Alien Beast, page 9
part #2 of Warriors of Gehar Series
“Why do you say that?”
“This is the nicest bedroom in the house. Either she likes you, or she felt bad for you.”
“Because I have to deal with the beast, you mean?” She laughs. “This is the fanciest room I’ve ever had, so it must mean you’re absolutely terrifying.” She walks to the bathroom, her hips swaying, and she starts to fill the bathtub. “Come on, Your Excellency. In you go.”
I follow her, my eyes glued to her round butt. “I am terrifying,” I tell her. “Ask anyone. Ask Hakan Abiri.”
“Mmm. Speaking of the devil, why did he want us to eat together? Not that I’m complaining.”
“He thinks I’m brooding.” I climb into the tub and sigh in bliss. “And being the person he is, he has to meddle.”
She takes off her dress and joins me in the water. “You are brooding. You nearly bit Deroz’s head off last night.”
I did. I feel guilty too, damn it. Still, Deroz should have known better than to pass a message on from Khem. “Are you going to give me a lecture about my rudeness?”
“Why would I do that? You already know you shouldn’t have snapped at him.” She smiles at me. “Maybe you’ll get him his favorite food to apologize.”
“I doubt that. I am not a nice person.”
Her lips curve into a mysterious smile. “So you keep telling me. Here’s a question for you. How would Hakan Abiri know if we’re eating meals together?”
“Anusha would tell him.”
“She would?”
“In a heartbeat. Anusha worries about me. If she thinks Hakan’s methods will help, then she’ll absolutely cooperate. So would any of the others.”
“And you don’t think of it as a betrayal?”
“Sometimes I do. Not always.” I shrug. “Anusha wants what’s best for me. What she thinks is best doesn’t always agree with my desires, but I’ve made my peace with it.”
She considers that, her brow furrowed. “I think that’s true of Abiri as well. I think he genuinely cares. He’s worried about you. That’s why he sent me.”
“Hakan Abiri genuinely caring about someone.” I have to bite back my smile. “He has a heart, it is rumored, but it’s buried deep down under layers and layers of cunning and intrigue. Why are we talking about Abiri, anyway?” I lean forward. “Come closer.”
“Okay.” She cooperatively moves toward me. I grab her hips and tug her onto my lap, and she giggles. “Don’t you dare start something. Remember how I said I’d come three times already? I need a break.”
“I’m not starting anything,” I lie shamelessly.
“Then why are your hands on my nipples?”
Oops. I let them go, and she strokes the scar on my forearm. “You could have got them fixed. Why didn’t you?”
“They make me look dangerous. Women find that hot, I’ve been told.”
She twists her head around. “Don’t bullshit me, Adon. I’m not an idiot.”
No, she isn’t. I take a deep breath. Oh, what the hell. I could rebuff her again, but I don’t want to. She’s already heard the gossip anyway. Everyone has. “Yasar died.” I stroke her shoulder. Her skin feels like warm silk. “I got him killed. I can get the scars fixed. I can get the nanogen shot. But none of it will bring Yasar Vedad back. What’s the point of pretending I’m whole and unblemished? I’m not.”
She leans back against my chest. For a long time, she doesn’t say anything. “You remember earlier, when I said I haven’t looked for a job yet?”
“Mmm.” Dimek said he knew the first moment he saw Mina that she was the one. Jehan never forgot about Keomi. I never fully understood. But cradling Bella like this—she feels right in my arms.
“It wasn’t because I don’t know if the universities in the Gehar Empire hire humans. That’s an easy thing to find out. It’s because I’ve been afraid.” She sighs heavily. “Our ship was blown up. Petosa hired mercenaries to find us. We were holed up in Reganne, hiding from them. When my mother died, she left me her only piece of jewelry, a sapphire pendant. I had to sell it to afford the hotel room.”
Reganne. Where Khem is headed.
“If the mercenaries found us, they would have killed us.” Her lips twist. “Nothing happened. Nobody died. It’s still taken me three months to feel safe. You and me, we’re not too different. The scars don’t have to be visible to be there.”
You didn’t get anyone killed, I want to snap. I resist the urge. “This is a very heavy conversation,” I say lightly. “I believe you promised to ride my face.”
“I did nothing of the kind,” she protests. “I’m maxed out. Three orgasms is plenty.”
“Then why are you grinding your round little ass into my cock?” I laugh at the expression on her face. “Come on, Bella. You know you want another.”
We dry off and move to the bed. I lie back and she straddles me. I reach for her hips, but she shakes her head with a smile. “It’s my turn, Your Excellency,” she says. She kisses up my legs, her hair trailing over my skin. She nibbles my thighs and just when I’m about to beg, she takes my cock in her mouth. I groan out loud. Fuck me, her mouth, her tongue, the expression in her blue, blue eyes… Desire burns me. “This isn’t fair.”
“Mmm,” she says around my cock.
Fuck. My blood is boiling. I need to taste her again. “Get your pussy on my face,” I order.
She lifts her head up. “Wait your turn,” she says with a wicked smile.
I don’t think so. I grab her shoulders and lift, burying my face in her soft heat. Bella Ortiz is an addiction, and I cannot get enough.
14
Bella
We spend the morning in bed. I should move, I think to myself. I should get up and put some clothes on, and attempt to put some distance between Adon and me.
But I can’t make myself leave.
This is the best sex I’ve ever had. By a light year. The first time with a new partner is always a little awkward. Things bump into each other. Sometimes, men don’t listen to what I want. They treat me like a porcelain doll, delicate and breakable. I’m expected to lie there and be grateful for the gift of their penis, even if they don’t seem to know how to use it.
It couldn’t have been more different with Adon. There had been no weird moments. It had just been hot. And all through it, I’d felt safe, and I’d felt respected.
The Third Shield of Gehar is very good. And very, very dangerous, because I can’t get enough of him.
He sits up with a groan. “I should probably go.”
Why? This is so nice. Can’t we stay in bed the entire day? I bite those words back before they can leave my mouth. “Of course. You probably have a long day of moping ahead of you.”
He grins and swats my ass. “It’s brooding,” he corrects. “Not moping.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Brooding is grumpier.”
That makes me laugh. He gets to his feet with barely a wince. “How’s the knee?” I ask him.
“It’s not bad. I thought it would be worse.”
He needs the nanogen shot, but he won’t get it. He feels guilty for Yasar Vedad’s death. The pain is punishment. I understand what he’s thinking, but I don’t agree. Not that I’m going to tell him that. We slept together, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to welcome my input. I’m fairly sure that if I push too hard, like Deroz did last night, he’ll bite my head off. Or worse.
He takes in my expression. “You have an opinion about my knee, don’t you?”
“Are you asking for it?”
“Sure. You’re a physiotherapist. Tell me what you think I should do.”
“Get the nanogen shot,” I say instantly. “The new generation of nanogens are a miracle. I looked up your medical history on my way here.” I wait for him to point out that Abiri shouldn’t have given me access to his records, but he doesn’t interrupt. “You’d been badly hurt, and the doctors that treated you were focused on keeping you alive. About thirty percent of Geharrim don’t react well to nanogens, but they tested you. You’re safe. I don’t know why they didn’t offer you the treatment—”
“They did. I’d checked myself out of the hospital by then. I hate healing tanks.”
“This is just a couple of needles. You can be in and out in ten minutes. Hell, you’re the freaking Third Shield of Gehar. The doctors will probably come here if you let them.”
Judging by the look on his face, I haven’t done a very good job convincing him. “Of course, if you’re scared of needles…” I let my voice trail off. “Big guy like you. I’m just saying—”
He smacks my ass again. “I know what you’re doing,” he says. “It won’t work.” He pulls his pants on. I prop myself up on one elbow and watch shamelessly. “Want to do this again?”
Until he asks the question, I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear it. “Only if you let me go down on you.”
He flashes me a smile. “Tonight?”
Yes. Absolutely. I beam at him. I can’t help myself. Subtle, I’m not. “Are you going to sneak into my bedroom?”
He winks. “You’ll find out.” He bends down and brushes a kiss over my lips, and then he leaves.
There is a message from Commander Duran on my comm. It's encrypted. I use the decryptor that Arten Toma has programmed into my device and pull up the message.
The commander’s holo appears in front of me. “Flying separately was a great idea,” he says. “I rounded up Arten and Sergio. We came up with this.”
This is a list of commercial shuttles departing Kissura. Five are highlighted.
“Sergio took your idea and ran with it,” Commander Duran continues. “These five routes are the best options.” His voice is threaded with enthusiasm. “Five different routes, each with multiple stops along the way. Look.”
A star chart materializes in mid-air. “Let’s take a look at the shortest route.” The commander clicks on Kissura. Seven shuttles depart Kissura in the same time frame, all flying to different locations. “Let’s eliminate Podis and Commar,” he says. “You can’t get to Atlantis from them, not unless you double back to Kissura. That still leaves five different destinations. The next step on the route is Finar. That’s in Vikari space. From Finar, you can go three different directions. You see how this works?”
I do. Sergio is a genius. Petosa’s mercenaries will either have to guess where we’re going, or they’ll spread themselves thin trying to cover all the stops on the route.
“The shortest route has three stops on the way to Atlantis. The longest has six. None of them intersect. This is a good plan, Bella. I think it could work. It evens the odds considerably in our favor.”
That's good. Stars knows we need it.
“There's just one thing,” he continues. “This lowers the danger, but it doesn't bring it down to zero. I used to be in the army before I joined Space Fleet. Thom and Sarit know their way around weapons. Hera’s brother is former army. He’s going to accompany her. Which leaves you.”
In my nightmares, I’m always too terrified to fire my weapon. Could I shoot under pressure? I highly doubt it. And even if I could, I’d be no match for a trained killer.
“I would feel a lot better you had some protection.” He frowns. “I’m trying to find you a bodyguard, but of course, it’s not as easy as it seems. I don't know who to trust, and I really don’t want to bother Keomi. You know as well as I do that if she found out what we’re planning to do, she would cut short her honeymoon.”
Yeah, I do know that. Some captains let their crew throw themselves in danger while they stay on board the safety of the ship, but Captain Hearne is not one of them. She’s always led from the front.
Captain Hearne is the reason we’re here in the Gehar Cluster. If it wasn’t for her, we’d still be on Reganne. We’ve already relied on her for so much. At some point, we have to face our own problems.
“Still, that’s a detail. We’ll figure it out; we have a couple of weeks. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on.” Humor sparks in his tired eyes. “The team already drew straws for the various routes. Since you weren’t here, you’re stuck with the six-stop monster journey. Voutis, Bayil, Typhol, Megra, Kavaris, and then Atlantis. Hera says she’s sorry about giving you the longest route, but between you and me, she’s lying. Good work, Bella. Comm me if you have any questions.”
The first stop on my journey is Voutis. The same planet that fucked up Adon. Talk about irony.
I take a long shower, my thoughts churning. Commander Duran thinks I need a bodyguard. I find myself strangely reluctant to ask Adon for help, and it’s obvious why. First, it’s Voutis. Adon has history with this planet. Bad history. I can’t drag him to it again.
But there’s another reason. We slept together, and I don’t want Adon to think that the sex came with strings attached. I don't want him to believe that sharing my bed comes with a set of irksome obligations.
The Third Shield has made it clear that he doesn't want to get involved in Gehar politics. He wants out. He wants to be left alone.
If I approach Adon with my problems, one of two things will happen. He'll either turn me down, or worse, he'll say yes out of a sense of duty.
I can’t do that to him. I don’t want to.
Commander Duran hadn't seemed too worried. We have two weeks. There’s still time to come up with an alternate plan.
My comm chimes again when I step out of the shower. This time, my caller is Hakan Abiri. “Well?” he demands.
“Well, what?”
“How is Adon doing?” he asks impatiently. “Did you forget the part of our agreement where you kept me abreast on his progress?”
To be honest, I totally did. It's been a tumultuous twenty-four hours, to say the least. Being Abiri’s spy was the last thing on my mind.
You need a bodyguard, a voice prompts. Hakan Abiri is the Gehar Chief of Staff. As allies go, he is as powerful as it gets.
And I have good news to deliver. It’s too early for there to be a change in Adon’s leg, of course, but there are hopeful signs. He’s cooperating with me. He’s eating meals with everyone. He’s not hiding under a hood. I might even be able to talk him into getting the nanogen shot.
I’m doing well. Abiri has reason to be grateful to me. He might even be grateful enough to provide us an escort to Atlantis.
Adon wouldn't hold it against me if I gave Hakan Abiri an update. He probably expects me to. He didn’t seem bitter about Anusha talking to the Gehar Chief of Staff; he seemed philosophical about it.
But even though Adon says he doesn't care, I don't want to do that to him. He has a right to his privacy. If he doesn't want Abiri to know how he's doing, then I’m not going to be the one who betrays his confidence. The Third Shield of Gehar is a good person, and he deserves better.
“If you want to know, you’ll have to ask him. I’m not going to give you updates.”
His eyes harden. “I’m going to suggest you reconsider that decision.”
“Sorry, no. I’m not going to.”
“Should I remind you that I control your refugee status and that of your teammates?”
Oh, I’ve really pissed Abiri off if he’s threatening me out loud. It’s a good thing I don’t care. For once, I truly have the upper hand. “You can remind me of that, yes. But in turn, I will remind you that I am here. Adon hasn't kicked me out. You can decide what matters to you. What’s more important? Adon’s progress, or your need to know about it?”
I level a steady gaze at him. “Let me be crystal clear, Your Excellency. If you harm my teammates, I will stop what I’m doing here. If you threaten them in any way, I will leave. And you can wait two more months to plant the next physiotherapist.”
Abiri's eyes narrow. “I underestimated you,” he says. “I will not make that mistake again.” His voice has a tone of grudging respect. “Make sure he does his exercises. The universe is a complicated place, and I need Adon functioning again.”
15
Adon
I’m distinctly nervous as I comm Khem.
For ten months, he has tried to reach out to me. I have rebuffed his every attempt. Dimek told me he visited me when I was in the healing tank; I didn't want to hear about it. Jehan has tried to get me to talk to him; I refuse to listen.
Sick with guilt over what I did, I have avoided my best friend.
But stars, I miss him.
It's intimidating growing up in a house with Dimek and Jehan to look up to. Dimek is strong and steadfast, and he always does the right thing. Jehan is effortlessly good at everything he does, eclipsing everyone around him.
But Khem and I, from the first moment we met, we understood each other. I was in the shadow of my much more brilliant cousins, and Khem was a scandal, the bastard son newly acknowledged by his father. He was an outsider, and I felt like one, and we quickly bonded.
And I was responsible for the death of his younger brother.
The comm chimes. There is no reply. I am about to give up when Khem answers. “Adon,” he says. “This is… unexpected.”
His eyes are wary. There is a distance in them that wasn’t there ten months ago.
I hate it.
I had a speech prepared. I remember none of it. “I killed your brother,” I blurt out instead.
“Strange. Because I would have sworn it was the human arms-dealer, Viktor Kozma, that was responsible. Don’t tell me I killed the wrong person.”
“It was my responsibility to keep him alive. I should have—”
“For fuck’s sake, Adon,” Khem snaps. “It's been ten months. Do you want me to coddle you like the rest of them? Do you want me to gently reassure you that it was not your fault?”
He fixes me with a glare. “We both know you couldn’t have saved Yasar. There wasn’t enough time. I reviewed the flight log. Yasar did the only thing he could. There was no way out of that situation. No way for him to cheat death. I'm fucking proud of my brother. Staring death in the face, he didn’t fall apart. In the most difficult moment of his life, Yasar demonstrated what he was made of. He realized there was no need for both of you to die, and he acted.”
