Alien (35 page)

How the hell did he know? She returned her stare to the big
man. Anger percolated in her gut. This guy was unbelievable. Without looking at
Dio, she asked, “Can you help me roll him? That dart entry hole needs to be
attended.”

“Sure.” He tucked the baton into the cargo pocket on his
right thigh and zipped it closed. Once he was in position on the opposite side
of the bed from her, he tugged while she pushed Kal onto his stomach.

Shia’s eyes widened. The breath stalled in her lungs and it
took a tremendous effort to hide her shock from Dio. On Kal’s left shoulder
were a series of twenty-one sun tattoos. No one in the history of Paoni
warriors ever accomplished such a feat. With one exception. Shia stared at the
face of the sleeping man. There was no way in hell.

He just couldn’t be Kallikrates Valerianus. Not possible.

Shia sat on the couch and lifted her VIS tablet, searching
for a certain report she remembered reading as part of Paoni history. Twenty-one
sun tattoos and his name was Kal. Had to be short for Kallikrates. She glanced
toward the open door of her bedroom. A legend lay sleeping in her bed. But how?
He had escaped from hell when he was supposed to have been dead.

He’d been killed during a battle to unify the star planets
in the constellation Draco.

Space battles were something the humans didn’t know existed.
It was the Kiengirs’ wishes that the Adamu were kept in the dark about all the
other worlds around them for fear they’d panic and declare war on the other
life forms. Not that they could do anything about it. They lacked the proper
weapons or ability for space travel. Centuries ago, they had proven they were
too young of a race to handle the powerful technology the Kiengir shared, so it
had been taken from them and its existence wiped from their memories. Dribs and
drabs of it were slowly being filtered back onto Earth in the form of heavy
equipment, computers, cell phones, airplanes and the space shuttle, along with
hundreds of other devices. She grinned. The space shuttle was limited. The
Kiengir gave its engineers a minute amount of knowledge just to see what they’d
do with it.

She shook her head. Humans weren’t stupid. Most of them
suspected life existed outside their realm. In her opinion, it was time they
were exposed to it and learned to accept it. If they knew that almost every
star in a constellation was a portal to a life-sustaining planet, they’d
probably faint. Not to mention, every planet in their solar system had a
purpose and unique ecosystems complete with life forms similar to humans but
different. Just because they couldn’t see them didn’t mean they weren’t there.
She paused. Maybe it was those physical differences that made the Kiengir keep
them separated from Earth. Some of them had been bred to be soldiers, powerful,
extraordinarily built with incredible strength. Was it possible
he
was
one of those?

Her anger brewed thinking about the Kiengirs’ need to create
the perfect being. Earth was the youngest of all their Petri dishes of
experimentation. Every planet, every life form was a science experiment. They
formed universes, manipulated the beings of those worlds until they got the
result they wanted or they destroyed it. She bit her lip, struggling not to let
her thoughts take that dangerous route. She had no proof they had been behind
the destruction of her home when she was a small child.

Shia blinked, focusing on the report that finally flashed on
the screen.

Kallikrates Valerianus

Paoni Warrior

Rank: Sun Superior

Unique Holder of Kiengir Highest Honor

Event Log as documented by Sun Star Lieutenant, Lanyard Delrado

Captain Delrado had been there? She read the sentence again.
She hadn’t misread it. Gangust Delrado’s dad had witnessed the death of the
Paoni’s toughest warrior.
That had to be one hell of a competition between
those two.
The captain was highly competitive, believed in the win at any
cost, and had pushed Gangust to be the best in his class though he had failed,
beaten by a woman. She sat back, letting go a low whistle. Considering Captain
Delrado wasn’t pleased his son was second to her, she bet it killed him that
Kallikrates Valerianus had been better than he during his younger days. No
wonder he never said anything about this. She read on.

Grumiums had invaded the capital of the Draco constellation,
Nodus Secundus. Sun Superior Valerianus and his team had been the closest to
that vector and had landed before the fleet had reached them. His second
officer had been wounded minutes into the fighting. Valerianus single-handedly
had fought a gang of Grumium dragons before being shot in the back. The report
stated he had suffered a close range, direct hit between the shoulders from a
large caliber weapon. Her shoulders bunched thinking of the pain that would’ve
caused. Since he had to have been wearing his battle suit, it wouldn’t have
killed him but rendered him immobile, quite possibly unconscious and may have
produced internal damage. But it wouldn’t have killed him. The suit would have
helped sustain him until medical attention arrived.

Several Grumiums had shifted and set him on fire. Shia
winced. She couldn’t even imagine being trapped in that sort of inferno. His
battle suit would’ve protected him to an extent but if the gang had combined
their efforts, breathing fire at extreme temperatures, eventually the
neuro-sensors would’ve short-circuited, shut down and the material would’ve
bonded to his flesh. The draconian breed was known to be dirty fighters. They
had the ability to shift into dragon form when needed. If they weren’t
contained before they shifted, they could rip a person to shreds with their
claws and spiked tails and could spew fire from their mouths for over fifty
feet. She’d never had the misfortune of dealing with any of them. According to
the witness, Valerianus had been burned beyond recognition to the point of
total cremation.

Sun Superior Valerianus had earned twenty-one suns for a
multitude of victories at war as the Kiengir worked to unite the universe.
Kallikrates Valerianus had been their highest-decorated warrior. His fighting
skills and strength unmatched. His military tactics were taught at Paoni Cadet
Academy. He’d been hailed as a hero for saving his second officer at the cost
of his life. Thinking about it gave her a bad taste in her mouth. His military
portfolio was one to respect, to study and try to mimic.

But his death…

Knowing he hadn’t died made her mull over his last mission.
Something in that report seemed wrong to her but she couldn’t put her finger on
it. Absently, she flipped on the television but kept the volume low since Dio
slept curled in a ball on the opposite end of the couch.

The news showed a newly formed lava pit. The molten liquid
wasn’t spilling over the edges, instead it bubbled and spit globs of burning
goo into the air for hundreds of feet. The area had been cordoned off as
geologists arrived to inspect and test for stability. Shia pursed her brows as
she stared at a bright shape hovering high in the sky above the reporter’s left
shoulder. Humans wouldn’t think it to be anything other than a bright star. It
was meant for her to see.

Gangust Delrado’s vimani—personal transport, which can morph
into whatever mode to suit the Paoni’s needs, air, ground or water. Her jaw
tightened, knowing he’d intentionally not completely sealed the hole to
jeopardize her position. It was their job to hide these events from the Adamu.
With each seismic surge, Hellions tried to ride it to the surface. Those who
actually reached the top created rifts in the crust, which could let lava
escape in their wake. Paoni captured the escapees and sealed the cracks before
they became an issue. Since the capture hadn’t gone as planned, she didn’t
finish the job. Her backup apparently chose to contain it so it didn’t spread
but not conceal the event entirely. This wasn’t good. She knew he hated her,
but to let this happen was going too far.

A low moan had her on her feet and at the bedside within
seconds. He’d rolled onto his back. Arms sprawled wide open. Chest bared. One
leg stuck out from under the covers and the sheet lay dangerously low across
his hips. An inch lower and she’d have full view of his man parts. Temptation
to peek made her wet. Shia fought the urge, gripped the cover and tugged it up
to mid-abdomen. His jet-black hair was loose and spread in a tangled mess on
the pillow. She got a cool damp cloth from the bathroom and gently swiped the
perspiration from his forehead and upper lip.

Faster than she blinked, he caught her wrist and pulled her
onto the bed, wrapping himself around her before she could move. She lay on her
side trapped in a cocoon of his arms and a heavy leg draped across her hip.
Shia wiggled but couldn’t pry free. A warm hand palmed one of her breasts and
she froze. Her robe had slipped open and left her exposed. It had also become
bunched around her hips but with her arms trapped, she couldn’t pull it down to
cover her bottom. A thick thumb brushed her nipple and she gasped. His biceps
held her arm pinned against her side. Her other arm was beneath her. He nuzzled
her ear and the heat of his breath gave her chills.
Damn
.
This feels good.
But it was wrong, oh so wrong on so many levels. He mumbled words on an
unintelligible whisper as he tugged her tighter.

Shia couldn’t move. His face was buried in her hair and
rested on the side of her head as if it were his pillow. It was evident the
medication held him in a deep slumber. He probably was dreaming, remembering a
woman from his past. Shia flinched. He was thinking of someone else while
holding her, groping her. His thumb stopped moving but his hand still cradled
her breast as if he’d held it like this always. Letting out the breath she held,
she was stuck. He was dead weight and would not be budged.

She could call for help but doubted Dio would hear unless she
screamed. If she screamed would the big man wrapped around her wake? Would he
be startled and start fighting before becoming fully cognitive? In her position,
he could kill her before she got in the first punch.

There was nothing left for her but to rest. Being in his
arms wasn’t unpleasant. If it were under any other circumstances, he would’ve
been a notch in her headboard already. Shia smiled at the thought, snuggled
into as comfortable a position as possible and gave in to the tiredness
gripping her body.

His head was heavy and his eyes battled not to open. He
didn’t know how long he’d slept or where he was. But he knew he was no longer
in hell. The temperature around him was much cooler. An unfamiliar scent filled
his nose. An essence of sunshine and daisies mixed with honey filled every
intake of air. It was much better than the stench of sulfur, brimstone and
unwashed convicts. Kal flexed his fingers and met with a soft, perky handful of
breast. He pried his eyes open, seeing a mass of thick golden hair in his face.
He didn’t move, but his cock responded, standing at attention, nestled between
him and the firm bare bottom of a woman. Her robe was tangled at her waist
between them.

Breathing deeply, he took in more of her scent than he knew
he should. The smart thing would be to separate, but he couldn’t without waking
her. His other arm was pinned beneath her. When he stretched, trying to ease
some space between them, she repositioned her leg forward just enough and his
cock fell into perfect alignment. Kal closed his eyes. Moist heat from between
her thighs teased his cock as if beckoning him to enter.

A murmur escaped as she wiggled, pressing her ass tighter
against him. He realized she was dreaming and it was sexual. The wonderful
smell of female arousal caught and held his attention. The head of his cock
brushed her damp feminine folds and nudged at her opening. Kal nuzzled her neck
and whispered, “I want you.”

He heard her reply on a soft groan, “Fuck me.”

It wasn’t a completely conscious invitation since she was
half asleep. It was something he knew he should resist but didn’t. It’d been
way too long since he’d been with a woman. It didn’t matter she was a Paoni.
Sex was sex. Gently, he slid his hand from her breast and angled his arm over
her hip to reach her clit as he entered into her, slowly, giving her the chance
to stretch to accommodate his healthy size. He didn’t want to hurt her so he
didn’t push in far, just enough to ease her need. At least that was his
intention at first, but she felt too good.

Rocking his hips, he entered a little farther with each
thrust, using her juices to coat him, gliding him deeper. Kal did circular
motions with his fingertip to her clit and her legs opened, giving him easier
access. It was all he needed to fill her with his cock. She was tightly wrapped
around him, making it difficult for him to maintain control. Her moan of
pleasure switched to a gasp of surprise. She tensed around him, locking him in
place.

“Don’t move,” he practically groaned against her ear and
that’s when he knew she became fully awake.

“What?” She jerked her upper body at an angle where she
could see his face over her shoulder. Sleepy eyes stared at him. Desire mixed
with duty swirled within them. “What the fuck, Hellion?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing here?”

He read the guilt and indecision upon her face. “We
shouldn’t. It’s against the rules.”

“That’s not what you said a second ago when you wanted me to
fuck you. Rules aren’t in play when it comes to sex.” He rolled his hips,
gliding his cock back and forth. “Tell me you don’t want this and I’ll stop.”

“I can’t say that. I don’t lie.” She parted her lips on a
sigh and closed her eyes as pleasure took her for a moment. He was right. She wanted
this as much as he did. She groaned when he swirled her taut bundle of nerves
between his fingers as he increased his pace. She shifted, taking him in as far
as he could possibly reach, bucking against him. Pounding into her, he feared
he’d hurt her but couldn’t stop, she felt too good and it’d been way too damn
long.

He wrapped the arm underneath her up around her, capturing a
breast in his palm. Tweaking her nipple while strumming her clit as he fucked
her hard had the beautiful Paoni screaming as the orgasm rippled through her.
Her inner muscles contracted, coaxing him to come, soaking him with her
release. Not knowing if she were protected from pregnancy, he forced himself to
pull out, shooting his seed between her thighs.

Though he wanted nothing more than to lie there holding her,
he denied himself the pleasure. Bad enough he’d fucked her, bathing in the heat
of their coupling would only rub in the fact he couldn’t trust a woman. He
refused to get emotionally attached to another one. Rolling on his back, he
wished it hadn’t been so quick, but then again it had been over a century since
he’d had sex. She lay on his arm curled away from him.