It’ll be okay, she told herself, trying to ignore the fear that tried to fill her like dark water pouring into a cup. Everything is going to be okay. Everyone knows the Tollegs are the most skilled surgeons and doctors in the galaxy. I’m sure they can help me—I’m sure of it.
But if she was so sure, why did her stomach clench like an icy fist as she followed Silki out of her consultation room and towards the diagnostic suite of the ship?
And why did she feel such a sense of foreboding, as though what she had done to herself by altering her fangs could never be cured?
Thirty-One
“I don’t see why I can’t be in there with her.”
Raak frowned as he stared through the large clear window to where Kara was lying in the center of a vast round bubble filled with diagnostic gas-entities which swirled like colorful wisps of smoke all around her supine form.
“You said the diagnostic gasses weren’t painful or harmful,” he reminded Silki, who was sitting beside him, reading the information the gasses relayed through the bubble on a small, scrolling screen. “So why can’t I sit with Kara while you do the test?”
“You must be here with me so I can talk to you. Yes, you must, yes, you must.”
Silki’s high voice was serious and quiet and there was something like fear in her large, dark eyes, Raak saw with concern. Fear for Kara, he realized suddenly, which caused a knife of terror to twist in his own guts.
“What is it?” he demanded roughly. “What do you need to talk to me about? What’s wrong with Kara?”
“Kara is dying. Yes she is, yes she is.” There were tears in Silki’s eyes now and a mournful howl in her voice. “How I wish you would have come to me at once—yes I do, yes I do! But I’m afraid the essence poisoning is too far gone now to save her.”
“What? Essence poisoning?” Raak had to restrain the urge to grab the little Tolleg doctor by her slight shoulders and shake her. “What in the Seven Hells is that?” he demanded angrily.
“It is a very rare occurrence that happens sometimes to Blood Kindred, yes it does, yes it does,” Silki told him. “When the flow of the essence is reversed and it goes inward instead of outward it can poison the body—overload it with chemicals and hormones. If it isn’t reversed within the first twenty-four hours, I’m afraid it’s fatal. Yes it is, yes it is.” She lifted her pointed little muzzle and howled sadly, as though she could barely stand to think of Kara’s impending death.
Raak knew how she felt.
“Please,” he begged roughly. “Please, there has to be something you can do! Some cure—some therapy or surgery or treatment!”
Silki shook her head, her bushy ears swiveling with the motion.
“I’m afraid there’s no cure. No there isn’t, no there isn’t,” she said mournfully. “Well, except…but no.” She shook her head again. “No, I must not say it.”
“Please, say it!” Raak fell to his knees before the little doctor, gripping the arms of her chair so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Please,” he begged. “If there’s any chance—any chance at all… I’ll do anything to save her. I love Kara!”
As he said the words, he knew they were true. Though it ought to be impossible for him to fall in love and care for anyone because of his soulless state, somehow he had fallen for the curvy little female with the pale blue eyes and the long, sharp fangs. Somehow he had fallen in love and now the thought of losing her was like the thought of someone ripping out his heart—unthinkable. He couldn’t lose her—he wouldn’t, he swore to himself.
“Please,” he begged again. “I’ll do anything—anything at all!”
“Would you trade your life for hers?” Silki asked quietly.
“What?” Raak frowned. “What are you talking about? Is there some way for me to take the poison instead of Kara? If there is, tell me about it!”
“There is a way, but it is lethal—will be lethal to one such as yourself,” the little Tolleg told him. “You are one of the Unbondable Kindred—are you not, are you not?”
“I am.” Raak nodded. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“You told me you were Kara’s mate, but she is Blood Kindred and her eyes are still a pale blue,” Silki remarked, maddeningly not answering his question. “Therefore, I surmise that the two of you are not really bonded and have not even attempted to bond, no you haven’t, no you haven’t.”
“She comes from a really strict family,” Raak said, frowning uncomfortably. “I didn’t want to change the color of her eyes when I knew I couldn’t bond her to me since I have no soul.”
“Ah, it’s too bad you don’t have a soul. Yes it is, yes it is. You might survive that way, when the soul-bond formed. But without a soul—no bond is possible. No it isn’t, no it isn’t,” Silki said sadly.
“What are you saying?” Raak demanded. “Tell me how to save Kara—I don’t care what happens to me as long as I can save her.”
Silki peered into his eyes for a long moment.
“You truly mean that, I think. Yes I do, yes I do,” she said at last. “Very well—I will tell you. In order to give Kara even a chance at survival, you must change the color of her eyes and let her bite you at the same time.”
“You mean we have to make love,” Raak said bluntly. “Have to have sex while she bites me. But why?”
“The force of her orgasm when you change the color of her eyes should reverse the flow of the essence. Yes it should, yes it should,” Silki explained earnestly. “But when that happens, the amount of essence her fangs pump into your body will very probably overload your own system and stop your heart.”
“Stop my heart?” Raak looked at her blankly. “That can really happen?”
“In this case, yes.” Silki nodded seriously. “If it is any consolation, it will not be painful at all. In fact, you will be dying of what is basically a pleasure overload,” she added helpfully. “Yes you will, yes you will.”
“So I’ll orgasm to death,” Raak said dryly. “What a fucking way to go—literally.” He laughed harshly.
“You see why I didn’t want to tell you,” Silki said earnestly. “It’s not a pleasant choice, no it isn’t, no it isn’t. And as one of the Unbondable and a male without a soul, there’s no possible way you’ll want to do this. So—”
“Oh, I’m doing it all right,” Raak interrupted her. “I’m absolutely doing it if it’s the only way to save Kara.”
Silki’s dark eyes opened wide with surprise.
“I had assumed…that is, a male without a soul…”
“I may not have a soul but I still have a heart,” Raak said roughly. “And I’d rather have it stop while I was curing Kara than let it keep beating while she…” He swallowed hard. “While she dies.”
“But—” Silki began.
“You can’t tell her,” Raak interrupted. “Not a thing now and not a thing afterwards. In fact, I want you to examine my body and pretend to find some genetic defect—some weakness that carried me away, so she doesn’t feel guilty or bad about my…” He swallowed again before he could go on. “About my death.”
Silki looked shocked.
“But I cannot lie to a patient. No I can’t, no I can’t!”
“She won’t be your patient anymore at that point because she’ll be cured,” Raak pointed out. “I mean, this will cure her—right? It’ll make her all better, no questions asked?”
“Absolutely. Yes it will, yes it will.” Silki nodded vigorously. “It should reverse the flow of her essence and rebalance her system as long as she bites you at the right time and holds the bite long enough.”
“I’ll make sure of that,” Raak said grimly. He nodded at the clear bubble where Kara was still lying with the colored wisps swirling around her. “Is this almost done?”
“It has been finished for some time, yes it has, yes it has,” the little Tolleg admitted. “I simply wanted a chance to speak to you in private about Kara’s diagnosis.”
“Well, you’ve had you
r chance—now I’ll take mine,” Raak said firmly. “You’re going to let Kara go and not tell her any of this. I’ll take her back to my ship but we won’t undock—I want you to be there for her the minute she calls for help. Understood?”
“I understand, yes I do. Yes I do.” Silki nodded vigorously. “But, Raak…” She leaned forward, the large eyes troubled. “Are you quite certain this is what you want to do? That you want to sacrifice yourself for Kara? Are you sure, are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,’ Raak said firmly. “I love Kara and I’m damn well going to save her—no matter what it takes.”
Even if the cost was his life.
Thirty-Two
“Are you sure this is the only way?” Kara looked at him uncertainly. They were back at his ship in the sleeping quarters together and Raak had just told her about the only treatment for her cure.
“I’m sorry, baby girl,” he murmured, cupping her cheek in one big, warm hand. “I know you were saving yourself for bonding. But, well, this is the only way—the only way to reverse the flow of your essence and stop all this pain you’ve been having.”
Kara winced as another bolt of agony/need struck her. She was willing to do almost anything to end this wretched cycle. But to let him change the color of her eyes…
“I know it’s hard,” Raak said again, echoing her thoughts. “To let me change the color of your eyes like this.”
“I don’t mind that so much,” Kara interrupted him. “It’s just…what will happen afterwards? Will you leave me? Take me back to the Mother Ship and forget me? I know I shouldn’t be so needy but I don’t want you to do that, Raak.” She looked at him pleadingly. “I don’t want to never see you again after we make love.”
“Kara, baby…” The big Unbondable shook his head and Kara thought she saw a flash of sadness in his silver-ringed eyes. He took her hands in his. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said earnestly. “I’m not looking to change the color of your eyes and then send you home in disgrace. I want to be with you forever, baby girl. I love you.”
“Oh, Raak…” Kara felt her eyes fill with tears. “I love you too,” she admitted. “I know it was foolish to let myself fall for an Unbondable, but I just couldn’t help it. You’re so sweet and kind and strong and you’ve been there for me from the very beginning. I love you, Raak—I love you with all my heart!”
She stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, pressing herself to his broad chest and trying to get as close to him as she could.
“I love you too, baby girl,” he rumbled in her ear, wrapping his arms around her holding her close. “And I swear to you, I’ll be with you until death do us part—just like the humans say when they take their Joining vows.”
“Til death do us part,” Kara repeated, pressing her face to the side of his throat to breathe in his warm, spicy fragrance. “Yes, Raak—oh, yes.”
She had no idea how soon his vow would come true.
Thirty-Three
Despite the fact that he’d been tasting her pussy and sucking her nipples over and over again for the past two days, Raak still found that he was hard as a rock when he thought of finally filling Kara with his shaft and making her his.
Only for a moment, though, whispered a little voice in his head. You’ll only have her for a moment before the essence overloads your heart.
Raak pushed the voice away fiercely. He didn’t care about that—didn’t give a damn, he told himself. Up until now he’d led a selfish, uncaring life—a self-centered existence that was all about him.
Kara, on the other hand, was sweet and innocent and kind and giving. She was the kind of person who would really make a difference in the cold, uncaring universe. If saving her life cost him his, it was a bargain, he told himself. A trade worth making.
And though she would grieve him at first, she had a loving family that would help her get over him. She would heal eventually and continue shining her sweet, wonderful light into the darkness of the galaxy. Someday she would love again but she would never forget him or the adventures they’d been on together—of that he was sure.
So it was with a light heart that he gave himself up for her. He loved her—that was all there was to it.
What else could he do but what he was doing right now?
“Love you, baby,” he murmured, and cupped her cheek to bring her in for a kiss.
“Oh, Raak,” Kara breathed and kissed him back eagerly. He traced her fangs with his tongue, glad that they were back in their rightful places. She was so damn sexy with those sharp little points—he hoped that someday she would realize how devastatingly erotic they were and accept herself the way she was. In the meantime, all he could do was try and show her how beautiful she was and hope she remembered it forever.
“Come to bed with me,” he told her, drawing her over to the sleeping platform. “Let me fill you up, baby—I want to be inside you.”
Kara nibbled her bottom lip delicately with the sharp points of her fangs, her breath catching in her throat. Raak could tell how his dirty talk and desire for her were turning her on—he could smell her heat and her need. The sweet scent of her desire only made him harder as he pulled her onto the bed with him and kissed her again.
“I want you on top of me,” he told Kara, stroking her hair back from her flushed cheeks when the kiss finally broke. “Want to be able to look up into your eyes while you take me inside your soft little pussy.”
“Oh Raak, I want that too,” she whispered breathlessly. “I want you so much I can hardly stand it!”
Knowing that she wanted him as much as he wanted her was a fucking turn-on, Raak thought. He opened the silver uniform shirt she was wearing eagerly, slipping the buttons loose so quickly that a few popped off and went flying across the room.
Then he frowned.
Kara’s full breasts were swollen—filled with the essence which was dripping from her tight red nipples. And her pussy also looked as though it needed attention. Despite his desire to cure her, Raak didn’t want her to be in any pain when they made love.
“Baby,” he said gently. “I know you’re really tender and sore right now, but why don’t you let me help you just one more time before we do this?”
Kara looked down at herself uncertainly.
“It really does hurt,” she admitted, wincing. “But I don’t know, Raak—I’m already so sensitive and achy…”
“I’ll be gentle,” he swore. “So gentle, baby. Please—I don’t want you hurting when I change the color of your eyes…when I Claim you and make you mine.”
His soft words seemed to have an effect on her. Raak saw the indecision leave her eyes and she nodded and thrust her breasts forward.
“All right, Raak—I trust you. I know you’ll be as careful as you can.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Stripping off his own clothes, he sat back against the solid wooden headboard of the bed and beckoned her to straddle him.
Kara did as he bid her, coming to sit in his lap, her swollen pussy rubbing against his rock-hard shaft as she pressed her bare breasts trustingly up to his seeking mouth.
As gently as he could, Raak lapped gently at one tender peak, trying to get her ready to let him suck it fully into his mouth. The sweet taste of her essence and the salty flavor of her skin was familiar to him by now, but no less delicious for all of that.
After a tense moment, Kara sighed and seemed to relax. Pressing forward, she fed him more of her nipple, letting him know she was ready for more.
Tenderly, Raak sucked the tight little nub between his lips, still bathing it gently with his tongue. Kara moaned softly and pressed closer to him, mutely begging for more. He tasted the rush of essence on his tongue as her body released for him, allowing him to ease the ache she felt and bring her pleasure at the same time.
Gods, no matter how often he did this, it was never enough, Raak thought to himself as he sucked her breast until the pressure eased and turned his attention t
o the other. She tasted so good, his luscious, curvy little female, and felt so good in his arms—especially when she gave herself up to him completely.
When he finished with her breasts, he wanted to turn his attention to her pussy. But Kara was already ahead of him.
“Mmm, Raak…” she murmured, reaching between them. Grasping his thick shaft in one hand, she rubbed the broad head against her swollen inner folds
“Gods, baby—that feels so damn good,” Raak growled. “But if you don’t stop, you’re gonna make me come.”
Already he was fighting for control. He’d been tasting her over and over for almost two straight days with no relief for himself. Not that Raak cared about such things—right now Kara was his sole focus. But he couldn’t deny the needs of his own body when she was touching him so blatantly.
“Why don’t you then?” Kara asked, her blue eyes half-lidded. “Why don’t you come for me—come on me, Raak? I think…think it would help ease the ache.”
“You think so, baby?” He looked down to where her soft pussy lips were enveloping the broad crown of his cock. Damn if it didn’t feel amazing the way she was rubbing her wet little pussy against him while she stroked his shaft!
“I really do.” Kara nodded. “It feels good when you lick me too but I want to try it this way this time. Please?”
“As my lady wishes,” Raak growled softly. After all, who was he to tell her no? And it wasn’t like coming would put him out of commission—like all Kindred males, he was multi-orgasmic. He would remain hard after reaching the peak, even if he came again and again.
“Good.” Kara was fairly purring as she spread her thighs wider and rubbed him boldly against her tender clit. “Oh, Goddess—that feels so good,” she moaned as she pressed against him. “Oh, Raak…”
Unbondable: Book 1 of the Kindred Birthright Series (Brides of the Kindred) Page 17