“Where is Jarek?”
“He went with your priestess,” Falkor said. “We have a few casualties, but none with life threatening injuries.”
“How many dead?”
“Ten total. Six of ours, four of Barak’s,” Kaje said, joining them.
“Search the temple for other rebels,” he ordered Kaje. “Two man teams, and for the love of the gods, bring me someone alive.”
“If it isn’t too late.”
Roarr nodded. If those rebels couldn’t find the escape routes, they’d probably do what these had and take their own lives. Kaje left to pass the word.
“I don’t see anyone I recognize here,” Roarr told the remaining two men.
“I recognized a couple,” Falkor said, pressing his lips into a grim line.
“We’ll bring a tech team in and see what they can discover,” Barak continued.
Several hours later, about half of the rebels had been identified. They were from a few clans, but mostly his and Barak’s. His chief was so cold Roarr was unaware of his fury until Britt stepped up to his side and set her hand on his shoulder. His shields cracked for just moment and Roarr damned near stumbled under the wave of rage.
“No survivors. Every corner of the temple has been cleared.”
There was a hint of reluctance in her voice.
“But what?” Barak asked, turning his full attention on his mate.
“I got close enough to read one before he shot himself.” She glanced at Roarr. “They were looking for your guests. Since they didn’t find them, obviously, they assumed they’d been moved to the Keep. They were looking for a way out when we came in.”
Roarr went cold. Rebels had targeted his der’lan. It took every bit of control he had not to rush out and go to her. He knew she was safe. She was guarded. But fear gripped him anyway.
“They passed that on to a contact outside?”
She nodded. “Why would they try to kidnap three women from Earth? I haven’t been here long, but even I know that isn’t done.”
“The prophecy,” a voice said from behind him, and he turned to see the priestess from earlier.
“Possibly. Or they’ve discover Kareena is my der’lan and wanted to use her against me.”
Her lips curved slightly. “And is your woman a warrior?”
Unfortunately, for him. “Yes.”
“She’ll need to be.” Her gaze clouded and Roarr remembered who she was. Nerine. The seer.
“Tell me what you see,” he demanded. He refused to let any harm come to Kareena. Refused to put her at risk. Nerine frowned.
“It’s not a clear seeing, more a sense of danger. Guard them all well, Lord Idis.”
And with that last cryptic statement, she walked away.
Chapter Seven
Kareena was confused, pissed and getting a little worried. Hours had passed since the shopping trip. When she’d left the dressing room, it was to find Roarr gone, replaced by half a dozen Delroi warriors who looked less than pleased to be guarding a bunch of women. Not that she cared about their tender sensibilities. She didn’t need a damned guard, and she’d had every intention of telling him so when he reappeared. Except the rat bastard hadn’t.
Britt had been closed mouthed about what was going on and her shields were too good for Kareena to get a hint. But the former assassin’s expression said it all. Something bad had happened. She’d led Kareena, Parker, and Zola to the house, stayed long enough to make sure there were warriors inside, and then disappeared.
Kareena hated being left in the dark. She’d tried to leave the house. Hell, they all had. The outside doors were locked and guarded. Even Zola hadn’t had any luck. They’d been shown to their rooms, collected for dinner in a huge room with only the three of them present, and generally refused the answers to any and all questions. Kareena didn’t see another woman and had no idea who’d provided the food. She didn’t have one of the phones they used on this world and no one to call if she did. She was just as much a prisoner here as she’d been on Earth. Oh, the accommodations were a hell of a lot nicer, but it was the same freaking thing.
She was pacing in the sitting room she suspected connected her room to Roarr’s, when she heard one of the bedroom doors open and thud closed. It was silent other than that, but she felt his energy, dark and forbidding and irate, as if he was warning her away. She snorted. The man had a thing or two dozen to learn about her. She didn’t knock before entering. He swung around and scowled, but her angry words stuck in her throat when she got a good look at him. Blood streaked his chest, arms, and face.
“What the hell happened to you?” she demanded, rushing forward, forgetting her confusion and anger in the face of fear. “And where is Jarek?”
“Don’t worry, der’lan,” he scoffed, as if that couldn’t possibly be exactly what she was doing. “It’s not mine.”
He slapped his hand against a plate on the wall and a section slid away to reveal a huge bathroom. She’d been shown the one in her room, but it was nothing like this. Part of her marveled at it as she followed him in, but mostly she was too pissed off to gawk. Until he ripped his shirt over his head, kicked off his boots, and reached for the buttons on his pants. He paused and met her gaze, hands dropping to his side as he strode towards her.
She should get out while she was able, but she couldn’t move and it made zero sense. It’s not like she’d never seen him naked. Okay, fine, he was hot. Really hot. That was no reason for her hormones to go haywire though, or to lose her mind, step forward, and meet him halfway. But damned if she didn’t.
He didn’t say a word as she lifted her hands to his chest. She stood on her toes and tilted her head to the side, stretching until her mouth brushed his. Under her hands, his muscles bunched and she felt his restraint. She brushed her mind against his and shuddered at what she saw. Desire and craving that matched her own. Fierce possessiveness that shook her.
“Now is the time to say no, angel. Run away now, if you’re going to. I won’t let you once this starts.”
She knew what he wanted from her. Complete and total submission. It should have snapped her back to her senses. It should have tempered her desire, but it didn’t. She wanted him more now, more with each passing day.
“Kareena,” he prodded for an answer.
His voice was as tight and controlled as his body and she realized she hadn’t budged since his warning. Dear goddess, she couldn’t say no, couldn’t run away. She couldn’t imagine surviving another night without his touch. It was actually getting painful. She’d always gone after what she wanted, and she wanted him to put out this fire. She stood on her toes, laced her fingers in the hair on his nape, and pulled him down to meet her lips before he stopped her with a slight shake of his head. Her stomach dropped and she clung to him with a desperate grip. He wouldn’t deny her relief from this unrelenting heat, would he?
“Shh,” he whispered. “No, baby, I wouldn’t.”
But he removed her hands, stepped back, and she was sure her heart would stop. She knew she forgot to breathe. Never mind how he knew what she was thinking. She’d rebuilt her shields, right? She had a growing suspicion about that, though. He leaned down and bit her shoulder hard enough to sting.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he growled. “You’re going to wait in bed.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t take orders from anyone.”
He rolled his eyes and heaved a put upon sigh. “Fine.”
Then he picked her up, fully clothed, and dumped her in the shower before following her in. She stared up at him sputtering.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
He shook his head, reaching for a bar of soap on the ledge. “Nope.”
She moved out of the spray of the water and looked down at herself. The thin tank and lounging pants were soaked through and nearly transparent. His gaze swept over her. She didn’t need to see the appreciation in them or feel it in his mind. His cock was erect, he couldn’t hide that, and she coul
dn’t believe how hard it was not to reach out and stroke him. He rubbed the soap over his body hurriedly, groaning as she moved close enough to brush against him. That soon her body was no longer her own. Again.
“This is crazy. This need, it’s a compulsion,” she said, not even caring that her voice was husky with arousal.
He rinsed, turned the water off, and stripped her before reaching for a towel. He dried her, then himself, and swung her up into his arms.
“This is…us,” he said, lowering her to his bed and coming down on top of her. She spread her thighs so he could settle between them.
“That isn’t an answer,” she gasped as his cock nudged her entrance and then he slowly worked in just the head. “Oh goddess. More.”
He withdrew and she wasn’t sure if she should cry at the loss or rage against it. Too late, she felt him join her thoughts and look around her mind. She could have forced him out but was afraid of hurting him. He laughed.
“Are you sure that’s why, baby?”
She frowned, gripping his shoulders harder. “This is a bad idea.”
For a moment his eyes darkened in anger, but it was gone so fast she thought maybe she’d imagined it. He caught her wrists in one hand and lifted them above her head, watching her carefully. He couldn’t have missed the way her eyes widened, the breath she sucked in. It wouldn’t matter if he had. He was still in her mind, and wasn’t bothering to hide his own thoughts and feelings. She knew what he wanted and the idea should have scared her. Instead it made her hotter. Made her needier. He kissed her shoulder, moving up to her neck and pausing just under her ear to suck in the skin. An almost electric streak of desire shot through her.
“I want to restrain you, der’lan,” he whispered. “Right here in our bed.”
Their bed? She didn’t get to question that before he bit her again. “I’ll make you feel so good, angel. I promise.”
But she’d be tied down. She wouldn’t be able to get away if he didn’t. He propped up on one elbow and looked down into her eyes. “You have to start trusting me sometime,” he said. “Or you’ll tear us both apart.”
She knew he believed that, but she felt more when she gently prodded his mind. He was afraid she’d continue to reject him. That combined with his hurt and fear he’d push her too much, decided her. He was right in a way. She did have to learn to trust again. Whatever she might feel about keeping her independence she hid deep in her mind. She nodded.
“If I want free, if it’s too much…” She let the thought trail off at his slow sexy grin.
“I’ll take care of you.”
Yeah, that’s exactly what she was afraid of. He didn’t give her time to think, and frankly she was sick of that anyway. She wanted to just feel for awhile. He got up and moved to the headboard where he pushed a button. Panels opened on the bed’s posts. He went to the first and pulled out a tether with a padded handcuff attached. She held her breath as it circled her wrist and snapped closed. He repeated it on the second then moved to the bottom of the bed. By the time he was finished she was almost hyperventilating. She felt a combination of embarrassment and wantonness. She’d never consented to bondage before. Never been willing to give up control. It was scary, but it was also exciting. She just hoped she could hold it together long enough to enjoy it.
Roarr came to stand at the side of the bed, his gaze taking her in from her feet to hands before returning to meet her gaze. “You’re beautiful,” he said. “Spread out for me. Waiting.”
He looked like he expected for her to say something, but she had no idea what. The longer he just looked at her, the more nervous she got. He sighed.
“Are you just going to leave me suffering like this?” She tried to make the question sound teasing but it fell flat.
“Maybe I should.”
He sat down next to her and set a hand on her abdomen. Such innocent contact shouldn’t have made her sex clench in need. Shouldn’t have made her desperate to feel him thrusting inside her. She strained against her bindings, trying to move closer. He shook his head slightly and gave her a crooked grin.
“It doesn’t work that way, angel.”
“What?”
She was so confused. Did he want her or not? He’d seemed so intent. He had her naked, bound, and he wasn’t making a move. What the hell was that about?
“Trust,” he whispered, leaning to bite her neck. She gasped. “And anticipation. Prolonging the pleasure.”
“You think I would have let you tie me up if I didn’t trust you?”
He nodded. “To an extent. You trust me not to hurt you. Not to force myself on you.”
“Right. So what am I missing?” She was getting irritated now. If she wasn’t getting any action, she’d prefer to go nurse her wounds in private.
His hand slid up, over her ribs, to her breast. He massaged it gently, then leaned down to take the hard tip into his mouth and suck. But his touch was so soft, so gentle, instead of giving her relief it made the arousal more intense. Then with a soft pop, he released her.
“You’re stopping,” she whined. “Why are you stopping?”
He chuckled until she glared at him. “You trust me not to hurt you, but I need you to trust me to pleasure you.”
Maybe he hadn’t learned the language well, although his hand was between her thighs and there was no way to mistake that slickness, right?
“That’s what I’m doing,” she insisted.
“No. You think you’re still in control. You don’t know what you want. You don’t know what your limits are or what can bring you the most pleasure. It’s my place to find that out. To share it with you.”
“Your place?”
Okay, maybe she was making a big mistake here. But she couldn’t force herself to tell him to free her.
“I explained what a der’lan is. But you still don’t understand it.”
Well, hell. She’d asked, but did she really want to know? She had a bad feeling it would change everything, but she was stubborn enough she had to go on. She nodded.
“Mate of my heart,” he all but whispered. “On Delroi, we are born with a perfect mate. Someone who only fits us. It’s why we invaded your planet.”
She’d heard the words before, but now that his mind was so entrenched in hers, she felt them. This was bad, worse than she’d expected. She could guess at some of it, but the rest… “Why would you invade us for that?”
As they spoke his hand stroked her stomach. She’d been able to focus through the distraction, but his knuckles brushed the undersides of her breasts, briefly licking over her nipples, testing her control.
“In the last couple of generations our birth rates have altered considerably. Only about a quarter of births are female now. Our seers and our scientists both agreed we’d find der’lans on Earth.”
She could not believe what she was hearing. They’d invaded Earth to get laid? Seriously? He pinched her hard enough she yelped. It didn’t help lower her arousal.
“No,” he said firmly. “It’s not about sex for the sake of sex.”
“Oh please. The only thing you’ve wanted since you met me is sex,” she scoffed. “I am a telepath, remember?”
“Yes and you’ve been around several Delroi warriors. What did they want from you?”
That shut her up. She hated to admit it but he had a point. She’d met quite a few warriors. Some had found her attractive. None had allowed that attraction to develop into lust. She felt her chest tighten, felt panic begin to build, and before she could say anything Roarr moved. He couldn’t have been gone more than seconds, he didn’t even leave the room, but she felt abandoned. Then he was back with an inhaler, holding it to her lips. She opened, sucked when he gave her a puff, and held her breath a minute.
“How did you know?” Damn, she hadn’t even thought about. Her disease was a very mild case. She needed treatment once, maybe twice a year.
“That you have asthma? Or that extreme emotion can bring on an attack?”
“Both
.”
“We got the medical records of all the humans who came back with us. As for the rest, I have a sister who sometimes has the same problem.”
He’d seemed so solitary she hadn’t considered he’d have a family despite having met his brother. And why were they talking about this now? His smile was rueful.
“That’s a damned good question. I think it can wait.”
There was a knock on the door and he gave her a thoughtful look. “Did you eat dinner?”
She nodded.
“Hmm, too bad.”
Then he stood, covered her with a sheet and walked, buck naked to the door. He opened it just wide enough to accept a tray. Hopefully whoever was on the other side didn’t get a look at her. She closed her eyes, mortified. Who was she kidding? She was in plain view. He returned to the bed, sat on the edge, and placed the tray in front of him.
“Don’t worry, Kareena. They know you’re mine. You’re perfectly safe.”
He ate silently and quickly, watching her the whole time. It was impossible not to squirm, not to watch his lips, his throat move. Finally, he was done with everything but a small bowl. He stood to remove the tray but returned with the dish and held the spoon up with a smile.
“Ice cream? It’s chocolate ripple.”
He was offering her ice cream while he had her tied to his bed? Was he for real? Then again it was chocolate ice cream, and he had a gleam in his eye that was sultry and suggestive. She nodded. He gave her a small bite then leaned down to lick her lips.
“Hmm,” he hummed. “Good. But I bet it tastes better other places.”
She held her breath as he dipped a finger in for a big scoop and smoothed it on and around her nipple. The cold made her hiss. Then his tongue was there lapping it all up, chill and heat. The pleasure was so intense she thought she’d pass out if it continued much longer. He gave the other nipple the same treatment then slowly worked his way down the center of her body. By the time he reached her pelvis she was panting.
Freedom (Delroi Prophecy) Page 7