They moved as one, their emotions and fire building between them until blue light arced around them as they generated their own personal storm.
Against the wall, Furon glowed with eerie blue light despite the fact that Falden was nowhere within reach.
Power built in the room, rising between them in a fury as he took her harder. Deeper. Faster.
She cried out, and he followed her into bliss, every light in the room flickering with them.
When it was over, she did cry. She told him everything. He held her. He listened. And that was absolutely perfect.
Epilogue
One Week Later…
Sweat. Dirt. Grass. Matthew smelled like a young man who needed a shower, but she held him tighter. Squeezed. Hard. He was still too thin, but he was getting better. Healing. Smiling.
“Hey! Trying to breathe here,” he said, his words muffled.
“You don’t need to breathe. You need hugs,” she countered, laughing.
“Come on, Isa, they’re all going to tease me if you don’t let go.”
“They’re all jealous, that’s all.” Isabella squeezed once more, tight, just for good measure, before stepping back. However, she couldn’t resist reaching down to muss his hair. “How are you? Nightmares last night?”
Matthew shrugged. “Not too bad. I don’t remember much.”
It was true. They’d drugged the boy to within an inch of his life. She wasn’t sure whether to be angry or grateful for that fact.
The image of the Dark One ripping off pieces of that human leg with his teeth flashed into her mind, and she shuddered but tried to hide her discomfort from the boy. He was adjusting to his new life. The human thugs who’d taken him had killed Matthew’s father, so Dagan had pulled some strings and made the boy a citizen of Caldor so he could live on base, go to school, be surrounded by people who cared. He already followed Juliette around like a lost puppy. And Sasha—God, she was the most amazing woman Isabella had ever met. Kind. Fierce. Like a protective mother with an angel’s face and a predator’s bite.
“How’s my Bella?” The deep voice soothed her even before Falden’s arms wrapped around her waist from behind.
Matthew rolled his eyes. “Really? You two need to get a room.”
Falden laughed. He laughed, and every Lumerian in the training yard turned at the sound. He nuzzled her neck with the tip of his nose. “We already have a room, Matthew. Several, in fact.”
Which was true. Their personal quarters had been upgraded now that Falden had a mate. And Falden had introduced her to every room by lowering her to the ground or pushing her up against the wall or bending her over the sofa or…
The shower. God, the shower.
Behind her, Falden groaned and the soft nuzzles at her neck turned to kisses. Nibbles. His cock grew hard at her back, and she knew, without doubt, her face was turning red. Beet red.
Matthew groaned in mock disgust, but his eyes were dancing and his smile lit up his entire face. “I’m getting food. Later, Isa.”
“Not for at least two hours,” Falden called after the boy.
“Gross, Falden! TMI, man. TMI.”
Laughing, she turned in Falden’s arms and kissed him. Hard. Deep.
Perfect.
When she pulled back to stare up into his blue eyes, she more than saw the love shining there. She could feel it. Every cell of her body purred with his adoration, the alien bond between them so strong she still had trouble coping with the raw energy of his emotions.
Grateful. She was absolutely, one hundred percent grateful. For all of it, but mostly for the man holding her, chasing her demons away, sharing her heart and her soul.
Which was why when his grin faded, she felt his worry and hurried to ease it. “I’m fine. The interrogation this morning was a piece of cake. I’ve been practicing, and I can use my power whenever I need it now. My head doesn’t hurt at all, and that creep gave us a lead on Sevron.”
“I know. I’m so proud of you, of what you can do. Dagan is practically dancing around his desk at the prospect of having you in his back pocket.” He kissed her on the lips, a gentle, soft kiss that was all about love and nothing else.
“Then what’s wrong?” It was true; she was the ace up Dagan’s sleeve. Actually she preferred to think of herself as Falden’s partner because he caught the bad guys and she made them talk. Which was an all-around win in her book. Dagan’s too. They’d been tracking down all the Darkoor allies in the city with record speed. Not one they caught had been able to resist the lure of Isabella’s voice.
“It’s Taeger. He sent a distress call from Mora 5. Said they were under attack. His whole team has gone dark.”
“Is he one of yours? A Lumerian?”
Falden nodded, settled his forehead against hers, shared his burdens with someone else for the first time since he’d been a boy at his mother’s knee. What little he could recall involved a cool, disciplined woman, one who knew he would need to be strong, a mother who tolerated no weakness. “One of the oldest. One of the best. I didn’t know he was still alive until the attacks. Taeger and his team followed Torrin here several weeks ago but he had to return. He left someone important behind.”
“A woman?” Her romance meter was set to high and if this Taeger was anything like Falden, he could use a good woman in his life.
“Not a female, a Lumerian child with royal blood.”
That sounded serious. “Where is Mora 5?”
“A long, long way from here.”
“You’re worried about him, but there’s something else, too. I can feel it.”
Falden looked out over the training yard where Lumerian Knights sparred with the Caldorian warriors in every available space. Hundreds of them. “I had no idea there were so many.”
Isabella followed his gaze and knew he was shocked but also elated. “That’s a good thing, right?” Why was he so twisted up about their arrival? “You thought your Knights were the only ones left? In the entire universe?”
His face was blank, completely without expression, but thanks to the bond she could feel the turmoil within him. “We are exposed. For the first time since our planet was destroyed, we are exposed. Gathered in one place. And they came, they keep coming, because of me, because I summoned them here.”
“They all look happy to be together. How long has it been?”
“More than two thousand years.” He could not deny the truth. He saw Knights talking, catching up, sharing stories and breaking bread together. It had been so long. So damn long since they’d felt like one people, like they had a home. Caldor had come close, but they’d been in hiding, even from the Caldorians outside of a select few.
Falden sucked in the air around him, the noise, the voices, the hope and the life. Thanks to Cam’s negotiations with Earth, the surviving Lumerians had a real home now as well, and Isabella was in his arms, even if she was staring up at him like he’d grown a second head.
“Two thousand? Exactly how old are you?” She knew he wasn’t a young man. There had been too much experience, too much pain, too many memories during their Yielding for him to be as young as he looked. But two thousand years since his people had been together?
He turned back to her. “Old.”
“How old is old?”
He leaned down, kissed her once. Twice. Pulled her lower lip into his mouth and teased her until she was panting for breath. “Three orgasms and then I’ll tell you.”
Good Lord, that was a win-win if she’d ever heard one. “I love you.”
He smiled. “That’s four.”
“And handsome. So handsome.”
“Don’t push me.” He took her hand, and they strolled toward their quarters, taking their time, allowing the anticipation to build.
“You’re smoking hot, Falden. So hot. I’m going to rub more paste on you, every inch of you. You aren’t glowing enough.”
“Afraid the ladies won’t know I’m yours?”
She smiled. “Oh, everyone knows. I ju
st like making sure you know.”
How she knew exactly what it meant to him to be lit up like a glowing lantern, he couldn't guess, but she did. And he loved it. Loved her mark all over him. Her claim. Was proud to belong to her. “I know you won’t be able to take more than four.”
“I’ll take that bet.”
Falden grinned and pulled her closer, wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked. “What do I win if you beg me to stop?”
“Never happen.”
He laughed, he couldn’t stop himself and it felt good to smile, to laugh, to play. “What do I win, mate?”
Looking far too sexy, too tempting, too damn beautiful for her own good, she leaned in and whispered something very, very naughty in his ear.
“I accept.” His cock was rock-hard just thinking about what she promised.
Lifting her over his shoulder, he carried her away like a caveman, Isabella’s laughter ringing out over the entire training yard. Four orgasms. Four mind-numbing, make-her-beg orgasms. And then she would be putty in his hands.
Isabella admired his fine ass the entire way to their quarters. Falden was going to win their bet, and she couldn’t wait.
The End.
Don’t miss the next book in the Lumerian Knights series: Alien Knight Teddy Bear Troubles! Read Chapter 1 NOW!
Alien Knight Teddy Bear Troubles:
Lumerian Knight Taeger Norasair – Commander/Guard/Spec-Ops
They jumped through space, transported from their ship to a long, black corridor perhaps ten paces wide. Black floor. Black walls. Black ceiling. As black as deep space.
“If their sensors picked up any trace of us, they’ll be on us in seconds. Stay low,” Taeger ordered. One glance at the readout inside his visor confirmed what he already knew; he was with six of his bravest warriors. They’d all volunteered for this mission even though they knew the odds of success were almost nil. A suicide mission. But they had to try. They’d been in countless battles over the centuries. Nothing compared to this one. They were to rescue a child. Just one.
They had arrived in formation, one hand flat on the hard, obsidian floor of the enemy ship’s upper corridor, one knee bent beneath them and the opposite leg stretched out behind, poised for a sprint. Cloaked. Unseen. Silent.
He had taken point position on the spear, the other seven members of the rescue team fanned out behind him. As he blinked to clear his vision, he was glad they had come to this place wearing full armor. There was air in the corridor, but they had not known whether it would be breathable. He assumed the oxygenated atmosphere would be saved for the prisoners, mostly human, locked in cells somewhere deeper in the ship. The gravity holding them in place was not meant for comfort or safety. Rather, it was to keep the ‘product’ in prime condition during transport. Compliant. Damage free. Fresh.
Greig, his second in command, looked around grimly, gripping his weapon tighter as he murmured, “You sure we can’t get everyone out and blow this place to all hell?”
Taeger glanced back without answering. They all knew the answer, including Greig. They were Lumerian Knights. They couldn’t destroy the ship while there were people on board. They couldn’t kill the innocent.
At their backs stood the wall on the far end of the long, open corridor. Approximately a quarter mile long, so long that the corridor shrank to a tiny point in the distance. The space was nearly square with ceilings double his height. The walls were like carved stone, the markings on the black surface uniform and repeated. About every eight paces an inset appeared. Wide enough for four or five to pass abreast, the sliding doorways set back just a few inches from the main two walls of the corridor. Those were the holding cells, one after another. Dozens of them, with no visible controls to open the doors. They’d chosen this location for transport because the ship’s small control room was reported to be near, not quite centered, on this upper level.
They weren’t sure how many enemies they would face. Here, now, Taeger sensed five, and those five terrified him.
“I see one!” Greig lifted his forearm mounted weapon down the corridor. In his other hand he held a Sword of Ohm-Ra. The semi-circular weapon glowed a soft white, the latent energy ready to merge with that of their enemies, break their connection with the ghosting technology they’d been using.
“Fire!” Taeger ordered, lifting his arm, blasting the attacker as quickly as he could. On either side of him, Seth and Greig did the same. Their job was to slow the Dark Ones down so the warriors behind them could move into position and strike with their Rings and anchor the enemy to this dimension. Once they had them pinned to this reality, they would execute them with the Lumerian swords strapped to their backs.
“It’s not working!” Greig shouted.
“Keep firing,” Taeger ordered as the others fanned out to the sides, ready to close in on the enemy from behind.
“Damned thing’s too fast, and I think it can see us,” another warrior replied, his calm demeaner never faltering.
The deep, steady voice came from behind Taeger and to his left. Seth. A good man. A fierce fighter.
But there were four more. Somewhere.
And this one was smiling. Or whatever passed as a smile on its inhuman face. With skin stretched tight, black as the walls but dull, as its body absorbed all light and reflected none. The eyes were sunken into a matte black face, its expression unreadable. Bottomless. Predators’ eyes. Rounded pieces of bone protruded from the skin in a vertical arched pattern where eyebrows should have been, the pieces stark white and shocking in the dark. Similar pieces of bone erupted from flesh along the cheeks and around the mouth, down its chest in a macabre display meant to inspire terror.
The creature leaped through the air, falling from above, completely unaffected by the weapons they’d brought. One clawed hand, with fingers twice the length of Taeger’s and sharp, clawed bones at the tip, slashed through the armor of the warrior beside Greig like the suit was made of paper. Lyari’s scream was cut short as the Dark One slashed his throat.
Greig bellowed with rage, slashing at the Dark One. Evil eyes turned toward him as it fed on the downed warrior’s spraying blood, completely unaffected by Greig’s weapons. Unaffected. Amused.
Taeger grabbed Greig and dragged him back. “Seth’s right. Our cloaking doesn’t work on them. They can see us. There’s nothing we can do. We need to regroup.”
As Lumerians, they’d seen the results of this advanced technology, but did not yet understand how the Dark Ones’ multi-dimensional reality worked. This was their true enemy. The unwavering, vampire-like creatures known as A’nua Na-KI. The Dark Ones. Non-living. Non-life force energy.
All Taeger knew was that the Swords of Ohm-Ra they’d found deep, deep in the black market would somehow disrupt their ability to shift their mass into other dimensional forms, force them to coalesce and remain in one place just long enough to be vulnerable. For a few seconds, they could be destroyed.
Other civilizations had watched the Dark Ones devour world after world, bound by the Intergalactic Council to stay out of the way. Taeger and his men were Lumerian Knights, once bound by the same Council, but that was more than two thousand years ago. Lumeria was gone. Destroyed. He and his men had been on their own all this time. Survived the destruction. All Taeger cared about now was seeing justice done. For him. For his people. For the people unable to fend for themselves, destined to be destroyed by the A’nua Na-KI if someone didn’t stop them.
He and the other Lumerian Knights based on Mora Five had spent years preparing. Cultivating trade partners. Some legitimate. Some black market. They would do whatever was necessary to take down their enemies.
“Our weapons barely slow them down.” Taeger motioned to his men to gather closer, never taking his eyes from the gruesome creature feeding on his friend.
He had nearly a dozen of the white rings, and still he feared they wouldn’t be enough. Each ring was only good for one strike, one perfect strike. And the strikes would only be effective in f
ive places. Only five. The center of the palm. The center of the sole of the foot. The third eye. The center of their chest. Center of their lower abdomen. And those three, only from the front. Striking along the spine did nothing. “Puncture their flesh with the ring, hook it into their bodies along one of their energy meridians. Then kill them. Strike fast.”
Seth interjected, “Does anyone know where the boy is?”
“Lower level. Right under us,” Taeger nodded, glancing at the energy signature readout. “He’s not alone.”
“So, as far as possible from our current position,” Greig shouted as he blasted the creature with what should have been a mortal blow.
What he said was true. The ship was long and narrow with two levels of holding cells. There was a primitive ladder on the far end, opposite their position, that would allow them access to the lower level holding cells. Behind them was some kind of elevator, but they had no way to operate it. Like everything on this ship, it was bare of controls systems. No lights. No buttons. It was either operated through the main control room, or the Dark Ones could control everything on the ship with something implanted in their bodies. Or with their minds.
Taeger knew they’d come in on the second floor, but assumed the elevator was only taken one direction…up. The lowest level, where they needed to go, was for cargo. Human cargo.
This vessel was small, a single piece of a greater whole that had been sent to collect ‘food’ supplies and reconnect with the main ship. The few crew members would be eager to rejoin their brethren once they reunited. None of them would bother with the humans they’d collected.
Research led the Knights to believe that to be assigned to the Dark Ones’ harvesting ships was one of the lowest level duties among their people. A punishment. An embarrassment. Interacting with their food was beneath them.
Most of the Dark Ones never made contact with, or even saw, what they were carrying back to their home world to be consumed. The engines were on the lowest level, unmanned unless there was a problem. Elsewhere on the ship, more of the Dark Ones took their leisure, waiting out the trip home. The ship was simple. Efficient. A three-layer construct that needed no guards and a mere handful of crew.
Alien Knight Blind Date Disaster (Lumerian Knights Book 3) Page 20