Crave

by Serena Simpson

  “I have two pictures of him. This is his alias. The one he uses to walk around on earth undetected.”

  I raised my eyes to see if Cole was suffering from a seizure, brain damage, or was he just trying to mess with my head? I couldn’t tell so I let my eyes drift downward to study the picture he was showing me. The man came in around six feet. Nice average height for a man. His hair was blonde, the true blonde that could almost be white. He had shocking blue eyes and a mouth that seemed to say, ‘I’m fun.’ I shook myself because he was mesmerizing even in a photo, but still, I felt my skin crawl.

  “So, this guy likes to kill and cut up the bodies.” Cole looked at me but didn’t say anything as he changed the picture.

  “This is what he looks like outside his disguise.”

  The picture I was looking at showed something humanoid shape with black skin. No, not the smooth chocolate of some of the men in my unit. It wasn’t even the fierce black skin of the friend I used to have long ago. There was nothing attractive or human about what I was seeing. This male’s skin looked evil; it reminded me of what I thought a black hole would look like. The knowledge that if you were sucked in, you would never survive. His eyes were an eerily red. No pupils just those red eyes. His teeth were serrated; the color matched the eyes. I was out of here I didn’t have time for this shit.

  “Sit,” Cole growled at me as I went to rise. “This isn’t a game. If you’re going to help me go after fuckin’ Naresh, there are something's you have to know. For starter’s he’s not human.”

  I tilted my head to look up at him. He was the one standing now. His hands placed firmly on the table. He used it to support his weight as he leaned over it. His lips were so close to mine that I could feel his warm breath. It was messing with my head and my dick. Stress I told myself. This male was stressing me out, and all I needed was a good fuck.

  I would have believed that if the picture of me on my knees with his dick down my throat wasn’t all I could see. I pulled up the picture of my last girlfriend blowing me, but it refused to stay around.

  I waited knowing he was going to put those incredible lips on mine. All I felt was disappointment when he moved to my cheek. There was a soft fluttering of sensation. It felt like a butterfly kiss before his mouth was at my ear.

  “Fuckin’ Naresh does not kill his victims then cut them to pieces. He cuts them up while they are alive. He says the fear flavors the meat just right. Then he cooks them and eats them. If you want to know more, you know how to reach me.”

  I felt his breath blow in my ear. It was deliberate. He pulled back, picked up his phone before walking away. My eyes stayed on his ass until he was gone. I was turned on and disgusted at the same time. Turned on by Cole’s show of dominance. Disgusted that a creature like fuckin’ Naresh even existed.

  More than any of the above I was screwed, and I knew it.

  *~*~*~*

  “Noah.” Samantha’s husky voice wrapped around me.

  “Hi, Sam.” She stood, and I pulled her closer. I’d known Sam for a couple of years. We never were a thing. I always thought of us as the When Harry Met Sally kind of couple the timing was always wrong. I always thought there would come a day when everything would fall into place.

  I pulled her closer in greeting. Her soft lips brushed against mine. It was the first time I realized they were too soft. She smelled like flowers. There had been a point in my life that I would have buried my nose in her neck for a chance to inhale heat, woman, and flowers. Now all I could smell was the enticing aroma that lifted from Cole’s skin earlier. There were too many other variables to focus on when he was in front of me. His scent took a back seat to what he was doing to me. Now his scent was taking over my senses. He was raw, primitive, and masculine. I could feel my body respond to just the thought of him.

  The laugh Sam was giving me along with the tilt of her hips said she could feel my body reacting. Unfortunately, she thought it was for her. I took a step back and indicated for her to sit.

  “I’m so glad you called. I had nothing planned for tonight. This is a surprise.” Her lips tilted up, and my heart jumped.

  I knew what she was saying. This should be the part where Harry and Sally finally get together. I’m not a romantic guy, not by a long shot. Still, when you look at Sam with her blonde hair and blue eyes and a smile that made you feel warm all over. There were only two things you could think. Bed and forever. I thought both when I met her.

  I knew immediately in some shady future, I was unable to see that Sam’s last name would become Kemp. We would have two point five kids. Although I admit, I hoped the point five kid would be a cat or a dog. I knew there would be parent-teacher meetings, football practice, and ballet recitals.

  Nothing hurt worse than watching a dream die before your eyes. Immediately the poem Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes went through my mind. It was one I always remember from high school. Then the thought of being cut alive and knowing that some inhuman was going to eat you pushed what I was feeling to a distant second.

  “Noah?”

  “Sorry, I drifted for a minute. I was thinking of high school. How are the brats?”

  “They aren’t brats.” Her soft laugh put me at ease. Sam taught high school and was damn good at it. She loved children. She pulled them out of their shells, comfort zones, and social groups. It was how she got them to do more, be more. The one thing that always brought her down was that she couldn’t reach every student.

  “My students this year are phenomenal.”

  “You say that every year.”

  “Because it’s true.”

  The waitress came over and took our orders.

  “Are you doing alright? When I hadn’t heard from you in a while, I got concerned, but you weren’t answering your phone.” Sam hit me with her worried look. Her blue eyes ablaze with both curiosity and the need to make me feel better.

  “Sorry about that I needed some time.” She was referring to my dishonorable discharge. The army went out of their way to make sure that I’d never have a life. At times, I thought they almost succeeded. Then Jace stepped in; he offered me a chance to make a difference. To fight for those that couldn’t fight for themselves.

  “It was touch and go for a while.”

  “You look better.”

  “I am.” I gave her a smile that she could believe.

  “You’re different.”

  I wanted to disagree with her. I wanted a man. She was right I was different. The waitress brought our food. We ate in silence as regret filled the air. The realization that we waited too long to take what had always been before us. I could see the knowledge in her blue eyes. There would be no New Year’s Eve for us.

  “What’s her name?”

  I wanted to laugh at that one. “There’s no one.” She gave me a look that said I’m not buying that.

  “Doesn’t matter who it is Noah. They are lucky to have you.”

  We finished dinner, and I walked her to her car. Sam was my only hold on my past. Now I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted. That scared me more than Cole did.

  Chapter Three

  Cole

  I should have already gotten a start on my case. Instead, I was waiting to see if Noah would take the bait. My mind kept flashing back to me standing over the man. I knew it couldn’t be. Me and a human? What the fuck? What’s worse was he wouldn’t be enough, I wasn’t made that way.

  Dante’s voice echoed in my ears as he told me I wasn’t sick. Yeah, right. I could still hear the high priestess voice echo as she proclaimed to my family, to my people, that I should be put to death. That’s right, sexuality on my planet was tested. You were either in the black or the red. Those in the red were either kept as slaves, because we were so civilized, or transported to another world to make a life for themselves. They were the lucky ones.

  The ones in the black could continue to populate the planet. Then there were those like me. I wasn’t black or red. No, I sat right in the middle of the two line
s. I was an abomination. Something never meant to live according to our high priestess. I and others like me were set loose on the planet with a bounty on our heads. Whoever brought us in dead, never alive, was given a reward. I was thirteen earth years.

  I knew better than to lust after something, someone I couldn’t touch. The rest of the universe was black or red. I was neither. A dry, rusty laugh came from me. It was the only thing I could do when I remembered my childhood. I did anything and everything to survive. My thoughts turned to Ryan wondering if he would grow up red or black. Neither would bother me.

  Then I remembered I couldn’t keep him. The earth reminded me of my planet. If you were red, you weren’t worth the trouble it took to defend you. They were making headway shouting loud and clear that everyone had equal rights. Unfortunately, not everyone, especially those in government meant it. I could only imagine the fall out if those in government ever ran into me.

  I pulled out my phone to check on Ryan.

  “Aran.” He said when he answered the phone. A genuine smile graced my lips. The arrogance of that male matched my own.

  “Cole,” I replied. “I wanted to check in on Ryan.”

  “You just left him a handful of seconds ago.” His deep voice rumbled. I have no doubt he was biting back laughter.

  “I should have just called Rena.”

  “And to think Yenizen, that everyone assures me you have a will to live.”

  “They say the same about you Created, and still you challenge me.” I rolled my shoulders and my neck and sank back on my bed. Matching wits with Aran was one of the highlights of my day. It reminds me all the time that I found friendship where I would have never expected it.

  “How’s the hunt going?”

  “He’ll be dead in a day.” We both knew that wasn’t true. Fuckin’ Naresh wasn’t someone to toy with.

  “Do you need a partner?”

  “We both know that the minute he gets a whiff of created, he’ll be in the wind.” Smart aliens didn’t mess with Dante’s people. Aran wasn’t just created; he was second in command.

  “Then the earth will be safe.” That’s what we did. The minute we called a planet home, we protected it. If someone new came to our adopted home world and refused to respect it, we got rid of them.

  I got quiet. What could I say?

  “Ryan’s safe. Amber put him to bed. Alexei and Amber have decided to stay while he’s here. Thanks, by the way. I think Rena is thinking about another son.” All the created children were male. I found myself wondering about that.

  “Let me know when she has the baby. I’ll send you something like a wheelchair so you can keep up.” He growled at me, I hung up with a laugh.

  I stretched out needing some sleep. I nodded off with the feel of Noah’s cheek beneath my lips.

  I woke up to a file from Jace. He sent me ten potential victims. Yeah, the demon was a picky eater. Add in the fact that his kind didn’t need to eat every day. It made him harder to find. He wasn’t a demon. At least not the kind that humans thought of, but in my mind, he was close enough to deserve the term.

  I went over the files nine males and one female. The potential female victim surprised me. Fuckin’ Naresh loved males. Not just any males but strong ones or pretty ones. I’d be his type since I was both strong and pretty. You didn’t do the shit I did to survive and not know just how pretty you were. Noah would be his type as well. He was an alpha male. Except when I pressed over him. I cursed the table that separated us. If it hadn’t of been there, I could have felt my chest against his. Even now my dick hardened at the thought of his rubbing against me.

  I needed a shower, the colder, the better. I turned the cold water on full blast before I got in. It did nothing for my stiff cock. Who was I kidding? I turned the water to hot and then fisted myself. I tugged hard on my dick, punishing myself for thoughts of Noah. I saw his eyes, the feel of my lips against his skin. I pictured him bent over my bed with his ass in the air. Damn! I came hard with his name on my lips. It only took once to let me know it wasn’t enough. I needed to sink deep into him if I wanted to find real relief.

  I cleaned myself and ignored my half hard dick. The phone was ringing when I left the shower.

  “Yeah?”

  “Cole, you owe me some answers. Let’s start with who are you?” My dick hardened at the sound of my name on Noah’s lips.

  “That’s contingent on what you decide to do.”

  He cursed, and I wanted to hear it when I was pounding into him. Why couldn’t I just be red?

  “Yes.” His voice was husky. It wrapped around me and stroked my cock. I didn’t know what he agreed to, but at that moment, I knew he’d be mine. Even if it was only for an hour.

  I gave Noah the address of the motel, we would be working out of and told him to bring a go bag before I hung up. I looked down and promised my dick soon.

  My bag was already packed. I never work a case from my home. It was a type of insurance policy. The subject may follow me, but he’d never know where I lived. I grabbed the bag and went out to the porch off my bedroom. I preferred to come and go that way. It was private, and it kept the neighbors on the front side of my property from knowing when I was home. My garage was also in the back of my house. Behind me was nothing but protected land just the way I liked it.

  It took less than five minutes to get in my car and on my way. I went over the pictures that Jace sent me. I didn’t like the first two on the list. We would check them out today and narrow our list down.

  “Cole,” I answered my ringing phone.

  “Angel here. I’m going to be your contact, Cole.”

  “I already have a partner. Why do I need you?” A partner I was still planning to get rid of, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “Fuck and you, Cole.” That’s why I liked working with Angel. He never tried to be friendly.

  “I’d let you, but I don’t think you’re ready to play with the big boys.”

  “Did someone graduate from kindergarten?” I was already reevaluating my thought of liking to work with Angel.

  “What do you have for me?” I asked him.

  “I went over the names Jace sent you. I agree that fuckin’ Naresh showed interest in them to throw us off his scent. I get a bad vibe about the list. I feel there’s something we don’t know. When you sit on the first two check to see if they have any viable relatives. I’ll send you any information I find on them.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Cole?” He hesitated.

  “Yeah?”

  “Take care and go easy on the human. I hear they can be an amazing fuck.” He hung up, and I knew that Ace saw my initial reaction to Noah’s picture. He was the only one who could have told Angel. Knowing Jace, that’s why it was fuzzy. So, I wouldn’t get punched in the gut all at once.

  I pulled up and parked. Noah was already here. Although I left our meeting first, I made sure I stayed around until I was sure he got off without a problem. A quick trip up front, I retrieved a key and was pushing the door open.

  There were two beds in the room. It was the first thing I noticed. The second was Noah leaning against the door frame to the bathroom. He was long and thick. The extra muscle looked good on him. His tee was pulled tight, by the way he was standing. His jeans dipped just a little around his waist. His shirt was tucked in, but it hadn’t pulled up enough for me to see his skin. I really wanted to see that small sliver of skin that would be revealed.

  “You got here first.”

  “Yeah.” His voice was as husky as mine. All I could hear was Angel’s voice saying humans made a good fuck.

  I closed the door and put my bag on the bed he hadn’t chosen.

  “Angel is our contact. Have you worked with him before?”

  He nodded his head. “A time or two.”

  “We should get started.”

  “Nah, I want some answers before I go any further.”

  I walked over to the small table in the room, pulled out a chair a
nd sat. I did it to keep myself from pushing him back against the wall and finding out how good his kiss would feel.

  “Do you really want to do this Noah? Right now, you’re not in that deep. You can still get out.”

  “Don’t give me that bullshit. We both know when I agreed to work with Jace, I wasn’t getting out. I thought it was because of what we were doing. Now I know there was more to it.”

  I wanted to reassure him. To tell him we didn’t leave anyone behind. That was the truth I just didn’t know where the human fit into all of this. Was he the only human on the payroll or were there more? And if there were, why?

  “Surprise, I’m an alien.”

  “Jackass.” His lips tilted up anyway, and his shoulders eased enough for him to walk over to the table and take a seat.

  “I take it; you're the kind that won’t eat me.”

  I looked over his body. He must have seen a look on my face or the way I tensed up because his eyes went soft for a moment. Then they went hot, and his breathing became shallow.

  “I wouldn’t go that far.” Yeah, those eyes were big. I could see his mind replaying my words. He was getting my message loud and clear.

  He shook his head. His mouth opened and closed. He took a deep breath before he could get himself under control.

  “Help me to understand Cole.”

  “The universe is a large place. You and your planet are tucked into a far corner of it. Which is both good and bad. You are left alone to develop without the help of the other races. You have no idea what is out there or how easily your entire planet could be destroyed, enslaved, or used for a food source.”

  “You, Jace, and the others felt sorry for us. Is that why you came to champion the American cause?” The look on Noah’s face was one of disbelief.

  “If you think the United States is the only continent with aliens, you’re not as bright as I thought. Jace, Angel, me, and all the others are just like you. Something inside of us demands that we fight for what’s right when the justice system fails. We know, just like you know that everyone won’t agree with our methods. We fight anyway. I never take on a human with any method that’s not human. I never kill without proof. If you stop and think about it, you already know these things.” I watched as he slowly nodded his head before lifting his hand to rub his chin. He placed his hands on the table in front of him. I was overcome with a need to touch them.