by Marie Harte
Talson’s Test
Marie Harte
Zaret Talson ‘Or Fal—Z—knows what he wants, and it isn’t a mate. But when he’s besieged by dreams of a sexy woman scorching the skies when she’s not entwined with him and another, he fears the dreams are a sign of his future.
Adri ‘San Fal may look human, but like Z, she’s Otra, an alien species not altogether welcome on Earth. Part of a particular clan of Otra who can handle fire, she’s blond, unlike the majority of her kind.
Hiding in plain sight is easy—until her past finds her. Desperate to escape, she runs into the one man destined to be her doom, or her salvation.
Talson Temptations
Talson’s Wait
Talson’s Test
Talson’s Net
Talson’s Match
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and plot points stem from the writer’s imagination. They are fictitious and not to be interpreted as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locations or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Talson’s Test
Copyright © November 2018, 2011 by Marie Harte
No Box Books
Cover by EDH Graphics
All Rights Are Reserved. None of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used for reviews or promotion.
http://marieharte.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Thank You
Also by Marie
Talson’s Net Excerpt
A Civilized Mating Excerpt
About the Author
1
Planet Werfal 7, Year 2139
Zaret Talson ‘Or Fal breathed deeply, inhaling the sweet fragrance of home. The honeyed spice of blue and pink moonflowers floated on the wind. Soft, silken sheets cradled his body, providing a feeling of safety and security he’d never truly felt on Earth. On Werfal 7, the Otra—what humans called his kind—ruled. They had little fear of outsiders or offworlders, secure in their place in the universe. Unlike the fear-based humans.
Though alike in appearance and basic physiology, the two races could not be more different. He frowned, the recollection of his last trip to the southern sections of Earth intruding into his dreams. The feel of human fists, the press of violence and his own rage threatened to tear his subconscious, so he threw the memory away.
Awash in bliss once more, Z let his mind wander, carried by Otra hands and thoughts stroking him with reassurance. In the dim recesses of his mind, his psychei, that psychic part of his consciousness, touched his father and step-mother, his brothers, his friends and relatives spread over short distances. Sensations of peace and harmony filtered through him in a rainbow of soothing darkness.
Feeling cool air over his face and curling warmth under his palms, he smiled and let the dream state take him deeper. Ah. Yes. There she was. Surrounded by long, blond hair that moved like veeri silk with the wind, the woman turned to him, her face marred by a frown. Not the smile he’d anticipated.
Still, his pleasure in just seeing her continued. Such exquisite form. Bountiful breasts tipped with coral-colored nipples. A flat stomach, the soft curve of her hips, the long, lean legs that when parted, bared a full, ripe bud. It would swell between her legs, just for him, hidden between the feminine folds that grew wet when he kissed her, touched her, loved her…
She swore. Her violet eyes flashed, going from purple to black. Then fire consumed her. Her entire body lit like a torch, and she stretched her arm toward him, her finger pointing the way as flame leapt the distance to connect them in a fiery blaze.
The stench of burnt silk woke him from sleep.
“Dammit, Z. Wake the hell up.” Val’s deep voice surprised him, as did the large hand shaking him by the shoulder. “I’ve been calling your ass for an hour, but you refused to answer. I left three hot women with Romy to save you from yourself, once again.”
“Huh?”
“It’s me, your favorite brother, brain-trust.” Val’s annoyance should have amused him, but these nightly occurrences were worrying. “If you don’t snap out of this you’re going to burn the house down.”
Z blinked, trying to make sense of it all. Seeing Val’s concern, he quickly released the smoking sheets under his palms and sat up. Sweat beaded on his chest and forehead, despite the cool temperature of the room. He focused on Val, working to control his latent psychei. “Sorry.”
A lame apology, but he had trouble meeting Val’s gaze. His nocturnal problems had become an almost regular event the past two weeks, and he knew if he didn’t get a handle on himself, Val would seek help for him. Whether he wanted it or not.
Z cleared his throat. “What did you say about Romy?”
Their younger brother could be a handful. He gave the appearance of being the quiet and calm one, but they both knew better.
“He told me to keep an eye on you. Had a feeling you needed me.” Val snorted. “Of course, that didn’t keep him from staying with my sexy new friends while I busted my ass coming back to save you.”
“You didn’t save me.” How embarrassing to be rescued again by his younger brother. He gave a subtle glance to the burned sheets. He’d have to replace them, or his mother would find out. Then she’d tell his father, and he’d be forced to explain.
“Whatever. Did you dream about the blond again?” Val waited expectantly.
Z didn’t want to think about her. Just remembering the beginning of his dream had blood racing to his cock, the flesh turning steel-hard.
Val smirked at the tent growing in Z’s lap. “So it was the blond. Obviously fire wasn’t the only thing on your mind. Was she naked again?”
Wishing he’d never shared this particular dream with his brother, Z concentrated on releasing the sexual tension growing within him, a difficult feat when his brother continued to talk about her.
“Big tits, a narrow waist.” Val brought his hands closer, approximating her size. “Hair so light it’s white. A face that would put Naveeri to shame.” The popular actress had been a staple in the ‘Or Fal brothers’ fantasies for years. “Did you fuck her before she fried you this time?”
“Would you shut the hell up, Val? Just forget I ever mentioned her.”
The twinkle in Val’s eyes made him groan. “Now, now. Come on, Z. Tell me again. So I’m behind, giving it to her good, and you’re what, cheering for me? My own private support group?”
Though the Otra were much more open about sexuality than humans and considered sharing partners a normal occurrence in certain situations, Z didn’t like thinking of the woman with Val. Not unless he was also there, taking the lead.
His cock twitched, and he wanted to throttle his brother for stirring him needlessly. “Shut. Up.” An unwilling image formed, that of his brother and him taking the blond, using her with pleasure, creating new life where before there was none. Oh hell, what does that mean?
“I can see fire’s the last thing on your mind.” Val chuckled and nodded at the straining sheet covering Z’s erection. “And now it’s on my mind as well. I’m going back out. Try not to burn down the house while I’m gone. In fact, fix the problem in your lap and I guarantee you’ll be out before the second moon falls.” Val walked to the door and paused. “Seriously, though, Z. Talk to Dad tomorrow, will you? I’m starting to worry about you. Romy said you’re getting worse.”
“Nobody asked you to interrupt my sleep.”
Val tapped his forehead with his little finger, an equivalent to the human’s middle finger. “Yeah, right. Good night, loverboy.” “Try putting out her flames instead of burning up your sheets,” he added mentally.
Once the door closed, Z stared down at his throbbing erection and tried to put the blond, the fire, and his infernal nightmares from his mind. He would not be controlled by his dreams or his raging hormones. Hell, if this continued, he might think he’d entered The Testing.
Unnerved at the thought, he hastily denied it. The Testing—a time when male Otra sought their mates. Z was relatively young, just thirty-four, and years away from settling down with one person. Hell, his father had been sixty-seven before he’d mated Z’s birth mother. Given their longer lifespan, it only made sense a male should take his time exploring his sexuality before accepting a life partner. Convinced he’d let Val and the nightmare stir him past reason, he put the thought from his mind and concentrated.
True Otra managed their psychei. He would use his psychic gift to explore the future, not follow one potential path on the straight and narrow.
With a disgusted groan he turned on his belly, trying to ignore the discomfort between his legs. He thought about his youngest brother’s coming nuptials. Technically his half-brother, Roarke was part human and part Otra. Otra from their father, and human from Shea, a woman they all considered their mother. Roarke now made his home on Earth, on the western coast of the States in Port Watch. He and his mate, Jamie, were perfect for each other—both young and headstrong, physically and mentally compatible.
Which put Z in mind of his compatibility with the woman from his dreams, unable to resist the comparison. In their many dreams, she’d made him come with little effort, but her inclination for burning things to a crisp put a real damper on a tenable future. Imagine living with a woman who tried to set fire to me nightly.
Recollections of burned flesh and smoldering metal warred with his raging desire. Yet in the end, desire won out. He couldn’t stop thinking about her mouth and those beautiful breasts.
With a reluctant groan, knowing it was the only way to ease into sleep, Z rolled to his back and reached for his cock. He closed his eyes, seeing the blond over him instead of his hand. She rode him hard, giving no mercy, her sleek walls clasping his shaft as she rose up and down, slamming hard over his cock and arousing his innermost hunger.
Faster and faster his hand moved as the scene changed. Her lips closed over his flesh, her skilled tongue flickering and stabbing with pleasure while her hot mouth took him closer to the edge. He could see her on her knees before him, one of his fists wrapped in her white-blond tresses as he thrust into her mouth, all the way to the back of her throat.
She’d try to assert her dominance, but she’d submit, willingly, to the stronger male. Fucking her mouth, pushing in and out, deeper and harder, he’d take her until she succumbed and drew his seed from him with a moan.
Then suddenly Val was there in his place, fucking her mouth while Z took her from behind. On her hands and knees, she serviced them both, caught between men who knew how to pleasure her. He pistoned inside her hot, wet pussy, finding a home in the erotic haven of her body. Val shuddered and cried out as he came, spurting inside her mouth. Watching her swallow his brother’s essence, that which would pave the way for their future, finally catapulted Z to climax. With a harsh groan he spilled, his orgasm slamming through him with such force he saw stars.
As he came over his hand, the shudders continued, bringing both the temporary relief and peace he sought. He cleaned himself with a nearby shirt and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The next day, he woke feeling refreshed. Memories of Val in his bedroom were hazy, more like a dream than reality. Relaxed and well-rested, he performed his morning routine in record time, then left to find the rest of his family.
One practice of the humans he’d never understood. They had such loose family ties. In Otra culture, families stayed together until they formed life bonds. Yet even after, they remained close. Though Roarke currently made his home on another planet, he did his best to visit often during the year. Z, Val, and Romy still lived in the family home and would until they mated, probably in another twenty to thirty years. Though they took jobs elsewhere, this would be their permanent home until they expanded the family. He wondered if Roarke ever found it lonely to live so far away.
Z entered the kitchen and saw everyone already gathered around the meal table, speaking in English. A concession to Jamie, no doubt. The family normally spoke common tongue, native to the planet and their people.
His father quirked a brow in his direction. “Welcome to the land of the living.”
Z ignored the unasked question, seeing the glance that passed between Val and his father. Damn it.
He scowled, matching his father’s expression. He knew they looked enough alike to be twins. Rhenec Talson ‘Or Fal still had the build and mien of a warrior half his age, and he knew it. He never let the rest of them forget it, either.
Roarke, the youngest Talson, cleared his throat, thankfully distracting their father. He wrapped an arm around Jamie, his pretty human, and smiled. “I just wanted to say thanks again to all of you for coming together on such short notice.”
“Like we’d miss your wedding,” their mother scoffed. Shea could have passed for Otra. Though fully human, she had the dark hair and dark eyes of their kind. Unlike Jamie, whose auburn hair and light brown eyes declared her uniquely human.
“Hell, I can’t believe Roarke found a woman who’d take him.” Val shook his head. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Dick,” Roarke muttered.
“Roarke Talson, you watch your mouth.” Their mother glared.
Everyone laughed as Roarke flushed and stammered an apology, the huge bastard making Jamie and Shea look small.
Z grinned. “You afraid of puny humans, bro?”
“He is if he knows what’s good for him.” Jamie winked and shot Roarke a naughty smile.
Z liked her. She gave as good as she got. And any woman that could put up with his taciturn brother deserved praise.
“Sweetheart, I’m just sorry you met him first.”
Roarke glared at him and opened his mouth as if to say something. But after a glance at their mother, he closed it.
Romy smiled. Quiet, thoughtful, and just as much a hellraiser, he had everyone fooled into thinking him harmless. As if. He cast Z an amused glance.
“Quit reading my thoughts,” Z sent him.
“Then stop broadcasting.” Romy turned to Roarke. “We’re fortunate to be getting such a wonderful sister to add to our family.”
Shea hugged Jamie. “So lovely.”
“And hot.” Val raised his brows. “Come on, Roarke. That’s a compliment.”
Roarke said something under his breath, and their father interrupted, “Yes, Valis. However well intended, you’re acting like—”
“Your father,” Shea answered tartly.
2
Everyone laughed and caught up on the goings-on at Port Watch. Roarke mentioned the potential growth at his lane of the family business—Talson Shipping.
“And with Jamie’s help, we’re going to expand into the Outer Ports, maybe even hit Werfal 5.”
Rhenec snorted. “Good luck with that. Those people are barbarians.”
Shea grinned. “Takes one to know one.”
“Damn right.” His father laughed. “But if I hadn’t raised my own barbarians, Roarke never would have seen what a gem his Jamie really is, would you, son?”
Roarke’s large grin was worth all the ribbing, and Z considered how happy his brother seemed with the right woman by his side. Though Jamie would never know Selection, an Otra female’s version of The Testing, she complemented his brother. The pair would have happy, healthy children. A vision of two little miniatures of Roarke hit him hard.
“You okay?” his father asked.
“Oh man, I don’t even want to know what you just saw,” Roarke groaned. “So don’t tell me.” When Jamie started to ask, he waved her question away. “Don’t ask.”
Feeling smug knowing what the others didn’t, Z whistled but said nothing.
“It feels like yesterday you four were still in training pants.” Shea sighed.
Jamie laughed while the men complained. Shea always managed to make them feel all of five years old.
Romy reached across Z to grab several sweet fruits from a nearby tray.
“Hey.”
“I asked you to pass it before, but you were zoning into the future.” Romy didn’t apologize. Little bastard never did. “Something we need to talk about, and I’m sorry to bring it up at such a happy occasion.”
The family quieted. Romy knew things even Z didn’t. Powerful, and growing stronger every day, Romy could do things other Otra only dreamed of, though he thought his gifts a big secret. “Rumor has it Chartrell Shipping is vying for our contract with New Hattan’s Outer Port.”
Whew. Business. For a moment, Z had worried Romy might mention something about his troublesome nightmares.
“Yeah, I heard the same thing yesterday,” Val added with a frown. “Seems to me they have an uncanny interest in our clients.”
“That’s the third one this month.” Rhenec looked thoughtful.
Z shrugged. “I can look into it, if you want.”
