“Hold on, my love. I’ll take care of you. Hold on.”
Leaping from the bed, he ran into the kitchen, yanked the refrigerator open, and snagged a bottle of water. Quickly, he was back on the bed and lifting Kallon’s upper body from the mattress. Cradling Kallon’s head in the crook of his arm, Ulixes poured droplets of water into his mouth after every labored exhale. He watched closely to ensure that he was accepting it. When his breathing finally settled into an even rhythm, he placed him gently back against the mattress and collected a warm wet cloth.
Ulixes bathed his lover’s genitals, wiped away the sticky fluid from his torso, and cooled his sweat-slicked skin. Satisfied that he’d cleaned him thoroughly and that his breath was normal, Ulixes positioned himself until he was spooned up behind him and his arms were locked tight around his upper body. He frowned when he felt something hard pressing against his shoulder.
Reaching around, Ulixes pulled Kallon’s mating necklace from the side of his neck. Lifting it up, he couldn’t stop the grin that stretched his cheeks tight. The tooth held a soft blue glow and was warm to the touch. Everything that had just happened became real to him in that brief, defining moment. Kallon was his. There was no guessing or concern. It was simple, and it felt right. He would never be alone again.
Ulixes gently stroked along a broad shoulder, tested the softness of his lover’s blond hair between his fingers, admired the Insedi genetic marker behind his right ear, traced his finger along the five diamond studs lining his lobe, and listened with wonder at the soft breaths passing across his full lips. He wanted to investigate every inch of this male’s body and learn as much as he could. The soft chimes of a clock sounded out twice and exhaustion slammed against him like a runaway truck. He buried his face against Kallon’s warm neck and passed out.
* * * *
“It’s good to see you, Caelius. Are you doing well? I thought your father was with you?”
Caelius stared into the piercing eyes of his emperor. Slapping his fist against his chest, he gave a brief bow and sighed in relief when Emperor Lucien asked him to relax.
“Yes, I’m doing well. Father had to meet with some of the senate members. It’s good to see you, too, my emperor. I’m glad that you were brought back to us safely. I understand that you’ve found a new mate. This is very exciting. I hope to meet her at the upcoming festival.”
“How about right now?”
Caelius turned to stare into the face of an angel. Big green eyes, flaming red hair, a large smile, and an extended hand greeted him.
“Hi, I’m Tana. Nice to meet you.”
Startled to realize that he was facing his empress, Caelius executed another reverent bow. She popped him on the side of the arm.
“Oh, enough of that. I’m going to have to do all that fancy stuff after next week, so just treat me like anyone else right now. Humor me.”
Caelius immediately liked her. She reminded him of Rhia, with a little bit of Cassie mixed in. She may be teasing with him, yet her eyes were very wise. He reached out, took her hand, and placed a respectable kiss to her knuckles. “I’m very happy to meet you.”
She smiled and snagged his arm with hers. “So, Caelius, did you misplace something?”
He frowned and glanced back to the emperor. He got no help from that direction. He just shrugged. Eryx stared at the ceiling as if he was doing complex mathematics in his head.
“I’m not sure what you mean. I don’t believe that I have. Uh…did I?”
Tana patted him on the arm, pushed open one of the interrogation room doors, and he promptly lost his breath. Rhia was staring at him with a lopsided smile and raised eyebrows. He didn’t know what to say. His mind couldn’t comprehend how in the hell she was standing in that room. He started to question if he was even awake. Surely he was dreaming. It wasn’t until he felt her warm palm land on his arm that he realized she was actually there. The familiar buzzing of his energy snapped him from his stupor.
Tana released his arm and gave him a little shove. “Go on now. You two have a lot to discuss. We’ll just wait out here.” He heard the soft swoosh of the door sliding shut and backed up against the panel to steady his feet.
Rhia leaned against the small table and gave him a sheepish grin.
“Well, I have a confession to make, Caelius. I followed you from California, obviously. I got busted at the entrance by two big guys and ended up having an interesting conversation with the leaders of your alien planet while I waited for them to find you. Hey, you want to sit down? You just turned a little pale.”
Caelius drew to his full height and refused to appear weak in front of the female he loved. The necklace suddenly felt like it weighed three hundred pounds, a heavy unrelenting reminder that it was as cold as a block of ice on his skin. He swallowed hard.
“You…you know who I am?” He knew that was the stupidest thing that could have come out of his mouth and wished he could recall it. He shook his head. “I mean, you know everything about my race?”
She nodded.
“And you’re not scared?”
“Nope.”
“What did they tell you?”
“Everything.”
“Everything?”
“Yep.”
“Shit.”
“Now what makes you say that?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“What way?”
“Like I didn’t want you to know.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“That I wanted to tell you.”
“What’s the difference between them doing it and you?”
“The mating cycle. That conversation should be between us.”
“Oh, yes, that part.”
“Have you figured it out now?”
“I believe so.”
“What do you think you know?”
Her eyes turned sad and he died a little inside.
“That I’m not your mate, and you’ll die very young if you don’t merge with someone that’s compatible with your energy. I didn’t have the heart to tell Tana that your necklace is still cold.”
Caelius felt his chin hit his chest. He strained to get his words out. “I love you, Rhia. I don’t care if I only live the length of your lifespan.”
“How can you say that, Caelius? You’d give up too much to be with me. I think I caught on that your energy would be pissed as hell that I can’t accommodate it. You’d hate me in under a year. I can’t give you children, you can’t stabilize your core, and it completely defeats the purpose of replenishing your world. I can’t tell you how sad I was to learn that a total dickhead killed all of your females. It’s beyond tragic. I can’t stop what needs to happen. You have to help your race, not deny it new life. I need to tell you good-bye, sweetie.”
Caelius broke. The thought that she was going to walk away forever destroyed any semblance of propriety. He didn’t give a shit that the emperor was in the next room, or if the whole damn senate showed up. She was his, and if he wanted to love her, then by gods damn he was going to love her.
Three long strides were sufficient to bring him close enough to snatch her away from the table and two additional steps had her pinned on the wall, wide-eyed, and clutching the top of his shoulders. He felt her heels dig into the back of his thighs as he notched himself between her legs. He narrowed his eyes and rolled his groin against her belly, just so she’d understand he’d gotten hard the second he’d laid eyes on her. He lowered his voice and made sure she knew he wasn’t fucking around.
“You’re not going anywhere, Rhia Grace Brennan. You think you have it all figured out, don’t you? Just because I need a mate that stabilizes my energy doesn’t mean that I want one. If I can’t have you, then I want none at all. Are you getting that, sweetness? I’m not leaving this time. I barely survived the three weeks away from you. How do you think I can last a lifetime? You leave and you might as well stab me in the heart, for I will surely die when you disappear from my life.”
She was blinking rapidly and her lips parted, but he didn’t give her a chance to respond. He cupped her jaw, angled her head, and smashed his lips to hers. He shoved his tongue into her mouth and groaned when she melted around him. She smelled like jasmine, her lips were soft, and—
Caelius felt his knees strike the hard floor. He wondered what was clutching the front of his T-shirt and trying to tear it from his chest. Fire tore through his back and blasted out of his belly. The first time had been below his right shoulder blade. Sweat broke out from his skin, and a maelstrom of searing heat caught again, rushing through his system like a train. He doubled over in pain. Had he been shot? He heard someone yelling, but it was muffled and too far away. Was there a blast? Were they being attacked? His ears weren’t working. He needed to lie down. Yes, that was exactly what he needed. Falling to his side, he felt his head crack against the floor and blinked a few times. What the fuck is going on? Is Rhia okay? He tried to turn over, but a wave of dick-snapping pleasure poured into every molecule and tried to find equal room with the pain. He felt like he was about to splinter into a million pieces.
Gritting his teeth, he tried to figure out why he was about to shoot a load in his pants if someone had just blown a hole in his gut. Panting, he grabbed his dick and tried to roll over, but someone was pressing down on his shoulders and smoothing the hair away from his forehead. Rhia. It was Rhia. Oh, gods! She smelled so good. Where were his hands? He wanted to touch her. He tried to talk, but realized his jaws were clamped tight and his spine was bending. Fuck! When the hell is this shit going to stop? Caelius flopped back to the floor and heaved for air. Suddenly, his core shifted, opened wide, and energy flew from his body. Oh, shit, shit, shit! It was trying to find Rhia again. He couldn’t let that happen. She was going to be so scared.
No amount of willing it to return or to redirect worked. It was loose and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He must be mortally wounded. Fuck it. It was going to come back anyway, or dissipate and take his life with it. Caelius heard a loud moan and knew that it was his voice, but he couldn’t reconcile why it sounded so pleased. Suddenly the pain slipped away. His energy was coming back and it was content. What?
Realization slammed into his brain. His essence had found its mate. It would now bide its time until the final mark. He felt the chain around his neck move, and then the tooth dropped heavily to his chest. Blinking to clear the sweat from his eyes, he finally focused on the face hovering above him. It was the emperor.
“Well, shit, Caelius. She just told me that you’d already kissed, but your necklace stayed cold. What the hell? It’s definitely warm now.”
Caelius tried to talk and had to try several times before he got it right.
“I thought we got bombed.”
The emperor laughed. “No, but I know what you mean. Knocks your dick in the dirt, doesn’t it? Now explain this to me.”
Batting at his chest until he found the conprobatus, Caelius swallowed hard. “New one…other tooth broke.”
“What do you mean, it broke? That’s impossible.”
Feeling better by the second, Caelius rolled to his side and looked around the room. Rhia was standing in the corner with the new empress, and both had the same concerned expression on their faces. He smiled, and they instantly relaxed.
Rising to his feet, Caelius felt the emperor holding his elbow to make sure he didn’t ass plant again. When he stood for several minutes without wobbling, he released him and got back in his line of sight. His eyebrows were raised. Caelius touched his necklace again. It was hot, and that made him extremely happy.
“My other one had a hairline fracture in it. We took it back to the mines, and I found another one. It was definitely a different experience than the first time. The master jeweler discovered another one brought back several years ago had a similar flaw. This new one didn’t heat when I placed it around my neck. I assumed that I hadn’t touched my Occasio yet. I guess it needed to start fresh. My father is meeting with the senate to discuss the ramifications so they could present this to you. I guess that won’t be necessary now.”
The emperor shook his head and swung around to look at Eryx. “Get them all into chambers. Oh, and bring the jeweler. Tell them they have an hour to prepare their initial findings. Put Antaeus in charge of the committee. I’ll be there shortly.”
Eryx nodded and left the room. Emperor Lucien turned back and promptly clapped him on the back.
“Despite the seriousness of what you’ve told me, Caelius, I believe congratulations are in order for finally confirming your mate.” He reached out when the empress came to his side. “Come, Tana. Let’s leave them alone.”
“Emperor, will you please let my father know that I’ll be leaving shortly, but I’ll come back next week for the festival? It sounds like he’s going to be busy for a while, and I have things that need attending.” The emperor gave him a knowing smile.
“Of course, and I expect to see your mate here as well.”
All eyes turned to Rhia hovering in the corner. She shrugged.
“Uh…sure. Bye, Tana. Thanks for everything.”
The empress smiled, threw her a quick wave, and pulled Emperor Lucien from the room. Caelius didn’t hesitate. Scooping Rhia up into his arms, he made quick tracks to the door. He loved feeling her soft hands clasping the back of his neck.
The panel slid open. He walked past a grinning Kyros and got soundly clapped on the back by Nierius. Rhia waved at them both and tried to get his attention.
“Uh, Caelius? Why are you acting so barbaric? I can walk, you know.”
“Yes. I know.”
“Then put me down.”
“Nope.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the exit vortex.”
“Crap. I have to go back through that thing, don’t I?”
“Yep. No worries, sweetness. I’ll be holding you all the way.”
Chapter 29
Ulixes opened his eyes and smiled. He was staring up at the ceiling, flat on his back, and trapped under a thick thigh draped over his right leg. A hand was plastered to the side of his neck, and a pillow was lying on his chest. Obviously, he and Kallon hadn’t stayed wrapped in a tight cocoon after all. He was thankful the bed was a king, or he was positive his mate would’ve shoved him over the side by now.
My mate. Damn. Those were some powerful words judging by the heat that flared inside his chest. Glancing over, he grinned when he saw Kallon’s limbs were stretched out as far as they could go. He looked like a large X marking the bed, as if he was a treasure map location. Well, he definitely considered him a treasure, that’s for sure. Ulixes lifted his hands and was stunned to see that they no longer trembled. Judging by the soft light filtering through the curtains, he’d actually slept for more than an hour. This hadn’t happened since he’d left Glaxon 8. Internally, he felt like everything had shifted back into place. All thanks to this incredible male lying next to him.
He’d been right. Burying the past and refusing to meet it head on had almost killed him. It hadn’t been easy to talk those images into staying out of his deepest thoughts and emotions. He knew they would never really go completely away, but at least he could look at them as if he was just an observer of a sad tale instead of the main character in someone else’s tragedy. He had a new life now, and it had no room for baggage from the past.
Lifting Kallon’s hand, Ulixes placed a gentle kiss to the back. He studied the broad palm and long, tapered fingers in awe. They were in complete contrast to his battled-scarred, toughened skin. This male saved lives every day with his cunning skill, and within the last few hours, he’d saved his as well. Kallon was amazing, and he loved him so much it almost felt like an urgency that couldn’t sit still inside his chest.
Rolling to his side, Ulixes studied his sleeping mate. Even though he wasn’t a warrior, his body was built to perfection. He reached out and ran his fingers over his pectoral muscles, down his ridged abs, and
stopped just above the thin sheet covering his hips. Gently, he slid the material away and raised his brows in appreciation. His ample cock was soft and rested heavily against his thigh. The sight had his mouth watering for a taste. Rising to his knees, he scooted between the widespread legs and planted a hand to one side of the narrow hips. Palming the pliant member in a gentle grip, he bent low and took him into his mouth.
Ulixes glanced up when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. Mesmerizing, light-green eyes were staring back at him. They blinked several times before awareness had them widening. A soft smile lifted Kallon’s lips, and Ulixes continued with his goal of pleasuring the one he loved. The cock lengthened and widened rapidly until it was hard as steel and throbbing against his tongue. Focusing on the engorged head, Ulixes sucked gently against the sensitive flesh until he heard the soft moans he was seeking. He felt his hair being pulled away from his face and knew that Kallon wanted to see his cock tunneling in and out as he was pleasured.
Releasing a generous amount of saliva, Ulixes wrapped his hand around the thick base, opened his mouth wide, and pushed him in as far as he could go. When the tip hit the back of his throat, he growled, swallowed twice against the head, released a deep vibrating hum, and sucked hard on his way back up the velvet shaft. Kallon now had a solid grip on both sides of his head as his hips worked to push as much of that fat cock back inside. His deep, raspy voice sent chills up his spine.
“Yes, yes. Suck me like that. Gods! That feels so good. I love having your mouth on me. You’re burning me up, Ulixes.”
Pumping steadily with one hand, Ulixes feathered the fingers of his other against Kallon’s balls and fondled the tightening sac. His knees instantly lifted and clamped hard against his sides, breath coming in labored pants. Kallon’s fingers clamped harder within his hair and he felt his own cock jerk from the exquisite bite of pain that came with it.
Deep-throating him again, he was totally surprised to feel a tingling buzz traveling from the center of his belly and lifting up to his skin. It was as if the center of his being was drifting away, seeking something. Then he felt it. Kallon’s energy leapt forward and claimed him. It embraced his and encased him in warmth. It was like a quick knock of permission and he willingly let him in. He could feel how much Kallon was enjoying himself, the blinding pleasure of his tongue running up his shaft, and the overwhelming sense of love. Pulling up to catch his breath, his eyes locked with Kallon. His lids were narrowed and his lips were parted. He was fucking gorgeous.
Fueled by Lust: Caelius (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 25
