A Mate for Kai (The Program #6)

by Charlene Hartnady

  It took everything in him to turn and walk away. He dropped his beer on the bar with an un-ceremonial clunk and turned to face his amused subordinates. “We’re leaving.”

  “I’m not done yet.” Stuart smirked. He waved a half full beer. “Neither are you…by the look of that female. I’m not sure I would be able to just walk away.”

  “Yes, you would. I would kick your ass otherwise. I’m done and so are you.” Kai tried to keep the growl from his voice and failed. He didn’t have huge amounts of will power. What male would? Christ. The female was a vision.

  Stuart held up his hands. “Okay, okay…no need to get testy. We wouldn’t tell. I would take it to my grave.”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Kai growled. “It’s not happening. End of fucking story. They would scent her on me. I won’t give up my place.” He turned around and strode from the building. Moving as quickly as what humans would deem an acceptable pace. He tried hard not to notice that the female was still in the same spot where he had left her. That her arms were folded across her chest. Kai tried even harder not to notice that she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. That she watched his every move.

  Somehow, and for some odd reason, he felt like she needed rescuing. Like he should find himself a white horse and some silver fucking armor. That he should save her. Maybe if she lived on a castle on a hill somewhere, maybe if she was a fucking princess he would but she wasn’t. She was a regular run-of-the-mill human with problems about a mile wide. They weren’t his problems though and neither was she. Once Jenson and Stuart climbed into their own vehicles, he climbed into his. He signaled for each of them to ride out first.

  Kai checked for oncoming traffic and then pulled in behind Stuart. He flicked on the lights in his vehicle and ran a hand through his hair. Then he sighed loudly. One thing was for sure, he would never look at cowboy boots the same again. Kai sighed once more, the sound was heavy.

  “Jupiter one to Jupiter base.” His two-way flared to life. He could hear that Jenson was smiling.

  “What?” He growled as he depressed the button on his own radio. Kai didn’t feel like their shit. Not right now.

  “You should shower when we get back.” There was a crackle of static.

  Kai wasn’t biting. He pursed his lips and gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  “This is Jupiter two.” Fucking Stuart. Kai could hear that he was smiling as well. “With all due respect, you smell like a bull in musk.” The male sniggered.

  Kai couldn’t help but grin. “Fuck you!” He growled. “I’m hoping you don’t actually know how an aroused elephant male would smell.” He took his foot off of the accelerator, ever so slightly.

  “I would imagine that one would smell, just like you.” Jenson chuckled. These little pricks were loving every minute of this.

  Kai depressed the button. “Enough bullshit. This is a secure line. I want radio silence until we get back to base.” His eyes were firmly on the two red lights on the road up ahead. The other vehicles pulled ahead and turned a corner, disappearing from sight.. The two vehicles pulled ahead of him.

  “Yes, sir,” Jenson said.

  “Over and out,” Stuart added.

  Kai dropped the two-way radio on the seat next to him. Although his foot was still on the accelerator, the SUV came to a sudden and startling halt. The seatbelt bit into his chest just as his forehead hit the steering wheel. White hot pain flared.

  He felt something hot on his face. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull. He felt himself float as darkness descended.

  Chapter 4

  What if he was really hurt?

  There had been a fair amount of blood on his face. His lip was cut, his nose bloody. There was more blood smeared across his forehead. He looked okay now though. In fact, his lip didn’t look busted up anymore. Maybe she had just imagined it because of all the blood. It was probably just from his nose. All superficial. What if it wasn’t just superficial though?

  Maybe he had internal injuries?

  Humans were weak. This male may look strong but he wasn’t. Not at all. It made her feel stupid for tying him to the bed.

  He still felt warm. Very warm. She allowed her fingers to trail along his arm. His heart was strong and steady. His breathing was slow and rhythmic.

  The male moaned.

  Yes. Maybe he was okay after all? The last thing she had wanted was to hurt him. She’d been as careful as possible.

  The ropes had to go. The male would panic if he woke up to find himself bound to the bed. He was no match for her. If anything, she would need to go easy on him. Take things slow. The last thing she wanted was to accidentally kill him. She began to untie the knots. To strip away at the bindings. He would need all of his strength and all of his faculties. He would need to call on every reserve to survive the next few days. She prayed he would. He was a good male. At least, he seemed like he was.

  She moaned. It felt like her womb clenched. It was crying out for seed. Her thighs were damp with her need. Her clit throbbed. One touch was all it would take. He needed to wake up. Right now. She only prayed he would be able to handle her. Even males of her own kind struggled to handle a female in heat. Ruby would never forgive herself if she hurt him.

  He scrunched up his eyes and made another groaning noise. Then his eyes flashed open.

  “Shhh.” She whispered, placing her hands on his chest. “Are you okay?” He needed to stay calm.

  “What the…” He made a groaning noise and scrunched his eyes shut. “Oh…it’s you. What happened? What…where am I?” He looked around the room. His brow was furrowed. His eyes narrowed. There was very little to see.

  Dust, rock and this bed. Ruby had lit a few candles. The large cave was bathed in their glow. It was cozy. It was a lot better than the room in Sweetwater would have been. More private.

  “What…?” His gaze moved back to her, to her eyes, her face, her neck, her breasts. “Why are you naked? Shit…you look better than I imagined.” He groaned again. This time it was drawn out, his voice had that deep husky edge. This wasn’t pain…it was something else entirely. Something raw.

  Her nipples tightened. Tingles ran down her spine. “You were in an accident.” Her voice had a husky edge. She smoothed the hair from his brow.

  “No…that can’t be right.” He seemed to remember something. “Jenson…Stuart.” They must be his friends. The other two males from the bar.

  “They are fine. I assure you.” She clenched her teeth but a moan still escaped. Her need was beginning to cause her pain. Especially with a male so close by. It only made it worse.

  “Fuck,” he snarled. “I’m…this is…” He scrubbed a hand over his face. She’d washed him up already so it came away clean. Then he groaned again and his hand ran over his engorged shaft that pushed up against his pants. “What the hell is wrong with me?” Even though he was human, he was still affected by her heat.

  Good.

  It would hopefully help him through it.

  “Are you feeling ill? Does your head hurt? Are you injured in any way?” She knew she was rambling on like a mad woman but couldn’t seem to stop. She needed to be sure he was okay.

  He swallowed thickly, his throat working. “I have the overwhelming urge to fuck you.” His nostrils flared. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t understand what the hell is going on.”

  “Your friends are fine. You were hurt, I’m going to take care of you.” She straddled his lap, moving to the clasp on his pants. She wasn’t playing fair. No male could resist a dragon shifter in heat. It wasn’t possible. The heat only happened once a year, with plenty of warning.

  These caves were littered across the four kingdoms. A small number of them were used by the few remaining females of the species. Sheer torture. Three days of agony. Only this time it would be different. This time she would have a male to slake her needs. Her brother would never think to look for her on Air territory, smack bang in the middle of Thunder’s territory. At lea
st, she hoped not. She hoped not for the sake of this male.

  ****

  Fuck!

  Hell!

  Christ!

  He couldn’t think. Sweat poured off of him. His dick was so hard. It throbbed. His balls ached. The little bastards were sitting somewhere in his throat.

  Why was he here again?

  What the hell had happened?

  Had he left the bar with this female?

  Shit! The female. She straddled him. Oh God, at last. His dick sprang free as she pulled on his zipper. He groaned.

  He watched as she positioned herself over him, taking his cock in one of her hands. This was wrong, although he couldn’t say why. He wanted to tell her to stop but he couldn’t bring himself to say the word.

  Her beautiful eyes swept to his. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, as she impaled herself on him. Her mouth fell open and her eyes filled with rapture.

  He growled, gritting his teeth. Tight as fuck. Thankfully, she was wet. The evidence of her arousal coated her inner thighs, caused her pussy lips to glisten with her need. It was crazy but the only thing he could think right now was how good she felt and how good his dick looked inside of her. She was stretched around his thick girth. She took him, all of him. That was some fucking feat. It was the one thing that had worried him about a human female since some of the vampires had trouble.

  “Sorry.” She whispered to him a second time.

  What?

  No.

  He ground his teeth. What the hell did she have to be sorry about? This was nothing to be sorry about. Not by a long fucking shot.

  She arched her back. Her lush tits bounced, she thrust herself back onto him. That was it for him. Tickets. He roared as he poured himself into her like a fucking teenager. Scratch that, he’d never come this quickly. Not fucking ever. Even when he took a female for the first time.

  In her defense, the female, Corona continued to ride him. She mewled with each and every thrust of her hips. Her pussy fluttered around him. She was close.

  “Sorry.” He growled, as he turned her onto her back. He may have finished first but he would ensure she came too. Or so fucking help him. Her eyes widened in confusion. “Should’ve kept the boots, sweetness.” He growled as he pushed into her. Three thrusts later and she cried out. Her nails bit into him. Her legs closed around him.

  This female had strength he didn’t think possible. He kept moving while she squeezed the shit out of him. Her pussy felt like heaven. Velvety, soft, heaven.

  “Oh god.” She released her hold. “Sorry. Are you okay?” She smoothed her hands down his back. Unclenched her thighs. Her hips still bucked underneath him, although not with as much urgency.

  Which was great since he couldn’t seem to stop thrusting into her. “Better than fucking okay.” His dick was still as hard as nails. “I can’t stop.”

  “Don’t then.” She all out growled. It was so damned sexy he almost came again. Not happening. No fucking way.

  He grabbed her thighs and pulled them up so that her knees were at her ears. Flexible as hell, as well. It made him fuck her harder. What he couldn’t understand was why had he turned her down? Wait a minute…why was he here if he had turned her down?

  “Oh god.” She groaned as her pussy clamped down hard. As her hands closed around his ass.

  No way. No. He may have come quickly the first time but he sure as hell planned on having some staying power this time round. It looked like his dick had other ideas though. His balls definitely had other ideas.

  Her teeth clamped down, her eyes rolled back and her face turned red. A deep guttural cry was forced from her lips. He was fucked if it wasn’t the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Her sheath damn near strangled him from the inside out.

  “Fuck!” he groaned as he came again. His fangs throbbed. Her scent. Her sweet, sweet scent. It consumed him. He kissed her neck and licked at it. Nipped at her.

  Corona mewled.

  She didn’t have a clue who he was. What he was. Kai didn’t fuck around with the humans. He couldn’t remember why that was. Didn’t want to. There was a reason why he couldn’t have her blood. He couldn’t remember why that was either. Surely one little sip.

  Then his fangs were inside her. Her blood flooded his mouth.

  Devine.

  Utter rapture.

  His eyes rolled back and he made greedy suckling noises. Then the all consuming pain hit. Like he was being seared from the inside out. Like fire ran through his veins. Every hair on his body stood on end. Every nerve ending sprang to life. It was agony. His sacs clenched hard as another orgasm took him. It was vicious. It was cruel. He came so fucking hard it felt like he was being ripped apart.

  ****

  Ruby paced. Her eyes felt wide and her breath came in rapid pants. She was having a nervous breakdown, or a panic attack…or something. Of all the males in Sweetwater to choose she went and found herself a vampire.

  A vampire.

  Right now, he was unconscious. A gorgeous heap of hard muscle, slumped across the rumpled sheets. A vampire. For scale’s sake. What were the odds? How could she not have known? Now that she knew, it seemed stupid she hadn’t picked up on it. The size of the male. The strength. That predatory, deadly vibe she picked up off of him. Then again, she was used to being around the type and she had, had very little interaction with humans and no interactions with any of the other species. Still, she knew something was different about him. She should have put two and two together. She should have, at the very least, known that he was not human. Her gram had spoken to her of the other species. All of the elders spoke of other non-human creatures like wolf shifters, vampires and elves.

  That rusty tang to his scent. A blood drinker. A vampire. Oh lord! Oh no! A human as a father to her child was one thing but a vampire? There was no way around it, she would have to confess to Blaze. He would he mad. Fire breathing mad. Tear down the walls mad. At least a human would have been neutral. Her child would have been born a dragon shifter. There had been males that had taken human mates. It was rare but it had happened. The human females bred easily and always had dragon shifters. Always males, but always with shifter traits.

  A vampire.

  By fire. A vampire was another story entirely. It was too late. It was already done. Even if she had the willpower to walk away now, it wouldn’t matter. She was in heat. Full blown heat. His seed was already inside her. Her hand moved to her belly. She gazed down at the sleeping male. She didn’t have the willpower to leave. In a half a minute he would awaken and in all his aroused glory and she would be unable to take even a single step in the opposite direction. She was just as much his prisoner as he was hers.

  Her brother was going to kill her. She wouldn’t blame him if he tore her head off himself.

  By becoming pregnant she was, hopefully, forcing his hand. He would thank her in the end. They all would. Her people would hate her and she would probably end up an outcast but by doing what she was doing, she was saving her people. The dragon shifters would rise from the ashes and be strong again. Her heritage would live on through change. There was no other way. A single tear tracked down her cheek. She would love this child despite his heritage. This child would be everything to her.

  The male on the bed groaned and her clit throbbed in response. Ruby wiped her face. This was no time for crying. She inhaled deeply. It had been a long time since she had lain with a male. Her channel stung a bit from the rough rutting and yet she wanted more. Needed more.

  He groaned and sat upright. His muscles rippled beneath his skin. The male might be a vampire but he was a fine specimen.

  “What the hell was that?” He roared. As soon as his dark eyes landed on her they heated. “I…what…?” He shook his head as if such an action would clear it. “Who are you?”

  “C-Corona…I already told you.” She took a step towards him, quickly closing the distance. His sex jutted from between his thighs. Already fully engorged and in under ten seconds. This was a strong ma
le in his prime, that was for sure.

  His eyes narrowed and his hand closed around her throat. Not hard enough to close off air but enough to hold her in place. “Bullshit.” His nostrils flared and his gaze dropped to her breasts. He licked his lips. His finger traced her areola and her flesh tightened almost to the point of pain. “What is this?” The same fingers traced her markings.

  “Fucking beautiful,” he whispered. He probably didn’t realize he was doing it, but he gently guided her to the bed. All the while his fingers skimmed her markings, the tops of his hands brushing against the undersides of her breasts. “Golden. Exquisite. What the fuck?” He groaned as his eyes widened. His shaft was positioned at her opening. Her legs were wrapped around his hips. “What am I doing?”

  His gaze flashed to hers and he groaned. The sound so agonized she felt sorry for him. She burned too. Just as fiercely. She wanted to tell him but his grip tightened ever so slightly making talking impossible.

  “Who. Are. You?” He ground out as he thrust into her. The male released her throat, curling his fingers around her neck. They both gasped at the instant relief. It didn’t last. He drove back into her using hard strokes. Hard but not rushed. His eyes drifted closed and he made a small grunting noise. “Who are you? Please.” He bowed his head back. “I can’t think straight. Can’t stop. I need more of you even though I’m already inside you.” His eyes opened, looking panicked yet his hips kept thrusting. “Tell me. Your blood it…” He let the sentence die grunting as he pushed back into her. “It…it’s not…” He frowned, planting a hand on her hip as he drove back into her again. His chest rubbed against her nipples which were as hard as pebbles. Her orgasm was building. That familiar tightening had begun inside her.

  Ruby had to tell him something. He already knew she wasn’t human. What was it gram always used to say? Maybe she couldn’t tell him everything but she could definitely confess some of it. “I’m not human.” She moaned as the tightening grew more intense. Her toes curled and her breath came in heavy pants.