by Colt, Shyla
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2011 Shyla Colt
ISBN: 978-1-926950-89-1
Cover Artist: Jinger Heaston
Editor: Dana Horbach
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
As always I have to give thanks to the man upstairs. He’s the one who gifted me with my over active imagination, and the passion to write. I am so grateful for all his blessings!
Thanks to my family who put up with the late hours, divided attention, and deadline crunches. Without your support I would not be able to do this.
Ladies and Gents of Evernight! You are all wonderful. I am so glad to know you and call you my friends. You really help keep that writing spark burning bright.
B.H. and Christine of the To Be Read Pile you help more than you know. Thanks for taking a new author under your wing and offering up your fantastic site as a launching platform.
Jess, M, y’all always read the rough drafts I send and offer up feedback. Thank you for that.
Last but not least, I want to say thank you to the editors who helped make this book the best it could be. Your hard work is so appreciated, and the lessons you’ve taught me will be remembered and used in the future.
THE WANTING
D'Shar Men, 1
Shyla Colt
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
“Zasha, do you have a minute?” Phelan D’Shar said. D’shar’s voice was unmistakable, a smooth baritone that made her want to shiver with delight. A stream of colorful swears left Zasha’s lips as her hurried steps came to a halt twenty feet from the doors of the conference center behind her. Damn! She’d been so close to making a clean get away! After an entire day of discussions and debates, Zasha was anxious to begin her date for one, with a six pack of Rolling Rock and a stuffed crust pizza. The meeting surpassed its intended six-hour mark. It was one issue after another, until her brain throbbed inside her cranium. Mentally exhausted and overtaxed, she was desperate to leave. If it had been anyone other than Phelan, she would have pretended not to hear the call, picked up her pace, and escaped to the safety of her car.
But she always had a soft spot for the alien King. He managed to carry a heavy load on his shoulders with the grace and dignity that had earned her admiration from day one. She sensed a dark sensuality lurked beneath the surface, and despite her best efforts, she longed to tap into it. Her preoccupation with Phelan had begun years ago during her training at the Paranormal Investigation Academy. Intelligent and witty, Professor D’Shar held the ability to explain the alien anatomy and psychological make-up in a way that was unparalleled. Many of his kind had tried to recreate his witty banter and descriptive explanations, but they failed to deliver with the same warmth and ease.
When she’d learned his skill with weapons and hand-to-hand combat was exemplarily as well, her respect shifted to want. Brains and brawn were a rare combination. Her secret longing had been kept in check by the rules set in place. Fraternization between an instructor and a student was forbidden. Years later, she didn’t have that luxury to police her desires. Transfixed by his amber eyes, she felt a dull throb begin in her core.
She drank in his broad shoulders and tousled chestnut hair, and her mouth went dry. Kentucky evenings in the fall were notorious for being crisp and chilly. It was a fact she had never been more grateful for as she stood beside him doing her best rendition of someone who was unaffected.
Zasha had always been a sucker for tall, dark, and handsome. But her libido couldn’t have picked a more off-limits person to go wild for. She still remembered the first time she saw him, on the day known as The Awakening.
Five years earlier…
Zasha called to her roommate. “Taye, come look at this.” She set her homework to the side as she focused on the newscast.
“What, Z? I just stepped out of the shower.”
“The president and some tan Roman god are about to address the nation,” said Zasha. She giggled when Taye rushed from her room, tying a knot in her pink robe before she flounced down on to the couch beside her.
“My name is Phelan, and I am ruler of Tagget, a solar system light years away from your own,” he said. Zasha gasped. Had he just admitted to being an alien on a television broadcast? “For many years my people have lived among you and studied your culture. But now that our sun is failing, we seek safe passage, and assistance.”
Zasha leaned forward as he continued talking, completely captivated by the man on the screen. What he said should fill her with shock, maybe even horror. But instead it validated everything Zasha had seen the night her mother was murdered. Her mind filled with the image of a mysterious blue glow and the sight of her mother’s burned body before it collapsed into itself. The only physical evidence left for the Covington Police Department to recover had been a mound of ash that no one could explain. Liberation washed over her like a wave as the question of her sanity was finally laid to rest. After years of being told what she saw wasn’t possible she was vindicated.
After the incident had occurred, she’d been sent to countless psychologists to help her cope with the slaughter of her mother at the hand of her mother’s boyfriend. Each doctor was driven to the diagnosis of a psychotic break caused by the reality she couldn’t handle. Eventually she’d learned to keep her thoughts about that night to herself. But she really never drank the Kool-Aid they offered. In the end, the unsolved crime had motivated her to pursue her major in Criminal Justice.
“Now is the time for all of those here to step forward and be revealed,” the man on the television said.
Her heart beat in her chest like humming bird’s wings when people in the press conference stood to reveal hands that glowed blue. She needed to learn all she could about these people and hopefully, in turn, herself. Strange things had occurred in her body after her mother’s death.
****
Present Day
Since that day, Phelan and his royal siblings labored nonstop to form a peaceful union between the aliens, known as the Shar, and humans. It was the goal the Alien Alliance Committee strove toward. In addition to the A.C.C., the government provided law enforcement designed to deal with aliens.
The Paranormal Investigation Unit, or P. I. U., was sent to the site of all situations thought to involve otherworldly beings. Each agent underwent specialized training and had been born with talents that needed to be kept off the record. From telepathy to predicting the future they possessed mixed bags of tricks. Their weapons and protective gear were modified to stand up to the Shar. Phelan was gracious enough to reveal a portion of their weaknesses which helped place them on a more even playing field. The agents were the only humans equipped to deal with the Shar one on one. Rumor had it, the P.I.U. agents were a group of humans abducted at some point in their lives and sent back to Earth with a little something extra. Zasha would have called bullshit on the story, but she often wondered where her team’s unexplained gifts came from, and why those talents had manifested.
Each state received a number of P.I.U. units, but hands down, the crew she led was the best and brightest for Kentucky. Phelan had vehemently denied any abduction, which government officials believed. It was common knowledge that there were rogue aliens out there who didn’t jiv
e with his co-habitation plans. The rogue aliens had made their opposition known via broadcast and acts of terrorism. So far the attacks had all been small scale events, but it was a matter of time until they did something more drastic.
“What can I do for you, D’Shar?” she asked. Her voice steady and cool despite the party the butterflies were having in her stomach. He always brought out the feminine aspect she normally kept under lock. One didn’t get as far as she in her career unless they blended in as one of the guys.
“I wanted to thank you for backing me up in there,” he said. A slight smile curved his delectable pink lips up as she held his direct gaze. There was power in the Shar’s eyes that rendered most humans vulnerable to mind control. Zasha possessed a resistance to mental tampering, but it was a skill set she didn’t use often. She did so as a show of respect for the former mentor who helped train her.
The Shar landed with more than different DNA. They came equipped with extraordinary abilities that scared the hell out of the general public. Mind persuasion and molecular manipulation were the most common.
“Well, I agreed with you. There’s a fine line between invasion of rights and the enforcement of the law. Because someone doesn’t share my DNA doesn’t mean they should be guilty until proven innocent,” she said.
Zasha had been glad they vetoed the motion to use precautionary measures on all aliens. The minute you started to head into that gray area, it was a slippery slope.
“All the same, you’ve always been fair. It’s one of the many things I admire about you.” Phelan D’ Shar admired her? “But I digress. I have a Halloween ball on the thirty-first that I’d like you to attend.”
The hope she had tamped down a million times previously rushed to the surface. It was insane to think he wanted her. She wasn’t sure if the Shar dated outside of their race, and she had a reputation to uphold. A relationship with the King of the Shar would be a major conflict of interests. It would inhibit her ability to be impartial in the eyes of many. Too bad a large part of her didn’t care. She would take Phelan anyway she could get him. Ride him until she was too sore for more and live off the memories for the rest of her life.
She wrinkled her forehead in confusion when his eyes grew as round as saucers. His hands shot up in the universal sign of surrender, and his face glowed a pale blue. The cerulean coloring was identical to a blush in a human.
“Not as a date or anything, just as a show of good will towards us, and to help even out the human to alien ratio,” he said.
She shoved her hands into her pockets and struggled to keep a straight face. “When and where?” she asked.
Stupid, stupid girl. Her mind taunted. Your silly little obsession almost got you humiliated.
Her confidence stood with its foot on a landmine, and she was in desperate need of the one person who could defuse it. Her bomb tech was her best friend, Taye, who’d been her confidant from the moment they met in a foster home at fourteen. At thirty, hers was the only place to go when her world shifted on its axis. Zasha had never confirmed her attraction to Phelan, but she knew her friend suspected.
As he rattled off the time and address, she wished he had chosen someone else. It was one thing to see him at work-sanctioned events. If she saw him on a night that celebrated fantasy and illusion, it might be too much.
Or just what you need. Her sex starved inner voice chimed.
“I’ll be there, Phelan.”
****
Zasha stood in the shower. One leg propped on the basin, and the other planted firmly on the ground for purchase. Zasha buried two fingers deep inside her needy core, circling her sensitive clitoris with her thumb. The moment Phelan spoke her name earlier that day, she’d been in dire need of relief. With her eyes closed, she envisioned her body linked to Phelan’s. His calloused hand would hold her down as he thrust inside her, and his swollen cock would be so thick and long that each frantic thrust would tap her cervix. The pleasurable pain would elevate her to heights she’d never known.
“Yes, Phelan,” she whimpered. She added a third finger to her slick hole to simulate his wide girth.
His hips would tilt to allow his mushroom-shaped head to hit the right spot again and again. Who knew her alien anatomy lessons would be put in to play in such a naughty way?
“Fuck me harder!”
A rough pinch to her bundle of nerves sent her over the edge. Her hip movements became erratic as the heat of her walls closed around her fingers. The image of Phelan was so vivid she swore she tasted the musk of his scent on her tongue. She felt like a woman possessed as she rode her hand through her completion. The primal scream of his name a sweet complement to her well-earned release.
****
“Girl, are you serious?” Taye asked. “The leader of the Shar asked you to attend his Halloween ball?”
Excitement seemed to ooze from every pore as Taye clapped her hands together.
Zasha scoffed. “Yes he did, but it’s not like it was as a date. It’s more of a good will gesture from the A.C.C. and the P.I.U.” Her self-gratification due to thoughts of the man in question, not two hours earlier, made her squirm. She was so pathetic! It was so obvious he wasn’t interested.
The gleam appearing in Taye’s eyes made her nervous. She’d been privy to that look before. It usually led to blind dates and unwarranted hook-up attempts.
“Hmph, are you trying to convince me or yourself?” she asked. The tone of her voice paired with the knowledge in her eyes was enough to make Zasha frown.
Taye always knew too much. Those deceptive liquid brown eyes and elfin features hid a razor sharp mind. Her best friend’s keen observation skills were not a thing to be underestimated.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Zasha said. Her pride stung as embarrassment hit. Had she really been that transparent about her emotions?
“Listen, Zasha, I’ve held my tongue about this for years, but it’s clear that whatever exists between you and Phelan is mutual.”
“How can you say that? The man tripped over himself to explain it wasn’t a date.”
“Because you hold your cards so close to your chest, he has no idea you feel the same way.”
“You’re reaching, Taye.”
“No, you’re too busy hiding to see what’s in front of you. Unleash that sex goddess you have chained down and claim your man,” Taye said.
“Are you going to come with me or not?” Zasha asked. Her tone even as she ignored the previous statement. Despite her false disinterest, the wheels in her mind spun out of control. Maybe this year she’d have herself a special treat.
Chapter Two
“You’ve been sitting here for hours, Phelan. Why don’t you close down shop for the night?” His brother, Kade, asked as he entered his office and took a seat opposite him at the desk.
“I just have one last minute invitation to finish and I will,” said Phelan. His eyes glued to the sealed envelope he’d addressed personally. The placement of the red wax emblem of his people sent a thrill through his body. In four days’ time, Zasha would be in his home.
“Last minute invitation?” Kade asked. His smooth voice was full of curiosity.
“Maybe he asked his dream girl.” Bastian, their brother, crooned from the doorway. A wide grin spread across his lips as he came into view. “Well?” he asked. His sure steps were muffled by the Persian rug as he made his way over to sit. His thick brown eyebrows wagged up and down in a comical manner that made Phelan want to laugh.
Phelan said, “It’s for Zasha.”
A deep sigh paired with an eye roll was his response to the laughter that sprung forth from his siblings. In spite of his Herculean effort to keep his preference to himself, Kade and Bastian had picked up on the unspoken attraction.
Probably heard you cry her name. His mental voice chided. Memories of the numerous times he’d reached his pinnacle with Zasha on his lips and his cum on his hands made him clear his throat. The thought of her lust-filled eyes framed by tousled hair w
as enough to make his dick harden. He shifted in his seat to accommodate the bulge in his pants and began the losing battle of convincing them his decision was based on logic.
“She brings the number of humans attending up, and she represents the A.C.C. and the P.I.U. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
Never mind that her tawny skin, lush red lips, and expressive almond-shaped hazel eyes made him want to take her in his arms and fuck her senseless. Her thick head of coal black hair was always wound up tight in a bun, and he’d often wondered what her tresses would look like unrestrained. It was all too easy to picture the midnight strands framing her oval face and high cheekbones. The combination of her strength and exotic beauty made him think of Cleopatra. The ancient queen he’d read about in history books. Heat spread in his face alerting him to the fact his skin must glow a light blue.
“Come on, Phe, when are you going to admit you like her?” asked Bastian.
Kade cast a smile full of sympathy his way as Bastian continued his rant. As the second oldest, Kade had always been the peacemaker.
“How can I like her? I don’t even know her,” Phelan said.
“You know her plenty well after all that time you spent together during her training,” Bastian said.
Zasha and Phelan had spent months together at the academy. The unique information and combat training he provided for the P. I.U. had been a fulfillment of the treaty signed sans the Awakening. The Shar would be allowed citizenship provided they completed a successful induction into society and earned their own keep. Documents and testing was allowed on the Shar’s genetic makeup and unusual powers to prevent any nasty surprises down the line. It had been Marsden D’Shar’s brilliant idea to equip the earthlings with a way to do battle with the Shar on even ground. Weapons were modified to incapacitate the superior race, and the P.I.U., and A.A.C. were born.