Alexei

by Serena Simpson

  “I love the way you play.”

  “And I love the way you sing; we make a great pair.”

  “We do.” Amber stood up and stretched. They’d spent hours just playing and singing, the sun was sliding into the horizon and time spent with Alexei made her feel more a part of him.

  “I have enough stuff in the fridge for a simple dinner. Will that be ok with you?”

  She gave him a wide grin, “If you’re cooking, I’m eating.”

  “You’re helping, best believe that.”

  “Lead the way.” She followed him to the kitchen as he took out the ingredients for a salad and a pasta dinner.

  She cleaned and cut the vegetables as he got a pot boiling and started on the meat and sauce.

  “At times your life seems rather lonely.”

  He smiled at her, “At times it is lonely. The cousins are always dropping in and that’s fun. Then there’s family days and dinner with my parents, I don’t think I can call my life truly lonely. At times it simply feels empty waiting for something that’s not there. Have you ever turned over in bed and reached for someone only to end up empty handed?”

  “Yes,” she nodded emphatically. “I know what you mean. It’s like you were in the middle of a dream where everything fell into place and that one special person was besides you and all you want to do is snuggle down into their warmth. Your hands seek that physical connection, only it’s not there.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about. Dinner’s almost ready, how’s that salad coming?”

  “Salad is done; I’m waiting on you.”

  “Put it in a bowl because the pasta is done.” Alexei finished mixing his pasta and put a serving on each plate which he carried to the kitchen table. They sat in silence eating.

  Amber watched the strong column of his throat as he swallowed. His teeth glinted white as he bit into his salad. She could get used to this. Sitting across the table from him, just the two of them eating or talking and joking. The snake woman darted across her mind. She was huge in her natural form. Telling Alexei to get in the hover car while she fought took some guts on every level.

  But she did it. She defeated the snake and saved not only herself but her male. Life wasn’t being fair. Why couldn’t she have thirty or forty years to enjoy him? Thoughts of Ash came to her, life didn’t always operate in the fairness zone. Maybe all she had was tonight or the next couple of nights. She wouldn’t sit around later regretting the time because she had been too scared to grab what she wanted. She was going to hold on with both hands and enjoy the ride.

  “Earth to Amber,” he nudged her with his foot.

  “I’m here, just lost in my thought. Are you still hungry?”

  “Not for food.”

  She smiled at him and looked at the kitchen. “Then I guess we should clean up.”

  He leaned back in the chair and let out a loud laugh. “We better not leave this place a mess; it would go against everything we learned growing up.”

  She stood up laughing. “I must admit; I think the Created are neat freaks. Although you saw my condo so whatever Ash taught me growing up stuck.”

  They took the dishes in the kitchen to wash and dry them as well as clean up anything that was out of place.

  “That was easy, not hard cleaning up after only two people.”

  He took her hand and led her to the couch.

  “So where’s your massive screen to play games or watch what’s streaming?”

  “No massive screen, I have a small one in case I need to watch the news or something the family calls me about. Other than that, no screen watching or game playing. I come up here to be alone or now to be with you.”

  Amber pulled her feet up onto the couch and snuggled into Alexei’s side. The heat of his body warmed her.

  “Amber tell me about Ethan. Was he important to you?” She gave him a look of surprise at his question.

  “He was my best friend. He knew secrets about me that I didn’t share with anyone else. Some were silly, some were more important, it didn’t matter and I know secrets about him. We shared late night phone calls and went to the movies. He made me feel alive without making me feel weird. I knew better than to hold onto him, but I did it anyway. I almost ruined his life and I lost my friend in the process.”

  “Did you love him?”

  “Yes, but not the way I think you mean,” Amber said.

  “I loved him as a friend almost like a big brother. I never wanted to kiss him or touch him. He knew that and I think he respected it until he spent too much time in my presence. My pheromones, hormones, call it whatever you will, they ruined a perfectly good friendship.”

  Alexei maneuvered his body until he was flat on the couch and Amber was on top of him.

  “Why did you want to hurt him?” She was looking down into his gorgeous eyes caressing his cheek with her hand.

  He gave a shrug of his shoulders causing her body to move. “Jealousy, he was touching you.”

  “Are you still jealous?”

  “Definitely, he knew your secrets and was your best friend. If I saw him, I might beat him to a pulp just because.”

  “My secrets aren’t that hard to learn.”

  “Tell me one of your deep dark secrets.”

  She got close enough to his ear to whisper. “I love candy corn.” Laughter shook his body and she clutched his arms enjoying the ride.

  “Not candy corn, it’s over! We were never meant to be.” His voice was tinged with joy as he teased her.

  She leaned over and kissed his throat. “One of my not so dark secrets is that I’m scared I will die alone.”

  His arms went around her holding her close. She laid her head on his chest allowing the steady beat of his heart to make her feel safe. He stroked his hands through her hair causing her to relax more.

  “Amber, I have no right to ask this. I should keep my desire to myself. The Earth is going to war and all I can think about is you.”

  “We can have one day to ourselves before we have to go back into fight mode.”

  He caught her head and turned it to face him. “Amber, I don’t know what tomorrow will bring and I probably should wait until after the war or at least until after the start of it to say this to you.”

  She looked at him waiting, pulling her lower lip between her teeth to bite on it.

  “I love you, Amber.”

  He loved her! The place inside of her that insisted she wasn’t worried finally uncurled and the gut wrenching pain that had hold of her loosened. Her smile was radiant as she looked at him. Pictures of them walking hand in hand bombarded her. She could see their future the love and the laughter. This is what she wanted from the time she was a teen--someone, Alexei to be specific, to love her.

  She looked down at him. He was lying there looking up at her waiting. She looked into his eyes realizing he needed what she needed, assurance he was the one for her.

  “Alexei,” she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “I have loved you my whole life. Even when I didn’t know because I was too young, I loved you. I waited for you hoping that one day you would discover I was the one for you. I. Love. You. Never doubt it.” She managed to wrap her arms around him and hug him tight.

  “Amber, you’re my mate and I want to make you mine in every sense of the word.”

  “I thought we did that.”

  “There’s more. Loving a hybrid won’t be easy.”

  He opened his mouth and allowed his fangs to drop; they weren’t as long as his fathers but they were as deadly.

  “When a Created mates he bites his female. They exchange a small amount of DNA that allows them to be connected mentally and it also seems to either slow down or halt the aging process in the female. That’s why my mom still looks the same as the day my dad mated with her.

  I would be the first Hybrid to mate so no one, including Uncle Nicholas, is sure what will happen. It’s a lot to ask because I don’t know how it will affect you, all I know is I don’t want to live wi
thout you. Think it over let me know, what you decide.”

  “The decision is all mine?”

  “Yeah, don’t get me wrong, I want to just bite you but I know better. I wouldn’t want to find that knife of yours imbedded in my heart.”

  Her heart saddened a little when he said that, she would never hurt him.

  “I know, little Wildcat. Forgive me.” The pain on her face was easy to read.

  She nodded against his chest. “Can we get some sleep? I feel tired.”

  He stood up with her in his arms and carried her to bed.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Amber snuggled deeper into Alexei’s side. He radiated warmth and she loved the feel of him. She would never be cold again resting beside him. Sighing, she gave up on her pretense of sleep. All she could think about was his statement of wanting her to be his mate. Why hadn’t she jumped at the opportunity? His mother’s voice was still in her ear cautioning her that nothing was ever easy, but that wasn’t why.

  She had cold feet. It was crazy, but it was true. Everything she ever wanted was being presented to her on a gold platter, but suddenly she wasn’t sure she should reach for the gold ring. Sometimes wanting was better than receiving. What if she found out it wasn’t worth it? Maybe Alexei wasn’t as perfect as she thought he was. Ok, that was stupid. She’d gone into the bathroom after him, eww he was in some ways as human as she was. That’s not really what she meant, her mind was teasing her.

  What if they fought, couples fought all the time? But if she mated him it was forever or as long as her forever lasted, no getting away, no separation, and no divorce. She knew there wasn’t a word for divorce in the Created’s native tongue. What then?

  “Have you worked it all out yet?”

  She turned to look at him. “No, I haven’t. What if we argue, for days? Then after all those days we want to separate, never see each other again. What will we do if we mate, I know divorce is unheard of for the Created and probably for the Hybrid, too.”

  “There is no divorce, we work it out.”

  “But what if we can’t?”

  “Give me an example. What can’t we work out? It won’t be over me finding a different female to love because there is no one but you, period, ever. So what can’t we work out?”

  “How to raise kids or something like that.”

  “All right, how do you want to raise our kids?”

  “I don’t know, we don’t even have any yet.”

  “You’re not scared we won’t be able to work things out, Amber. What’s really bothering you and don’t say nothing.”

  “Forever seems like a long time,” her voice was soft and she refused to meet his eyes.

  “It is and if we’re lucky or blessed we’ll get to live it. Every day we’ll get to love and argue, and have makeup sex. We’ll get to laugh and cry. I’ve seen forever in my parent’s eyes and I’ve see loneliness in Uncle Ash’s eyes. Amber, I pick forever with you any day over the stark pain he lives with.”

  “I want to be with you, Alexei, I love you. I just don’t want you to wake and realize you could have done better or that your mate is still out there.”

  “Come here, Amber,” he reached out and pulled her closer to him. “Now, a year from now or ten years from now, you’re all I will want and need. When you’re ready, Baby, I’ll be here.”

  “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “Yes. What about you, Amber? Will you wake up and wish you were with someone else?”

  She reached over and kissed him, slipping her tongue in. She pulled on his tongue gently deepening the kiss while still keeping it soft and sweet. Her lips moved against his pulling a groan from out of his chest.

  “I love you, Alexei, and I’ve waited a lifetime for you and I’d wait another life time because you’re all I want and need.” She snuggled onto his chest allowing her body to go pliant against his.

  “You’re so soft and I love the scent of you, Amber.”

  “I love how you see the good parts of me and never any of the bad.”

  “That’s because I love the whole you.” He licked the shell of her ear before tracing her cheek with his finger.

  She traced her finger down his chest stopping to play with his nipple. She caressed it and circled it with her finger watching it get harder. Moving over to the other one she did the same, loving how his breath became just a little ragged and a small groan left his lips.

  Gently he touched her hair, smoothing his fingers through it and caressing her scalp. Licking her lips, she took his nipple in her mouth sucking on it before biting it. His hips bucked up and guttural sounds left his lips while he messaged her scalp. She bit the other one before licking it. She shimmied down some so she could trace his abs, kissing kicking and biting as she did. He leaned back on his arms throwing his head backwards as she sucked in big lusty gust of air.

  His chest was a masterpiece; the slightly salty taste of him combined with his natural musk had her sex throbbing as thoughts of him deep inside her made her want to rub against him. Pulling in her desire, she continued until she reached his belly button. It was smaller and more shallow than she expected not quite human. She licked it. His body shook, the muscles in his arms clenching tight to keep him upright.

  Glancing up, she gave him a sexy smile before licking it again. His breath came out in a noisy sound and this cock hardened even further beneath her.

  “I think I found a pleasure spot.” She stuck her tongue in pressing against him and was rewarded by his cock thumping against her. She gave his belly button one last kiss before she lowered herself to the little track of hair just beneath that would lead her to her own pot of gold.

  Tangling her fingers in his hair she pulled just a little as she sucked and kissed her way down that marvelous deep cut around his thighs. She came to the base of his cock and licked her tongue out for a taste. Her eyes rolled back as pure joy hummed through her system.

  “Amber,” he choked out her name. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to.”

  She answered him by licking from the base of his cock to the head. His body bolted up as a hiss of pleasure came from his lips.

  “Please, Wild cat, don’t stop.”

  She took his cock in her hands and petted it, stroking it as she learned her way around him. Her male, her heart stuttered, the male she always wanted. She had to taste him or die. Taking her tongue, she licked the head taking in the precious drop of his essence that sat on it.

  His essence went off in her mouth like dynamite. She felt connected the same way she had when he flooded her before. She grasped for something out of reach that made a cry of sadness come because it eluded her. Opening her mouth she sucked him in. Unable to take all of his large size, she sucked on what she could. Loving the feel and the taste of him.

  She raised her eyes to look at him. His eyes narrowed into pleasure filled slits. His face was pulled in ecstasy. Emotions flashed on his face one after the other making her feel powerful. She let him go with a pop that reverberated through the room as she came up for air.

  “You taste so good, Alexei,” she played with his balls loving the way they rolled through her hands. “I could touch you all day long.”

  She took him in her mouth moving up and down on him, pulling hard and deep into her throat wanting to feel him explode in her.

  “Amber, if you don’t stop I won’t be able to control myself.”

  She looked up and slid her mouth up. “Come for me, Alexei, spill in my mouth.”

  She sucked him back down making her movements more frantic as she worked on him wanting to fill and taste his essence one more time. His hand moved down to her head helping to guide her as the room filled with the sounds he was making.”

  “Amber…Amber!” His hips thrust up squirting his essence into her mouth.

  She sucked him down, loving the taste and the heat of him. She tried to capture every drop even as some escaped her.

  Giving his cock one last linge
ring lick she crawled up his body. He lay there sucking in air as she waited for his body to come back down.

  “That was amazing, better than amazing.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it.”

  “Loved it and I love you.”

  “I know,” she smiled and rubbed herself against him. “You recover fast.” His cock was rising up again making the flood between her legs return.

  “It’s the way you make me feel, Wild cat. I want to be buried deep within you. I want to make you mine in every way possible. I want to make you my mate.”

  “I want that too.”

  Alexei buried his head in her shoulder sucking in a deep breath to regain his equilibrium.

  “I have to tell you something first.”

  “Talk.”

  “Dante, he took me to see the Ne’anth. He said they were a major part of my DNA. I’m beginning to think they are the majority along with my human DNA of course. The Ne’anth are sort of like Mermen. They can walk on the bottom of the ocean on two legs as well as turning their legs into a tail if needed.”

  “Why am I surprised? All of you continue to amaze me, but then again I amaze myself with the things I can do. Go ahead.”

  “They mate for life.”

  “I like that.”

  He took a deep sigh before going on. “It’s not easy, Amber. The initial mating makes the female body react violently. The Ne’anth tie their females up before they make them their mates.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Dante taught me how to access the memories when I was stabbed and out for three days. I went back into them to look. It wasn’t pretty.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Amber worked on the knot of fear that sat in her belly and choked off any words she wanted to say. She wasn’t afraid of Alexei. She was afraid of some DNA contributing Merman that she never laid eyes on and probably would never see in her lifetime. Now she was faced with a choice.

  He didn’t say it but it was laid on the table before her wrapped in shiny paper. She could give in and let him tie her up, let his inner beast have his way with her unable to fight back in protest, or she could walk away. Give up every dream and desire she ever had for them.