Kiss of the Night (Carnal Thirst 2)

Don’t say a word, James, she warned silently.

For once, her droid used his undeniable logic to keep his mouth shut.

* * * * *

Alex hit the catch on his boot and watched as his footwear sealed automatically. Straightening, he arched his neck, adjusting the fit of the scabbard that was slung across his back. His laser sword clung to his thigh and his blaster hung fully charged in the holster at his side. Normally, he wouldn’t need anything more than his own physical power, but he had no idea what he was walking into and he had Bree to worry about. He’d need the wooden sword at his back if he had to face off against his own kind, the blaster if he fought a droid and his laser sword—with a massive helping of good fortune—if he fought against a Shinite.

Growling with frustration and unbearable worry, he began to pace. He’d landed on the surface an hour ago, but he had to wait for the cursed twin suns of Tolan to set.

Bree was close despite her three-hour head start. He could sense her. His shuttlecraft’s unique tracking signal had made it simple to find and he’d landed at the closest port. It was a public transport hub and they’d protested mightily at his request to land. His ship, the Renegade, was a deep-space Starwing, far too large for the design of the simple local hub. He’d had to beg, barter and plead for the clearance to land and in the end it had cost him a case of Anneri wine. The beverage wasn’t illegal, but it was very hard to come by and very expensive.

The soft beeping from the bridge told him the suns had gone down far enough that it was safe for him to venture outside. The cargo ramp lowered with what Alex considered to be uncustomary leisure. His booted foot tapped out an impatient staccato as the landing bay slowly came into view.

Outside, beings of all nationalities scurried about their business. Flight information paged from the overhead speakers and various smells assaulted his senses. But the animal within him focused on just one scent—Bree’s. She was close, very close.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Alex let the beast free. His fangs descended from their confinement, his nails lengthened into deadly claws, his muscles thickened and bulged. His sense of smell sharpened, his hearing and vision became acute and power visibly rippled beneath his taut skin. It was nearly orgasmic, the sensation of the hunger unleashed. He stepped out into the concourse and all eyes turned to him.

He licked his fangs and smiled.

The hunt was on.

Chapter Six

Pacing in the darkness, Briana drummed her fingers against the hilt of her blaster and surveyed the transport hub in the wide valley below. She’d been waiting for hours for the instructions to come and her patience had long since run out.

“I want you to break into the comm room, James. Tap the lines going into the hub and trace the sender of the link when it comes in.” At least with James working toward her cause she’d feel less helpless and more active.

“Of course, Mistress.” James cut through the brush and made his way down the sloping hill toward the utility door visible from where they stood.

She watched him move, noting the way he detected the security vids and avoided them. For a sex bot, the variety of his skills impressed her. He was definitely one of the best investments she’d made.

What about me?

Her shoulders stiffened, the hairs on her nape tingling into a singular awareness, as did every cell in her body. She’d known he would come after her, she just hadn’t expected it to happen so fast. “You shouldn’t be here.”

He growled.

“Don’t growl at me. This isn’t any of your business.” Turning slowly, she faced Alexei Night and her mouth fell open at the sight of him. “Alex…?” she breathed, as the surface of her skin misted from a heretofore unknown level of desire. He looked larger, meaner and far more dangerous. The glint in his eyes was feral and voracious.

Damn, he was hot! Hard everywhere, he was the most gorgeous creature she’d ever seen. His thick, beautiful hair could have blended with the darkness, except for the loving caress of moonlight that caught the strands and made them gleam like starlight. His dark, liquid eyes glowed a brilliant red, burning through her clothing with a ravenous intensity. Dressed in his customary vest, his arms and chest rippled with lean power while skin-hugging pants showed off the beauty of his legs and luscious cock.

Her nipples pebbled into aching points and her pussy grew soft and damp, just from the sight of his dark skin burnished with the lunar glow. Fierce, painful arousal flooded her senses in a force so powerful she almost fell to her knees. She moved toward him, unable to do anything else. Delicious memories of their encounter in the workout room made her shiver and walk faster. She was desperate to have him that way again.

“Stay away,” came the guttural order.

Glancing at the huge erection outlined by his trousers, Bree licked her lips. He was dressed to kill, literally, and it was so amazingly sexy.

She wanted him. And she would have him. Now.

Alex snarled. “Don’t come closer.”

The coiling tension radiating from him was a tangible thing. His fists clenched and unclenched rhythmically at his sides while the muscle in his jaw ticced with his effort at restraint.

He was barely in control, she could tell, and it was such a turn-on. Never in her life had she needed anything as badly as she needed him now. She ran the distance between them, determined to rip off the material that hid his body from her view. Her hands grabbed his pecs and squeezed, as she ground her aching pussy against the hard flesh of his thigh.

The next thing she knew, she was facedown on the ground, trussed up like a Tolan fowl.

“Hey!” she yelled, struggling against the bonds that held her. “Let me go!”

“No.” His voice was nearly unrecognizable, deep and low and seductive as hell. He moved away and she heard him pacing like a caged beast, the fallen leaves rustling beneath his boots.

“Alexei, please,” she begged, her entire body aching and burning for him. “Fuck me.”

He came over her, hovering…needing…wanting…just as she was. She could feel the depth of his hunger. I want to eat you up, lick your cream, drink from you.

“Please!” she cried again, thrashing restlessly. “I need you.”

A low rumbling growl filled the air and then he bounded away.

She couldn’t believe it. He’d actually left her. Like this!

Her ears strained for a sound from him, but the forest was still and silent except for the soft noctu

rnal calls of the various insects and animals that made the woods their home.

Gradually the tightness of her flesh and muscles began to ease, the misty sweat on her skin drying in the cool night air. Only after her breathing returned to normal and her heart rate slowed to a more reasonable pace did Alexei return. She heard the steady, rhythmic crunching of his steps on dried leaves as he approached.

Crouching next to her, Alex brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen free from the tight coil at her nape. “Are you okay, sweetness?” he asked in a soothing whisper.

“I’m tied up on the ground. I wouldn’t say I’m okay,” she snapped. She glared up at him, noting that he looked like himself again. Just a man. An achingly beautiful man with a seductive smile and tightly leashed power beneath a flamboyant façade.

Alex laughed and made quick work of the ties that bound her. “Good. You sound like you’re ready to kill me, which, sadly, is more appropriate at this moment than you raping me. However, please feel free to have your way with me at any another time.”

Bree pulled her hands free and pushed up to a seated position. “What the hell was that?”

“My calling.” He offered a sheepish smile that made her heart skip a beat. “I’m sorry. I can’t contain it when I’m hunting. It’s instinctive to subdue prey.”

“Talk like that is why a lot of humans hate your kind.” She wrinkled her nose. “Being called ‘prey’ isn’t very endearing.”

He chuckled and held out a hand to help her up. The moment they touched, a hot shiver ran through her. Calling or not, Alex had that effect on her.

“Hell,” she grumbled as she was pulled to her feet. “I wanted to fuck you right here, right now, in the middle of waiting for an important comm.” She shook her head and snorted in disgust. “I was acting like one of the Too Stupid to Live romance heroines in my e-books. You know, the ones that want to fuck right in the middle of the danger and the reader is sitting there going, ‘What the hell is she doing?’.”

“Um, no,” Alex said dryly. “I don’t know.”

He began brushing the dead leaves off her with gentle hands, his fingers lingering in all the right places. “Sweetness, you really need to stop reading that stuff. If you want some entertainment, just see me. I’ll keep you busy.”