by Anna Zaires
“So then why did you continue manipulating our evolution?” Emily asked, confused. “You did do that, right? Because how else could humans be so much like you?”
Zaron nodded. “Yes, you’re right. Once we no longer needed your blood, the intent of our experiment shifted. Our scientists decided to see if they could create a Krinar-like species by nudging along the evolution of one species of Earth primates.”
“The species that became the modern-day Homo sapiens?”
“Yes, precisely.” He looked pleased that Emily understood, and she wondered if that meant he was surprised at her intelligence. Then a horrible thought occurred to her.
What if Zaron saw her as an unusually smart monkey or some type of genetic experiment?
Her lungs seized, her stomach cramping for an awful moment, but then she remembered how Zaron had confided in her about his mate, how he hadn’t wanted Emily to leave but had respected her wishes regardless.
No. She began breathing again. That particular worry was unfounded. However the Krinar felt about her species, Zaron didn’t view Emily as a lab animal—that much she was certain of.
As if sensing the direction of her thoughts, Zaron leaned forward and took her hand. “Emily… Listen to me, angel.” His voice was soft, but there was no escaping the intensity in his gaze. “I know that what I am—what my people are—is still new to you, and that it must seem frightening at times. But you have nothing to fear, believe me. I will take care of you. I will give you whatever you need, and I will do everything in my power to make sure you’re happy and safe.” His eyes glittered dangerously as he added, “Nobody will ever hurt you again.”
Emily dragged in an unsteady breath. “Zaron…” There was a growing lump in her throat. “Why did you come for me?”
“Because you’re mine,” he said, his hand tightening around her fingers. “Because you’ve been mine from the moment I saw you lying on those rocks, broken yet clinging to life with all your strength. I didn’t know it then, but when I saved you—when I gave you your life back—you gave me back mine, Emily.”
The lump in her throat expanded, and her eyes began to burn as Zaron got up and stepped around the floating table, using his grip on Emily’s hand to pull her up and draw her against him. Gazing down at her, he took both of her hands in his palms, bringing them up to his chest, and the raw vulnerability of his expression pierced her to the core.
“After I lost Larita, I lived in darkness,” he said quietly. “I existed in a world so bleak and gray it took everything I had to get up each morning. There were days I thought I wouldn’t make it and nights when…” His powerful throat moved as he swallowed. “When I didn’t want to make it.”
“Oh, Zaron.” Emily felt like her chest had been ripped open. “I’m so, so sorry—”
“No, don’t.” He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, his fingers strong and warm around her palms. “You don’t understand, angel. I’m not telling you this to solicit your pity. I just want you to understand.”
“Understand what?” Emily whispered, blinking to clear the veil of tears from her eyes. Her heart pounded in a fast, shallow rhythm, the warm glow in his gaze making her breath tremble in her throat.
“Understand why I love you,” he said. “Why I want you with me every day for the rest of my life. You gave me back what I thought I’d never have again, and I can’t bear to lose it, Emily. I can’t bear to lose you. I let you go before because I’d made you a promise, but I can’t do it again. I need you, angel. I need you with me forever.”
“You—” Emily’s voice broke, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “You have me, Zaron. I’m here. I love you, and I’m yours for as long as you want me. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I left before. I thought I had to—I told myself it was the rational thing to do—but that was just fear talking all along. I didn’t want you to leave me, so I left first and—”
“And I didn’t stop you because I was afraid,” Zaron said, squeezing her hands tighter. “I was scared I would lose you like I’d lost Larita, so I didn’t try to explain, to make you understand what I could give you.” His mouth twisted bitterly as he released her hands and dropped his arms to his sides. “I should’ve said to hell with the mandate and told you the truth, but instead, like a coward, I kept silent and let you walk out of my life.”
“What are you talking about?” Emily whispered, blinking up at him in confusion. She felt bereft without his touch, as lost as an abandoned child. “You did ask me to stay. What does the mandate have to do with anything?”
“It doesn’t—not really.” Self-recrimination tightened his voice. “It was an excuse all along. I thought I couldn’t tell you everything because if you’d then refused to stay with me, I’d have broken the mandate. But that was my own fear talking, nothing more.” He drew in a breath. “I’m sorry, angel. The truth is, I let you walk away because I fell in love with you, and I couldn’t face the thought that I could lose you someday… that some freak accident could claim your life when I was least prepared.”
“Oh, Zaron…” Emily couldn’t bear to listen any longer. Stepping closer to him, she clasped his large palms in her hands and brought them to her chest, mimicking his earlier hold on her. The tears were choking her again, the bittersweet joy of his confession making her throat ache. “You are going to lose me; it’s inevitable,” she said hoarsely. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t be together until then… doesn’t mean we can’t love each other until then. Even a few years is better than—”
“No, angel.” To Emily’s surprise, the corners of Zaron’s mouth lifted in a faint smile. “You still don’t understand.” Gently extricating his hands from her grasp, he gripped her shoulders, his touch warm and tenderly possessive. “It’s not a few years, you see—not when you’re fully mine.”
“What?” Emily stared at him. Surely he couldn’t mean…
“There’s another type of nanocytes—one much more advanced and complex than what I used to heal you,” Zaron said, his eyes gleaming. “These nanocytes are designed to repair cellular and DNA damage for as long as they’re inside a living human body.”
Emily opened her mouth, then closed it. Shaking her head, she took a step back, moving her elbows in a circle to break Zaron’s hold on her shoulders. “Repair DNA damage? You…” She could barely speak. “You’re talking about biological immortality.”
“Yes.” He came after her and caught her wrist, stopping her from backing away. “So you see, angel, it doesn’t have to be a few years—not if you’re my charl.”
“Your what?” Emily’s head was spinning.
“Charl,” he said. “That’s what we call humans we bring fully into our society. The label is irrelevant, though. What matters is what it can give you: access to those nanocytes and a life free from the ravages of disease and aging—a life that can go on for millennia or longer at my side.”
“Oh my God, Zaron…” What he was telling her was utterly unbelievable, but if it was true… “Your people can grant us immortality?”
He shook his head. “Not all of you, no. Only those we claim as charl—like I’m claiming you.”
“But if you have this technology—”
“Emily.” He let go of her wrist to frame her face between his palms. Gazing down at her, he wiped the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs and said softly, “Listen to me, angel. I understand how it must seem to you, but there’s nothing I can do for the human race as a whole. That’s up to the Council and the Elders. Maybe one day they’ll share this technology with your kind, but until then, we can only give these nanocytes to our charl. I can only give them to you.”
Staring up at him, Emily wrapped her fingers around his wrists. His bones were thick and sturdy, as strong as the man himself. She didn’t know what to think, how to process what he was telling her. Should she be selfishly glad that Zaron was going to give her this incredible gift, or horrified that the Krinar were withholding it from the rest of Earth’s population? How many lives could
be saved with the Krinar technology? How much suffering prevented? Her heart ached as she pictured all the sick and dying around the world, and realized she wouldn’t be one of them.
She would never be one of them because she would belong to Zaron.
Instead of the few short years she’d pictured them having together, they would have an eternity.
“Don’t cry, angel,” he whispered, and Emily realized that the tears were running down her face again, her hands trembling as she held his wrists. Bending his head, he kissed the tears from her cheeks, but they just kept coming, the flood of emotions impossible to control. Her joy was mixed with guilt, her happiness tainted by the knowledge that she would be one of the privileged few, that her friends would age and pass away as she remained unchanged with the man she loved.
She tried to stop crying, to turn her face away from Zaron’s soothing kisses, but his lips captured hers, and the dark heat that burned between them ignited anew, weakening her knees and muddling her thoughts. A moan vibrated in her throat, and his kiss turned savagely demanding, his tongue invading her mouth as he backed her up against a wall, one of his hands pinning her wrists above her head while the other fumbled with the zipper of his jeans, freeing his erect cock. Still kissing her, he released her wrists and lowered his hands to grip her thighs and lift her off the ground. Overwhelmed, Emily clutched at his shoulders. She wasn’t wearing underwear, and the thick crown of his shaft pressed against her naked sex, stoking the pulsing heat inside her.
“Zaron,” she groaned, arching her head back as his lips trailed over her jaw, leaving a hot, damp trail on her skin, and then she felt it: the sharp, startling slice of his teeth across the delicate skin of her throat.
“Mine,” he rasped, his mouth latching onto the wound, and her world spun away, consumed by the white-hot ecstasy that overtook them both.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
It wasn’t until the next morning, when Emily woke up next to Zaron, that she had the chance to process everything.
He was lying on his side watching her when she opened her eyes, and the possessive warmth in his gaze filled her with a confusing mix of joy and unease.
She belonged to Zaron now. Forever. He hadn’t said so explicitly, but she knew that even if she begged, he wouldn’t let her leave again, and it wasn’t just because he’d broken the mandate by telling her about the full capabilities of Krinar medical technology.
He was going to keep her because he needed her—and because he knew she needed him.
“Good morning, angel,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair off her face, and Emily’s skin heated as she remembered what had taken place yesterday. He’d taken her blood again, and the sex that followed had been out of this world. She remembered more of it than after the first two times—maybe because her body was growing used to whatever it was his saliva did to her—and the recollections sent a surge of liquid warmth to her sex. Zaron had been insatiable, taking her in every way possible, and she’d enjoyed all of it, her body craving every dirty, depraved thing he’d done to her.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, and Emily nodded, pushing the graphic images out of her mind.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and jumped off the bed, ignoring the hungry way his eyes tracked her as she walked naked to the bathroom.
When she emerged a few minutes later, she found Zaron dressed in an unusual outfit: a sleeveless ivory-colored shirt and a pair of loose white shorts that ended at his knees. The simplicity of the clothes highlighted his powerful build, the soft-looking material draping over his muscles in a way that made her mouth water. He looked strikingly gorgeous, the light color of the outfit highlighting the deep bronze hue of his skin, and Emily sucked in a breath as he came toward her, his mouth curved in a sensuous smile.
“I’m wearing Krinar clothing,” he explained as she continued to stare at him. “Here, I made you some, too.”
He handed her a pale peach dress with thin straps and a deep plunge in the back. Emily put it on, marveling at the way it fit her so well. The lightweight, fleece-like material was similar to the dresses he’d given her before, but the style was different. The bodice of the dress both concealed and revealed, emphasizing the shape of her breasts without showing her nipples, and the skirt floated prettily around her legs, stopping a couple of inches above her knees.
“It’s beautiful,” she said as Zaron gave a command in Krinar and one of the walls turned into a mirror, showing Emily her reflection. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders, and a tremor rippled down her spine as she felt the warmth of his palms on her bare skin. The reflection in the mirror highlighted their differences. Standing behind her, Zaron was a full head taller and uncompromisingly male, his thickly muscled shoulders twice as wide as her slender frame. Though Emily had never considered herself particularly small, she looked tiny next to him, her pale skin and blond hair making his dark coloring appear even more exotic.
For the first time, it struck her that she would be a foreigner among Zaron’s people. No, not a foreigner—an alien, a member of a totally different species.
Her stomach tightening with anxiety, Emily turned around to face her lover. “Zaron…” Her voice was unsteady. “Where do you intend for us to live?”
“For the next year, here, near Lenkarda,” he said, smiling down at her. “Afterwards, when I’m no longer needed to oversee the settlement process, we can decide on our next home together. We can choose to stay here or go to Krina. Or we can live in one of your cities if you wish, though I’d much prefer the first two options.”
“You’d come to New York with me?” Emily asked, surprised. Given the general public’s fearful and hostile attitude toward the Ks, the idea of Zaron joining her in Manhattan had never crossed her mind.
“If things settle down, yes. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be safe for you.”
“For me?” Emily frowned. “I don’t think those agents would dare come after me again. I was worried about you, with all the unrest in the streets and—”
“Oh, I can take care of myself,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “And no, I don’t think your government will mess with you again, but that doesn’t mean some foolish human resistance group won’t.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t considered this aspect of the situation, but Zaron was right. If anyone found out about Emily’s relationship with Zaron, she’d become a target for K haters. They’d label her a traitor—and they wouldn’t necessarily be wrong, she thought with a pang of guilt.
She was sleeping with the enemy—an enemy who was planning to give her an unimaginable gift as a result.
“Don’t worry,” Zaron said, misreading the dismay on her face. Raising his hand, he gently stroked her cheek. “Nobody will harm you, angel. I promise you that.”
“I know.” Emily covered his hand with her own, pressing his palm against her cheek. Warmth filled her chest at the unconcealed love that shone in his gaze. “I know that, Zaron.”
His smile reappeared, brighter than she’d ever seen it. “Good. Now, come, let’s eat—and locate your cat.”
* * *
They found George relaxing on one of the floating couches in the living room. He seemed quite content as he lay there, and when Emily asked Zaron about the cat’s food, he told her he’d given his house orders to ensure that the feline would be fed regularly and provided with the appropriate bathroom situation.
“What kind of bathroom situation?” Emily asked, amused, and Zaron explained that the house had created a special nook where the cat could do his business. Emily insisted on seeing it, so Zaron took her to a room she’d never been in before—one with a floor made entirely of dirt.
“Zaron, this is huge,” she said, looking around in amazement. “Did your house build this room just for George?”
Zaron nodded. “I want George to be happy here too,” he said with utmost seriousness and bent down to pick up the cat, who’d follo
wed them to the room. “Later today, I’ll take him hunting for mice and birds. His species needs that.”
Emily’s mouth fell open. “You’re going to take my cat hunting? In the jungle?”
“Yes, but don’t worry.” Zaron held George against his chest, ignoring the cat’s attempts to jump out of his arms. “I’m fast enough to make sure he won’t run off or get hurt in any way. I know your pet is a domesticated creature.”
And that was that. As they ate breakfast, Zaron kept George on his lap, letting the cat get used to him, and after a few loud meows and one thwarted attempt at scratching, the cat settled down, letting Zaron stroke his fur and scratch behind his ears. By the time they were finishing their meal, George was full-on purring.
It seemed even cats were not immune to her lover’s forceful tenderness.
After the meal, they went for a walk—without the cat, as Emily was definitely not fast enough to catch him if he ran off—and she brought up the other problem that had been weighing on her this morning.
“Zaron… Can I tell my friends where I am and with whom?” she asked as they passed under a guanacaste tree on their way to the lake. “Amber might worry when she can’t reach me, and the others will probably start wondering about my absence after a while.”
Zaron glanced at her. “You can tell them you’re with me in Costa Rica. But you’ll have to keep quiet about the nanocytes and pretty much everything else you see and learn going forward.”
Emily swallowed. “I understand.” Her life would diverge drastically from those of her friends; it was already happening, in fact. Thanks to Zaron, she’d survived the fall off the bridge, but her old life had ended on those rocks. Even before he’d come back for her, she’d been different, irreversibly altered by the experience of meeting and falling in love with a man so extraordinary she could’ve never imagined he existed.