Sūnder (Darksoul Book 1)

by Lexi Ander

  The Panthrÿn’s online biography had only evoked more questions than answers, so he’d searched through dozens of electronic files. Although, when he came across the L’fÿns’ ‘Branches’ data site, his curiosity had been tempered. It was astonishing the Branches site hadn’t been shut down. Granted, the database was similar to old-time Wikifiles in that they were programs open for other users to add information based on ‘facts’, but everyone knew to take the information found on Wiki with a grain of salt. After reading the L’fÿn article calling Commander Alārd a dangerous darksoul, Gabe had recognized a fanatical tone and reported the piece to the site moderators.

  Gabe started when Commander Alārd shifted in his seat. He’d missed something the male had said. “I’m sorry, my thoughts wandered. What was that?”

  The Panthrÿn’s tentative grin vanished and he leaned back. “I said… never mind, I didn’t mean to intrude on your evening with your friend. I shall leave you in peace.”

  “No!” Gabe panicked, reaching across the table and grabbing the commander when he went to slide out of the booth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I really did hope to see you again.” A small voice hissed that Gabe was a fool to admit so much, that he would only be hurt, but he pushed the doubt aside and forged on. “I was disappointed I didn’t get to say goodbye the other day. If it’s not too forward of me, would you like to grab some ice cream?” Gabe wondered if he came off as stalkerish.

  The wariness in the commander’s gaze was chased away by an open smile, and he slid his hand over Gabe’s where he still clutched the Panthrÿn’s wrist. “I have heard of ice cream, but have yet to sample the dish.”

  Releasing his hold on the commander, Gabe beamed. “Then I’m your man, Commander Alārd, because although I may not do many things well, I am a knowledgeable connoisseur of ice cream.”

  “Then, please, call me Sūnder.”

  After gathering his and Ronan’s trays, he emptied them in the trash. When he turned, his heart kicked up a beat to find the sexy-as-fuck Chándariān standing close. For a brief second, Sūnder’s tantalizing cologne teased Gabe’s senses, and he thought about leaning in to bury his nose in Sūnder’s chest—his neck being out of reach—so he could breathe in more of it. How had he not noticed Sūnder was a head taller than him? Gabe wasn’t a shrimp by any means, but even then, the top of his head brushed the underside of Sūnder’s chin. The realization only fed visions of how easily Sūnder could surround him, cocoon him— and he broke off that train of thought because he was already sporting a chubby.

  “Wow, you’re really tall. Oh my god, way to sound intelligent, Gabe.” This was the second time he’d said something stupid around Sūnder. Why did Sūnder’s presence make Gabe blurt out his thoughts like an untried teenager? He didn’t do butterfly stomachs or stumbling words. Not ever. Even when he’d been a horny teenager he hadn’t acted like a fool. He was an educated man who could hold deep discussions about a host of topics, but somehow Sūnder’s presence seemed to short-circuit his brain. Maybe it’s because I’ve never liked someone this much immediately upon meeting them?

  “Does my height bother you?” Sūnder frowned, sniffing at Gabe as if he could tell from scent alone whether Gabe was upset.

  Gabe hissed through his teeth, beating down the ugly anxiety that whispered Sūnder was dangerous, that he should go home, alone. Where he would be safe. But what had he gained by running from his feelings except for a lonely heart and cold sheets? Would it hurt to follow Ronan’s advice to socialize? Being captivated by someone was normal, even if Gabe had never experienced this level of attraction to anyone before. There was nothing wrong with finding Sūnder’s nearness titillating. He didn’t need to protect himself from everyone he was drawn to.

  Something wrapped around his ankle. Gabe looked down, and Sūnder’s tail tightened further about his leg. Thoughts of all the wicked things Sūnder could probably do with that tail made Gabe blush. Again.

  Realizing his mind had wandered once more, Gabe snapped his head up, hoping Sūnder couldn’t read thoughts. “No, that doesn’t bother me. I’m just socially inept and awkward around others sometimes.” Before today, he’d never cared.

  “You interact well with your friend Ronan, do you not?” Sūnder tucked his brilliant red mane behind a pointed ear, his red-ringed blue eyes steady on Gabe’s.

  Before Gabe moved across the deli, Sūnder’s tail released him. When Gabe pushed through the glass door, the heat of the summer evening chased away the air-conditioned coolness that clung to his skin. “Ronan’s been my friend for a long time. I’m more comfortable with him than anyone else. Plus, if I say something wacky he doesn’t hold my ineptitude against me.”

  Sūnder fell into step with him as they wandered down the sidewalk. “Then we will have to get to know each other so you’re more comfortable around me, too. And I promise I won’t hold anything against you, although you may need to explain things to me from time to time. I’m still mastering the cultural nuances of your language.”

  “Deal. Come on, let’s bust your ice cream cherry.” Gabe laughed at Sūnder’s confused expression. Several awkward minutes followed as Gabe explained what he’d meant, finishing with, “I’m a nurse, for Pete’s sake, I should be able to explain that without this much embarrassment.” He was absurdly pleased when Sūnder laughed at him.

  The longer Gabe spent in Sūnder’s company, talking about mundane, everyday things, the less he marveled that a Panthrÿn was strolling down the street with him, and the more at ease he became. By the time they’d walked a half-dozen blocks, he’d made Sūnder belly laugh several times, although to begin with the laughter had sounded rusty and unused. Gabe found it hard to look away from Sūnder for long. The tilt of Sūnder’s eyes, how his nose looked Panthrÿn but more delicate, with ridges Gabe itched to stroke. The way Sūnder’s dusky-gray skin shone with a pearlescent health and vitality… The canine teeth that barely peeked out from under his top lip had Gabe wondering what it would feel like to touch, to run his tongue under the sharp edges. Lust curled in his gut, and he couldn’t bring himself to mind.

  Gabe held open the door to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, liking the way the stress lines on Sūnder’s face had smoothed out. Not that Gabe should care, but he found he did. It was strange. He didn’t normally go out of his way to make anyone laugh, other than Ronan and, in the past, sometimes Pierce.

  “I never thought about all the strange things a healer would see,” Sūnder said, preceding Gabe into the parlor’s cool interior. The place was twenty minutes from closing, so there were only a couple of other customers. All of them stared unabashedly at Sūnder, who ignored them as if they weren’t there.

  “I’m a nurse, not a healer. Things get even more weird around the full moon and the couple of weeks prior to the Festival. People do the damnedest things, oftentimes hurting themselves or others in the process.”

  He stopped in front of the counter and explained what everything was, fascinated as he watched Sūnder sample flavors. The reaction Sūnder had to each taste was enough to make Gabe’s constant chubby turn into fully fledged arousal. The soft moans and the way that wide, flat tongue licked any remaining residue from the small wooden spoon caused Gabe’s heart to speed. If Sūnder didn’t stop, Gabe would kick propriety’s ass out the door and climb Sūnder like a tree.

  He must’ve made a noise because Sūnder’s gaze snapped to his. Heat sparked in those unusual eyes, and suddenly Gabe was hot. He tugged at the collar of his shirt, wondering what had happened to the air-conditioning.

  “I think I want them all,” Sūnder purred. Embarrassingly, Gabe whimpered. The grin Sūnder gave him was full of sharp teeth and seduction.

  His mouth went terribly dry and sweat trickled down his spine. “No need to be greedy. We can come back here again another day.”

  Triumph crossed Sūnder’s expression, but Gabe’s lust-muddled mind couldn’t decipher why. Clearing his throat, he placed his own order and leaned against
the counter. The spicy cologne Sūnder wore surrounded him and he inhaled deeply, belatedly realizing that it wouldn’t help clear his mind.

  “Something is wrong.” It wasn’t a question. Sūnder said it as if stating the obvious before he crowded into Gabe’s personal space. Usually Gabe kept distance between himself and others, but he couldn’t find it in himself to move away from Sūnder.

  “No, I’m… Do you know how good you smell?” Heat rose in his cheeks.

  “You like my scent?” Sūnder’s voice lowered, becoming growly.

  “Your cologne is amazing. I’ve never smelled anything like it,” Gabe confessed, closing his eyes to inhale deeply. “I don’t think I could ever tire of the fragrance.”

  Sūnder looked more than pleased. “I don’t wear personal scent enhancers. It muddles my senses.”

  “Oh, God. Was I just rude to you again? I’m so sorry.” But holy hell, if that was what Sūnder smelled like all the time, how did he not have people clamoring to be his mate? Hell, Gabe wanted to roll in the scent.

  Sūnder’s loud purring did nothing to dampen Gabe’s libido. “You have paid me a high compliment, Gabe. I’m pleased you find my pheromones enticing.”

  The attendant handed over their cones. Gabe began eating just to shut himself up. From the corner of his eye he watched Sūnder lick his ice cream, sure Sūnder was purposely tempting him with every careful swipe of his tongue. All he could think about was how it would feel if Sūnder laved his skin in such a naughty manner. Gabe was so engrossed by Sūnder he forgot about his own treat.

  “Do you find yours unpleasant?” Sūnder asked when he’d finished crunching through the last of the wafer.

  Swallowing down his lust, Gabe glanced at his partially melted ice cream, and lied. “I’m full.” He was ravenous, but not for that kind of dessert.

  “Do you mind?” Sūnder reached for the cone, and Gabe let him take it.

  He wasn’t sure if he could endure any more sensual torture. “You don’t share food with strangers. For… you know… I could have a contagious disease… or something.”

  “Hmm.”

  Gabe held his breath as Sūnder leaned in close, grasped Gabe’s wrist, and pressed his nose to the delicate skin there. Sūnder’s eyes became half-lidded as he inhaled, yet his gaze never left Gabe’s. When Sūnder’s tongue swiped over his pulse point, Gabe thought he’d jizz in his pants like a horny teenager. He choked on a cough.

  Sūnder grinned as if he knew that one motion had turned Gabe’s world upside down and was in no way sorry. “There is nothing wrong with you. And you smell delicious, too.”

  How was he supposed to respond to that? Every cylinder in his brain was misfiring. Gabe could only watch as Sūnder made quick work of the melting cone. He almost swallowed his tongue when Sūnder took the hand the ice cream had melted on and licked that away as well. When was the last time Gabe had met someone who muddled his mind to the point he couldn’t think properly? Who he’d wanted to drag to bed and screw, despite the fact he had to report to work in a couple of hours?

  Sūnder pulled a silky cloth from his pocket and proceeded to wipe down the hand he’d cleaned with his tongue. The nurse in him harped about washing his hands, but he pushed the thought away when Sūnder pressed the material into his palm.

  “Just in case you need it,” Sūnder said, something hopeful in his expression.

  Gabe couldn’t quite understand. He tried to remember if there was any significance to Sūnder giving him the equivalent of a handkerchief and came up with nothing. He shouldn’t keep it, knowing he wouldn’t need it again, but instead curled his fingers around the cloth murmuring, “thank you.” He was sure he’d stepped into something cultural when Sūnder beamed a bright, satisfied grin. The logical part of him that governed his behavior, protecting him from getting hurt, demanded Gabe give the cloth back. In a fit of rebellion, he stuffed the handkerchief into his jeans pocket, promising himself that he’d return it. Later.

  “Would you… would you like for me to drive you home?” Sūnder’s hesitation after such a bold display made him more adorable, not that Gabe would admit to thinking such a thing.

  “My bike isn’t far from here.” He checked his watch and frowned. If he was to make it to work on time he’d need to go home soon. Sūnder’s crestfallen expression changed his mind. “But if you want to walk with me to the garage I won’t say no.”

  Sūnder immediately perked up, and Gabe had a hard time reconciling the famously stoic Chándariān commander with the eager male who stood before him.

  “What do you do for fun on your world?” Gabe asked. The night had deepened and the sidewalk wasn’t as crowded as before. Even so, he noticed L’fÿns all crossed the street if they could, rather than walk by him and Sūnder. Gabe narrowed his eyes as he watched them, protectiveness swelling within him. Assholes.

  Sūnder ran a hand through his mane. Was he nervous? “I don’t have much free time at home on Slorèx. Unless I’m required at court, I stay in. Sometimes I meet with a small group of friends and we play a game very similar to your mah-jongg.”

  Gabe huffed a laugh. “I don’t get out much either. This is the first free day that I didn’t spend at home in quite a while. And the first date I’ve been on in a long time. I always feel out of place when I’m not at home.”

  Sūnder gave him a calculating look. “As if everyone is watching, waiting for you to screw up?”

  “Exactly! Ronan says if I went out more I wouldn’t feel as if I’m on display all the time. Perhaps he’s right, but it doesn’t negate the fact I’d rather spend my free time relaxing in my own space.”

  He fed his check-in slip into the slot outside the parking garage and waited. Sūnder had fallen silent. Gabe kept glancing at Sūnder, his stomach fluttering again. Should he simply say good night and leave it at that? He’d enjoyed Sūnder’s company too much to not see him again. Sure, Sūnder would soon be returning to his homeworld, but that didn’t mean Gabe couldn’t get to know him better.

  The bay door opened to reveal the elevator box that retrieved his bike from storage. Sūnder prowled around his Harley, making noises of approval as Gabe pulled his leather jacket, gloves, and helmet out of his saddle bags. Gabe readied to leave, at the same time watching how Sūnder kept glancing at him, mouth opening as if he wanted to speak only for him to snarl and resume pacing, his tail lashing in what Gabe thought of as aggravation.

  “I have to work tonight, and I’ll be tied up for the next couple of days, but I start my two-week vacation on Friday.” Gabe swallowed, his mouth dry. Was he really going to do this? One look at Sūnder’s wide, expectant eyes told Gabe he couldn’t just walk away. “Would you like to have dinner with me? I make a mean lasagna. I’ll buy some ice cream and we can experiment with toppings, or something.” His face burned with embarrassment at the unintended innuendo in the offer. Please don’t let Sūnder think I meant something I didn’t. I mean, I’d love to, but… Crap. Now his thoughts babbled too. What was it about Sūnder that did that to him?

  Halting mid stride, Sūnder lifted his nose as he sniffed the air. Then, with what appeared to be exaggerated care, Sūnder bowed low. “I would be honored to be your guest, and doubly honored you would go to such trouble for this humble servant. I look forward to the ‘mean lasagna’ made by your hand.”

  Gabe floundered. Should he bow back? Was there some sort of formal reply?

  Sūnder straightened and prowled across the space between them, his expression so fierce, so fucking hot that Gabe had second thoughts about going to work. Sūnder drew up only a couple of inches away. “May I?”

  Dumbly, Gabe nodded, thinking Sūnder would kiss him. To his disappointment and bewilderment, Sūnder ran the bridge of his nose over each of Gabe’s cheeks, leaving a tingling trail behind. Sūnder’s tail wrapped around Gabe’s calf, causing Gabe to inhale a gasp, Sūnder’s spice tickling his nose. Following instinct, Gabe stretched his neck, and Sūnder seemed to take that as an invitation, nuzzling along t
he column of his throat as well. Gabe held still. There was something intimate about the action, as if what Sūnder did was more than a simple caress. For all he knew, this was how Chándariāns kissed. Sūnder breathed across the skin of his neck, raising gooseflesh all over Gabe’s body, but just as suddenly as he’d begun, Sūnder stopped and stepped away.

  Gabe’s hands trembled as he brought out his data pad. “What number can I contact you at, so I can send you my address?”

  Sūnder drew in a couple of deep breaths as if he, too, struggled to keep his hands to himself. He rattled off a number and gave Gabe another regal bow before he spun on his heel, leaving the way they’d come. Like a besotted fool, Gabe watched Sūnder walk away, those wide shoulders set straight and proud, Sūnder’s tail slashing the air behind him like a whip, his lithe, sensuous movements both provocative and projecting a hint of danger. Disappointment warred with relief, but alarm shoved the conflicting emotions aside and attacked Gabe. Spending time with Sūnder made him forget the need to protect himself, and the temporary loss of his self-preservation terrified Gabe. Now, sexually frustrated as he watched the last hint of Sūnder’s red mane disappear in the crowd, every instinct screamed for him to run.

  After mounting his motorcycle, he adjusted his pants to relieve the constriction of his erection. A line of people waited for the parking garage retrieval elevator, which Gabe had unintentionally held up by not moving his bike to the side immediately after it was delivered. Gabe overheard people grumbling their discontent. “This isn’t the only elevator station,” he groused loudly enough for the bystanders to hear. He knew it wasn’t fair for him to take his frustration out on complete strangers but he needed to lash out, expel the worried anticipation twisting in his gut.