Chapter Seven
His smile hit her like a bucket of cold water. Dear heaven, it was real. All of it. She’d been behaving like a slut, letting this arrogant alien feel her up in public.
“Are you mad?” she hissed, shoving his hand away. “Let go of me!”
She slid her chair as far away from his as possible. “Be grateful I don’t want to create an interplanetary incident. Otherwise I’d be shrieking at the top of my lungs right now.”
If she hadn’t been so angry, she’d have laughed at the look of shocked surprise on his face.
“Why do you protest? Were you not enjoying it? I know you are attracted to me.” His eyes devoured her. “I have seen it.”
For some reason, hearing him admit out loud that he’d been having the same visions made her even angrier. “You think you can project dirty sex fantasies into my mind and I’ll just spread my legs? I have news for you. We humans are not a ‘primitive species’ any more. There won’t be any conquering of this female by a superior race.”
“I have offended you?”
“You’re damn right you have. Do Anterean women allow strangers to grope them?”
“Certainly not.”
“So you thought ‘What the hell. She’s an alien. I can do whatever I want. Who’s going to stop me?’”
“But they said that you liked…” He stopped suddenly.
Comprehension dawned. She uttered a stream of curses under her breath. “Those horny bastards.” Her eyes narrowed. “Exactly what did the ‘medical technicians’ tell you?”
He backpedaled like any male who knows he’s in trouble but doesn’t understand what it is he’s done wrong. “Nothing specific. Only that you seemed to… uh… derive pleasure from certain types of stimulation. Apparently you indicated that you had not experienced those sensations for a very long time.”
She was flooded with shame. They’d been gossiping about her with Kadan. Probably describing in full detail how her pleasure centers lit up as they teased and tormented her. How she’d orgasmed over and over when they filled her pussy and ass, then aimed pulsing jets from the hose at her clit.
Maia wanted to disappear. Crawl under the table and slink away. Instead, she sat up straight and drew together her remaining shreds of dignity. “Based on what they said, you figured I’d be grateful to have your hands all over me?”
“Forgive me, Maia. I meant no disrespect. Perhaps I acted in haste, knowing we are destined to mate. The gods decreed it and the Oracle has spoken their will.”
His deep voice sent a wild shiver coursing through her. His next words turned it into a surge of lust. “I have touched you, tasted you. Claimed you. Surely you’ve seen it, felt it too. The look that comes over your face at times… it is as though our minds are already one. Our bodies must follow.”
The dark intensity in his gaze set her heart thudding against her ribs, smashing the walls she’d built. He was right. She’d felt it too. All of it, especially now when she was so close to him. More than simple attraction. This desperate need to have him thrusting inside her, iron hard, driving her to climax.
Fear hit her like a sledgehammer. No. I can’t give him that kind of control over my mind. I won’t lose myself again to a man. It took every ounce of her strength to pull away from the connection.
“You are mistaken. I have seen no such thing.” Lying did not come easily to Maia. Instead of sounding calm and factual, her words came across with a hostility she regretted as soon as she heard it.
“Your gods may have spoken. But your gods are not my gods and they do not rule my life.” She pushed back her chair. “Please excuse me. The events of the last few days have been more exhausting than I realized. I must bid you goodnight. Will you make my apologies to our host?”
She almost ran from the room, unable to take the hurt in his eyes for another moment.
* * *
Kadan threw himself into training for the mission, taking his anger and frustration out on the men under his command. They headed into Prya’s wilderness to make camp, away from all distractions. He was called away to attend several meetings with Seneschal Niall and his fellow warriors, but the rest of the time he worked tirelessly. Kadan drove them hard and drove himself even harder. The men fought mock battles from dawn to dusk. Victors won the dubious prize of sparring with him. Sometimes he faced them one on one. Other times he took on four or five until he either defeated them all or collapsed with exhaustion. With every clang of his sword he damned the Oracle to the darkest hell for her cruel trick.
But angry as he was at the gods and their messenger, he was even more angry with himself. He’d been a fool to believe the fantasy they wove, that this life could hold even a glimmer of happiness after what he’d done. The only thing that kept him from drinking himself into a stupor every night was the knowledge that his men looked to him as a role model. How could he ask them to follow him, to risk their lives on this Quest, if he gave in to weakness? They’d lose all respect for him if he showed up at daybreak with his hands unsteady and his mind still in a fog.
He never allowed himself even a single mug of ale. Neither did he join them after hours around the campfire for games of chance or raucous sessions swapping lies about their female conquests. Instead he sat alone, staring into the fire for hours, with such a fierce expression on his face no one dared approach him.
The gods still sent their visions, but he ruthlessly purged them from his mind each time. There was no truth in them. Maia denied they had a connection. She’d flatly told him she felt no attraction to him.
In the past, if a female spurned his advances, he’d have taken it as a challenge and pursued her even harder. Used all his powers of seduction until she was writhing in his arms, begging him to take her. But not this time. His mission was far too important.
She’d be a distraction and a complication. He had no room in his life for either. There was a reason he’d never taken a mate, he reminded himself. It required commitment and he was already committed to the brotherhood. The Omega Warriors. Following his oath, serving the needs of his people, would always come first. He’d been forced to choose where his loyalty lay in the past and the choice he made still haunted him.
Though he wouldn’t admit it, even to himself, Kadan knew that under his anger was fear. That’s why he hadn’t tried harder to woo her. In all his visions, when he claimed the female, she laid claim on him too. To his heart. The feelings he had for his imaginary lover in those dreams were so intense, he questioned whether he could be strong enough to cast them aside when he was with the real woman. Sacrifice her if he must for the Quest to succeed.
Kadan wore the mantle of Omega Warrior with pride. It had been hard fought and hard won. No enemy had defeated him thus far. But a single female with turquoise eyes as deep as the sea and a sensuous loving touch? Against those weapons he’d be powerless.
* * *
The days passed slowly on Prya. They were stuck on a sterile military base surrounded by dense wilderness. Commander Rowan had initiated contact with Earth but so far there were no plans in place to get them home. Maia tried not to dwell on the fact that even if they did return after so many years, it would be to a place that might feel as foreign as the world they found themselves in here.
The Seneschal had promised to take them back to Anteres with him, though he showed no signs of leaving any time soon. Shuttles arrived nearly every day bringing more uniformed officers. Rumor had it that he’d shut himself away with military advisors. She heard he’d called secret meetings with Kadan and his fellow members of the elite squad known as the Warriors of the Seven Stars.
She caught a glimpse of two of them one day, heading away from her down one of the long gray corridors. They were huge, shoulders so broad they were barely able to stride side by side through the hall. With their backs to her, all she could see was the ceremonial garb of Omega Warriors—long cloaks made of animal skin, legs bare from the knees down except for sandals held on with thongs crisscrossed halfway up their calves. She spied the glint of gold cuffs on the wrist of one of them and for a moment her heart leaped. But it wasn’t him. Even from a distance, she’d have known the set of his shoulders, his distinctive gait.
And she’d have felt him. Felt his presence. Though she hadn’t seen him since she fled from him at the formal dinner, Kadan had been in her mind day and night. The lie she told, and his reaction to it, still weighed on her.
She’d denied the connection their minds shared. Denied any attraction to him. His eyes showed her how hard she’d struck. First surprise, then confusion, and finally a flash of pain. Not wounded pride at his advance being rejected. It was her refusal to acknowledge their bond that hurt him. Deeply. She saw it, felt the stab to his heart as surely as if she’d plunged a dagger into her own.
The hell of it was, she’d lied to herself as well. Even as she pretended outrage, a part of her wanted him to continue. Wanted his finger to slide inside her right there under the table. She’d imagined it a thousand times since. Submitting to him. Chatting politely while he fingered her slit. He’d nudge her legs farther apart and insert a second finger. Delving deep while watching her face the whole time, daring her to lose control. Flashing that naughty smile when he coaxed a tiny moan out of her.
There was something wickedly compelling about surrendering herself to his ravishment in the fantasy. She could let go. Say yes every brazen demand he made. In her imagination, their bond was so powerful he could see beyond the façade she presented to the world. He sensed, knew, that each shameful act he made her perform was a secret desire she’d kept locked away inside. That giving up control would set her free.
Out of sheer boredom, Maia began joining Xia on her workouts outside the walls of the base. They were accompanied by a guard at all times who wouldn’t allow them to stray too far, but just being out in the fresh air and away from the dreary gray buildings lightened her spirits.
Ashleigh and Elle came too, and most mornings Rowan joined them as well. Xia was merciless and for the first few days, Maia regretted her decision every time she moved. Her whole body ached, from her toes to her scalp. Xia had been showing them how to escape if they were ever attacked. She demonstrated by grabbing Maia’s long hair, yanking her to the ground, and pinning her there with the full weight of her body.
Maia’s work had always been cerebral, any injury she suffered a slash to her soul. Being body-slammed to the ground, then crushed by a woman nearly as big as one of the Omega Warriors was shockingly painful.
The first time it happened she laid there, stunned, with the breath knocked out of her lungs.
“Fight.” Xia’s voice penetrated the fog.
She made a halfhearted attempt to buck her off, but the woman’s size was daunting. “I… I can’t,” she gasped.
Xia’s face was expressionless, her eyes cold. She slapped Mia’s cheek. An open-handed smack meant more to shock than cause pain. “Fight.”
Maia stared up at her, eyes wide. “You hit me!”
Xia slapped her again, a backhanded blow this time. “Fight.”
“Stop it!”
“You think the monster who attacks you will stop just because you tell him to?” The other women watched in stunned silence as Xia delivered another slap. “Fight!”
Enraged, Maia let out a roar, wrapped her hands around Xia’s throat, and squeezed. Her trainer laughed and batted Maia’s hands away, then grabbed her wrists and hauled her to her feet.
“Good.” She smiled. “What you did was useless, but at least you did something.”
She turned to the others. “Do not be a victim. If you must whine and cry and plead for mercy, do it only to stall for time while planning your attack. I will teach you ways to bring even the strongest enemy to his knees.” She met their eyes, one by one. “Who is next?”
Rowan stepped forward. “I am.”
* * *
Over a week passed before the summons came. Maia and Ashleigh were in the gathering room of the quarters the women had been assigned to, in the middle of a complicated Anterean board game Ashleigh’s guard was teaching them. Both Ashleigh and her attractive attendant seemed more interested in each other than the game and Maia had a feeling neither of them minded when she had to call a halt to it.
“Pardon me, my lady. Your presence is requested at the Omegas’ camp. Will you come with me, please?” The young soldier approached Maia nervously, as if fetching an alien female might be fraught with more danger than facing an enemy on the battlefield.
She stood up, trying to tamp down her anxiety. It had to be Kadan. She could understand why he wouldn’t come in person. His pride wouldn’t risk rejection in front of the other women. But if he was seeking to take their tenuous relationship to another level, wouldn’t he have had her brought to his room in the compound?
Unless he wanted her alone. Far away from everyone she knew, where only the men under his command would hear if she refused his advances and screamed for help.
Stop lying to yourself, Maia. You won’t be screaming—at least not for help.
They boarded a small transport vehicle that skimmed silently over the ground, following a well-defined trail through the dense forest. The young soldier refused to answer any questions. The anxiety radiating from him was so palpable she took pity on him. Instead of grilling him or trying to read his thoughts, she sought to put him at ease, chatting about Prya and the similarities she saw to Earth.
She let out a delighted cry when she caught a glimpse of a furry creature darting across the trail. “It looks like a rabbit! We have animals like that back home. They’re gentle creatures. Some people even raise them as pets.”
“It’s a harbi. Some people in our world raise them as well.” He grinned. “They make very good eating.”
She smiled back. “Our worlds are more alike than you might imagine. When she was young, my grandmother lived near a forest like this. She had a great recipe for rabbit stew.”
Once she cracked his shell, the young Anterean was eager to talk.
“My name is Maia. What’s yours?”
“I am known as Solymus.”
“Have you been in the military long, Solymus?”
“No, my lady,” he responded. “I completed training a few months ago. This is my first posting.”
She glanced out at the unbroken line of trees flashing by. “There’s not much to do here on Prya. You must get bored at times.”
He shook his head solemnly. “I have been given a great honor, my lady. The opportunity to fight under the command of an Omega Warrior. In all our Worlds, only seven men bear that rank.”
She’d sensed from the first that Kadan had a powerful presence, but she had no idea his distinction was so rare. “How does a soldier earn the title of Omega Warrior?”
His tone took on a boyish excitement. “One does not earn the title of Omega Warrior. Our people believe they are ordained by the gods. Each generation is blessed with men destined from birth to serve our World. But not all who are born to the role achieve the title.
“First and foremost, they must become fierce warriors. Very few are willing to put in the years of hard work it takes to master the art of combat. Even fewer are willing to lay their own lives on the line for the good of all.”
Maia nodded. “That is true in every World.”
“Along with being skilled in the arts of battle,” Solymus went on, “Omega Warriors exhibit incredible strength, both physical and mental. Their bravery is legendary, their loyalty unwavering. Once they have proven their right to bear the title, the final seal is bestowed on them by the Oracle, in a solemn ceremony witnessed by all our Worlds.”
“I’ve heard of the Oracle,” Maia said. “Can you tell me about her?”
“I don’t know much, my lady. Only the tales I’ve been told. Anterean children grow up awed and a little frightened by the Oracle. She dwells alone on the moon Dendros, in a magnificent temple few have ever set eyes on. She communes with the gods, and makes their wishes known to us.”
“If the Omega ceremony is witnessed by all your Worlds, then you must have seen her.”
“Not exactly,” Solymus replied. “When she appears before the masses, she is covered from head to toe by an iridescent cloud. It shimmers around her, so all we see is a radiant silver-white glow. We hear her voice, though, and in it we feel her power. It surrounds us, envelops us. Sometimes sweet and warm, other times somber and compelling.” He gave her a sideways glance. “Your voice carries power too, my lady.”
Maia was taken back. She’d underestimated young Solymus. He’d responded to her abilities, sensed them even though she’d been careful not to reach out to his mind in any way.
“I have been blessed with a gift. I can connect with others at times. Feel their feelings. Sometimes I can help them heal, both in body and in soul.”
Solymus nodded. “That’s what Omega Kadan said. He asked for you, just before he lost consciousness. I came to fetch you, as fast as I could.”
The transport vessel slowed, then stopped at the edge of a large clearing. Huge tents ringed the area. Embers still glowed in pits here and there, remnants of last night’s fires, but there was no one to be seen. She heard the harsh clang of metal against metal even before stepping out of the vehicle and glanced at Solymus in alarm.
“It’s all right, my lady. Just a mock battle in the meadow over the hill. The men are training in hand-to-hand combat. With broadswords. That’s how Omega Kadan was injured.”
Maia flashed back to a holographic exhibit she’d seen back home. The reenactment of a battle from the Middle Ages, with knights in armor wielding the vicious weapons. “Dear heaven! Where is he? How badly is he wounded?”
“He’s in his tent. A medic is attending him. Follow me.”
Maia stopped in her tracks. What if the medical officer was one of the ones who’d taken part in her shameful cleansing? But her concern about Kadan overshadowed any embarrassment. She hurried after Solymus to a large tent set off by itself and ducked under the flap covering the entrance.
She expected to see a dirt-floored enclosure holding a narrow cot and not much else. Instead, the interior of the tent had a wood floor covered with thick handmade rugs in geometric designs, like the rugs made by ancient tribes back home. The walls were lined in a buff-colored fabric with the texture of suede. Amber crystals in lanterns hanging from the ceiling gave off a warm glow, bathing the room in soft light.
Kadan lay on a large bed, eyes closed. Another huge male sat by his side. He rose and extended his hands, palms up.
“Greetings. I am Galen, Omega Warrior of Boreas.”
“Greetings, Galen. My name is Maia.” She brushed past him and leaned over the bed. Kadan’s face was deathly pale, his breathing labored. “What happened?”
“My foolhardy brother insisted on sparring with three men at once. He took a blow to the head. And he lost a great deal of blood from this.” Galen pulled the bedcovers aside.
Maia gasped. A slash ran all along one side of Kadan’s chest, the edges an angry red. “I’ve been training another team not far from here,” Galen said. “Preparing them for a mission as well. Cadet Solymus sent for me as soon as it happened. Along with learning the skills of warfare, Omegas are trained in lifesaving procedures. I sealed the wound with a laser wand, but there was nothing I could do about the blood loss. Omega Kadan has a rare blood type, a definite handicap for a warrior. His body would reject the synthetic blood we use for transfusions.
“Before he lost consciousness, Kadan asked for you.” Galen searched her face. Whatever he sought there he must have found, because he took one of her hands in his huge paw. “I have fought alongside my brother since long before the Oracle decreed us Omega Warriors. Nursed him back to health after injuries far worse than this.” He gestured to the deep slash. “Never before has he asked me to send for someone.” He brought her hand to his lips. “Your presence here must mean a great deal to him. Thank you for coming.”
“I hardly know Omega Kadan. But we share an unusual… connection. And I’m trained in healing as well. A different set of skills than those you possess, but they can be equally effective.”
Galen stepped back. “Please. Do not let me keep you from your work any longer.” He headed out of the tent, then stopped at the doorway. “I will be nearby, ready to help in any way I can. Cadet Solymus will stand guard outside the door.” He sighed. “Forgive my poor manners. Would you like food? Drink? Solymus will bring you whatever you desire.”
“Nothing, thank you.” She turned away, his presence already forgotten. Kadan needed every ounce of her concentration if she were to help him.
Maia sat down on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes. Emptying her mind, she began breathing slow and deep. Filling her lungs. Drawing the energy of the Universe into her body with every breath. She let go and made herself one with the cosmos.
When she could see the waves of light dancing across her eyelids, she began. Running her hands over every inch of Kadan’s body, barely touching him. The lights changed. Yellow and green when she skimmed over healthy places. A dark burgundy color where he had old injuries. She sensed broken bones, long ago healed. Torn ligaments knitted seamlessly together. The battlefield medics show real skill. The thought intruded, halted the almost-unconscious movements of her hands.
She took another deep breath and began again. Immediately the lights turned bright red. Red and hot. She sent a steady pulse of healing energy through her palms and into her fingertips, running them delicately back and forth over the fresh wound.
Following her instincts, she lingered for an extra beat where the lights flashed, a sign his injury was deeper there. She’d learned early on to read the lights. Every Healer had her own signals. Some heard sounds. Some sensed vibrations. Others felt pain or discomfort in their own bodies when they touched their patients.
Maia knew his wound needed more attention, but she moved on. Thanks to Galen’s laser treatment, he wasn’t bleeding internally and she could come back to it later. Her skills were only as powerful as her own ability to channel healing energy and she didn’t want to exhaust her reserves. Kadan’s head injury could require an extended session. She’d have no idea how severe it was until she opened herself fully to him. Once she did, she might need to summon up every ounce of strength she had to send powerful healing waves of light deep into his brain.
Her hands slid to his bare chest, over his heart. The beat was erratic, labored like his breathing, as his heart struggled to keep his organs alive on a depleted supply of blood. She took a deep breath and shot a bolt of energy from her body to his. He went limp for a moment, then she heard his heart beating, slow and steady.
Eyes still closed, she ran her hands up higher. Across the strong square line of his jaw. He’d been clean-shaven when she saw him last, but now running her fingertips over a day-old growth of prickly masculine beard sent a little shiver all the way to her core. She traced the hollows below his cheekbones. His face was lean, stripped of every ounce of softness. Except for his eyes. They were soft when they looked at you over dinner the other night. Soft and warm—until they turned dark with lust when his finger dipped into your dripping wet pussy.
Ruthlessly, she purged the memory. She concentrated on the lights as her palms ran over his eyelids. But she couldn’t resist stroking a stray lock of hair back into place when she reached his forehead.
She jerked as their minds melded, then tried to shut the connection down, horrified, as his subconscious took her to the battlefield of his nightmares.
* * *
Kadan groaned, then groaned again.
The first, a sound of pain. Every time he felt himself drifting toward consciousness, his body protested. Sought the darkness once again, where the simple act of breathing didn’t send spears of agony shooting into his lungs.
The second was different. The pain was still there, but bearable now, thanks to the distraction his cock presented. Stiffening, pulsing, under the pressure of a soft hand running over it. He groaned again with raw need, feeling his balls begin to swell.
He opened his eyes a crack, just enough to catch a blurred glimpse of a female form rising from his bed. Even barely conscious, his lightning-quick reflexes kicked in. One hand shot out and caught her wrist in an iron grip. He heard a startled cry, bitten off, as he trapped the errant hand, drawing it back down and curling the fingers solidly around his girth.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” he muttered. “You’ll not be waking this warrior from a sound sleep, toying with my manhood, then backing away, all innocence. You’ve got it hot and hard, just as you wanted. Now finish the job, wench. Keep going until I drench you with my seed. Hands, mouth, pussy—use whichever you choose.” He laughed, a low rumble deep in his chest. “Or give me the choice and I’ll take all of them.”
He ran his palm up and down the length of his cock, taking the softer, smaller hand with it. He tried to force his lust-filled mind to concentrate, but he couldn’t remember where he was. Or, more important at the moment, who she was. Likely a buxom tavern maid he’d been toying with before having one drink too many. The brazen little wench must have slipped into his bed after he passed out. Surely he’d remember if they’d fucked.
No. He couldn’t have fucked her. His manhood wouldn’t be straining for release right now if he had. His balls wouldn’t be swollen and aching. But by all the gods, he’d been a fool not to. Even with his eyes closed, he was wildly attracted to her. It was her scent. Strangely familiar. The musky aroma of hot pussy with an exotic edge to it, like a spice that tasted mild at first but carried an addictive explosion of sweet heat.
He pumped his hips up, grinding against her hand, and felt her fingers tighten around him. Oh, yes. Gods, yes. His breathing quickened. Another white-hot stab of pain hit his lungs at the same time his brain finally identified the scent.
Kadan couldn’t say which one shocked him back to full consciousness. Hoarfrost hell! His lungs felt as though they’d been punctured with shards of ice chiseled from the old witch’s temple walls. But he knew that scent. It had been gradually penetrating his subconscious, dragging him up from the depths. That—and the little vixen’s hot hand roaming over his manhood as he slept.
He forced himself to take shallow breaths and locked eyes with the female whose hand was still caught under his. Fingers trapped around his cock.
“Maia.”
She tried to slide her hand out from under his but his grip tightened a little. Her eyes flickered wildly around the room and a blush rose to her cheeks.
“Omega Kadan. You… you’re awake.”
His palm took hers on a languid journey up and down the rigid length of his cock. “So it would appear.”
“Please…” She struggled to pull her hand away. “You’ve been gravely injured. You need to rest.”
He made her stroke him again. “And this is your way of seeing I get that rest?”
She looked as though she’d burst into tears of embarrassment any second. “I’m sorry. Please, forgive me. I shouldn’t have… touched you that way.”
Proud, haughty Maia. The woman of his dreams, who’d sworn she wasn’t attracted to him. He was enjoying her discomfort so much, he nearly forgot about the pain.
“Touched me what way?” He used the tip of one finger to trace around her hand, then pistoned it up and down his length a few times. “You mean this way?”
“Yes. I mean no. I mean…”
“Say it, Maia. Say it and I’ll let you go… for now. Say you want me as much as I want you. Say you’ve dreamed of me. Felt me inside you, pulsing hot and hard, like I am right now.”
“Yes, damn it! Yes. I’ve had visions of you. Of us. Wild, erotic visions that make me act like a wanton woman. Make me long to touch your cock. Caress it and stroke it, until it grows stiff and hot.”
His voice dropped but his hand kept moving. Taking hers with it to fondle and tease his rigid length. “And then what do you do, Maia? In those visions of us?”
Her fingers fluttered, teasing the head of his cock. She lifted her head and met his gaze boldly, her dark eyes flashing with heat.
“I lift my skirt and climb on top of you. Lower myself over your raging hard cock until it’s grazing the lips of my pussy.”
“And then?”
“And then you take over. Grab my waist with both hands and hold me in place while you thrust upward. Bury yourself inside me with one powerful surge of your hips.”