposed, because Pitch wouldn’t find the young woman. She was no longer on the moon. He simply hadn’t told Pitch that fact or what he knew of her location.

  Right now, he had to follow procedure, and a different woman occupied Kam’s mind and purpose at the moment.

  He checked the sensor on his wrist. The locator indicated his target’s position as underground. Standing in front of the cave entrance which matched the prearranged coordinates, he glanced around, making certain no Egesa or any other type of gang followed or watched. Non-military Egesa were mainly night rovers, but would come out during the day if they thought the effort important enough. All looked clear.

  He slid his disruptor into his coat, tucking the weapon safely away. His intent wasn’t hostile at this time. Nor did he want to appear so to the contact he needed to meet. He stepped through the opening.

  The dark, wet cavern shielded him from the harsh elements of the Sand Moon.

  Although a relief, the sharp contrast from the dry heat and brightness came as a shock to his system. He hesitated a moment, taking some time to adjust.

  After centering himself, he followed the line of stone deeper into the bowels of the moon. Artificial illuminators barely lit the way, creating more shadows than not.

  As he continued deeper, the air turned cool and musky. Drops of moisture clung to the walls. He slid his hands down into the pockets of his coat, grateful that he’d worn the heavier garment, mainly to conceal his weapon and cover his Xylon uniform in areas where he needed to blend, but the coat now served the additional purpose of warmth.

  Far into the tunnel, a steel gate loomed ahead of him. He stopped before the electronically-controlled entry. The multicolored lights running along the gray metal bars showed the power as active.

  His sensor vibrated, alerting him of another’s presence nearby. He’d programmed the device to specifically identify her, by using DNA samples the Lair had on file. He peered into the darkness on the other side of the gate. Yes, she’ s definitely close. He felt her, sensed her wariness.

  A clunk echoed in the tunnel, and the gate slowly opened, allowing him passage.

  He continued forward until a voice stopped him in his tracks. A voice he recognized.

  “You came,” the soft tone echoed lightly in the cavern.

  “I said I would.” He’d sent a message, confirming his intentions. The gate closed with a metallic clang behind him. He glanced over his
shoulder. No turning back now.

  “Daegal will be pleased. Someone of your ranking, who wishes to change sides, is always welcome. He has hoped you would come to us for some time now.”

  Not a surprise. As a Class 2, high but not the highest ranking, Daegal more than likely thought of him as the weakest link, among the group of mostly Class 1 Warriors he associated with, and easier access to information he needed. Well, Kam needed information, too. And more. He wasn’t as weak as others sometimes thought. This wasn’t the first time Daegal’s people had contacted him. But this was the first time he’d agreed to their exchange offer. “Why was this meeting arranged on the Sand Moon, instead of Marid?”

  “The Dome has been shut down to all but their security fighters and transports.”

  Pending war. She didn’t say it, but he heard it in her voice. Time was running out.

  “You can provide me with what I need?”

  “Yes, the medicine required to totally eliminate the effects of your genetic imbalance has been prepared.”

  “This medicine is safe?”

  “It’s safe.”

  “How did you discover the treatment? Why would the Dome even have a formula for this specific genetic imbalance?” No reason existed, to his knowledge, for them to do medical research in that area.

  “I am not a scientist. I don’t have those answers. I’m simply here to complete the deal. Do you want the medicine or not?”

  “I want the medicine, but I need some guarantees. Your cure could kill me.”

  Sometimes he believed that would be a better fate for him than living with the almost daily pain he experienced, which seemed to grow worse each year.

  “There are no guarantees in life. However, we have no reason to kill you. You are more valuable to us alive. As a double agent, you will serve us well.”

  While betraying Xylon, she might as well have said. Suddenly, he felt sick. “What about the power?”

  “Once you master your new ability as a Sonic, you will be able to explode a man’s head with the sound of your voice, should that be your desire.”