Heart of the Beast

by Sonia Nova

  And now that mission was over.

  The women she had been looking for had been rescued, so Kira had nothing tying her to this planet anymore. She would go back to Earth with the other humans. There was no reason for her to stay on a pirate-infested, third-rate planet like Riala.

  Absentmindedly, Xeegan reached down and scratched Zorq behind the horns just like he liked. He had to catch himself to make sure he wasn’t touching a burned area.

  Zorq murmured, his tone unmistakably sad.

  “You’re going to miss her too, huh?” Xeegan said.

  Zorq looked up at him. “Kee-rah,” he confirmed.

  “She’s going to be a galaxy away,” he thought aloud. “There’s no way – I just can’t imagine how we could ever…” How was he supposed to end that sentence? He wanted to say “stay together,” but had they ever really made any kind of commitment to each other?

  They hadn’t.

  Apart from working together to solve her case, they had only spent one night together. And although that night had totally blown his mind, it probably wasn’t the same for her. As far as he knew, Kira was happy to be done with her case, Riala, and him. She probably had a whole life on Earth that he could never fit into.

  Not that he could even get to Earth legally. He had no legal identification –just a bunch of accounts attached to stolen or generated identities. There was a whole list of crimes attached to him, and even though none of them were serious – he had always avoided jobs that involved too much planned violence, kidnapping, or murder – he still couldn’t imagine that the Alliance would be happy to welcome him to a law-abiding life.

  Kira had said that his crimes could be pardoned. But that wasn’t a definite thing. Even more, he would still be the same Xeegan. The same male who had stolen expensive and valuable goods, boarded ships and taken cargo, and harbored pilfered material, just to survive. No wiping clean of his record would take away his past or who he was.

  Who would have thought that choosing to live as a pirate was having more of an effect on his future than the fact that he had been created and raised in captivity by the Krezlians? The Ezak-X who had just gone with the Alliance on that fateful day three cycles ago were generally well-respected now, it seemed. Maybe there were some out there in the universe who viewed the race with suspicion or fear, but it was out of ignorance.

  Nobody could be called ignorant for disliking a pirate. There were genuine reasons that Xeegan couldn’t deny. He had lived for several cycles now with a disregard for laws, a desperation to gain credits or trading material so he could afford food for him and Zorq, and he had a long list of bad memories and questionable experiences under his belt because of it.

  On top of his past, he also didn’t have the training and experience that the Ezak-X in the Alliance had on the different races, cultures, and languages of the universe. Everything he knew, he had picked up because of a need to survive. How would he ever fit in when it came to a human culture like on Earth? Let alone the law-based structure of the Alliance.

  He might as well just head back to his shitty apartment now, so he could save Kira the bother of saying goodbye to him. Why force her into the awkward situation of explaining to him everything he already knew?

  Xeegan stood and motioned to Zorq.

  “Let’s go home,” he said, the lump in his throat getting bigger.

  Damn it, he thought. Get ahold of yourself.

  He started walking in the direction of the seedier part of the city. Each step was difficult, as if his legs were made of gravisium, the heaviest material discovered in the universe. Stealing a shipment of that stuff was just one of many stories of his past that he was regretting right about now.

  “Kee-rah,” he heard Zorq say from behind him as they made it out of the courtyard and started to walk past the neighboring building.

  “I know, bud,” Xeegan said. Apparently, that was his friend’s favorite word now. Xeegan wasn’t looking forward to trying to explain the situation to Zorq: neither of them were ever going to see her again.

  “Kee-rah!” Zorq repeated, louder now.

  Xeegan paused, listening, and realized he had been too distracted by his thoughts to hear Kira’s footsteps and breathing behind them. He turned and saw her moving as quickly as she could with her crutches, nearly catapulting herself over a line of small shrubs and onto the sidewalk.

  He strode over to her, shortening the distance for her that she would need to go on those unwieldy things.

  “Xeegan,” she said, catching her breath. “I need to talk to you.”

  He twisted his lower lip, readying himself for what he knew she was going to say next. Mostly, he just looked at her, using all of his senses as fully as he could to take her in. It could be the last time he would see those brightly colored eyes, her full lips, and the way she stood with natural authority in her posture, even with crutches under her arms. The last time he would inhale that sweet scent.

  She was here to say goodbye.

  CHAPTER 26

  KIRA

  “I said I’d be out in just a couple of minutes,” Kira said, feeling a little hurt and confused.

  Xeegan’s expression worried her. He had just left the transit center without a word and was now looking at her with a pained expression on his face, not even attempting to hide it. At least Zorq actually looked excited to see her. He loped toward her and nudged her with his head, carefully making sure that his horns didn’t poke her.

  “Kee-rah…”

  She smiled back at the Ezak-T. Every time she looked at the giant bandaged guy, she was reminded that she owed him her life.

  “I needed some air,” Xeegan said with a shrug, not looking her in the eye.

  “Okay…” Kira tilted her head, trying to figure out why Xeegan was acting like this. There really wasn’t anything she could think of, other than the fact that the Ezak-X he knew was still missing. That could be it, but why hadn’t he seemed more upset about it earlier? “Why are you being all gloomy?”

  “I guess this is it,” he said, looking everywhere but directly at her as he spoke. “You’re going back to Earth.”

  Oh. That.

  That made sense. She could understand why Xeegan might think that she was just going to leave now that the mission was over. To be honest, she hadn’t known what exactly would happen to her after this mission either. Not until now.

  After thinking it over for the past few days, she knew there was no way she could just up and leave Riala. She had unfinished business here.

  All the time she had spent with Xeegan so far had been eclipsed by the mission at hand. Imagine if they didn’t have to worry about anyone being missing and could truly spend time together.

  Xeegan started to turn away from her. “Goodb–”

  “No!” she said, emphatically cutting him off. “I’m not going anywhere, if that’s what you think.”

  Xeegan blinked at her. “But… the ship leaving for Earth.”

  “I’m not going,” she said, answering his implied question.

  His expression lightened, but he still looked unsure. “You’re staying on Riala?”

  “For the near future, at least. I’ll probably head to one of the Alliance main planets when I’m assigned another mission, but that won’t be for a month at least. I’m going to put in a request for vacation time. I’ve earned plenty and I know it’ll be approved. I deserve it after this mission.”

  Xeegan nodded slowly, a crease forming between his brows as if he was trying hard to figure out what she meant exactly.

  “Plus,” she continued, “my ankle still needs to heal fully before they could assign me anywhere. So first, sick leave, then, vacation, and after that I still have to pass basic conditioning again, which adds even more time before I would be available to be assigned.”

  “Vacation,” Xeegan repeated her earlier word.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I plan on not doing a bit of work for the next few weeks, maybe for the first time in my life.” She lau
ghed a little, and Zorq made a humorous sound. Xeegan just kept staring at her as if he couldn’t quite believe what she was saying.

  “But you’ll leave when you get a new mission,” he said.

  “Eventually, I have to,” she confirmed. “But… I mean… We’ll get to that when the time comes. And if all goes well, you know… Maybe you and Zorq would want to come with me?”

  Finally, she saw Xeegan’s guarded expression relax fully and a grin spread across his face. Of course, he had come to expect the worst, she realized. She was the first person he had ever been with. He probably didn’t have high expectations of relationships at all, and it made her happy to see him realize he could trust her.

  …Relationship?

  Had she really just used that word?

  But as she thought about it, she realized that really was the right word to use, even though she hadn’t quite thought of it in those terms before now. She was committed to getting to know Xeegan better and staying with him for as long as she could. And as far as she could tell – especially from the joyful look on his face – he felt the same way.

  As soon as Xeegan seemed to realize he had started smiling, he carefully took on a more neutral expression again. Zorq followed his friend’s suit, his excitement calming.

  “That sounds good,” Xeegan said, shrugging again as if he couldn’t care either way.

  Kira rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. He was overjoyed and wasn’t doing a great job at hiding it.

  She turned to Zorq and threw her arms around his neck – actually able to reach him because he was on all fours. She had to be careful not to be too enthusiastic, and hugged him just as tightly as she thought she could without hurting him.

  “Thank you so much for what you did for me,” she said, not letting go. “I won’t ever forget it.”

  Zorq made a contented sound, something almost like a purr.

  “Kee-rah,” he said happily as she pulled away.

  Kira looked at Xeegan again, admiring how good he looked in his dark t-shirt and leather jacket, smudged with ash, even after what they had just been through. Unable to resist getting closer to him, she stood on her tiptoes and brought her lips as close to his ear as she could manage.

  “You should come with me,” she whispered, her lips brushing the soft gray skin of the curve of his ear. “The Alliance gave me a room here.”

  She settled down onto the soles of her feet and looked up at him expectantly. His grin came back, wide and genuine. Apparently, there was no hiding how he felt now.

  “Go ahead and head back to the apartment,” Xeegan said to Zorq. “I’ll be there later.”

  Zorq nodded in acknowledgement before clambering up the side of the building beside them and starting to leap across rooftops at breakneck speed. It really was impressive, the way he moved across buildings as if it was nothing.

  “You know, whispering doesn’t really help much when it comes to Zorq,” Xeegan said teasingly.

  Kira blushed. She had kind of forgotten the fact and been caught up in the moment.

  “Well, I don’t think he cares…”

  Xeegan nodded, grinning widely. He grabbed her hand in his, squeezing it, and started to walk back toward the transit center, eagerly pulling her along with him.

  They made their way through the hallways of the transit center, walking in the same direction they had gone earlier. Before reaching the lobby with the rescued humans and Ezak-X, Kira pulled Xeegan through a side door. She led him down the corridor, to the section of the center that housed the Alliance accommodations.

  Room 1003, Kira reminded herself, recalling the number that Agent Grimmor had given her.

  She couldn’t get there fast enough. Damn crutches.

  As soon as the silver doorway with the glowing label “1003” came into view, Kira slowed her pace.

  “This one,” she said, swiping her wristband against the door’s locking panel.

  With a soft swishing sound, the door slid open to reveal a large suite. The Rialan sun shone brightly into the room through ceiling-high windows, bathing everything in its glittery light.

  “Wow,” she said, walking into the room.

  Immediately, as she entered, she realized the suite in fact had two rooms. The entrance led into a large sitting area with two white couches, a three-dimensional entertainment unit, and a vase of simulated flowers. Through an open doorway, she saw a wide bed with white sheets and a canopy.

  “This is more than just a bed for the night. They really went all out.”

  Xeegan approached her from behind, encircling his arms around her waist. “You deserve this and more.”

  Kira smiled. “What else do you think I deserve?” she asked playfully, turning in his embrace to face him.

  She pressed her hands against his hard stomach, feeling the subtle definition of his hard abdominal muscles. Slowly, she brushed her palms up his waist, over his biceps, and to his shoulders.

  “Let’s start with this,” he said, his voice low. He leaned down to kiss her, his soft lips enveloping hers slowly and gently.

  Slow and gentle was good, but Kira wanted more. Needed more. She hadn’t invited Xeegan here for some quick pecking. After the past days’ experiences, she just wanted to forget the rest of the world and relax.

  She wrapped her arms around Xeegan’s waist and pulled him closer, returning his kiss full force. She slipped her tongue past his lips, carefully avoiding his sharp teeth. He tasted like smoke and metal. His tongue had some strange nubs on the surface that rubbed pleasurably against her smooth tongue.

  “You amaze me,” Xeegan murmured against her lips, drawing back only slightly. “The way you wouldn’t stop at anything to save those prisoners…”

  “I don’t want to talk about the mission,” she said, pulling away and laughing. “It’s over now.”

  He grinned at her. “You’re right. But I want you to know I’m never going to forget this past week. Meeting you, facing off against… against the Krezlians, nearly losing you and Zorq, everything… But especially meeting you. My life will never be the same.”

  Kira smiled happily, her heart feeling so full it nearly burst at his words. But she tried to keep most of her excitement to herself. She didn’t want to scare Xeegan off from sharing like that again. Hearing that from him… it only confirmed what she already knew.

  “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go check out just how nice that bed is.”

  Xeegan stared at her for a second as if he wanted to make sure what she was insinuating.

  “You know what I mean,” she said as she walked into the bedroom, impatient.

  She pulled off her top and plopped down on the edge of the bed. She started to take off her pants, struggling to stretch them over her cast.

  A slow, mischievous smile spread on Xeegan’s lips. He followed her into the bedroom, his eyes drinking her in. Pure hunger glistened in his dark gaze and the look he gave her made heat gather between Kira’s legs. Xeegan inhaled, his nostrils flaring, and she was pretty sure he could smell her arousal.

  He knelt before her at the foot of the bed and gripped her pants in both hands. He pulled sharply, ripping the pant leg in two. Kira paused for a while. The cloth fell to the floor, leaving her legs bare.

  Someday, Xeegan was going to pay her back for all the clothing he was ruining, she thought impishly, remembering what he had done to her bra the first time they had been together.

  Her mind wandered and she started to think of all the other things Xeegan had done to her that night, and she rubbed her thighs together, feeling the wetness at her core.

  What the hell was Xeegan waiting for?

  He watched her at the foot of the bed, his gaze intense. His eyes locked with hers, and as if reading her mind, he moved over her. He parted her knees and pressed her legs down against the soft sheets, his large hands feeling warm on her skin.

  Where her legs met was hidden from his view only by the pair of panties she wore, and her core tingled as his gaze lowered fro
m her eyes to her soaked underwear. He moved one hand from her knee and brushed up her thigh before pressing the damp spot between her legs with his thumb.

  Kira moaned, bucking her hips against his maddening touch, and he began to circle his thumb around her most sensitive spot.

  “Stop teasing,” she moaned. “And really touch me.”

  Xeegan grunted in response and grabbed the piece of clothing. Apparently, she didn’t need to ask twice. He pulled her panties down and she kicked them off. But instead of crawling onto the bed with her like she had expected, Xeegan stayed kneeling between her legs and dipped his head down.

  Hell yeah.

  Kira grabbed hold of his horns as Xeegan kissed her thighs, his lips warm against her tender skin. He moved slowly up her legs, closer to her core. She lay back onto the bed, sinking into the silken comforter and relaxing completely. It seemed like an eternity before his mouth was against her, but when his tongue finally touched her heated flesh, Kira’s breath caught.

  His tongue explored every dip and crevice of her core, and Kira moaned in pleasure. The nubs on his tongue rubbed against her maddeningly, and she strengthened her hold on his horns, pushing his face deeper between her legs.

  “So sweet,” Xeegan grumbled between licks.

  Soon, he focused his attention on her clit, flicking his tongue and sucking at her with nearly more force than she could bear.

  “Oh… Oh my…”

  Just when she was at the brink, the pressure of Xeegan’s mouth disappeared and Kira felt only cold air. She lifted her head to look at him.

  He shook off his jacket and pulled off his shirt, giving her a magnificent view of his statuesque figure and the deep “V” of gray muscle that cut into his waist and led to the waistband of his pants.

  Kira propped herself up on her elbows and watched with bated breath as he unbuckled his pants and let them drop. Sure, they had fucked once before. Still, she didn’t think she could ever get used to seeing that thick, veiny cock. He was so big and hard it made her mouth water.