The Vilka's Captive: Scifi Alien Romance (Shifters of Kladuu Book 3)

by Pearl Foxx

  Debj’an smirked. “I told you once before, we do not care about this silly flesh trade or the humans. Let them come. Let them be killed.”

  Nestan glanced around the crowded, overgrown city. Claws clacked over stones and the limbs above Linnea’s head swayed and groaned as Katu leaped around. Finally, Nestan returned his focus to the one woman who ruled it all. “I understand. As I’ve also said, you are wise not to get involved.”

  Debj’an’s eyes flashed. Her jaw worked as if she were chewing her words first before spitting them out. “As with all clans, more of our children are becoming stuck in their animal form. While we prefer to be in our animal skin, we do not relish the idea of our people not being able to shift. But the jungle whispers that your Alpha procured medicine from the Hylas that is supposed to help babies through their first shift.”

  “I haven’t been home in months. I have no idea what Gerrit has done,” Nestan said evenly. “But if the Hylas truly have the medicine that can help you then it makes this alliance even more important. Once my father and the humans are taken care of, the Vilkas will turn their attention to the Hylas. If they’re defeated, we can secure the medicine all our clans need. That’s not a fight. That’s just survival. And the Katu have always been the best at surviving.”

  Debj’an blinked. She hadn’t expected that. As she frowned, thinking over his words, Nestan took a deep breath.

  Linnea couldn’t help but marvel at him. He’d not only found them a safe place to rest with the Katu, but he’d also potentially negotiated an ally in the fight against his father. People inherently saw the good in him. They trusted him easily. He was honorable and worthy, and he would never see that in himself.

  After a few moments, Linnea tried to stifle a yawn, but her body simply wouldn’t cooperate. She kept her mouth shut, but a squeak escaped her lips. The exhaustion tried to overtake her senses. It was near dawn, and she needed sleep.

  “Thank you for your help in rescuing my daughter.” Debj’an stood. “You’ve proven yourself honest and trustworthy. It will be an honor to help you return home. As for your other proposition, I will have to think about it.”

  Nestan helped Linnea stand, his hand on her elbow. She swayed with exhaustion, but his gentle touch held her steady. He said, “Thank you, Debj’an. We appreciate your kindness.”

  Debj’an inclined her head but did not smile. “If you are an example of what your Alpha is like, perhaps I would be willing to meet with him and discuss what our future holds.”

  “Of course,” he said without hesitation. “I will speak to him, but I am certain he will welcome your assistance with our mutual problem. There’s no reason why any Kladian should suffer or be alone in this.”

  Debj’an smiled. For the first time, her fangs retracted completely and her eyes shifted to a light brown. Linnea realized that the entire time she’d been with the Katu, they had been partially shifted, ready to turn into panthers at the drop of a hat. This was the first time she had seen any of them in their fully human form.

  “You are exhausted. I will take you to where you can sleep. The Draqon may join the young ones tonight. They cuddle together until they snooze, waking only when they are hungry. He will be safe.”

  Linnea hesitated, not sure she wanted the baby out of her sight, but on the other side of the fire, three cubs had piled onto the baby and were trying to figure out how his unbandaged wing worked. He snapped it open with youthful flair, letting the kittens paw at the strange appendage.

  “They seem to be getting along well,” she admitted. Maybe she was just the one who needed the baby’s comfort. He might prefer to be with the other babies tonight.

  The Katu leader led them down to a nearby ladder hanging from one of the massive trees surrounding the rock formations of the Katu settlement.

  Linnea had been expecting a piece of ground to curl up on or a room in one of the crumbling buildings, but when Debj’an climbed the ladder, Linnea followed with Nestan behind her. She was shocked to find a large platform with an even larger hammock suspended from the limbs of the tree.

  Stepping onto the platform, Linnea looked down at the settlement; the small fires had burnt down to a low orange glow of embers, giving the whole area a gentle light.

  The sun would be rising soon, but in her exhaustion, she was sure she would sleep through it. Right now, she could sleep just about anywhere. The hammock seemed perfect, and she slipped off her shoes before thanking the Katu leader again.

  When Debj’an turned to leave, Nestan started to follow her. The Katu stopped, her expression puzzled. “You will not be sleeping with your mate?”

  “She’s not my mate,” he said quickly, his cheeks flushing. Linnea almost smiled at the shyness in his voice as he corrected the Katu leader.

  “Then there are many who would enjoy her company.” Debj’an’s eyes once again became a golden yellow as she turned her gaze onto Linnea as if she herself might be interested in joining her in the hammock.

  Nestan stepped back, his blush spreading down his neck. “In that case, we will be fine.”

  Linnea reached out to take his hand, which was clammy and shaking. She nodded at the leader. “Thank you. Goodnight.”

  Debj’an smiled with a knowing expression and descended the ladder.

  Chapter Eight

  Nestan

  Nestan clutched Linnea’s hand as he watched Debj’an climb down the ladder. He still felt the growl in the back of his throat from the Katu’s lustful stare at Linnea. As soon as the leader was gone, he dropped Linnea’s hand and stepped away.

  “I’m sorry about that,” he muttered, wiping his hand on his pants as if he could rid his skin of her scent. “If you wanted to sleep alone or for someone else to be here that would be okay. I didn’t mean to assume anything. It’s just …”

  Linnea shook her head with a small smile. “Look, I’m too exhausted to care. I just want to go to sleep.”

  Their platform was high in the trees, allowing them to see the huge expanse of the Katu settlement. Panthers spread out on tree limbs, while others cuddled together in makeshift nests in the trees. It surprised him to see just how animalisticly they lived, but if their sleeping arrangement bothered Linnea, she didn’t show it as she climbed into the oversized hammock suspended in the branches and rolled her way to the opposite side before looking at him.

  He shuffled his feet for a moment, not making eye contact. “I can sleep on the platform. It’s not any harder than the rocks I’m used to sleeping on.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Just get in. Plus, what if Debj’an comes back and finds me all alone in the hammock? She might climb in here and try to eat me.”

  He couldn’t help but smile until she wiggled her eyebrows at him, and he realized the joke she was making. Blushing furiously, he climbed into the hammock still wearing his tight black pants. The rope bed sunk down, rolling them against each other.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” Nestan rushed to try and roll away from her.

  “It’s okay—”

  In his struggle to escape their contact, he only managed to bounce her closer to him. He grunted. “I didn’t … I mean …”

  “Maybe we should just be still,” Linnea tried, her voice breathless.

  Every move he made shifted her body closer until she rolled directly on top of him, her blonde curls falling across her face as she tried to hold back her smile. He hadn’t noticed how blue her eyes were until then. He’d been so focused on getting her away from Savas and Merick, he hadn’t let himself study how beautiful she was. Her features were soft, and the shape of her face reminded him of moonblossoms.

  The sun crested over the horizon, and the deep pink hue of dawn surrounded them, capturing them in this moment with Linnea’s warm weight straddling his hips, her sugar-smelling skin exposed in the slip of a dress the Katu had lent her.

  Clearly trying to hold back her laughter, Linnea gripped the rope on either side of his head and tried to shimmy off him. But their legs tangled, and the sw
ell of her breasts pressed against his bare chest.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, laughing fully now. “I don’t mean to—”

  “It’s okay.” He went completely still beneath her.

  She put her weight on one hand and lifted the other to run through his hair, pulling it away from his face, ignoring his embarrassment. “I’m glad you got something good to eat tonight.”

  Nestan couldn’t make sense of her words with the distraction of her fingernails running against his scalp. The heat of her body affected him in ways he tried to ignore.

  “I mean, I can tell you haven’t had much in the way of proper nutrition while you’ve been with your father. It’s nice to see you cleaned up and looking happier.”

  He averted his gaze, but the feeling of her body against his only increased. Her frame was soft and pressed so close to him that he could imagine how each part of her would feel under his hands. He wanted to grip her waist and pull her closer.

  At the thought, his cock twitched, hardening against her leg. He shifted to get away, hoping she wouldn’t notice, but in doing so, he only managed to rub himself against her hip, pulling an unintended moan from his lips.

  Linnea stopped petting his hair and placed a hand on the side of his face, turning his head so he had to look at her. She had a soft smile, and before he knew it, she had wiggled her body down against his erection, pressing it hard and firm against her leg.

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” she said before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on the side of his mouth. She lifted up and waited, looking at him with her head tilted as if trying to figure out his reaction. She didn’t seem intimidated, afraid, or hesitant. Instead, he felt like the space between them was a gift of permission.

  He placed his hands on her waist, relishing the soft curves of her hips, and ran his nose along her neck, taking in her clean scent. Now that all the dirt and blood and everything else they’d been through over the last day had been washed off, he could finally single out the distinct smell of the human woman who had captured his imagination.

  She pressed herself harder against him, eliciting another moan as his cock grew even harder. Leaning in, she placed her lips against his. It was another soft kiss, a peck on the lips. It was intimate and sweet, and he didn’t know what to do with that kindness.

  He pulled his face away and shook his head gently. “Maybe we shouldn’t … I mean, I’m not used to …”

  She leaned in and kissed one corner of his mouth before the other. Running her hand through his hair again, she settled her body lower against him so she no longer had to support her weight. She ran her thumb along his cheekbone. “It’s okay. Are you worried about me for some reason? You shouldn’t. I want to be with you.”

  His thoughts turned to all the times his father told him he was useless, all the times he’d been beaten instead of held, and all the warmth he’d longed for. He’d never taken a lover, never allowed himself to feel that connection or kindness. Some part of him didn’t believe it was possible, that he deserved it.

  Before he could speak, she placed another kiss on his lips. She sucked softly on his lower lip until he couldn’t resist and wrapped both his arms around her back, hugging her tight against him. They kissed, lips exploring each other. When she reached out for him with her tongue, his grip on her tightened. Uncertainty and fear pulsed through his veins.

  She pulled away slightly and tilted her head, her gaze questioning.

  Nestan closed his eyes, shaking his head

  Instead of asking, Linnea placed another soft kiss on his lips and then another until his fear faded and he reached for her again. With one hand tangled in her hair and the other wrapped around her middle, he held onto the kind human woman as she kissed him with a gentle devotion he never imagined would be for him.

  Soon the kisses intensified, and Linnea moved her hips against his body. Her leg rubbed against his erection, bringing him closer and closer to losing control.

  He flipped them over on the hammock, making Linnea giggle as it swayed and bounced. She spread her legs so he could nestle between them, and he pressed himself against her core. Even though they were both still fully dressed, the contact between them made her gasp.

  For a second, with her beneath him, he lost himself in her beauty. She was the most gorgeous female he’d ever seen.

  A flush broke out along her chest, and he risked reaching for one of her ample breasts. It was soft and the perfect size to hold with his massive hand. He wanted to nestle himself between them and kiss and suckle at her softness for hours. As she kissed along the side of his neck, he moaned. Her skin was on fire against his. He’d never felt anything like her heat. Even the few make out sessions he’d stolen with Vilkan girls had never felt so right, so easy. It was like their bodies were made to fit together. His hard to her soft. His broken to her healing.

  As they lost themselves in the kiss, the sound of tiny claws clicking on the platform beside them made him freeze.

  Had Debj’an come back? Or another one of the Katu? Would they attack or try to join them?

  He tensed and his canines descended slightly, preparing himself to shift and defend Linnea against whatever might be making its way towards their bed.

  But instead of seeing the glint of a black pelt, he saw a puff of smoke.

  With a sigh, he muttered, “Looks like we have company.”

  The Draqon baby leaped up into the hammock with them, and Linnea’s head fell back against the hammock, a soft laugh on her slightly swollen lips.

  The baby struggled in the rope knots beside them, his tiny paws falling through the holes. Small squeaks of frustration and huffs of smoke surrounded them, and Nestan just hoped it didn’t set the whole hammock on fire as it scrambled over his back. Little claws dug into his skin but not enough to hurt.

  The baby let out a chirp when it spotted Linnea, and Nestan couldn’t hold back his laugh.

  “Could you not sleep, honey? Did my fuzzy bunny need to come snuggle?” she asked, cooing to the little creature.

  She watched the baby with such sweet tenderness that it was hard for him to remember the baby was a Draqon—the very epitome of evil he’d been raised to hate and attack without a second’s thought. These were the creatures they’d been at war with his entire life. But in Linnea’s arms, the Draqon baby was nothing more than a playful child seeking comfort in a strange world.

  Nestan stretched out on his side next to her.

  Her gaze flicked up to his. “I think he’s scared. I don’t know if he’s not used to being alone, or if everything we’ve been through has overwhelmed him. I know it’s overwhelmed me. Do you think he can stay with us tonight?”

  But he knew that if anybody was leaving the bed, it was going to be him. Despite her asking, there was no way she was going to allow this baby to be afraid and alone tonight. That was one of the many reasons why he felt more than just protective of her. He’d come to feel like she was the salve for the burn against his soul. It was her kindness and her willingness to accept even the monsters in their life that made her special.

  “Of course, he can,” he said, stretching out an arm so she could rest her head against him. The baby curled up against her stomach, and Nestan wrapped an arm around the two of them, scratching the baby’s tiny, triangular ears and feeling more affection for the creature than he ever thought possible.

  Chapter Nine

  Linnea

  Linnea woke to a fryer-like heat on top of her chest.

  She struggled to open her eyes, so warm and tired, and every part of her body ached. When she finally managed to blink her eyes open, she found the Draqon baby had turned itself upside down in his sleep. His head nestled down near her knees and his tail laid next to her face. She was tempted to tickle it, but he appeared to be content lying on his back, all four paws up in the air, perfectly oblivious to the danger he had been in just a few hours ago. Instead, Linnea turned her head to find Nestan wide awake and staring at her.

  “How l
ong have you been awake?” she murmured drowsily.

  He shrugged before averting his gaze.

  “Why do you do that? Why do you always look away from me?” She wiggled slightly on her side, so they laid facing each other in the dip of the hammock. The Draqon baby snuggled up against her back, and she placed both hands on Nestan’s bare chest, feeling the soft hair. His skin was addictive.

  Last night when he’d kissed her, she thought she’d never get enough of his soft lips and the rasp of his thick beard against her skin. Even though they were interrupted, it felt like something had changed between them. She wanted to kiss him now, let him take her in his arms. Lose herself in his warmth. Usually, she was the type to rush straight into sex, skipping all the emotional nonsense and seeking gratification for the here and now. She generally wasn’t interested in getting emotionally entangled, whether it be sex, boyfriends, or even friends. For the most part, Jude was all she’d ever needed.

  Nestan’s heart thundered against her palm, and she could feel how warm he was. Was that just his natural temperature or was he overheating at the thought of them lying so close together, the thin fabric of the Katu clothing all that separated their bodies?

  “Nestan?”

  “We should get up.” His voice was low and gruff, thick with sleep. It sent shivers of desire through her body. She wanted to feel the scruff of his beard against her neck.

  He shimmied slightly so his hips were turned away from her. Without his warmth against her, Linnea shivered. She kept her hands on his chest, but he seemed to be shrinking away from her touch despite the way the hammock pushed them against each other.

  “We almost slept the entire day away, but if we leave now, we can get back to my home by tomorrow morning.”

  He scooted his legs off the hammock and vaulted out, bouncing her and the Draqon baby in the bed. He managed to land gracefully on his feet, and not tumble out the way she would have if she attempted such a move.