Venomous Craving

by Mary Auclair

  “Rose almost died.” Arlia cut the heavy silence, her usually melodious voice shaking. She turned to Karian, her face pleading. “You should take her inside and help her settle down.”

  Karian stared at his mother, blinked a few times, then nodded. He turned his back on Arlen and Maral and locked gazes with Rose. Without speaking, he bent and swept her into his arms, cradling her like a small child against his chest.

  They didn’t speak until they were alone in their bedroom and he had put her down.

  “Are you hurt?” He didn’t wait for an answer and pulled her loose shift over her head, then inspected every exposed inch of her body with scrutiny that would make her squirm under different circumstances.

  “No, I’m fine.” She pulled his face up until he was staring into her eyes. “I had a good scare, and I could use some water, but it’s nothing that can’t be cured with a good meal and a long night’s sleep. Really, I’m okay.”

  Karian’s eyes flashed and he pulled her into his chest, crushing her in a way that spoke more than words ever could. Rose’s lips began to tremble and she abandoned herself in his embrace, inhaling his scent and losing herself in the feeling of his warm skin under her cheek. His proximity stirred stronger emotions each time, and as her hands ran up his muscular back, a now familiar heat began low in her belly.

  Karian pushed her away from his chest. “I can’t believe you ran out like that.”

  She looked up to see his eyes shining with anger. His mouth was a thin line, lips pressed together, and a vein was pulsing at his temple. Now that he was reassured of her physical well-being, she realized he was angry.

  “You were almost mauled. You could have died.”

  “I didn’t run out.” Rose stepped back, her irritation mixing with emotional exhaustion. This was beginning to seriously aggravate her. “Why won’t you believe me? I didn’t go out for a leisurely stroll. I thought Arlia was in trouble.”

  “You went out there with no protection, no weapons,” Karian growled. “How did you expect to protect my mother from the killkons? With your bare hands?”

  “I had a knife,” Rose said through clenched teeth, her anger burning like embers, low and deep. “I’m a good huntress. I track prey as well as the best of them.”

  Karian looked down at her, his mouth still grim, but the lines softened as the anger slowly slipped out of him. He stared for a long time, then nodded.

  “All that matters is that you’re safe now.”

  He brought his hand up and rubbed his forehead. Rose noticed the lines of worry at the corners of his mouth, the dark circles almost black under his eyes. Guilt and concern flashed inside her, and she struggled to find the strength to go to him, to stroke the tension away from those wide shoulders. In the end, she couldn’t. As much as she wanted to, she was too hurt by his refusal to trust her.

  She searched to find something else to say—anything—but found she was empty of words. She wasn’t sure whether Maral had really locked her out, or if it was only her nerves that were frayed, but she knew the scar it had left between herself and Karian. He viewed her as reckless and without judgment. She couldn’t be with someone who dismissed her, who didn’t view her as his equal.

  Karian’s eyes left Rose to gaze out the window. Sadness and pity flashed on his perfect, hard features.

  Outside, the male killkon’s howls were morphing into a rhythmic, slow complaint. The sounds tore at Rose’s heart, painting a picture of the animal’s grief no human words could. His pain was deep and staggering, and as his voice grew in a steady staccato, tears came to her eyes.

  “Why doesn’t he stop?” She would give anything to be rid of that sound. It was a bottomless, dark pit of misery no animal should be able to feel.

  “He’s mourning,” Karian answered, his face half-turned to the window, his eyes an unreadable pool of blue. “Killkons mate for life.” He turned to Rose, and she was surprised to spot a veil of pain in his gaze, but it was gone too fast for her to be sure. “He’ll be dead by morning.”

  “What?” Rose was left dumbstruck. “How?”

  “Killkons do not survive the death of their mates. Their bond is too strong. He is dying as he’s singing the departure of his beloved.” Karian inhaled deeply, then turned away from the window to face Rose. “Eokim is a planet where bonds run deep. Killkons and Eoks are kindred spirits in this.”

  Karian stepped closer, then his fingers closed at the back of her neck. He pulled Rose in and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. A fascinating, yet terrible realization lurked in her mind, just out of reach.

  “How kindred?”

  Her words were soft, but she sensed she was getting close to some terrible truth that had eluded her for too long. Karian stared at her, his blue eyes full of some ancient knowledge, and then she knew. His family’s reaction to the bloodmating, Karian’s constant obsession with her safety—it all made sense now.

  “The bloodmating,” she said in a breathless gasp. “It linked us the same way the killkons are linked, didn’t it?”

  Karian didn’t reply, but the gleam in his eyes gave her the answer she needed. The implications of the true meaning of the bloodmating made her head feel light, like it was going to float away.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” The words left her lips in a whisper.

  “What does it change?” Karian kept his gaze on Rose with such intensity that she felt herself melting into the floor. “Bloodmating is not reversible. It’s a rare occurrence, something that only happens when an Eok warrior meets his lifemate, the one he cannot live without. If she dies, he follows soon after.”

  “But that doesn’t apply to you and me,” Rose negated, but there was something stubborn and hopeful that fluttered deep inside her stomach. “You mated me to repay your debt, not because we’re some kind of soulmates.”

  Karian watched her for a long time. All the while, hope raced around in her mind like a trapped wild animal, refusing to give up. Finally, he pursed his lips, then shook his head.

  “I’m leaving for the Ring’s Headquarters tomorrow.” Karian pulled away and locked eyes with Rose. “The Council moved their session up. The Trade Minister is on to something.”

  “You’re not going there by yourself.” How could he think she’d allow him to go alone? “I’m coming with you.”

  “It’s out of the question.” He shook his head in negation. “You’re staying here with my family, where they can protect you.”

  “Certainly not. I’m not about to let you go there by yourself when I’m the only proof we have. It makes no sense for me to stay behind. They’ll have only your word against Minister Knut’s. It won’t be enough.”

  “I can’t have you in danger.” His eyes shone under the soft light. His words were as soft as his voice, but there was no mistaking the steel underneath. “I won’t be able to think straight if I’m worried about your safety.”

  “Then protect me. I know how formidable a warrior you are. You can find a way.”

  “You don’t understand how difficult it is to secure your safety.”

  “I can’t live this way. I can’t be with someone who’s willing to crush my freedom, to impose his will over mine whenever he thinks he’s right.” This over-protectiveness was racking her nerves. He needed to trust her, or they could never be truly close. “Ever since we were rescued from Saarmak, you’ve been pushing me back. You’re not honest with me.”

  “I’m as honest as I can be without endangering you.”

  “That’s not enough for me,” Rose replied, taking a step closer.

  Karian’s mouth thinned until his lips were a fine line, and his eyes gleamed, but he remained silent. He agreed, then. Rose was nothing but a female now that they were in his world. Everything they had been to each other when survival was all that mattered was gone. Rose couldn’t feel the same about the Karian on Eokim as she had for the Karian on Saarmak. That Karian had been full of humor, intelligence, and had a trusting heart. The Karian from Saarmak treat
ed her as his equal. Here on Eokim, all those things were gone.

  She needed him to understand how much she needed this trust, this partnership. He belonged to her as much as she belonged to him.

  “We had a deal.” She lost herself in those shining blue eyes, so deep she felt as if she was drowning a bit more every time. “You promised you’d do everything you can to save my family, my people. For that, you need me at the Ring’s session.”

  “I’m not going to put you in harm’s way.” He took a step closer, but nothing in his body yielded. He was unmovable, and she knew he wouldn’t change his mind.

  “It’s not your decision to make.” Rose shook her head, refusing to give in.

  “Yes it is.” The dominating tone of his voice transformed his words into a low growl. “You’re my mate. My bloodmate.”

  Anger and protectiveness hung around Karian like a physical aura. Rose knew she should give up, but she couldn’t. She needed to win this battle with him, or their life together would be a living hell, a shell of the life they could have if he just listened.

  “That doesn’t mean you get to decide for me.” She stood her ground against her instinct to cower. “Bloodmate or not, you don’t own me.”

  “I might not own you, Pretty Thing,” Karian said through clenched teeth. His shoulders were tense and his entire body radiated dominating strength. “But I can order that you stay on Eokim.”

  “I’m their only hope,” she snapped, ignoring the warning shooting through her head like fireworks. “I’m going to this session of the Ring, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

  “You won’t, even if I have to lock you in.”

  “If I don’t go and the motion is denied because of this, I’ll never forgive you.”

  Silence fell between them. Karian and Rose locked eyes and the large warrior swallowed, his eyes going wide, then losing their usual shine. Rose felt a surge of need to touch the exposed skin of his arms, to hold him to her, but she resisted.

  What she had said was cruel, but it was also true.

  “I’ll go wash off before bed.” Karian’s voice was flat and toneless.

  It was clear there was nothing more to be said about the matter. He turned and walked away, but he paused at the doorway.

  “I think you should sleep on the sofa tonight.” Rose’s voice was pinched, like she lacked oxygen.

  Karian waited a few seconds, then walked away with his back turned to Rose. Not long after, the shower started, and Rose got into the bed, hot tears stinging her eyes. That night, darkness wrapped itself around her, engulfing her in its embrace, in sync with the killkon’s death song.

  CHAPTER 26

  KARIAN

  He stood under the scorching water for a long time, allowing the heat to seep into his muscles, untangling the knots of worry that knitted his bones in place. The sheer terror he had felt came back in a flood.

  Rose’s words came back to his mind. She was certain the door to the enclosure surrounding the family house had intentionally been left open, and that she had been led outside. It wasn’t likely, though. Even through the anger and fear he still felt when he imagined Rose running for her life in the Eokian wilderness, he couldn’t blame an agent of Trade Minister Knut for it. It was too indirect, with too many chances of things going wrong. If it had been the action of a Cattelan death squad, Rose would have been captured or killed on the spot. Her survival wouldn’t have been left to the instincts of wild animal.

  Still, there was something there that wasn’t simply a coincidence. There was something else he wasn’t considering, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think what. In a flash, he remembered Rose’s statement.

  She wanted me to get mauled to death.

  No. Arlen’s mate might be a lot of things, but she wasn’t a killer. Maral was jealous and vain, but she knew the penalty for betrayal. Banishment and being stripped of everything she possessed. She would never risk it, not even to get rid of a rival.

  Karian grunted at a sharp pain, then looked down to find a long cut along his thigh. The killkon had left his claw mark in his flesh, but the sight didn’t fill him with anger. It only filled him with a tuned down kind of sorrow. The animal had fought bravely, fiercely beside his mate, but he’d lost. Now that she was gone, he had no will to live.

  Karian contemplated his same fate should anything happen to Rose. That was the difference between a regular mating and a bloodmating. His life was tied to Rose’s on a biological level. Her fate was his fate.

  His need to protect Rose and keep her from harm was a compulsion, ingrained in his biology on the most primal level. Still, he knew he had to get a grip on it or it would smother her in the long run. Their most recent fight was a poignant testimony to that fact.

  She deserves better. She’s smart, and resourceful, and strong.

  Rose’s face, hurt and honest in her anger, came back to his mind. She was right, she had to come to the Ring session to testify in front of the Council. His testimony wouldn’t be enough. All the Ring’s nations would be present at the session; they would all be riveted to see and hear a human talk. Her presence was the only way to steer the balance of power in their favor.

  The only problem was that Minister Knut would do everything in his power to kill Rose before she could even appear. Leaving her on Eokim while he gave his best to the Ring session was the safest option for her, but it was the worst option for the humans’ cause back on Earth.

  Rose would not forgive him if he caused the humans to lose the protection of the Ring. He’d know that even if she hadn’t said it. She was a protector, and her heart was tied to her people in a vital way.

  He might be protecting her life if he forced her to stay on Eokim, but he would kill the most important part of her. The part of her that he couldn’t live without, bloodmating or not. The part of her that he loved with every fiber of his being.

  A wave of exhaustion overcame Karian. He wanted nothing more than to lie in bed with Rose, lie over her body and feast on the luxurious feel of her skin. He wouldn’t, though. Not tonight. Not after she’d made it clear she didn’t want his presence.

  He turned off the water and stepped out, glad to be clean after the fight. Outside, the killkon’s song rang out, the melancholy of its melody a low-level vibration, an unshakable sadness seeping into the air around the house.

  He dressed fast, then went to find his father and brother.

  Karian had made his choice between his compulsion and Rose’s deepest need. That didn’t mean he was going to be unprepared.

  ROSE

  Rose woke up, noticing the silence of the early morning. The killkon’s song had ended sometime in the night. Her head was heavy with fatigue and the stubborn shadows of nightmares lingered in the back of her mind, just beyond the reach of her memories, casting a gloom over everything.

  Slowly, she sat up in bed and turned her head to the window, from which a soft breeze flowed in. The silence was worse than the slow caress of the animal’s song. She pictured the killkon outside, cradling his mate’s body, seemingly sleeping in a tender embrace.

  She understood why Karian hadn’t rejoiced at the death of the predator.

  Weariness settled on her shoulders at the thought of the task ahead. She had to go with Karian to the Ring’s session. She would fight him if she had to. If only he understood how much she needed to do everything to make her family, her people safe, he’d let her come.

  If he loved me, he’d understand.

  She walked to the closet and drew out the sheer green gown Arlia had brought back for her from the dressmaker. It was beautiful and flowing, hinting at her body’s curves instead of revealing them, with thin straps at the shoulders that showed a little more skin than she was comfortable with. It was the most beautiful piece of clothing she had ever owned. Rose viewed herself in the large, seven-foot-tall mirror set in the corner of the bedroom.

  Her hair fell in a mass of curls, framing her oval face, and her collarbones d
rew graceful curves on her shoulders, right over the small mounds of her breasts. She looked exactly like human females were supposed to look. She looked fragile and vulnerable, made for sensuality and an easy life. She looked like that porcelain doll her mother once saw in a book and described to her, with her smooth skin and rounded lips, so red they reminded one of blood.

  She looked utterly and completely human.

  Rose’s eyes fell on something shiny on the side table, near the bed. Her heart lurched and emotions coiled in her throat as she neared it. Reverently, she lifted it between her trembling fingers. It was a necklace, with a flower shaped pendant made of the same crystal Arlia’s necklace was made of. It was beautiful and fragile, yet somehow radiated strength.

  Rose swallowed through her closed throat, then fastened it around her neck. It rested on the skin of her cleavage, just above the beginning of her breasts. As she looked again at her image in the mirror, it felt like the sealing of something long overdue.

  Yes. I’m Karian’s bloodmate. We were fated to be together.

  Steadying her resolve, Rose walked down the long hallway leading to the common portion of the house. There, she met with Arlen, Enlon and Arlia, as well as a stricken-looking Karian. The look on Karian’s face was one of amazement and appreciation, in a very male way that made small flutters of awakening spark in her body.

  “You’re up early,” Arlen stated, his eyebrows arching. There was an unsaid compliment in his gaze. “And dressed like a female, for once.”

  “Rose, darling.” Arlia walked up to her and lifted her arms, admiring the gown. “You look wonderful.”

  “That’s thanks to you.” Rose smiled and looked at Karian, doing her best to stay both resolved and calm. “Are you ready to go?”

  “We are leaving within the hour,” he answered, his eyes shining on Rose, then fastening onto the flower necklace.