Out of Darkness

by Anna Carven

  Kalan still couldn’t believe that she might be worried about him.

  “I’m going,” he said hoarsely, taking in her innocent face with an indulgent, lingering look. It was all becoming too much.

  He needed release.

  “Where?”

  “I need sustenance,” he growled, making an excuse. “I’m going to see if there’s anything decent to eat on this cruiser.” He stroked his fingers up and down her slim thigh, giving her a meaningful look.

  Join me, he said with his eyes.

  She nodded, her lips slightly parted. “I know the design of this ship,” she said. “There’s a small galley upstairs, near the sleeping quarters. Let me show you.”

  Her answer satisfied him. If she had been afraid or unwilling, she would have stayed. Kalan watched as she slid gracefully out of her seat, brushing past him, teasing him with her sweet fragrance.

  He would strip her bare and claim her, and she would like it.

  Part of him was still afraid he might break her in half; she was so small and delicate looking, and he was nearly twice her size.

  But Kalan knew that her sweet exterior was deceptive.

  She’d proven herself to be surprisingly tough.

  He rose, his body aching, his cock straining against his dark armor. Nythian shot him a questioning look, and Kalan glared back at him, feeling protective of Jia.

  The warrior nodded in understanding, a slow smile gracing his features. He winked at Kalan. No-one would follow them up into the sleeping quarters.

  Kalan had been patient for far too long.

  He stalked after Jia, watching her intently from behind as she scampered up the narrow stairs. He came up after her, emerging into a dimly lit corridor lined with doors, some open, some closed. Jia led him to a small section at the back that seemed to be some kind of food preparation area. As she started playing with the controls on a robotic looking device, he came up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She stiffened, shuddered, and then leaned against him.

  No more resistance.

  Good.

  “You know what I want, don’t you?”

  “Yes.” She exhaled slowly, relaxing into him. He brushed his bare fingertips against her neck, tracing up and down. The action raised fine bumps across her smooth skin.

  “I caught you staring at me, you know.” Kalan bent and pressed his lips to the side of her neck, kissing her slowly, tasting her bare skin. She was salty and sweet and laced with the most heady spice.

  Her fragrance was driving him nuts. She smelt of exotic, distant planets, where the earth was fertile, and things actually grew, instead of withering away as they would on the cold, barren plains of Kythia.

  “You did?” She was all mock-innocence. Kalan suspected that beneath her coy exterior, there was a sensual creature, waiting for his touch.

  “You know I did,” he said roughly, as she trembled slightly, her body responding to each of his slow, tender kisses.

  And she wasn’t even undressed yet.

  From what he’d observed, Kalan suspected Humans and Kordolians shared very similar biology.

  Otherwise, how could he be so attracted to her?

  “I caught you when you were repairing Silence. You had lust in your eyes.”

  “Maybe,” she said cryptically, not giving herself away.

  “What were you thinking, Jia?”

  “Many things,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant and failing, the slight rasp in her voice betraying her.

  “Such as?”

  “You really want to know?”

  “I do.”

  “I wanted to see you naked.”

  “Did you, now?” His fingers found the metal fastening at the front of her jumpsuit. He began to pull it down, slowly revealing her body.

  Finally. Kalan’s erection strained in anticipation.

  “You were a mystery to me,” she continued. “I was curious.”

  “Was?” Kalan raised an eyebrow as he finished unzipping her. The zipper ended just above her waist. He reached up and slipped the garment off at her shoulders. The top half of the jumpsuit fell to her waist, revealing her naked torso. She peeled off her thick black gloves.

  Kalan encircled her tiny waist with his hands. What Jia didn’t know was that he was naked behind her. He’d mentally commanded his exo-armor to retract, and the nanites had retreated into his body, leaving his skin bare. It was better this way, as re-entering his bloodstream would allow them to complete the healing process and return to their resting state.

  “Okay, I’ll admit,” she said breathlessly, “I was dying to know what was under that mysterious armor of yours, and I still am. But back them, I considered you off-limits.”

  “Why?” He slid his hands upwards, so that they curved over her breasts. She had small, round, perfectly shaped breasts, and her nipples hardened as he traced his fingers around them.

  He liked the way she responded to his touch.

  “Because everyone knows how scary Kordolians are. I thought you’d eat me alive.”

  “Hm.” He ran his thumbs over her taut nipples, making her gasp. “Do I really look so fearsome?”

  “Yeah, Kalan, you do.”

  “You should know me well enough by now.” He pulled her against him, his erect cock pressing into her lower back. A low, throaty groan escaped Jia’s lips. “I would never, ever hurt you, Jia.”

  “I know,” she whispered, as she placed her hands over his, twining her small fingers through his larger ones. “I understand that, now.”

  She turned slowly, looking glorious in her state of half-undress. She took a step back, her dark eyes widening as she realized Kalan was naked.

  “You-” Her lips parted in surprise as she took in his appearance. Jia shook her head, her gaze traveling over Kalan’s naked torso. Her cheeks turned red, the flush spreading to the tips of her ears. Her eyes raked over his stomach, before dropping to his obvious erection.

  “Has your curiosity been satisfied?” Kalan wasn’t sure what Human females found desirable in their mates, but judging from Jia’s reaction, his attributes were… appreciated.

  She moved forward, reaching out to trace her fingers over one of the many scars that crisscrossed Kalan’s body. The wounds he’d recently sustained from the Xargek were still healing, leaving vicious pale marks on his skin. They would fade with time, unlike the scars he’d suffered before he’d been infected with the virulent nanites.

  A network of similar scars marked his back, all the way down to his buttocks.

  Like the other First Division warriors, most of Kalan’s memories had been erased during the trials, but every now and then, he would wake in the middle of the night gasping for breath, terror gripping him.

  He had no idea why. He felt as if a giant piece of him had been ripped out, leaving him permanently damaged.

  Jia explored the hard contours of his torso with her hands. “What are all these? Battle scars?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think they are.” Kalan caught her wrists and pulled her against him, his cock pressing against her lower belly, hard and insistent. She didn’t flinch or move away. “Do you find them unsightly?”

  “No,” she breathed. “Not at all. You’re… everything I’d imagined. Even more.”

  Kalan growled, her words stoking his desire to new heights. He reached out and tore off her ridiculous headlamp, which was still strapped around her forehead. He pulled at the fastening that held her hair in place, snapping the flimsy band. Her glossy black mane fell around her shoulders, bathing him in a cloud of fragrance.

  She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “And what about me, Kordolian?” She smiled shyly, although Kalan suspected she was well aware of the power she held over him right now. “Am I what you were expecting?”

  Kalan inhaled her heady scent as he ran his hands across her shoulders, over the slight prominences of her ribs, along the dip at her waist, and over the curve of her hips. He tug
ged at her work suit, which hung loosely on her hips, sliding it over the round swell of her buttocks. She wriggled, and the garment fell, pooling at her ankles. In one fluid motion, she bent, pulled the suit out from where it was tucked into her boots and stepped out of it, leaving her standing in only her solid black workboots and a delicate pink undergarment.

  Kalan’s breath caught in his throat. For the first time in his life, he was speechless, and completely consumed by desire.

  He forgot about his healing wounds. The pain in his body faded into the background. His need for sustenance became a distant concern.

  “You are everything,” he said, as he dropped to his knees. “Come here.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Jia trembled as Kalan looked up at her, his striking violet eyes holding a swirling storm of desire.

  “Human,” he said huskily, tucking his thumbs under the delicate pink lace of her panties. “I never imagined someone like you might exist in this lonely backwater of the Universe. It is as if your body was made for me. It’s everything I never knew I desired.”

  Jia’s knees went a little wobbly. “You’re surprisingly silver-tongued when you want to be, silver alien.” Her voice was raspy. Kalan tugged at her panties, pulling them down over her hips.

  For once, Jia was glad she had a penchant for pretty underwear.

  Working in the stark environment of Fortuna Tau hadn’t been able to erode her habit of paying attention to the small details.

  Jia couldn’t help it; she liked girly things.

  Her panties dropped, falling around her metal-capped workboots. She kicked them away. “Do you want the boots off?”

  “Not yet,” Kalan rumbled. “I find you unbelievably sexy like this.”

  His voice sent a shiver down her spine. This fierce, scarred warrior was kneeling before her, exploring every inch of her body and liking what he saw.

  “When you saw me,” Kalan said softly, pressing a finger just above the entrance to her pussy, “what did you want?”

  “I wanted you,” she admitted, as he traced her sensitive flesh. “I was attracted to you, even though you were a Kordolian.” She gasped as Kalan slid his finger inside.

  “Did you think about fucking me?” He made a low sound of approval as heat surged through Jia’s body.

  “I…” She reached out and ran her fingers through his soft, moonlight-colored hair, her pussy throbbing with need. “I did.”

  “Ah.” His voice was dangerously low, and taut with desire. “You pretend to be proper, but you have a dirty mind. You dress like a common servant, but you wear the undergarments of a seductress. You look like a delicate bloom, but there is strength in your heart, and in your mind. You are a queen of deception, my Human.”

  “I never set out to deceive you,” Jia retorted, as Kalan stroked her again, watching her face carefully, the corners of his eyes crinkling with satisfaction as a small cry escaped her. “Y-you just made assumptions, Kordolian.”

  “Hm.” He tickled her clit with tip of his finger. It sent Jia wild. With his other hand, Kalan caressed her lower back. “I will not make that mistake again,” he said as he pulled away, a smile transforming his severe features.

  Jia quivered, her arousal piqued. His touch was pure bliss, and she wanted more. “I’ll admit,” she murmured, “I may be guilty of dirty thoughts when it comes to you.” She grabbed his wrist and pressed herself against his hand, grinding her hips. He slipped his finger between her moist folds as Jia rocked back and forth.

  He went deeper, his finger gliding against her wetness. “You are so devious, to fantasize about such things and pretend otherwise. You… surprise me.”

  “I never acted like I didn’t want you.” A wonderful tension was building in Jia’s core. “But you also took me by surprise. I didn’t think a Kordolian would go after a Human.”

  “I’m no ordinary Kordolian,” Kalan said, a hint of darkness in his voice. “And I don’t play by the Empire’s rules anymore.”

  “I kind of figured that,” Jia whispered, as he pulled her towards him and started planting searing kisses below her navel, sucking on the soft skin of her lower belly.

  He looked up at her again, his eyes like brilliant gemstones. They were such an unearthly color, a constant reminder of his alienness. He was an enticing mystery wrapped up in a dangerous, alluring package. There was so much she still didn’t know about him. The constellation of scars marking his silver skin spoke of a lifetime of suffering, and yet he was relentless and implacable, as if nothing could ever break him.

  He treated most Humans with cold indifference, and yet with her, he was as hot as a solar flare, making her feel desired in a way she hadn’t thought possible.

  Jia was already in too deep. Once she took this step, there was no going back.

  Because Kalan was the type who would never let her go.

  A Human and a Kordolian?

  Could it work?

  Her body was saying yes, even as her mind struggled to catch up.

  “What did you imagine when you had those dirty thoughts, Jia? What was your fantasy?” He slipped a second finger into her pussy, stretching her slightly. She groaned.

  He massaged her clit with his thumb. Jia shuddered, dragging her fingertips over his scalp and arcing her back as Kalan continued to thrust his fingers back and forth, making her whimper.

  “I…” She hesitated, unsure of how to express herself, as she had never been in this situation before.

  This was madness. Jia closed her eyes, sinking into a world of sensory bliss where time stopped, and there was only her and Kalan. She wasn’t even sure what he was, but she knew that she needed to have him.

  This was biology at another level; somehow, their bodies reacted, and Jia was helpless against the tide.

  “How do you want me, Jia of Earth? I am yours, so tell me, what is it you desire?”

  “I want you to fuck me,” she said quietly, keeping her eyes closed as Kalan’s deft touch sent a surge of heat through her. “I want you to be as rough as you like, and not treat me as if I’m some delicate flower. I want you to satisfy yourself with me as you see fit.”

  “Is that so?” Kalan asked, his voice unexpectedly tender. “Is that what Human females like?”

  “It’s what I want.” Jia ran her fingers over Kalan’s scalp and down to his temples, where there were two slightly raised points on either side.

  He groaned as she touched those areas. So he was sensitive there?

  Interesting.

  Part of Jia couldn’t believe what she’d just told him. This Kordolian had a way of teasing her innermost desires to the surface.

  Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that his fingers were buried to the hilt inside her, and that with every stroke and every caress, another fragment of her control slipped away.

  “Then I shall give you what you wish for,” Kalan growled as he withdrew from her, leaving Jia trembling with glorious anticipation.

  The next thing she knew, he was rising, wrapping his arms around her, and lifting her with graceful ease.

  Jia yelped in surprise. Kalan laughed. He carried her over to a small dining area beside the galley, where a long upholstered seat ran against the wall. He lay her down, his broad shoulders flexing as he hovered over her. He gave her a long, hard look, his gaze lingering over her naked figure.

  “I’ll show you what it means to be rough and gentle at the same time.” Poised over her, he was larger-than-life. Jia couldn’t take her eyes off him. His crisp, masculine scent surrounded her, and as he gauged her reaction, a slow smile crept across his dark lips, revealing the twin points of his fangs.

  It was criminal that he could be this damn sexy. Jia stared at his body, marveling at his silver-hued skin, which was so different to her own. His powerful shoulders flexed. His arms, planted on either side of her, rippled with corded muscle. His torso was sculpted perfection, every muscle clearly defined, his body honed by battle and the rigid training he’d endured as
a warrior.

  Even the vicious scars that patterned his body were darkly beautiful. They were symbols of endured suffering; of survival. He hadn’t wanted to talk about them, but Jia got a sense of what they meant.

  To survive such horrible injuries spoke of strength.

  Kalan was the living embodiment of strength and power.

  And he was all hers.

  Jia took in his huge erection. Along its uppermost surface were small ridges. Jia wondered what it would be like to have his cock gliding against the tender, sensitive nub of her clit as he fucked her. It was as if the Kordolian version of Mother Nature had been extra considerate when designing her males.

  Kalan leaned in and kissed her, capturing her mouth with his, his lips firm and insistent. Heat surged through Jia as she responded with an equal amount of urgency, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  Kalan ran his hands through her black hair as he trailed kisses down her jaw and neck, pausing at the hollow just above her collarbone. He inhaled deeply, a low rumble coming from deep within his throat.

  His warm kisses continued down her chest, where he paused to take each of her nipples between his lips. Jia sighed, drowning in sensation.

  Her erect nipples tingled as he planted a line of soft kisses down her belly, moving down to her hips, over her pussy, dipping his tongue between her silken folds.

  “Ah,” Jia cried, as a sensory explosion flooded her, stripping her of all coherent thought.

  Kalan pulled away then, leaving her wanting.

  “Please,” she whimpered, needing more.

  “Not yet,” Kalan said roughly, as he continued downwards, kissing the insides of her thighs. He slipped his fingers around her heavy black boots, taking his time as he unfastened them, as if unwrapping a sensual present.

  He slid them off her feet in an elegant, sweeping motion, dropping them to the floor.

  He ran his hands down her legs, feeling her bare skin in amazement. “For so long, I wondered what lay underneath those shapeless garments of yours.”

  “Are Humans and Kordolians really so different?”