by Maree Dry
“I do not need help to kill puny Raiders.”
Julia held up her hands. “All right. I was just concerned. I saw you break the iron bars so I know you’re stronger than the space ranger.”
He grasped her arms and pulled her against him. “You will respect your warrior.”
She should maybe pull back on the sarcasm. “Okay, got it. Asking questions is not respectful to you.”
The other warrior grunted something.
Zurian grunted back but those demon eyes stared unblinkingly down at her.
“I will see you later, Julia,” Natalie said.
Julia didn’t dare move or acknowledge Natalie’s leaving. His big body vibrated against hers, warm and muscled. She wanted to beg Natalie not to leave her alone with this predator. The door closed with a soft hiss.
“You shame me in front of my leader.”
Julia had to blink away angry tears at the sense of betrayal she felt. This is what she’d run from all those years ago. Respect enforced by guns and muscles.
She pushed back against his chest. He didn’t budge but she kept pushing. “I asked a simple question and I’ll do so again. If you think that is not showing respect to your inflated importance, tough.”
Silence reigned for a moment and for almost a fraction of a minute danger lurked, then Zurian moved back. It was as if he pulled his essence back into his tightly held body. He stood in front of her but they might as well have been on separate planets.
“Ask your question when we are alone. Stay in the dwelling.”
“Where are you going?” It was like the onset of war or something.
“You will stay here.”
Zurian pressed his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled. His eyes hadn’t moved from hers. Still she felt that distance from him. Before she could jerk away, he stepped back and turned on his heel.
“Zurian?”
He stopped but didn’t turn.
“If you’re going to look for the Raiders, please look out for Sarah. She’s blonde, almost the same height as me, but she’s thinner.”
He grunted and left.
The room seemed cold and empty with everyone gone. Disappointment lay bitter on her tongue. She had no doubt he would take a bullet for her. But the price was just too high. Respect earned by brutality, her freedom? She did what she’d always done when she felt like this. Went in search of her TC.
Julia looked at the one lone couch and shook her head. Made of the same silvery stuff they seem to use for everything it could pass for modern. Sort of.
“Typical. Even alien bachelors believe a couch and a TC are enough furniture.” Her voice sounded as hollow as she felt.
Determined not to sit around and sob about the arrogant alien she went to the room where she’d found her furniture and dragged two chairs to the living area. Adding some of her knick-knacks took no time at all. When she ran, she couldn’t take it with her so she might as well enjoy it while she could.
Zurian had pocketed her TC at her house, and she hadn’t seen it since. She narrowed her eyes and searched the other rooms. Three of them were empty and the door of the fourth one wouldn’t open. She went looking for her tools and smiled at the irony when she found them. It took a while to get the door to open. When it slid noiselessly into the wall, she smiled in satisfaction and looked around.
“Take that, you arrogant alien.”
Zurian obviously enjoyed the Spartan look. Only a table and chair and open shelves in the room. A slim rectangle on the table caught her attention. Made from the same silver material as the house, impossibly slim, she couldn’t imagine what it did. She sat down in the chair and picked it up. No matter how she pressed it, nothing happened.
“Probably voice activated,” she muttered. “I wish I had a recording of his grunting.” She dragged her toolkit closer, found the miniature tools she used to fix the TC. If she could have a look inside, maybe she could figure out how it works.
“You are accessing confidential material.”
Julia screamed. The slim gadget bounced on the table then onto the floor. And it still didn’t come open.
She shivered and pushed the chair back. If she had to run, she didn’t want to be trapped between the table and the chair. Before she could blink, Zurian stood next to her. He pulled her up and pressed his forehead perfunctorily against hers, then stepped back.
She desperately searched for something to say that would take his mind off what she’d been doing.
“Uh, did you find Sarah?” She immediately felt smaller than a worm for using her friend’s plight to divert his attention.
“You will never come into this room.”
He looked at the door, then turned to her, and took a threatening step toward her. She jumped up and moved to keep the table between them. He stopped and she could literally see him draw that icy calm around him.
The same sound that had announced Natalie reverberated around the room. She jumped. “What’s that?”
Zurian took her arm and led her to the living room. He grunted and the door opened.
The doctor who’d tried to burn her walked in.
“What’s he doing here?” She didn’t have a good feeling about this.
The way Zurian held her suggested he wanted to make sure she couldn’t get away. But away from what?
She kicked her heel against his shin but he didn’t even flinch. “Put me down.”
He ignored her, tightened his arms around her, and grunted at the other alien.
Julia had a really creepy feeling they discussed how to dispose of her. While she watched, terrified and fascinated at the same time, the other alien produced a slim square and proceeded to point it and grunt.
“What’s he doing?”
“He is implanting you.”
She cringed back against Zurian. “Implanting me with what?”
“A translator.”
“I don’t need a translator. We can talk just fine.” Not to mention that she was out of here the first chance she got.
“My breeder will only speak standard galactic.”
Zurian placed two rubbery little circles on her temples and the doctor pointed the slim silver box at her.
She struggled and screamed but couldn’t budge Zurian. The doctor lowered the device and Zurian took off the rubbers on her temple. Viglar nodded at Zurian and walked to the door. “If we are ever in trouble, your woman could fell the enemy with her scream.”
Julia still struggled and screamed, trying to get her hands loose to hit him. He tightened his hold. She could break her fragile bones on his tougher body.
“Is there a way to adjust her screaming voice?”
Julia whimpered when the doctor threw back his head and made an unearthly noise. She cringed back against Zurian. The doctor walked out and she glared up at Zurian.
“What did you do to me?”
“We have implanted you with a translator.” He said something that didn’t sound as grunting as when he spoke to the doctor.
“Nope, don’t understand a word you’re saying.” She enjoyed telling him that.
“It takes time to work.”
“Could you let me go please? I’m sure you don’t want to hold a woman that is going to throw up on you any moment now.”
“The implant will not cause you to regurgitate.”
He moved his hand from her back until he cradled her head in his fingers. Goosebumps broke out over her skin. Never before had she realized how vulnerable the back of her head was. His hand covered her neck and head. He could kill her with one savage twist.
A large leathery thumb rubbed over her cheek. “I approve of your strange color.”
“What?”
“It is as pale as the skin of animals that crawl underground.”
“Are you saying I look like a worm?”
He ignored her question. “The color is different under your clothes, very pale.”
She tried to step back and his hand tightened. “The sun can’t bur
n me under my clothes. I can’t believe we’re having this discussion. Let me go.”
“I want to see all your skin again,” he said.
He picked her up and they were in the bedroom before she could respond.
“Please put me down. I look like a worm, remember? You really don’t want to see more of my skin.”
He laid her down on the bed, stroked his finger over her chin, down her jaw, and curled his hand around her neck.
“Earth pearls.”
“What?”
“Your skin is like the rare Earth pearls.”
“Typical. A guy wants in your pants and the flowery language appears. That’s just the part you can see. The rest of me is hideous. Besides, don’t you prefer a nice copper green woman?”
“I killed the Eduki for you, not another.”
“Well, you should’ve consulted with me first.”
He leaned down, the hand around her neck suddenly heavier and Julia had to fight the urge to beg him not to hurt her. “I can confine you and demand sex. I proved I have mekrin bar gera.”
“You have what?”
“I have earned the right to you.” He bent his head and kissed her, his hand now loose around her throat, his thumb caressing.
“You have no right to me. I am not a commodity that can be earned.”
“You are my breeder, the woman I want, the woman I earned.”
He stroked her cheeks with those lethal lips and moved over her chin down to her neck. There he nipped, sucked, and licked until she moaned and twisted with need. When she thought her neck would combust with sensation he moved back up over her jaw, nipping her chin and then took possession of her lips. That indescribably good taste infiltrated her system through the kiss. It reminded her of the kisses they shared in the reverend’s basement. Of how safe he’d made her feel. She didn’t feel safe now. Instead, she felt out of control with pleasure.
Her lips tingled. Everywhere he kissed, her skin came alive. His lips were soft against her skin. She liked that the texture was different from the men she’d kissed before. Slightly harder.
He kissed her jaw, his tongue tasting her with brief flicking motions. With scary knowledge, he kissed and licked behind her ear, the area guaranteed to render her helpless with pleasure. Everything with him was more intense. Her nerves burned everywhere his wicked tongue touched. Julia moaned and grasped his shoulders.
“I shouldn’t do this, we shouldn’t--” She had to gasp the words because his lips were stealing her breath.
This was a bad idea but she ached to feel his wonderful tongue flicking all over her body.
He let her go and got up. Julia had to clench her hands not to grab him and hold him to her.
Zurian stepped back, drew back his shoulders. She saw his chest rise and fall as if he’d taken a deep breath. Looking at a point above her head, he took the collar of his shirt in his hands and pulled the shirt open.
She blinked. “How do you do that?”
He still didn’t look at her. “Do what?”
“Open your shirt without undoing anything.”
“Superior Zyrgin technology.”
He drew off his shirt and she sucked in a breath. These Zyrgins sure were blessed in the muscle department. Veins crisscrossed his body and she followed the one pulsing down his neck, next to a long vicious scar. And then she saw it. Scar upon scar intersecting across his chest, disappearing into his pants. She wanted to ask him what had happened, how he got the scars, but didn’t know how.
“What are you doing?”
“I am taking off my clothes.”
“Stop immediately.” Her body still tingled with want but this was happening too fast. He was an alien, for heaven’s sake. An alien with a job that had an eerie similarity with her father’s.
He stepped out of his pants.
“I always wondered what aliens wore underneath their clothes, but I see you prefer commando” she joked shakily, trying to hide her need to cry.
Scars crossed even over his groin. It looked like whip marks and she couldn’t imagine anyone beating this strong man like that.
His penis was erect, and she couldn’t resist checking for alien anomalies. Nope. Apart from the copper green color and no public hair, mostly normal male equipment.
He simply stared at the point above her head and she thought maybe he was waiting for her to make a comment about his body. Or maybe he wanted to make sure of her reaction to his scars.
“You are a beautiful man, Zurian, but this is not a good idea.”
He’d stepped out of his boots as well and now h lay next to her with a heavy arm over her middle. “I will give you much pleasure and you will know it is a good idea.”
Julia searched for something that would bring both of them to their senses. “I thought you were mad at me for doubting your warrior skills.”
“I have decided to forgive you.”
“Well, thank you very much.” She was still too shaken from seeing his scars to be angry at his arrogant words.
He stroked a finger over her hair, lifting it so that a strand lay over his claw. “You will find me a generous warrior.”
I find you arrogant warrior. Let me up.”
He was slowly seducing her with his beautiful body, his heartbreaking scars, and his arrogant desire for her.
“I will please you, keep you safe, give you many hours in our sleep place.” He narrowed his eyes. “We will share the sleep place.” His hand fisted briefly in her hair, pulling at her scalp. “I should take my time. Do the first knowing properly.” His eyes flashed red tendrils for an instant. “I do not want to wait for the ritual. I want to be deep inside your body, keep you in place with my teeth while I achieve pleasure.”
“What ritual?” she said faintly.
His words should’ve scared her. Instead, her breath caught, her breasts rose and fell. She knew he would never hurt her. In spite of his arrogance all his actions have been to protect her. He’d even stepped in front of bullets for her. He looked down at her and she watched fascinated as a red tendril mixed with the tar in his eyes. Another one surfaced and she thought she would drown in the endless black and red swirls.
His body vibrated against hers and she rose toward him, anticipating a passionate onslaught.
Then nothing. His gaze turned cold, the red tendrils forced back by the black tar, his body absolutely still against hers. Something had changed. It was as if the atmosphere in the room had frozen.
“Wait! This is going too fast.” She needed to understand why he turned off his emotions like that.
He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and they were such sweet caresses, so opposite to what she expected, that she wavered. Could he kiss her like this if he was cold toward her? Where his lips touched her skin it tingled, wanting more. His body with all those glorious muscles and battle scars an open invitation for her hands to explore.
“Maybe we can talk later,” she mumbled.
He moved lower, kissed the slope of her breasts. They tingled as if dipped in--
She grabbed his head with her hands under his jaw and pushed him back. “What do you have in your mouth?”
“Teeth,” he said seriously and bared them for her.
She couldn’t stop a half hysterical giggle. She knew it was dangerous to see him as endearing, but he was so sweet when he took things so literally. It was a relief after his earlier behavior. She cupped the back of his scalp, caressing his bald head, fingering the ridge. Sparks appeared in his eyes and she could see him visibly pull back on his self-control. Maybe she’d found his sweet spot.
“Your tongue or saliva is making my skin come alive with pleasure.”
“Of course.” He pulled at her T-shirt and seemed undecided for a moment before he pushed it up and kissed her ribs.
She squirmed and moved his head back. It took a lot of strength to change his focus and she doubted she could have done it if he hadn’t wanted to. “Does it take my will?”
It felt so good, the
tingling in her skin and being this close to him, she could barely speak. She swore her ribs thrilled with pleasure in the wake of his kisses, of his flicking tongue.
He stiffened and drew back from her. “I do not have to use force. I am warrior. I have honor.”
“All right, jeesh don’t get all worked up.” She’d really like to know what didn’t offend his warrior honor. She took his chin in her hand again. “Whatever is in your saliva better not interfere with my free will.”
“I am Zyrgin. Receiving pleasure from a Zyrgin warrior is an honor for you.”
“It is?”
When he’d taken off his clothes before, she’d gotten the impression he’d been uncomfortable. Self-conscious about his scars. Now he was back to his usual arrogant self.
He cupped the back of her head and lifted her, moving her hair out of the way. “We are a superior conquering race. You are lucky to be chosen by me.”
“With an aphrodisiac in your saliva that ensures I am out of my mind with pleasure before I can even choose to make love or not.”
“I am made to give you pleasure.” His hand squeezed the excess flesh at her hip in approval. “Your roundness pleases me.”
“You are unbelievable.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
He stared down at her and she bared her teeth at him, the way she’d seen him do when he got angry. Something moved in his eyes and, so help her, if he was laughing at her she’d kick him in the balls.
“Zacar said human women enjoy many compliments.”
Julia groaned and flopped back against the mattress. “I give up. Just call me fat, have sex with me, and get it over with.”
She should’ve remembered his tendency to take everything literally. Of course, he took her at her word. His face never showed any emotion that she could read. But his eyes. Those endless dark eyes that sometimes seemed so wary stared down at her with searing intensity. He unbuttoned her shirt, slowly concentrating on each button as if it needed all his attention. His fingers looking even more dangerous, the claws lethal with her delicate buttons held in them. When they were all undone, he opened her shirt and touched her bra with a long finger.
