Fractured Souls: Darkstar Mercenaries Book 3

by Carven, Anna

  A feeling of wonder came over him as he pulled back and looked at his mate. How could this creature feel such a way about a brute like him? “You came for me,” he repeated, a little dumbstruck.

  “I don’t think I really did anything special.”

  “But you came for me.” Nobody would ever care about him as much as this tough, stubborn, clever female. Not even Lodan, who understood him best.

  Lust swept over him like a fierce atmospheric storm, and Alexis squealed in surprise as he swept her up into his arms again. “I need you,” he growled, striding down the dark corridor.

  “Same,” she said breathlessly. “Always.”

  “No, you do not understand. I need you now.” His strides grew longer as the Mating Fever returned with a vengeance.

  After violence came lust. Nythian didn’t really understand the forces that drove him anymore.

  He just wanted her, and he would have her.

  Simple.

  Thirty

  This time, it was different.

  Nythian was quiet and intense, as if possessed.

  He was still buck naked, Alexis realized, staring up at his face as he whisked her through shadowy corridors. He looked different too; lean and hungry, his face gaunt, his cheeks hollowed out, his features sharper, more prominent.

  More alien.

  She realized his appearance was something to do with the damage to his body and the nanites inside him, but she didn’t completely understand it.

  It didn’t matter. He was still her big, protective Kordolian.

  She rested her head against his broad chest as they reached a private chamber somewhere at the rear of the ship. Like all Kordolian ships, the Mhyndin confused her. It was bigger than it looked from the outside, its mostly windowless interior made of organic curving walls and unravelling doors that merged together seamlessly.

  Almost as if it were a living thing.

  The doors closed behind them, and everything went black.

  It was cold and dark and silent; she couldn’t hear a thing save for the gentle rasp of her own breathing and the heavy pounding of her own heartbeat.

  As always, Nythian didn’t make a sound.

  She reached for the guide-light Noa had given her, flicking it on.

  Nythian set her down. He kissed her deeply, hungrily, running his hands through her hair, down her neck, her arms, her waist, her hips…

  He dropped to his knees before her, taking her transformed hand into his, kissing her nanite-covered skin, which tingled in response to his touch. He took her fingers into his mouth and sucked on them gently, reverently, and all of a sudden she was hot all over, her heartbeat going at a million miles per second, especially when he looked at her like that.

  “You were perfect,” he said, leaning against her for a moment and closing his eyes. He held her tightly, his hands resting on the small of her back.

  She threaded his fingers through soft white hair, hardly believing that this powerful, otherworldly being was all hers.

  “I’m far from perfect,” she said quietly. “When you found me, I was all messed up. You’re something else, Nythian. I don’t know how you did it, but you fixed me.”

  “You weren’t broken to begin with.” He rose in a single fluid movement, his arms curving around her waist. “I just put a few things right, that’s all. I’m still working on putting a few more things right. Not with you, though. Never with you. You’re perfect for me.” His voice grew hoarse as he stared down into her eyes. “I…”

  Suddenly, he went quiet, and she immediately understood why.

  His erection pressed against her lower belly. She ran her hands over his lean torso, searching for traces of his wounds, finding nothing but perfectly healed silver skin.

  The look on his face stole her breath away.

  He needed her.

  Nythian kissed her with a ferocity she’d never felt before, not even from him. His hot lips were rough and demanding as he pushed her backwards across the room until her body pressed against something hard, and she realized it was one of those dark chairs that seemed to be everywhere on this damn ship.

  She collapsed backward into the chair and it tipped back into a reclining position, and suddenly he was there above her, his eyes burning, fangs bared, a dominant male in his element.

  And somehow she sensed that she needed to let him have his way right now.

  He needed to be in control.

  So she didn’t say a word. She just lay back and surrendered to him, drinking in the magnificent sight of him.

  Slowly, he undressed her, skillfully peeling away the layers of her clothing; the semi-flexible armor that protected her chest and arms and thighs, the snug utility suit beneath. With a few deft flicks of his claws, she was suddenly undone, left in nothing but her underwear.

  Nothing spectacular, just a soft padded bra and a pair of low-riding briefs. Both acquired from the Fleet Station’s magical bottomless wardrobe.

  A low rumble of appreciation escaped Nythian, making her feel like the goddess of lust herself.

  Warmth spread between her thighs, turning into a tender ache.

  Somewhere in the mess of clothes on the floor, Alexis’s guide-light flickered out, submerging her in perfect darkness.

  It didn’t stop Nythian. His hands encircled her neck; gentle but possessive. He had complete control of her right now. He could do anything to her, and she would let him.

  A pair of sharp, tiny points—his fangs—grazed her lower lip as he kissed her.

  So it was true. Kordolians could see perfectly well in the darkness.

  His lean, powerful body pressed against hers. There was his cock, erect, massive, digging into her lower belly, a hint of warm pre-cum beading against her skin.

  She writhed, suddenly desperate to have him inside her. “Please, Nythian.” Her voice was low, sultry, cracking slightly—she barely recognized herself.

  Something inside him broke, and he thrust inside her, and he was huge and undeniable, pushing deeper, filling her completely.

  He brought pain with the pleasure, groaning deeply as he fucked her, his lips capturing hers, his hands tightening around her neck, his powerful body moving back and forth, fangs sinking into the soft skin of her neck.

  He was savage with her, and she loved it. Under the cover of darkness, all she could do was give in to the sheer force of him.

  She was floating.

  She was free.

  Nythian went faster, faster. The prominent ridge on his cock carved over her clit, making her squirm, making her howl like a banshee.

  So he did it again.

  And again.

  Forcefully, deliberately, he turned her into a quivering mess, and this time there was no room for her to reciprocate, to take back control.

  He was simply taking what was his.

  Suddenly, he withdrew, and she found herself flipped over on all fours, and he was inside her again, taking her from behind, stretching the slick walls of her pussy, his hands curving over her breasts, teasing her taut nipples. He slipped a finger inside her mouth, and she sucked and bit down. His other hand went to her clit, his devious fingers making small, mind-blowing circles.

  Now their roles were reversed. He was the void, and she filled his need.

  She let go of the last shreds of her self-control.

  It was the most liberating thing she’d ever done.

  Her right hand burned with barely contained power, but she didn’t use it on him, because it wasn’t what he wanted right now.

  She just knew.

  And she didn’t want him to stop.

  She reached out and pressed her palms against the chair to steady herself as Nythian’s thrusts became wilder, and the blissful pressure inside her core grew and grew, and then…

  She went into complete meltdown as he climaxed, arching her back, letting him wrap his arms around her. He pulled her against him, his muscular arms wrapping around her, a fierce cry escaping his throat.

 
Gasping, she collapsed against him as pleasure soaked through every cell in her body, and he held her tightly until they were both coherent again.

  “You’re crazy, Kordolian,” she said at last, still breathless. Her skin was slick with sweat, her body tingling all over with the afterglow of her climax. She eased off him and turned, placing her changed hand on his chest, letting her power ripple through him, just a little. Even though she couldn’t see him, she felt closer to him than ever before. Just his warmth, the fast but steady beat of his heart under her hand, the feeling of being safe in his arms…

  It was everything.

  “No,” he rumbled. “Now I am fine.”

  “So I was right to go after you, then.”

  “Perhaps,” he growled. “But in future, if we go into a hostile situation, you must do as I say.”

  “Of course,” she said gently as she curled up against him, feeling perfectly contented. “Unless I know better.”

  He let out an amused snort at that, but then his tone became serious. “You are irreversibly linked to the Tharians now. I take it you will want to go back there at some stage?”

  “You already know me too well.” He was right. She was caught between two worlds now. As Anuk passed through the portal, a strange transformation had taken place inside her. Bits and pieces of Tharian lore had inserted themselves into her memories, things she didn’t completely understand yet.

  It wasn’t like she’d become this omniscient being all of a sudden; the knowledge was highly fragmented, and she still had to make sense of it all, but she knew things that no other human in the Universe knew.

  “I am only just getting to know you human, but I’m already obsessed enough to know that I’m keeping you. There’s no going back now. Understand?” He caressed her cheek possessively.

  “Oh yeah.” Alexis was already too far under his spell to even question it. They had a lot to discover about each other, and the scars of their pasts wouldn’t just magically disappear, but they were good together.

  When she was with him, everything just felt right.

  “I’m taking you back to Earth,” Nythian declared, shifting to one side. What was he doing? She couldn’t see a thing in the darkness. Suddenly, light flooded her vision, making her blink.

  There he was, holding her guide-light in one hand, looking down at her with a gentle smile on his face. How his harsh features were transformed when he looked at her like that. He really was breathtaking. “You shouldn’t be afraid to set foot on your own planet, Alexis. I will make everything right. You’re with us now.”

  And just like that, he tightened his hold on her heart just a little bit more.

  Thirty-One

  Four months later

  Alexis self-consciously rubbed her cheek as she stared at the old house on the hill, her fingertips grazing the smattering of scales on her left cheek. The appearance of the shimmering blue scales had come as a huge shock to her, and she hadn’t even found out until she returned to the Fleet Station from Tharos.

  Nobody had thought to tell her, not even Nythian. He’d just kept on telling her she was beautiful. It was only when they reached the Fleet Station that Abbey had spilled the beans.

  After she’d gotten over the strangeness, the scales had kind-of grown on her. According to Zharek, they weren’t harmful, they were just the result of changes to the DNA in the keratin-producing cells of her skin.

  She didn’t even bother trying to cover them up once she returned to Earth. All kinds of body-mod things were fashionable nowadays, and artificial scales was probably one of them. People might think she was a bit strange, but she wouldn’t stand out in a crowd.

  Actually, she rather liked them. Like her hand, they were tangible evidence of her link to Tharos.

  Even now, she felt the red planet calling to her. It was as if her Universe now had two poles: Earth and Tharos.

  “The lights aren’t on,” she murmured, a feeling of unease creeping up on her. It was Christmas on Reunion Island, and Mama would always set up a swirling holo-snow display on the front porch. Reminded her of home, she said. It looked ridiculous amongst the scarlet poinciana trees and the dense foliage of the mango trees, but Virginie loved it, and the neighborhood kids loved it too.

  For a brief moment, Alexis closed her eyes and inhaled the fragrant tropical air. The sun was setting, and a cool breeze rustled through the leaves, bringing with it a hint of ocean salt.

  Home.

  She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it. The other mates of Kordolians whom she’d met at Abbey’s aunt’s ranch—a.k.a. yet another Kordolian outpost on Earth—had invited her to their Christmas get-together somewhere in the Swiss Alps, but she’d politely turned them down.

  She appreciated the gesture, but it was too much, too soon.

  Réunion had been on her mind the whole time. Once, she’d been forced to accept that she would never see the place again, so when they’d flown over its soaring jungle-covered peaks and cliffs, she’d actually teared up.

  Besides, she needed some alone time with Nythian.

  What better place to spend that time than in one of her favorite places on Earth?

  “I can’t hear any movement inside,” he said softly, looking perfectly dangerous in the shadows even though he was wearing what passed for casual attire in the Kordolian world—black boots, loose black pants, and a sleeveless tunic that left his massive silver arms bare.

  Sweet mercy, he was a sight to behold. They’d avoided scrutiny by landing on an abandoned airstrip in the jungle and taking a Stealthstalker to this sprawling orange bungalow on the outskirts of Saint-Denis, and she was glad for that, because he would have attracted a lot of unwanted attention.

  A lot.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered, her anxiety mounting. Why wasn’t anyone home? Virginie had nowhere else to go. Her adopted sons Kylian and Felix—Alexis’s brothers—looked after her, and they were more than well equipped to deal with any sort of threat, not that anyone would bother coming up the narrow, winding gravel road to this ramshackle paradise.

  The house was hundreds of years old; it wasn’t even connected to the Networks, and Virginie didn’t like bots.

  “Easy, my love.” Nythian put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’m here with you. Could be that they’ve just gone out and will be back soon.”

  Alexis couldn’t accept that so easily. At her age, Mama hated leaving the house. She preferred to be home with her cats and her rambling garden, where the verdant jungle crept in amongst the bougainvillea and fruit trees.

  Something didn’t feel right. The lawn was too long; Mama never let it get that overgrown. The porch looked dusty and unkempt, with brown and yellow leaves scattered across the worn deck. And the big wrought iron security doors were locked. That rarely happened.

  They made their way across the garden, across the porch, and Alexis was about to knock on the door, but then she stopped. “Nobody’s home, right?”

  Nythian shook his head solemnly. His eyes narrowed. “Wait here.”

  “What?” But before she was able to ask him anything, he’d slipped away, disappearing across the garden and into the shadows, into the jungle, making barely a sound as he

  How did he do that?

  She might have felt vulnerable, standing all alone here in the deepening dusk, but she had her plasma gun and her Tharian abilities, and in the four months it had taken to return from the Fleet Station to Earth, Nythian had put her through a brutal combat training regime.

  It was one of the hardest things she’d ever done in her life, but she was fiercely glad she’d gone ahead with it. She was stronger and faster and fitter than she’d ever been in her life.

  The training was addictive, especially when one’s teacher was a stern and fantastically ripped Kordolian. At Alexis’s request, he started wearing long-sleeved kashkans to their training sessions.

  Otherwise, he was just too distracting, and she would want to jump his bones.

  The
y’d done that a couple of times too, in the training room… well, more than a couple of times.

  Alexis moved over to a window and peered inside. The interior of the house was dark; she couldn’t see a thing. Where had Nythian gone? What the hell was he doing?

  He’d said there was nobody in the house, and she believed him. The man had preternaturally good hearing.

  She employed a little trick she remembered from when she was a kid, slipping her fingers through the gap between the window frames, flicking up the little metal latch that held the window closed. The wood-and-glass panel swung open with a creak.

  She opened the other half and stepped inside, pushing aside the white linen drapes. She reached for her guide-light and…

  An arm went around her throat, dragging her backward. She tried to spin around, but her attacker was inhumanly strong. Alexis reached for her gun but that was quickly knocked from her hand.

  Her opponent was no joke… and they’d had the element of surprise.

  Shit. She tried a different tactic, hooking her leg around one of the attacker’s, shifting her bodyweight…

  Thud! They fell to the floor. The attacker’s hand clamped over her mouth. “Shh! Be still, Alexis. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Alexis was having none of it. She grabbed the attacker’s arm with her right hand and unleashed a little of her power, hoping to incapacitate her enemy rather than kill.

  But it didn’t work the way it was supposed to. Her attacker didn’t go limp.

  What the hell?

  She slammed her elbow into her enemy’s belly and was rewarded with a grunt of pain. She was about to reach for her fallen gun when…

  Suddenly, she was free!

  She spun and caught sight of two figures in the shadows; one massive, one small. Immediately, she knew the big one was Nythian, and she breathed a small sigh of relief.