by Olivia March
“There’s…I have…the stew is filling…”
“The casual disregard you have for your life irritates me, female. After everything you’ve experienced tonight, after everything you’ve seen, one would think you were smarter than this. Listen closely woman. I will not leave you here to fend for yourself. I’m a Keeper of Balruin, but even we observe the codes of conduct for women.”
“But…what’s the plan then? You can’t take me to a camp, you just can’t! And if you won’t leave me here, what other option is there?” Annabelle wanted to ask more questions, like what a Balruin Keeper was, and what he meant by codes of conduct with women, but now seemed like a bad time. The most important thing to discover was what he intended to do with her. Judging by his clenched jaw, whatever he had decided certainly brought him no pleasure.
“You will come with me. We will travel by night and I will complete my mission. Then I will take you to my Commander and he can decide what’s to be done with you.”
Annabelle just gaped in shock for a moment. Go with him? Travel together? Granted she’d be safer with him than she’d been in all the months since the invasion. Well, safe from other humans and Scourge. But safe from him was another question. The way he was looking at her right now was not encouraging. Nor were the shadows slithering around his body like angry snakes.
“Nefarion…” Annabelle stopped for a minute, thinking about what she wanted to say. Unable to stop herself, one of her hands lifted and touched his chest. The contact was electric. She wasn’t even touching his skin and a wave of arousal pulsed through her body. But his suggestion just didn’t make sense.
“You know I would only be a liability to you. I don’t have your strength, or your stamina. I certainly have none of your special skills. I’d be nothing but dead weight to you. You told me this mission was important. Surely your Commander wouldn’t approve of you taking me with you. How about you just check on me on your way back through here? Then you’ll be reassured that I’m fine here and move on with your duties.”
Annabelle waited for him to speak and waited some more. Nefarion’s head had dipped down to stare at her hand on his chest. She blushed and removed it, but his own hand shot up lightning fast and put it back where she’d had it. Annabelle shivered at the feel of his bare hand covering hers. His skin was so pale, but it wasn’t cold. Instead a tremendous heat radiated from it, warming her own hand in seconds before moving inward. It was almost as if the heat from his hand slipped over her whole body, leaving a tingling warmth in its wake.
“You asked about our talents before,” came his voice, the low rumble sending shivers down her spine. “One talent we have is in our senses. We can sense and smell emotions. Tell me why, after all you’ve been through, what I smell on you is desire.”
Annabelle stared, shocked. They could really sense things like that? Things like that should be private unless she decided to tell him how she felt. But at the same time…why hide it? He was going to leave soon, and she did desire him. He’d told her she wouldn’t enjoy a ride from him, but she wasn’t so sure. Maybe being with Nefarion tonight would help her feel…clean again. She’d almost been raped tonight. What she wanted now more than anything was to act on this insane pull she felt towards Nefarion, to give herself freely and consensually, to diminish the ugliness of what had happened.
“There’s no sense in lying I suppose. I am attracted to you. And I was wondering if maybe you were attracted to me too? Because if you are I was thinking…maybe you could stay for a little while longer.”
Chapter 5
Nefarion steeled himself against his instinctive reaction to Annabelle’s confession. He’d been fighting his attraction to her for hours. Every light touch, every time he’d held her in his arms, had pushed his desire higher. The only thing that had stopped him from seducing this woman had been his memories of earlier. When he’d seen her battered, and almost violated, he’d been certain she wouldn’t welcome any attentions like that from him. Balruin Keepers were savage and sneaky, but still had their own honor. And that honor did not allow for abusing females.
But here Annabelle was, offering herself to him. He’d been scenting her desire for a while, and it had kept him in a constant state of arousal. And now she’d verbalized her desire, invited him to stay, invited him to take her. For a moment, he doubted he could restrain himself. He wanted to fall on her and taste every inch of her creamy flesh. He wanted to lose himself in her lips, take those cherry red nipples into his mouth, and dive between her legs for a feast. But she was human. And not just human. If he was reading her correctly, she was an innocent human. A Balruin Keeper was no fit lover for a woman of this sort.
On the other hand, dawn approached, and he’d planned to hole up somewhere for a few hours anyway. It didn’t make sense for them to leave this hole right now, but he would be taking her with him when he did go, regardless of her protestations. But that meant spending several hours in this small hole with nothing to do but fight his attraction to a woman that was completely wrong for him. And not just fighting his attraction, but hers as well. He’d never felt the feral side of himself creep so close to the surface, nearly out of his control. He’d always known that he was an animal at heart, and meeting this innocent girl just brought that reality closer to the surface.
“You don’t know what you’re asking for Annabelle. I’m not the type of male an innocent like you needs. But I will stay here with you for now, and later today we will strike out together to complete my mission as I’ve said. Don’t protest, it will do you no good. I saved your life, and I won’t let you squander it. I accept your offer of food with my thanks, but only that offer.”
Nefarion observed her reactions to his words with fascination. So many different emotions played right across the woman’s face. It was like she’d never been taught to shield her thoughts from others. He saw embarrassment, fear, frustration, confusion. Confusion he could understand. A willing woman was offering her body to him and he was turning it down. Considering the depth of his desire, he was amazed at himself for being able to refuse her.
“I would appreciate you heating this meal for me in your way while I contact my Commander.”
Nefarion reluctantly released Annabelle’s hand and stepped away from her. The smell of her skin, of her hair, even the tangy hint of her arousal was all driving him mad. And Commander Helion did need to know how this evening had unfolded. He walked to the other side of the hovel, trying to tune out the subdued sounds of Annabelle preparing food for him so he could mind-link with Helion.
“Commander, I have important news to report,” he began once the link was made.
“You’ve found Mithrain’s body so quickly?” Helion replied, his disappointment coming through the link clearly.
“No Commander, I’m on the trail of his scent but haven’t located his body yet. There is still hope.” False hope. Both Nefarion and Helion knew that Mithrain was dead. But until there was a body, neither would concede the possibility of their friend and comrade being recovered.
“Then what is this important news Nefarion? We’re planning a serious engagement for the morning.” Helion’s voice was cold as ice, but that didn’t bother Nefarion. His Commander was always thus, at least with everyone except his mate and new daughter.
“I stopped an assault on a female tonight Commander. Five human males were attempting to rape the girl. I killed them and tried to take her to a refugee camp for her kind, but when we arrived, the camp had been slaughtered by Scourge.” Nefarion grimly transmitted his visual memories of the camp to Commander Helion, reliving the horror again as he did so.
“Abominable,” came Helion’s reply, his fury evident.
“It’s worse Commander. That camp should have housed hundreds of men, women, and children. But those bodies were all men. I could find no trace of any women or children in the camp, not alive or dead. For whatever reason the Scourge took the women and the young captive.”
“That makes no sense…that�
�s not how these scum operate Nefarion. They convert males they’ve taken captive, they use and destroy the women and children.”
“That’s not what I saw tonight sir. I don’t know how many humans were at this camp, so some of the males could have been taken captive for conversion. But there were many males dead, and no women and children anywhere. They must have been taken captive, but for what end I do not know.”
There was silence over the link as the Commander digested Nefarion’s report. The implications of this new act from their enemy were nothing good. It was the Scourge way to ravage and destroy anything that was helpless, innocent, and good. They ran through entire planets raping and murdering women and children and taking their males captive for the war machine, that had ever been their way. Now there was a whole new element to their methods to worry about and counter if possible.
“I will discuss this with High Commander Bron and the other Commanders Nefarion. Clearly this will need more investigation, a lot more. But your mission remains the same. Find Mithrain if you can, I don’t want to leave any of my men behind on this backward planet, not even their remains. What are your plans for the girl you rescued?”
“I see no recourse but to bring her with me on this mission Commander. The camps are not safe, and she was attacked right outside her makeshift home. She does not wish to leave this place, but I see no alternative that will assure her safety. I will not let her presence inhibit me from completing this mission however. I will keep her safe and bring her back to camp with me, along with Mithrain.”
“I think you’ll find that human women are more challenging to deal with than you can imagine Nefarion. But I agree with your plans, the girl can’t be left alone. Bring her back to our camp, Gwen might appreciate the presence of another woman.”
“Yes Commander,” Nefarion replied, cutting the link. Truthfully, he was relieved that the Commander hadn’t objected to him dragging the woman along on his mission. It wouldn’t have stopped him from doing so, but that would have had repercussions. Helion was a cold fish, and typically let nothing get in the way of completing his missions. Perhaps having a human mate had softened him some, which would be even more of a reason for Nefarion to avoid intimacy with Annabelle. The prince of Balruin could allow no softening. Any hint of weakness would be ruthlessly exploited.
Nefarion turned to see Annabelle busily heating him food over that candle contraption. This was the type of woman that made a man weak. Beautiful but soft. Intelligent but naïve. She was a woman that drove a male’s protective instincts into a frenzy while provoking soul-searing lust as well. That was not the type of woman he needed to rule by his side. He needed a Balruin female, beautiful but sly, strong and ruthless. Only that type of woman could survive leading such a contentious race of Keepers.
Annabelle turned to him then, holding a bowl in her hands. Nefarion walked towards her, the smell from the bowl drawing his eyes down. He hadn’t eaten any human fare since their arrival, and now he knew why. What the little woman was holding looked far from appetizing. It was tempting to tell her he’d changed his mind and wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to offend her. He didn’t normally care if anyone was offended by his words or deeds, but he found himself caring if he hurt this one’s feelings. He took the bowl with a nod, then waited until she sat on her pallet before taking a seat himself.
Silence stretched between them as they both ate, and it was an awkward silence. Nefarion forced himself to eat everything in the bowl, which didn’t taste as bad as he’d expected but was by no means appetizing. Annabelle spent the meal trying not to look in his direction, her confused jumble of emotions still pulsing around her like a cloud. She was so young…Nefarion couldn’t ever remember being so young and fraught with emotions. He’d lived hundreds of years, taken countless enemy lives, slept with scores of females whose faces he could hardly remember anymore. And through all that he hadn’t felt even a fraction of what this female seemed capable of.
“You said you were contacting your Commander, but I didn’t see a phone or anything like that. You just stood there looking at the wall.” Annabelle was the first to break the uncomfortable silence, but she still didn’t look directly at him.
“My people don’t need such devices to speak to each other. We link our minds together and speak through that connection.” Nefarion didn’t take his gaze from Annabelle, too fascinated by her behaviors to look away. Just a short time ago she was offering him her body, now she was full of fidgets and wouldn’t make eye contact with him. He knew she felt spurned, but did she know the true animal she’d invited into her bed she would be relieved.
“Amazing…and you can turn it on and off at will? Can you read each other’s minds?” Annabelle was looking at him now, her fascination with the mind-link overcoming her shyness.
“We cannot read each other’s minds. There’s one race of Keeper that could technically pull off such a trick, but that’s a serious taboo in our cultures. We establish links with those we choose and push our thoughts to them, but we never take the others’ thoughts.” Nefarion didn’t mention that Balruin Keepers were the types to take advantage of such a gift. Which is why it was a good thing that mind-talent was not one of their skills. They could mind-link yes, but not take thoughts without consent.
“That’s probably for the best, what an invasion of privacy that could be.” Annabelle’s lips twisted then, and she muttered, “Sort of like being able to smell someone’s emotions,” under her breath.
Nefarion of course heard every word, even the ones she muttered to herself, and was amused. Annabelle was exceptionally easy to read. Keepers learned from a very young age to shield their emotions. It wasn’t that they felt nothing, as many of their allies tended to argue. They were just adept at hiding how they felt, which was a necessity for their race. As a human, Annabelle would know nothing of this, and would not have been trained to control all those volatile emotions. Nefarion couldn’t bring himself to regret that though, he enjoyed the rawness of Annabelle’s reactions.
“You are young, Annabelle. But Keeper children are even younger when they learn to control their emotions, to the extent that other Keepers cannot get a read on them that way.”
“Could you teach me, the way you teach Keeper children? I don’t like the idea of you knowing how I feel all the time.” Annabelle cleaned up after their meal then, taking Nefarion’s bowl and her own and rinsing them off in a small bucket of water.
“Such things take time, and we will not be together that long, young one. I need to find Mithrain, and quickly. Then we will make haste back to my camp. You will be safe there, do not doubt that. And besides, I like being able to read you.” He waited until she turned to face him, a question in her eyes. “Your mouth can lie to me, but your body can’t. I’m sure that will come in handy for me during our time together. Get some rest now, we will leave before the sun sets.”
* * * *
Annabelle was still stewing an hour later as she lay on her pallet. Nefarion had positioned himself in front of the door, so she could stare at him at her leisure. What she could see of him anyway. She’d doused all but one candle, so Nefarion was draped in shadow along the far wall. That was probably for the best, since she couldn’t seem to control her runaway hormones whenever she was looking at him or touching him. It was galling to know that she was always inches from ripping her clothes off in his presence while he was cool as a cucumber.
Of course, she had very little experience with men. Over the years, she’d been hit on a few times by men whose eyes never seemed to make it past her double Ds. They’d never interested her, which is why she was a virgin at the ripe old age of twenty-three. But somehow, she’d always thought that when she did take an interest in a man, he’d be interested back. Instead, the first zing she’d ever felt for a man was for this alien, and he’d turned her down flat. It was humiliating and frustrating in equal measure.
Well, perhaps a bit more frustrating than anything. Nefarion was one hell of a goo
d-looking alien. She could still feel his silky soft hair in her hand, and her imagination was running wild picturing him without all those knives and black armor blocking her view. His black eyes should have been just scary, but instead they drew her like a magnet, she wanted to stare and stare and try to decode the mystery of Nefarion. He’d said he was not the type of man an innocent needed. What did that even mean? Maybe he liked it rough? Annabelle wasn’t sure if she would like it too rough, especially considering her experiences earlier in the evening.
But Annabelle still didn’t believe he’d hurt her. He’d been very gentle with her all night. Yes, she’d seen him savagely kill five men, but they had deserved to die. With her he’d been gentle, solicitous, and concerned for her welfare. His absolute refusal to leave her here to fend for herself was evidence of his kindness. What Annabelle needed to do was put the physical out of her mind. There was no way she was getting out of traveling with him; she couldn’t overpower him or convince him to let her stay. The only thing she could do was try to put her lust for him behind her. He wasn’t interested, and she didn’t want him constantly sensing how much the desperate human girl lusted after him.
The question was how…he wouldn’t train her to keep her emotions to herself the way Keepers did. And of course, she’d had no need to learn such a trick with human men. Annabelle groaned under her breath. She’d always been a terrible dissembler. As a child, she’d literally gotten away with nothing and eventually had decided not to try anything sneaky. She had no poker face to speak of, and whenever she told lies her face got beet red. There was no way she’d be able to trick this alien into thinking she wasn’t interested when she couldn’t even verbally lie to his face.
