Chapter Ten

 

 

“You may not like it. All I ask is that you hear me out.”

She gave a sharp nod of her head as her fingers clenched together.

“When we mate, our fangs come out, and we sink them into our other halfs shoulder.”

“How comforting.” She rolled her eyes.

He looked at her until she ran her finger over her lips mimicking locking them.

“It creates a bond between us. Our bodies become one. Blood is also exchanged. Usually, it is just a small amount, but a larger amount can be exchanged.”

She laid there staring at him until she realized he was finished.

“Can I talk?”

“Yes.”

“Why is the amount of blood exchanged important? How does this even help me?”

“As far as I know humans and Kur’iks cannot exchange blood unless they are mating. Cait said that you are going to be what you were meant to be. I believe you were meant to be my mate.”

“Let me get this right.” Her nails were digging into her arms while her hands shook. “If you bite me and exchange blood, then I have a chance of being free. I will also be mated to you, and that’s a lifetime commitment.”

“Doesn’t sound like a viable alternative when you put it like that.”

“Don’t be too hasty. Why would you want to help me this much?”

“The minute you crossed the barrier, I could feel you. I wanted to come to you and say everything would be alright even though I didn’t know if it would or not. Under different circumstances, we would get to know each other, and you would know I’m telling the truth when I say I care about you, and it’s not just some biological imperative to mate. We don’t have that kind of time.”

“If I choose life, I get a permanent mate. If I chose death well, I get death.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I know you make delicious soup, and that you watched over me every night. I know that you’re okay with lying on a couch and watching reruns on television and talking. I know that you stood between me, Jim, and certain death. I know you weren’t afraid to make yourself look silly when you were trying to save my life earlier. I saw the bond between you and your brother. You would die for him. I think I know enough. Let’s not forget you’re a great kisser.”

“For an alien.”

She laughed; fire was pouring through her veins tearing her apart, and still Caden could make her laugh. She could do a lot worse than him. She did a lot worse. Life or death.

“Will you expect sex right away?”

“Absolutely no sex. You would have to beg for it. You’re becoming celibate. Remember?” His lips were skimming over her neck, not touching but his warm breath was tickling her. He was evil just not the kind of evil Jim was.

“I don’t beg.” Her voice was thick with need.

“That’s good I’d hate to have to say no.” His fingers were under her shirt slightly caressing her belly.

One of them was about to melt and beg. She stiffened her back when she realized it was her. A scream left her body bringing her back to reality.

“Yes, let’s exchange blood. Let’s mate.” Her voice was ragged with pain, she didn’t have much longer.

His mouth was on her shoulder kissing and licking her. Why was he taking so long? Another scream left her when she felt the poison in her body try to rip through her brain. His teeth elongated and sank into her as the poison tried to rip her brain out.

Her body was changing she could feel herself becoming different. His blood and his enzymes were rushing through her heading toward her brain where the real fight would occur. Her eyes flew open when she realized he was taking part of her blood into his body. He diluted the poison making it easier for her to fight it even as he began his own battle with it.

When his blood hit her brain, her body jerked up from the bed before she hit it with a loud thump. She was sure the poison would steal all reasoning from her, but Caden’s blood surrounded it almost as if it were what it was meant to do. It engulfed the poison until it died from an overdose of Kur’ik blood.

What the hell happened?

You tell me you’re the alien! The voice in her head went silent, and for once she felt alone.

“Caden?” His body wasn’t moving.

She reached out placing a hand on his shoulder shaking him. “Caden? Wake up we have to figure out what our next move is.”

Did he just marry her to then leave her alone? She shook harder trying to wake him up.

“Get up, this was supposed to make things better, not worse.”

His eyes opened, but they were no longer green they were red.

“Are you alright?” She wanted to step back or even leave, but she wouldn’t. He stayed with her every minute of her fight, and she wasn’t leaving him all alone.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. “What are we supposed to do next?” His eyes closed leaving her alone in the bedroom.

She placed her hand on his forehead. “You’re burning up. This is higher than your normal toasty body temperature. You wouldn’t want to get up and cool down in the shower?”

Nope, didn’t think so. She got out the bed looking for anything that could help her. She found a small pan filled it with cold water and went back in the room to try to cool him down with a sponge bath.

“I remember you doing this for me when we finally met in person. I was one sick woman, but I didn’t know it. Being on the run meant planning my escape not seeing to my health.” She brought the cool cloth down his chest. “I guess I can look my fill since we are mated. There were lots of things I expected to happen today, but this wasn’t one of them.”

She grabbed a towel and dried him off before placing the covers over him. He was starting to shake like he was going from burning up to freezing.

“That’s the problem with that poison. It can change quickly making you feel like you can’t effectively fight it. Hold on Caden.” She sat on the bed with him and took his hand. After a while, she snuggled against him and fell asleep.

He woke her by jerking up on the bed.

“Caden?”

“We have to run they are coming for us.”

“You can’t go anywhere your eyes are still red, which means you’re not well.”

“I’m leaving.” He got out of bed and fell to the floor. He clutched the bed and stood back to his feet.

She was standing in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest, and her legs spread wide.

“Move.”

“No.” Good going, Sage. Why don’t you upset the giant in the room?

“I will squash you.”

“I’m your mate. You’re honor-bound to care for me and not hurt me.”

“Mate or no mate, you better move.”

“Mister, turn your giant self around and climb back in that bad. Don’t make me hurt you.”

“I can take you.”

She looked up at him narrowing her eyes and twisting her lips in a frown that would have made her mother proud. He stomped on the floor like a child before turning around and going to lie on the bed.

“What made me think having a mate was a good idea?”

He fell asleep like a three-year-old after a tantrum. She slid to the floor in fear and pain; she had to laugh. He was too cute in an, I can kill you way.

She stood up and went to find the kitchen. If the look in his eyes meant anything, he was going to be hungry, and a salad wouldn’t cut it. She made him several steaks. Thankfully, there was a broiler on the stove. Then she cut up a cucumber and drizzled some of the juice from the steak over the slices.

“Caden are you hungry?”

He opened on red eye and looked at her before looking at the plate in her hand. He sat up and took it from her. He picked one of the steaks and took a big bite of it.

“I’d be happier if you used the fork and knife I provided, but you get a pass today. Whenever you’re dealing with ultimate evil, I’m not going to lecture. Try one of these.” She picked the cucumber slice up with the fork.

“It’s yummy; I drizzled steak flavoring all over it.”

He took it in his mouth and growled.

“Yes, it’s a cold piece of raw vegetable, but you’re going to eat it because you don’t want to hurt your mate’s feelings. I would hate to have to cry. A river of tears coming from my eyes because you don’t like the meal I slaved over.”

He growled clearly not pleased by what she was saying. Then he took another cucumber and ate it followed closely by a bite of steak.

“I don’t care how you get it down, just as long as you get it down.”

She watched as he ate everything on his plate before handing it back to her. She took it to the kitchen before she went to get her cell phone.

“Don’t turn it on, they can trace us.” He was leaning against the doorway looking at her.

“Then what are we going to do next? How do you feel? Do you need anything?”

“Some water would be nice.”

She went and got him a glass of water then joined him on the couch.

“Maybe you should be a little further away.” He eyed the space between them.

“It’s like fighting pure evil. Why does it seem to be so hard for you?”

“It feels old, ancient. Think of having a family cemetery, and you can trace your family back generations. One night you go into the graveyard because you hear a noise, and the first relative in the cemetery is up and walking around, but he wasn’t the kindly father and grandfather the family made him out to be. Now all he wants is your blood.”

She shivered trying to repress the image of walking corpses.

“So, this feels like a family member?”

“No, but it feels familiar and whatever it has discovered within me is making it lose its mind. There’s a good chance I’ll win, but I don’t want you too close in case you need to run.”

“Not leaving you. You did this for me; I won’t be leaving you to fight it alone.”

“How did you know I needed food?”

“Fire told me not to leave the apartment hungry. I knew it had to do something with the aliens, but not what. I thought you would be hungry if people who were hungry attracted you. Weird, huh?”

“Interesting deductive reasoning.”

“Awe, you're too sweet to me.”

“Can you drive a Jeep?”

“Sure.” It was just like driving a car, right?

“Get your shoes on and grab your purse. They’re close, and we need to get away.”

“Why aren’t you driving?” She was stuffing a foot into her tennis shoe.

“Too risky.”

That’s what she wanted to hear that he could go crazy while in the confined space of the Jeep.

“Xander, we’re being chased.” He turned around in the Jeep and looked out the back window. There was just a shadow of what was chasing them on the horizon. This was the secret no one knew, and the entity in him would die with. Xander could see through his eyes when needed.

“I’m coming.”

“Hey, do you want to explain some more?”

“I will Sageray after we find a position we can defend.”