[Phantom Warriors 01] Bacchus (2 page)

down the beach.

Bacchus needed to learn more about this planet and its people. The vidlink had

been helpful, but left out much information. The only way he could make up for the

discrepancy was if he
absorbed
the knowledge. He searched the sands for another Earth

male. He couldn’t take the chance with a female. The possibility of passing on his

genetic coding was too great and far too important to squander indiscriminately. The

code was for his future mate. Bacchus refused to think that he might not find her on this

planet.

Minutes passed without new encounters. Bacchus stared down the beach,

wondering if he should leave this place and go search another area. He turned to go,

when he noticed another woman arrive. She glanced around, then seemingly satisfied

that she was alone, began to peel off her clothing before stepping into the water.

Bacchus had lain with Atlantean women, so he knew about their sexual appetites.

They were tame compared to his true nature, but adventurous enough to whet his

desire. But what about the inhabitants of this planet?

Would joining with an Earth female be the same or better? Would her primitive

reproductive system be able to handle the transformation process? Would she respond

to the pheromones that a Phantom warrior expelled during mating? All good questions

he could not readily answer.

Bacchus’ body hardened as goose bumps rose over the woman’s creamy flesh. Her

dusky nipples pebbled, drawing his gaze. She didn’t have four like a pleasurer, only

two. Pity that. The woman let out a squeal of delight, which fueled his sudden hunger.

He debated whether to materialize. It had been days since he’d had a woman

writhing beneath him and longer still since she’d come to his bed without payment. He

stepped forward in preparation. Entranced by her beauty and deafened by desire,

Bacchus didn’t hear the man’s approach on the sand until he was almost upon him.

Firm-framed with a shadowed jaw, the man slowed his pace as his gaze locked onto

the naked female. Bacchus could hear the man’s heartbeat accelerate and sense his

growing need. This was the perfect candidate, but he needed to act fast. Bacchus

stepped into the man’s path, allowing himself to pass through the runner’s body,

absorbing his essence, his knowledge, his experiences…
his memories
. The man stumbled,

but righted himself before he could fall. Bacchus felt a wave of nausea, then his body

settled.

The information imprinted in the man’s mind flowed into Bacchus at dizzying

speed, filling him with instantaneous knowledge about the planet and the customs of its

people. He sifted through the man’s memories. The male’s name was Ryan Parry. He

fancied himself a would-be warrior underneath his calm façade and had lost his best

friend, John, a year ago.

Bacchus saw a burial and a woman crying silently as a coffin was lowered into the

ground. The woman, Jill, was the dead man’s sister and Ryan Parry’s fiancée—

ex-fiancée. Another image of her popped into his mind. This time Jill was smiling and

laughing as Ryan wrestled with her brother, trying to take him to the grass after he’d

caught an oblong sphere called a football.

Blondish-brown hair, even-tempered with a sharp mind and even sharper tongue,

the woman in Ryan’s mind intrigued him. As Bacchus examined the man’s other

emotions, he sensed the concern he felt over Jill’s future. Her brother’s suicide coupled

with Ryan’s abandonment left her alone in the world.

Anger roared to life inside of Bacchus at the man’s callousness. In an instant, he

knew what he needed to do. He decided ‘twas only right that he check on the woman

known as Jill to ensure her well-being, since Ryan seemed bent on fulfilling his own

needs and ignoring hers.

Bacchus watched Ryan approach the dark-haired beauty and speak with her for

several minutes. His gaze greedily drank in her nude form. Lust rolled off him in waves,

much like the Pacific caressed the shore. After a while, they seemed to reach some kind

of understanding, for the next thing Bacchus knew the couple was leaving the beach,

heading toward a parking lot.

He followed Ryan and the woman to a nearby transport, finding pleasure despite

his anger in how the man pointed things out about this strange, but intriguing world.

Bacchus slipped inside the car before they pulled out onto the street.

The ocean crashed onto the shore in white waves as they raced down the highway.

Seagulls squawked above the water, dipping in for a quick meal amongst the shallows.

A few came up with small fish flapping in their beaks, only to be swallowed a second

later.

Invisible, Bacchus stared out the car window amazed at the shapes and sizes of the

various females wandering along the beach. Dressed in modest clothing and pleasurer

attire, there was something for any warrior on this planetary oasis.

Bacchus smiled as he considered the possibilities.

No, he mustn’t get too far ahead of himself. There was still a chance that the females

here on Earth wouldn’t be compatible with his species. Their physiology was fragile

compared to the inherent dangers on this planet. How they’d survived this long he was

not sure. The odor of fish and salt filtered in the air. They pulled up to a stoplight. More

women rushed across the road, carrying towels and bags, their eyes hidden beneath

black glasses and large hats.

Bacchus was tempted to jump out and taste the blood of one of the nearby females

just to see if there would be a match, but he didn’t. He already had a woman in mind.

Jill.
For her and her alone, he remained hidden.

He replayed the memories he’d imprinted from Ryan’s mind. The man seemed at a

loss when it came to dealing with Jill. He loved her, but she reminded him too much of

his dead friend. So much so, that he couldn’t stand to look at her. The pain was far too

great. A part of him blamed Jill for the loss of his friend. She should’ve insisted that John

see a psychiatrist, even though he too had objected. If she had, maybe John would still

be with them and their lives wouldn’t be in such a shambles. Bacchus shook his head at

the man’s faulty reasoning. He released the lingering guilt and sadness he sensed, then

searched Ryan’s memories for the definition of psychiatrist.
Someone who tries to shrink

your brain
flashed in his mind.

What kind of torture did this planet find acceptable? Did they really attempt to

shrink men’s minds? Bacchus shuddered at the thought. He would eviscerate the first

male who attempted such a thing on him.

They continued driving down the coast. From what Bacchus could tell, they headed

in the right direction to reach Jill’s home. That would make things much easier. He

frowned when the car pulled into a hotel whose windows held crisp white shutters,

which glistened in the sunlight. He arched a brow, finally understanding the agreement

the couple had reached.

The woman moved fast with this Earth man. Perhaps she was a pleasurer after all.

Bacchus exited the car and followed the couple down a sand-colored hall to a room

that faced the ocean. He felt guilty for intruding upon their privacy, but he needed to

ensure that Earthlings joined in much the same manner as Atlanteans. He didn’t want his

first joining with a woman to end in disaster… or death.

Ryan opened the door and ushered the woman inside, shutting the portal quickly

behind him. The abrupt action left Bacchus standing in the hall, staring at the door. He

grimaced at the momentary inconvenience and then walked through the wall.

The green room was bathed in light from the open shutters. Rich blue-green fabrics

covered the bed, making it feel as if the hotel brought the ocean indoors. Bacchus

watched the male stroll casually to the bathroom. Water came on a moment later. The

woman looked around the room, her gaze straying again and again to the bathroom

door. Bacchus laughed to himself, counting down the minutes it would take for her to

give in to her curiosity. More splashing came from the shower.

One…two…three.

The woman dropped her purse onto the floor, then stripped out of her clothing. She’

d shaved her mons, leaving a thin brown line of curls behind. She padded down the

same path Ryan took, her bare feet silent upon the carpeted floor. Her ass swayed from

side to side, framed perfectly by her womanly hips. She didn’t knock. She simply turned

the handle and walked in. Steam bellowed out the door as Bacchus made his way

toward the small room.

He reached the entrance in time to see the woman grab the shower curtain in order

to wrench it aside. Ryan’s hand stilled her actions. She gasped. Bacchus watched her

nipples bead in response to the man’s touch.

“I thought you weren’t going to join me,” Ryan said, pulling the shower curtain

aside without releasing her hand. His short hair lay slicked back on his head and his

tanned body glistened beneath a thousand tiny droplets. Moisture clung to his lashes,

hooding his brown eyes.

“You were expecting me.” The woman didn’t sound surprised.

Bacchus stared in fascination at the mating ritual taking place before his eyes. Earth

men were smaller anatomically than his species, but this one looked well enough

endowed to please this woman, if her widening gaze was any indication. She licked her

full lips.

“See anything you want?” Ryan choked, then cleared the thickness out of his throat.

The woman tore her gaze away from his cock and glanced back at the Earthling’s

face. “I could think of a thing or two that might interest me,” she practically purred.

“That makes two of us.” Ryan’s eyes lit with hunger as his gaze devoured her

nakedness, focusing on her full breasts and then lower. “Come on in, the water’s perfect

—like you.”

Bacchus stood there, listening to their soft moans and the slide of hands over wet

skin. He couldn’t see them, but the sounds were enough to drive any man insane. The

ache in his groin grew to dangerous levels. If Bacchus didn’t find release soon, he

wouldn’t be able to maintain his cover.

He stayed for a few minutes more, sweat beading his brow and his cock hard

enough to demolish walls. Bacchus needed to find Jill, and he needed to find her now.

He turned to leave the room when Ryan’s words to the woman stopped him cold.

“This time is going to have to be hard and fast. I hope you don’t mind.” His voice

came out on a harsh growl.

Bacchus backed out of the room, forcing his legs to move. He materialized as he

reached the shrub-covered balcony. His hand slid into the flap concealing his cock.

Bacchus nearly groaned aloud as his fingers made contact with his erect flesh. He pulled

his shaft free and began to stroke hard.

He clamped his jaw shut as his body tightened in preparation for his release. Blood

roared in Bacchus’ ears and his vision dimmed when his seed spilled onto the concrete

balcony. It took a few minutes for him to recover. By the time he had, Ryan and the

woman were on the bed. He faded again, blending into the wall like a chameleon.

He needed them to fuck, so he could see what transpired, and then leave while he

could still walk. His balls ached despite his release. If Bacchus stayed much longer, he’d

be tempted to join the couple and he knew this short-haired warrior wasn’t into sharing

females. Pity, considering the woman seemed to be more than up for it.

Bacchus concentrated on the man. Ryan’s memories of sex were hazy at best, diluted

from alcohol consumption and apathy. He didn’t attach value to the act, only physical

pleasure. Even that filtered in and out of his memory as if it weren’t worth recalling.

“I’m not sure what you’re doing to me,” Ryan said, rubbing his chin against the

woman’s cheek.

“Do you like it?” She hesitated.

“Love it. That’s the problem.” He laughed, but it held no humor. “Nothing this good

lasts forever.”

Bacchus held his breath, waiting to hear the woman’s response. This man was a fool

to push a perfectly acceptable woman away. Were Earth men stupid enough to believe a

good woman was easy to find? Did they mean so little to him that he felt he could

discard them at will? The thought was unfathomable to Bacchus, given the current state

his people were in.

The woman ignored his words and reached out, grasping the back of Ryan’s head

with one hand, sinking her fingers into his short blond hair before pulling his lips into a

blistering kiss. With her free hand, she reached between their bodies and grasped his

cock, parting the towel around his waist at the same time.

Bacchus felt himself grow hard again. He fisted his hands. Gaining knowledge of

mating on Earth would be the death of him. The woman caressed the man’s erect shaft,

teasing the head with her thumb.

Ryan broke the kiss, air rushing from his lungs. “Let me go. I want to taste you.”

She slipped her hand free. Passion glazed her hazel eyes as Ryan slid down her

body until his face was mere inches from her shaven mons. He inhaled and Bacchus

found himself doing the same. The rich and spicy fragrance of female nectar filled his

lungs. She was more than ready.