Darkside Blues: SciFi Alien Romance (Dark Planet Warriors Book 4.5) (11 page)

Kalan snorted. “They are impeccably dressed, impossibly polite, and armed to the teeth. They watch us like Pangarian bloodcrows, even though they try to hide it behind a refined veneer.”

“But we are not the prey,” Nythian said dryly, raising an eyebrow. “If they understand anything about us, they should know that.”

Inwardly, Zyara rolled her eyes. It was typical male talk, although these three possessed the muscle to back it up. Underneath their dark Kordolian robes, the three warriors concealed enough weaponry to outfit a small mercenary group. Human speed, reflexes, and guns were no match for what the Kordolians were packing.

There was something about being followed around by one’s own personal guard that was both reassuring and stifling. Zyara sat back in her chair and removed her dark glasses and the wide hat she’d borrowed from Sera. Earth’s deserts were harsh and unforgiving to a light-sensitive species like the Kordolians.

As if on cue, a robot appeared with a tray laden with tall glasses of iced water.

How perfectly considerate. Zyara gratefully accepted a glass as the three Kordolian warriors turned their heads, their attention diverted.

The doors slid open to reveal Kainan. He nodded towards the warriors, but his eyes were on Zyara in an instant.

She froze, the glass threatening to slip from her fingers.

He was as sharp as a blade and as cool as the drink she held in her hand. He consumed her with his gaze, his dark eyes missing nothing as she returned his stare.

He was Human perfection, and he made no effort to conceal his interest in her.

 
“Welcome back,” he said, his deep voice coiling its tendrils around her as she drank in his delicious appearance. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was a study in monochrome, his black jacket providing an austere contrast to the crisp whiteness of his undershirt. He walked into the room with long, silent strides. His movements spoke of carefully restrained power.

Zyara could deny it no longer. She was attracted to this man.

She didn’t know whether he was a villain or a noble sort, but she suspected he was somewhere in-between.
 

She wanted to find out for certain. She wanted to know what secrets lay beneath his cool, composed exterior.
 

“So, Zyara. How may I be of service? I’m assuming you’re not just here to say hello, although that would also please me.” His lips quirked upwards in a suggestion of a smile.

The three First Division warriors were watching Zyara carefully. She fought to keep her expression neutral, even though her heart was hammering and a strange tension had filled her chest.

“You will not speak like that to our medic, Human,” Kalan growled, his fingers twitching as if he were somehow tempted to reach for a weapon.

“You misinterpret my intentions, Kordolian,” Kai retorted, walking across to a glass cabinet. He retrieved a bottle of amber liquid and a low glass. As he poured himself a drink, he shared an intimate glance with Zyara, and for a moment, it was as if they were the only ones in the room. He didn’t offer anything to the Kordolians. “I don’t tolerate disrespect in my house, and I have nothing but the highest regard for Zyara.” Glass in hand, he walked across sat down in a high-backed chair. “Now, I understand she has some business to discuss with me, so I will ask that you grant us a private moment.”

Zyara had to admire the balls on this guy. He’d allowed three fully armed elite Kordolian warriors to walk into his house as if they were favored guests. Surely he knew what they were capable of. And now he was asking them to leave her alone with him?

Rykal let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “You think we’re going to trust you with our medic, Human? There are no secrets here. Whatever you have to say, you can say with us around. Don’t worry, we don’t bite.” The warrior bared his fangs as he spoke.

Kai responded with the coldest smile Zyara had ever seen. “My house, my rules.”

Kalan, Rykal, and Nythian were staring at him, their faces as hard and ominous as the barren plains of the Vaal. Zyara was about to intervene before things got violent, but Kai held up a hand. “Relax, soldiers. With the three of you on the premises I would be a fool to try anything.” He shot Zyara an appreciative glance. “Besides, do you really think she wouldn’t be able to hold her own against me?”

Zyara glared back at him, both annoyed and flustered. She was tired of these males speaking on her behalf, and she was half-tempted to ask the three Kordolians to stay, just to teach Kai a lesson.

He shouldn’t make such assumptions, even though he was right.

Arrogant, infuriating man.

But before she could say anything, Kalan was rising to his feet. “Very well,” he growled, regarding Kai with an odd sort of curiosity. “We will play nice, for now. But try anything stupid, and you’ll answer to me.” He smiled, revealing his pointed fangs. “Trust me, if you try anything, we’ll know about it.”

Kai raised a dark eyebrow but said nothing as the three warriors left the room. Zyara rolled her eyes. Typical overprotective males. They were so used to seeing threats in every corner of the Universe. They treated everyone and everything as an enemy until proven otherwise.

A small part of Zyara wished she could be free of her Kordolian entourage, even just for a day. She wanted to explore every part of this fascinating planet called Earth.

Humans were thought of as weak and technologically primitive by the rest of the Nine Galaxies, but their culture was complex and brilliantly flawed.

They had learned to create beauty amongst the ugliness of their existence.

She became aware of the silence. It stretched between them as Kai watched her, a slight smile playing across his lips.
 

“I didn’t think you’d return so soon,” he murmured at last, breaking the tension. He raised his glass to his lips, savoring his amber drink. Zyara caught a faint whiff of alcohol mixed with something masculine and woody. Beneath the dark sleeve of his jacket, she caught a flash of something crimson on his white cuff.

Human blood?

As Kalan had said, these people were violence wrapped up in an aesthetically pleasing package.

“I didn’t expect to be back so soon,” Zyara replied, “but I need to call in that favor.”

“Anything for you,” Kai murmured, leaning back in his chair. He was still looking at her like
that
. His piercing black gaze did funny things to her. “Tell me what you need, and I will deliver.”

Zyara crossed her legs as her arousal flared. “I need something called
Simavir
, and I need it fast. Can you get it for me?”

“What is it?” He took another sip of his drink, his sensual lips curving around the rim of the glass.

Even as Kai drove her to distraction, Zyara’s hopes of a speedy resolution dimmed. If he didn’t even know what
Simavir
was, then how was he supposed to obtain it quickly? Perhaps she had overestimated his influence on Earth.

“It’s a drug. A treatment for a rare disease. I need it within the next day.”

“Ah.” Kai’s expression turned distant, his gaze becoming unfocused. It happened for just a moment, so quickly that Zyara wondered whether she was imagining things. It was as if he’d disappeared and gone somewhere else.

Then he was back, dark intelligence glimmering in his eyes. “If it’s made on Earth, I can get it on the black market. Won’t take more than a few hours to source it through my connections. But I want something from you in exchange.”

“I didn’t realize there were strings attached to your favor,” Zyara said tersely. This conversation wasn’t going the way she’d anticipated, even though Kai seemed so certain he could obtain this mysterious substance.

“Quite often I decide to attach ‘strings’ to things,” he said. “That is how we survive in Darkside.” Although his words were cold, his smile held warmth. “I seek an advantage in everything, and right now, I want something from you. On Earth, everything comes at a price. Is that not how things are on your planet, Kordolian?”

“Culturally, it’s not our habit to say one thing when we mean another. We are known for our directness. I have no time for games, Human. Just tell me what you want.”
 

Kai’s smile widened. “But I’m being honest with you now, aren’t I? How much do you want your
Simavir
, Zyara? Enough to barter with me?”

Zyara shook her head in exasperation. This Human was difficult to read, and she didn’t know whether his intentions were good or bad. Based on the way he was looking at her, she suspected his desires had something to do with her.

She wasn’t used to this. On Kythia, no male would dare toy with her. She was the daughter of a Noble House.

 
“I could force you to comply,” she growled. “We Kordolians also have a habit of taking what we want.” The First Division would back her up if she asked them to. They would not hesitate to answer Human resistance with threats and violence.

That was what they were good at.

“But you won’t,” Kai said, full of confidence. “Not when you hear me out.”

“Oh?” She wondered how he could be so sure of himself. “And what could you possibly what from me?”

“Time.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t you ever get tired of existing in that small desert enclave of yours?”

“I go where I’m posted. I’m not a pampered Noble. I’ve seen harsher planets than Earth, believe me.”

“You have never known the guilty pleasures of indulgence, have you?”

Zyara laughed. She couldn’t help it. The man had no idea what it meant to be female in Kythian society. “You don’t know anything about me, and yet you have the gall to assume such things?”

“All I see is you being constantly surrounded by hyper-vigilant minders. You won’t ever
really
get to experience Earth if you carry on like that.”

“The Universe is a dangerous place.” Zyara shrugged, trying not to reveal her annoyance. Because he’d hit a nerve. She’d had her first taste of true freedom, and she wanted more.

Kai set his drink aside and leaned forward, his hands clasped together, his brow slightly wrinkled. For the first time, Zyara saw beyond his unflappable exterior.

“All I’m asking is that you spend some time with me, Zyara. Let me take you out and spoil you.”

“You want to… take me out?”

“The old-fashioned term for it is a
date
, but yes, I want to do exactly that. Leave your minders behind and let me show you what Darkside is all about.” He said it with such earnestness that Zyara was seriously tempted.

“I’m not here to socialize.”

“But you want to, don’t you? Just indulge me for one night, Zyara, and then you will have your
Simavir
.”

Hells, he was like the Dark God Kaiin, tempting her into the Underworld. Before she left, she’d spoken with Abbey about these people, these
gangsters
.

As an outsider, she was safe in Darkside, but that didn’t mean Kai and his sort were to be trusted.

Don’t agree to anything without knowing exactly what’s at stake
, Abbey had told her.

Zyara feared she was about to go against that advice, all for a couple of Human children who had no relationship to her whatsoever.

Perhaps she was going mad.

She was falling under the Human spell, just like the General and the rest of the First Division.

What was this power these strange creatures held over them?

Being on Earth did something strange to all of them. It
changed
them.

Zyara took a sip of her drink, trying to quell the heat rising in her body. It started in her belly and coiled its way up into her chest and down into her core. She fought to hold onto logical thought. “There’s no way they’d agree to let me go with you. Are you out of your mind?”

Kai smiled. “It’s up to you to convince them. Rest assured that while you’re in my territory, no harm will come to you. I watch every inch of the North Ward, and my people are everywhere.”

She remained silent, studying him, noting the grazes on his knuckles, the gleaming gold of his serpent-shaped ring, and the sliver of brightly colored ink that appeared just underneath the perfectly pressed, crimson-stained white cuff of his shirt.

His smile widened. “Let me take care of you. You know you want to, Zyara.”

She sighed. “Why are you so insistent, Human?”

“I think you know why.” His gaze softened, becoming almost tender. A gentle laugh escaped him as he shook his head. “The Master of the North Ward grants you an unconditional favor and you use it to do something completely selfless. I can’t have that. Not on my turf. Not after what you’ve done for me and my clan.”

“I need that medicine, Kai.”

“Oh, you will have it, Zyara, if you agree to my terms.” He held out a hand.
 

Zyara hesitated, before placing her hand in his. She remembered this Human gesture, this
handshake
.

“Deal?”

“Very well,” she agreed. His hand was rough and warm and only slightly larger than her own. His grip felt good. Solid. Strong.

Human.

“Then it’s agreed. A date.” Kai’s smile radiated warmth. It was as if the man before her was an entirely different person to the one who had walked into the room.
 

An electric thrill coursed through Zyara as she looked into his eyes. But if Kai made her a little giddy inside, she didn’t show it. Zyara was an expert at concealing her emotions. In her line of work, composure was vital. “So what now, Master of the North Ward?”

“First, call off your wolves. You are amongst friends here. I will give you some time to prepare while I attend to my work, and when the sun disappears, we will hit the streets. I think both of us prefer the night.”

Zyara nodded, hiding her flutter of anticipation as she wondered what in Kaiin’s Hells she had just gotten herself into.

A date with a Human.

Or was it something more than that? Why did she feel as if things would never be the same after tonight?

And why did that thought make her feel so good?

As a flurry of heated thoughts entered Zyara’s head, Kai stood and retrieved something from a hidden drawer. “I think this is yours,” he said, holding out her black Callidum dagger, the one she’d dropped last night. He offered it as if it was an exotic flower.