by Kate Rudolph
Her fingers tightened as her sex rippled around him and Amy cried out his name. If he never heard another sound again, he could be happy that he knew exactly what his mate sounded like when he gave her pleasure.
“Need you,” she gasped, arching against him even as she rode the last waves of her orgasm.
Her first. He wanted to see her come again and again and again. They had all night.
He kissed his way back up her body and hesitated for a moment. But she leaned up and kissed him, holding him close. Her fingers found his cock and wrapped around it, stroking him up and down in a rhythm that would send him over the edge if she kept it up for long. “Want you,” he said, barely capable of forming words anymore. “Want to claim you.” The need was a drumbeat deep inside of him. If they did this, they would be bound, the denya bond slipping into place and holding their souls together.
He didn’t know what it meant when he no longer had a soul of his own, but he couldn’t think enough to care right now. Not when his mate was in his arms and kissing him like her life depended on it.
Amy sat up a little and met his eyes, her hand on his cheek and expression deadly serious. “Yes,” she told him. “I want you too.”
And though she couldn’t know exactly what she was saying, Doryan was done asking. She was open beneath him and they both needed this, both craved it to the core of their existences.
When his cock teased her entrance he had to suck in a breath. He’d known this would be good, but not this good. It was almost too much. He’d never felt this much in his life, soulless or no, and his mind threatened to explode from the sensation.
And then he sank further into her and it got worse. Or better. Definitely better. And when he seated himself fully in her it was like coming home.
Amy twitched her hips and their gazes locked. He could feel the connection deep inside of him reaching out for her. And as he moved, the sensation grew, binding them closely as their pleasure ratcheted up.
He wouldn’t last long, not when the sensation in his body and his mind threatened to undo him completely, but he needed to bring Amy along with him, needed his mate joined with him in this.
He watched as her eyes widened and her mouth fell open as her body rippled around him, the wave crashing through her another time as she rippled around him.
And that was enough. With a yell Doryan came, emptying himself inside of his mate as the bond snapped into place between them.
For a breath it was perfect. Everything he’d ever dreamed of.
And then he felt something in his chest, like someone had dug a hand inside and was ripping his organs out.
He couldn’t stop the scream before everything went black.
Chapter Twelve
DORYAN’S SCREAM ECHOED through Amy’s ears, and if it weren’t for the persistent throbbing of the newly formed connection between them she would have been panicking. As it was, she was sitting on the edge of panic and ready to tip over if something went wrong. But Doryan’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm and she could feel his presence right below her heart.
The denya bond.
She wanted to laugh. Wanted to dance. Wanted to hug her mate close and fuck him again until they were both sore. When the humans at the settlement had explained the bond to her, there’d been the slightest bit of jealousy lurking in the back of her mind. She’d never wanted a connection like that, never imagined something so perfect. But now it was hers.
But Doryan needed to wake up or she was going to freak.
Any second now.
If she hadn’t seen something like this when they’d first kissed she’d be going crazy.
Had that only been earlier today? It felt like she’d already lived years with Doryan, but it had to be the connection between them.
Should Amy be scared? It had already made her act out of character, insisting Doryan was innocent, kissing him, sleeping with him. But she wasn’t scared.
She was sure.
Someone else might be frightened by a bond like this, but she was old enough to know when she was being given something amazing. And she knew herself. Knew what she wanted. And she wanted Doryan. It didn’t matter how fast this thing had happened. He was hers now.
Fuck, that felt good to think.
Her body hummed in pleasure at what they’d just done even as adrenaline flooded through her system.
Doryan really needed to wake up.
If he wasn’t up in thirty seconds she was calling Tessa. She counted to seven before she reached for her comm. This had gone on long enough.
And then he groaned and turned over and Amy took her first deep breath since he’d fallen unconscious.
When he opened his eyes, something was different, and not just because they flashed red for a moment before sliding back to their normal black. She’d seen that a few times already and it never failed to send a thrill of excitement through her.
He smiled and reached up to cup her cheek. That was it. He was smiling. Before now she’d thought she’d seen the smallest pull on his lips, but this was full on. And it lit up his face, making the gold of his skin shine and lighting her up from the inside. Now she could see the difference. She didn’t believe that he’d been incapable of all emotion, but it had clearly been blunted in some way.
Not anymore.
“Denya.” It shouldn’t have been possible, but his smile widened. “Amy.”
She kissed him. How could she do anything but kiss him when he was looking at her like that? There was a lot to say. She’d jumped into this thing heart first without checking to see where she’d land, but with Doryan’s arms around her she couldn’t think that she’d made the wrong decision. Nothing this good could be wrong.
What would happen to them when the weekend was over? What would happen when the Legion wanted him back? Would there be some kind of punishment? Would they believe that he was no longer soulless? Amy didn’t know. But those were problems for daylight. Right now she wanted to explore her mate more.
They kissed for a long time, lazily tasting and caressing each other. She memorized the feel of him, let it burn into her mind so that she’d never forget. She could be deprived of all her other senses but she’d know it was Doryan from feel alone.
She’d never thought to know someone that closely, but the bond was working its magic on them and she wanted more.
Kissing turned into touching and touching turned into more. And the second time Doryan came he stayed with her through the whole thing, his face full of naked emotion as the sensation washed through him.
And he didn’t pass out.
They lay next to each other, soaking up the afterglow, Amy cuddled into Doryan’s side. His fingers traced her skin, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. Since she felt the same she wasn’t about to hold it against him.
“I never knew,” he said.
“Knew what?” She was starting to get sleepy, the long day and longer night weighing down on her.
“That it could be like this.” The wonder in his voice erased any doubts that might be trying to form. There were going to be troubles for them, plenty of them in the coming days, but as long as they faced them together, they’d make it.
She drifted off to sleep with a smile.
A sound of disgust woke her some time later, pulling her from a deep sleep. Doryan shot up, claws out and ready to face any attacker, but it was just Kyla. Amy put a hand on his shoulder to pull him back. Kyla would judge, but she wasn’t about to hurt them.
“How did you get in here,” she asked, not that it was important. Kyla had to be there for a reason.
“Tessa reprogrammed the door for me since it’s an emergency. There’s been another murder.” Kyla scooped Amy’s shirt off the floor and threw it at her. “Scene is pretty fresh, so if we go now we might have a chance of catching whoever did it. At least he has an alibi this time.”
She and Kyla were going to need to have a talk. But it could wait.
They had another murder to solve.
JOY SURGED THROUGH Doryan even as Amy and Kyla led him to the murder scene. He couldn’t dampen the emotion. He had a mate! He felt. He was able to mostly smother the smile that kept curling his lips, but that only came from years of living as a soulless. The muscles in his cheeks hurt if he smiled for too long, a sign he needed more practice.
Later.
He could understand Kyla’s apprehension at his mating with Amy. The nuances of everything had escaped him, but now they were rushing back as if he hadn’t gone six years as an unfeeling automaton. The joy crashed into worry and his heartbeat kicked up. Would Kyla stand between them?
He didn’t think so. The looks she was giving Amy reminded him of what he used to do to his friends when he didn’t agree with their decisions but knew they wouldn’t take his advice. Grudging acceptance.
But what about NaMasee?
That could be a problem. Sure, Deke had said that there were formerly soulless warriors who had found their mates, but NaMasee hated him. It hadn’t been obvious before his reawakening, but now he was certain of it. For some reason NaMasee wanted him dead and Doryan had to make sure that didn’t happen. He had a new chance and a mate! He wanted years, decades, forever with her, and he couldn’t let it get snatched away.
Amy dropped back a step and laced their fingers together. Her free hand massaged her chest, as if it was sore.
“Are you alright?” he asked. Was there something wrong with her? Did she need medical attention? He wanted to scoop her up and deliver her to Tessa to have her checked out immediately.
She squeezed his hand and stopped. “I’m fine. But are you?” She rubbed her chest again and let her hand drop. “It sort of feels like my heart is racing… but it’s not my heart. That bond you talked about, it’s real, isn’t it?” Then she shook her head. “I mean, obviously it’s real. But it’s… almost physical. It ties us together.” She raised her hand to his chest and held it there.
And Doryan calmed. He took a deep breath and let the bond thrum between them. “It’s all so much,” he said. The world had opened up to him and where it had all been dull and hazy, now he saw everything in bright colors and sharp edges. It didn’t even matter that it was long before sunrise, everything was suddenly clearer.
“Do you need to go back to our cabin?” she asked, and she didn’t seem to notice the slip. Our. No matter how this weekend ended, they were coming out of it together.
He shook his head. “I want to help, as much as I can. And if there’s been a second murder, I don’t want you out here without protection.”
Her brows shot up. “Is overprotectiveness going to be a thing? Because I have two older brothers who seem to think that’s their job, and I’ve spent my life proving otherwise.”
She had brothers. He hadn’t known that. He didn’t know any of the facts about her, other than that she was a brilliant investigator. But they’d have time. “There’s a murderer on the loose,” he reminded her. “I’m always going to protect you when your life might be at risk.”
Her eyes narrowed. “We’re going to talk about that. But we better get going or Kyla might actually shoot me.”
A growl began in the back of his throat and he tried to stop it. He knew she was joking, but he didn’t take any threat lightly.
Amy burst out laughing. “This is going to be interesting.” But she sobered as they approached the scene.
Reikal was there, but Kyla wasn’t. Tessa and Kayleb had made it as well and Lieutenant NaMasee was sitting across the path on the steps in front of one of the cabins. As soon as he saw Doryan he sprang from his seat and pointed at him. “He—”
Amy stepped in front of Doryan and raised a hand. “He has an alibi, Lieutenant. He was either with me or one of the NaZades all night. Now go and sit down and I’ll talk to you later.”
More inappropriate emotion surged through Doryan at Amy’s commanding tone and if he hadn’t smelled the blood and viscera in the air he would have been hiding his body’s reaction.
“Where’s Kyla?” Amy asked.
“Inside the cabin.” NaMasee pointed behind him. “She went inside while Reikal retrieved supplies for one of the NaMoren denyai.”
“They have names,” Doryan said, stepping out from behind Amy. He wouldn’t let her shield him, though his heart practically burst with joy at her protective instincts.
NaMasee’s gaze snapped to him and his expression darkened. “Fine. The medic one. Tresla.”
“That would be Tessa,” the woman in question said from where she was hovering over the latest victim. She stood and waved Amy over. Doryan followed.
It was immediately clear the victim was one of the humans who had been staying on the settlement, but he was laying on his front and Doryan couldn’t see his face. Not that there were many options.
“This is Peter Marino,” Amy said.
Tessa nodded.
“I found him behind these bushes,” Reikal told them, standing a bit away and angling his head away from the body.
“It’s a bit late for you to be out for a stroll,” said Amy. “Or do you normally walk around the settlement at 2AM?”
Reikal glanced down and shuddered. “I got a call from the cabin. Each of them is wired to call either the main house or me in case of emergencies. I heard yelling, and I’m pretty sure someone had accidentally slammed into the comm. No one tried to talk to me. But I came over. It took maybe ten minutes for me to get here? I thought it was just a fight…” He swallowed thickly and put a hand to his mouth. “I’m sorry. I’ve never…” He took a deep breath but that only made him look sicker.
Doryan couldn’t blame him. He’d seen plenty of gore on the battlefield, but it was much worse to see it in the middle of this peaceful place.
“It was quiet when I got here. I knocked on the door, but no one answered. And then I smelled it.” He shuddered. “We get dead deer, and other big animals sometimes. I hoped… but when I saw his leg sticking out of the bush… I pulled him out, hoped I could get medical attention, but he was gone.”
Doryan looked behind the body and saw drag marks from the nearby bushes, seeming to corroborate Reikal’s story.
“And how did the lieutenant get here?” Amy asked.
“I called him,” Reikal admitted. “Him and Kayleb. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“It’s a good thing he did,” NaMasee said from right behind him. “I’m sick of playing games. I want this person,” he scowled at Doryan, “under lock and key until Legion personnel arrive.”
It hadn’t bothered him before. Doryan had expected and accepted NaMasee’s attitude, but now he was done with it. He spun around and advanced on the lieutenant, grabbing for his throat and immobilizing him before he could spew more of his anti-soulless hatred. But he remained in control. His claws stayed sheathed, no matter how much he wanted to scare the other man.
“I did not do this,” he spat. “And I didn’t kill your captain. You refuse to believe me, but it’s time to believe the evidence! I’m not some killing machine that can’t be trusted. And I’m not going to take this anymore.” He pushed NaMasee away and the lieutenant stumbled back, falling down in the dirt.
“Your eyes!” The lieutenant scrambled back, reaching for his blaster, and Doryan realized that he’d miscalculated. “You’ve gone mad. This ends now!”
He heard the shot, but felt nothing. Doryan looked down, expecting to see evidence of a wound, but it was NaMasee who fell back. Doryan turned around and saw his mate putting a small device in her pocket.
“Reikal,” she said, voice deadly calm. “Please take the lieutenant back to his quarters and stay with him. I don’t want him doing anything… rash.”
Everyone was looking at her, including Doryan, and their reactions ran the gamut. But no one stopped Reikal from picking NaMasee up and escorting him away.
He had just stepped into the trees and out of sight when the cabin door opened and Kyla stepped out, shaking her head. “The wife is gone.”
Tessa
sighed and rolled the body to its side. “I think that’s an answer for your murder weapon.” She pointed to the strange weapon buried in his stomach. After taking a vid scan of the body she pulled it out gently, leaving Doryan even more confused.
“Are those artificial claws?” He saw holes for each finger, and standing out where the knuckles belonged were thick claws that ended in sharp points.
Kyla pushed past him. “I was fucking joking when I suggested that,” she said as she turned to Amy, her face full of disbelief.
Amy looked at the weapon for several seconds before nodding. “I want people out searching for Linda Marino. And it’s time to call the sheriff. We’ve got a human victim, and that gives them jurisdiction. Now move!”
Chapter Thirteen
WHILE KAYLEB, KRAYTER, Penny, and Kyla searched the grounds, Amy went inside the Marino cabin with Doryan to have a look around. An idea was forming in the back of her head, the mystery wrapped up in a tidy bow, but she had to wait for more evidence and the county police before anything else happened.
She had Tessa’s scanner in hand, hoping it would help her build the case.
“Don’t touch anything,” she told Doryan. “You don’t have gloves on. But keep your eyes open.”
Her mate nodded and some of her exhaustion melted away. The few hours of sleep she’d managed to snag after making love to him were the most restful of her life, but they still weren’t enough. But being around Doryan made her feel energized in a way she’d never been before. This denya bond was a hell of a drug and she wanted more.
Thank the stars she wasn’t a cop anymore. As soon as this thing was done she’d be able to go back to her normal hours and take time to get to know her new mate.
But she had to wait for later.
She could see signs of a struggle in the cabin; a table had been knocked sideways and a smudge of blood on the wall next to the comm gave credence to Reikal’s story about the call. But there wasn’t enough blood inside for it to have been the site of the murder. If she had to guess, Linda and Peter had quarreled and they’d moved from inside to out. Linda had gotten the better of him, fatally stabbed him, and then he’d either collapsed in the bushes or she dragged him there. Given the size differential Amy was thinking he’d fallen.
