by Lea Kirk
The door swished open and Jordan was gone, to be replaced by over six feet of sexy Bezchian goodness.
Kai sauntered toward her, looking mouthwatering in his draping purple leggings and off-white pull-over. No more nayars for him. “Well?”
“Oh, don’t try and trick me. I know how good your hearing is.”
“I cannot seem to help it.” His grin was downright sinful as he rounded her desk. “Congratulations on keeping your job.”
“Thanks.” She stepped into the circle of her arms and inhaled his scent through her nose. “Mmm, cinnamon. My favorite.”
“You are my favorite.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips to the tip of her nose.
Ooh, something was standing at attention between them. She wiggled closer. “Yeah, well, how did your call with your most esteemed leader go?”
“It went better than I had expected. Uri was skeptical at first, but in the end he recognized the signs for what they are.”
“So, he believes we’re soul mates?”
“Aye. If for no other reason than it explains Zha’s appearance.”
“Zha? Is that the new baby?”
“Aye. Also….” He clasped his hands around her waist and lifted her to sit on her desk. “He is considering my recommendation that the elders give priority to finding love mates over convenience mates.”
“That’s wonderful, Kai.” She tipped her head to one side as he swooped in to nibble at that special place just below her ear. “How do you feel about going back to Bezchi for a couple weeks?”
“Why?” He worked at the buttons of her blouse with his fingers.
She reached up and closed her hands over his. “What do you mean why? Your clan is there. Don’t you want to go see them?”
His gaze met hers. “There is no place for me there anymore. My soul mate’s clan is now my clan. Your home is my home. This is where I belong—with you, on Earth.”
“But, won’t you get bored? What are you going to do?”
“First, I am doing you. Right now. More than once, if Adam does not interrupt. After that, I am taking you down the hall to show you my new office.”
“Excuse me, what?”
“Jordan offered me a job.” He shrugged as if it was no big deal. “And I accepted.”
“Y-you mean we’ll be working together? Matching people?”
“Exactly.” He stuck his hand under her desk. A soft snick reached her ear, then his attention was back on her. “Now, love, the door is locked, and I cannot seem to get enough of you.”
“Oh, you naughty bird.” She tugged his shirt free from the waistband of his leggings and slid her hands up his chest and over his nipples. “Just don’t forget to restrain your wings. I don’t want to have to use the fire extinguisher on your shirt.”
“Or I can simply remove it.”
“You won’t hear me complaining.”
The shirt came off in record time, and so did hers, along with her bra. His expression every time her breasts were freed never lost its wonder.
“Ah, Nixy,” he whispered. He pressed a kiss to the top of each breast. “I come from such a harsh climate, and you are so soft.”
He closed his mouth over her nipple, and she tilted her head back and moaned. Softly. The walls were insulated, but not completely. She cupped her breasts, raising them to him like an offering. Kai swirled his tongue around and nipped before releasing the first nipple with a wet pop, then moving to play with the other. Electric jolts shot straight down between her legs.
Good Lord, her menopausal self didn’t stand a chance against his gentle assaults. He moved back up, claiming her mouth in a soul-shattering kiss, and she was helpless to do anything but fall into it. Let him sweep her away as his hands roamed over her skin, touching and tweaking until she writhed with need.
“Now, Kai.” She murmured the words against his mouth.
Then he broke the kiss, moving his lips over her as he turned her around, bent her slowly forward over her desk. Then he ran his hands up her legs, wiggling her pencil skirt up inch by delicious inch.
“You are not wearing under-garments, Ms. Vogel,” he chided.
She arched her back and peered over her shoulder at him. “A girl just never knows when she’ll see some action.”
A deep growl vibrated through him and he leaned over her, the touch of his hot skin against hers dragging another moan from deep inside her. Since his rebirth, his temperature had been a bit higher than before. That had scared her at first, until he explained that it was his body’s defense against the colder weather.
Fall had settled into the area, and it would only get colder. Wouldn’t Kai be surprised when she took him to look at houses in Palm Springs this weekend? It could get cool there during the winter too, but it was still warmer than this side of the mountains.
Kai traced his fingers over her belly and slipped them into her slick folds, finding her clit as though he had a radar for it. A tremor radiated from the point of his firm circular strokes, out through her entire body.
“Kai.” She breathed out his name like a plea.
“My Phoenix,” Kai murmured as he pressed hot little kisses and licks along her spine.
“Can’t wait. Need you now.” Right here, right now, bent over her desk with her bare ass in the air. Screw professionalism. The tip of his shaft bumped against her opening and she arched her back. “Do it.”
And he did. He grabbed her hips and slammed into her, rocking her with each thrust.
Oh, my God, those ridge rings. Evolution had been kind to the Bezchians.
She stretched out, the cool glass against her breasts a nice counterpoint to the heat building at her core. She curled her fingers around the opposite edge of the desk, and let her eyes roll upward as sweet release cascaded, sending her over the edge. She bit back her scream as her walls squeezed him, and it came out somewhere between a groan and a growl. Kai found his moment two thrusts later, pouring himself into her as she clenched around him again.
The weight of him sagged against her back, and his satisfied sigh filled her with a peaceful wonder. By some quirk of fate, she had been given a second chance at love. She turned her head so they rested cheek to cheek, still joined in the most intimate way as their breath mingled.
Oh, yeah. Life was good.
Epilogue
Most Esteemed Elder Uri Firewing propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. Fia had been right about Kai after all. Shame on him for never quite believing her prediction. In truth, he had not wanted to. Yet, what she had told him hundreds of sun migrations ago was finally coming to pass.
Change.
She had tried to prepare him, to open his mind to make the transition easier, but he had been too stubborn. Her warning words still echoed in his thoughts:
“There is nothing more certain in the universe than change. And change is the one thing all beings resist, even if resistance kills them. Learn to adapt, Uri, because change is coming.”
Change was certainly in the roost, and Kai had made the first step for their people. It was both heartbreaking and exhilarating to watch the younger phoenix find his wings and fly.
Now, it was up to the Firewing clan to rediscover their focus, and Uri was at point to lead them into that new future—or not. The choice was his. A knot of nerves settled in his stomach. How qualified he was to do so remained to be seen.
A soft gurgle came from the cradle in the corner. Zha was awake and would need feeding. Uri rose and moved to the side of the cradle. The tiny phoenix within blinked his deep lavender eyes as Uri lifted the fledgling to his shoulder.
“There now, little one. You have come to us at a great time. Your forebearer left us far too soon, but I hope you stay around longer. Things are about to get exciting.”
Note from the Author
I hope you enjoyed reading Trial by Fire, the final book in the Silverstar Mates series! This was so much fun to write, and I do have futur
e plans for Adam. Also, Eva and Sovah’s story is in the works, as a prequel to this series. It’ll be a fun short story that begins when Eva is abducted in her hair rollers.
Please, please, please take a moment to leave a review. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but reviews do help other readers decide whether of not to invest in a book. So, if you love what I’ve written and want to share my work with other readers—review it! Tell your friends! Share on social media! (Besides, I love reading your reviews. They help me determine what I’m doing right, or wrong.)
Thank you to everyone who helped make this series a reality, including…
To the incredible authors of the Intergalactic Dating Agency group…let’s do this again!
To Gail, Therese, and Rosie for brainstorming potential LGBTQ dating agency names.
To Andrew, my plotting buddy, for your excellent suggestions.
To Rosalie Redd, Dianna Wilkes, and Tianna Xander—we’re done! For now….
To my readers, for your support, love, and reviews!
To my kids and my parents for being so understanding. It’s okay to call me again.
To my husband who has earned corned beef and potatoes for dinner!
Scroll down for a little sneak peek at my first book ever, Prophecy. Enjoy!
Warmly,
~Lea Kirk
Check out the book that started it all for me: Prophecy, my debut novel, and the first book in the Prophecy series.
Chapter One
Present Day Earth
Alexandra Bock opened her eyes. Faint grey light filtered through a woven black cloth over her face. Where the hell was she now? A chill from the hard surface seeped through the thin fabric of her hospital scrubs, and her muscles contracted, sending a violent shudder through her body. Had she really been chased by a giant, green-skinned alien through the streets of her hometown?
It happened. It had really happened.
There’d been no escaping him either. He’d been fast and unbelievably huge. Like ten-feet-tall huge—and as pissed as hell. That might have been her fault. At the time, ramming the heel of her hand into his nose had seemed like a reasonable idea. It did distract him long enough for her to bolt.
But that freaking space invader had the decided advantage of being faster, and he had friends. They’d herded her through the rubble-strewn streets of Damon Beach like a pack of Australian Shepherds, laughing and shouting as if the thrill of the chase excited them. The last thing she remembered was burgundy blood dripping from Green Man’s large nostrils, and the knuckles of his enormous fist just before it connected with her head.
Now she was...somewhere cold and metallic...lying on a hard floor with a sack over her head that stank like old cheese. That green bastard must have put it on her while she was unconscious. She swallowed against the first hint of acid at the back of her throat. Would she ever stand on the sandy, sun-warmed Northern California beach of her hometown again? Feel the cold Pacific waves rush around her feet? Was she even on Earth anymore?
She shifted her arms from behind her, but stopped when cords bit into her wrists. Damn. Guess the disgusting hood is staying on for now. She tested her feet and twisted her mouth in disdain. Tied at the ankles. Could this day get any worse?
That’s a rhetorical question, God. Although, there weren’t a lot of things worse than an unexpected alien invasion. She may have survived it, but that didn’t guarantee she’d remain among the living. Especially given her current incapacitation. Knowledge is power, Alex. Figure out where you are and how to escape.
A steady mechanical whoosh, like air blowing, reached her ear. And muffled voices, some of them moaning. The voices definitely sounded human. The invaders’ voices had the rich tone of a deep gong. A child sobbed nearby, and she couldn’t do a damn thing to help because she was trussed like a pig. After what she’d seen and experienced today, someone here was bound to need a nurse.
You need a nurse, Alex. Or a doctor. Something was amiss with her right ear. Even pressed to the floor, she should hear echoes of the voices around her. And the fuzziness of her thoughts indicated a concussion. But freeing herself of the bonds was her first priority, then she could deal with her injuries. If she wiggled around enough, she could loop her hands under her legs. Once they were in front of her, she’d be able to take the hood off. Magicians and escape artists did this trick all the time. How hard could it be?
You nitwit. You’re a five-foot-eleven ER nurse who quit gymnastics when you were nine. She was so screwed. Unless someone nearby wasn’t tied up and could help her. That might work. She pulled in a breath and raised her head to call out.
Pain exploded behind her eyes, and her stomach lurched like a drunken sailor. Bile burned a path up her esophagus and her gag reflex kicked in. Crap. She was going to hurl inside the hood. This would be way beyond gross.
A gentle hand cupped the crown of her head. “Paci,” a man’s voice murmured, the language strange but beautiful and lilting.
The nausea receded and her mind floated, as if buoyed by a gently rolling ocean wave. Tension drained from her shoulders. Peace; this she could deal with.
The hand vanished and the tranquil waves faded, leaving Alex weak and gulping for whatever oxygen she could suck through the musty hood. What just happened there? Cool fingertips rested against her neck. Were they human or alien? Must be human; an alien wouldn’t bother to check her pulse.
Unless he was checking to see if she was strong enough for experiments…
Her heart shot straight up into her throat, and she fought to contain the groan welling in her chest. Breathe, Alex. You’re overreacting again. This isn’t the movies. First rule of disaster training: stay calm. If she ever got the chance, she’d make damn sure future training programs covered alien invasions.
“Is English your language?”
A man’s voice, and definitely not alien. Low, calm, gentle—everything the alien invaders’ voices were not— it wrapped around her like her favorite bathrobe, soft and warm.
“Yes.” The word slipped passed her lips as she expelled her breath. “Help me.”
“No fear. You are safe for the time.”
A pleasant tingle fluttered through her core, apparently in response to the stranger’s voice. Capable hands assisted her to sit upright, triggering a pulsing thrum that beat against her skull like Thor’s Hammer. “My head….”
The floating sensation returned, but this time, instead of ocean waves, she drifted amongst big, white, puffy clouds in a cobalt sky. Nice. Her head lolled back and a strong hand cupped and cradled it.
“Concussion, severe tympanic damage, and dehydration, Captain,” a second man’s voice said.
So, her self-diagnosis had been correct; a concussion and ear damage. Hardly surprising after the abuse she’d endured at the hands of her captors. How was it no one on Earth had seen them coming? There should have been some warning. With all the satellites, telescopes and whatever else NASA used, they must have been blind to have missed the approach of those gargantuan space-ships. What a way to find out we’re not alone in the universe.
“We will free you now.”
Captain had a nice, melodic accent. Wonder where he’s from? Hands worked at the cords binding her ankles.
“You’re military?” Please don’t let him be a cruise ship captain. Somehow imagining him as military was more reassuring.
A second set of hands tugged at the bonds around her wrists.
“I am,” Captain said.
“Then where were you guys during the attack?” She’d expected to see fighter jets streaking across the sky, coming to the rescue. But they’d never appeared.
“We were unable to help.”
The military being grounded by the invasion was a scary thought. It made sense though. The aliens must have attacked more than just the California coast. Their space-ship had spanned the horizon like a floating continent. It wasn’t a stretch to assume they were capable of wip
ing out all civilization from the West Coast to the Rockies, and beyond.
She sucked in a ragged breath. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Her feet fell apart, free from their bonds, and blood rushed to her toes with the sting of a hundred needles. “Ah.”
“The ties of the hood are well knotted,” Captain murmured. “To rest your head against me will keep it from moving as much while I work. Will you agree?”
Anything to minimize the pain. She made a small sound of agreement and he drew her against him. His heart thumped steady, strong, and, most importantly, like a normal human’s under her ear. Some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to melt away as he manipulated the hood’s bindings.
“We are held aboard an Anferthian slave ship.” Captain pitched his voice low.
“You mean those green bastards took us off Earth?” Like hell she would spend the rest of her life as a slave.
“No. On your planet we remain as they collect survivors.”
“I hate aliens.” Especially ten-foot-tall, green-skinned, scumbag aliens.
Were Mom and Dad safe at his conference in New York, watching the attack from their hotel room? Or were they somewhere on this slave ship? And Nicky. Had her brother already left high school to meet her for lunch? What if she was the only one in her family to survive? Don’t even go there. Her family had to be alive. Life without them…. A sharp pain pierced her heart, and she squeezed her eyes tight against another round of hot tears.
“Your feelings are justified,” Captain murmured.
He had that right. Someone was responsible for today’s massacre and she’d give anything to make them pay.
“What is your name?” Captain’s words rumbled under her ear, the abrupt change of topic disrupting the flow of her angry thoughts.
“Alexandra Bock.” She pressed her lips together. Why had she told him that? Only her father called her Alexandra. Everyone else called her Alex.
“You are near free of your bonds, Alexandra Bock.” Captain set her back upright, away from the comforting sound of his heartbeat.
