Catalyst (Hidden Planet Book 2)

by Anna Carven

  “It is a good custom,” he rumbled, his golden energy swirling around them. “A very good custom.” Even as he took her vir, he returned it in a constant stream of warmth, so Esania never felt drained.

  That was the power of the elgida. It allowed her, a mere mortal, to join with this creature of darkness and light; this pale-skinned demigod.

  She was human, but she wasn’t anymore. She was possibly going to outlive all of her people, and perhaps their descendants too.

  How would she deal with that?

  If she thought about it too much, she might go insane. She’d never asked for any of this, but at least her people were safe. They had a future now, and with Drakhin technology, perhaps they even had a way off this planet… if they wished.

  Imril ran his hand up the back of her neck, turning her head so she she faced him. His warm fingertips were like liquid velvet, his touch electric. “You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” He kissed her lips slowly, tenderly, savoring her. “I’m a lucky wretch indeed.”

  “Lucky, huh?”

  “That you would choose this existence with me, after everything you’ve learned.”

  “I see the man in you,” she said as she stared into his mesmerizing golden eyes. A complex tangle of emotions filtered through their bond. Lust, protectiveness, remorse, reverence, sadness. A trace of anger, too. There was always a fierceness about him, even when he was at his most gentle. “You could have taken me by force, but you held back. You could have ignored my requests to save my people, but you brought them under your protection. You could have started a war with the Vradhu, but you put past vendettas aside. What changed in you, Imril?”

  “That’s true,” he murmured, stroking her hair. “There was a time when I would have done all those things, when I was young and vicious and eager to please my sire.” A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. “It only took a thousand revolutions and a colossal fall from grace for me to understand what I had lost. When I fell into Za’s crater, I was the Overlord of the Drakhin. When I woke, I was nothing… until I found you.”

  “We’re really not so different, you and I.” Esania had lost everything too—her position, her estate, her status as a Primean.

  But in return, she’d found her tribe.

  She’d found her mate.

  “And yet we’re completely different.” Imril teased the dress off her shoulders, running his fingers over her neck, her back. “When you first encountered me, I’d been taught how to live from a creature that had forgotten how to exist. That was all I knew. You, on the other hand…”

  “I was trying to survive,” Esania said quietly. “That was all.”

  “And now?”

  “There’s room to breathe,” she admitted. “I feel safe. You make me feel safe.”

  “Good.” Appearing pleased with himself, he kissed her again, tasting of spice and sweetness and a hint of ash. He traced tiny patterns on her back with his finger, sending a ripple of desire through her. “Are you ready, Esania?”

  Esania’s body was on fire. She couldn’t stand it any longer. “Do it. I can’t believe you’ve waited this long.”

  “Only with great difficulty.” A hint of strain entered his voice as he started to engrave the intricate elgida into her skin with his bare hands. That familiar, exquisite agony engulfed her once again, and Esania gasped.

  “Be still, my love. Not much more to go.” He kissed her as he worked, closing his eyes. Esania closed her eyes too, surrendering to the feeling of his warmth, his closeness, his delicious masculine scent. “This is one of the few good things he taught me.”

  “Your father?”

  “Sire,” he corrected. “Even Auka take mates, or at least they used to. This is one of their traditions; a necessity more than anything else.”

  “There isn’t an easier way?” Esania winced as Imril concentrated on the delicate patch of skin just above her left shoulder blade. For the last two months, they’d done this twice a day, and she’d found it easy to endure, because she knew there was a big reward at the end.

  Now the elgida was almost half done, and it covered both her arms and extended the length of her back. In some ways, it reminded her of the intricate ritual tattoos favored by some Earth-dwelling humans.

  “If there’s an easier way, I don’t know it.” He stopped, lifting his finger and kissing the area he’d just marked. His warm lips were a welcome salve, obliterating the pain. “That’s it. We can finally…” His voice grew hoarse. “The elgida is strong enough. It will hold.”

  “Oh. That’s it?”

  “That’s it,” he growled, and suddenly, she became acutely aware of his erection. “I have been dreaming of this moment ever since you came to me.”

  “I don’t know how you even—”

  “Shh. No more words.” He tugged gently on her legs, and Esania got the idea, shifting so that she was straddling him. Imril tore her dress away with a savage flick of his arm, leaving her completely naked, her curly hair cascading over her breasts. He leaned forward and inhaled deeply, burying his nose in her hair. “Stunning,” he rasped.

  “I thought you said no more words,” she whispered as she stared back, unable to take her eyes off him. She whipped away the slender belt that held his robes together. They fell away, revealing the Drakhin in all his shimmering glory.

  Imril grinned, seemingly aware of how damn spectacular he was. He wore his arrogance like a second skin; it was as much a part of him as his wings and the almost microscopic scales of his skin.

  Stunning.

  That rock hard abdomen, those powerful, muscular thighs. His erection, proud and massive, rising between his thighs, teasing her with its almost-human appearance.

  Esania put her hand on his chest, the elgida on her arm glowing intensely. She rose up on her knees as a fierce torrent of need surged through her, turning her into a wanton thing.

  Imril was beneath her, completely transfixed, the catlike slits of his pupils dilating as he ran his hands over his work, gently massaging her soft, aching skin. His power danced across her body, seeping into her muscles and bones, making her feel alive in a way that she never could have imagined.

  Esania listened to her body, to the song in her heart, to the rhythm pounding through her veins.

  This was what she was made for.

  As heat rose inside her, a faint sheen of sweat broke out on her body, and her hair stuck to her skin. Imril ran his fingers through her dark, curly tresses, admiring them.

  The smile faded from his lips, and his expression turned fierce. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring.

  Esania shivered in anticipation. “I can’t believe you held back for this long.”

  Two months. Sixty days since they’d left the nightmare of Ton Malhur, and he’d been with her constantly, feeding from her, working on the elgida, pleasuring her in the most fantastic of ways, but taking none for himself.

  “I’m Drakhin,” he said simply, as if that explained everything, but his voice was strained, and his eyes glowed with lust.

  Esania nodded, words deserting her as her arousal flared. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She needed him inside her.

  Imril ran his hands down her waist, her hips, her ass, her thighs, teasing out her energy, filling her with his own power. “Look at you. Beautiful. More than anything I could have ever imagined.”

  She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his neck. His wings shifted reflexively.

  This is it.

  Slowly, deliberately, she lowered herself, and Imril groaned as the tip of his cock grazed her slick entrance. His large hands settled on her ass, and he pulled her closer, controlling her movements.

  His massive shaft glided against her throbbing flesh, entering her, stretching her, and at first she felt a twinge of pain, but then a torrent of white-hot pleasure surged through her as Imril buried himself up to the hilt.

  He growled, a low, rumbling, primal sound that resonated in her bones. His power flared, surrounding t
hem in a halo of golden light.

  Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him, their bodies melding together. Esania’s vir became Imril’s power, and he returned it to her as quickly as he took it, their energies becoming one.

  “Fuck me, Esania,” he whispered, guiding her hips.

  She obliged, moving in small circles at first. Imril closed his eyes and groaned. Delighted at his response, she moved faster and faster, guided by blissful sensation. Power coursed over her elgida, her arms glowing with brilliant tendrils as she moved back and forth. She closed her eyes and fucked him, her slick hair whipping back and forth, her body becoming an extension of his.

  He encouraged her, his large, powerful hands guiding her this way and that, caressing her breasts, her neck, her cheeks, his thumb entering her mouth…

  She bit down, and tasted something sweet.

  His… blood?

  Imril grunted. Esania moaned. She writhed back and forth, sliding her hands over Imril’s shoulders, down his back, finding the points where his wings emerged from his shoulder blades.

  She grabbed the bases of his wings, holding on tightly as she moved faster, faster, a delicious tension winding its way around her core.

  His wings rose, and suddenly she found herself being lowered to the floor, her back pressed gently against the smooth cold surface. The whole time, Imril kept his cock inside her.

  Her eyes snapped open. Overwhelmed by the ferocity of her need for him, she cried out, her voice trembling.

  Imril began to thrust, his wings curving over them like a canopy, his eyes glowing with power as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

  He kissed her as he fucked her, again and again and again. Esania was in a world of pure bliss.

  “You’re mine now,” he rasped. Their bodies became one, moving to the rhythm of a Universe that was far beyond their understanding. “I have waited so long for you, Esania.”

  “Was I ever anything but yours?”

  “No,” he groaned, thrusting deeper. “You just didn’t know it yet.”

  “Ah…” she tried to think of a coherent reply, but her brain had turned into blissful mush, and right then Imril hit a certain point, a threshold, and pleasure started rolling over her in waves, from the center of her chest right down to the throbbing tip of her clit.

  The waves grew bigger and bigger; deep, shuddering sensations that were beyond her control.

  She’d lost control a long time ago.

  Now, she totally abandoned it, and it felt so good.

  “A-ah,” she cried, her voice rising an octave. “Ah!”

  Imril slammed into her with the full force of a Drakhin male, with the full force of a man who had starved himself for far too long. Now he drank long and hard, completely consuming her.

  Every. Last. Drop.

  The waves grew bigger, until they weren’t waves any more, but a single stream of insane pleasure…

  And then something burst…

  And her world shattered into a million brilliant fragments.

  Of light.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Afterwards, she lay in his arms naked as he reclined in his throne, the elgida on her arms pulsing softly. “Satisfied?” she asked, tracing one finger up and down his broad forearm.

  “More than,” he rumbled, pulling her closer, dipping his nose into her hair. He took a deep breath. “You are my first and only.”

  “First?” Esania tried to conceal her surprise and failed miserably.

  “Do not get me wrong. There was plenty of interest. There was a time when the Vradhu wanted to forge alliances with us, when a union would have been highly desirable…”

  “But?” It was unreasonable to expect that a being like Imril would have stayed pure for thousands of years, but Esania still managed to feel a pang of irrational jealousy toward any female who might have caught his eye.

  “The song did not come. In order to mate, I needed to draw the elgida, but I never saw it. Not until you appeared.” His smile held a trace of bitterness. “The science of attraction is complicated, no? Acheros could never have predicted that you would be a part of his design.”

  “It seems there’s a lot more than science to our… to this,” she said breathlessly, Imril’s warmth and the constant gentle pull on her vir threatening to lull her into sleep.

  “The Universe works in mysterious ways,” Imril agreed. “Before you fall asleep here, I want to show you something.” He stood, lifting her effortlessly in his muscular arms, placing her gently on her bare feet. Imril picked up her discarded red dress and draped it across her shoulders, fashioning it into a kind-of cloak. “It gets cold up there.”

  “Up where?”

  “Come, Esania.” The smile never left his lips. Imril pressed his hand against the seamless wall. Suddenly, an edge appeared, then a part of the stone wall slid away, revealing an entrance beyond which lay a spiral staircase.

  He looked over his shoulder. “My private sanctuary. It was in disrepair when I came, but I have been preparing it for you.”

  “I see.” Her heart racing, Esania followed, taking the steps two at a time to match Imril’s big strides. As they climbed, she heard a muted roar—the pounding of the big waves below, the rush of the wind.

  She followed Imril all the way to the top, and suddenly she was drenched in glorious light. The vast blue sky of Khira stretched above them, so similar to Earth’s, and yet just a few shades more vivid; hyper-real.

  But maybe that was just the effect of Imril’s power on her body. Every time he sent his energy through her, her senses became heightened.

  Esania gasped as she stepped out into a circular courtyard of sorts. The salty ocean air caressed her naked body, carrying just a hint of a chill with it, and she drew the sumptuous fabric of her dress around herself, covering her bare breasts. Imril put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close so that she was surrounded by his natural warmth. The exchange of energy between them was fluid now, a constant process without beginning or end.

  They were bound together in an eternal loop.

  A low parapet ran along the edge of the courtyard, and beyond it was a spectacular three hundred and sixty degrees view of the shimmering ocean. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and no land in sight.

  Everything was shades of blue.

  Just inside the parapet, low shrubs with leaves of deepest green grew amongst stout-trunked trees that seemed designed to withstand the formidable ocean winds. Violet flowers bloomed amongst the bushes, and underfoot, a carpet of silvery moss caressed her bare feet.

  “This is… magnificent.” Surrounded by the waves and the wind and the intoxicating scent of wild blooms with her mate standing beside her, his arm curled protectively around her shoulders, Esania stared out at the world below.

  His world.

  Their world.

  Unbidden, tears pricked her eyes. How different this place was from the cold, sterile environment she’d been raised in. How different she felt, as if her true self had been awakened.

  “This is Khira,” Imril whispered, his warm breath feathering her ear. “I was supposed to rule over this planet, to build a great new civilization.” A soft, bitter laugh escaped his lips. “I failed. I was a fool. We Drakhin did not know it, but at the time of our inception, Acheros’s grand plan was already doomed. That is just our nature. To fight. To destroy. To exist without meaning. But now I have you, Esania.”

  “I’m not so special,” she murmured, leaning against him, closing her eyes. “I’m just an ordinary human.”

  “No,” he said gently, taking her into his arms. “You are exceptional. You are brave and righteous and perfect for a fiend like me. I need you, Esania. I will rebuild my world—our world—but this time I will do it right, and when the void in me threatens to take over, you will be there to keep me in check. Your people are my people now.”

  Faced with the magnitude of the task ahead of her, Esania wasn’t fazed. The warmth and love flowing f
rom Imril through their bond obliterated any doubt in her mind. “I trust you,” was all she said.

  He leaned in and kissed her, his scent, his warmth, his intoxicating power engulfing her completely. She was totally consumed by this powerful, seductive creature. “I will not disappoint you,” he whispered, and he sounded so earnest that her heart melted all over again. The wind dropped momentarily as he held her tightly, and they simply stood there, reveling in each other’s presence. “Welcome to Khira, my lukara.”

  Knowing the full weight of what that really meant, Esania didn’t shy away from the responsibility. Somehow, it was as if every event in her entire life had been in preparation for this. She leaned into him, putting her arms around his neck, embracing her future. “I’m home,” she said, then kissed him fiercely.

  Not once did the thought of leaving Khira enter her mind. Even if they found the means to escape, she would never go.

  Not now. Not when she’d found Imril.

  Her heart was here, with the Drakhin who had shown her what it meant to be human.

  To be alive.

  Dear readers, thank you for supporting my work. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment.

  If you would like to receive updates about my stories, you can sign up to my mailing list: http://eepurl.com/bQaHP5, or find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annacarvenauthor/ I’ll only email you when I have a new release to announce.

  I also post the occasional musing on my blog: https://annacarven.wordpress.com/

  Also by Anna Carven

  Dark Planet Warriors

  (in order of publication)

  Dark Planet Warriors (Book 1)

  Dark Planet Falling (Book 2)

  Into the Light (Book 3)

  Out of Darkness (Book 4)

  Darkside Blues (Book 4.5)

  Forged in Shadow (Book 5)

  Infinity’s Embrace (Book 6)

  Electric Heart (Book 7)

  Brilliant Starlight (Book 8)

  Hidden Planet