Initiation
Page 25
Panic hit him, though he had expected this. He pushed her down to her stomach, covering her with his body. Protecting her.
The intruder tugged his pants open. “Pull out of her. I’m going to fix it so the bitch won’t ever be able to breed.”
No way. No one was going to stop him, or take her from him. He held her arms pinned to the mattress, so she couldn’t move, then surged into her, over and over, demonstrating his possession.
“This…woman…belongs…to…me!”
She squirmed beneath him, called out his name.
He ignored her. He had no choice. He had to Brand and Breed her, before it was too late.
“She doesn’t belong to you, Warrior. Not anymore. She is my whore now.”
Alexa tried to pull away. What was Braden doing? “Let me up!” They had to stop, delay the Branding, get the intruder out first. She’d been so close. If he’d only waited a moment longer, they could have completed the ceremony.
A disruptor beam shot across the room.
The masked man stumbled backward and hit the wall. He managed to keep to his feet and clamped a hand over the wound to his arm.
Erik stepped out from the corner. “You’re out-numbered, Laszlo. We know it’s you.” He held up a monitor. “Voice analysis confirmed.”
“Wait.” Alexa pushed back against Braden.
The masked man’s eyes widened. He reached for the weapon on his belt.
Erik fired again. The weapon disintegrated. “We don’t want to kill you. Give up before it comes to that.”
“You can’t defeat me.”
Alexa struggled beneath Braden’s body, trying to get more air into her lungs. He was crushing her. “Listen to me. It’s not—”
“Brand her, Braden,” Erik interrupted. “Now! In case he’s opened the entire security net, and teams of Egesa are on their way in.”
Erik fired once more, and the man crumpled to the floor.
The masked intruder quickly recovered and pushed himself to a sitting position, looking dazed.
Alexa gasped when Braden thrust into her. She felt her hair pulled back, away from her neck. If he thought she was going to orgasm while all this was going on, he was nuts! She’d never be able to complete the rite like this. Even though she’d promised earlier not to let anything stop them.
The air shimmered, and two more forms materialized. Kam and…Laszlo.
All movement in the room stopped.
The masked man swore, hit his transport-connector, and disappeared. Kam spared only a moment’s glance at the bed, then he too disappeared.
Laszlo’s gaze met hers. “I’m sorry it had to be this way, my dear.” His eyes narrowed to slits, and he raised his hand. Sweat broke out on his brow, and he seemed to be having trouble breathing. His gaze slid to Braden. “Brand her, while there’s time.”
Erotic images, to the extreme, flitted through Alexa’s mind. Dark fantasies she’d never revealed to anyone, not even Braden. Her body immediately spasmed. Braden tensed as he too climaxed, and his seed spilled into her.
She felt his mouth suction onto the back of her neck. Colors exploded inside her head. She screamed from the combination of pleasure/pain that wracked her body, then she collapsed beneath Braden’s weight, completely spent.
Epilogue
Silence hung heavily in the air. Only the Warriors’ breathing filled the awkward stillness of the room.
Laszlo was gone.
Braden shifted his weight off Alexa. His mind was a jumble. He traced the Brand on the back of her neck. The round mark, with his unique personal design, was almost transparent, but present. “Are you all right?” He stroked her back. “Did I hurt you?”
She shook her head, but didn’t speak. He wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. She was probably in shock.
Braden looked toward the corner by the door. “What happened?”
Erik held Leila close to his chest, stroking her hair. “Damned if I know,” he answered. “The monitor confirmed the masked man as Laszlo.”
“I don’t get this. Did you get a fix on the man with Kam? That was Laszlo. Or a look-a-like.”
“No. Sorry.”
“Shit, Erik!”
“Hey! I tried. The sequencer jammed, then he was gone before the reset took hold.”
“The man with Kam was Laszlo,” Alexa said, turning over and covering herself with a blanket.
Leila turned in Erik’s arms. “How do you know, Alexa?”
“He told me.”
Braden grabbed his underwear and slipped them on. “What do you mean?”
“Earlier today. While you were gone and before Leila came to help me prepare. Laszlo and Kam materialized into your room. They said I didn’t need to fear the Branding and told me what was going to happen tonight. They wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t back out.”
“Dammit! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Kam didn’t want me to say anything that might change the outcome. They said the Branding was the only way to keep me safe and to prove that Laszlo wasn’t a traitor. You and I are meant for each other, Laszlo said. A perfect match. He took away any last doubts I had.”
Braden’s heart thumped. The traitor wasn’t Laszlo. Otherwise, he would have snatched Alexa while in the room, before she was Branded. The thought of losing her made him ill. Though he’d taken precautions, he never should have left her alone, even for a short time.
Laszlo’s visit to Alexa could have been a set-up to fool them, he supposed. But if so, it would be a foolhardy one. And he couldn’t believe that Kam would betray them. He had to believe, did believe, that Laszlo was still on their side. Braden returned Alexa’s sweet smile, grateful for what Laszlo had done in taking away her lingering doubts.
“How could the monitor confirm the masked man as Laszlo, if it wasn’t him?” Leila asked. “And I recognized his eyes and voice when we were on the Marid ship. I swear I did.”
Alexa shook her head. “I don’t know. He said that he and Kam needed to handle things, and we were to stay out of it.”
“Yeah, right.” Erik snorted.
“We have to accept the fact that we don’t know enough right now to figure this thing out.” Braden looked across the room where Kam had been. “I have to believe that the man with Kam was Laszlo, like Alexa says. And I believe he’s still on our side. I believe they both are. Somehow, I think Laszlo put erotic images in my head, and I suspect Alexa’s too, so we could finish the Branding.”
“Yes,” Alexa agreed.
“How could he do that?” Erik asked, practically barking out the words.
“I don’t know.” Braden also realized that the vision he’d had of Alexa, back while in the graveyard, had come true right down to the last detail. Was Laszlo responsible for that, too?
“He does have the ability to project images,” Alexa explained, confirming Braden’s suspicions. “He told me. I had a vision of me and Braden in this room long before it happened.”
Braden’s gaze snapped to hers. “Me, too.”
“This is all too weird for me,” Erik replied, looking around the room as if still expecting an invasion. “Where’d he get powers like that?”
And how much had their own minds been manipulated? Braden couldn’t help but wonder. He wasn’t comfortable with this new turn of events. Laszlo had used the power for the good of Xylon, to pair him and Alexa as mates. But Laszlo could just as easily use it for evil, if the man decided to turn.
Leila stepped over to the bed, her face a study of concentration. “If the masked man wasn’t Laszlo, and was a Marid commander—Daegal or not, why didn’t the compound shut down when he breached security? Nothing happened. Nothing changed. That’s always been one of our advantages over The Dome. The ability to identify when someone from the other side penetrates our walls.”
Braden shook his head. “I don’t know. Erik and I think there’s a small hole in security somewhere that could allow one person at a time to get through undetected. Or maybe the mask
ed man was a Warrior once. Maybe someone related to Laszlo that we don’t know about, who turned, and still has access to The Lair. That would account for the monitor readings and resemblance. Though our equipment is designed to be more sophisticated than that, so—”
“Fine. If all or any of that is true, then where the hell is Kam?” Erik asked. “He’s dick-deep in this. There’s something more going on here.”
“My brother is a good man!” Alexa protested. “I know he is. Don’t you dare imply otherwise.”
At that moment, Kam materialized inside the room.
Erik grabbed him by the front of the shirt. “What the hell is going on?”
“Let go of me.”
“Let go of him,” Alexa protested at the same time.
“Enough!” Braden ordered. They needed to stick together right now, not argue. “Kam, what’s going on? Let him go, Erik.”
Erik released him, and Kam stepped back out of reach. “Laszlo isn’t a traitor or double-agent. He hasn’t betrayed Xylon. He’s gone after the masked man. I need to follow.”
“No!” Alexa protested. “If you go, you might never come back.”
“What’s your role in all this?” Erik asked.
That’s exactly what Braden wanted to know, too.
“He needed help and confided in me. I found out that Daegal, like Laszlo, has the ability to project images. Both their powers are fading, so Daegal especially is desperate to find other ways to remain in control. He’s staying hidden from all but his most loyal followers now. And as long as he thinks he might be able to get valuable information out of our Warriors about Xylon, he’s hesitating to launch an all-out assault.”
“This is fucking unbelievable,” Erik mumbled.
“Braden,” Leila interrupted.
“What?”
“The masked man, it just registered with me what he said.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He said, I’m going to fix it so the bitch won’t ever be able to breed. He had to know Alexa had already gone through the Initiation. She couldn’t be Branded otherwise.”
They all looked at each other in stunned silence.
“What’s it mean?” Alexa asked.
Another long moment passed before Braden answered. “Marid must have found a way around the first step of the Initiation Rite. A way to sterilize our protected women.”
Alexa bit her bottom lip. She slid her hand into his.
He squeezed her fingers, looking deep into her eyes. His love for Alexa, and hers for him, had opened his heart. Not only to her, but also to all the Xylon people. Their safety was his responsibility now. And he didn’t take that lightly. He looked over at Xylon’s ranking Healer. “What can you do, Leila?”
She paced, obviously gathering her thoughts, then she stopped in front of him. “We can’t strengthen what we’re already using. The only hope is to neutralize whatever they’re using to get around our protection. I’ll need a sample of the compound, so I can break it down.”
“And how are we supposed to get that?” Erik raked his fingers through his hair.
“There’s only one way,” Kam answered without hesitation. “We go in. To Marid. And steal it.”
“And neutralize Daegal while we’re there,” Braden added. “I’ll take it to the Council for a vote.” He turned to gaze into Alexa’s eyes. He raised his hand to caress her cheek, then slid his fingers around to the back of her neck, needing to feel his mark on her. “This isn’t going to deter us. We’re going to build a long and loving life together, Alexa. I give you my promise.”
Her eyes softened, and she squeezed his hand. “I know. I trust you. And I love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He leaned in to kiss her tenderly.
The others materialized out of the room, leaving them in privacy.
Alexa slid her arms around him and melted into his embrace. Nothing had ever felt as good to him as her soft touch. Braden intended to keep this woman, his one true love, safe and close to his heart forever.
About the Author
Ruth D. Kerce got hooked on writing in the fifth grade when she won a short story contest—a romance, of course. And she’s been writing romance ever since.
She writes several subgenres of romance—historical, contemporary and futuristic. Her books are available online in many internet bookstores. Her short stories and articles are available on several websites. She has won or placed in writing contests and hopes to continue to write exciting tales for years to come.
Ruth welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
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Also by Ruth D. Kerce
Adam 483: Man or Machine?
Brazen Moon
Craving Lady Starr
Diamond Assets
Hot on Her Tail
Lord Viper
One Naughty Winter Night
Sins of Adaven
Stripped
Virgin Seeks Bad-Ass Boy
Wanton Surrender
Wanton Temptation
Xylon Warriors 2: His Carnal Need
Xylon Warriors 3: Flames of Arousal
Xylon Warriors 4: Ecstasy Bound
Young Stud
Print books by Ruth D. Kerce
Bedtime, Playtime anthology
Diamond Studs anthology
Finely Aged anthology
Good Girl Seeks Bad Rider anthology
Sins of Adaven
Wanton Temptation
Winter Studs anthology
Xylon Warriors 1: Initiation
Xylon Warriors 2: His Carnal Need
Xylon Warriors 3: Flames of Arousal
Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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