Runaway Heart

by Scarlet Day

  Kari watched Jaren’s eyes as he looked down at her bared breasts. He cupped the left one with his hand and slid his thumb in circles around the nipple. Kari was taken by surprise when he lowered his head and pulled it into his mouth. Kari arched her back into Jaren and gasped as he sucked on her nipple, his tongue masterfully teasing the bud and bringing it to a stiff peak. His touch was sending shivers across her whole body, making her squirm. He toyed with the peak, nipping it sharply between his teeth and then soothing it with his tongue.

  Kari thought she would lose her mind. The feeling of his mouth on her heated flesh was pushing her passion higher. Just as she thought she couldn’t take any more, his mouth released her breast with a small popping sound, only to turn his attention to the other breast and start the sweet torture all over again. She wanted more.

  “Please,” she begged, although she wasn’t certain what it was she begged for. She just knew that a need was building in her, driving her to near insanity.

  Jaren chuckled softly against her skin. Releasing her breast, he moved back up to look into her eyes, an amused smile playing across his lips. “Patience, my love.”

  His lips claimed hers briefly once more, and then he began to trail soft kisses down her jaw, her neck, working his way down between her breasts. His tongue traced a line down her abdomen, before dipping into her exposed naval. He blew across the line he had traced, causing her to shiver with excitement. He raised his head and looked into her eyes as his hands moved to the material covering her hips. Without breaking his gaze, his fingers curled under the band and slid the fabric over her hips and down her legs, removing the remainder of her costume and sending it to join her top on the floor. Her soft slippers followed, with his piercing stare never breaking contact from her eyes. Finally, he lowered his eyes to gaze at her sex mound, a groan coming from him as he looked at her.

  Still fully clothed, he spread her legs and settled himself on his knees between them. His hands started moving over her feet, his fingers teasing her flesh. He grazed his fingertips along each leg, moving up to circle behind her knees. He shifted his weight and moved his legs out behind him to settle on his stomach, one hand pressing her thighs farther apart. He leaned over and ran his tongue up her inner thigh. The touch sent tingles up her leg and she felt lightheaded from all the sensations.

  Jared lowered his face toward her feminine sex and inhaled deeply, a low rumble sounding in his chest. “You smell so good, my sha-lia.”

  His fingers spread her lower lips, then his tongue moved against her in a long, sensuous stroke, starting at her wet hole and moving up to her clit. Kari gasped and instinctively thrust her hips up to meet his mouth, wanting more. Strong hands moved to hold her still, one wrapping around her thigh and the other splayed across her lower abdomen. Jaren’s tongue teased the sensitive bundle of nerves, twirling around it without hitting it directly.

  Kari was almost beyond coherent thought. She had occasionally, inadvertently touched herself while bathing, but she had never known that her body was capable of such intense feeling. She was having a hard time catching her breath, and she squirmed against Jaren’s restraining hands. She wanted to move against him, wanted to feel more.

  She felt him move one hand from her thigh then felt pressure at her hole, just as he began to push a finger inside her. She tensed and cried out as his finger slid into her opening. Nothing had ever breached this opening, and she panicked briefly, startled by the unfamiliar stretching. Jaren gently stroked her with his finger, her juices easing the invasion. His tongue continued to tease her as he moved his finger, slowly pulling it out before pushing it back in. Kari tried to rock her hips in time with his rhythm, but he continued to restrain her.

  She felt pressure again as he added a second finger, the digits slick with her juices. He pumped his hand, increasing the speed, until she thought she would scream. She felt like she was hurtling toward something wonderful, but she didn’t know what it was or how to get there.

  “Jaren, please! I can’t stand anymore!” Her plea was answered. Jaren pumped his fingers into her again and sucked her clit into his mouth, grazing the oversensitive bud with his teeth. Her inner walls clamped as she came hard around Jaren’s fingers. Kari cried out in ecstasy as a blinding flash erupted behind her eyelids. In that moment, she felt like her heart opened up and took a little part of Jaren into herself.

  * * * *

  Jaren rolled onto his back and draped Kari over his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she recovered. He felt honored beyond belief that he had been the one to show Kari her first climax. His hands gently caressed her body as he enjoyed the memory of her cries of pleasure. Slowly, her breathing returned to a more normal level.

  Kari reached up to run her fingers over his chest. She looked up into his eyes with a look of wonder. “Wow,” she sighed breathlessly. “Does anything get better than that?”

  Jaren chuckled softly at the stunned amazement in her voice. “It definitely gets better, my sha-lia. But for tonight, you need to rest.”

  Jaren removed his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He wanted to feel her skin against his bare chest, even though he knew it would probably drive him to near insanity since he would not be sating his own desire tonight. He settled back on the bed and pulled her against his body again. As she relaxed into him and her breathing settled into a smooth rhythm, Jaren thanked all the gods he could think of for bringing his sha-lia to him.

  * * *

  Chapter Seven

  “I am happy for you, my brother.” Jaxson rested his hand on Jaren’s shoulder as he spoke. Jaren grinned, feeling practically giddy. Well, giddy for him, which meant he was grinning more than usual and hadn’t tried to kill anyone yet today.

  They were walking through the crowded space station, heading back to the docking bay after finding a few items for Kari. This port was remote and didn’t have much to offer, but it would have to do for now. Jaren had noticed that all she had with her was a small bag, which couldn’t hold much spare clothing. While the harem costume had its advantages—he wouldn’t mind if she wore it for him occasionally—she certainly would not be wearing it again in front of any other males. He would have gladly let her wear his own clothing, but it was so large she would never be able to keep it on her. Not that that would be a bad thing, in Jaren’s opinion.

  He had insisted that Kari remain in the ship until he returned. He hated leaving her alone, but he did not want to take the chance of her being seen and recognized if whomever she was running from had a presence on this station. He also was not about to allow another male to buy clothing for his mate.

  “Have you told her yet?”

  Jaren sighed. “No, and I have no idea how she will react to the revelation.”

  “Brother, are you doubting your prowess to win her over?”

  A growl from deep in Jaren’s chest was the only answer. As happy as he was at finding his sha-lia, the release he had denied himself the night before was starting to wear on him. He was anxious to get back to his quarters so he could continue Kari’s education in the art of sexual pleasure. He was determined not to go too fast for her, but the uncomfortable pressure from his constantly hard cock was becoming difficult to endure and his beast was getting impatient. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last. He knew he could easily bring himself to a release, but it wasn’t what he or his beast wanted. What he really wanted was his cock buried deep inside his mate with her screaming his name.

  When they reached the last corridor before entering the docking bay, they heard a muffled explosion and felt a tremor reverberate through the metal floor of the corridor. Jaren took off at a run, with Jaxson close on his heels. Suddenly, a jolt of terror tore through Jaren. He knew instantly that it was not his own terror, but Kari’s, shared with him through their newly formed link. He sent reassurance back to her, trying to let her know he was coming. He didn’t know if her connection was strong enough to detect him yet, but he sent the thoughts anyway.
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  As he and Jaxson turned the corner to the entrance of the bay, chaos erupted. Flames shot high to the ceiling from a ship docked between them and their vessel. Emergency crews were frantically trying to put out the fire and keep it from spreading to other ships. His crew was quickly moving anything flammable away from their ship to prevent the fire from reaching it. Without warning, storage containers along the wall behind Jaren’s ship exploded, causing everyone in the vicinity to run for cover. Everyone, that is, except Jaren and Jaxson, who were running at full speed toward their ship, dodging flames and falling debris as they ran.

  Reaching the ship, Jaren charged up the docking ramp and ran straight for his quarters. The door opened at his approach, and he skidded to a stop in the middle of the room. Cold fear and rage like he had never known before ripped through him.

  She was gone.

  * * * *

  Kari struggled against the arms that held her as she was dragged away from Jaren’s ship. A rag was stuffed in her mouth, making it impossible to scream. Her arms were pinned by her sides, captured by arms that felt like steel bands encircling her. She had been in Jaren’s quarters having a cup of caf and some breakfast when the explosion happened. Worried about what was going on, she left his quarters and ventured down the docking ramp behind Jaren’s crew, who were running to assist with the rescue efforts. The ship docked next to theirs had burst into flames, the wreckage a pile of rubble that barely resembled a spacefaring vessel. With the crew occupied trying to keep the flames at bay, no one noticed when someone crept up behind Kari and grabbed her.

  Kari pumped her feet, trying to kick the legs of the person holding her. Judging from the grunts, she landed a few good kicks, but none were sufficient to win her release.

  “Hold still, you stupid bitch!” The voice behind her was harsh and gruff, but she recognized it immediately. Earl Bores. “You didn’t really think you could get away from me, did you? Surveillance recorders monitor our docking bays. It was easy to track you down once I found out which ship you left on.”

  Fear flooded Kari as her thoughts went instantly to her mother. Had they learned about her involvement in Kari’s escape? She prayed to all the fates that her mother was safe.

  Though her struggles slowed him down, Bores still managed to drag Kari up a ramp onto another ship without anyone noticing that she was being abducted. The explosions had provided the perfect cover. He hauled her into the small cockpit and threw her into a seat behind the command chair. She wrestled with him and tried to get up, but he slammed her right arm down on the armrest and a thick metal band slid around her wrist, securing it in place.

  There was no way Kari was going back to Montore without a fight. She pulled back her left arm and punched Bores hard in the face. She heard a crunch and was momentarily gratified to see bright-red blood running out of Bores’s nose. He staggered back a couple of paces and put his hand up to his face. When he pulled his hand back to look at it, it was covered in blood.

  “You little piece of shit!” Bores backhanded Kari across her face with enough force to knock the rag out of her mouth, and pain flared in her right cheek.

  Bores leaned over to secure her left wrist, but she kicked out hard with her right leg and landed a solid blow in just the right spot, sending the earl to his knees clutching his crotch and grunting. Kari jumped up while frantically trying to unfasten the restraining band securing her right wrist to the seat, hoping to get free before Bores recovered.

  She wasn’t fast enough, and her legs were swept out from under her, causing her still-secured arm to twist unnaturally as she fell hard onto the metal deck. She heard a crack and screamed as fiery agony shot up her arm. Refusing to give up, despite the pain, she kept kicking out as hard as she could, trying to throw Bores off-balance. All she could think of was that she had to keep fighting. If she stopped, she knew she would be as good as dead.

  Kari drew her leg back to try and get a kick into the earl’s face, but he scrambled over her and punched her in the face with one of his strong, beefy fists. The blow sent her head flying backward to crash into the hard metal deck. The last thing she was aware of, before her vision blurred completely and blackness descended, was a deafening roar echoing through the ship. It reminded her of a wounded wild animal, and it tore at her heart.

  * * * *

  Jaren charged back down his ship’s ramp and followed the scent of his sha-lia. He caught the change in her scent at the bottom of the ramp, where the pungent smell of fear overtook her normally sweet aroma. He ignored the chaos around him and followed the scent across the docking bay to a smaller ship, where the owner had made two fatal mistakes. First, he had stolen Jaren’s mate. Second, he had foolishly left the docking ramp down. Just as Jaren reached the bottom of the ramp, a piercing scream ripped through the air, coming from inside the ship. Jaren stormed up the ramp, following the sound, and rushed into the cockpit just in time to see a man draw back his fist and strike his mate in the face.

  All reason fled. Bloodlust descended upon him, and Jaren partially shifted into his alternate form, a form that had the ability to strike fear into even the most formidable enemy. Within a fraction of a second, his size increased, sharp claws grew from his fingertips, his teeth elongated into lethal daggers, and hard scales covered his neck and chest. A great roar erupted from deep within him, and he lunged for the bastard that dared to strike his mate. The soon-to-be-dead man jumped back against the bulkhead, his eyes full of shock and fear.

  With one swipe of Jaren’s clawed hand, the man’s chest was ripped open. Jaren dove for his throat, and tore out the flesh with his pointed teeth. The man dropped to the floor, his blood spilling down his chest and dead eyes staring wide.

  A sound behind him caused Jaren to spin, ready to defend his mate. Jaxson came to a sudden stop as he saw the state his brother was in. Jaren eyed him cautiously until Jaxson threw his hands up in a defensive posture and backed away slowly, letting Jaren know he was not a threat. Approaching a dragon knight in bloodlust, especially if he was defending his mate, was the most lethal thing anyone could do.

  Jaren took two heaving breaths and fell to his knees beside Kari’s unconscious form. His body shifted back to his normal appearance as he forced the bloodlust to recede. His eyes surveyed the damage to Kari’s small body, noting the ugly black-and-blue marks on her beautiful face where she had been struck. Seeing her battered body caused his anger to flare again. He had to fight the urge to tear the ship apart. Going on a rampage right now would not help his mate.

  He took more deep breaths to steady himself and examined Kari’s arm, knowing it was broken by its odd angle. He found the locking mechanism and removed the restraint around her wrist, and then he cradled her arm carefully as it was freed to keep it from being damaged further. Very gently, the big warrior scooped Kari into his arms and held her close to his chest as he rose to his feet. He made his way past Jaxson and nodded to his brother, knowing he would take care of the mess he had made. Then he carried his sha-lia back to his ship, swearing to himself that he would never let her out of his sight again.

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  Jaren sat in a chair next to the lone medical bed, gently stroking his sha-lia’s hair, where he had stayed since he brought Kari back to the ship. The medical room was small, but it was equipped with the latest technology for diagnosing and healing traumas. They had not brought a healer with them on this trip, since they hadn’t expected trouble, but he and Jaxson were trained in basic trauma care. They had managed to heal Kari’s broken arm and eliminate the bruising on her face, but Kari had not yet woken up. The bump on the back of her head had gone down almost completely and there was no internal bleeding. They suspected the shock and pain had been too much for her to process and her mind had retreated until she could handle everything that had taken place.

  Jaren shuddered at what would have happened if they had not gotten back to the docking bay in time. She would have been gone. Jaren easily could have gone i
nto an uncontrolled rage and killed everyone within range. Had he and Kari already fully joined, allowing his beast to fully emerge, he was certain that is exactly what would have happened.

  Jaxson entered the medical room and went to the small food dispenser in the room. He ordered two cups of caf and handed one to Jaren, then moved to the other side of the bed. He leaned against the wall, sipping his caf as he watched his brother.

  After several moments, Jaxson cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “The man who took her—I recognized him. I wanted to be certain before I told you, so I ran a search.”

  Jaxson hesitated, and Jaren watched his brother with raised eyebrows, waiting for him to continue. Jaren had been so consumed with bloodlust that he hadn’t really seen the man who did this to Kari. All he could remember was a red haze.

  Jaxson looked uncomfortable. “Remember the earl from the coronation? The one the princess was given to? That was the bastard who tried to take Kari.”

  Jaren’s eyes narrowed as he considered his brother’s news. He looked to his mate and back to Jaxson. “Why would he come after Kari? It makes no sense.”