Thrasher: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 9)

by Ditter Kellen

  “I cannot do it again?”

  “Oh, you can,” Thrasher rumbled, his voice sounding pained. “You just need to be guided back to the edge.”

  Kaspyn stared up at his gorgeous face as he hovered above her. “I do not understand.”

  “I’ll try to explain.” He knelt between her open knees, gently caressing the insides of her thighs as he spoke. “The female orgasm begins in her mind. If her mind is stimulated, her body will follow.”

  “I am listening,” Kaspyn whispered, amazed at the pulsing sensations that continued to happen inside her.

  Thrasher glanced down at the place his fingers caressed. “A man is stimulated visually. Just looking at you now makes me harder than I’ve ever been in my life.”

  He leaned down and covered her body, resting his weight on his elbows until his mouth brushed against her ear. She noticed his voice had deepened. “But females are stimulated by sound and scent.”

  Kaspyn felt her vaginal walls clench at his words.

  He forced her head to the side with his chin, his deep voice continuing to growl in her ear. “You want me inside you, don’t you Kaspyn?”

  Kaspyn could feel herself growing wetter by the second. Nerves ran through her system to settle between her thighs. “Yes.”

  He reached between their bodies, gripped himself and placed the head of his erection against her swollen, aching nerve endings. “I want you to open your legs wider for me, Kaspyn. Do you understand?”

  At her nod, he continued. “Don’t move. Don’t try to force me inside you, that can’t happen. Just feel me, enjoy me, and I’ll take you back to that place again.”

  Kaspyn was already opening wider for him, his voice in her ear driving her insane with need.

  He let go of his shaft, brought his hands up, and looped his fingers through hers before stretching her arms above her head. His hips slid forward.

  Kaspyn groaned with the friction of his erection slipping over her swollen nub of nerves.

  “You like that?” he growled, pulling back only to slide over her again.

  She couldn’t answer him…so unsteady was her breathing.

  And then he pressed down before sliding forward once more, adding pressure along with the sliding sensation.

  Kaspyn lost her mind.

  Her legs unconsciously hooked around his back and she pulled, not knowing what she needed, only that she needed more.

  Thrasher snarled, stilling above her. “No, Kaspyn, I can’t.”

  “You do not want me?” she gasped, her hips continuously moving.

  “More than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life!”

  She tightened her legs. “Then take me.”

  Thrasher hissed between his teeth. “I can’t do that to you. It’s not right.”

  “But it feels right to me,” she whispered in response.

  He broke free of her hold and bounded from the bed. “It feels right to me, too, dammit. But the consequences will be far worse than the pleasure.”

  Snatching up his clothes, he exited the room, leaving Kaspyn lying on the bed, her body still reeling from his touch.

  Tears of humiliation sprang to her eyes. He was right. The consequences of her actions could get him killed. Her virginity was supposed to be reserved for a Bracadyte. But she didn’t want just any Bracadyte. She wanted Thrasher; a land walker with the will of a king.

  Kaspyn, daughter of Kryten, princess of Arkadia was falling in love with a human.

  Suddenly terrified, Kaspyn threw her feet over the side of the bed, hurried out to the porch to grab her clothes, and dressed in record time. Perhaps one day she would be able to forget the land walker with the sky-blue eyes and magical tongue. Not that she wanted to forget him, but at least he’d be alive.

  With her mind made up, Kaspyn pulled her hair back into a ponytail and went to see Pyre and Zyen.

  “Princess Kaspyn,” Pyre greeted as he opened the door to his bungalow. “What brings you over here?”

  “I have come to let you know that I will be returning to Arkadia as soon as the human ex-president and Kerik have been apprehended. I will not be going to Aukrabah when we leave here. I will notify Syrina of my decision as well as the others who came with us. Where is Zyen?”

  Pyre shrugged, stepping back to allow Kaspyn entrance. “I do not know. He has been gone since before sundown.”

  Gesturing for her to sit, Pyre asked, “Do you mind if I inquire as to your decision to return to Arkadia so soon?”

  “It is not soon, Pyre. Father sent us to talk to King Klause about his involvement with the land walkers. We have what information we came for. They have mated with some of them. Father need not know about that news.”

  Pyre took a seat in a chair across from her. “Do you think he would wage war with Aukrabah if he were aware of King Klause’s half-human grandchildren?”

  Kaspyn’s heart twisted. “I hope not, but it is a possibility.”

  “Then Aukrabah and all who dwell within would become our enemy,” Pyre needlessly pointed out.

  A strange feeling overcame Kaspyn. “I am aware.”

  Clearing his throat, Pyre shifted in his seat and rested his elbows on his knees. “May I be frank with you?”

  Kaspyn nodded.

  “I, like everyone else in Arkadia have been taught since birth to hate the land walker. Yet I find myself unable to feel this hatred for the ones I have met in Aukrabah. Especially, Thrasher, Anthony Vaughn, and Brant. They do not seem to be the monsters I have been conditioned to believe them to be.”

  “I feel the same, Pyre. But father is Arkadia’s king. We must follow his orders, do what he sent us to do, and return home with news of our findings. We do not have the luxury of choosing sides. We will inform our king that Klause is working with the human president to create vaccines for the sick that he feels responsible for. That is it. There will be no mention of the half-human grandchildren.”

  Pyre frowned. “But your father will eventually find out that the half-human children exist. He will know we were dishonest in our findings.”

  Kaspyn stood to go. “I, like you, have developed a certain fondness for some of the humans. And something has happened tonight that has shown me exactly how much I really do care. If I continue down the path I am taking, I might as well lay them out before father to filet one by one. As for father finding out our deceit…as the humans say, we will cross that board when we come to it.”

  “Bridge,” Pyre corrected. “I believe the phrase is, cross that bridge.”

  Kaspyn blinked. “You will see to it that Zyen is informed of our conversation?”

  “I will.”

  Kaspyn smiled at her life-long friend and fellow warrior before springing lithely from the porch and returning to her bungalow.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Thrasher spent the next four days avoiding Kaspyn like the plague, which was difficult considering they worked together. So he spoke when he was spoken to and only looked at her when asked a direct question. Of course, she wasn’t doing cartwheels to interact with him either, which bothered him more than he cared to admit.

  It had taken every ounce of willpower that Thrasher possessed to walk away from Kaspyn’s bungalow the night she’d offered herself to him. He’d turned around three different times, ready to throw caution to the wind, run back inside her room and make love to her the rest of the night. But he’d somehow managed to make it to his own dwelling without doing something stupid like ruining her life.

  Thrasher was more than aware of his feelings for Kaspyn. Those feelings existed and seemed to grow by the day. But her father was the king of Arkadia; a known racist when it came to anyone different than him. Those views had bled over into his only daughter. Kaspyn had arrived in Aukrabah, a spoiled princess who viewed humans as nothing more than bodies to suck up precious oxygen. But she’d changed. Thrasher has seen the transformation as clearly as if he’d experienced it himself.

  He moved quietly through the trees, unable to
take his mind off Kaspyn. She thought he’d rejected her, when in reality, he’d been trying to protect her. Although, he had to admit to a certain satisfaction in watching her come apart in his arms…and especially on his face. His shaft grew erect with the memory.

  “You do realize that I can hear your thoughts,” Tony sarcastically remarked, easing along through the brush next to him.

  Thrasher’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

  “If you want her that much, Thrasher, why don’t you just take her?” Tony continued through their mental link, obviously to keep Zyen from hearing the exchange.

  Swiveling his head around to face his most trusted friend, Thrasher sent back. “Because, you moron, she’s a virgin, and the daughter of a king.”

  “I realize that, shithead,” Tony retorted, emphasizing the word shithead, “I’m mated to the daughter of a king who was also a virgin.”

  The irony of the situation hit Thrasher full in the gut. A laugh burst from his lips, sending birds scattering from the treetops.

  Zyen glanced over, unaware of what prompted the humorous outburst.

  “Jesus, Vaughn,” Thrasher continued, speaking to his friend through their link. “Is this really happening?”

  Tony smirked, his thoughts bleeding through loud and clear. “You’re such an idiot, Escabar. It’s been happening since Kaspyn stepped foot in Aukrabah. Seems like you’re the only one who can’t see it. We all damn sure can.”

  Thrasher’s smile faded as quickly as it came. “It can’t happen, Tony. Bracadytes mate for life. I mean, I’ve never committed to anyone on that sort of level before. What if I’m not capable of it?”

  “I’m not gonna get all mushy on you,” Tony remarked, “that just ain’t my style. But I will tell you this. If you love her, and you let her go, you’ll live with that regret for the rest of your life.”

  Closing off his mind to his closest friend, Thrasher stopped behind a copse of trees, and held up a fist, signaling them to stop. He reached for the portable binoculars tucked in the pocket of his shirt, pushed his Ray-Bans to the top of his head, and brought the binoculars to his eyes.

  Kerik’s camp lay just ahead. Thrasher could see dozens of armed men patrolling the fence line. He glanced over his shoulder at Vaughn to see him scanning the surrounding area with his own binoculars.

  “Something doesn’t feel right,” Tony murmured in a low tone.

  Thrasher had been thinking the same thing. Though no one knew the three of them would be venturing out to look for signs of Howell, that didn’t mean Kerik wouldn’t predict it.

  Something suddenly whizzed through the trees to embed itself into Thrasher’s healing shoulder.

  “Son of a bitch!” Thrasher snarled, swinging his gaze in Zyen’s direction. “Get Vaughn out of here. Now!”

  Zyen didn’t hesitate, he jerked Tony off his feet, burst through the trees and onto the beach before Thrasher dropped to his knees.

  The last sight that Thrasher saw before his eyes drifted shut was Zyen sailing headlong into the water, still holding tightly to Tony.

  * * * *

  Pain ripped through Thrasher’s side, bringing him awake with the white-hot agony that only a burn could create. He bit back a hiss and forced his eyes to open.

  He seemed to be bound to a post, his arms tied behind his back and his feet secured together.

  “Hello, Escabar. It’s good of you to finally join us. You’ve been asleep for quite some time, and as I’m sure you realize, time isn’t a luxury for you at the moment. My men tell me that you and Vaughn had someone with you in those woods. Now, who could that be, I wonder?”

  Thrasher curled his lip.

  “What, nothing to say? Perhaps you need some incentive.” Kerik nodded to someone Thrasher couldn’t see, and the pain of that god-awful burning sensation ripped through him once again. He didn’t flinch.

  Kerik reached up, gripped Thrasher’s hair and jerked his head back. “I have all night, Escabar. How long do you think you can last? You can tell me what I want to know, and the pain will stop. Your choice. But be advised, it’s going to get a lot worse the longer you delay the inevitable.”

  “Go to hell,” Thrasher bit out.

  With another nod, Kerik let go of Thrasher’s hair, moved back a step, and lit a cigarette.

  A fist slammed into Thrasher’s jaw. Blood sprayed from his mouth to pepper Kerik’s shirt. Thrasher grinned. “Kill me if you must. You’ll never get what you want. And you sure as hell will never get your hands on Vaughn.”

  “Really?” Kerik exhaled, a billow of smoke circled his head. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. I know that Klause is on his way, and I’m fairly certain that his two sons will be in tow as well. I also know that Vaughn plans on leaving by boat in two days. He won’t make it to the pass before we take him out.”

  Buying himself some time, Thrasher asked. “Why are you doing this? Howell could give a shit about you.”

  “This is about Howell,” Kerik calmly answered. “Those things you fight so hard to protect will be the fall of our great nation. Aliens; creatures that aren’t meant to exist alongside mankind, let alone breed with us. If those freaks of nature aren’t eradicated, and soon, our entire species will be in jeopardy. You’re an intelligent man, Escabar, I would think you’d realize that.”

  Listening to Kerik spew his hatred of the Bracadytes did make Thrasher realize one thing. He was falling in love with Kaspyn. And if he made it out of this predicament alive, he would make damn sure that she knew it. “The only thing that will become extinct in this entire situation is you, Kerik.”

  Another fist slammed into Thrasher’s jaw, and then another. Kerik’s men continued to beat Thrasher, long after their leader walked away.

  Though the pain became unbearable at times, Thrasher closed his eyes, locked his teeth and opened his mind. “Tony?”

  “Son of bitch, Thrasher. Hold on, man. I’m on my way.”

  Thrasher breathed through the agony of the fist that connected with his stomach. “No! Don’t come here. He’ll be expecting that. Stay the course. He knows about the plan and he intends to attack the boat in two days’ time.”

  “Bullshit,” Tony snarled back. “You’ll be dead by then.”

  The contents of Thrasher’s stomach came up with the next blow. It took him a minute to respond back. “Do you remember what we were taught by the CIA? Do your damn job, Vaughn. Kill the one to save the thousand. Always, soldier! That’s always the answer…no matter what.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It took everything Kaspyn had to fight the tears that threatened to come. Kerik had her Thrasher. And he was hers, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

  She stared at Vaughn as he mentally conversed with Thrasher.

  Tony finally opened his eyes.

  “Tell me!” Kaspyn demanded, grabbing onto Tony’s arm.

  “He told me to leave him there. Kill the one to save the thousand.”

  Kaspyn’s stomach lurched. “What? We cannot leave him there. I will not!” She moved to gather up her weapons. She would rescue Thrasher by herself if she must.

  “I’m not leaving him there,” Tony ground out, falling into step beside her. “He’s the only friend I had for a lot of years. I would give my life for him.”

  “As would I.”

  Tony glanced at her in surprise. “I’m pretty sure he needs to know that.”

  “Tell him,” Kaspyn demanded, hurrying toward Oz’s house. “Tell him now.”

  Tony shook his head. “He’s closed off to me.”

  Kaspyn’s heart froze in her chest. “Is he…?”

  “I don’t think so,” Tony answered in a tormented voice. “Kerik will want to drag that out as long as possible.”

  Kaspyn fought hard to stay in warrior mode when all she wanted to do was fall apart and scream until her world stopped spinning.

  Carmen opened the door. “They’re down in the basement gathering weapons.”

  Without th
inking, Kaspyn bent and kissed the girl’s forehead. “Many thanks.”

  If Kaspyn lived to be two hundred years old, she would never again discriminate against a person for being different than her. If leaving Arkadia had taught her one thing, it was that love knew only one color, the color of blood. Love doesn’t recognize the differences in social status, or how much money a person has. Love sees only the heart. And if one were really fortunate…it might just see the soul.

  Kaspyn rushed down the steps with Vaughn tight on her heels. She stopped in front of the far wall, snagging weapons as she went. “Ammunition?”

  Oz jerked open a large cabinet between the bed and the desk. “Grab all you can carry.”

  Rykaur glanced up as he loaded his weapons. “Thrasher lives. I can feel his heartbeat.”

  Kaspyn had never been so relieved in all her life.

  Tony look more than a little relieved himself. “You’re gonna have to teach me that trick.”

  “We must hurry,” Kaspyn breathed, loading her weapons as fast as she could go. “If something happens to Thrasher…”

  “Nothing will happen to him,” Zyen assured her, moving to grab some ammunition of his own. “Thrasher is one of the strongest males I have ever known. He is a survivor. And one I wish to call friend.”

  Kaspyn met the massive warrior’s gaze. “I am sure you will get the chance. Now, let us go.”

  “How long has it been, now?” Kaspyn asked Tony as he ascended the stairs behind her.

  “Four hours.”

  Nausea rolled through her. Thrasher had been in the clutches of Gerald Kerik for four hours. Her mind conjured up all sorts of horrific scenarios.

  Stepping out into the fading sunlight, Kaspyn took off in the direction that Thrasher was last seen in, expecting the others would follow.

  Tony quickly caught up to her. “We need to circle around behind them. Though they won’t be expecting us, Kerik will still have men watching just in case.”

  “They will not expect us to come for Thrasher?”