Dark Dichotomy

by Aubrey Ross

  “As our numbers dwindled down through the centuries, a survival mechanism evolved within the Dichotomy. Whenever we encounter a human who is compatible with our physiology, we’re strongly attracted to her, and she to us. The more closely we match, the stronger the attraction.”

  She splashed water onto her face and smoothed her damp hair back from her brow. “You’re right, I don’t believe you.”

  “I didn’t expect you to.”

  “If we…have sex, will this burning ease?”

  She was considering it! His heart leapt and his balls ached. He’d been hard so long his cock was almost numb. “Did you feel better after I touched you in the studio?” He didn’t want to think about what she had been doing in the tub before he walked in.

  “For a while, but the hunger keeps coming back.”

  “It might take more than once, but we can stabilize the yearning.”

  “And then what? I stay locked in the attic and spit out Dichotomy babies? That’s what compatible means, isn’t it?”

  “I thought you didn’t believe me.”

  “I don’t. I can’t think. I’m crawling out of my skin.”

  “Let me touch you. It’s what we both need.”

  She closed her eyes and sucked in a ragged breath. “Please.”

  He required no other encouragement. Pausing long enough to turn off the jets, he scooped her out of the water and carried her into the bedroom. She felt warm and slippery against his chest. Her arms looped his neck and she nestled her face against his throat.

  Protectiveness wrestled with his passion. This was just the beginning for her. There was so much more she needed to learn, so much she must accept.

  He placed her in the center of the bed and stretched out at her side. She stared up at him silently, trust and anticipation alight in her clear green eyes.

  “This isn’t fair. You’re still dressed.” She tugged at the waistband of his jeans.

  “Soon.” He silenced her objection with his mouth.

  She hesitated for only a moment then her tongue slid against his, welcoming and playing as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers raked his hair, while his began to explore. Every inch of her was warm and supple. He slid from her shoulders to her ribs, intentionally avoiding her breasts.

  “Touch me,” she urged against his parted lips.

  “I have a better idea.” He shifted himself over her, supporting his weight on his arms as she made room for him between her thighs. Then he balanced on his knees so he could enjoy the silken fullness of her breasts.

  He lowered his mouth to one puckered nipple and gently rolled the other with his fingers. She splayed her fingers against the back of his head and urged him on. The harder he sucked the louder she moaned. Each needful sound sent lust stabbing into his groin. If he didn’t claim her soon, he’d go mad.

  His hand preceded his lips, descending along her torso to circle her navel. Her belly trembled and her legs tensed. Her musk enticed him, stirring dark, dominant impulses. She was his and he was hers. The sooner she accepted the fact the sooner their lives could begin.

  He nipped her hipbone and she gasped. Bending her knees, he pushed her legs up and back, opening her fully to his ravenous stare. “Raise your arms above your head and keep them there.”

  “Why?” she whispered.

  “I don’t want to lose control.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. He was fighting desperately for control, but he wanted her willing submission far more.

  Slowly, she lifted her arms and clasped her wrists above her head. Her gaze never wavered from his.

  With his hands resting on her inner thighs, he bent and licked her slit from back to front. She whimpered and her eyes squeezed shut.

  “No. Look at me. Watch me. Know me.”

  He kept his face angled so he could see her eyes as his tongue stroked her again and again. With slow swipes and bold thrusts he explored her tender folds. Her flesh softened and heated beneath his lips, so he ventured deeper.

  Circling her clit with the firm tip of his tongue, he brought the bud to attention. She wiggled and arched into his kiss. “Please,” she panted, “no more teasing.”

  He watched her eyes as he pushed two fingers into her snug passage. “Teasing is when you don’t eventually get what you want. I have no intention of depriving either of us.”

  “I need you inside me.”

  He pulled his hand back then thrust in fast. “I am inside you.”

  “More. I need your cock.”

  “Soon.” He closed his lips around her clit and sucked. “Accept what I give you.” She shook beneath him as his fingers slid in and out. He filled her with one hand and exposed her clit with the other so he could more easily speed her release.

  Her core tightened rhythmically, clinging to his fingers. He kept his mouth over her clit, licking and sucking by turns. Her scent made him dizzy and nothing had ever tasted better than her cream.

  She cried out, shaking violently. He prolonged the spasms with his mouth, while he eased his fingers out of her passage. Now it was time for other pleasures, pleasures she might consider taboo. But he had to try. If she couldn’t find release with anal play, they were in serious trouble. There were ways around it, but a Dichotomy never felt complete until both sides of his nature simultaneously claimed his mate.

  He worked his slick fingers back to her tightly puckered opening. She stiffened for a moment, but he kept his touch light and coaxing.

  “What are you doing?” She sounded dazed not afraid, so he continued his circular caress.

  “Relax. I just want to play.”

  Before she could analyze the statement, he returned his mouth to her clit and pushed into her ass with his middle finger. She was incredibly tight. He used his tongue to work more of her cream into the crease between her soft cheeks, then he turned his wrist, further lubricating his finger before pressing deeper.

  Carefully plucking at her clit with one hand, he pumped his other hand, sliding his finger in and out of her ass. Her eyes were closed again, but he let it go. She was hot and tight and responding to him. Her hips rocked and her back arched as she abandoned herself to the moment.

  “Do it again,” he urged. “I want to feel you come around my finger.”

  He moved faster and so did she. Her heels fought for purchase against the rumpled bedding. He watched his finger disappear into her warmth and a fresh rush of cream gathered on her folds. Unable to resist the temptation, he bent and thrust his tongue into her pussy.

  With a muffled cry, she came again, thrashing and bucking beneath him. He thrust his finger in deep and moved his mouth to her clit. She shuddered and whimpered and finally went limp, her ragged breathing jostling her flushed breasts.

  Kendra could barely think past the ringing in her ears. She blinked repeatedly and her eyes came back into focus. Never in a million years had she imagined sensations so powerful. And he hadn’t really fucked her yet!

  He drew his finger out of her tingling ass and she shivered. Even his unexpected kink had turned her on like nothing before. She knew men and women indulged in anal play, but she’d never been tempted to explore. Until now.

  “When do I get to torture you?” she asked.

  He arched over her, supporting himself on his hands. “You call that torture?”

  “Do I at least get to return the favor?”

  “I don’t think I can wait.”

  “You made me wait.”

  He nipped her bottom lip. “I let you come, twice, no, three times if we count the studio, and I’m still waiting.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  She reached down and unfastened his jeans. He left the bed long enough to quickly wash his hands, dig a condom out of his pocket and shuck his pants. Then he returned to his kneeling position between her legs. He was lean and sculpted with graceful fluidity as opposed to harsh definition. She longed to explore his body as thoroughly as he’d explored hers. She’d never been with a lover who was so selfless or so con
suming. His easy command of her senses both thrilled and frightened her.

  Her appreciative gaze landed on his crotch and her mouth went dry. His cock rose long and hard from its nest of dark, wiry hair. The head flared dramatically and the sheer size of him gave her pause. He frantically opened the condom with his teeth then rolled the barrier down along the length of his shaft. Was he always this…imposing or had she just made him wait too long?

  His fingers curved around her chin and brought her gaze back to his. “You’re more than ready for me.”

  She tried not to tense as he rubbed himself against her, but the uncertainty wouldn’t leave. Raising her hands above her head, she clasped the bedding and averted her gaze.

  Her folds opened for him, encircling his plump head as he positioned himself at her entrance. “Relax, my love. I would never hurt you.”

  Heat passed along her nerve endings and coalesced between her thighs. This was what she needed, what she’d ached for ever since she arrived. He eased his hand between their bodies and covered her clit with his thumb. She sensed the effort it took him to go slowly. He was tense and still, but power surged beneath the surface, ready to spring.

  “Look at me.” His voice was evocative, the simple phrase a velvet command.

  She stared into his eyes as he thrust forward, drilling into her pussy with his thick cock. Her inner muscles stretched, accepting his penetration with liquid surrender. Deeper and deeper he pushed. His gaze bore into hers. She hung suspended between reality and bliss.

  Mine. The word echoed in her mind as her core caressed him.

  Once his full length was lodged inside her, he rocked back on his heels and draped her legs over his arms. “You feel so damn good,” he muttered breathlessly.

  He pulled back then drove deep. Out slow, in fast, over and over until she thrashed, wild and uninhibited. His speed increased. The measured strokes became frenzied. He threw back his head and bared his teeth, looking feral and primitive.

  She moved as best she could within the position he had chosen. All she could feel was his demanding length moving inside her. Her voice echoed each thrust and colors danced in front of her eyes.

  With a gasping cry, he buried himself to the balls and released his seed. His obvious pleasure triggered her orgasm and they soared together. The room blurred and sensation exploded, driving them both beyond reality.

  Kendra clung to his back, her eyes tightly shut as the world refocused. Eyes gleaming like obsidian, stared back at her from the darkness. She gasped and opened her eyes but the image remained. “Someone is watching us,” she cried and shoved against Torral’s chest.

  * * *

  With a tired groan, Aidan released his telepathic hold on Kendra. He’d been thrilled when he successfully connected with her mind. He’d found the nocturnal Dichotomy could erect mental shields impenetrable to him. It was a weakness that never failed to irritate. Kendra’s mind was open, wonderfully accessible. But his strategy wasn’t working.

  Aidan had no hope of getting to her as long as she remained at the Burton estate and Torral was being uncharacteristically patient. There had to be some way of luring her away from her protectors… Or luring her protectors away from her.

  The day-dwellers as a whole were easier to deal with. He’d have to bide his time until morning then spring his trap.

  He reached for the phone, meaning to call Holly, then he got an even better idea. Holly would begrudgingly obey Aidan’s commands, but she’d willingly help Connell.

  Ducking into the hall bathroom, where there was no possibility of being seen, Aidan awakened his other self. Before he’d learned to transform at will, Aidan had existed at night and Connell took shape during the day. Now Aidan kept Connell suppressed unless he had need of his form. Even then Aidan remained mentally active, controlling his weaker half. His sister Brook was nearly as obsessed with control as he was, but to his knowledge not even she had mastered this level of control.

  Connell surged, bombarding Aidan with gratitude and hope. Aidan restrained the emotions as his body transformed. Power flowed through him in dizzying waves, sweeping his body inward as Connell’s shape surfaced. He trembled and hissed, ever amazed by the searing pain.

  “How long?” Connell panted, blinking repeatedly.

  Two weeks.

  “If you keep doing this, I’m not sure I’ll survive.” Connell rolled his shoulders and rubbed his eyes. “It weakens me terribly when you refuse to let me…”

  His words trailed away as Aidan forced his being back into sleep state. Connell fought him with what little strength he had, hating the confinement and helplessness.

  Regret sparked within Aidan, floating like an ember on the wind before resolve smothered the useless emotion. If Connell had accepted Aidan’s authority and agreed to work with him rather than resist him, their lives could have been much simpler and more harmonious. Connell was by no means blameless. He was just as power hungry and determined to have revenge, but Connell was also stubborn and self-righteous. They frequently disagreed on how their goals would be achieved, leaving Aiden no choice but domination. He would allow nothing to stand in his way, not even his day-dwelling half.

  In moments Aidan’s consciousness was fully functional within Connell’s body, a feat most Dichotomies wouldn’t have believed possible.

  “Damn,” Aidan muttered, “now I’m really exhausted.”

  Walking back into the bedroom, where he’d been spying on Kendra, he picked up Connell’s cell phone and called Holly.

  “Where have you been?” she said by way of a greeting. “I’ve been trying to find you for weeks.”

  “I got sent out of the country unexpectedly. What’s the matter?”

  “I know he’s your friend, but Aidan is driving me crazy.”

  It took all his concentration to keep the amusement out of his voice. “Say the word and I’ll buy out your contract.”

  “Then you’d own me.” She sighed. “It’s not that I’m not grateful for the offer, but I have to figure this out for myself.”

  “Well, how would you like to earn a quick thousand dollars? You can stash it away toward your indenture.”

  She was silent so long he thought she’d hung up. “You don’t have to pay me anymore. I thought you understood that.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I haven’t treated you like a hooker in a long time. Don’t confuse me with Aidan.”

  “Then what do you want me to do?”

  “Meet me at the Java Hut first thing in the morning. Wear something sweet. You’ll need your car.”

  Chapter Six

  After ridding himself of the condom, Torral lay back down beside Kendra and gathered her into his arms. Brushing the hair back from her face, he asked, “Did you actually see someone watching us or did you sense a presence?”

  “I saw his eyes in my mind and I could feel his interest, his anger.” She shuddered and pressed her cheek against his chest.

  “Can you still sense him?” His arms tightened protectively and he swept their surroundings with his mind. He quickly identified each person in the house and opened his empathic receptors to emotional anomalies.

  “No. He’s gone.”

  “Sweetheart, I need to scan your mind. If I can pick up his signal, I can track him.”

  “Scan it how? Just how telepathic are you?”

  “I’ll explain it all in a minute. It’s important that I do this now. You’ll probably feel a bit disorientated. I need to be fairly aggressive.”

  “I like your aggression.”

  He smiled. “I aim to please.”

  Pressing his lips against her temple, he accessed the fragile link he had just begun to construct. Her mind was open, dangerously trusting. It infuriated him to realize someone had tainted their first joining.

  The echo was faint yet distinct. He recognized the pattern all too well. Unfortunately, his findings only confirmed what he already knew. Quickly erecting a mental barrier, he infused her with affection then ea
sed out of her mind.

  “That felt odd.” She sighed and shook away the haze. “Were you able to identify him?”

  “I’m not sure. I shielded your mind. He won’t be able to touch you again.”

  She sat up, tucking the sheet beneath her arms. Her hair was tousled and her lips were kiss swollen. She looked so damned beautiful it made his chest ache.

  “Are all your brothers telepathic?”

  “All of the Dichotomy are telepathic to some degree.”

  “How many of your kind are there?” A bit of the skepticism had left her tone, but he wasn’t foolish enough to think she had accepted the truth.

  “I’m not sure. There are twelve major clans, though several are even more secretive than we West Coast Dichotomy.”

  “All right. How many belong to the West Coast Dichotomy?”

  “Several thousand.”

  “And humans are completely unaware of your existence?”

  “I never said that. Most humans see what they want to see and we let them. At times it benefits us to take humans into our confidence. We’ve also formed important alliances with other races.”

  “Other races?”

  He laughed. “Let’s stick with Dichotomy and humans for the time being.”

  “Tell me about your abilities. What else can you do?”

  “There are many labels for the things I can do, but I think sensitive fits me best.”

  She glanced up to see if he was teasing her. “Psychically sensitive?”

  “If you prefer. I’m aware of the emotional trails others leave behind. I’m not empathic in the usual sense. I can only feel another’s emotions when I intentionally scan their mind.”

  “You said something about tracking our watcher. Are you able to follow these emotional echoes?”

  “Yes, and any number of mind-to-mind links. Even if I can’t intercept the actual signal, my sensitivity allows me to follow the connection.”

  “Wow.”

  He wasn’t sure what he expected, but her stunned silence discouraged him. “Why don’t you take a quick shower and try and get some sleep?”