From the air, the Undercity held a certain beauty she couldn’t deny. All the lights and holograms popped against the darkness and bathed the structures with splashes of vibrant color, lending everything a sense of welcoming life and liveliness at odds with the chaotic rush on those streets and walkways. Traveling by hovercar allowed her to take in the conflicting nature of the Undercity itself—it was both a sprawling city with wide streets and tall buildings and an immense series of artificial caverns. For every free-standing structure, there were several more built directly into the walls and ceilings, with walkways and access tunnels crisscrossing throughout. Everything was tiered, but there were no definitive borders between those tiers.
Though the whole city was clearly a marvel of construction and engineering, it gave off the impression of total randomness—as though it had been approached from a more spontaneous, artistic angle than a practical, mathematical one.
The variety of vehicles in the express tunnels through which Drakkal piloted the hovercar nearly rivaled the variety of buildings around and below them. There was certainly no shortage of things to catch her eye, and yet her mind continuously returned to Drakkal. She didn’t let her gaze follow it.
She had no idea where they were when Drakkal finally slowed the hovercar and drove it through a chain of winding side streets and tunnels. Shay had the impression that they were near a bustling part of the city, but the shadowed pathways he followed were largely deserted save for brief glimpses of tiny creatures scurrying between patches of darkness.
Given the nature of the route he was taking, she was rather surprised when he pulled up to a large door that opened on an immaculate garage in which several hover vehicles of varying sizes were parked.
Shay drew her legs closer and grasped her bag with both hands, sweeping her gaze over the garage as Drakkal eased the hovercar inside. They were here. The ride hadn’t been nearly long enough to mentally prepare Shay for the gravity of this moment.
This was her new home.
And yet, after years of training, after years of dealing with criminals and the lowest of the low, after years of constant danger—and a couple months on display in a private zoo—she was only now apprehensive. In their own ways, all those things had been familiar. She’d known what to expect from the sorts of criminals she’d associated with, had known what to expect from men like Murgen. That wasn’t the case with Drakkal.
She was walking into a new life for her and her baby, but everything was unknown. She wasn’t sure of what to expect, didn’t know the people here or what they would think of her, had no idea if they would find her wanting, or if—
A low rumbling sound came from Drakkal, just loud enough to interrupt Shay’s thoughts. She looked at him.
“I’ve got you, kiraia.” His lips curled into a smile much too soft to be on such a fierce, bestial face. “Not that you need my protection.”
That struck her as funny. She would’ve scoffed at the thought of needing his protection a short while ago, but now she found that she liked the idea. She wanted it. And having him here for her was enough to push away some of her unease.
Trust him.
He told her the people here were not like the ones she used to associate with. That they could be trusted; that they protected their own.
That they were a family.
God, what would it feel like to be part of a family again? A real family.
Drakkal unbuckled his harness and shut off the hovercar’s main engines. The displays went dark, the holograms vanished, and the vehicle settled closer to the ground. “Ready for the next step?”
“Yeah. I am.”
With a nod, Drakkal opened his door and climbed out of the hovercar. Shay unfastened her harness and exited the vehicle as well, swinging the strap of her bag over her shoulder as she looked around.
She was familiar with many makes and models of hovercars back on Earth, but she couldn’t identify any of the vehicles stored in this garage. Still, she didn’t need to be familiar with them to know they all looked expensive, and she guessed at least two or three of them were armored—there was a certain universal look to discreetly armored hovercars that she couldn’t quite define but which had become almost second nature to spot over the years.
She looked at Drakkal as he approached her. “I guess saying you were loaded was putting it lightly.”
He glanced at the surrounding vehicles. “Most of these are…company assets. I’m loaded because I don’t usually buy stuff like this.”
Shay smiled. She hadn’t missed his discomfort when they’d talked about money in the borian restaurant.
He’s humble.
“So what do you buy?” She parted her jacket enough for him to see her tactical utility belt and wiggled her eyebrows. “Toys?”
His eyes dipped to the belt, but they didn’t stop there—and he took his time bringing them back up to hers. “Bought a terran recently.”
Her smile fell.
I’d forgotten about that.
She pressed a finger to his chest. “I’m not for sale, azhera.”
“Not anymore, kiraia.”
“I never was.”
His mouth stretched into a wide grin, and the light in his eyes seemed mixture of mirth and lust as he gently wrapped his hand around hers. His thumb brushed along the outside of hers and down to her wrist, sending tingles across her skin. “Best money I’ve ever spent.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. As serious as she was trying to be—okay, so maybe she wasn’t trying very hard—she couldn’t win against Drakkal’s playfulness. “You might have buyer’s remorse soon enough.”
He leaned infinitesimally closer, nostrils flaring with a slow, deep inhalation that he released several seconds later as something close to a sigh. His grip on her hand tightened just a bit, and she swore she felt his body heat increase.
“Not possible,” he rumbled.
She didn’t know how or why he affected her this way, but Drakkal completely and utterly disarmed her when he was like this. The blasters and knives she carried were useless against his words. They couldn’t shield her from the way he looked at her, the way he treated her like she really mattered. She wasn’t used to this kind of flirting. There was a raw sexuality to it—Drakkal had never tried to hide that—but it was built atop a foundation so genuine and caring that part of her mind still couldn’t believe it was real.
Heat suffused her cheeks. “So, uh, are we going in or what?”
“In a minute. Not ready to share you yet.”
“Share me?”
Drakkal nodded. “The crew’s eager to meet you.”
All Shay could do was watch as Drakkal lifted her hand to his face, pressed her palm to his cheek, and rubbed it against his soft fur. Though the action reminded her of a cat leaving its scent on something—marking its territory, its property—there was something deeply arousing about it that turned up the heat inside her even further. She couldn’t stop one of her earlier thoughts from surfacing again.
Would it be that bad to be his?
“You do realize I haven’t accepted your other offer, right?” she asked a little breathlessly. She told herself it was because of her pregnancy, not because Drakkal made her heart flutter. And still she didn’t pull her hand away.
Drakkal lowered Shay’s hand, slipped his left arm around the small of her back—beneath her jacket—and drew her closer. She settled her free hand on his prosthesis. For a time, they stood with their eyes locked like they were about to start a slow, sensual dance, and Shay’s heart pounded in anticipation. She should’ve pulled away. Should’ve stopped it. But as he dipped his head and grazed her jawline with his lips, she tilted her head aside, allowing him access to her neck.
Releasing her hand, Drakkal settled his right palm on her hip and brushed his cheek and mouth along her neck and shoulder, his fur a combination of soft and scratchy that sent thrills across her skin. She clutched his arms, sinking the fingers of one hand into fur and pressing
the fingers of the other against warm metal. Her breath hitched. Liquid heat pooled between her thighs, and she leaned into him, relishing the slight pricks of his claws through her clothing as he tightened his hold on her.
“Yet,” Drakkal purred, his voice vibrating into her through his powerful chest. “And it wasn’t an offer, just the truth.”
Something wet, warm, and delightfully rough trailed upward from the place where her shoulder met her neck, tracing a path to the sensitive spot just beneath her ear.
“Oh fuck!” Shay gasped, eyes widening as a bolt of pleasure shot straight to her pussy. He might as well have licked her between her legs, because she was pretty sure she’d almost come right then and there.
What would it feel like to have his tongue lapping at my pussy?
Drakkal lifted his head and released her, severing all contact between their bodies and leaving her cold, alone, and unfulfilled. He gestured to a nearby door. “This way, kiraia.”
Shay looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Oh, you naughty kitty. That was straight up playing dirty.”
One corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk that made her already trembling knees weak as he walked to the door. “That was just a taste. For both of us. I still owe you for calling me kitty.”
She eyed him with exaggerated disbelief before following him to the door, which he opened and stepped through. She didn’t allow herself any hesitation in crossing the threshold; it was a bit late for second-guessing her choice, and damn if that lick alone wouldn’t have been enough to convince her to go anywhere with this azhera.
She raked her gaze over Drakkal’s delectable backside and swaying tail.
And he already promised to eat me.
She barely kept herself from moaning out loud as her core clenched in need. She really had to do something about that soon…
The corridor they entered wasn’t what Shay had expected—not that she’d really known what to expect to begin with. Its aesthetic was an odd blend of industrial and tasteful luxury. Concrete and exposed ducts, pipes, and conduits were all over the walls and ceilings, but the plush carpet was wine red, divided by thick, rectangular black borders and thin white lines that cut directly across it from one wall to the other. Rectangular panels mounted on the walls at regular intervals provided the light, which had the faintest red tint to it.
“Interesting choices on the interior design here,” Shay said.
“My partner has an affinity for a particular style that even his female cannot shake him from, even though her taste is objectively better than his,” Drakkal replied.
They passed several closed doors, and when they reached the first intersection, they turned left into a similar hallway.
How big was this place? How many people worked for Drakkal and his partner?
What am I getting myself into here?
But the misgivings she should’ve had were absent. Nothing about this reminded Shay of her past experiences on the wrong side of the law, and Drakkal was nothing like the criminals with whom she’d once associated. Hell, so far, this seemed more legitimate than anything she’d been involved in since she was a teenager.
Finally, Drakkal stopped in front of one of the doors and turned to face her. “For the record, most of these people work for me, but I have no control over them.”
Shay arched a brow, but before she could ask what he meant, he pressed the control button beside the doorframe. The door slid open with a quiet whoosh, and Drakkal entered without another word.
Frowning, Shay followed him into what she could only describe as a break room. There was a small kitchen area, complete with what looked like a refrigerator, in one corner, a couple round tables each with half a dozen chairs, and a pair of couches positioned in front of a huge holographic display screen. She spent only a second or two taking it in before her attention was caught by the diverse group of people gathered inside the room, all of whom had turned to watch her enter.
They were gathered around the tables, some sitting and some standing. Three cren, two of whom had the same blue-gray skin and navy-blue hair. The third, who was taller and broader than the others, had slate gray skin and snow-white hair. There were two vorgals seated beside each other, one with brown skin and the other with green. Both sported red tattoos on their right cheeks—she knew thanks to her father that it was an indication of rank in the Vorgal military, though she didn’t know the specific meanings of the markings. The vorgals were accompanied by a female ilthurii with vibrant green scales.
Shay’s eyes finally settled on the couple at the counter. Despite his casual stance, the sedhi was clearly tall and athletically built, with long black hair and bright yellow eyes that matched the faintly glowing markings on his gray skin. He wore a silky red robe that revealed the upper portion of his chest—and all four of his limbs looked like prosthetics similar to Drakkal’s. A female sat atop the counter beside him, one leg drawn up with a tablet on her knee.
A human.
For a moment, Shay was frozen by surprise. It had been so long since she’d seen another human that she’d wondered if there were any in Arthos at all—but here was one now.
The woman lifted her head and met Shay’s gaze. Excitement sparked in her eyes, and a bright smile spread across her face. “You’re here!” the woman said, setting her tablet down on the counter.
A booming, sputtering cough cut off anything else the woman might’ve said. Shay looked to the source of the disturbance; the green-skinned vorgal had spit his drink across the table and was currently choking. The other vorgal frowned, narrowed his eyes, and slapped his choking companion on the back.
“Fuck,” the choking vorgal managed. As his throat cleared, it became apparent what his coughing had been from the beginning—laughter. “This is the female that robbed you, Drakkal? You’re getting soft.”
Shay arched a brow as she regarded the green-skinned vorgal. Half his head was shaved, and the black hair on the other side hung in several braids that reached nearly to his shoulder. In addition to the tattoos, he had a few scars on his face—the worst of which was a big, jagged one on the shaved side of his skull.
“Says the guy who almost lost a fight with his drink?” she asked.
Looks of surprise spread across the faces of the others, and within a second, everyone was laughing.
“She already pushed you to the bottom, Thargen,” the blue-skinned cren with short, spiky hair and green irises said.
Thargen ran his sleeve across his mouth, wiping away alcohol and spittle. His laughter still hadn’t quite died down. “I like her, Drak.”
“Think you found a keeper, Drakkal,” said the other blue-skinned cren, who had yellow eyes and a long ponytail.
Wait. Do they all think…?
“Anyone who can put Thargen in his place the first time they talk to him is worth having around,” the largest of the cren said.
“You have found a good female for yourself,” said the ilthurii.
Fuck, they do.
Drakkal glanced at Shay, meeting her gaze briefly. His expression spread more of that fuzzy warmth through her—it said, Yeah, she’s a keeper, and she’s mine forever. She didn’t understand how that simple look could say so much, but there it was. And she liked it.
“You’re cleaning that up, Thargen,” the sedhi said in a deep, smooth voice. His eyes were on the vorgal—save for the third one on his forehead, which lingered on Shay.
Weird.
Drakkal turned back toward the others and cleared his throat, calling their attention to him. “Everyone, this is Shay. She’s one of us now.”
The human woman hopped down from the counter and approached Shay. She was wearing a loose tunic and leggings, and had long, wavy brown hair and big brown eyes. Even wearing boots, she was about five centimeters shorter than Shay. The woman had a sweet, shy air about her, as though she’d rather sit unnoticed on the edge of a crowd.
She held her hand out to Shay. “I’m Samantha, but you can call me Sam.”
>
“Nice to meet you,” Shay replied, grasping Samantha’s hand. Once she released it, she shot Drakkal a glare. “You didn’t tell me there was another human here.”
“Didn’t tell you there were three cren, two vorgals, an ilthurii, and a sedhi here, either,” he replied. “I’ll make sure to compile a list next time.”
She gave him a droll look. “I think there being another human here would’ve been noteworthy. We’re not exactly common here, are we?” Turning back to Samantha, she smiled. “Sorry, it seems Tiger here was a bit forgetful. It really is nice to meet you, Sam.”
“She’s got some claws,” Thargen said with a delighted hoot. “I really like her.”
“So do I, Thargen,” Drakkal growled, “so don’t get any ideas.”
The female ilthurii hissed soft laughter, eyes narrowing and mouth curling into a grin. The small spines on the top of her head laid back. “This will be better than Razi’s dramas.”
The sedhi stepped forward—though sauntered might’ve been the better term, as he moved with a grace that might’ve been comical had it not been so overtly sensual. He offered Shay a roguish grin and settled one of his cybernetic arms over Sam’s shoulders. “I’m Arcanthus. A pleasure to finally meet you, Shay. I’m—”
“He’s my secretary,” Drakkal said, “though I let him drive the car sometimes.”
“If I recall,” Samantha said with a grin, “it’s you who always drives the car, Drak.”
“Well, would you trust Arc at the controls?”
“Not really.” Samantha cleared her throat, and her cheeks pinkened. “He can’t seem to keep his hands to himself.”
Arcanthus bent down and tipped his head to rest his cheek atop Sam’s hair. “It’s not my fault. Three eyes simply aren’t enough with which to admire you. To not touch would be criminal.”
“You are a criminal.” Samantha, fully blushing now, smiled and leaned against Arcanthus’s chest.
Untamed Hunger Page 17
