He looked to where he thought the giant blue Targo had collapsed after he’d been hit. The creature was no longer there. Searching room to room inside the small cargo ship didn’t take long. There was no sign of the beast. It must have left the ship when we landed.
Returning to Juliette and the tiny Targo babies sleeping contentedly, he whispered, “This is why the Targo was so willing to help us escape. You had already won it over. Amazing. They’re dangerous predators, rarely bestowing their friendship, let alone allow anyone near their babies. You are special. A rare and priceless gift.”
Torrin raised his hand to rub the heavy scruff on his jaw as he watched her sleep, combing absently through his thick brown hair. He sat quietly, his mind refusing to be completely sidetracked from the Vilitos guard’s words. Was the guard telling the truth? Has my king bound himself to a human? And she somehow transformed? When was he on Earth? Where had they taken his brother?
He’d tried his best to cut himself off from Sevron from the moment he’d been taken, wanting only to spare his brother the pain he knew was coming. As time dragged on, days turning into months, his pain and torture unending, fever set in followed by hallucinations. He’d felt Sevron reaching for him. Trying to find him. Comfort him. He’d done his best to cut off his own emotions. His feelings. Sever their bond.
He’d only just held on, surviving endless months of torture because he’d had to endure. Not for himself. For his family. For Sevron. His mirror twin. The death of one twin was rarely survived by the other. Torrin had been preparing to die, hoping to break their connection to give his brother a better chance at surviving once he was gone.
Torrin squeezed his eyes closed and reached out with mental fingers. Desperate. Yearning. Searching. Reconnecting. Only the faintest flicker of unease whispered through their connection. A warning. He cried out, bellowing in frustration and anger, unable to fully connect.
Chapter Six
Juliette’s eyes snapped open. Adrenaline pumping, she rolled to a stand. No one was around, but she could hear muffled voices. Three days had passed as Torrin repeatedly traveled the short distance into the area she’d gone looking for the maju water. He’d discreetly searched for Taeger, if that was even his real name.
Juliette had done her best to describe the cloaked men who had sold her the maju water, but Torrin had been unable to locate even a trace of their presence, and no one was talking. Juliette was glad they’d stayed a few extra days on Mora Five. She’d secretly gone out after him each time, looking her fill. Who knew when she’d get the chance to visit another alien world? Plus, she used the opportunity to get in a bit of exercise. She hadn’t been as dedicated to staying fit when she was in nursing school, and the short runs she took were already paying off. She wasn’t stupid. She’d been careful. She remembered how to stay in the shadows.
Looking around, she took in her surroundings. She was still on the ship they’d stolen, still clean from her visit to the tiny cleansing stall she’d found during her search for a medical kit. She would have preferred water, but she couldn’t complain about the technology on the ship. Her skin was squeaky clean, and her hair had never been so soft. Her dirty clothes were long gone, replaced with a soft cashmere-like material, wrapped sarong style around her that Torrin had ‘found’ for her during one of his excursions. The dress fit perfectly, reaching to her knees. Perhaps a longer style today would suit her mood. Reaching down to the corner of the material as Torrin had shown her, she pressed the material between her two fingers and waited for a small buzz. “Ankle length. Change color to blue.” She shook her head in wonder, grinning as the dress adjusted itself to the new specifications. Alien tech was so cool. Now where was Torrin?
Frowning in concentration, she followed the sound of voices into the communications area. Torrin was at the monitor, talking in low tones to the same man who had told her to go to Mora Five for the maju water.
As she approached, Torrin turned toward her. She caught her breath. He’d obviously cleaned up while she was sleeping. He looked amazing. Drool worthy, if she were being honest with herself.
A flash of desire ripped through her frame at the sight of his bare, muscular chest and abs, narrow waist and wide shoulders. Caldorians were bigger, taller, stronger, faster than humans, and he looked even bigger than most of the other Caldorians she’d met. She’d seen for herself just how well he moved as he and the Targo had taken out guard after guard during their escape. He was art in motion. Lethal. Deadly. Pure male.
Caldorians had otherworldly, beautiful markings, raised slightly beneath the skin. Torrin’s markings were dark blue whorls with an opalescent quality, swirling across his shoulders and tapering to the middle of his back. She itched to trace them with her fingers. Her tongue. Three days alone with him was wreaking havoc on her libido. He was an alpha male. Strong. Intelligent. Sexy. A great listener. He’d asked her so many questions about Earth, her job, her life, that her head was still spinning.
Long legs encased in military style black pants only accentuated his masculinity. Every fantasy she’d ever had paled in comparison to him. Wanting to run her hands through his freshly trimmed hair, feel the muscles across his torso, trace the markings swirling across his shoulders and back, she licked dry lips as she joined him at the monitor. She gave her long hair a quick run-through, glad she’d recently had the ends trimmed. There was nothing she could do about her lack of makeup, but luckily, she had good skin and her lips were naturally soft and full, her dark lashes long and thick.
Absently flicking the ends behind her shoulder, she craned her neck to look into his twinkling eyes, drowning in their depths. He oozed with an indefinable power and sexual heat. Nostrils flaring, she took in his scent. Pure male. Hot. Wild. Intoxicating.
Torrin gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, leaning in close to murmur, “Morning, beautiful.”
Her heart tripped a beat. He thought she was beautiful? She beamed with pleasure at the compliment, returning his heated stare, wanting him to lean closer. Wanting his kiss, his large hands all over her body. She was no virgin. She didn’t believe in love. She believed in living for the moment. One never knew what tomorrow might bring. She’d grown up fast on the streets. Hard. Cynical. Children didn’t usually fare well on the streets. Luckily, she’d found other kids like herself, lonely and afraid. They’d watched out for each other.
She wasn’t proud of her past, but she was proud of the future she’d carved out for herself. She’d worked hard every day. Sacrificing. Studying to become a nurse. Working two, sometimes three jobs to make ends meet. She relied on no one but herself. Her skills. She trusted her instincts, which were screaming at her. Begging her not to let the moment slip past. Desire blossomed through her system like a potent drug, lighting her on fire. Hot. Demanding. Urgent.
Throat clearing from the men on the monitor broke the mounting sexual tension.
Torrin held Juliette’s gaze, refusing to look away as he answered the leader of the Lumerian Knights. “Yes, I understand.”
“What’s going on?” Juliette asked softly, turning her body slightly toward the screen. Her eyes never strayed from him. Her breasts brushed against Torrin’s arm, nipples pebbling into rock hard beacons at the light touch, broadcasting her desire for everyone to see through the thin material. For Torrin to see. Feel. He never looked away, focusing entirely on her. She shivered. Throbbed.
“I’ve been ordered to complete my mission before returning you to Earth. I’ve already instructed the navigation system to head toward Cappra. We believe the item I was seeking has been moved there. We’ll be in orbit within a few hours.” Torrin’s eyes glowed with knowledge. Desire reflected in his heavy-lidded gaze.
He switched the monitor off with a swipe of his hand, never breaking eye contact, his voice suddenly huskier. Deeper. “I knew the moment I saw you standing there in the Vilitos ship that you were special.”
Juliette shivered with awareness, her breasts tingling. “I see.”
/> “No,” Torrin whispered, moving closer, his broad chest brushing against the hard tips of her breasts in a sensual dance of pleasure. “I don’t think you do.”
Trembling, her heart raced at his nearness, drawn to his presence. His power. His fingers traced a slow path from the tip of her ear, down the most sensitive part of her neck, skimming lightly along her arm. “Then explain it to me,” she whispered, closing her eyes as he traced a similar path with his other hand.
“I would make you mine.”
“Mmm.” Juliette tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her neck.
Torrin growled in triumph as she subconsciously gave in to him. He took her into his arms, tilting her head farther to the side, marking her neck with his mouth, reinforcing his position. His claim. She would be his. Now. Forever.
Juliette cringed. All of her knowledge about the Caldorians centered around their medical practices, and only the bare minimum about so many other things, she was beginning to realize. Torrin had asked a million questions, while she’d barely asked any. What did Caldorians believe in? What did Torrin believe? The Caldorians had come to Earth two years ago, introducing humans to the Intergalactic Council and trade. They’d been responsible for Earth security during the process, and when their contract had expired, government officials from Earth had asked them to stay longer to set up a permanent base. They’d agreed.
But what did she really know about their culture and traditions? The Caldorians on the Earth base had not shared much about themselves. They were all about taking care of business. Ensuring planetary safety. There were plenty of news streams focusing on the latest Intergalactic news and what the Caldorians were doing, but now that she really thought about it, she couldn’t recall a single blog or press release about anything personal.
“I’d like to help if I can,” she offered.
“Thank you,” he acknowledged her offer. “But I’m not at liberty to discuss any details. If you’d like to help in other ways,” he murmured, walking her backwards toward the only bedroom in the small ship, “I must confess that you’re impossible to resist. I want you. I have other, more pressing matters that could use your very special attention.”
She batted her lashes playfully, her gray eyes sparkling with humor and anticipation. “Oh? And what might those be?”
Torrin growled, lifting her slight weight, locking her legs around his waist. “As I said, I would make you mine.”
Juliette moaned with pleasure as he kissed and nibbled his way leisurely from her ear down to her collarbone, her breasts tingling with longing. “I thought I was going to die on that ship before you came along. I’m done holding back. Waiting. I want to live in the moment,” she gasped.
“I speak not of moments,” Torrin murmured in a deep, smoky baritone, “but of ancient tradition. I speak of binding us together for the length of our lives. This is the way of my people. Some may have casual affairs. This is not what I want for us.”
“I don’t want to think about forever,” she shook her head, reaching for his broad shoulders, digging her fingers into his heavy muscles, her feminine side reveling in his strength. “Forever is just a fantasy.”
Torrin ran his hands over her hips. Her bottom. Squeezing and molding her curves. His heart ached. “This mission is dangerous. Without my cloaking armor, my weapons, it could prove my last. If I am successful, I must find someone before I can come back to you,” he said, weighing the risks of trusting her against his desire for her to know the deepest parts of him.
Instinct told him she was the one person in the world who would protect his secrets. “My twin brother. Everyone thinks him dead, but he is very much alive. He is in trouble and I must find him when my mission is complete.”
Torrin’s heart thundered. He’d never told anyone about Sevron. “I would bind you to me forever in traditional Caldorian fashion, now, today, but you must know the risks before you agree.”
“Hold on,” she said, raising her hand and leaning back in retreat, pushing at his massive shoulders. The move was purely symbolic, as she was still held securely in his arms. She secretly thrilled at being held so easily, and for so long. He didn’t even seem to notice her weight.
“First, of course you have to find your brother. I understand the pain of losing someone. I’ll help. I’m good at finding things. And, I understand you have to finish your mission. My father was the same way. He was a rescue pilot, shot down three times before he went missing,” she confessed sadly. The memories still pained her.
For some reason, she wanted to share details she’d never shared with anyone else. She trusted him. Wanted him to know her. This was so unlike her. She wasn’t normally the type to share her true feelings. There was just something about Torrin that pulled at her. Made her want to be near him. Share everything with him. Trust him.
She took a deep breath, her hands shaking as she combed through her long dark hair. “I was just a kid. I couldn’t take it. Couldn’t watch my mom walk around like a ghost day after day, heartbroken. She looked right through me. I had to leave. I-I ran away.”
Juliette’s heart twisted painfully at the thought of Torrin dying. “So, don’t make promises. I don’t need forever.” She paused, her throat so tight she nearly choked on the words, “I don’t believe in it anymore.”
Torrin used one hand to tenderly brush a wayward strand of hair from her cheek. “You have been deeply wounded. I understand your pain, your loss. And you’re right. No one can promise forever. But I vow that if you give yourself to me, only death will keep me from you. I will never abandon you or leave you for another. This is an Earth concept. I am not human. You do not fully comprehend what that means yet, but I do. You have no reason to fear our binding.”
She was fire and ice. Beauty and strength. He’d never needed anything as much as he needed her. Needed. Craved. Ached to be inside her. Bound to her. “Your body already knows it belongs to me,” he added persuasively, carrying her through to the sleeping room, laying her in the middle of the large platform bed. “This is the Caldorian way. Bind yourself to me. Become one with me. Trust me to care for you and protect you as my own.” He put his hand over her abdomen where his child might someday grow, leaning down to kiss her soft flesh. “I want to give you everything.”
Juliette arched to meet his wandering mouth. She couldn’t help herself. “No. No binding. No claiming. I was briefed back on Earth before I signed on to work for the Caldorians. Binding is like marriage. Claiming is even worse! Who purposely gets pregnant before getting married just to prove they can have children together? Give me today. That’s all I have to give. I want you today.”
Torrin leaned back, scowling heavily, ignoring the sudden pain in his chest. “I would bind you to me forever. Claiming isn’t only about fertility. Many men on Caldor are not fertile, so knowing early is desirable but not required.”
Juliette snorted inelegantly. “I’m pretty sure there’s a test for that. Even we have ways of testing fertility on Earth, as primitive and technologically challenged as we may be.”
He sighed. “Since Caldorian men only become fertile when they actively want to conceive, your testing methods are ineffective. You judge our traditions without an understanding of them.” He rolled his shoulders to relieve the growing tension, then grabbed her ankles and pulled her from the center of the bed to the edge.
Juliette squealed in surprise, twisting from his loose grip and sitting up, pulling the sarong that had come loose haphazardly around herself. “I know that I mean what I say. I’m not judging you or your people. Our cultures are very different. We don’t marry strangers where I’m from or agree to have their babies. Not unless they’re from Crazy Town, anyway.”
Standing proudly, he crossed his arms, his look supremely confident. “I submit to you that we are not strangers. Adversity strips away all pretense and lies. I have seen the truth of who you are, just as you have seen me. I sense that you are right for me,” he said earnestly. “Call it what
you will. An instant connection. An instinct. A feeling. There is no point in waiting as my feelings will not change. I never thought to have children, but now that I’ve met you, I find that I am as other men in this regard. I’m glad you’ve been briefed on Caldorian ways, so there will be no misunderstandings,” he rumbled, “I mean what I say. Do you know people from this Crazy town? You could use the ship’s communication system to contact them. Ask for their advice if you do not trust mine. They will tell you there is nothing to fear.”
“Call Crazy town for advice?” Juliette couldn’t help herself. She laughed so hard she snorted, covering her face with her hands to hold it in. The harder she tried to stop, the harder she laughed, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Finally, at long last, she calmed, taking a few cleansing breaths. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh.”
Turning back to him she saw the dark, brooding scowl on his face and promptly choked on another bout of laughter. “I think your translator is a bit off,” she gasped through her laughter.
“Perhaps.” Torrin’s scowl slowly turned into a grin. His woman wasn’t going to make his life easy. She was feisty. Very well. He loved a challenge. She wanted nothing permanent? No strings attached, as her people called it? That wasn’t going to work for him, but he need not share that with her again. He was a master strategist. Trained to adapt. Solve problems. He wanted her. Today. Tomorrow. Forever. He wasn’t going to give up just because she was afraid.
Standing at the foot of the bed, he worked out a new plan. He would keep her so full of what she wanted, full of his cock, she would come to him on her own. Belong to him. He would chip away at her defenses. Make her laugh. Earn her trust. Already he was feeling possessive. He wanted everyone to know she belonged to him, and vice versa.
Alien Knight Steals The Bride Page 6