“Honey, you know what she just went through!” Sophie murmured to her husband. “Isn’t there anything you can give her to stop the pain until this passes?”
Sylvan looked regretful. “Maybe I could give her something to help her sleep through it if she’d only eaten a piece or two of the fresh fruit. But the quantity of bonding fruit chemicals in her blood is too extreme. She won’t be able to sleep through this attack and I’m afraid it’s going to get worse before it gets better.”
“Worse?” Anna groaned as another cramp hit her. She had been holding back her tears, hoping for a quick solution from the Mother Ship’s medical team. Now, hearing there was no help for her, made her lose her fight to stay dry-eyed. She could feel the tears coming and she didn’t even try to stop them.
“I can’t do it,” she sobbed, burying her face in the pillow. “I don’t want to do that after everything Gorn and Lazlo put me through! And I don’t have anybody who would do it with me anyway. Dark hates me now and I don’t blame him.”
“I could never hate you, baby,” a low, familiar voice said and then Dark was pushing his way into the crowded bedroom. “Anna,” he said, falling to his knees beside the bed and reaching for her. “I know how you feel about me but please—just take my hand. Let me help you, baby—let me take your pain.”
* * * * *
Dark had been awakened by a voice speaking right in his ear—but also inside his head, somehow. A soft, feminine voice that was filled with power.
“Awaken, Warrior,” it said, startling him out of sleep. “Your female needs you badly. You must get up and go to her.”
Anna! He was up and out of bed, getting dressed before he was even fully awake. The sense of urgency—the feeling that she was in grave danger and needed him badly—got stronger by the second. He yanked on his trousers and boots and then threw on a shirt, not bothering to button it. Then he found himself in the corridor outside the guest suite he had been assigned with no idea of where to go.
I will guide you, Warrior, the strong, feminine voice said and this time Dark knew who it must be speaking to him.
“Goddess?” he gasped, looking around, as though she might appear out of thin air.
“Yes, Warrior. You must come—your female needs you desperately.”
The voice of the Goddess guided him until he came to the suite where Anna was. It left him with two final words.
“Help her,” the Goddess commanded, and then Dark knew he was on his own.
The moment the door of Anna’s guest suite whooshed open, he felt her pain. It radiated out to him, calling to him as her pain and fear had in Gorn’s house, making him ache to be with her, helping her bear it.
He pushed his way into the room and saw her curled in the bed, her face a mass of tears and agony.
“Dark hates me now and I don’t blame him,” he heard her say. Her words twisted his heart.
“I could never hate you, baby,” he told her gently. Then coming to his knees beside her bed, he reached for her. “I know how you feel about me but please—just take my hand. Let me help you, baby—let me take your pain.”
To his great relief, Anna reached for his hand. The moment they touched, he felt her pain flow into him. A grinding, cramping agony that was like being stabbed in the guts with a butcher’s blade.
Dark grunted in pain and stiffened at the sudden blow.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Anna started to withdraw her hand but he wouldn’t let her.
“No!” he rasped, hanging on tighter. “No, I can take it. Let me help you, baby—don’t pull away.”
“I don’t want you to hurt too,” Anna whispered. “I’m so sorry about the way I treated you, Dark. You saved me and kept me safe and I was awful to you.”
“I lied to you,” he said simply. “That’s hard to forgive, especially when you’ve been deceived before by someone you trusted. But I swear I was only trying not to scare you and I’ll never lie to you again. I love you, baby.”
“Oh, Dark—I love you too,” she whispered, her eyes bright.
“Then let me come on the bed with you and hold you,” he said. “It’s easier to take the pain if we have more contact. Can you let me get closer, baby?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, come on.”
Greatly relieved, Dark toed off his boots and joined her on the bed. He had never bothered to button his shirt when he rushed over so it was easy to take Anna in his arms and press her against his bare chest. She was only wearing a short little night dress and her arms were bare. The greater skin-to-skin contact seemed to help and through his gift, he felt her pain ease a little.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she snuggled in his arms, her cheek pressed to his chest.
“You’re welcome, baby.” Dark dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Anything for you.”
“Ahem.” This sound came from Commander Sylvan, who was still standing with the two females at the side of Anna’s bed.
“Sorry,” Dark said, looking up at him. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your treatment. I just knew that Anna needed me and I had to get to her.”
“No, not at all,” Sylvan said. “In fact, you’re giving her better treatment than I or my colleague here could.” He nodded at the blonde female beside him. “This is Olivia, Anna’s healer.”
“Do you know what happened? What she, uh, needs to get over this?” Olivia asked, frowning at him.
Dark shook his head. “I only know the voice of the Goddess woke me up, telling me that Anna needed me. I got here as fast as I could.”
Olivia and the dark-haired female who looked remarkably similar to her exchanged a glance and nodded, as though confirming a suspicion both of them had.
“Anna told us you’d been Dream Sharing,” she said. “So we know you’re Anna’s intended mate. In which case, you can help her far more than we can. You see, she’s had an overdose of bonding fruit.”
“What? Where would she get bonding fruit?” Dark demanded.
“Gorn gave it to me,” Anna whispered weakly. “He said one of his new drewgs gave it to him. He called them ‘Kindred sweeties’ but I thought they were just some kind of dried fruit. He…he made me eat them all and now I feel so…well, you know how I feel, don’t you?”
“I certainly do,” Dark said grimly. “Dried bonding fruit? I thought that was against the law—isn’t it a controlled substance?”
“It is.” Sylvan frowned. “But regardless of how Anna got it, the fact remains that there is only one cure for an overdose this bad—penetration and an injection of male seed.”
“No—I won’t do that to her,” Dark said at once. “She’s been through too much already—I won’t take what she can’t give.”
“What can you do then?” Olivia asked blankly. “How can you help her if the two of you can’t make love?”
“I’m helping right now,” Dark told her. “I’m half Dark Healer and more than that, I’m a Pain Taker. I can siphon off her pain and take it into myself.”
“You can’t keep doing that for the hours and hours this attack is bound to last,” Sylvan protested.
“Watch me,” Dark said grimly. “Anna is mine. I’ll protect her from the pain, no matter what—no matter how long it takes. You don’t have to worry—I’ve got this.”
“Well…it appears you have.” Sylvan nodded and the two females exchanged a knowing look again. Dark was relieved that they seemed willing to trust him to take care of Anna. All he wanted to do right now was hold her and help her get through this.
All he wanted to do was love her forever.
Chapter Thirty-five
At a nod from Sylvan, the three of them walked quietly out of the room. As they left the suite, and the door whooshed shut behind them, Liv turned to her brother-in-law.
“Do you think she’ll be okay?” she asked anxiously. “I thought for sure I should have re-admitted her to the Med Center.”
“There’s nothing in the Med Center that can help her nearly as much as Dark can,�
�� Sylvan murmured.
“But…it feels wrong to leave her with no treatment,” Liv protested.
“You heard what Dark said,” Sophie told her. “The Goddess herself woke him up and sent him over. He’s what she needs right now—not any medicine, even if you had some which could help her—which you don’t.”
“No, we don’t,” Sylvan agreed. “Don’t worry, Olivia—I know you’re nervous because Anna is one of your first patients as a healer, but she’s going to be fine.”
“All right.” Liv sighed and ran a hand through her hair tiredly. “I just don’t want to screw up.”
Sylvan smiled and squeezed her shoulder briefly.
“I knew from the moment I first worked with you in the Med Center that you would be a good and conscientious healer, Olivia. You’ve done a fine day’s work. Now let’s all go get some rest so we can start again tomorrow.”
“What about the problem with the AIs?” Sophia asked. “I felt like we were getting close to a breakthrough before this thing with Anna happened.”
“Possibly…” It was Sylvan’s turn to sigh. “But we’re going to have to pick it back up tomorrow. I’ve called a meeting of the High Council and we can try to get to the bottom of it then. In the meantime, if I don’t get some sleep, I won’t be fit for any kind of duty.”
“I agree.” Liv yawned. “It’s been a hell of a long day. Let’s pack it in and try to figure things out in the morning.”
“Well…all right.” Sophia nodded reluctantly. “I guess we’d all better try and get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow—including our family reunion dinner with Nana.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me!” Liv groaned. “It’s not that I’m not glad she’s back but you have to admit, it’s weird.”
“That’s life aboard the Mother Ship,” Sophia reminded her. “Wonderful and fulfilling but also a little crazy at times. We’ll get to the bottom of it and things will go back to normal—you’ll see.”
“From your mouth to the Goddess’s ear,” Sylvan remarked. “Come on—let’s go, talana.”
He put an arm around Sophie’s shoulders and the three of them went back to their suites. Strange things were afoot on the Mother Ship but they would have to wait for tomorrow for a resolution.
Chapter Thirty-six
“That’s how you healed me before, isn’t it?” Anna asked, looking up at him. “By…by siphoning off my pain?”
Dark nodded. “Yeah, baby. That’s how.”
“But I don’t want you to take my pain! I don’t want you to hurt,” Anna protested. She tried weakly to climb out of his arms but Dark held her gently but firmly against him.
“Don’t worry about it,” he murmured. “I’d rather hold you and take your pain than watch you suffer it alone. I love you, Anna.”
“Oh, Dark…” Her words ended in a half-sob and she pressed her face harder to his chest. “I didn’t believe someone like you could love someone like me. That’s one reason I was so sure you were a Replicant—I didn’t think a real guy could feel that way for me.”
“Why not, baby?” he asked gently.
“Well, I’m too big and tall for one thing,” she pointed out.
“You’re not too big for me to hold you in my lap,” he pointed out. “And I love your luscious curves. You’re just the right size as far as I’m concerned.”
“It’s not only that…” Anna swiped at her tears. “After everything that happened—after what Lazlo and Gorn did to me, I feel so dirty…so used…damaged goods, you know?”
“Don’t ever say that about yourself,” Dark told her fiercely, a surge or protectiveness and love rising in him. “You’re perfect and beautiful just the way you are, baby. I don’t care what happened in your past—all I care about is the future and I want us to spend it together.”
“Oh, Dark…” She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
He laughed shortly. “I’m just possessive. You’re mine and I don’t let anyone talk badly about the ones I love.” He dropped another kiss on the top of her head. “Well…I guess we should see if there’s anything else Commander Sylvan or your healer want to do for you.”
But when they looked up, Sylvan and the two females had left the room and the front door to the suite, which could be seen from the bedroom door, was closed.
“Oh—they left and we didn’t even notice,” Anna murmured.
“It’s because we only have eyes for each other,” Dark told her, smiling a little. “I think I feel your pain easing a little.”
“I think it’s being close to you that’s helping. Of course…” She bit her lip. “Commander Sylvan said the only thing that will cure this completely is, uh, you know.”
“I know and we don’t have to do that,” Dark assured her. He would never hurt her as that bastard Lazlo and fucking Gorn had done. He would rather take her pain all day and night than ruin her trust in him again. “We can just stay here like this,” he told Anna. “It isn’t so bad.”
“No…I guess not.” She shifted against him. “Although…” She stopped, biting her lip again, which Dark knew was a sign of uncertainty and indecision with her.
“What is it, baby?” he murmured. “Whatever it is, just tell me.”
* * * * *
Anna frowned, uncertain how to put what she needed to say. The thing was, now that Dark had taken most of her pain away, she was beginning to feel a new sensation. A need that was growing into urgency.
She remembered what Commander Sylvan and Liv had said—that the only true cure for the overdose of bonding fruit she had unwittingly digested was penetration and male seed.
The fear of being penetrated and hurt was still very strong in her mind. The hard lessons she had learned from Lazlo and Gorn wouldn’t easily leave her alone. But strangely, she found that the fear, like the pain she had been feeling, was lessened by Dark’s presence. The big Kindred seemed to make everything better and her only wish right now was to get closer to him.
“Maybe…maybe you could just…kiss me?” she looked up at him, making the words a question.
He looked at her seriously. “Do you want me to kiss you, Anna?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I do.”
Dark cupped her face in his big, warm hands and looked intently into her eyes. Anna felt her breath catch in her throat at the look in his bronze eyes and her heart skipped a beat. It reminded her of the gentle way he had first kissed her, standing there in Gorn’s kitchen when she’d believed he was a Replicant—too good to be real.
But he is real, she thought to herself as he kissed her, his mouth pressing lightly against hers until Anna opened her lips to him, inviting him in. He’s real and he’s right here in bed with me. And there’s nobody and nothing to stop us.
Nothing except her own fear, that was. But under the fear there was something else—an emotion that had been all but buried by cruelty and evil until Dark had come into her life and helped her find it again.
It was a warm feeling between her thighs…a tingling at the tips of her breasts…a delicious languor that seemed to flow through her veins like honey and make her want to melt against the muscular chest she was leaning on. Dark’s scent was so strong and good—cinnamon and sugar and that dark, secret spice that was somehow entirely masculine. It rose around her, making the tingling need in her pussy and nipples even stronger.
She remembered the deep desire she’s had to hold and be held—to make love with a man who loved her—back when she was living and working alone on Aka’ja station. Lazlo had come along and exploited that need—used it to hurt her. And Gorn had been a monster. But maybe…just maybe, the two of them hadn’t managed to completely kill her desire. Her need to be close and intimate with a man she could trust.
“Oh, Dark…” she whispered as the long, delicious kiss broke at last. “That felt so good…so right.”
“Feels right to me too, baby,” he murmured, his eyes half-lidded with desire. “I
could kiss you all night. And that’s all we have to do if that’s all you feel comfortable with.”
“I…I think I could maybe do a little more,” Anna told him. She shifted again, pressing her thighs together. “I’m starting to feel so…so needy, if you know what I mean.”
He nodded. “I do. That’s probably the bonding fruit working on you. It’s not actually meant to cause such intense pain, you know. If you only eat one or two, it acts as an aphrodisiac—or so I’ve heard.”
“So…it makes you want sex?” Anna asked in a small voice.
He nodded. “But we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Look at me, Anna…” He lifted her chin so they were eye-to-eye. “I know what it’s like to be taken against your will,” he murmured. “I want you to know I would never do that to you. Ever.”
“Thank you.” Anna whispered. “And…I’m so sorry that happened to you, Dark. It’s awful—I know.”
“We’re both survivors,” he whispered and kissed her again, gently on the cheek. “Don’t cry, baby—we’ll get through it together.”
Anna realized she was crying again—not sobbing but a slow leak of hot tears when she thought of how life had damaged them both.
“Why did it have to happen?” she asked Dark, knowing he would understand what she meant.
“I don’t know.” He sounded thoughtful. “I do know, though, that I never would have met you if I hadn’t found you at Gorn’s house. And I wouldn’t have really understood what you were going through if I hadn’t gone through it myself. I know that doesn’t make the pain less, but I’m glad we have each other to help bear it.”
He kissed her again, gently, and it was Anna who deepened the kiss this time. She licked delicately at the sharp tips of his fangs and felt a deep shiver run through him at her careful caress. She could feel something hot and hard pressing against her thigh as she leaned up to kiss him and she realized it was his shaft.
He’s getting hard from this, she thought. Maybe the fangs are an erogenous zone for Blood Kindred.
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