She broke off a small piece and tasted. Cinnamon. Sylvie closed her eyes and savored the flavor as the taste burst on her tongue. “It reminds me of snicker doodles.”
“Ha!” Triumph filled Faye’s face. “Told you.”
Sylvie laughed and broke off another piece of the cookie to pop into her mouth.
“Crimps!” Arak exclaimed, coming into the kitchen.
His large frame shrunk the size of the small space. He wore a black short-sleeve shirt and black, drawstring pants that swayed about his ankles. His damp hair curled on the ends and Sylvie chewed hard on her cookie to keep from sighing aloud in appreciation. Torkel appeared behind him. Faye’s Chosen didn’t attempt to squeeze his large frame in, preferring to lean against the wall at the arched entry between the living room and kitchen.
“Torkel.” A bright grin spread over Faye’s mouth.
“Come to me, my Chosen.” An intimate look accompanied the obvious command.
Faye didn’t hesitate and closed the distance with a leap that landed her in the big man’s arms. He returned Faye’s smile and kissed her forehead.
Sylvie diverted her gaze to allow them a moment of privacy and met Arak’s curious, blue stare. She shifted from one foot to the other. Blunt fingers reached passed her as Arak snagged a cookie and ate it in one bite.
When she glared at him, he winked and turned toward Torkel. “Faye, if I could have chosen you, I would have.”
Torkel lowered Faye to her feet and aimed a dark look at Arak. “I will be sure to send you on the next mission to the outer realms.”
Arak winced but Faye’s chuckle soon had him grinning again. “Faye loves you, Torkel.”
Faye shook her head. “Enough, you two. Torkel, I promised Lissi we would take Boid and Aya to your maman for the day while she spends time with Rydak. Lock up, Sylvie.”
Torkel groaned but allowed Faye to drag him from the room and a moment later, the door closed with a click.
Arak leaned back onto the counter, ankles crossed and ate another cookie. “You’re looking well, Sylvie.”
She had to admit her adjustment to Enotia was coming along smoother than she expected. In part due to this man. Granted it was only a few days but his sporadic calls on the comm to talk to her, the unplanned visits where he prowled her apartment to search for intruders all aided in the transition. Who was she kidding? His kisses also helped. Arak always kissed her before leaving. Sometimes on the forehead or the cheek and other times on the mouth where their tongues would tangle briefly. “I’m doing fine.”
“Hmm.” He reached for his third cookie.
Sylvie smiled and slid the plate closer to him. Only two remained. “You might as well have those. Faye said everyone loves them.”
Arak’s bowed his head and picked up the two cookies but not before Sylvie caught his guilty grin.
Sylvie smirked, comfortable in his presence. “I take it this is something your mom made a lot when you were younger too?”
***
Arak couldn’t control his flinch. His easy smile dropped. He pushed off the counter, taking himself away from her scent, the softness of her body. “I don’t have a maman.”
Her mouth fell open. “I’m sorry, Arak.”
“Why? I’m not. She chose her life and it wasn’t with me and my papan.”
Whoa, Arak cautioned himself, unable to believe he’d blurted one of his biggest secrets out to this female. Maybe not a secret, he corrected but not exactly something he shouted from the rooftops. A shared confidence like that at least required plenty of alcohol, although his body metabolized liquor so fast it probably wouldn’t have don’t the trick either.
Sylvie cleaned up the dish from the snacks and led him to the living area where she sat on the sofa. “Does your mother live close?”
Sympathy glinted from her blue eyes, drawing him to reveal, “My maman lives on Argora with her mate.”
Her creased brow spoke of her confusion. “Your parents don’t live on Enotia?”
Arak had no choice but to discuss a topic he rarely shared with others. “They aren’t together. My maman fell in love with an Argoran male during his heat cycle. There’s was…is a love match and what she felt as my papan’s Chosen paled in comparison.”
“I don’t understand. A heat cycle?” She stared at him with sincere curiosity.
“My maman is an Argoran shifter. The males go through a heat cycle called muata. This allows them to find their one true mate. During his muata, Wayn bit and claimed her in his shifted form.”
A light dawned in her gaze. “You’re a shifter? That explains the cat.”
Hearing the evident disbelief in her voice, Arak corrected her. “I’m half-Argoran shifter and half-Enotian.”
Her tongue licked her bottom lip slowly. The gesture tempted Arak to forget his plans to accustom her to him and instead lean forward to take her mouth in a kiss that would allow him to do all the licking.
“Shift for me.”
Sylvie’s demand brought him back from the fantasy. “What?”
Her cheeks turned red but she met his gaze evenly. “C-can you shift now?”
Arak ran a hand through his hair, nervous about something he’d been doing for years now. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Sylvie.”
She sat up straighter on the sofa, blonde brows lifted in pique. “Why not?”
Impossibly, Arak found himself smiling. “It might startle you.
Her denial was instant. “I didn’t run when you were in our other place while we slept.”
Embarrassment heated his body. The night he’d snuck into their room. “Are you sure?”
Her blue eyes stayed determined. “Yes.”
Arak studied her a moment longer before rising to his feet and removing his shirt. The hitch in her breathing was telling as he shrugged the material from his shoulders. He tossed it on the sofa beside her and unfastened his pants with one last glance to see if she appeared afraid. He had every intention of stopping if Sylvie looked like she’d bolt. Her eyes glazed over, heat blaring.
No, she wasn’t afraid. Far from it. Her scent rose between them. A slow warmth built up from his middle. With every fiber of his being, Arak battled the erection trying to spring forth. Sylvie leaned forward from her seat, avid gaze on his chest. Arousal surged. Arak muffled a groan and removed the rest of his clothes and boots. A simple thought and his cat leaped through, eager for the chance to be close to the female he lusted for. His.
The transition from man to animal took seconds. Arak’s feet padded over the floor toward her. Despite her earlier claim, Sylvie rose from the sofa and made to run, her scent a luscious bouquet to his senses.
Chase. Catch. His Argoran half roared to the forefront. Energized after his shift, Arak gave his cat free rein and pounced on Sylvie before she could take more than two steps. He kept his claws sheathed as his front paws thumped her hip. She stumbled but regained her footing and backed into the arm of the sofa.
Arak butted his head against her leg carefully. He wanted her to run so he could chase. The very thought thrilled. Instead Sylvie dropped onto the sofa cushion, arms out in front of her. Arak nudged her knee. Run, run, run. His cat wanted to play.
Her widened eyes narrowed and the scent of honey swirled around him. Fear faded, leaving behind sweet notes of amazement and pure Sylvie.
Full lips ticked up. Her ragged laugh sent shivers down his spine. “Ah, hell no. And no again.”
Arak tipped his head to the side and Sylvie snorted. “You can’t exactly pull off innocent when your teeth are the size of my fingers and your feet are the size of my head.”
Humor and delight rolled through him. Arak wanted to laugh but since he couldn’t, he rested his head on her lap, inhaling her succulent aroma. Sylvie. His Sylvie.
After a moment her hand came down to touch his ears, fingers kneading along the way. She ran her hand through his fur, causing the inevitable reaction.
Arak purred.
Sylvie snatched
her hand back and he almost whined. After a moment, her hand returned.
“You, sir, are a slick one,” she murmured.
Since her touch started to arouse, Arak decided it best to shift before he gave her more than she wanted to see.
***
Sylvie pushed at the large head on her lap, his playful side unexpected. Every day a little more of Sylvie’s concerns dimmed. Her trust for the Jutak warriors, who’d rescued her and Joni, grew in increments as well as her attraction for the man leaning against her legs. His presence more than the others warmed and reassured her that maybe she didn’t have to worry about the Marenians any longer.
Fur receded to skin and paws gave way to arms and legs. Her cheeks heated as he rose to his feet completely bare leaving the man, the Jutak warrior, standing before her. Her breath stalled. Tightly compacted muscles flowed from his chest to a taut abdomen that flexed beneath her stare. Slim hips continued to rippling thighs, a thin trail of hair arrowed downward toward his groin. Sylvie tried to tell herself to lift her eyes. Instead, she licked her lips in appreciation. His shaft stiffened and rose toward his belly button, twitching the longer she stared.
Arak cleared his throat and leaned passed her to reach for his shirt. His musky male scent encompassed her and Sylvie closed her eyes to fully take it in. She opened them again when he groaned.
“Your eyes speak for you. You must stop.”
Her? Sylvie reached out to caress the growing erection. He was the one parading temptation in front of her by not having any clothes on.
Arak moved back and his curse rang out. “You make it difficult to do what’s right, Sylvie.”
He was dressed and out the door before she could satisfy her curiosity and see if he was as hard and soft as he looked all over.
Chapter 10
Jaron bypassed the other members of their unit to approach Arak during his second round of reps on the weight machine. The Team One leader stopped at Arak’s side. Initially, when Arak began his workout the room had been empty. Soon after, a few of the guys had joined him, eager for the opportunity to squeeze in a free work out when possible. All of them liked to stay prepared in case Torkel needed them to leave at a moments notice.
The solitude of earlier had faded to be replaced with occasional grunts and a few chuckles but the familiar noises appeased Arak’s other half, enjoying the presence of others.
Up close, Jaron’s blue eyes gleamed with pleasure. Sitting up and patting his face dry with a towel, Arak waited until Jaron spoke.
“Good news. Bane cracked the coding on the chip you and Kyele brought back. Not sure of everything on there but so far its detailed logs of shipments of slaves and dates and times of auctions. Torkel’s with him now confirming everything before he reports to the governing council.”
Arak sat up and swung his legs around the side of the bench. It had taken a week for this bit of news. A week in which anything could have happened to the female they searched for. “Lindsey?”
Jaron sighed. “We know she didn’t reach Tulu after being sold to the mining colony. She’s never been sold anywhere else for that matter. There’s a line in there showing a loss of profit from her disappearance since the miners demanded their payment back. Then there’s an odd notation stating Lindsey was seen in the company of a Chamele named Smiki during a bar fight.”
Arak choked back his surprise. Smiki’s reputation was well earned. “The smuggler with thirty outstanding warrants?”
Jaron blew out another breath and ruffled his blond hair. “Doesn’t make any more sense than the rest because that particular file contained witness statements saying the Earthling looked as if she was with him of her own free will and once the bar fight started they escaped together.”
Arak pushed back his suspicion. None of it could be true. Too farfetched since according to Faye her friend would be desperate to escape. Chasing rumors wouldn’t get them any closer.
“That’s not the only reason why I’m here though.” Jaron straddled the bench invading Arak’s personal space. “We’ve got a call to raid the Avida moon station. There’s evidence that some of the tech workers have taken up manufacturing bliss on the side.”
Arak grimaced. Avida was established as a microchip processing plant not a drug hub. Raids on such places usually consisted of chasing criminals who had no fear of reprisal. Many of them preferred death to imprisonment, making the missions some of the most dangerous to go on. Bliss hubs were worse because the wildly popular hallucinogenic left the workers unbalanced from the residual high. Long term exposure caused convulsions and death, same as those who used in a lot of cases. “Who’s Torkel pulling together?”
“All of Team One. In hard and out fast.”
Arak rose to his feet, starting to feel the familiar adrenaline rush from the thought of a new assignment. “How soon do we leave?”
Jaron stood with a hop and slapped Arak on the shoulder. “Two days.”
Two days. It left him with plenty of time to see Sylvie before he left. “I’ll be ready. I need to check on Sylvie.”
Jaron stopped him with a hand on the upper part of his arm. “What’s with you and the Earth female?”
A surge of emotion flooded Arak’s veins and his senses heightened to the point his cat sat up and noticed. “What do you mean?”
Jaron snorted. “No one missed your display in medical when they were brought in. You couldn’t keep your eyes off of her. Even now you’re always visiting or speaking with her on the comm. It’s only been two weeks since they arrived and you’re possessive of anyone that comes within feet of her.”
Shoulders knotting, Arak pulled away. Everything his team leader said was true. “And?”
Jaron raised his hands in surrender, blue eyes questioning. “Nothing. Just trying to find out where your head is.”
“Where it’s always been,” Arak countered, annoyed that one of the people who knew him so well would question him.
Jaron cocked his head to the side and planted his hands on his hips. “I get the fascination with Earth females. They’re not only beautiful but easy to care for and loving. Still, we don’t really know anything about these two other than what they’ve shared, Arak.”
He stiffened, not liking the direction of the conversation. Muscles tense, Arak asked, “Does Torkel believe we need to be concerned?”
His friend’s shoulders rose up and down. “Torkel’s blinded by his feelings for Faye. We both know she wasn’t the only one leaking information about the teams. It’s someone closer.”
Arak’s gut twitched and he hated when that happened. He didn’t want to doubt his growing feelings for Sylvia Forrester. Something about her drew him to her presence and he wanted her. On that, the man and cat were in total agreement. “You can’t suspect Joni and Sylvie of having anything to do with what happened.”
Arak tried to imagine the petite blonde and her red-haired friend plotting against the very men who’d rescued them from such a horrible fate. It was inconceivable.
Jaron dropped his arms to his side and exhaled. “Of course not. We need to be cautious of those close to us. That’s all I’m saying. Someone betrayed us and using two Earthlings who have reason to hate everything about what happened to them wouldn’t be hard. If you develop feelings for Sylvie, it could put you in the same position as Torkel if she ends up being more than what she seems.”
The seeds Jaron planted couldn’t be ignored. Not what Arak wanted to hear. He was making headway with his interest in the Earthling female. She didn’t always respond in fear when he moved suddenly or touched her. Resolution firmed his decision. “I will be with Sylvie if you need to reach me on my comm.”
His Team Leader’s gaze darkened. Sympathy glinted from their depths, angering Arak. “Be careful. At least until we pinpoint who’s giving away intel.”
Arak tipped his head down, hands clasping the back of his neck and stared at the floor, thoughts whirling.
“Remember Kersa,” Jaron added, stoking Arak’s
anger.
Kersa. His cat snarled. She had been a lesson for all of them. Especially Arak. But this was different.
“You’re wrong about Sylvie.” Arak turned to stride from the training room before the Enotian could anger him further. In all honesty, his continued reaction to Sylvie did border on obsessive but the feeling wasn’t going away any time soon.
As Arak cleared his schedule for the rest of the day, Jaron’s words played on repeat in his head. Kersa had fooled their entire Unit. The young female they had rescued a few years ago had won them over with her large, gray eyes and curly, brown hair. None of them wanted her returned home more than Arak. She’d cried tears of relief, explaining how space pirates killed her parents and took her hostage. Torkel had contacted the governing council on Enotia with plans to find any living relatives to send for her.
During that time, Arak had grown close to her and Kersa had played on his obvious feelings with flirty winks and half smiles. When they’d reached a nearby space station, Kersa fled several credits richer after she stole a couple of their stored weapons from the transport. Probably back to the pirates she’d bonded with. As hard as it seemed to believe, some people didn’t want to be rescued and not everyone was who they appeared.
The hover car ride to Sylvie’s didn’t take long and Arak arrived at the building where she and her friend lived long before his mind settled. He had a moment to doubt the black drawstring pants and white short sleeve shirt he’d worn to work out in. Then he shook off the thought as he rode the glide up to the fourteenth floor. Arak knocked on Sylvie’s door, heart thumping madly in his chest while he waited for her to answer. Anticipation clawed at his gut.
“Arak!” Her eyes widened as she opened the door and stepped back.
Her scent reached him first, wrapped him in her sweet fragrance as he entered the apartment. “Hello, Sylvie.”
“What are you doing here?” She closed and locked the door behind him.
Arak checked the windows and the small balcony before tracing his steps back. He paused in the living area and slouched on the arm of the sofa to take in her surroundings. The government had furnished the place for both women with standard necessities. Two matching sofas in black, a small circular table in the center of the room of the same color and a communicator for entertainment or communication purposes. Everything remained exactly the same as it had the day he’d dropped her and Joni off.
Arak's Love: A World Beyond Book 2 Page 9
