Putting a hand out to him, she offered a slight smile. He was captivated, held in awe by her very presence. The light blue wrap she wore fit her form well and was accented by gold cords wound around her body. It also added to the blue in her eyes. Eyes he was so sure he'd seen before, yet it was impossible. The woman from the masquerade ball over a century and a half ago was no more. He knew. She'd not been aboard his vessel. She couldn't be here, on this planet, with him now. The odds of that were stacked against him.
The very sight of this newcomer reminded him of a painting of the Greek goddesses he’d spent so long staring at while in museums back on Earth. Even those didn’t do the woman justice. She was beyond anything he could have ever imagined in the way of beauty.
“Let me help you,” she whispered, her voice sultry. She kept her hand out to him, parting the exotic foliage, but doing so with almost no sound. Her ethereal presence assaulted his senses, confusing him.
His cock hardened immediately. There was something different about the woman. She held no fear in her eyes, no hesitation in her step, as all other women who gazed upon him did. It was not as though he looked like a monster, in fact many commented on how attractive he was, but his reputation preceded him. All knew what he was capable of doing. Murder. Mayhem.
“Please, let me help you,” she repeated, her voice as honeyed as before. It slid over him, tugging at his insides as if it were a command, not a request. “It is no longer safe for you here.”
He chuckled, sure his mind was playing tricks on him. He feared this day might come, when he finally snapped and lost touch with reality. When he'd first realized the demon had more power over him on this planet than it ever had on Earth, he'd assumed his mental faculties would break quickly—that the man he was wouldn't be able to live with the knowledge of the monster he'd become. Somehow, he'd survived.
“Young one, I am the master of this domain. It is you who are not safe.” As he said it, he knew it was a lie. Something in Stegian could not fathom the idea of the woman before him being harmed in any way. That was alarming, more so than the idea he might be losing his mind. “Leave me now. Go back to that which you came, nymph.”
She shook her head, sending waves of bewitching hair spilling around her. It was as black as night, again reminding him of the faceless, nameless woman from long ago. Already Stegian's fingers ached to run through the sable tresses, to see if they were as soft and silky as they appeared to be. He had to fight to keep his hands to himself.
“No," she countered. "They will not sense me, Stegian. Only you can see me at the moment. And you are the only one here I wish to save. The rest are beyond hope, beyond redemption.”
Curious, he tipped his head. He could sense nothing supernatural about her, yet it was plain to see she was more than simply a villager. She was something, what, he didn't know. The harder he tried to figure it out, the more his power seemed blocked by something or someone. Was it her? If so, she truly was more than met the eye. “You know who I am, yet I sense no fear from you. Why is that?”
“I don't fear you, Stegian. I fear the demon you carry within you. The one who took over the good man the minute your ship crashed on this planet. The natural power and resources here allowed the demon to gain strength at a rate you couldn't control. You spent so very many centuries on Earth, able to keep the demon under your thumb. You couldn't know the power it would gain from our planet.” She stepped free of the wooded area and towards him. “Please, Stegian, I am begging you to come with me. Let me help you as you once did me.”
“I have helped no one on this planet,” he said, his voice shaky. What was she doing to him? Better yet, did he really want it to stop? “What you think you know of me is a lie. I am and will always be a monster and I have no wish to be saved.”
The woman shook her head as she moved close enough for him to touch. “That's not true. You were once a man who had his life stolen by a monster. One you swore you'd never be like. Come with me, Stegian. Please. Let me help you.”
“Master?”
Stegian turned to see Yunoc, who had long since been his right hand man, standing in the shadows. The man’s reddish hair caught bits of the moonlight as did his supernatural eyes. Stegian knew he could trust the man, but only to a point. He too had been swept away by the planet's pull of power long ago.
Yunoc approached with a calculated smile on his face. “I have your dinner ready for you in the dining hall. I think you will enjoy what I have selected. She has black hair, just as you like.”
Stegian’s gaze went to the woman. Yunoc didn't seem to see her. Did that mean she was merely a figment of Stegian’s imagination? It would explain her beauty. Never in his life had he seen a woman come even close to her.
“Please, Stegian,” she said, not bothering to whisper. There was a healthy level of desperation in her voice, and he still couldn't understand why she'd have a vested interest in him. “Don't answer out loud. I can read your thoughts, if you let me.”
He glanced at Yunoc. “I shall be in momentarily.”
“Master, is something the matter?”
The woman’s blue eyes widened. “Tell him no. Snap at him. Do whatever it is you’d normally do to someone questioning your authority, Stegian. Others will inquire later about you. There are traitors among your kind, ones who want to usurp your control. He'll give a full report, as he always does. Give them no ammunition to attempt to overthrow you.”
He wasn’t sure what made him listen to her but he did. “I spoke," he said, punching each word out with a threat attached to it. He let his gaze go hard, menacing, knowing he looked sinister. "Need you a reminder who is in charge here?”
“No, Master,” Yunoc said, bowing before he backed into the shadows. Fear hung in the air as did something else, curiosity perhaps.
Stegian went to speak to the woman, but she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him. “No. He waits in the shadows to assure you are well. His loyalties are torn.”
Who are you? He pushed the question out with his mind.
The woman smiled. “Someone who wants to save the man in you.”
I am evil. You should be terrified of me.
“I'm not," she returned kindly. "Come away with me. Please.”
I cannot.
“Why?”
The suns rise in but an hour’s time. To be in their light will mean my death.
She closed her eyes and nodded, defeat washing over her beautiful features. “It took me longer to get to you than I'd thought. I have to go. My strength drains and my journey home is long.”
Journey home?
Panic welled in him. You cannot go off into the forest on your own. Anything could happen to you. You could be attacked, raped, killed. You understand not what creatures call the surrounding area home. There are abominations created by my hand that dwell there. They hunt, they kill, they know no other life. It is not safe for you.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, the young woman hugged him. It was such a foreign feeling that he was too shocked to hug her back. She laughed as she kissed his cheek innocently. “I wasn't wrong. Good still resides in you, Stegian.”
The demon within him surged to the surface. He hissed and backed away from her, not allowing the demon to snap her neck as it wished. The demon wanted to slash out, mar her beauty and reestablish he was in charge and that he bowed to no man or woman. The man held loosely to control. He nearly fell over from the sheer amount of energy it took to suppress his demon's rage. Stegian’s breathing was labored as he fought to maintain control.
Go! I cannot control it much longer.
She nodded.
"I'll return," she said. "I promise."
She ran off into the forest. Every ounce of him wanted to call her back, force her to stay where he could watch over her and assure her safety but he knew better. It was even more dangerous for her to remain with him. The supernaturals that called his castle home were vicious and would enjoy getting their hands on her.
; Stegian turned to head towards the dining hall. Suddenly, the idea of a fuck and a suck did not appeal to him. He wanted to hold the beautiful woman and assure she was well. He did not want to sink his dick into a whore while he fed from her.
“Yunoc,” he called out as he entered the hall.
Yunoc appeared, head bowed. “Yes, Master.”
“Have the guards reported any movement on the outer perimeters today?”
He shook his head. “No, Master. All has been quiet. Why? Do you sense danger?”
Had no one really seen the mysterious woman? How could that be?
I have lost my mind.
A whimper caught his attention. Glancing up, he found the “food” Yunoc had prepared for him, dressed only in gold chains, she was a sight. Still, Stegian’s cock had only one woman in mind and this one was not her. The demon within him surged forward once more. He did not fight it, deciding to pick and choose his battles.
As the demon took charge, Stegian’s dick hardened. The woman adorned in nothing but chains took on a new appeal. “Come.”
She obeyed as he knew she would. He soaked in the sight of her. While beautiful, she was not the woman from outside. Even the demon in him craved the other. It wanted to sink into her depths and fuck her until it could fuck no more.
Putting his hand out, Stegian motioned for the female to come closer. She did. “Take me in your mouth as I drink from your wrist.”
She dropped to her knees and unlaced his pants, freeing his ruddy cock. The demon seized total control of Stegian. He bit into her wrist and savored the taste of her blood as it ran down his throat. He sensed her life force draining and glanced down to see her blue eyes staring up at him. He froze. For a split second, his mind merged the whore’s image with that of the woman from outside. He released his hold on her wrist and kissed the wound, healing it instantly.
*
Jacquelyn Janelle moved swiftly through the forest. She needed to be back before sunsrise. Christian, the chieftain, would sense if she were gone. He still had no clue Jacquelyn had ascended beyond the body he labored over—the one that still resided within the compound walls, tucked safely away in a medical room, hooked to endless machines. She had left it years ago when her older sister, Lorelei, was taken by Stegian’s men and almost died. Jacquelyn had used all of her resources to assist Lorelei and assure her sister’s survival.
Now approaching her twenty-first birthday, Jacquelyn had spent six years in a bed, hooked to machines, living the life of artificial intelligence because her body was useless. Two years ago, when she gave all to help Lorelei, that changed. Prior to the initial attack that happened long ago and left her bed ridden to begin with, when she was eleven, Jacquelyn had only begun to come into her powers. The daughter of a werepanther and Shamenian priestess, the odds were in her favor that she too would be gifted, as were her siblings. No one could have predicted just how powerful she would grow to be.
“Don’t move,” a deep, familiar voice said as Jacquelyn neared the halfway point to her village.
Turning, she found her brother, Bradi, there, sitting upon a horse, his sword drawn. He looked every bit the shifter warrior he was born to be. Her brother-in-law, Sevan, was on a horse next to Bradi’s, eyeing her cautiously. Bradi arched a black brow. “Care to tell me why you’re out at night, alone and outside of the compound walls?”
He didn’t recognize her. Jacquelyn didn’t blame him. He’d been forced off their planet when she was but six, and had been so busy with his duties as captain of the guards, that he barely had time for her. Since his return, Jacquelyn often found Bradi in the chamber her body lay comatose in, still hooked to machines, giving all the signs of life, yet never responding beyond that. He’d break down, begging her to forgive him for leaving her and allowing the attack to occur. Bradi could not have known, nor could his departure have been prevented, yet he still blamed himself. She longed to give him peace—to free him of his guilt—but could not reveal herself just yet.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked.
Sevan laughed. “In this family, you never know.”
“Is that a panther joke, lion boy?”
Sevan chuckled, clearly not taking offense as a lion shifter. “My cat’s bigger.”
It was easy to see the two enjoyed ribbing one another and that they got along well. She would often overhear their witty banter when they were near her medical room in the compound. She was happy her brother had found other males to bond with since their other brothers were still somewhere in the galaxy, far from their home planet. No one said it but they all thought it—they may even be dead. For a time they’d assumed Bradi was dead because he’d been off world, but he’d returned to them not only healthy and whole but mated. Good could happen. She’d seen it firsthand.
Bradi shook his head and stared down at her, disapproval in his gaze. He wasn't the type of man who would permit a female to go unguarded. It went against his alpha male nature. “It’s not safe for a young woman to wander around beyond the compound walls and fencing. Hop on and we’ll ride you back to safety.”
“I’m from the village of Neatalie,” she said softly, hoping Bradi wouldn’t pick up on her scent and realize she was related to him. Being a werepanther, he could if he tried. She just hoped he didn’t bother going to that extreme. She wasn’t prepared to share her secret yet. He and the rest of her family would try to stop her. And they'd most likely be successful. She couldn’t have that.
“Neatalie?” Sevan questioned, seeming surprised. He glanced off in the distance, in the direction of the village of Neatalie before meeting her gaze once more. She knew the story seemed thin. She wasn't proud of her lie.
He tipped his head. “You’re way off course then.”
She nodded. “I was separated from my group during the storms last night. I sought shelter in the caverns near the red sea hoping to rendezvous with them.”
Bradi put his hand out. “Come on, we’ll take you back to Shamenia with us. We’ll send word to your village that you’re safe.”
“I’m fine,” she protested, needing to get back to her body so she could rest and recharge her energy. “Really.”
The look he gave her said it all. He would not allow her to travel alone. Giving in, she accepted his hand and prayed he would not recognize her. He lifted her with ease and she settled in behind him. The impulse to wrap her arms around his waist and hold him tight was great. Jacquelyn gave into it, hugging her brother for the first time since she was just a little girl. He'd always been so kind and so patient with her when she was a small child. His heart was bigger than he was and that was saying something considering Bradi's size.
Chapter Two
Bradi eased her off the horse and set her lightly on her feet. She turned just as Christian Beauden, their chieftain, stepped out of one of the compound bay doors. His long blond hair hung in one braid over his left shoulder. He naturally oozed power, control and authority. It was in his blood to lead her people. His father had and his father before him, and so on. The fact he, Bradi and Sevan were close friends lent to why he'd personally come out to greet them upon their return. He lifted a brow at the sight of her.
"Find a stray?" he questioned, the voice as powerful as the man.
Bradi laughed. "Something like that. She's from Neatalie and got separated from her group in the storms that blew through last night. Found her just outside the perimeter fencing and didn't want to chance any of the others finding her. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye with the Neatalies, but I wouldn't want any of them ending up snack food for the others. I'd rather starve those lechranki worm bastards."
Jacquelyn snorted softly. Blood-sucking worms that were partial to eating their own vomit weren't thought highly of. Apparently, Bradi put them on par with the others.
Suspicion crept into the shadows of Christian's gaze as he raked it over her slowly. He folded his large, muscle bound arms over his chest. The vest he wore, worn by some males of her race, pulled together some
what. There was no denying the power the man had both physically and mystically. "Neatalie is a long way off from here and I've never known any of the men to permit their females to go unguarded."
"Interrogations later," Bradi said, patting his nonexistent stomach. He was nothing but muscle, as was the case with most of the men in her village. "I'm starving. Tell me something good is on the menu tonight in the mess."
"Your wife was looking for you," Christian replied smugly. "She cooked at your home tonight."
Bradi groaned. "I love that woman but she cannot cook worth a damn."
Sevan came to a stop next to them and dismounted. The muscles in his body tightened, showing what pristine physical form he was in. "I wouldn't advise letting Marisa hear you say that. She's a trained medical professional. Meaning, she could castrate you with one arm tied behind her back while wearing a blindfold and humming a tune. With as much as your son has been protesting sleeping through the night still, I'm betting she'd enjoy every minute of it too."
Her brother cringed and grabbed his man parts. "Point taken. Off to dinner at home I go." He hedged slightly, his gaze sweeping to her. "I'm sure my wife can make room for one more. Interested?"
"After that ringing endorsement?" Jacquelyn hid her smile. "Thank you, but no. I'll find somewhere out of the way to settle in for the night."
"Nonsense," Sevan said, shaking his head as he handed the reins of his horse off to one of the stable hands. "My wife, Lorelei, and I can make room for you if Bradi is still coming off as too gruff. He tends to do that."
Civil Twilight: Project Exorcism Page 2