Forsaken

by Cyndi Friberg

  “I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Or we could test my theory.” His voice washed over her filled with silken temptation.

  “I’m not having sex with you.” It was as much a reminder to herself as to him. He’d sent her firmest resolutions flying out the window with just the sound of his voice.

  “That’s not what I was suggesting.” His hands slid up to her waist, under her nightshirt. “I’ve accepted that I’m doomed, at least for tonight. But we don’t both need to be miserable.”

  “I’m not miserable.”

  “Liar.” He softened the word with another chuckle. “You’ve been wet just as long as I’ve been hard. Have you forgotten about the Rodyte sense of smell?”

  “Apparently.” He could smell her arousal? How humiliating.

  “Let me touch you, Raina, just touch you. And we’ll see if it feels the same as it did with a human lover.”

  Why would he want to touch her if she refused to reciprocate? Was he hoping she’d change her mind? The thought made her want to laugh. That was the main reason she hesitated. She was afraid she’d change her mind. “We shouldn’t.”

  “I want to.” He bent and captured her mouth for a brief yet commanding kiss. “We both need this.”

  Then his mouth was on hers again, stealing her breath and scattering her thoughts. Kissing him was like a drug, intoxicating and addictive. The more they kissed the more she wanted his mouth on hers, his tongue sliding against and curling around hers.

  He pulled her nightshirt off and tossed it aside, separating their mouths in the process. One of his hands stroked her back while the other cupped her breast. She tensed, waiting for his reaction. She’d always been thin, narrow hipped and small breasted. His hands returned to her waist and he lifted her. She braced her hands against his shoulders as his mouth fastened onto one of her nipples. He teased with his lips and tongue, even a hint of teeth, while she squirmed and arched, her self-consciousness forgotten.

  “You’re so soft,” he whispered in the valley between her breasts. “I want to lick every millimeter of this velvety skin.”

  Heat curled through her abdomen, igniting her core. She shivered helplessly as her imagination provided the scene. If he went down on her, there was no way she’d refuse him anything. “Touch me. You promised you’d just touch.”

  His lips caught her other nipple, sucking deeply, then he growled. “Are you sure?”

  No! “Yes.”

  Rather than laying her down, as she’d expected, he slipped his hand inside her panties and started kissing her again. His long middle finger brushed against her clit then pushed just barely inside her. It was a ruthless tease and her body reacted instinctively. She rocked her hips, driving him deeper and increasing the pressure on her clit.

  “Oh yes,” he whispered against her parted lips. “Ride my hand.”

  Like a sex-crazed teenager, she obeyed. She rocked against his hand, sliding up and down on his finger. Then there were two fingers inside her and he was kissing her again. She breathed in his breath and let out a cry as pleasure burst deep inside her. That happened much faster than usual, but she’d had stronger orgasms in the past.

  Before she could analyze her disappointment, however, he flipped her onto her back. Her head landed near the foot of the bed and he knelt beside her. Then he dragged her panties off and pushed his fingers back into her core. His gaze bore into hers as his hand began to move between her thighs. He was touching her now, controlling her pleasure. The difference was stark and unavoidable.

  Tension built and she started to close her eyes.

  “No. Look at me. See what you do to me.” The purple rings in his eyes began to glow as ravenous hunger hardened his expression.

  She tightened her inner muscles, driving the sensations higher. He moved his hand faster, pushing deeper. Restlessness crept over her, making it impossible to lie still. She arched into each thrust, secretly wishing he’d ignore her protests and give them both what they were craving.

  He lowered his head and claimed her mouth, matching the movement of his tongue to the thrust of his hand. Pleasure built slowly, coiling tighter and tighter until she moaned. Something awakened deep inside her, a perception she’d never experienced before. She sensed Kotto’s energy, his spirit blazing just beyond her mind. They were connected and yet still separate, a potential storm waiting to explode.

  Then he pushed his fingers in as far as they’d go and circled her clit with his thumb. Around and around, then back and forth, until her control snapped. Sensations pulsed through her, caressing his fingers in rippling waves. His clever thumb kept the waves crashing until she was utterly spent.

  His lips slowed then reluctantly pulled away. He started to say something, then his image wavered, swelling in and out of focus before finally fading away.

  Reality returned gradually, though sensations echoed through her body. Her nightshirt was still on, as were her panties. It wasn’t real. None of it had actually happened. She couldn’t decide if she was relieved or disappointed by the fact.

  She sat up and pressed her hand over her pounding heart. He was right. She’d never experienced anything like that before. He hadn’t just touched her body. He’d connected with her soul. If they’d been dream sharing, did that mean he’d remember everything they’d just done? What a tangle.

  Lying back down, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep.

  * * * * *

  Bright and early the following morning Kotto awakened before his alarm. Trying to go back to sleep was pointless, the night had been anything but restful. Instead, he showered and donned a clean uniform, determined to focus on his mission rather than the intriguing female who had dominated his dreams. As if their shared vision hadn’t been stimulating enough, Raina’s image followed him into sleep and his imagination had crafted a variety of situations each more erotic than the last.

  Finding a mate had always seemed like an unattainable fantasy to Kotto. He had nothing to offer a female, no way to make her life comfortable and secure. The existence of a battle born soldier—even a ship’s commander—was uncertain and dangerous. The rebellion was hoping to change all that, but their fight had just begun. Was it really fair to drag Raina into a struggle she barely understood? As she’d said, just because they were physically compatible didn’t mean they should form a mating bond.

  He was relatively certain Raina would agree to sign the contract, which gave them six months to figure out the rest. Having Raina in his life would be wonderful, but was becoming part of his life best for her? That question was much harder to answer.

  He stepped out of the humid utility room and froze. A stranger sat in one of his chairs casually sipping a steaming beverage. Kotto automatically reached for his flexblade, but he’d yet to retrieve the weapon from his nightstand.

  “Relax, Commander. I’ve come to chat, nothing more.” The stranger raised the mug to his lips and took a sip. With wavy dark hair and blue-ringed eyes, the man was clearly Rodyte, but he wore jeans and a pullover shirt as if he’d selected his wardrobe on Earth.

  Kotto started to activate an intruder alert, then realized the alarm should have been triggered by this person’s arrival. There was only one skillset that allowed Rodytes to come and go as they pleased. This man was a technomage. “Letos, I presume?” Though Kotto’s mission briefing had confirmed Keyran’s warnings about a technomage, the documentation hadn’t contained an image of the culprit. And whether or not Letos was friend or foe was still hotly debated.

  “In the flesh.” Letos set the mug down and uncrossed his legs. “Were you able to convince Raina to help? She’s more important than you know.”

  “I can have you arrested for what you did last night.” Kotto crossed his arms and glared. “I know for a fact that sort of link violates your guild’s charter.”

  Any hint of amusement fled as Letos scooted to the edge of his seat. “We’re at war and Raina is destined to play a significant part in upcoming battles. Yo
u need to accept that rules will need to be broken from time to time.”

  “I don’t accept that and never will. If we’re willing to do anything, to harm anyone, as long as the outcome benefits the cause, then we’re no better than they are.”

  Letos pushed to his feet, his expression tense yet unreadable. “What was the outcome of last night?”

  “That’s between Raina and me.”

  Challenge slowly lifted Letos’s brows. “It could just as easily be between Raylon and Raina. They’re equally compatible.”

  Possessive rage set Kotto in motion. In an instant, he was across the room and Letos’s shirt was twisted in his fists. “She’s mine! No one will touch her but me.”

  “Then you better mark her before Raylon meets her. His reaction is guaranteed to be just as intense as yours. And somehow I don’t think he’ll hesitate to claim a compatible female, especially one as responsive as Raina.”

  “Stay out of this.” Kotto snarled the warning between gritted teeth. “I will not tolerate your interference again.”

  Letos laughed, clearly unfazed by the warning. “Mark her, seduce her, and claim her. Her allegiance must be secured at any cost.” Letos coolly unfolded Kotto’s fingers and smoothed out the wrinkles created by his clutching fists. “She is more important to this cause than you can possibly know.”

  “I have every intention of pursuing her, but I will do so in my way and time.” He continued to glare, but Letos appeared to be growing bored with the entire conversation. “We’re used to mind-to-mind interaction. Humans are not.”

  “Raina is not human.”

  “She was traumatized by—”

  Leos scoffed. “Surprised, perhaps. She was clearly not traumatized. However, I will apologize to the lady, if that will assist you toward our common goal.”

  “I’m serious, Letos. Stay out of this.”

  “Then do what must be done,” Letos snapped. “You’re a Rodyte, for gods’ sake. Start acting like one.”

  Before Kotto could compose himself enough to reply, Letos blinked out of sight.

  * * * * *

  Ashley appeared in Raina’s living room at six thirty the following morning. A text message warned of her arrival and then she materialized a few minutes later.

  “Good morning,” Ashley said with a cheerful smile. “I hope you made coffee. Civata brew, the Rodyte version of coffee, needs serious work.”

  Raina filled two mugs with coffee then motioned toward the kitchen table. “How did you meet Bandar? You said he was looking for your father. Did he pretend to be an old friend or… How did he approach you?”

  Taking one of the mugs from Raina, Ashley sat across from her friend and paused for a sip before beginning her story. “I came home from work one night and found someone in my loft. He grabbed me from behind, but I made the mistake of looking in my living room mirror. As soon as he realized I’d seen his face he stabbed me in the—”

  “Bandar stabbed you?” Raina scooted closer to the table. “That’s horrible.”

  “Bandar wasn’t the intruder. It was this guy named Letos.”

  Raina gasped. “The technomage?”

  Ashley set down her mug and tilted her head. “Yes, but how did you know about that?”

  “Letos was having fun with Kotto and me last night. He created this sort of illusion that forced us to spend time together.”

  A strangled laugh escaped Ashley despite her obvious effort to contain it. “Bandar and I were discussing similar strategies. The chemistry between you and Commander Tarr is obvious.” Ashley stopped trying to hide her smile as she asked, “How did you two spend your time?”

  “Finish your story first. What happened after Letos stabbed you and why don’t you seem upset about it? For some reason, I thought Letos was one of the good guys.”

  “Letos is either a bad guy willing to do good things for reasons we don’t understand or a good guy who has a serious dark side. I’m honestly not sure which. He’s helped us more than he’s hindered us, but he stabbed me in the chest, repeatedly. That’s a little hard to shrug off.”

  “Was there a reason he did it, other than you seeing his face? That seems pretty drastic.”

  Ashley nodded. “Letos had to prove his loyalty to Akim Farmon. Akim is the head bad guy and Letos was working undercover at the time. Besides, Letos knew Bandar was following him and had access to one of their ships, so my life was never really in danger. Of course, I didn’t know any of that at the time.”

  Raina shuddered. “I can’t imagine being stabbed. I cut my finger with a carving knife last year and I was ready for anesthesia. How can you be so forgiving?”

  “It’s not like we’re best friends now. But if Letos hadn’t stabbed me, Bandar never would have stepped out of the shadows to save me. They were both looking for my father, not me.”

  It would seem natural to bond with someone who saved her life. No wonder Ashley had fallen for Bandar so quickly. “Is Bandar a doctor or did he take you to Dr. Irron?”

  “When did you meet Irron? He’s quite a character once you get to know him.”

  Raina hesitated. Saying it out loud made it seem more real. “He tested me for the protein marker before I left the ship.”

  “And?”

  “It was positive.” She took a quick sip of coffee before she went on. “You’re bonded with Bandar. Does that mean you have the marker too? My grandfather was Rodyte. How did you end up with it?”

  “It was a present from my father, but it had nothing to do with this war bride nonsense.”

  Ashley’s father was an ambitious, sometimes radical geneticist. Understanding slammed into Raina and she felt her jaw drop. “Your father spliced Rodyte DNA into your genome?”

  “In his defense, he did it to save my life. But it’s still seriously creepy. I was a child at the time. Besides, dinking with my DNA is one of many horrors I can lay at my father’s feet.” Ashley sighed and curved her fingers around her coffee mug. “On the other hand, his research has taken the battle born closer to their goal of independence than they’ve ever been before. Eventually I’ll have to forgive him. It just won’t be today.” She dismissed the past with a dramatic wave of her hand.

  “So what’s it like?”

  Ashley scrunched up her brows, clearly confused by the question. “What is what like?”

  “Bonding with a Rodyte?”

  A dreamy expression softened Ashley’s features and her gaze drifted off into the distance. “It’s so much more than mind-blowing sex. Bandar and I can feel each other’s emotions and share our most intimate thoughts. It’s not just physical, it’s…hard to explain because there is nothing on Earth to compare it to. On a very practical level, his supercharged energy mixes with mine, so I’ll live longer and be much healthier than an unbound human.”

  “How long do Rodytes live?”

  “A battle born male can live two even three hundred years.”

  For a moment all Raina could do was stare at her friend. “Why did you make the distinction? Do battle born males live longer than other Rodytes?”

  “Yes. They’re bred—and genetically engineered—to be stronger, faster and more durable than full-blooded Rodytes.”

  “More durable?” Raina cringed. “You make them sound like Humvees.”

  “They’re treated like Humvees, and farming equipment, and manufacturing drones. That’s kind of the point of all this.”

  “And they can only bond with a female if she has the protein marker?”

  “No. They can create a mating bond with a variety of humanoid females, but the transformation protocol, the procedure they’re hoping will unlock their magic, can only be done with a human/Rodyte hybrid. Females like you and me.”

  Raina wasn’t sure she should mention Indigo, but she needed an objective—scratch that, an informed opinion. Ashley had stopped being objective about the Rodytes as soon as she fell in love with Bandar. “What should I do about Indigo?”

  “Your crazy cousin? Doesn
’t she claim to be a psychic healer?”

  “She’s not crazy. She’s unique, like me.”

  “You mean she…” Ashley’s brows drew together again, crinkling up the skin above her nose. “But she’s your cousin, not your sister. How could she be a hybrid?”

  “Our mothers are identical twins. We have the same grandparents.”

  Understanding widened her eyes. “I’ve never seen your aunt. I didn’t realize.”

  “You cannot tell Bandar. I’m not sure I want these guys to know.”

  “They’ll find out, Raina. They have resources—”

  “Well, they’re not hearing it from me and they better not hear it from you.”

  “All right. Mum’s the word about your crazy cousin, but I want details about last night.”

  Raina blushed to the roots of her hair. She’d never been able to hide anything from Ashley. “It was…enlightening.”

  “Was it now?” Ashley laughed. “How realistic was this illusion?”

  “Like Kotto was actually there.” Just the memory made her shiver. And ache for more. She refused to think about that concept too deeply. “I have no idea how Letos did it, but the tactic worked. I’m officially ready to explore my Rodyte roots.”

  “I’m so relieved.” Ashley hopped up and rounded the table, hugging Raina tightly. “This is going to be so much more fun with another female on board.” She straightened, but didn’t return to her side of the table. “Did you already tell Kotto?”

  “No, but I’m sure he’s expecting nothing less after last night.”

  Ashley’s eyes widened as she slipped back onto her chair. “How far did things go? He didn’t behave too badly, did he?”

  “Nothing happened that I didn’t allow and things went farther than I’d intended, but not as far as he would have liked.”

  They chatted for a while longer as they drained the coffee pot, then Ashley helped Raina pack.