“I meant no disrespect,” he quickly amended, glancing in Syrina’s direction.
The doctor then moved to have a look at Carmen’s stomach. “You’re wound is almost completely healed here as well.”
Carmen’s stomach picked that moment to growl.
“You’re hungry!” Maria exclaimed, bending to squeeze Carmen’s hand. “I’ll go grab you some food. Syrina will stay with you until I get back.”
Syrina smiled, and took a seat on the side of Carmen’s bed, opposite the doctor. “You are very brave for one so small. You will make Zyen a good mate.”
“Mate?” Carmen wheezed, more than a little shocked by Syrina’s words. “What are you talking about?”
The doctor set a bottle of pills on the nightstand and moved toward the door. “Take as needed for pain. I’ll come back tomorrow to check on you again. But if I were a betting man, I’d bet you’ll be up and about by then.” With that, he left the room.
Syrina tilted her head to the side. “I simply assumed since you carry Zyen’s blood in your veins, that you and he would bond. That is normally how it is done.”
A strange sensation overcame Carmen in that moment, as if warm water had been poured through her insides. Was she really bonded with Zyen? “Where is he?”
Syrina glanced away before meeting Carmen’s gaze once more. “He has not spoken since he gave you his blood. I saw him disappear yesterday in the Gulf, but I do not think he has returned as of yet.”
For some reason, that information bothered Carmen. Did he regret saving her life? Did he now feel responsible for her?
Maria came back inside carrying a tray. “I have some chicken noodle soup, crackers and a caffeine free soda. It’ll help your throat. I thought about bringing milk, but that would only feel thick in your throat. Yuck.”
Carmen loved Maria. She loved the way she attempted to mother her, even though she didn’t have a motherly bone in her body. “Thank you for not bringing milk.”
Maria grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Carmen winced as she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Though the wound in her stomach could be felt, it was tolerable.
“Eat what you can,” Maria instructed, placing the tray across Carmen’s lap. “Don’t worry if you can’t handle all of it. Just take small bites. You haven’t had food in your stomach for a couple of days.”
Nodding her understanding, Carmen picked up the spoon and stirred her soup. But her mind wasn’t on eating. It was on a giant Arkadian who obviously didn’t want to face her.
Chapter Fifteen
Zyen emerged from the Gulf after being gone many hours. He’d swam until his muscles ached. But, try as he might, he couldn’t erase the horrific nightmares he’d witnessed in Carmen’s mind.
Shortly after he’d given her his blood, he’d climbed up in bed next to her and placed his hands on either side of her head. He’d hoped to send her comfort. Never in a million years had he expected to be rushed by the memories of her horrendous past.
The images of her grandparents’ abuse had hit him hard, but nothing could compare to what happened to Carmen after leaving home.
Zyen had seen inside her mind, seen the hunger she’d experienced on the streets, the fear, the cold and loneliness. But nothing had prepared him for the attack she’d endured at the hands of a land walker known as Hernando.
Hernando had forced Carmen against her will, in a brutal, heinous violation of her body that turned Zyen’s stomach. He’d never imagined that a male could do such a thing to a female. And Carmen was so small and helpless.
Zyen’s stomach heaved, and a moan of denial slipped from his lips. He now understood the reasons for her panic attacks.
Another round of nausea poured through him as he staggered onto the beach in a rage that ripped a roar from his lungs.
Dropping to his knees, Zyen allowed his anger to consume him. No one should have to endure the things Carmen had endured. No one.
He could feel her in his head, feel her disappointment at his disappearance. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to face her. Not after what he’d done. She would surely feel it, or worst-case scenario…see it.
It wouldn’t be long before she realized she could telepathically connect with him. And when that happened, she would know of his impure thoughts of her, know how he’d touched himself in the bath house while thinking of her. She would feel disgust for him, be in fear of him.
Why did it bother him so for her to fear him? Zyen wasn’t sure, he only knew that it did.
His mind returned to the man known as Hernando. Other faces could be seen as well, faces of the men who’d held Carmen down, who’d praised Hernando for his treatment of her. They would die. All of them. But Hernando would experience the same torment he put Carmen through before he drew his last breath. Of that, Zyen was certain. He would take great pleasure in torturing the deviant piece of garbage who’d dare hurt his Carmen.
His Carmen? Had he really just thought of her as his? he wondered in surprise.
Zyen was bound to the tiny human, as he knew he would be after giving her his blood. But he never imagined that he would want her. Yet want her he did.
He tried telling himself it was simply a protective instinct he felt for her, but he knew it to be a lie the second it entered his mind. Yet he could never mate with her. He wouldn’t. Not that mating with her would even be possible. She was far too small for his larger size. He couldn’t hurt her like that.
With his mind made up, Zyen rose from his knees and strode toward his bungalow. He would demand that Oz send Carmen back to Aukrabah. She wasn’t safe in Cuba. Not with Kerik’s offspring out there somewhere, and Hernando roaming the nearby streets.
Once Carmen was far from Playa Pilar, Zyen would hunt Hernando down and kill him.
Carmen’s confusion and pain drifted through his psyche not long after he entered his bungalow.
He trailed into the bathroom, turned on the water, and stripped bare.
Closing off his mind, Zyen stepped under the warm spray of the shower and snatched up the shampoo. He washed his long hair with jerky movements, fighting the urge to run to Carmen’s side.
It angered him that he felt something for her, and if he were being honest with himself, his feelings had been growing for weeks.
How had he let this happen? He was an Arkadian warrior who was expected to mate with an equally strong Bracadyte female; one who would give him strong sons. Carmen couldn’t give him children. Her body would never be able to carry a Bracadyte child.
A vision of Carmen with a baby at her breast, flashed through his mind, unbidden. Zyen squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the image from his thoughts.
Finishing his shower, he quickly dried off and dressed in his usual attire before pulling his damp hair back into a ponytail. It would be dark soon, giving Zyen the cover he’d need to slip into town unnoticed and search for the one known as Hernando. But first, he needed to pay a visit to Oz.
Zyen left his bungalow and slipped quietly through the shrubs to Oz’s house. He stopped near the door, noticing Gryke and Fiona standing a distance away on the beach.
The other Bracadyte stared back at Zyen for long moments before striding toward him. Fiona followed suit.
Though Gryke’s eyes remained untrusting, a spark of respect flashed in his emerald gaze. “Offering Carmen your blood could not have been an easy decision,” Gryke murmured, studying Zyen’s face. “It was a selfless act to say the least…an honorable one. She is alive because of you.”
Zyen shook his head, uncomfortable with the praise. “She is alive because of your mate.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Fiona softly interjected. “If not for your blood, she wouldn’t have survived, no matter how much I breathed for her.”
Holding Fiona’s gaze, Zyen admitted, “It should not have been my blood, but another’s. By giving her mine, I have bound her to me until death.”
Fiona reached up and touched Zyen on the arm, ignoring Gryk
e’s growl of disapproval. “Is that such a bad thing? From what I know of Carmen, she’s a very loyal woman. Not to mention, she has a giving nature.”
Zyen gaped at her. “You think it is me that I worry about? My concern lies with Carmen. She is now bound to a Bracadyte warrior. One who is three times her size.”
“Gryke’s a lot bigger than me.” Fiona glanced at her mate before returning her attention to Zyen. “And then there’s Zaureth and Amy, Hauke and—”
“It is more than my size,” Zyen ground out, effectively cutting Fiona off. “Carmen has been through things that no female should have to endure. She cannot mate with me…or any male for that matter.”
Understanding dawned in Fiona’s eyes, followed by a stunned silence.
Gryke, obviously reading Fiona’s thoughts, wasn’t as courteous if the snarl in his voice were any indication. “Carmen told you this?”
Zyen moved away from the door in an effort to keep from being overheard. “She did not. I witnessed it through her memories.”
Fiona’s face appeared pale. “She doesn’t know that you know?”
“I only just discovered it,” Zyen ground out. “I will be returning to town when darkness falls. The human slime that did this to her will pay with his life.”
Gryke nodded his agreement. “I will come with you.”
“No.” Zyen shook his head for emphasis. “Hernando will die by my hand, the way I see fit.”
Fiona narrowed her eyes. “Hernando?”
“The land walker I saw in Carmen’s memories. He is missing a hand. There were two other males with him when he defiled Carmen. I do not know their names, but I know their faces.”
Gryke jerked his chin toward the house. “Does Oz know about this?”
“I do not believe he does,” Zyen responded. “And it is not my place to tell him. If Carmen wants him to know, then it should come from her lips.”
Fiona ran a hand through her short, red hair. “I agree. But Gryke is right. We should go with you.”
“Not we,” Gryke amended. “Me.”
Fiona barely spared her mate a glance. “Listen, Zyen, the surface is far different than below. There’s very little honor to be found up here. If you run into town, blindly looking for this handless guy, you’re going to encounter trouble. And not just from the derelicts that wander the streets, but from the drug dealers and even the police. You’ll end up dead if you go out there half-cocked.”
Zyen understood most of what she’d said. He also realized she thought he couldn’t handle himself. “I do not fear the land walker.”
“I know,” Fiona responded. “And that’s what worries me the most.”
Chapter Sixteen
Carmen could feel Zyen’s presence somewhere nearby. Though she couldn’t understand how she knew, she accepted it for what it was…his blood in her veins.
She understood the concept of the Bracadytes’ way of silent communication, she’d just never thought she would be the one to experience it.
Her curiosity grew the longer she lay there, feeling his nearness.
Laying her head back on the pillow, Carmen closed her eyes and conjured up an image of the blond giant. “Zyen?”
Silence. Maybe she was doing it wrong?
With determination, she thought about that day in the bath house when Zyen had placed his palms on the sides of her head. The warmth, the calmness. “Zyen? Can you hear me?”
A deflated sigh echoed back. “I am here, Carmen. How are you feeling?”
Her heart began to race. She was speaking telepathically with Zyen. “I’m better. If you’re not too busy, I would like to see you.”
A brief pause, and then, “I will be right there.”
Seconds later, the door to her bedroom open and Zyen ducked inside. Though his face remained devoid of emotion, she could see something resembling anger lurking in his amber colored eyes.
He stopped at the foot of the bed, as if afraid to come any closer. “You are still pale. Are you not eating?”
He was more than nervous, Carmen realized with a start. He didn’t want to be there. Regret, animosity and turmoil swirled inside her. It took her a moment to recognize that the feelings came from him. She was experiencing his emotions, not her own. Zyen’s regret came from the fact that he’d bound himself to her.
She swallowed around the emotion that thought evoked in her. Carmen had never meant for any of this to happen. She’d certainly never intended to force Zyen to feel responsible for her.
And then his mind opened to her and she saw the truth in his animosity, his anger, and his…pity.
Nausea reared up, nearly doubling her over in its intensity. Hernando’s sneering face, his hideous laugh and stringy hair swirled through her mind like a mantra. The pain of his blows, his fingernails on her skin, his forceful entry into her body.
Shame washed over Carmen, the longer she lay there, reliving her nightmare through Zyen’s thoughts. He knew. Zyen had seen her humiliation, had witnessed her degradation, and he now stood at the foot of her bed, staring down at her in pity.
Carmen turned her face to the side. “Please go.”
He only continued to stand there.
“Get out, Zyen.”
The bed suddenly dipped with his weight. He tucked a finger beneath Carmen’s chin and gently brought her face around. “I understand your need to forget what has happened to you. I also understand that you have no desire for pity. If I could remove the memories of your past, I would. But I cannot. All I can do is relive it with you, and promise you vengeance.”
Tears rushed to Carmen’s eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words seem to lodge in her throat.
“I know what it is that you wish to say,” he rumbled, still holding onto her chin. “But you are wrong. I do not see you as less than because of your past. I see you as strong, despite it. You have survived a life that most cannot fathom. Though you are small, you possess a strength that would rival a Bracadyte. And you did it completely alone. But you are no longer alone. And I vow to you now that the human slime that harmed you will draw their last breath before the sun rises.”
Carmen’s mouth dropped open, and she suddenly found her voice. “You’re going to kill him?”
“All of them. Everyone who has harmed you.”
An image of her grandparents appeared behind her eyes. They were now on Zyen’s radar.
“You can’t hurt my grandparents,” Carmen blurted, sitting up higher in bed. “I know they weren’t the best caregivers I could have had, but they’re brainwashed. They really believed they were doing the right thing.”
“They beat you,” Zyen growled, anger flashing in his eyes.
“I know they did. But they were only doing what they believed to be right. Forget about them. I have.” And she had, she realized. No matter what they had done or how messed up her childhood had been, Carmen had found the strength to overcome it, as well as forgive them.
Zyen released his hold on her chin and sat back. “I will not harm your grandparents. Though I wish to. But the land walker known as Hernando will die by my hand, along with the two males that were also involved.”
Just hearing Hernando’s name made Carmen’s skin crawl. “You can’t just run around killing people, Zyen. The human police will lock you up. If they don’t shoot you first.”
“I do not fear your human police.”
Carmen reached out and laid her hand over his. It still amazed her that she felt no fear when in his presence. She brushed her thumb across his knuckles. “I don’t want you to die because of me.”
Something flickered in Zyen’s eyes. He cocked his head to the side. “You worry for my safety?”
Embarrassed by his perception of her feelings, Carmen pulled her hand back. “I just don’t want to see anything happen to you because of me.”
Zyen changed the subject. “How is your pain?”
Carmen flexed her legs, noticing a slight pinch in her stomach from the movement, but nothing un
bearable. “It’s not too bad. The doctor says I can get up tonight and move about a bit, get my strength back. Maria made me some chicken noodle soup, which I devoured. As for my shoulder, it’s barely even sore. I don’t know what’s in your blood that caused me to heal so fast, but I do know that it saved my life. I’ll never forget you for that, Zyen.”
She moved to ease her legs off the bed.
Zyen was on his feet in an instant. “What are you doing?”
“I need to use the ladies room.” The floor felt cool to the bottom of her feet.
“What is a ladies room?”
Heat rushed to Carmen’s cheeks. “The bathroom.”
“Oh.” Zyen abruptly bent and scooped Carmen up into his arms.
Carmen was mortified. There was no way in hell she was letting Zyen in that bathroom with her. And she hadn’t bathed since she’d gone missing. She had no doubt that she was less than fresh.
“Your scent is not offensive,” Zyen insisted, breaking into her mortified thoughts. “I find it rather pleasant.”
Carmen’s embarrassment changed to something warm and tingling. She averted her face, not wanting him to see how his comment affected her.
Ducking into the small bathroom, Zyen gently lowered Carmen to her feet, straightened, and then…stood there.
“What are you doing?” Carmen whispered, tilting her head back to see into his eyes.
Zyen shrugged, as if his presence in the bathroom with her should be a natural occurrence. “I am waiting for you to relive yourself.”
“With you in here?” She was sure her voice rose an octave.
“I refuse to leave you in here alone. If you fell, you could cause damage to your healing wounds.”
Carmen was sure her face had turned crimson. “I can’t very well…go with you watching me!”
With a sigh, Zyen gave her his back. “There. Is this better?”
Mortified, Carmen stared at his massive back. He expected her to relieve herself with him standing right in front of her.
His hands came up to cover his ears, telling her that he’d read her thoughts.
Zyen: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 10) Page 7
