Liar! Azros fought.
“It’s a futile effort to struggle.” She stabbed the needle in his thigh, pressing the plunger in a slow push.
The burning hit almost immediately. He growled and sucked up the pain. He’d be damned if they saw his agony. His muscles bunched and strained.
She smiled in a parody of human emotion. “That’s my good little pet.” Her hand rose, patting his face. He tried to jerk away, but she clenched her hand in his hair, holding him still. “Did you think I wouldn’t find you?” Her voice changed. Became harsher, wilder. Shyla’s face melted into Skreeta’s.
Insanity blazed in the depths of her eyes. “You will always be mine.”
“I belong to no one!”
Skreeta laughed. “Hear that, niece? He doesn’t belong to anyone.” Skreeta stepped aside. Stark horror clenched his gut. A cry of agony tore from his throat. In the center of a table was Kendra’s severed head.
Azros!
Azros sat straight up, dragging in breath after breath. His gaze darted around the room. No cell. He ran his hands over each wrist. No marks. He inspected his thigh. Nothing. Sheets were a tangle around his legs.
A tentative touch to his back had him spinning around.
“Azros?”
She was alive. Brilliantly, incredibly, alive. He wrapped his arms around her, dragging her into his lap. “It was just a dream. Thank the fates….” He nuzzled her neck, letting her scent envelop him, and push the darkness away.
“What the…” She wrapped her arms around him. “What can I do to help?”
“Just touch me. Let me hold you.”
She did just that, slid her fingers up and down his back in soothing caresses. “I couldn’t wake you.” She hesitated for a moment. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
His sweat-soaked body shivered in the cool room. “It was a nightmare. A horrible nightmare.”
Kendra cupped his cheek with a delicate brush of her fingers. “Seeing Skreeta triggered nightmares for us both. Mine involved watching the scientists die from poison, and reliving my parents’ deaths.”
Azros gave a half laugh and looked down into the warm gaze of his mate. “Mine involved captivity and a severed head.”
Kendra gave an assessing nod. “Not bad. I’d have to say we were pretty close on the nightmare scale.”
Azros kissed her lightly on the tip of her lovely nose. “Not even close.”
He brushed his fingers along her cheek. Losing her would devastate him. He pressed his forehead against hers, unable to say the words. Azros pressed kisses along her skin. How did she come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time?
His eyes burned with unshed tears. How much longer would she feel the effects of the mating? When she walked away, it was going to destroy him.
“Let’s not think of these things.” She gently kissed him, a smooth tasting of his lips. He moaned at her delicious flavor. “Let me take the pain away.”
“I need you.” He dragged in one breath after another, drinking in her scent. His hands traveled over her body. Clothes disappeared in moments. His lips surrounded a nipple. Teeth nipped and tugged, gentle and arousing. His fingers slipped between her legs. Hot cream surrounded his digits as her pussy clenched. Her rich scent surrounded him, helped him forget. He kissed down her body. His tongue lapped at her juices, stroking the little nub of her clit. He flicked his tongue over and over against it.
Azros buried himself in her heat, tasting, sucking, until her thighs trembled. She writhed against him. Her body and scent told him she was close.
Fingers fisted in his hair, pressing him against her moist flesh. Her sweet, little cries made his cock harder.
“Azros, please.” Her whispered plea devastated him. She came around his fingers.
“You’re so delicious.”
She touched his face. He looked up. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lashes were lowered. She was like a wanton goddess. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman.” Azros took her lips in a slow kiss.
“You taste like me.” She smiled.
“I told you you’re delicious.” He kissed her, stroking his cock along her wet slit. She arched against him. “So wet for me.” Sliding into her pussy was like coming home. Her legs came around his hips.
He stroked, long and deep thrusts that had them both trembling. He buried his face against her shoulder and nipped at the mark he’d given her. Her pussy clenched around his cock. “Sweet mate. I will make you burn for me.” His tongue laved the spot, and passionate cries left her throat.
Kendra’s nails dug into his shoulder. “More. Please.”
His teeth scraped the mark. He ached to sink his teeth into the skin once more.
“Do it.” Her words were a raw whisper against his ear. “Bite me.” She gasped and moaned.
Azros rubbed his lips against the mark.
Her nails dug into his arm. “Do it!”
He bit. Pressure released from his fangs in a searing gush of lambyre. Her cries grew wilder. Sweat glistened from her skin. This was his mate. His love. He stroked his tongue on the mark. Her blood mixed with the lambyre. Their combined flavor was incredible. Kendra arched. “I’m coming.” She cried her release into the pillow.
“That’s it, Desh’ra. I love the way your pussy milks my cock.” His balls tightened, and his muscles clenched. He roared his release, sinking his cock as deep as possible in her welcoming body.
He stroked his tongue against the new wounds on her shoulder. Her taste was unimaginable. “You are ambrosia.”
Kendra’s body trembled in tiny aftershocks of pleasure. She gave a throaty sound that might have been an affirmative. He leaned back and saw a well-satisfied woman. His lips lifted in a smirk.
“I think you wore me out, mate.” Kendra’s voice was husky in near-sleep. His heart hitched. She said mate.
Azros nibbled on her lip, and she gave him a soft kiss. “That was the plan, after all.” He grinned.
She cuddled against him and he held her close. Kendra had called him her mate. Twice now. Hope grew in his chest like a summer fire, threatening to consume everything. He inhaled her scent. Skreeta’s betrayals were the only obstacles standing in their way.
He drifted off to a dreamless sleep, purring, content to hold his mate until they went to war.
* * * * *
Azros gazed down at his mate. It was so tempting to curl back up in the bed and forget about all this, keep her safe. He smiled and brushed a tendril of hair from her cheek. Her warmth kept the darkness at bay, made him remember what it was like to live. He leaned over, inhaling the scent unique to Kendra. His internal chrono told him it was time. They had a schedule to keep.
He brushed his lips across her cheek. “I love you.” The whispered words would have to do until this nightmare was over. He prayed to the fates that whatever plan she’d concocted would keep her safe. Azros picked up his bag and strode from the room without looking back.
He stalked down the corridor, following a memorized trail to the clinic. Neither one of them had brought up the fact that she was fighting Skreeta.
Azros checked the time. He had one last wheel to set in motion before they took the ship. One that required Xavier’s assistance.
His part was crucial, and everything hinged on his compliance. He reached the empty night-staff corridor.
A familiar scent reached his nose. He inhaled. “Xavier?” They were supposed to meet in the clinic. The underlying stench of blood and fear warped the scent.
“Well, well. What have we here?”
A familiar and cloying scent blanketed his senses, deadening them. Panic rose as bile in his throat. Hearing, taste, smell and his extra senses were smothered. Azros’ nails dug into his palms, as he tried to hide their trembling. His body broke out in a sweat.
“Well done, Shyla.” Skreeta’s voice grated like broken glass.
Shyla stepped from the shadows. He stared down the barrel of a pistol. Her body reeked of Xavier’s fea
r and blood.
This wasn’t part of the plan. “What did you do to him?” His mind grew foggy, and Azros shook his head.
Shyla shot. Pain arced down his arm. Azros jerked from the impact, but couldn’t work up more than a glance at the wound. A dart. They’d drugged him. Twice. He almost laughed.
“Oh your little kitty?” Skreeta laughed. “Don’t worry, my pet.”
Azros dropped to a knee. His strength was failing.
Skreeta leaned close, and Azros swung. His hand met air. A fist plowed into his jaw, and they both jerked away. She cursed, shaking her hand. His jaw must have been harder than she thought it would be. He dropped to all fours to hide his smile. The curls of his hair blocked his view. He didn’t want to see Shyla’s betrayal. Azros held a tiny hope that she was still working with them.
A kick to the side knocked him against the wall. Azros tried to push himself up, but his muscles wouldn’t respond. He stared up at Shyla. The twisted grimace of her smile was an echo of her mother’s.
“Like mother, like daughter.” His throat croaked the words. Even his lips grew numb.
She kicked him again, but Azros’ mind was slipping into darkness. His beast clawed and fought, desperate to regain consciousness.
The flash of a blade sparked concern from someplace very far away. She jerked the pendant from around his neck. “I’ll take this to your whore. We’ll see how she takes proof of your death.” Skreeta slapped him across the face.
“Mother.” Shyla gripped her shoulder. “We don’t have much time before they notice the Valorians are missing.”
“Don’t worry, pet.” Skreeta brushed her fingers against his cheek. “I’ll bathe in the bitch’s blood before I’m done with her. Then I’ll come back and gut you.”
He screamed in his mind, bellowing two words—Kendra! Danger!
“Take him.”
The drugs dragged him down into the hell of oblivion.
* * * * *
Kendra! Danger! Raw horror and rage flooded Kendra’s mind, jerking her out of bed. She didn’t question. Her senses told her Azros was gone. She growled. Betrayed meant Shyla. She knew better than to trust that bitch.
“David.” She jerked her clothes on. David didn’t respond. She cursed. David was probably not accessible in the client rooms and suites. She hit the door, impatiently waiting for it to open. The moment it did, she was running down the hall, buckling her belt as she went. Her knife sheath would wait.
The subtle odor of Azros guided her. It was too faint to determine anything but his path. She reached the night-staff corridor, and jerked to a stop. Fear. Raw and vile. She could taste his blood in the air, blood tainted with a metallic trace she couldn’t identify. “David!” she yelled to the ceiling for the AI. Xavier. Azros. Both were here. Both were taken. Her mind shied away from the alternative.
“Yes, Chief?” The AI responded politely, vocally. Irrationally, Kendra grew furious at the calm reply.
“Notify critical personnel that two guests have been kidnapped. Valorian Xavier, and Valorian Azros.” Kendra drew her weapon, jogging down the hallway. Azros’ scent grew stronger. She was gaining on them. I’m not too late.
Affirmative.
She prayed to the fates for mercy. Her cheeks grew cold as she ran, and her skin grew tight. Sensation prickled all over her body. She could feel the air slide past her skin with every footfall. Potent rage fueled her, rising in sharp relief against the fear. She would rip Skreeta apart.
“David, lock down any ships that attempt to leave the surface.”
I can’t do that, Chief. His cultured voice slid into her mind.
“Why not?”
I have to gain permission from the highest authority to do so.
“Get it. Stop the Sheon ship from leaving.”
I cannot. This particular ship has clearance to leave at any time.
Kendra reached the bay doors. “Open them.”
Chief, the doors are sealed as a ship is preparing for takeoff.
“Open this fucking door, or so help me god…” The sound of a ship’s engines skittered fear down her spine. She went to the panel and with shaking fingers entered the override code. An error occurred and she cursed. She’d entered it wrong. She tried again.
Your request violates safety protocols. The words slid across the screen.
Kendra reentered the code. The doors slid open and the stench of burning pyothane assaulted her senses. She aimed at the ship, recognizing the Sheon emblem. Kendra fired her weapon, emptying her ammo into the impervious hull. It wasn’t until the ship lifted from the surface that she realized her voice was raw from screaming. She was still pulling the trigger, but there was nothing left. Her arms dropped to her sides and she roared her fury.
She turned on her heel and jogged to her service room.
Mase and Reeva met her there. Now more than ever, she was thankful for her small team.
“What is it, Chief?” Reeva was tying her hair back. She froze. “You’re crying.”
Kendra impatiently swiped at her cheeks. “They have taken Azros and Xavier. We need to hurry if we’re going to get them back.”
Mase blinked and looked at Reeva. Kendra had a gut-wrenching feeling of déjà vu. “What am I missing here?” Her voice was raw, but tight with pain.
Reeva swallowed. “That was part of the plan, Chief. Azros was to be taken by force to the ship.”
“What?” Kendra palmed her door open. “Does Destiny know about this?”
Mase stood by the door, hovering. “She was actually the one who suggested it.”
Kendra’s rage burned hotter, and she stalked into her room. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” She spun around.
Reeva and Mase locked gazes for a moment before they followed. The door slid shut and Reeva spoke. “We thought Azros would have said something.”
Kendra sank down on the bed. “Obviously not.” She glared at Mase. “What happens next?”
Mase shrugged. “We wait for his call. I have to get the men ready and inform Jackson that the timetable has been accelerated. We’ll get them back, Chief.” He turned, glancing back once more before walking out of her room.
“Chief, how did you know they were taken? We only just found out about the ship’s departure.”
Kendra let her head fall against her hands. “I heard his voice in my head. His scream of…” She pressed her fingers against her scalp, suddenly aware that she hadn’t tied her hair back. They didn’t need to know the fear, the rage. “He was supposed to be captured.” She looked up at Reeva. “Something went very wrong. Skreeta will kill him, outright.”
Reeva shook her head. “Odds are the woman will keep him as a hostage.”
Kendra laughed, a hollow, angry sound. “You don’t know this woman like I do. Like Azros does.” She sat up and dragged in one breath after another. “If something happens to him…” She choked on the words. Tears spilled over and she dragged in breath after breath. Raw pain tore into her chest.
Reeva dropped in front of her. “Don’t think about that. Think about what you’re supposed to do.” She held Kendra’s hands. “His capture was part of the plan. It was the only way to get him inside.”
“You do realize we’re counting on the goodwill of a woman who slaughtered seventeen family members and countless Valorians…”
“I didn’t say it was foolproof.”
“No. It’s insane.” Kendra clenched her teeth.
“No more insane than battling Skreeta in a public fight to the death. Did you tell Azros what was at stake?”
Kendra stared at Reeva.
The woman’s lips twisted. “I thought not. You two are ridiculous.” She sighed. “Six hours until show time. Prepare yourself for the upcoming fight. We’ll need to give the boys as much time as possible if we want them to succeed.”
Kendra nodded.
The gaping wound of fear throbbed in her chest. “A lot can happen in six hours, Reeva.”
Her comm specialist squeezed h
er hands. “He will survive. And so will you.”
Kendra prayed to the fates that it would be so.
* * * * *
“Ladies, gentle beasts, and all you rock biters out there…” The crowd went wild, screaming and stomping their enthusiasm. Kendra’s stomach clenched in nervous anticipation. Her thoughts swirled around Azros.
“Tonight’s main event is about to begin…”
Kendra blocked out the announcer’s voice to focus on the battle to come. Skreeta’s reign had to stop. She visualized the death of her parents, and the nightmare run through the swamps. She remembered the burn of Skreeta’s blade against her skin, and the scars she would wear for the rest of her life. Azros’ scream in her mind had torn open those memories. They rushed in like a whirlwind.
She remembered the nearly broken spirit of Xavier, and the clinic personnel Skreeta slaughtered to get to him. The scars that lined her lover’s body. Six hours was a long time. Her aunt was going to pay the price for every moment she touched him. She would pay in blood.
“I’m going to be pissed if you die.” Reeva finished plaiting Kendra’s hair. “That should hold.”
“I have no intention of dying.” Kendra checked her sheaths, pulling the knives out for the hundredth time. Their weight was unfamiliar, but they were well-balanced blades. And sharp. Another bonus. “Communication?” She sheathed her weapons.
“Simien has jammed incoming message feeds. His gear is some of the best I’ve ever seen. I wish I could have had longer to look at it.”
They strode down a darkened corridor where light from the arena spilled in, outshining the hall’s dingy glow.
Kendra dragged in a breath, trying to keep her stomach from rebelling. Her skin felt tight…alien. She ran her hand over her neck. It had to be nerves.
Reeva gripped Kendra’s shoulder. “He’s going to be fine.”
Kendra stared across the sand-covered arena. “He’d better be. I’ll storm the gates of hell itself to kick his ass if he isn’t.”
“Princess Ashamia of the Sheon Empire.”
Kendra stepped out on the hot sands. False light beat down on her head and the deafening crowd made further conversation with Reeva impossible. Reeva gave the sign for eternal victory before leaning a shoulder against the wall. She would be keeping tabs on the Suplato’s security feeds on a remote data pad.
PrimalHunger Page 18
