by Anna Carven
She caught a flash of sharp teeth in the dim light. There was Torin, sitting right at the back, clad in a deep blue jacket and jeans. Earth fashions suited him so well, but then again, the man could wear a fucking paper bag and look good if he wanted to.
No wonder so many of the students had been distracted, stealing furtive glances up into the back corner as she spoke. Torin tried his best to be discreet, but no matter what he did, he would always stand out, and it wasn’t every day that a real live Kordolian attended one of her lectures.
The majority of her students stood and shuffled out of the hall, but several of the more keen ones stayed behind to ask questions.
Seph spent a lot of time with them, rewarding their interest with robust discussion. All the while, Torin sat and waited, watching her from a distance. Seph knew he could hear everything. She would have invited him to come down and share some of his vast knowledge, but from past experience, she’d learned that the students either became too intimidated or turned into simpering fangirls and fanboys around him. Unfortunately, his presence wasn’t exactly conducive to rigorous academic debate.
When the last student finally left, Torin made his way down the steps, as imposing and silent and graceful as ever.
In his Earth clothes, he looked magnificent.
“Hello, lover,” he rumbled, wrapping his arms around her waist as he stood behind her. “That was a most enlightening lecture today, Professor.”
Seph frowned. “You know this isn’t a public lecture. The holo-feed’s available on my AI at home. What are you doing here?” She chided him gently, because really, she was happy to see him.
“Just wanted to see you,” he murmured, pressing something into her hand. “I was feeling restless, so I went for a walk, found a nice stone on the beach, worked on it, then thought I’d come and visit you. There is good coffee down the street. I smelled it while walking past. Ethiopian, I think. Shall we?” He spun her around, mischief sparkling in his eyes as he kissed her on her lips.
He came away with a smear of Seph’s bright red lipstick. She laughed, wiping it away with her sleeve.
“Take a look,” he whispered, nodding at the thing in her hand.
Seph uncurled her fingers and gasped. “Oh, this is stunning.” It was a perfect rose carved from cream colored stone, complete with stem, thorns, and all.
“I thought you might like it.”
“I love it. How is it that you’re so damn talented at this sort of thing?” Using just one of his small Callidum throwing knives, Torin could conjure magic out of just about anything—stone, wood, metal. He made the most impossible carvings and gave them to her as tokens of his affection.
“I told you, in a past life, I was an unyak.”
“Unyak…” Seph caressed the ancient Aikun word with her lips, savoring the sound and meaning of the word.
One who captures souls in stone.
Torin had explained everything to her—the mindwipe, the cruel experiments, the terrible history of the First Division. At first, Seph had been filled with shock and sadness, but those feelings had given way to hope, and she’d encouraged him to access his personal datacube, the one that contained his lost memories.
It turned out he’d been avoiding it, fearful of what he might find.
What a revelation it had been. Not anything terrible, just another piece of the puzzle, one that made perfect sense.
The Unyak are considered sacred amongst the Lost Tribes. Forbidden from wielding any weapon, whether it be dagger, sword, or even stone, they are supremely skilled artisans. It is their duty to chronicle the essence of the living, capturing life-so-fleeting before it returns to the Underworld from whence it came.
That was her Torin. Killer, protector, scholar, artist.
Lover.
And the best thing that had ever happened to her.
“I’m surprised you didn’t get accosted on the street today,” she teased, slipping the perfect stone rose into her handbag.
“Oh, the locals are used to me by now. As with all familiar things, they mostly ignore me. The two new Veronians are much more of a novelty, and a lot more friendly.” Torin slipped on his dark lenses and ran a hand through his hair, looking tremendously dapper. “I’m just that eccentric immigrant from Kythia who likes to take walks on the beach and swim in the ocean. They know I’m harmless.”
“Harmless?” Seph guffawed. It blew her mind that people here had no idea their resident Kordolian was one of the most dangerous creatures in the Universe.
“I may be harmless, but my mate is an absolute tyrant.”
“Tyrant?” She slipped her hand into his and found a warm cocoon for her slightly cold fingers. “I’m nothing of the sort. I’m a meek little pussycat around you, and you know it.”
It was Torin’s turn to laugh. “But these cats… they have claws, no? You should take it easy on your students, my love.”
“Not a chance. If they’re serious about this course, they’ll make the effort and do the work. You on the other hand, need to stop being so damn distracting.”
“Distracting?” Torin gave her his best mock-innocent look as he paused in the middle of the empty lecture hall. Suddenly, she was tipped back in his powerful arms as he treated her to a passionate kiss. He released her lips with a quick, cheeky graze of his fangs, curving his talented fingers along her jawline. He tilted her face upward until he was looking straight into her eyes, and once again, Seph became lost in brilliant crimson fire. “Do you really want me to stop distracting you, Persephone?”
“M-me? No way,” she replied, suddenly breathless. “Don’t you ever stop.”
“That is the correct answer, Professor Winters.” Although his voice was stern, his touch was ever-so gentle.
He kissed her again, slowly, tenderly, and she savored the warm deliciousness that was her Torin.
Really, he wasn’t a distraction at all.
He was the nexus, the epicenter, the be all and end all of her impossible existence.
Her mate.
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Also by Anna Carven
Dark Planet Warriors
(in order of publication)
Dark Planet Warriors (Book 1)
Dark Planet Falling (Book 2)
Into the Light (Book 3)
Out of Darkness (Book 4)
Darkside Blues (Book 4.5)
Forged in Shadow (Book 5)
Infinity’s Embrace (Book 6)
Electric Heart (Book 7)
Brilliant Starlight (Book 8)
Hidden Planet
Destroyer (Book 1)
Catalyst (Book 2) - coming 2018
Darkstar Mercenaries
A Darkside Interlude (Book 0.5)
Taming Chaos (Book 1)
Book 2 (TBA) - coming May/June 2018
Dark Planet Warriors: Earth Files (a series of short stories)
Book 1 (Rykal and Arin)
Book 2 (Sera and Xal) - coming soon
