by Rena Marks
Jason nodded at Beast. “Let’s get you outside and clean you up. We don’t want all that blood in the car. Everyone else, prepare for an Op Eight. Steele and Renegade, I guess you’re squeezing into the other vehicle with us.”
Renegade swept her into his arms, following Jason and Beast through the wet room. The smell of death hit her nostrils, sending a wave of nausea through her. In the corner, she could make out someone’s severed head standing upright on a squashed thigh, staring at her with forever unseeing eyes.
Beast was already standing still outside, arms outstretched as Jason walked around him, wrapping him in a thin, cellophane material. The material clung to him, soaking up the blood and goo. But then it began to dry and broke off in thin sheets, leaving him clean underneath. She watched as the now-pink pieces tinkled to the ground, leaving DNA evidence behind.
“It’s okay,” Jason said softly. “The whole place will be set ablaze. Nothing here will remain.”
Beast finished and moved to her. She was passed from Renegade’s arms to his, and suddenly she was tired. So tired. She sank her head down to his chest and inhaled his scent. It was like coming home. She relaxed for the first time.
Chapter Three
Sunny was silent on the way back. She and Beast sat in the empty compartment of the hovercraft, which was adapted for both land and air. It was set on autopilot, which meant that it used whatever means necessary to get them back quickly and safely.
Sunny sat pressed against his lap, her upper half twisted so her heart rested against his. Her head curled into the crook of his neck, her ear pressed against his skin. So trusting, her soul bared, the way it hadn’t been for a very long time.
They’d cut off her goddamn fingers. He couldn’t imagine the shock and horror—the pain—she’d gone through, all while he wasn’t there to protect her. She hadn’t wanted his protection. She’d never wanted his protection, and it was impossible for him to withhold it.
From the moment Sunny had been awakened by the scientists in the underground laboratories, she was the ray of sunshine in his life. He and the others were reduced to snarling, growly beasts by then—and she lifted them with her encompassing grace and elegance. She’d spent her time with him, showing him love and devotion…and then it all stopped, the very day he’d expressed his love. His heart had shattered into a million glass fragments.
Where are you? Tempest’s voice sounded in the deepest part of his head.
Nearly approaching the gates.
Does she require medical assistance?
No.
Do me a favor and ask her. Actually, do yourself a favor, and let her make the decision on her own.
Why?
It’s going to go a long way toward her softening of you. Trust me.
He had nothing else to lose. “Do you want to go straight to medbay?” he asked Sunny.
“No. I’m fine. I’m just tired, and I want to get back to normal. I don’t want to have to retell the tale again tonight.”
He was silent as he watched the gates of Xenia open and the car advance. He pushed a short beep on the control to let the guards know he’d passed.
You were right. He said to Tempest. But she refused. She does not want to repeat the story over again tonight.
For once, Tempest didn’t smirk. I will let Robyn and Amanda know. Tomorrow at dawn I will bring a bag of her clothes to Cabin Six and leave them on the front porch. There are basic supplies in that unit, including a replicator. Not all of the other cabins have one.
How do you know I’m bringing her to a cabin?
Where else would you take her? The security barracks where we stay? Your place? She will balk at both of those.
He didn’t answer.
Lily’s voice broke in next. We’ll also leave you a freshly made, home-cooked breakfast.
Great. He had two females to contend with. Tell Jason the car will be parked at Cabin Six.
Will do.
He punched in the directions, his large fingers covering the entire keyboard. Funny. Less than an hour ago, the same digits had ripped people to shreds.
“Thank you,” Sunny said. “For rescuing me.”
“You never need to thank me,” he rumbled. “I will always be there for you.” He thought he’d made it clear to her, but perhaps she needed reminding. Otherwise, why would she have shown interest in a…human?
Great Goddess. Every Xeno Sapien female must be attracted to humans. He looked down at the skin of his arm. If not for the streaks of gold that ran through him, he was so dark he’d be invisible at night. Definitely not human. Robyn once teased that his eyes were so blue she could see him coming from miles away. Perhaps nature had intended for the Xeno Sapien females to fall for humans, and the humans to fall for them? But where did that leave the highly populated count of the Xeno Sapien males?
If Sunny wanted a human male, she would have found his slaughter of them atrocious. Beastly. He fucked up in every way possible with her.
Sunny sighed and cuddled deeper against him as if she sought his warmth. The car had stopped. He pushed a button, and the entire side opened to the chill of the night air. He pulled himself from the car, keeping her safely wrapped in his arms, and tied the handkerchief to the antennae of the car so they would know where it was parked.
The sensor activated lights of the front porch came on automatically as they approached, lighting them with a soft, warm luminescence. He kicked open the door and strode straight to the bedroom, setting Sunny carefully on the bed, smoothing her bangs back from her face.
“Stay here a second.”
“Where are we?” she mumbled.
“One of the cabins.” He left her, heading to the bathroom where he ran water in the tub and then tossed in one of the scented things that fizzed and burst with color. He headed back to the bedroom where she still sat, staring straight ahead.
“Come on.” He pulled her up to standing and very gently lifted her blouse. She helped him by holding up her arms. He snaked his arms around her and unhooked the bra she wore, letting it drop to the floor.
Such an expanse of glorious, golden skin. Her breasts were firm, the nipples the same color as her lips, a burnished, metallic gold that blended and yet stood out from the rest of her spectacular skin color.
Very slowly so as to not scare her, he unsnapped the waistband of her pants. Briefly, her eyes shot to his. His fingers traced the skin of her waist before he dropped to his knees and pulled down the fabric with one sweep.
It took all his strength to not fall against her with need.
To not press his ugly face into the beauty of her flat, sexy stomach and inhale the scent that wafted from her femininity. Instead, he led her by the hand into the bathroom, helping her into her bath. Once she was settled, he left her to prepare something to eat.
Sunny loved cream of chicken soup. Why, he’d never understood. There was nothing in it to sink your teeth into. It could be finished in a brief swallow. Yet, his crazy female had loved to dip a spoon into the thickened, steamy base and lap it up, spoonful by slow spoonful. Smiling at the memory, he set the replicator for it. In the pantry, he found a tray and a warmer. He’d watched Robyn, his best friend, use one once. She normally breastfed Kaden, but once she’d extracted the milk from her breast and saved it. Then the soft, pliable warmer was wrapped around the bottle to keep it from growing cold.
He would keep Sunny’s soup from growing cold.
He wrapped her bowl with the warmer, inserted a spoon and carried it all carefully on the tray to the bedroom where he lovingly turned down the spread.
Soft sobs sounded from the bathroom.
Alarmed, he entered softly.
“Sunny?”
“What?” she sniffed.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She smiled through her tears. “I’m just stupid.”
“You could never be stupid,” he said reverently.
“How can you say that, Beast? I willingly went with humans I didn�
�t trust. I left the safety of our city.”
“To save our people from scandal.” His words were soft. “You had no idea they tricked you. Come. Let me help you.”
He reached for the washrag, loading it with soap and running it gently over the back of her neck, her shoulder blades. Then he moved to the front of her, washing, worshipping her skin without her even being aware of it. No, Sunny had rejected him at every pass. He would no longer subject her to his…beastly attentions. He’d learned that lesson finally.
He was gentle with his clawed hands as he wet her head and rubbed a dollop of soap from the bottle of shampoo into her hair.
Those two weeks on the island, he’d thought he was invincible. Robyn and Amanda had taught them that their variations were beautiful and each one unique. But when they’d come to Xenia, it was apparent their appearance struck fear and discord in the humans.
Even his Sunny.
He rinsed her hair lovingly, the way one washed a child. Hell, he knew his skill with children. He’d bathed Kaden often enough. Robyn trusted him—even with these huge killing claws—with her remarkable miracle of an infant.
Robyn had taught him, back in the underground labs before Sunny was ever brought to consciousness, that females would find him attractive. She’d teased him with an offhand comment he’d made that he found Steele attractive, and aware of her growing attraction to the silver Xeno Sapien, he’d teased back that if Steele had been female, he might have.
He’d sighed and leaned in to whisper to her. “I’m just saying, if there was a female Steele, I might be tempted.”
“If there was a female Steele, she’d be all over you,” Robyn said softly, gazing at him with those dark, smoky eyes.
“Do you think so, Robyn? Would I be considered attractive?” He had felt so eager as he awaited her answer, his claws tapping mildly on the edge of the table where he sat.
“You are simply stunning, Beast. You’re going to make hearts go pitter-patter.”
He sprang up, enclosing her in his giant bear hug. It was just what he wanted to hear.
Back then. Now, the only thing he wanted was to make Sunny’s heart strum for him.
He was so stupid in those days. So eager to make a female his. Never had he realized that one could possibly not want him.
He pulled the plug to drain the bath and wrapped her in a giant, soft towel. He dried her carefully, then lowered her to sit on the edge of the tub while he took the wide-toothed comb and worked it through her sleek hair. While wet, it barely reached to the top of her shoulders, and she normally knotted the top half of it at the back of her head, keeping it away from her face.
It called attention to the all-over beauty of her shimmering skin. The sleek, graceful length of her slender neck. The curve of her shoulders, the delicate beauty of her jawline.
With the tangles worked free, he took the sheet of felt-like material from the cabinet drawer and wrapped her hair in it. In just a couple of minutes, he pulled it away, leaving her hair underneath completely dry. He draped the hair-drying towel over the rod to dry naturally.
“We don’t have any clothes here,” he said, bringing her by the hand to the bedroom. “But we are used to being naked.”
It was a fact of life for Xeno Sapiens. It was a fact of life for him and her.
He tucked her into bed, bringing the silky sheet up to tuck underneath her arms, and sat on the edge of the bed. Very carefully, he reached for the bowl of soup.
“I have your favorite.”
Her eyes were reddened from her tears earlier. He wanted so badly for her to smile again.
“Though it reminds me of Robyn’s congealed breast milk,” he teased.
Her gasp was shocked at first, and then the corner of her mouth twitched. “I will tell her,” she warned.
He grinned. “Not if I fill your mouth.” He shoved a spoonful of soup into her when her lips parted, and avoided a groan.
Damn, what he could fill her mouth with if she’d only let him.
She savored the soup for a minute and then swallowed. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”
“I all but admitted, in front of others, that I was interested in the human.”
“You can’t help your attraction to him any more than you can help not being attracted to me,” he said softly.
She said nothing, but it wasn’t anything he didn’t already know.
* * * * *
Sunny wasn’t sure how Beast was always there for her, even when she treated him so badly. Who in the world would still take care of her when she’d admitted in front of everyone that she was about to run off with a human? How could she tell Beast he was wrong and she was always attracted to him? Was still? That the human was just a distraction?
But something had changed in Beast’s demeanor, and that was her own fault. He was perfectly cordial, undressing her without emotion, bathing her without unnecessary touch. Truth be told, she craved his claws on her tender skin. She knew how much power he held in check with those sharp nails, how he was a deadly force to be reckoned with.
That much power got a girl wet.
And she also knew how gentle those powerful claws could be when they caressed her skin. Teased her nipples. Breached her body. She’d made a mess of things, and there was no way to fix it. Beast was caring for her because he was that type of individual. But obviously, his interest was no longer there.
In the past, he would have kneeled and pressed his face to her heated flesh and inhaled deeply of that special spot between her thighs. Today it hadn’t even fazed him. He’d undressed her and led her to the bath like a child.
Not as a woman.
But how could she admit she’d never stopped loving him? He couldn’t believe her, not after she’d admitted about the human. So while her heart bled, there was nothing she could say in response to his remark about her supposed lack of attraction to him.
He took the tray away when he finished feeding her and tucked her down into the soft, comfortable bed. She was asleep when her head hit the pillow.
Chapter Four
Beast sat on the front porch at the crack of dawn, pondering his life. Last night was both a blessing and agony. He finally had Sunny, naked skin pressed against naked skin, his giant erection butted up against her delectable ass. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
He stared off in the distance, watching as a small shape came from the trees. As she came closer, he saw it was Tempest, pulling a cart behind her.
The prickly Xeno Sapien was exactly that—a storm waiting to happen. Looking into her face, he saw she was as human as anyone. But from the neck down, her skin was a thicker, basic purple, with mottled blues and pinks. She also had the ability to break her bones and thrust them from her skin during battle. After the adrenaline rush, her bones would retract and the breaks heal.
He wasn’t her favorite person, nor was she his.
She raised her eyebrows when she saw him. “Still as dumb as ever, I see.”
“Watch your tongue, female. I’m hardly in the mood.” He scowled to make his point.
“Obviously. You wouldn’t be sitting out here while she’s lying in bed, snuggled with the bed sheets instead of a large but somewhat smelly man.”
Beast bit back his curse at the same time he realized what she’d said. She’d deliberately called him a man instead of referring to him as an animal. In her Tempest way, of course. Tempering the slight compliment with an insult first.
She sat on the loveseat next to him. “Lily made your breakfast. Jason’s been teaching her to cook. If you tell her it sucks, she’ll try harder and you can get homemade breakfast for a week until she catches on. Jason seems to be the only one who doesn’t consider her a child.” She sneered child as if it was an insult. But Lily had recently been a child. She had been forced into adulthood overnight to match her abnormally matured body during a horrific experiment that Jason had rescued her from.
> Beast fought against laughter. “There’s a reason why you have no friends.”
She shrugged. “I love Lily. And Sunny is my friend,” she said pointedly.
“Because you forced her to be,” he said. “You were in her face constantly, taking each job she volunteered for, bringing her meals in the mess hall…”
“The point is”—she went on like he never interrupted—“I know her well. You could do well with my advice. You know what she was attracted to on the island? The snarling, unmannered Beast you were. Once you became this driveling, pathetic, morose, mannered person, it drove her into the arms of a human.”
He sighed and leaned back on the seat. “Xeno Sapien women are genetically disposed toward loving humans. It’s a fact.”
Tempest’s mouth dropped. “What? Is this a real conclusion you’ve reached in your pea-brain?”
“It’s true. Look at Lily. Look at you.”
“Me?”
“You had that completely inappropriate crush on Jason. A human,” he enunciated. “And now there’s Shawn. Another human.”
“Shawn! I am not crushing on Shawn. He is Jason’s second in command, in charge of my training, and I merely feel guilt for once killing him.”
“Enough guilt that you wish to have his penis in your mouth?”
“Pee-nis?” She inhaled sharply, narrowing her eyes. “I see what you are trying to do. Deflect my attention from the true matter. Sunny is back in your bed, and again you behave like the sniveling man humans have taught you to be. I shall inform Robyn of this, and she will worry unnecessarily that the chip in your micro brain is compromised. Heaven forbid she listen when I tell her you are simply a big, dumb brute.” Rising from the seat, she haughtily wandered off, only to look back once over her shoulder and one-up him. “And Robyn is also my friend.” She stomped back to the trees.
Beast snorted under his breath. It was facing her relationship with Shawn that had gotten her out of his hair. How was that for dumb?
He pulled the cart indoors, hearing Sunny call out sleepily. “Beast?”
“It’s me,” he said. “I’m bringing food and clothes.”
