Kyele's Passion: A World Beyond Book 4

by Michelle Howard

  She’d looked at him, eyes begging for more, and instead he’d pushed her away despite the agony. He wanted Joni. Wanted to rip the flimsy clothing from her and plow deep and hard into her wet center. Kyele could imagine the fear in her eyes if he gave in to the clawing need.

  “Are you alright?”

  He spun around. Recognition flared through him at the sight of V’hor, dispelling the craving for Joni. Kyele swiped a hand over his head and nodded. “I wasn’t aware you’d returned.”

  Vee sauntered deeper into the room at a sedate pace, eyeing Kyele as if unsure of his welcome. The Serpine moved with sinuous grace. His diamond point pupils contracted. “I returned moments ago. I wanted to unwind with a bit of exercise before meeting with Torkel.”

  Energy vibrated around Vee. Muscles tight and face dark, he put Kyele on his guard. He straightened to his full height. “Problem from the mission?”

  Vee shook his blond head and stopped feet away from Kyele. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  Moving passed him, Vee reached for the long staffs from the rack. He arched a brow at Kyele. “Interested in sparring instead of going through the training modules?”

  Humor overcame Kyele’s wariness. “If you want.”

  Vee tossed one of the staffs in his direction and Kyele snagged it. Vee’s green eyes dilated again before returning to their normal size. “I should warn you, I just finished a vid conference with my maternal parent. I’m…tense.”

  Kyele tipped his chin up in acknowledgement. Everyone understood V’hor’s feelings about the woman who gave birth to him. “Consider the warning given. I’m also…tense.”

  They attacked each other without prompting, moving at lightning quick speed. The whack of their staffs as they made contact resounded, breaking the quiet of the room. They danced around one another without worry of harming the other. Vee could ignore a lot of injuries in the midst of a fighting frenzy. It was his greatest asset and weakness. An opponent who couldn’t feel pain wouldn’t realize soon enough when he was in trouble. Kyele for his part could dodge the more dangerous attempts to eviscerate him by shifting forms.

  His brows furrowed and he glared at Vee over a particularly dirty move. Vee’s laughter held a hint of the hypnotic quality of the serpine. The deadly notes filled Kyele’s ears and he broke position to slam his fist to the side of Vee’s head to break the spell.

  His teammate made no effort to avoid the hit, merely nodded his thanks and continued. Kyele didn’t attempt to match the supple swings and graceful hits, instead pushing under Vee’s guard to counter for the serpine’s fluidity of motion.

  Vee’s unexpected parries kept Kyele guessing and provided him with worthwhile competition. Kyele loved any time Rydak assigned him to work with the intense members of Team Three. It didn’t take long for both of them to tire, their movements losing some of their coordination.

  An hour later despite being evenly matched, Kyele won by clipping V’hor and the serpine rolled to his back in surrender. They both panted, sweat rolling down their faces, and chests heaving.

  Vee faced him from flat on his back, lips lifted in a tired smile. “Thanks, Kyele.”

  Kyele could only nod while he caught his breath. “I needed the session as well.”

  Vee sat up, legs bent and placed his elbows on his knees. “What have I missed?”

  “Not much.” Kyele ran a hand across his head. “Torkel shared the results of the genetic sample you sent.”

  Vee grunted and tipped his head in Kyele’s direction. “Has the Unit expressed concern because of his lineage?”

  “No,” Kyele answered firmly then recounted the attack on the facility, the females’ defense and the reaction on Torkel’s relation to Niko and Lothar.

  “That’s good. Our Unit Leader has always been a good model of what it takes to be Jutak.” Vee bowed his head with a harsh exhale, the strands of blond hair spiked from sweat and his own hands.

  Kyele remembered the reason Vee needed the ardent work out. “Are you being called to return home?”

  “Home?” Vee cocked his head to the side, casting his tortured green gaze in Kyele’s direction. “A place where I am considered flawed, humiliated whenever my presence is needed? That is not home to me. Enotia is my home.”

  And had been since his mother banned him. Now for some odd reason the head of his matriarchal line seemed to take great pleasure in summoning V’hor back. Whenever those rare trips occurred, he’d always return despondent or unable to maintain control over his deadly abilities.

  Before Kyele could question him further, Vee leaped to his feet in a lithe maneuver that bellied his fatigue of earlier. He offered a slight bow and turned to leave. “Thanks again, Kyele.”

  Chapter 13

  In between two short mission runs, Kyele punished himself for losing control the night he’d taken Joni home. Every free moment was spent working out or he added his name to the training roster. Team Three was always in need since Rydak was careful who he paired with them. Only Kyele had approval to work with each of the members without qualifiers.

  He also did his best to stay away from any contact with Joni in case he succumbed to her allure again. It helped that she hadn’t been around much. When relief turned to worry at her continued absence, he’d listened in on Sylvie’s conversation with Arak in the dining area and knew everything was fine with his Earthling. Joni was indulging in her favorite activity of shopping thanks to the refund credits given to her and Sylvie from the Singles Program due to their abduction.

  According to Jaron, Kyele’s respite would be over soon though. Joni was due to arrive today to begin her training with select members from Team Two. He planned to absent himself and would have if given the time to do so. But sometimes, the best plans needed a back-up and a failsafe. He didn’t have either when Joni walked in and caught him off-guard. Using the towel to wipe his sweaty face, Kyele eyed her casual stroll across the training room.

  She hadn’t seen him yet since he straddled a bench in the corner. Running in place on a glider in a pair of black shorts only, Jaron waved at her but didn’t stop or slow his pace. Creed called her name and Joni turned moments before she would have seen Kyele.

  He released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. She approached his teammate, hips swaying and a jaunty smile on her face. She’d twisted her long hair in a knot at the top of her head, drawing attention to her high cheekbones, gold eyes and full lips. Today she wore black shorts which ended beneath her plump cheeks and a yellow half-shirt, revealing her lithe torso. The clothing caused their typical reaction and Kyele wanted more than anything to drag her away to a corner, pin her back to the wall and relive the moment when her release had drenched his fingers.

  Creed’s blue eyes darkened the closer she got to him. Kyele’s fingers clenched on the towel, restraining the urge to warn his teammate to back off. As if sensing his thoughts, Creed glanced in his direction and froze. His lips twitched when he once more faced Joni. He cupped her elbow and moved to stand behind her to demonstrate the proper positioning for a move. His blond head lowered close enough to kiss Joni’s shoulder if he desired.

  A muscle in Kyele’s jaw ticked but he kept his mouth shut. Joni’s head tipped up as she spoke. Creed laughed at whatever she said. Kyele’s chest grew tight; air trapped in his lungs. Joni leaned forward and Creed pressed a hand along her spine, bending her slightly forward. Then he adjusted her hips. Did his hands linger?

  Every rational thought fled. His breath a harsh rasp, Kyele lurched to his feet only to have firm fingers lock on his shoulders and shove him back down. Kyele tensed and reached up to grip the person’s wrist.

  “Shit, Kyele, do not break my arm.” Arak released him and came to stand in front of Kyele, blocking his view of Joni and Creed.

  “Move,” Kyele muttered, rising to his feet again.

  Arak hesitated, then stepped aside with a mumbled, “Just remember Sylvie will kill me if you do something stupid.”

  Joni�
�s laughter poured forth. The sound of her delight opened a void in Kyele and left him aching. Creed wrapped an arm around her waist and Kyele’s gaze narrowed on the two of them standing close together. Another comment from Creed and his teammate released her after patting her flat stomach, fingers brushing against her belly piercing.

  Kyele’s hands bunched into fists at his side, the towel twisted in his grip. Creed signaled for Joni to go through the series of strikes he’d shown her, touching her occasionally on every available inch of bare skin when she needed correction.

  Arak leaned into his side. “There’s nothing going on with her and Creed.”

  Objectively he knew that. Joni would never play such games and neither would Creed. Kyele inhaled sharply and tried to loosen his knotted muscles by closing his eyes from the sight of them together but his imagination was worse, and his lids snapped back open. This time, Creed had his hands on her shoulders, her back to his chest, their bodies aligned perfectly. A haze descended over his vision and Kyele’s control slipped.

  It started as a slow build. The gentle breeze swirled around the room, fresh towels fluttered on the racks. A deep chill followed, the breeze escalating to a violent wind that rattled the weights from their mooring. The bench behind him slammed into the wall, creating a huge crack near the bottom.

  “You should stand back, Creed.”

  Kyele didn’t yell. He didn’t have to. The words were spoken in a quiet rumble that traveled to his teammate easily. Everyone in the room seemed to still. Jaron hit the stop button so fast on the glider, he jerked and almost lost his footing. Gregir and Geile ceased their sparring match to stare in Kyele’s direction.

  Kyele didn’t take his attention from Creed as the male calmly lifted his hands and backed up a step from Joni. The small concession wasn’t enough and his control continued to deteriorate. Joni turned, her eyes widening when she spotted him. The surprise faded and a spark of interest ignited.

  The caress of her gaze dipped from his chest in the sweaty tee shirt, down to the wide legged black drawstring pants hanging from his hips to his bare feet. The interest faded to annoyance by the time their eyes met again and her lips firmed. “Lay off, Kyele. This doesn’t concern you.”

  In the past, he’d ignore her snippy response, but for some reason the tone and her look sent desire crashing through him. She was wrong. The need to prove everything about her concerned him waged against his need to leave matters as they were.

  The digital screen displaying the training schedules on the wall across from him crashed to the floor, the glass case shattering. Wind stirred faster and those present worked to catch flying debris.

  “Kyele.” Arak’s low warning went unheeded.

  Kyele stepped toward the mats. One step. Joni put her hands on her hips and glared. Beneath the glare he caught the glimmer of hurt and came to a jolted stop. Arak groaned and mumbled something under his breath.

  There was a vulnerability about her stance. The line of her shoulders, the curve of her hips. She’d exchanged the tiny green bead on her belly for a blood red tear shaped jewel which twitched as he stared. The nervous quiver brought him back as nothing else could. Kyele curled his fingers into fists, nostrils flaring. He didn’t care about scaring or unnerving other people but he never wanted Joni to fear him. Everything in the room settled abruptly, the rack with their training weapons and other equipment hit the ground with a shudder.

  Joni blinked away the moment of pain but the sight lingered with him. Kyele pushed out a breath. The bright red color on her pouted mouth brought back the memory of their kiss and her beautiful response to him. Desire strengthened its presence and his cock stirred. The pleasure he’d taken from watching her ride out her release hit him like a blow to the knees. He locked his legs to keep from falling.

  Can’t have her. He needed to remember he couldn’t have Joni Miller. She deserved someone better. But it was hard. Very hard, he repeated mentally as her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. He shaft throbbed, begging for ease. Nearly losing her in the attack had shifted the scales and weakened his resistance. Bringing her to orgasm in the hover-car hadn’t helped. Kyele gritted his teeth and forced the feelings back in their place. He’d done it before, he could do it again.

  He tore his gaze from Joni. He had to leave. Get far away before he allowed greed to rule his actions. He tossed the mangled towel into a shoot tucked in the corner of the room. As he strode across the room toward the exit, conversations resumed. Even without turning, he knew stares burned a hole in his back.

  Fury erupted as he burst through the doors, distance doing nothing to still the emotions bubbling over. For once, he wanted to just take what he wanted.

  “Wait, Kyele!”

  Arak chased after him, but Kyele didn’t slow as he stormed down the hall, leaving the enticing form of Joni behind. He jabbed his finger on the button for the elevator. Despite his dark glare, Arak stepped through the doors with him when they opened.

  “Shouldn’t you be with Sylvie?”

  Arak tended to stay close to his mate and Chosen.

  “I wanted to share our good news.” The broad grin on Arak’s face flashed hints of his deadly fangs.

  Kyele folded his arms across his sweat-stained shirt and lifted a brow.

  “Sylvie and I are expecting a child.”

  Kyele blinked. Not sure what he expected, Arak’s words came as a surprise and left him stunned. As the news gradually sunk in, Kyele experienced a stab of envy and immediately slammed the door shut on thoughts of Joni carrying his child.

  “Congratulations, Arak.”

  “Dr. Maku will observe Sylvie and Faye together in case there are anomalies.” The corners of Arak’s mouth turned down. “Especially for Sylvie. We don’t know how my half-Argoran genetics will impact the baby.”

  Kyele couldn’t hide his wince. Argoran babies shifted into their animal form in the womb during the last stages before birth. Only the papan’s presence could convince the frightened child to shift back before entering the world and tearing his maman apart.

  Arak sighed. “Torkel said I shouldn’t borrow trouble and my papan promised to be here when the time draws near.”

  Torkel and Faye had announced that they were expecting but no one brought up the touchy subject with their Unit leader who seemed on edge about it.

  “I’m sure it will be fine.” Kyele didn’t know why he felt the need to reassure the other male. But he did. His time among the Jutaks had increased his feelings for the men who were like his family.

  ***

  Joni shook her head and breathed softly once Kyele and Arak left. She wiggled her arms to release the tension and caught Creed’s stare. The Team Two member was as nice as he was attractive with his blond hair and blue eyes. Typical Enotian. Nothing like the dark looks and energy which surrounded Kyele. “What?”

  His smile grew sly. “Nothing.”

  She thought about pushing but didn’t know him well enough. And besides after the incident with Kyele in the hover-car, she’d rather swallow a cactus then talk about him. “Let’s finish with what you were showing me.”

  “Of course,” he readily agreed before taking her elbow and repositioning her arms and legs.

  The rest of the training session went by without issue but Joni couldn’t shake the image of Kyele and the heat in his gaze when he’d left the room.

  “You want to keep going or stop?” Creed asked while Joni sipped her water.

  She glanced at him in disbelief. Her muscles trembled, begging for escape. Unlike Creed. He didn’t look worn at all, reminding her of how easily Kyele had taken her when they sparred without getting out of breath. “I’m done.”

  He nodded. “Jaron says to go at the pace you set. I will continue to partner with you until one of the others from my team is available.”

  Joni shivered. Did that mean she and Kyele would partner again? Highly doubtful considering how fast he’d run from the room earlier. She smoothed a hand over the loos
e strands of hair falling about her face. “Thanks, Creed.”

  She turned to leave, intending to stop and see Sylvie before going home. Creed grasped her arm before she could take more than a step. He lowered his head toward her and Joni stilled.

  “I like you, Joni. Allow me to overstep when I say Kyele is a good friend. Do not let his cold exterior deceive you.”

  Chapter 14

  The nightmare started innocently enough. Joni hugged her brother, Drew, then her dad as she prepared to leave for her trip in the Singles Program. When she leaned over to pick up her suitcase, Joni pretended not to see her dad’s eyes water before he tipped his head back and wiped his cheeks.

  Drew curved an arm about her neck and yanked her close. With his free hand, he rubbed his knuckles over the top of the sleek wave she’d styled her hair into. “Don’t fall for anything less than an alien prince, Princess.”

  Joni shoved at his hold, but he didn’t release her until their dad called out. After straightening her one shoulder top and adjusting her skinny jeans, she stuck her tongue out at her brother. “Ass.”

  Her dad snorted and smiled wryly. “No wonder he’s always called you princess.”

  Joni giggled and accepted one last hug from her dad. Her brother started the stupid nickname after their mother died when Joni was seven and Drew five. Her parents hadn’t been together but they shared a friendship, and he’d helped financially throughout her life despite the fact men were often free of any obligation regarding children. A virus had wiped out a large chunk of the male population leaving men on Earth in the enviable position of being able to sleep around to their heart’s content without repercussion.

  Her mother, Gabriella, paid Douglas Miller in order to get pregnant with Joni. A common occurrence but their relationship had been anything but common. When her mom wanted to have another child, Douglas had traveled seven hours by air making the trip without question. He hadn’t asked for monetary compensation the second time around.