by S. K. Yule
Conlan took another drag, and flicked the smoke outside. “You know what, nelo? We’re all probably too fucked-up to have a normal relationship of any kind with a woman, but I say, if you feel something for her, go for it. Just go in with your eyes open. Realize that chances are, it won’t end the way you might wish.”
“When’s anything ever ended the way we wished?” Bayden headed for the door. “Nah. Stryder’s right. No woman like Ellie will ever go in for the long haul with me. And really, I don’t have anything to offer her.”
“I’ve known you a long time. You’re a good man. Don’t underestimate that trait and how much that means to a woman—at least the ones worth caring about.”
Bayden punched in the code on the keypad, and the door slid open. “Later, nelo.”
Chapter Five
In the blink of an eye, a week had passed since they’d arrived on Ryon. Among the settling in, wrapping her mind around being on another planet, and trying to make sure Molly got the proper nutrition and supplements after her treatment, she hadn’t had much time to do anything else.
Now that things had fallen into routine, Ellie found herself with extra time on her hands. She watched Molly curled up on the couch, the tablet Sarek had sent her resting on her lap as she listened to an audio story. Her hair was no longer dull and instead radiated a beautiful shiny golden hue. Her skin glowed, and was highlighted with healthy shades of pink. Even her haunted, dark-circled eyes were clearer and brighter. Ellie could barely grasp the fact that only a week ago, Molly was close to death.
She wasn’t the only one feeling better. Ellie was no longer tired, and her anxiety level had let up.
She still hadn’t made her mind up about whether she liked being on another planet or not, but was fully aware that Molly’s condition would’ve proven fatal had they stayed on Earth. It was amazing how much more energy Molly had, and she was starting to come out of her shell and give glimpses of being a normal, carefree kid.
Since Ellie’d walked in on Bayden in the bathroom and nearly died from embarrassment, she’d barely seen him other than when he’d stopped by to show her how to use some of the kitchen appliances. Even then she’d not been able to look him in the eye for fear all the blood would rush to her cheeks. Her brain suddenly flashed a picture of his hard, muscled, damp, naked chest, and she swallowed past the sudden lump in her throat.
She got the impression he was trying to avoid her. Although, if that was true, she had no idea why. It didn’t matter. As long as Molly was safe, Ellie was happy.
She went to Molly. “Hey.”
Molly smiled. “Hey.”
“How’d you like to show me how to use that thing and do some research?”
“Research on what?”
“Let’s learn about where we are. Does that sound fun?”
Molly nodded and handed her the tablet. “Basically, you touch here and say what you’re looking for. Then it talks and tells you whatever you want to know.”
“That sounds easy enough. Let’s give it a go, shall we? Ryon,” she said. And to her amazement, a stream of pale blue light glowed from the screen and formed a hologram of the planet about two inches above the tablet along with neighboring planets labeled Meconian, Cerbys, Algorian, and Koryan.
“Wow. I didn’t know it did that!” Molly said.
“Information about Ryon,” Ellie said.
A second later a female voice from the tablet began speaking. “Planet Ryon is vast with clear basins. The surface is covered in onyx sand and the sky is green. The planet cycles around the two suns, Epsis and Eris, and has one beautiful red moon called Uler. While the temperatures fluctuate from one hundred-ten to one hundred-forty unas during the day, they’re tolerated well by most. The night temperatures are more extreme, plummeting to between fifty and ten unas after sunset.”
“What’s an una?” Molly tipped her head.
“It’s how they measure temperature. If we were home and it was eighty-five degrees, they’d say it’s sixty-five unas.”
“Brrr. Ryon is cold at night.” Molly shivered.
“Yeah. I agree. I don’t like the cold. Let’s continue on.”
“Sounds good.”
“Inhabitants of Ryon,” Ellie said.
“The inhabitants of Ryon are a mixed race. Each individual being is part human and part psionic vampire. However, most Ryonians contain more psionic DNA than human DNA. Psions are pale-skinned, tall, dark-haired, and amber-eyed in appearance. They eat a wide variety of foods, but will eventually die if the life-sustaining source of a living soul is not absorbed on a regular basis. Psions can consume an entire soul at once or take a little at each feeding over time.”
“Oh my God!” Ellie’d never heard of a psionic vampire, though she argued with herself that such a thing couldn’t exist.
“I-Is that what Stryder is?” Molly asked.
Ellie’s instincts told her that if anyone was capable of eating a soul, it was Stryder. He was eerie as hell, and he definitely fit the description of a psion. “He won’t hurt us, honey.” She hugged Molly to her side.
“But are there more of them here? I mean we’re on Ryon.”
“I won’t let anyone hurt you, and Bayden promised the same. You’ve nothing to worry about but being happy.”
Molly nodded.
“Let’s go on to something else now,” Ellie whispered.
Next on the list was Cerbys. Ellie and Molly found that Cerbys had its own challenges, including a dense rainforest which blocked sunlight from the rich soil, inhibiting food growth, and a high volume of predatory and venomous animals. The inhabitants were part Mngwa, a cat creature that was stronger than a lion and deadlier than a leopard.
“Wow,” Molly said.
“Is this bothering you?”
“No. It’s a little scary, but it’s neat too!”
Next they learned about Algorian’s rocky, mountainous terrain, sudden killer fog banks called stuns, and the myth that Algorians were part dragon. Next they found out about Meconian’s frigid temperatures, underground springs and filtration systems, and flat, icy blue terrain. Finally, they heard about Koryan’s similarity to Earth, and a king who was rumored to be diabolical and greedy. Ellie’s brain hurt from information overload.
While Molly took a bathroom break, Ellie found a few more interesting articles. One described Kodo, a universal god that most believed in, similar to God on Earth. The others were about the Enforcers of Koryan along with two rogue groups called the Reapers and the Renegades. What little information existed on the latter two made her skin crawl. Classified as wanted dead or alive, the Reapers and Renegades were accused of rape, treason, murder, and thievery, among many other unimaginable acts.
By the time she’d finished listening about the different planets, the people who inhabited them, and the Reapers, Renegades, and Enforcers, she’d wished she’d stayed in blissful ignorance. She’d have a few sleepless nights after that bout of enlightenment. Molly returned, and Ellie set the tablet on the table. “I think we’ve researched enough for today.”
When someone knocked on the door, Molly ran to it. Sarek stood on the other side.
The research fresh in her mind, Ellie immediately knew now that Sarek was Meconian. While his dark hair and blue eyes might not have given his origin away 100 percent, his purplish skin left no doubt.
“Can I go to the lab?” Molly teetered back and forth on the balls of her feet, waiting for Ellie’s answer.
Molly had taken a shine to Sarek. Ellie liked him too. He’d proven to be patient and gentle with Molly. He also taught Molly about sciency things Ellie couldn’t.
She nodded. “Hi, Sarek.”
“Hi, Ellie. I won’t keep her long. She’s been helping me with some projects.”
“Go ahead. Make sure she’s back in time for dinner.”
Molly whooped, and Ellie laughed.
A few minutes later another knock sounded on the door. She got up and opened it. “Did you forget someth…”
/>
Bayden stood there, looking sexy as hell.
“I don’t think so.” His face remained impassive.
Do his lavender eyes mean he’s Algorian? Possibly, but his dark hair was uncharacteristic of the race. The dark hair could be a Koryan or a Ryon characteristic. She hoped no part of Bayden was like Stryder. Bayden was intense. He reminded her of a pure predator in his stealth movements, but Stryder was one strange SOB she planned to avoid like the plague.
“Sarek was just here. Molly went with him to the lab. I thought she forgot something.”
“Are you busy?”
“Oh yes. Terribly. I mean, it takes me all day to keep this sparkling kitchen clean, and laundry, and…”
“In that case—”
“I’m kidding.”
He didn’t smile. Did he ever smile? She’d love to see him do so. She resisted the overwhelming urge to reach and push his lips up at the corners.
“I thought I could show you around the compound now that you’ve had time to settle in.”
“I’d like that.” She’d been dying to explore but hadn’t dared for fear of getting lost. “Give me a minute to get my shoes?”
He nodded again. She left the door open while she slipped into her shoes, keyed the number to engage the door, and followed him into the tunnel. For the next two hours, Bayden led her through the tunnels while he stopped at various rooms. There was a control room, a meeting area, different sections where Thad, Conlan, Sarek, and Stryder lived, a training room, and several storage rooms.
“We have a game room as well. I thought you and Molly might enjoy that in particular.” He opened the door and motioned for her to go ahead of him.
“Wow!” She looked around the arena because she certainly wouldn’t belittle the space by calling it a room.
There were at least thirty bookshelves loaded with books, and a sitting area for reading in one corner. In the middle of the room were six leather sofas in two rows of three back to back. In front of each row was a mammoth television. Each seat had a set of earbuds and a controller. In another corner was a bar with a full-size fridge. A strange-looking metal box sat beside the bar.
“What’s that?”
“A jammer.” He smiled when she raised a brow at him. “It plays music.”
“Oh. So it’s like a jukebox,” she said. “You guys take your entertainment seriously, huh?” Her nerves got the better of her, and she giggled.
“There isn’t much to do on the planet. We need something to occupy our time while we aren’t working.”
“Can I ask you something?” She turned to look at him.
“Yes.”
“What’s going to happen to us? Me and Molly. Are you going to take us back to Earth?” As strange as it was, she was beginning to feel comfortable here and wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to the mess on her own planet. Of course I like it here. There’s food, clothing, a bed, and Molly is being taken care of. That wasn’t all there was to it though. She felt safe here. She felt safe with Bayden.
She took a slow breath, and his clean, spicy scent tickled her nose. She wanted to reach out and run her fingers through his hair to see if it was as thick and soft as it appeared. Before she could stop herself, she stood on tiptoes and did just that. She watched as his eyes closed and his breath caught at her touch.
He growled low in his throat, and his lips descended upon hers so quickly she gasped. His flavor was exotic and wild. He tasted like what she thought every sinful, forbidden thing would taste like rolled into one. She groaned, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer. But just as the kiss began, he jerked his mouth from hers. His eyes sparkled at her and looked to be three shades darker than what she’d remembered. Her breath hitched in her chest.
“Son of a bitch,” he murmured.
“Bayden?”
He backed away from her. “I have to go. I’m sure you can find your way back to your room.”
Before she could respond that she wasn’t as confident about that fact as he appeared to be, he was gone. He was uncannily quick for such a large man. She touched her fingers to her lips where they still tingled from his kiss. Why had he reacted as though she’d offended him in some way? He was the one who had kissed her.
Her stomach tightened, and she wished he was still kissing her at this very moment. Anger shot through her. How dare he act as if she’d done something wrong? She huffed and headed for the door. She was going to find him, and he’d give her some answers if she had to beat them out of him.
Chapter Six
Son of a bitch. He pounded the full-body punching bag with everything he had. It swung on the cables and creaked with each blow. Why the fuck had he kissed her?
When Ellie ran her fingers through his hair, he’d been lost. He’d wanted to do way more than kiss her. Still did but still couldn’t. It wasn’t right. She was too gentle for him. She’d never understand the things he did in his line of work. If she ever found out he’d killed, still killed when necessary, hatred and hurt would burn in her eyes when she looked at him. That would be the death of him.
He continued pummeling the bag, his knuckles split and bleeding through the white tape he’d wrapped around them. He didn’t feel the pain. He thought he’d ceased to feel much of anything long ago. Obviously, that wasn’t entirely true. He felt a lot where Ellie was concerned.
He spun and kicked the bag with a roundhouse, heard a gasp, and then stopped. He found Ellie watching him from the doorway. “What are you doing here?” he asked, before pummeling the bag again.
She walked toward him. “Why did you kiss me if I appall you so much?”
He froze midpunch. “What?” She thought she appalled him? He looked at her and nearly groaned at the hurt reflected in her eyes.
“I saw the way you looked at me afterward as if you can’t stand the sight of me.”
His frustration grew. He took several steps toward her, backing her against the wall. “So you think you know how I feel, do you?”
“I saw it in your eyes,” she whispered. “You didn’t enjoy kissing me.”
He reached for her. After taking a thick strand of black hair between his fingers, he twirled the silky locks, letting the softness glide over his skin. “You’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Tell me.”
He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you how the sight of you, the scent of you, and the mere thought of you get me hard? Do you want me to tell you how many cold showers I’ve had to take since you’ve been here? Because none of it matters. This thing I feel for you can’t happen.”
“Why?”
He turned away. “You deserve someone better.”
He held his breath, waiting to hear her retreating steps, and yet at the same time, hoping she’d stay. When she placed her hand against his back, he closed his eyes. Her fingertips glided over his muscles. Damn it. He bit back a groan. How am I supposed to resist her when a mere caress makes me crazy with wanting her?
“I’m not sure what your definition of ‘someone better’ is, but there aren’t many who would’ve done what you’ve done for me and Molly,” she said.
Her caress awoke a raw, primal need inside him that yawned and came to life. It stretched, raking claws along his gut that ignited like matches. He shook, trying to keep the hungry beast from emerging. He longed to sink his cock into her. His instincts told him that she was the one with the power to save his dark soul. Yeah. And if I act on those feelings, I’ll probably scare the hell out of her. Her fingers trailed another blaze of fire over his back, and he couldn’t take any more. Frustration and need fought to shatter his control.
He spun around, and she backed away, almost falling on her ass, which brought forth a string of curses from his lips. He snatched her up by the waist before she tumbled to the floor. “One good deed doesn’t make someone a good person.”
“Maybe not. But somehow I doubt your good deeds start
ed with us.”
He closed his eyes again and took a deep, calming breath. She was right. He did help people whenever he was able, but he’d never brought anyone else here. He’d always made sure victims had been relocated, safe, and taken care of, but that’s where it ended. Only a handful of people knew he was a Reaper, and that was how it had to remain to keep him, his friends, and anyone they came in contact with safe. “Ellie, you don’t know what kind of man I am.”
She stepped closer to him and cupped his jaw. “Yes. I do know what kind of man you are. You’re the kind of man who doesn’t abandon a woman or child in need.”
Her soft hand felt like heaven against his skin. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and hold her close while he made love to her. Stop it, you worthless bastard. You don’t even know how to make love. All you do is fuck. She needed a man who could be gentle with her, not a man who’d never known love. She didn’t deserve a rough coupling with him. She made him wish with everything he was that he could be that kind of man for her… A better man. He wanted to touch her, worship her, love her long and slow.
He’d never had that with a woman. Every time he’d been with a woman, it’d been a fast, rough slaking of needs. The women he’d been with had treated the act as nothing more than a relief for their ache. Wham-bam-thank-you, now put on your pants and leave. He’d, of course, gotten release from the sex, but he’d wanted…a connection. The way Ellie touched him made him crave lazy, satiating, satisfying loving, made him want to feel her warm body curled against him after he’d given her pleasure.
She gazed at him as if he were her hero, and Kodo, how he wanted to be. But he couldn’t. He was a Reaper, not a hero. “Please.”
“Please what?”
“My resistance is low around you.”
“Mine too.” She stretched up on her toes and put her lips to his.
Fire raged through him, and his cock hardened painfully. His control finally snapped, and he yanked her to him and deepened the kiss. His tongue played at the seam of her lips before dipping into her sweet mouth. He could drown in her and never once feel the need to cry out for air. Her fingers teased his nape, and her nails scraped his skin.
