The world tilted, and her warbling cries of completion were sucked away as a familiar and inviting mouth crashed down onto hers. Warm hands buried themselves into her hair, tightening and pulling her closer. Heaving for breath, she sighed as kisses rained across her forehead, eyelids, chin, and finally back to her mouth. Soft lips brushed across her skin until she finally heard the low, reverent words at her ear.
“Thank you…thank you…thank you. I love you, Keely Anderson.”
She felt Baruch’s weight roll away, and she opened her eyes. Makar was slumped against the couch, her hand clasped tightly in his, and a look of wonderment commanding his features. Baruch was flat on his back, eyes closed, and an expression of pure bliss riding his handsome face.
Keely struggled to capture much-needed air, yet she had no trouble latching on to something that would stick in her mind for an eternity. Both of these powerful creatures could break her in two with just a simple twist. Either of them could have taken full advantage of her vulnerable position and forced themselves on her. Yet, there they lay, with perfectly content expressions on their faces while their cocks continued to strain long and hard within their jeans. Only what was necessary had been taken—and nothing more.
In that precise moment, Keely knew they were not like any other men she’d experienced in her life. No other would ever rise to the level her heart had just placed this pair of honorable, enthralling aliens.
Unable to compartmentalize the overwhelming emotions threatening to consume her, Keely struggled to her feet. Knowing that if she looked at either of them for one more moment she’d be on her knees and releasing a flood of unfamiliar tears, she turned away. Clearing her throat, she stumbled to a desk in the corner and began pulling drawers.
“Come on, guys. We need to find something that’ll help us get the hell out of here. It’s time to go.”
Chapter 17
“Ah, Emperor Lucien, Tana. Thank you for coming. I’m sorry I contacted you so late, but I thought it best to get this over with before you get tied up with the ceremony tomorrow. I promise it won’t take long.”
Lucien clapped Kallon on the shoulder as he walked through the clinic doors. The day kept getting longer, yet he knew Kallon wasn’t one to waste time. “We understand, Kallon. The incident with Maxim threw everyone off schedule.”
Kallon snorted. “Yes, it’s his specialty, but I must say, I doubt he’ll ever be able to top this one. Please, take a seat anywhere. Caelius and Rhia will be here any minute, and we can get started.”
Seconds later, Rhia walked through the doorway with her smitten warrior close behind. Her calm gray eyes lit up upon spotting Tana, now rising to meet her.
“Rhia. It’s so good to see you again.”
They met in the middle of the room and hugged. Tana stood back and looked her up and down, her smile wide.
“You look amazing. I wanted to come see you when I heard you’d arrived, but I was stuck in my fitting longer than I anticipated. Do you feel any different?”
Rhia gave her a brilliant smile. “Everything’s the same but much perkier. If nothing else, not having to dye my roots anymore has to be the single most satisfying outcome. Plus, I’m not as tired as I was before, but then again double shifts at the pastry shop didn’t help. Cassie assures me that I’ll have a light workload when they get the restaurant built. I can’t wait to start playing around with the menu.”
Tana pulled her over to the seating area and motioned for her and Caelius to sit. “I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to tasting your creations. Ulixes said you’re an artist in the kitchen. You’re going to be very popular here.”
Rhia chuckled and sat close to her mate. “Thank you, but it won’t be that hard. I’ll be the one and only Earth chef on the entire planet. The possibilities are limitless.”
Lucien was happy that Tana and Rhia’s friendship was growing. He’d dreaded the thought that his precious mate would become lonely for female companionship. Once he learned that Rhia planned to reside here with Caelius, he was ecstatic. Cassie and Avelina visited often now, but it wasn’t the same as having someone here to share the softer emotions when needed. Rhia’s temperament and intelligence was a perfect match for a lasting friendship.
All heads swiveled to the left when Kallon walked over with four small cylindrical devices positioned on top of a silver tray. He straightened and gave them a satisfied smile.
“You have no idea how exciting this is for me. I have two sets of opposing theories sitting within arm’s reach. You’re a researcher’s dream. Okay, this is what’s going to happen. I’ll place this cylinder on the side of your neck to acquire a blood sample. It’s completely painless. You ready?”
Four quick nods and several minutes later, Kallon strode back to his equipment. He loaded the samples into a sophisticated piece of equipment Lucien hadn’t the first clue for identifying.
“Thanks, everyone. You can go now. I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I’ll let you know as soon as I get the results.”
Tana walked over and stared at the gadget that was steadily sucking their blood through four clear tubes. He loved her insatiable curiosity. She glanced over her shoulder with wide eyes.
“This is fascinating. You can actually see the process separating out the components on the monitor. The detail’s amazing.”
Once the last drop disappeared, another panel lit up with fast-moving data streams and flashing lights. Lucien shook his head. Everyone considered the job of an emperor to be hard. It was nothing compared to what he was witnessing now. He couldn’t even fathom the amount of brainpower needed to comprehend the ins and outs of the medical world. He joined Tana and waited for Kallon to quit fiddling with the computer.
“How long before you have what you need?”
“About fifteen minutes.”
“That’s all?” Glancing over to Caelius and Rhia, Lucien raised his brows. “You up for sticking around?”
Caelius smiled and patted Rhia on the thigh. “Of course, we’ve been puzzled for many days. It’d be nice to know what’s going on.”
Lucien leaned against an exam table and crossed his arms. “Okay, Kallon, if it won’t disturb your analysis, explain exactly what you’re doing or trying to find.”
Kallon swiveled around on his stool, a huge grin on his face. “You just made my night. It’s not often someone actually asks to hear the method to my madness. My poor mate has the patience of the gods, but I’m sure that he’s ready for someone else’s ear to take over.” Looking down, he tapped on his handheld computer, and a colorful hologram image rose from the center panel.
“This is a DNA strand. We all know that Rhia’s age has regressed. It’s a fact that can’t be disputed. My theory is that a miraculous change occurred directly to her DNA as soon as the Nubis energy catalogued her as Caelius’s life mate. What I don’t know is if the regression only applies to the non-Insedi mate. For all I know, it could easily go the complete opposite. That’s where you and Tana come into play.”
Tana groaned and popped Lucien on the leg. “So, you might’ve pushed me to your age? Thanks, big guy. You’ll owe me a lot of birthday presents.”
Lucien laughed and pulled her into his arms. “No worries, sweetness. You don’t look a day over three hundred and five.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Go on, Kallon. Keep talking while I figure out how to get even with this bozo.”
Chuckling, Kallon adjusted the screen and zoomed in on a cross-sectional image of a bone. “I have to give you a little background so this will all make sense. It’s a normal process for changes to genetic material to take place over time. Usually these modifications are permanent and in one direction.” He zoomed in on the darker mass running down the center.
“This is bone marrow. It’s where the hematopoietic stem cells hang out while replenishing the blood. As it’s dividing, it kicks off another little cool trick of making white blood cells.” He flipped back to the DNA strand
and zeroed in on the edges.
“The little caps on each end of the string are called telomeres. Their sole purpose is to protect the strand from fraying or being damaged. When that happens, our cells quit serving their purpose. As they exhaust their ability to continue dividing, that’s when the aging process begins. As soon as we’re born, these telomeres begin to shorten at each division. Their length, when looking at the white blood cells, gives us a way to proximate their biological age. The shorter the telomere, the older the person.” Kallon stopped talking and looked around the room.
“You following me so far?” At their nods, he set the computer aside.
“What I expect to find in Rhia’s blood comparison is significantly longer telomeres than the donation she made over a month ago. That will be my documented proof of their mating resetting the aging process.
Tana nodded. “And the same goes for me. If mine are shorter, then I synced up with Lucien.”
“Exactly. We were fortunate enough to have acquired a sample of your blood while aboard the Prometheus. We’ll know in…about two minutes which direction your DNA was forced. Don’t worry, Tana. Even if you aligned with Lucien, you now have the Insedi Nubis energy inside you. The moment you two mated and whatever adjustments took place, the degradation of telomeres slowed considerably. Our immune system’s extremely advanced. We place very little, if any, strain on our cells. This is why our life spans are far longer than that of a full human.”
Everyone jumped as the equipment signaled the end of its investigation. Laughing, they all gathered around as Kallon analyzed the findings. Long seconds ticked by as they held their breath for the results. Kallon focused on the readout, his voice all business.
“As expected, Rhia’s telomeres are much longer. No surprise there.” Kallon made notes on his computer and then swiveled around. Lucien felt his brows raise as Kallon’s light green eyes zeroed in on his. His expression gave nothing away.
“Well, my emperor. It looks like you’ll need to return every birthday gift you’ve received for the last two hundred and eighty-five years. You’re now around the same age as your son…give or take five years.” His cheeks stretched tight from the huge grin he’d been trying to suppress.
Lucien leaned back, gripped the edge of the exam table, and stared intently at his shocked mate. The only thought that ran through his brain as he looked into her sparkling emerald eyes, was that he’d get to spend much more time loving her.
Despite the craziness of the day, the pile of crap building on his desk, and the realization that the Nawien tribe leader was peering through the clinic door panels, nothing could take this precious moment away from him.
Reaching forward, Lucien scooped Tana into his arms and kissed the hell out of her. He didn’t give a shit how many eyes were on them. It was just this precious female within his cocoon of adoration. Breaking away to catch his breath, he enjoyed her half-lifted smile as she smoothed her palm across his back. He would never get tired of hearing her husky, sensuous voice.
“Damn, Lucien. I was about to say you owed me big time, but I think you just paid it off.”
Leaning forward he pressed close to her ear and whispered, “Ah, the scent of your desire for me has my legs trembling. Let me take care of whatever the hell the Nawien leader needs to discuss, and then I’ll meet you by our bed. Don’t fall asleep on me, mellis. I plan to treasure your beautiful body until I can’t lift my arms.” He shivered when she snuggled close and nipped his lobe.
“Screw it. Kick his alien ass to the curb. I have a young warrior that needs tending to, and that other dude’s clocking on my time.”
Lucien chuckled and squeezed her ass. “Gods, I love you. Twenty minutes?”
“You got it.”
Backing away from her before he did something irrational, Lucien reluctantly released her hand and looked to the others. Kallon was focused on his computer, and Caelius was waving good-bye from the doorway, a knowing smile riding his face. Rhia winked at Tana and wrapped her arm around Caelius’s waist as they skirted the Nawien carrying a surprisingly happy expression. Eryx peeked over the male’s shoulder and mind called that he’d escort Tana back to the palace. Lucien nodded and motioned for Trasek to enter. Kallon immediately stood.
“You need me to leave?”
“Not necessary. This should be quick.”
Pleased to see that Trasek held the computer Cato had given him for translations, Lucien waited to hear what the latest crisis was.
“Emperor, I bear good news. We have discovered the reason the males wished to stay. One has been promised to a female and was to be bound before our moons lined the horizon. He found her not of his liking. The others devised the plan to stay off world until she was claimed by another of her choosing. All has been rectified. Her parents have withdrawn the binding request. Do you know when we can plan for your warriors to release them as well?”
Immensely relieved at the news, Lucien held up his index finger. “Give me a moment.” He opened his mind to Keos.
Gather the Elite Guards, we need to move on releasing the Nawiens before another crisis strikes.
Everyone’s already arrived at guest quarters except for Makar and Baruch. They’re not responding to our calls, so they must still be pursuing the destruction of the doctor’s evidence.
Very well, but if they’re not back by sunrise, report to me, and I’ll send someone out to retrieve them.
Will do. Get some rest, Lucien.
I plan on it. Thanks, Keos.
“Trasek, the releasing will have to wait a bit longer. Two of the warriors are taking care of something for me and won’t be available until tomorrow. I’ll let you know as soon as they return. Please use the palace gardens if you need to set anything up for the ritual.”
Nodding, Trasek gave him a warm smile. “Yes, the gardens will be a perfect location for our needs. You have my gratitude. I will take my leave, now.”
As soon as the clinic doors slid shut, Lucien plopped on a stool next to Kallon and released his breath. “I may need a day to recover. As soon as I handle one thing, another pops up.”
Kallon elbowed him in the side and snickered. “You’re young, you can handle it. Go home to your mate.”
Chuckling, Lucien swiveled on the stool to face him. “I could say the same of you.”
“Soon. I had one more analysis to complete. I’m glad you’re still here so I could share it with you.”
Lucien groaned. “Okay, as Cato is fond of saying…spill it.”
Kallon chortled and pointed to the readout. “No worries. It’s nothing bad. I was curious to find out if pure Insedi mating might have encountered something similar with the syncing of ages. Nothing was found in our medical history to explain this, but then again, if no one was specifically looking for it, I can see why. I drew archived DNA samples from three couples that had more than fifty years’ difference in age. None showed transformations in their telomere lengths after their joining. This anomaly is strictly associated with a non-Insedi mating.”
Leaning over, Lucien saw that his own mother and father were one of the cases. “So, what’s your theory, Kallon? I know you have one.”
Kallon glanced over, his green eyes wide with excitement. “Well, at first I thought the anomaly might be due to the stunted life span of humans forcing the issue, but your regression threw that out the window. Now, I can only assume that when the Nubis energy encounters dissimilar genetics, it reaches for the healthiest cells to determine the moment to start the process of melding.”
Lucien leaned back against the counter and nodded. “There’s one more theory that may apply, Kallon. Maybe we owe this miracle directly to Insedivertus. Perhaps it’s more intelligent and powerful than we could ever fathom. You heard what Maxim learned from Jupiter. Insedivertus redirected energy through the conprobatus beds when the female’s energy was absent. That was an instinctual move and not under the control of the gods. What’s to say that our world hasn’t made yet another strategic pla
y? Perhaps it wanted to ensure that any new pairings would achieve the greatest longevity, thereby solidifying its own continued existence after this latest near miss.”
Kallon straightened on his seat. “That’s very astute and an extremely reasonable assumption. Yes, I like that theory very much.”
Lucien could tell he’d just kicked Kallon’s brilliant brain into overdrive. Chuckling, he stood, clasped Kallon’s hand, and pulled him up from the stool.
“Lower your burners, my good doctor. You’ve done enough for today. Let’s go home to the gifts we’ve been given. Rest your mind, for we never know what new adventures we’ll find ourselves within.”
“You’re right, my emperor. For tonight, my sleep will be peaceful in knowing that our planet will do anything to keep its children alive.”
Chapter 18
“No, look over in the other cabinet. I’ve already checked that one.”
Makar fumbled around in a kitchen drawer while watching Keely direct Baruch to another area of the living room. He was still trying to capture his breath from the mind-boggling encounter with the female that had snatched his heart right from his chest and gripped it firmly in her fist. She owned him now.
From the second she’d realized Baruch had been bitten, there had been no hesitation, just pure determination. Focusing back to the drawer before he became overwhelmed with the image of her body arching backward as he held her close, Makar tried unsuccessfully to still his trembling hands. She’d willingly allowed them to draw her energy to save Baruch’s life. This beautiful, exquisite female had left herself vulnerable and exposed…for them. He shook his head and cleared his throat before calling out to her.
“What am I looking for exactly?”
“A pamphlet or a map. Anything that has the park name on it that might show us a route out of here. Usually, they’re folded and the paper is thicker than normal.”
Fueled by Lust: Makar and Baruch (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16
