“I cannot control my body’s reaction when I am with her,” Zyen ground out, disgusted with himself.
A thoughtful look entered Syrina’s eyes. “Perhaps you will not need to.”
“What does that mean?”
Syrina shrugged. “Maybe I can be of assistance. If she will allow it.”
Zyen studied Syrina’s face for long moments. “You are able to help her?”
“I do not know. It depends on how badly she wishes to let go of the negative energy she has carried with her for so long. But I can try.”
Gesturing toward the porch, Zyen moved to turn back toward the cabin. “We must try.”
“Not we,” Syrina gently countered. “This is something that you cannot be a part of.”
Zyen stood planted to the spot as Syrina climbed the steps and knocked on the door. He didn’t move until the door opened and she disappeared inside.
Forcing his feet to carry him to Oz’s house, Zyen stopped out front and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” Oz offered, opening the door and taking a step back.
Gryke, Fiona, Pyre, and Brant sat in the living room as Zyen cleared the threshold.
Oz shut the door and ushered Zyen toward a chair that sat next to the couch. “I’ll get right to the point. I’d originally intended on sending Maria and Carmen to Aukrabah until Kerik is caught. But I’ve since changed my mind.”
Zyen took a seat and rested his hands on his knees. “What has happened?”
“First of all,” Oz began, “Kerik isn’t going to leave this area until he has what he came for. And that’s Maria. He knows she’s the only way I’d ever roll over on Klause. Sending her off on the yacht would be the same as handing her to Kerik on a silver platter. But she’s not safe here either. We don’t know how many men Kerik has with him. If he has an army like his old man did, we’re sitting ducks.”
“What do you propose?” The question came from Fiona.
Oz glanced at everyone in the room. “We all leave tonight, and we leave by plane.”
Zyen hated the thought of running from the cowardly Kerik, but his desire to see Carmen safe, preceded everything else. “I am in agreeance.”
Oz murmured his thanks before switching his attention to the others. “And you?”
Fiona nodded, as did Gryke and Brant.
Pyre leaned back against the couch cushions. “If we leave now, we might not ever find Kerik again.”
“My mate’s life means more to me than killing Kerik,” Oz shot back. “If Kerik is anything like his father, he’ll come to the States looking for us. And we’ll be ready for him.”
Pyre continued to stare at Oz. “What of your hotel and the ones who depend on it to feed their families?”
“I’ll leave someone in charge of erecting the hotel. As much as I care for the people in Playa Pilar, I love my mate more.”
With a nod, Pyre relented. “I will be ready.”
“Okay then.” Oz blew out a breath. “We’ll be ready to fly out at seven o’clock tonight. I expect everyone to be back here at six.”
Zyen stood to go. He clapped Oz on the shoulder on his way out. “I commend you for putting your mate first. That is the true Bracadyte way.”
Oz met his gaze. “Thank you, Zyen. That means a lot.”
Zyen opened the door and stepped out into the warm Cuban sun. Once he showered and readied himself to leave, he would return to Carmen’s to tell her of their plans.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carmen handed Syrina a glass of sweet tea, watching with more than a little humor as the Arkadian female’s eyes lit up with pleasure.
“I have never had such a thing. What is it called?”
“Sweat tea.” Carmen chuckled and joined Syrina on the couch. “I wasn’t allowed to have it growing up, so I make it all the time now.”
Syrina set her glass on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Why were you not allowed to have it?”
“My grandparents wouldn’t let me have anything they deemed evil.”
“Sweet tea is evil?” The look on Syrina’s face became comical.
Carmen shrugged. “It was to my grandparents. But then, anything pleasurable was evil in their eyes.”
“Humans are a strange lot.”
“Not all humans,” Carmen admitted. “But my grandparents were fanatics in more ways than one.”
Syrina turned to folly face Carmen on the couch. “Zyen told me about your life growing up. He also informed me of the attack that you suffered at the hands of those three land walker’s.”
Carmen felt the blood drain from her face. “Why would he tell you about that?” She moved to get up.
“Because he cares for you,” Syrina softly responded, reaching out to take hold of Carmen’s wrist.
Carmen attempted to disengage Syrina’s hold, nausea rolling through her insides. “I don’t see how repeating my shame to others can help me.”
“Not others, Carmen. Only me. He would not have confided in me had I not felt his emotions in the first place. He hurts for you, and he does not know what to do to help you.”
Blinking back tears of shame, Carmen whispered, “And you do?”
“I believe that I can…if you will allow me.”
Carmen’s heart skipped a beat, she stopped fighting to free herself from Syrina’s grasp and dropped back down onto the couch. “How?”
Syrina released Carmen’s hand. “I have only used my gift on one other, but she was Bracadyte. I am not completely certain it will work on you. Though, I am willing to try.”
Carmen leaned in closer. “Tell me about the Bracadyte and how you helped her.”
“She was a young mother who had given birth to her first child. The babe did not survive the birth, and the mother withdrew in on herself. She refused to eat, barely slept…”
“Oh, my God,” Carmen whispered, her heart breaking for the young Bracadyte mother. “What did you do to help her?”
Syrina took a deep breath. “I distorted her emotions where the child was concerned.”
“You what?”
“I entered her mind and took her pain. Though the memory of her child remains in her subconscious, it has been pulled from her enough to become bearable.”
Carmen’s mouth opened and closed. “I have heard of something similar to that. The Bracadyte, Naura, possesses that same gift.”
Syrina nodded. “I have heard of Naura’s gift as well.” She paused for a brief moment. “Will you allow me to help you, Carmen?”
Carmen’s hands began to tremble. “Yes. If you can rid my mind of the memory—"
“The memory will remain, Carmen,” Syrina interrupted. “You will know that it happened, you simply won’t feel the pain of it. It will be as a terrible dream you once had long ago…one that will no longer control your emotions.”
“I can’t even imagine,” Carmen whispered. “I’ve been living in this nightmare for so long.”
A sadness entered Syrina’s mind. “I am afraid that you will have to live it once more before it can be purged from you.”
Carmen’s stomach tightened in dread.
“We will not do this if you are not ready.”
“I’m ready.” Was she really? Carmen wondered, fighting the panic that slid up her spine. She didn’t want to relive her attack, and she damn sure didn’t want Syrina to witness it.
“I will need some of your blood.”
Understanding the way a bonding worked, Carmen held up her trembling hand and offered her wrist.
Syrina’s hands were suddenly wrapped around Carmen’s arm. “Close your eyes and take me back to the beginning.”
Carmen blinked. “The beginning?”
“Back to your childhood when the beatings first began.”
Nervous, and more than a little afraid, Carmen allowed her eyes to slide closed.
A slight pinch at her wrist told Carmen that Syrina’s fangs had penetrated her skin. And then a warm sensation flooded Carmen’s mind, coaxing
her into a relaxed state. She slumped down deeper into the couch.
Vivid images of her grandmother suddenly burst behind Carmen’s closed lids. Grandma, may I have another glass of milk?
No, you may not! Greed is of the devil. Go to your room and pray. You will not get up from your knees until you have learned the true meaning of sacrifice.
Another memory lit through Carmen’s mind. This time of her grandfather. Your grandmother tells me that you could not recite your scriptures this evening. You had all day yesterday to learn them. Pull your skirt up and lay across the bed.
The feel of the lash as it arced across her legs and bottom, sent phantom pains shooting up Carmen’s limbs. She physically flinched from the memory.
Syrina was suddenly there, speaking in a gentle voice, her hands on either side of Carmen’s head until the memory soon dulled, and Carmen’s body began to relax.
And on it went. Carmen felt drugged, walking through her past, experiencing the pain anew as if it were yesterday.
Exhaustion began to set in, yet still, Syrina pushed her.
“Take me to that night in the alley.”
A moan of despair slipped past Carmen’s lips. She didn’t want to revisit that night. She was too tired and emotionally stripped to relive the trauma that took place in that alley.
“It is alright, Carmen. I will be with you every step of the way.”
Hernando’s hideous face abruptly appeared, and with it, the sounds, scents and horrors of that night.
Carmen inwardly screamed, terror filled her mind, and the fight to escape superseded the threat to her life.
Gravel dug into her back with the weight of Hernando dropping on top of her.
No matter how hard Carmen fought to be free, she was no match for the three men holding her down. Zyen...help me!
Why had she called out to Zyen? He hadn’t been there during her attack. There was nothing he could do.
“They no longer have power over you, Carmen,” Syrina whispered through their connection. “You can let go of it now. They are dead…punished by Zyen’s own hands.”
The scene abruptly changed in Carmen’s mind. She saw Hernando, his disgusting body tied to a tree while a blade sliced through his back. His screams ricocheted off the surrounding trees, terrified and unheard.
Carmen watched as Zyen peeled back Hernando’s skin, torturing him in ways she could have never imagined. Hernando died a slow, horrendous death. Alone.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Zyen emerged from his shower and dressed in record time.
A feeling of foreboding swept over him as he stood and tucked his knife into his left boot. Carmen…
His mind opened up to her, only to recoil at the vision she seemed to be caught up in. Her screams filled his head, full of pleading and terror with the memory of her attack in the alley.
It took Zyen a second to realize that his knees had buckled. A groan of helplessness erupted from him. He could only watch as Hernando defiled Carmen’s body, his hideous laughter echoing inside Zyen’s mind like a mantra.
And then Carmen’s voice reached through the abyss. “Zyen…help me!”
With a roar of anguish, Zyen staggered to his feet. Carmen needed him. He could hear her calling to him as surely as he could feel his heart nearly beating out of his chest.
Zyen rushed from his bungalow so fast, he busted the door off the hinges. He vaulted over the porch railing, sailed across the shrubs that lined the walkway, and ran like the wind to Carmen’s cabin.
He burst through the door in time to see Carmen sitting on her couch moaning in pain with Syrina’s hands locked onto her head.
Zyen didn’t think beyond the sound of Carmen’s voice inside his head. He grabbed Syrina around the waist and tossed her across the room.
Carmen slumped against the back of the couch.
“What did you do?” Zyen snarled without looking at Syrina. He bent and lifted Carmen into his arms.
“I healed her…” Syrina’s soft voice penetrated Zyen’s rage fogged brain.
Protectively tucking Carmen’s head beneath his chin, Zyen spun to face Syrina. “How is having her relive that nightmare going to help her? I could see everything she saw, feel what she felt. I heard her crying out to me!”
“As could I,” Syrina whispered. “It is not something I will soon forget. If ever. But she will.” She nodded toward Carmen. “The fact that she called out to you for help shows where her trust truly lies.”
A soft sound came from the back of Carmen’s throat. She lifted her head and met Zyen’s gaze. “You came.”
“Of course, I came. Nothing could have kept me from you.” The tears he saw swimming in Carmen’s eyes tore at his heart.
She shifted her gaze to Syrina. “I don’t know how you did it, but I feel as if a mountain has been lifted from my chest.”
Syrina pushed to her feet, her face pale and drawn. “You will learn to overcome your past and grow stronger with each passing day. If you ever need me, I am here for you.” She swayed on her feet.
“Are you okay?” Carmen asked, her voice laced with concern.
“I will be.” Syrina’s gaze flicked to Zyen. “Take care of her, my kin.”
Zyen’s gaze softened. “I am sorry for my rough handling. I did not think before I acted.”
Syrina moved to the door and rested her hand on the knob. “I understand. You were protecting your mate.” She left before Zyen could respond.
He turned his attention to the tiny human in his arms. Syrina had referred to Carmen as his mate. And she was, Zyen realized with no small amount of surprise. She had been all along.
Carmen stared back at him, her luminous brown eyes, unreadable.
“I—” Zyen began, only to be cut off by Carmen wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
A tremor passed through her. “I called to you, and you came.”
Every doubt that he’d ever experienced since meeting Carmen melted away in that moment. His protective instincts took over, and he hugged her back, wishing he could pull her into himself and never let her go. “I will always come, little one. Always.”
Long moments passed with Carmen clinging tightly to him before she lifted her head. “I want to share myself with you.”
“Carmen?” He couldn’t believe what he heard.
“In every way, blood and all.”
Zyen’s heart twisted in his chest. “I do not know if that is a good idea. After what you have been through…”
Something changed in her expression, and she lowered her head. “I understand. After everything you’ve seen—”
“You think I do not want you?” His shaft had filled with blood the moment she’d wrapped her arms around his neck.
She hesitantly raised her gaze. “Do you?”
Zyen swallowed. “More than anything. But I am afraid that you will fear me. I do not think I could bear it if you feared me.”
“I don’t fear you. I’ve never trusted anyone like I trust you.”
Zyen took several deep breaths in an effort to calm his pounding heart. Carmen wanted him, and he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. But now wasn’t the time. She wasn’t ready, no matter how much she wished it otherwise.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Carmen felt the instant that Zyen pulled back from her. He turned and sat on the couch, pulling her down onto his lap. “You are not ready, sweet Carmen.”
Moving to straddle his lap, Carmen felt the wetness that had formed at the juncture of her thighs, recognized it for what it was…desire.
She lifted slightly, settling over the hard ridge of his erection, and pressed downward. There was no repulsion, no anxiety, and no fear. She felt only one thing as the heat of his shaft seeped through her shorts; need.
“Wait,” Zyen moaned, gripping her by the arms to hold her still, “perhaps we should wait until you have had some time to process what has transpired here today.”
Carmen thought about his
words; she thought about everything that had happened to her in the past. But Hernando’s face was a vague memory at best. No panic consumed her, no feeling of wanting to run.
She leaned forward, pressing her breasts against Zyen’s chest, gripped the back of his head, and pulled his face to her neck.
A soft growled rumbled inside his chest.
“Bite me,” she softly pleaded, needing to give back to him as much as he’d given to her. “Please, Zyen, I need you.”
Zyen licked the side of her neck, sending chills scattering along her flesh. “Are you certain you want to do this?” His warm breath fanned her skin as he spoke.
“More than I’ve ever been sure of anything in my life.” And she was. She wanted him to take her blood, she wanted to give herself to him, and she needed him to feel the same way.
He must have read her thoughts. His voice slid into her mind even as his fangs penetrated her throat. “As much as you think you want me, it does not come close to the agony I feel just being near you. I have never wanted another, Carmen. I feel that I would die if I am forced to go another day without knowing your taste.”
A simultaneous moan filled the room as the first draw of Carmen’s blood entered Zyen’s system. She could feel it rush through his veins as surely as he could feel her pulse beating beneath his tongue.
She moved in closer, unable to get enough of his mouth on her skin, her aching center resting against the hard bulge of his shaft.
Without breaking the connection he had with her vein, Carmen rocked her hips forward, her eyes sliding closed with the rush of sensations that movement caused. She’d never imagined in a million years that a feeling such as this existed.
Zyen’s fangs slipped from her neck, but he didn’t lift his head. His warm, wet lips skated across her throat to the other side where he buried his fangs once again.
Carmen was on sensation overload. The throbbing between her thighs had increased, seeking something she couldn’t seem to find.
Zyen surged to his feet, knocking over the coffee table in his haste to get to Carmen’s bedroom.
He kicked the door shut behind them, eased his back onto her bed, covered her ass with his large palms, and pulled her against him.
Zyen: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 10) Page 11