by Anna Carven
Sweet Jupiter, the memories he’d had to endure.
If they’d gone on for much longer, he may very well have gone crawling on his knees to Arik, begging for relief.
The flashbacks had been torture.
He’d been a kid again, the lowest of the low, just another paid killer for Vadim. He’d seen scores of bodies, dead by his hand. He’d seen his mother, and what that that horrible vagrant had done to her.
He’d killed that man when he was twelve years old.
He’d been his old self again, lean and scrawny and vicious, just another street brat.
You are nothing.
He’d fought against that voice all his life
“Take it easy, Kai. I’ll be with you in a moment.” Zyara’s low tones filtered through hidden speakers, filling the emptiness inside him.
He sat down on the side of the bed, holding his head in his hands as his migraine began to ease. That’s when the door in front of him began to unravel, thousands of tiny black fibers withdrawing to reveal an opening.
Kai gaped. If he’d been skeptical before about being on a Kordolian warship, he had no doubts anymore. This was mind-blowing alien technology.
Zyara appeared before him, dressed in flowing white robes. She was luminous and regal, and she seemed to glow despite the darkness surrounding them.
“Oh, Kai,” she cried, as the door closed behind her. “I’m so glad you’re awake.” She knelt before him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She held him like that for a while, before reaching up to remove something from his forehead.
She peeled two black sticky nodes from his skin, rolling them into a ball and tossing them aside.
More alien technology.
“What happened?” He pressed a hand to his temple. As soon as she’d walked into the room, his head had felt a million pounds lighter.
“I zapped your implant. It’s dead now. I was also able to identify and neutralize the virus attacking it. They used nano-particles to deliver it. It definitely wasn’t Human technology.” She studied him carefully, giving him and odd look.
“What?” Kai felt naked before her. All his barriers were down, his emotions stripped bare. He’d never shown such vulnerability to anyone before.
But with Zyara, it was okay. He trusted her.
“I had no idea of what you carried inside that pretty head of yours,” she said gently. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t… read my mind, did you?” He narrowed his eyes, feeling naked before her. There were things inside his head no-one should ever have to know.
Zyara squeezed him tightly. “No-one in the Universe can read minds, but I can monitor brainwaves. I know pain and suffering when I see it.”
“That’s old history, best left dead and buried.” Kai tried to downplay it. He pulled Zyara up into his lap. She curled her arms around his neck, surrounding him with her warmth and her scent. She smelled of sweetness and light. Kai allowed himself to fall backwards, taking her with him as he twined his legs in-between hers.
“Clearly, you’ve recovered well,” she laughed, as he ran his fingers through her hair, bringing his face close to hers. He didn’t speak. Instead, he kissed her on her lips, her cheeks, her forehead, cherishing her.
In the faint light, her eyes glowed bronze. They were twin glowing embers that warmed his hard soul. “Fuck,” he said finally, “where have you been all my life?”
“Fighting wars, colonizing planets. Playing medic to a squad of vicious warriors.” She raised a lilac eyebrow. “But I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. And now that you’re mine, you’re not allowed to get hurt or get into trouble. What is going on down there on Earth, Kai? Are you about to get dragged into a war?”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. I’ll tell you something. Nobody else knows about this.” He looked up at her, his dark eyes swirling with secrets. “Now I don’t know how much you know about our little place down there, but the city’s divided into two. There’s Darkside, and then there’s Teluria, which is part of the Federation. Those of us who live in Darkside are what they call ‘Unregistered’ in the Federation. We aren’t recognized as citizens by the Federation, and they turn a blind eye to our existence. We aren’t accepted anywhere else. That’s why we form criminal organizations. Darkside’s an economy unto its own.”
“That seems a little unfair. Why doesn’t the Federation just take over Darkside?”
“Too expensive. They’d have to build infrastructure, clean up the streets, grant us access to healthcare, education, and jobs, and make sure we fit into society. But the truth is, Darkside’s a rough, vicious place when you don’t have credits. Because of what we Darkside people have to live with, most of us wouldn’t pass their MQ test.”
“MQ?”
“Morality Quotient.” Kai laughed. “You have to be a good person to live in Teluria. They don’t want us there.”
“You’re a good person, Kainan.”
“Nah. I won’t ever be a good person. But I will always protect my people.”
Zyara traced an idle finger down his right arm, following the trail of the serpent. “So what are you going to do now?”
“I’m giving the North Ward to the Federation.”
“What?” Zyara blinked.
“I’ve worked hard to bring our infrastructure up to Telurian standards, and the North Ward is the closest district to Teluria’s border. They’ve had their eyes on my territory for years, but I’ve always resisted them.”
“So the North Ward will become part of the Federation?”
“I’ve reconsidered my position based on what happened last night. They can have the North Ward, but I twisted their arm. They also have to take all of her people and make them citizens. Peacekeepers should be rolling into the North Ward as I speak. The Families won’t fuck with the Federation. They know that if the Federation really wanted to wipe them out, they’d be swallowed whole.”
“I don’t understand all the intricacies of your plan, but it sounds like you’ve thought about this.”
“Long and hard, my dear,” Kai laughed. “Long and hard. Don’t worry. I left Banri with specific instructions. Everything will be fine. Speaking of which,” he pulled Zyara against him, his erection pressing against the taut flesh of her lower belly, “it’s not every day you get to fuck a beautiful woman two thousand kilometers above the face of the Earth.” He pulled Zyara into another deep, satisfying kiss, and she responded in the way he’d hoped.
He put everything into it, and she gave him everything in return.
Perhaps he would get his infinity and eternity after all.
This time, their lovemaking wasn’t so frantic. It was slow and sweet. Zyara wrapped her lithe body around him, locking him in a warm, tight embrace as she fucked him tenderly, murmuring soft things to him in Kordolian. Kai responded in kind, swaying his hips, running his hands over her curves, appreciating her small, taut nipples with his mouth, kissing every sweet inch of her.
When he sucked on the sweet cherry of her clit, she screamed with pleasure, again and again. It was music to his ears. Kai hoped the damn room was soundproofed and that the entire Kordolian military weren’t sharpening their blades outside, waiting to gut him. He took his time pleasuring her, giving her the attention she deserved. She returned the favor in spades.
They made love for what seemed like hours, and Kai wished he could remain in this dark, warm, womblike cocoon forever, entwined with this beautiful woman who had come to him from beyond the stars.
But there were things to do on Earth. Seismic shifts were happening on that little planet below them, and Kai had responsibilities to attend to.
Afterwards, he lay in her arms, feeling the rise and fall of her chest as it matched his own, their hearts beating in time. And for the first time in longer than he could remember, Kai was able to close his eyes and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Two weeks later
Zyara shielded her e
yes as the hover-car drew near. She stood on a rocky outcrop, waving as the black vehicle started to descend.
It settled on the dry ground with a roar from its exhausts, sending out a cloud of red dust. Zyara was grateful for the thin scarf that covered her face, protecting her from the harsh sunlight and the dust. Of course, her eyes were hidden behind dark shades.
The doors of the car slid upwards, and two familiar figures exited.
She smiled at Kai’s appearance. Since giving up his territory, he’d become more relaxed. He’d ditched his formal suit and tie in favor of a simple long-sleeved white shirt and dark blue trousers, the attire carefully chosen to hide his heavily inked arms. According to him, such distinctive markings were associated with gang affiliations, and they were frowned upon in regular society.
He looked cool and handsome and relaxed and he was the best thing Zyara had ever seen.
A slender figure appeared from the other side. Melia had recovered well since her accident, and the other day, she’d proudly told Zyara that she’d been accepted into something called the Federation Academy. Apparently, she was going to study to become a fighter pilot.
“Hey, stranger,” Kai greeted her, not hesitating to tug down her scarf and steal a sneaky kiss. Zyara’s response turned it into a little more than just a kiss.
“You guys, get a room,” Melia teased, scrunching her nose in mock-disgust.
“And who taught you to have such a dirty mind, young miss?” Kai took her small hand into his and curled his other arm around Zyara’s waist as they walked towards the homestead. “We’ve come to check on Truman’s sister.”
“She’s doing fine now,” Zyara reported, leaning into Kai. He felt warm and solid and good, and as they walked, his sneaky fingers found an opening in her robes, caressing her bare skin. A pleasant shudder raced down Zyara’s spine. “At first, I thought she was too far gone, but the Simavir injections have brought her back. Just like the twins, she’s left with some permanent physical changes, but at least she has presence of mind. We should have a cure ready by the end of the week.” To their collective surprise, the kid called Truman, who had dared stab Kai in the neck with a virus injector, had later revealed he had taken the job out of desperation, in the vain hope of obtaining Simavir for his sister.
There were people in the Dust Alleys who were infected with Dracaera. Only now was the truth coming to light. Once Zyara synthesized a cure, she would be putting it to good use. They’d already started to draw up a plan to do outreach to the communities of the Dust Alleys.
“Thank Jupiter,” Melia sighed. “That Dracaera virus sounds horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
“I hope you don’t have any ‘worst enemies’ at your age, Melia,” Kai warned. “You should be making friends at the Academy.”
“Speak for yourself, Mister Gangster. You’re like a total enemy magnet.”
“Melia,” he growled ominously. “Just so you know, I’m an ex-gangster. I’ve reformed, can’t you tell? I work for the Federation now.”
That elicited a laugh from Zyara. “It’s only been two weeks since you gave your territory over to the Federation. Reform takes time, my love. Not that you need it. But don’t go around acting like you’re some squeaky clean upstanding citizen all of a sudden.”
“You don’t like me like that?”
“I prefer you dirty,” she teased, as Melia groaned.
“Guys, seriously,” the teenager sighed, “get a room. I’m walking ahead. I’m going to go and say hi to Abbey and Ami. She’s the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.”
Melia took off, leaving Kai and Zyara to stroll together in the sunlight. “She seems okay,” Zyara remarked, as Kai pulled her close, his roving hand sliding down to the swell of her hip.
“Her father’s death hit her harder than she likes to let on,” he said gently. “I think she’s dealing with a lot of conflicting emotions and unresolved grief. He didn’t let her see him before he passed away. Vadim was a strange, hard man. We didn’t always understand why he did what he did. But getting accepted into the Academy has taken her mind off that a little. I think Vadim pulled a few strings before his death, and I think she knows it. She wants to do her father proud.”
“And you didn’t tell her about the other thing?”
“Hell, no. Word on the street is that it was ordinary gang violence. But now I understand why the old man told me to stay away from his funeral.” Kai paused, turning towards Zyara. He took her into his arms. “He had them all fucking killed on that day, my love. Arik, the heads of the other clans, everyone. His people ambushed them and they didn’t know what hit them. He did us all a massive favor. Vicious till the end, the old bastard was.” There was a savage kind of satisfaction in Kai’s voice, but also longing and regret. “Although I would have liked to have had the satisfaction of killing Arik myself.” Kai removed his sunglasses and kissed her on the lips. “But that’s enough about that. We won’t ever have to worry about that stain on my past again. Did you know that the Federation have contracted me to clean up the other Wards? They know I’m the only one with the connections to do it.”
Kai dropped to his knees, holding Zyara’s hands, not seeming to care that the red dust would stain his trousers. “I’m legit now, Zyara al Sirian. I’m not perfect, and as you always say, I’m bit of an idiot sometimes, but Darkside’s my home, and I’m committed to changing it for the better. Since you’re going to be around, I wanted to let you know that I’m not going anywhere, and if you’ll accept a lowlife thug like me, I will give you everything I have.”
His brow crinkled, his expression heartbreakingly earnest. A strange emotion welled in Zyara’s chest. She felt as if her heart was about to burst. In a good way. If she could shed tears like a Human right now, she would. “You’re right,” she said, using her formidable strength to pull him to his feet. “You are a bit of an idiot. But if you promise me you won’t get shot, or stabbed, or get any more extremely dangerous alien implants put into your brain, I will have you, you big, handsome idiot.”
Kai put his hand on his heart, his dark eyes glimmering with some profound emotion. “I promise, my lady.”
For a while, they stood together on the plain, holding each other as the dust and sand whipped around them, the dry desert wind tugging at their clothes and hair.
Zyara took his hand into hers. “Come on, then, my Human,” she said, as a stunning smile graced Kai’s features.
“My amazing lover from beyond the stars,” he replied. “You’re too good for me by half, but I’m selfish, and I’m never letting you go.”
His put his arm around her shoulders as they walked slowly across the desert, two tiny, insignificant beings on a fragile planet that Zyara was beginning to call home.
And silently, she thanked the stars she’d decided to venture into Darkside on that wild, crazy night.
Earth was a beautiful place indeed.
Dear readers, thank you for taking the time to read my book. I do hope you enjoyed it.
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