Chilled: Elemental Warriors (A Sci-Fi Alien Warrior Paranormal Romance)

by Ashley West

  “Are you sure?” she asked again.

  “Yes,” Cullen replied. “I want you there.” In every sense of the phrase.

  “Okay,” she murmured back, eyes wide. “Let’s go.”

  The last time they'd done this, she had already been undressed when she'd come to him, and this time he wanted to take his time and get her out of her clothes slowly. He wanted to watch each section of her skin be bared to him, and he wanted to touch and kiss every inch of it.

  He wanted to find out what she tasted like. Wanted to spread her legs and lose himself between them. Her skin was so soft, and he remembered that her arousal smelled so good. It had to taste even better.

  She never looked at him like he was some kind of strange creature, either, which would have been well within her rights considering the fact that she had been kidnapped by aliens before. But they weren't his kind, and that seemed to be the difference. Or perhaps she just didn't see him as strange. It was entirely possible.

  Sadie talked to him about things that she thought and felt. She opened up to him and responded eagerly when he did the same to her. There was trust in her eyes when she looked at him, and it made Cullen want to be worthy of that trust.

  "Come here," he murmured to her, voice rough with his arousal. His cock was already half hard in his pants, a hard line pressed against the front of them.

  He could feel her eyes on it, but that wasn't where he wanted her for the time being.

  "Okay," she whispered back, putting her hand in his when he offered it and letting him pull her closer.

  He slid a hand down her back to her bottom, cupping it hard and delighting in the soft sound she made in response. It was a beautiful sound, one he wanted to hear much, much more of.

  "Did you know," Cullen murmured. "That you're incredibly beautiful?" It wasn't the first time he'd said it to her, and it wouldn't be the last, he was sure, but he loved the way her cheeks flushed and she leaned closer when he said it.

  "Did you know that you're incredibly sappy?" she fired back, amusement in her eyes and that blush on her cheeks.

  "Yes," Cullen admitted. "I did. I think you like it, though."

  She didn't argue with him, just pressed up onto her toes to brush their mouths together.

  It was a simple kiss at first, but it built. They always did between them. Their lips started with brushing gently and then it moved to pressing harder, hands roaming, tugging at clothes while their teeth and tongues joined the fray.

  Sadie kissed like battle. Like she was going to forge ahead and take down her rival, like she expected you to meet the challenge with her and take her head on. She kissed with her teeth nipping at his lips, her tongue exploring. She kissed like she couldn't be tamed.

  Cullen didn't know what he kissed like. Hopefully like an explorer. Someone who wanted to discover and sample and feel everything there was on offer. He wanted to get everything possible out of these kisses and learn Sadie in the process, and when they finally had to break for air, her dazed expression and kiss bruised lips were the very definition of gratification.

  Her cheeks were still flushed, and her lips were parted, and she let off a soft moan and rubbed against him. "Cullen, please. I want you."

  "Show me," he said.

  She watched him for a moment, clearly trying to decide how to proceed with this. After a split second's thought, a small smile spread over her lips and she backed up toward his bed.

  "Watch, then," she said.

  Sadie had a plan, he could tell that much from the way she was watching him, the way she was moving. He'd had the plan to undress her, but when she started undressing herself, there was no way he was going to stop her.

  Each item of clothing was removed slowly, sensually, and she held their eye contact the entire time, not letting him look away, either.

  His breath was bated, and he watched the shirt come over her head, revealing her upper body and her pert little breasts. She was so compact, so much smaller than he was, but he loved that. He loved how perfectly she fit in his hands or between his legs, how he could move her with a touch and lift her with ease.

  His eyes went dark as she touched herself, one hand sliding down from her collarbone to her chest, fingers circling her nipples, making them grow hard and more prominent.

  It was a mouth watering display.

  Her hand traveled down more, from her chest to her stomach, and then even lower to the sweet spot between her legs. She cupped herself, grinding into her own hand for a moment, and when she pulled her hand away, he could see that she was wet through her shorts.

  There was something about human arousal that was just intoxicating. Ithilir were as reserved in their sensuality as they were in everything else. The women got wet, but not this dripping, sopping evidence of how much they wanted it. Cullen had never in his life been able to watch the wetness spread between a woman's legs like this, and it was a sight to behold.

  "Can you see?" Sadie asked, her voice husky and breathless. "How I feel? How much I want you?"

  Cullen nodded, his own eyes wide. "Yes," he said, and his voice was deep with it. "I want you, too."

  "Show me?"

  They were just his own words repeated back to him, but he was eager to do as they bid. He pushed his pants down around his hips and then lower until he could push them all the way down. His cock jutted out from his body, strong and proud and flushed with blood.

  Sadie's lips parted, and he watched her lick her lips as she watched him.

  Aware of his audience, Cullen endeavored to make it so that she had something to see. He stroked himself, pushing into his hand the way he planned to push into her, his hand tight around the pulsing length of his arousal.

  "Do you see?" he asked. "What you do to me?"

  She nodded. "Yeah. I...wow."

  Cullen smirked. "Take off the rest," he said, nodding to her shorts.

  "Alright." She lifted her hips and then shimmied the shorts down them, sliding them down her legs to her ankles while bent at the waist.

  It gave him such a good view of everything she had on offer, and he couldn't look away. K'varot himself could have walked in at that moment, and Cullen wouldn't have been able to stop himself from watching Sadie.

  He watched as she sat on the bed, as she spread her legs for him, as she dipped two fingers into the sweetness between her thighs, working them in and out. The soft noise was back, throaty and vibrant, and Cullen couldn't wait anymore.

  He stalked towards her, pulling her hand away from her crotch by the wrist. Holding her eyes the entire time, he pulled her hand to his own mouth and sucked her fingers in.

  Delicious. That was how she tasted. Sweet and strong and lovely, just like she was.

  "Stars, Sadie," he groaned around her fingers, licking each one individually, chasing more of that flavor.

  "Oh," she gasped, eyes wide.

  "Mmm." He knew what he wanted from her, and he intended to take it, seeing as she clearly wanted it as well.

  Cullen dropped to his knees in front of her, right between her spread legs. He looked up, taking in the surprise on her face and then smirked, leaning forward to press a kiss to each of her inner thighs.

  "Oh," she said again, breathless.

  "Mmm," Cullen answered once more, and then he went to claim his prize.

  The first lick between her legs was like heaven. It was warm and sweet and wonderful, a delight for the senses. Humans were warm creatures, not made for the snow and ice that had made up Cullen's entire life up until this point, and this was living proof of that.

  Her body responded so eagerly to his attentions, and she shivered as he licked again, savoring her flavor.

  "Oh god," she groaned. "Oh god. Cullen, that's--" She broke off, head tipped back.

  Cullen hummed, pleased that she was enjoying the way this was going. His cock was still hard between his legs, a testament to how much he wanted to be buried inside of her, but he was dedicated to this, first.

  He got his fingers i
nvolved, pressing them into her while he licked and nuzzled against that bud of pleasure. Once she came like this, from this, he would sate himself.

  She arched against him, mewling softly. "Cullen. Cullen, please," she moaned. "I'm so close. Please, please, please."

  And Stars, she begged so pretty, so lovely for him. It was heady, and Cullen didn't know how not to give her what she wanted.

  He thrust his fingers into her, deeper, harder, and sucked lightly at her clit, wishing he could coax her along with his words. Come on, come for me, I want to see it, I want to taste it, come for me, beautiful girl, let me see in a litany.

  Her breathing quickened, and she arched again, legs falling open wider. All at once, she went tight around his fingers, nearly cutting off the blood flow to them with how tight she was.

  She said his name breathlessly and came for him, falling apart and shaking under his touch.

  It was an experience he knew he'd remember for the rest of his life, this gorgeous woman, this wonder of humanity, undone and bare for him.

  His cock was so hard, so ready, and he licked his lips, grinning at her when he lifted his head. "Did you like that?"

  She gave him a look. "I think you can tell that I did," she said.

  He smirked. "Perhaps, but there's nothing wrong with asking for confirmation."

  Her legs were still spread, showing off her sex, wet and flushed for him. His cock was leaking already, and he wanted nothing more than to be buried deep inside of her.

  "May I?" he asked, getting to his feet. His cock was pointing the way to where he wanted to be.

  "Please," she replied. She reached out with her legs, wrapping them around his waist and towing him in closer until the head of his cock was pressed against the warm wetness of her entrance. "I want to feel you."

  And what more than that did he need to hear?

  He pressed in slowly, taking advantage of the way she was already open for him, already needy, but moving slowly so as not to hurt her.

  When they came together, it was like a miracle. That felt...he didn't know, silly to say, but they were completely different. They weren't the same species, they weren't from the same planet, they weren't the same height or weight or anything of that nature. And yet when they came together like this, it felt like none of that mattered. It felt like the distance between them wasn't as great because they could make this thing work.

  Cullen had to wonder if this was sort of what it was like to be open to other species. If they weren't so closed off, could the Ithilir have already formed connections like this?

  She came for him again, and it was just as lovely as the first time. Her soft pants and little desperate moans of his name chased him to his orgasm as well, and he pulled out of her warm, inviting wetness and lost himself with her name on his lips.

  "I should go." The words were mumbled into his shoulder about an hour later, the two of them curled up together in his bed.

  "No," Cullen murmured back. "You shouldn't. You should stay." He tightened his arms around her, continued stroking gentle fingers down her back, trying to tempt her to stay there with him.

  "But I'm going to fall asleep soon," she protested.

  "Fall asleep here."

  "Cullen."

  "Sadie."

  She sighed. "I thought you didn't want people to know about this. Because of...I dunno. Because of the implications or whatever."

  And she had a point, he couldn't deny that. There was a part of him that was terrified of his people finding out what he was doing with her. It felt so natural to hold her like this, to be with her, but his people wouldn't understand that. They understood each other, and that was about it. Cullen could explain until he had run out of words why being with Sadie was different and why it was what he wanted, but the chances of any of them understanding it were very, very slim.

  Cullen bit his lip.

  "What if I don't care about that?"

  "Cullen," Sadie said softly, picking her head up from his chest to look at him. "You do. You know you do, and I know you do. I know you're here and things are exciting and stuff, but your people are your whole world. Their opinion matters to you."

  Something that felt like frustration bubbled up in him, souring the peaceful afterglow he'd been so enjoying. Cullen sighed, dragging a hand through his hair and then down his face. He didn't let go of Sadie, so sure that she'd just slip away as soon as he released her. "You're right," he said. "You are right. It matters to me and they are my whole world. They have been for my entire life." Sadie sighed softly and made moves to try and get up, but Cullen didn't let her go. "But," he said. "That doesn't mean that I'm going to let them stop me from having this right now. No one is getting hurt, and I want you."

  He could see the hesitation playing out in her face, and he mentally pleaded with her to stay. Obviously if she wanted to leave, he wasn't going to try to keep her there, but he really, really wanted her to stay. Finally, she sighed once more and laid back down. "Okay," she said. "But I'm too tired to go again, so you're gonna have to shelve that wanting for the time being."

  Cullen chuckled at that, pleased all the way down to his toes. "I don't mean it like that," he said. "I just. I want you. Not just for the sex."

  "Even though the sex is out of this world?" She giggled, and he could tell she was making a joke.

  "Go to sleep."

  "You're no fun."

  He shook his head and kissed the top of hers, warm and content as he watched her drift off and then followed her not long after.

  "Well, well. Isn't this just a lovely sight?"

  Cullen snapped awake and blinked, looking around. He was in his room on the ship, in his bed, and the warm weight next to him had to be Sadie. That made him smile, but then the scathing voice registered, and he frowned, looking up.

  Overon was standing over the bed with his arms folded, a disgusted look on his face, and Cullen just wanted to close his eyes again and will his fellow warrior away.

  "Overon," he whispered.

  "What are you doing?" Overon demanded, full voice.

  "Shhh. She's asleep."

  "No I'm not," Sadie mumbled. "Saw him before you did. Didn't feel like moving." Her words were flippant, but she was pressing herself closer to his side, and he could tell that she was concerned about this.

  "Why are you in my room?" Cullen asked, keeping his voice neutral.

  "Because we called you to the meeting room an hour ago, and you didn't show up. Some of us were convinced you were hurt since you're usually so punctual."

  The last word was practically spat in his face, and Cullen fought the urge to wince. He wasn't apologizing for this. "I'm sorry I didn't show up," he said, voice even.

  "And that's it? You're just sorry for that?"

  "I don't have anything else to be sorry for," he replied.

  Overon shook his head. "You know, I should have known you'd be different here. On Fora, you're all dedicated to the cause, you're trying to defend us, but this is just too big and too different for you."

  "What is he, a child?" Sadie asked, not even looking up. "Nothing wrong with trying new things. Living a little. The rest of you could take a lesson."

  "There is nothing wrong with the way we've been living!" Overon insisted. Cullen wanted to cut in and tell him not to raise his voice to Sadie like that, but she had it covered, of course.

  She picked her head up to look at him, eyes narrowed. "Right. That's why you're so insecure about Cullen sampling the local flavor. I don't know how things work on Fora, but if Cullen's so dedicated to the cause all the time, then maybe he needs to be able to have fun. Maybe the rest of you need to loosen the reins a bit."

  "I don't understand what you're trying to say. Your human gibberish means nothing to me."

  Sadie rolled her eyes and dropped her head back down. One hand lifted into the air, and she made an elegant gesture with it, clearly a dismissal. "Then go away, and you don't have to listen to it anymore. At ease. Dismissed. Stand down. Whatev
er."

  Overon growled, and Cullen kept a sharp eye on him. "You are not my Prince. I do not bow to you."

  "Yeah, yeah."

  "Sadie," Cullen murmured softly, stroking a hand down her back. He was enjoying the exchange (it was rare that anyone stood up to Overon like that), but he didn't want to have to come between them if Overon lost his temper.

  "I'm done," she murmured back.

  Overon was still standing there, watching them. "When you're finished," he snapped. "We still want you in the meeting room. Leave your pet behind."

  Before either of them could react to that particular insult, he was slamming from the room and leaving them alone again.

  For a moment, they were both silent. Cullen didn't know what to say, and he felt a whole lot guiltier than he had the night before. Sadie seemed agitated, and he could feel her grinding her teeth.

  "I'm sorry," Cullen said softly.

  She shrugged a shoulder. "I figured that would happen. I..." She laughed, and Cullen was confused.

  "What?"

  "Nothing. Just...I didn't think I'd be in the bed of an alien, trying to defend my right to be there, but here we are."

  "Is it bad?"

  Sadie laughed again and lifted her head, showing him her bright eyes. "No. It's not bad at all."

  Things were cold on the ship for the next couple of days. Overon didn't know the meaning of keeping his mouth shut, so of course everyone knew about what Sadie and Cullen were doing in a matter of hours.

  By the time Cullen had emerged from his room that day, word had spread enough that people were already stopping him in the corridors of the ship to tell him that he was being foolish.

  They were, of course, entitled to their opinions, even though he knew they were wrong. Weren't they? All his life he had never asked for anything. He'd done what he was told, joined the warriors at the first sign that he might be any good at it, fought what they told him to fight. When the Prince had told him to come to Earth, he came with no complaints. He'd been ready to defend whoever he was told to defend. And now that he'd found something, someone, that he wanted, all of a sudden he was bad? He was a traitor to his people? It was irritating, and Cullen could tell that they were all waiting for him to apologize, but he wasn't going to do that.