Kyele shook his head. He brushed back the sweat soaked hair from her temple. “You tease me. More and more as you gain courage. Be careful what you wish. It might be more than you want.”
Joni trembled from his words. Not because of the icy delivery but because of the fire blazing in his jewel like green eyes. “You don’t know what I want.”
His mouth curved up in the corner. “Everything you want is in your pretty gold eyes, tesa.”
“Tesa?” Kyele lowered her legs and it took concentrated effort to stand on her own. He’d used the word a few times last night. Joni leaned on the wall for support. “What does it mean? It’s not translating in the implant.”
She waited for an explanation and braced for it to mean annoying or puny human.
“Beloved. It means beloved in my native language, which isn’t recorded because the Spectar do not belong to the Alliance.”
Beloved. He considered her beloved. Joni’s throat moved several times to get past the lump. Overwhelmed with feelings for him, she decided to risk it all. “Well, for your information I know exactly what I want. If I told you I wanted forever what would you do, Kyele? Run?”
She glanced up to watch his face at her revelation. His eyes went flat and for once Joni kept quiet in the face of his forbidding scowl. He leaned forward, his nearness meant to intimidate. Her breath caught as one hand came to rest on the wall, bracketing her in. The other clamped on the back of her neck as if to hold her in place. Joni had no intention of going anywhere.
“Are you sure?” he whispered darkly against her temple. The air around them stirred, a precursor to his power flaring. Feather light, a kiss landed on her brow, her nose then back to her cheek where he let their faces press together. “Forever is a very long time.”
Despite the kisses, his voice was cool and toneless again. It sent a frisson of fear skittering up her spine. “Stop trying to terrorize me.”
“Could I? Terrorize you?”
A table rattled behind her, knocking over her vibe and lubes. Wind whipped into a frenzy about the room. Joni didn’t waste time looking. Her focus remained on the stubborn Jutak in front of her. Something dark and forbidding shifted beneath his gaze.
“Kyele, don’t do this.” She took a handful of his shirt and yanked him off balance so he stumbled into her. His arms dropped to her waist as he kept her upright and shifted his stance to protect her from being crushed from his weight.
Kyele shook her. “Don’t do this? Can’t you see I’m no goo—”
She slapped her hand over his mouth. Her tone became chiding. “Stop, Kyele. Answer the question. What if I want forever?”
He waited until she removed her hand. With a heavy exhale, Kyele rested his forehead to hers. “I would do my best to give it to you, little Earthling.”
And that was all Joni needed to hear.
Chapter 22
Back at the Jutak facility Joni had to work to keep Kyele in the hall the moment they reached the door to the rooms Torkel assigned her. “You don’t have to keep following me, Kyele. I’m a big girl.”
Kyele glared. By the set of her shoulders and the tilt of her jaw, she was prepared to be stubborn. His cock jerked in response but he tamped down the desire. Until they tracked down The Collector, Kyele had no intentions of taking chances with his Earthling.
He braced a hand on the wall beside her shoulder and cupped her hip with the other as he jerked her toward him. Her gaze widened, responsive to his every touch. “Do not leave the facility unless you are accompanied by me or one of the others.”
His demand caused a typical Joni reaction and she rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I won’t do anything that could put me within feet of Dr. Kirkem.”
Hearing her speak the name sent an unwelcome wave of fear through Kyele. Wanting to believe her, he straightened and pushed away from the wall but Joni caught his shirt front in her tiny fist, halting his retreat. Grabbing him was becoming a habit for her but he didn’t mind being close to Joni. Her fierce frown tempted him to laugh. Would she always be able to draw him from his reserved demeanor?
“Kyele.”
Just his name. She didn’t say anything else.
He leaned forward, inhaling the scent of Joni. No one else smelled the way she did. He could close his eyes and find her by the flowery fragrance alone. “What do you want to say, Joni?”
“I’m going to be careful.” She tightened her grip and pulled him closer if possible and placed a smacking kiss on his lips then shoved him back. Kyele blinked, stunned by her actions. “Now go. I’m going to find Faye or Sylvie to hang out.”
Despite his wish to stay close to Joni, he had responsibilities. He was a Jutak warrior. He needed to think this through and not let his emotions for Joni cloud his decisions. Kyele stepped back. “I will see you later.”
At that time, he also intended to convince Joni to stay with him and not these rooms. The moment he turned away she patted his ass with an irreverent, “See you.”
Kyele shook his head but didn’t turn back. He was afraid she’d see his bemused frown.
In his office, he managed to occupy himself with work for several hours but the pull of Joni was too strong. Ignoring, the knowing smirks on the faces of the males from Team Two, he stood up.
“Where are you headed, Kyele?” Markus called out, his lips curled in a smirk.
The others chuckled until they met his glare. They straightened and wiped the humor from their faces. Kyele closed the door behind him and hurried to Joni’s room. When he arrived, she didn’t answer her door. He overrode the locks and scanner to let himself in. The quiet let him know she was nowhere inside. Joni was loud and filled a space with her energy.
His pulse sped up but he knew Joni. She wouldn’t have left the facility, which meant she was probably visiting one of the other females she considered her friends. His first stop was to Sylvie’s. Arak didn’t hide his grin when he opened the door.
Sylvie greeted him with a warm smile from her position curled on a large cushion on the floor. “Hi, Kyele. Are you looking for Joni?”
Was he becoming easier to read? Before he could come up with a suitable response, Arak standing at the door raised a brow. “Did you lose her already? I thought Torkel assigned you to keep an eye on her.”
Hurting Arak would upset Sylvie and upsetting Sylvie guaranteed a negative response from Joni. Kyele deliberately kept his gaze on Sylvie, not answering his fellow Jutak. “Do you know where she is Sylvie? She’s not to leave without protection.”
“She didn’t leave.” Sylvie didn’t look the least concerned, which soothed some of Kyele’s ire. “She said she’d be at your place.”
His place. Kyele shoved Arak aside on his way out and rich laughter poured from his friend as he slammed the door behind him. Unsure of what to expect, Kyele walked into his place. The smell of something burning assaulted his sense of smell. He closed the door behind him and headed in the direction of the intense odor. Joni peeked around the corner of the kitchen area.
“Hi, Kyele. I didn’t expect you back so soon.” She darted a look behind her and shuffled her feet. He couldn’t help noticing the brown skirt and blue shirt she wore. She’d changed out of the clothes she’d worn earlier. Joni alternating her wardrobe throughout the day never surprised him any more. This outfit was simple and less provocative than the other things she owned but still alluring.
“I finished my work earlier than I expected. What are you doing?” Her behavior had his curiosity roused.
“I thought I’d make these special snacks. They’re supposed to be easy. Simple.” Joni mouth turned down in the corners. “All lies.”
He studied her expression and with panic noted she was on the verge of tears.
***
Why did he have to come back now? Joni had fully planned to call Faye and have her help with the complete mess she’d made. Now it was too late and the gift she wanted to present to Kyele was a failure. Disappointment combined with eve
rything else threatened to have her crying in misery. She tried to see how he was reacting to her uninvited presence in his home.
Kyele wore his typical inscrutable look, which left her feeling more despondent. Her confessions continued to flow forward. He’d find out eventually. “I messed them up using the wrong timer.”
“We have a kitchen where food is prepared. Anything can be requested.”
He attempted to sound bland but Joni heard the note of curiosity. “This is or was supposed to be different. I wanted to surprise you.”
“I’m surprised.”
Joni squinted to see if he was laughing at her but his expression remained neutral. She blew out a breath. “Well I screwed up. Ruined the whole pack Faye gave me.”
At last, he moved, stepping close to her as he backed her against the counter. “Faye?”
“She said you liked this.” Joni pointed to the now empty container of the snack Faye swore all of the men loved. She didn’t expect the admission to have such a visceral impact on Kyele.
He snatched her up by the waist and held her aloft. Her feet dangled in the air. She latched onto the corded muscles of his biceps. The strength required for the hold impressed her. “You are trying to break me, Earthling.”
Joni looked down to meet the hunger reflected in his gaze. Maybe she hadn’t screwed everything up. “If you break, I’ve got you.”
The corner of his mouth curved and he lowered her slowly to her feet to place a devastating kiss on her mouth. Joni moaned, entwining her arms about his neck. His hands slid to her hips and pulled her in tight as he groaned against her lips.
An insistent beep caused curses to burst forth from his mouth as he broke away with a mutter. He pressed a finger to the black disc in his ear. “Kyele.”
His expression changed, the desire of earlier blanking to the more familiar neutral look he maintained around everyone else. As soon as he finished the call, he ran his fingertips across Joni’s cheek. “I need to go.”
***
Kyele rushed to the medic center and ran into Arak.
Laughter lit his blue eyes. “Did you find Joni?”
“Yes. Dr. Maku asked to see me about what I found during the intruder attack.”
Arak lost his smile and nodded, automatically changing direction to go with Kyele. “I’ll join you.”
The half-Argoran followed along despite Kyele’s irritated sigh. The medic ushered them in and explained everything.
“What are you saying?” Kyele didn’t like the look in Dr. Maku’s eyes as the man moved around the samples in clear vials on the table between them.
“The injector contained a potent hallucinogenic. There were enough minute traces left for me to test.” The doctor slumped in his seat and ran a hand through his blond hair, strain around his blue eyes attesting to his fatigue.
Arak and Kyele exchanged looks. “But it was empty.”
Kyele paced back and forth, glad Arak had accompanied him.
Maku sighed and rose to his feet. He tapped his finger on the table and the specimens. “The plunger was depressed. Someone,” he paused and met their gaze. “One of the females more than likely was injected and we need to know which one.”
“They would have said something, right? It was a while ago” Arak braced his hands on his hips, gaze jumping from Kyele to the doctor. His fear was palpable.
“Not if she didn’t realize. Not if the commotion from the attack kept her from feeling it.” Dr. Maku didn’t flinch when Arak growled at his statement.
Kyele’s heart thudded. He didn’t like where his mind was going and a sense of foreboding crawled up his spine.
“This could end horribly for Sylvie or Faye,” Maku added.
Too focused on one specific female, Kyele hadn’t thought of the others. “How? Have one of them said something about this?”
Maku was already shaking his head and blew out a breath. “No, but they are both with child. This drug is powerful enough to make either of them fail in the pregnancy.”
Arak’s claws popped through his fingertips. “This could injure Sylvie and our child?”
Maku paled and stepped back from the half-shifter. Kyele folded his arms over his chest to hide the nervous tick of his fingers. “This is not good to hear. How will we know? Should we have all of them come here to get tested?”
“I think that is best. This isn’t something we should wait on.” Maku gathered his notes and placed everything away. “In fact, I feel that everyone should be tested, including Aya and Boid. This is a very powerful drug.”
“We need to speak to Torkel,” Kyele stated.
As far as he was concerned nothing was more important and his Unit Leader would definitely agree. His comm buzzed as he exited the medic center. “Kyele.”
Jaron’s voice snapped out orders. “Team Two is needed for a bliss raid. Gather the others and meet them at the hover-car out front.”
Kyele stilled, battling his protective urge to make sure Joni didn’t have the drug in her system and his duty.
“Go.” Arak waved him off. “I’ll speak with Torkel.”
With fear beating at him like a drum, Kyele left to change clothes. He hit the locker room and had it all to himself as he yanked open the door and grabbed a crisp uniform shirt hanging inside. Shoving his arms into the sleeves, he grimaced at the feel of it against his dirty tee shirt but he had no choice.
He kicked off his pants, exchanging them for the bottom of his uniform and reached for his weapons. As he slapped his knives to his thighs and laser to his hip, the door behind him opened. Creed stood in the doorway already dressed and prepped to leave. “Are you ready?”
Kyele frowned and bent over to lace up his boots. “I’m not sure why I wouldn’t be.”
Creed propped a shoulder against the door jamb. “Joni.”
Kyele froze. His reaction to his teammate in the training room came back full blown. The steady pace of his heart tripled its beat. “What about Joni?”
Creed arched a brow. “When are you going to stop fighting your feelings for her?”
“Joni and I are together for now.” Kyele rose and slammed his locker closed.
“Good.” A broad grin split Creed’s face. “We need to stop in the rec room. Savi’s not wearing his communicator. I informed Jaron that we’d grab him on the way down.”
Chapter 23
Kill the Jutaks.
The taunting command was back. More powerful than before.
Joni didn’t know what to do or what was wrong with her. The thought seemed to originate from her mind but never had she wanted to hurt any of the men responsible for her freedom. Now the very idea pressed on her brain like a slow heating vice.
She rubbed at her temple but the pain continued to escalate.
“Are you okay, Joni?” Sylvie leaned over in her direction, concern in her blue eyes.
“I think so.” Joni dropped her hand to her lap. “Just a headache.”
Faye must have heard. She stopped her conversation to speak. “You should see Dr. Maku.”
Joni frowned, resisting the urge to rub at the nagging pain in her head. “I’ll be fine. Considering everything in the last couple of days it’s understandable.”
Both accepted her answer and resumed their conversations. Joni shifted in her seat. Maybe hanging out in the rec room wasn’t the greatest idea. A nap might help with the throbbing that wouldn’t cease. Kyele said he’d join her later but that had been earlier in the morning and she hadn’t seen him since.
Kill the Jutaks.
Joni clenched her hands, nails biting into her palms. She gazed around the room at the relaxed team members. Only a few were present. Sweat dotted her upper lip, the need to act overwhelming.
Arak stormed in and pulled Jaron aside. The frown on Arak’s face unnerved Joni. Whatever they discussed seemed to bother Jaron immensely and he kept glancing around the room. She didn’t want to hurt the light-hearted friend who’d been nice to her and Sylvie. Her gaze slid to the b
ulky form of Torkel who approached the two men, a look of rage morphing his usually stoic countenance. Couldn’t hurt him or Arak because they made her friends happy. Joni would never take that from them.
Kill. Kill. Kill.
The refrain drilled into her skull with the sharpest pain yet. Joni searched for Kyele even as she swallowed and forced back the tears. She didn’t want to hurt the man who’d done nothing but protect her from the day he’d rescued her but if anyone could figure out what was wrong, Kyele could.
She wouldn’t succumb to the voice in her head no matter what. If it meant her death all the better because she refused to let whatever was wrong destroy her. Refused to hurt the friends and people she cared about.
Kill the Jutaks.
Conversation flowed as the Jutaks milled around her, unmindful of the danger she presented. Kyele entered, head bent in deep conversation with Creed. The compulsion took away her free thought in that moment, wrenching her control away. Joni pushed down the lump in her throat and surged from her seat. The chair fell back with a clatter.
In one hand she held on to her Marenian knife in a white knuckled grip. Blood pounded in her veins. Her heart beat faster. Lips pressed tight together, Joni jumped for Kyele mid-stride, catching him off guard.
She had a second to witness his surprise, the confusion on his face as they crashed to the floor together, legs tangled. Shouts rang out behind her. Someone called her name. Lips trembling as tears ran down her cheeks Joni aimed the knife for Kyele’s chest even while her mind roared out in denial
After the initial tensing of his muscles, he stayed on his back with Joni poised over him. Stop me she wanted to yell but her vocal chords locked. Adrenaline spiked and her body was a mass of commands
Kill the Jutaks. Kill the Jutaks.
And through it all Kyele laid there. Unresisting.
“No!” Her head shook back and forth as her arm slashed down. She heard the rip of fabric as the shirt shredded beneath the sharp edge of the blade. Joni cried and raised her arm again, the drive to complete her task going against her every instinct. She jabbed her arm in a downward slant. Footsteps pounded behind her.
Kyele's Passion: A World Beyond Book 4 Page 17
