His Carnal Need (Xylon Warriors 2) (3 page)

The internal damage was too intricate and severe. The best he could do was hold his own, and not even that anymore without the stimulant. Unable to resist his submissive position, she caressed his butt cheek.

Nice. Strong.Worthy of a woman’s touch. She wondered how Erik’s would compare.

He stiffened slightly, then chuckled. “You might not want to do that, unless you’re prepared for the consequences.”

Her pulse jumped, and she jerked her hand away. Touching a patient sexually during treatment went against Xylon’s medical code of ethics. “Sorry.” She stepped back. She obviously still needed a sexual release of some sort. Damn the party, and Erik’s presence hadn’t helped. “You’re all done.” She turned to dispose of the needle.

He slid his pants up. “Thanks. Have you told anyone about this?”

“About the injections? No.”

“Braden would pull me from missions if he knew. He’s already thinking about it, because of my headaches. I couldn’t stand reassignment to research and training. You will keep our secret, won’t you?”

“I don’t have a choice. The Council wouldn’t approve of the use of an experimental drug on a Warrior.

They’d remove my ranking, if they found out.”

Kam frowned. “I’m sorry. I put you in this situation. I know what you’re doing could cost your authorization status. Let’s arrange this situation where you’re not involved anymore. Give me some prongs and formula. If caught, I’ll say I stole the medicine and have been injecting myself.”

“No one’s going to believe you, given XT-66 isn’t a drug we supply for general Warrior use. It’s specific for your biology. I made the decision to create, administer, and test these injections, not you. I knew what I was involving myself in. It’s getting harder to keep private though. Erik has already noticed we’re spending a lot of time together.”

“I didn’t realize. What’s he think we’re doing?”

“Fucking.”

At her response, Kam nearly choked. He coughed to clear his throat. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting you to say that.” When she said nothing further, a concerned look entered his eyes. “I’ll fix it.”

“No need. It works in my favor, actually.”

He cocked his head, then leaned back against the lounger and crossed his arms. “He wants you, Leila, and for more than just a fast fuck, unlike some others I’ve seen hovering around you lately.”

“He wants any woman who will spread her legs. Sex is all he ever thinks about.” As many Warriors did these days. Even though their society revolved around physical joinings, Xylon seemed overly obsessed with the activity, in her opinion.

“That’s not true, and you know it. At least, he’s not like that anymore. You can trust him. Erik sometimes speaks before he thinks.” When she arched an eyebrow, he amended, “Well, more than just sometimes, but he’s a good man. With a good heart.”

She shook her head. “He’s too aggressive.” Even though that was exactly what she craved, deep down.

“I couldn’t relax with him. I need a different sort of man. Someone more like…you, maybe.” Kam was such a gentle soul, most of the time. He never demanded more of her than she wanted to give. As such, she knew she could control him. She’d never be able to control Erik.

“Is that an invitation?” A smile tugged at his lips. “Is that why I got the extra special treatment here in your quarters?”

“Maybe. What do you think?” Mixing sex with friendship often drove a relationship right over the edge to destruction. She’d hate to lose Kam as a friend.
But I need sex.
She shifted uncomfortably.

He uncrossed his arms and glanced at the remote sensor strapped to his wrist. The small device displayed readings from the mood sensor clipped to his belt. “I think you just want Erik to think you’re fucking someone on a regular basis, hoping he’ll leave you alone.” His eyes met hers. “Or maybe you’re overstimulated from the party, and from Erik. And you’re looking for someone to ease your sexual tension. A substitute.” When she pulled her gaze from his, a slow smile crossed his face. “Or am I completely wrong on all points here, and you’re finally seeking a breeder-mate?”

She turned her back. “I’m not interested in mating with anyone. Not to breed. Not yet.” The thought of being bound to someone, especially someone who might expect submission made her shudder. However, she could never respect a man who allowed her to dominate. Bound forever to someone she didn’t love or respect… An intolerable thought indeed.

Eventually, Xylon’s Council would insist she mate for the good of their society, to help repopulate their numbers. Not many breeders remained. And predestined breeder-mates, those who experienced special, erotic visions of their future prior to being bound together, were even rarer. She feared her fantasies, those she refused to accept as anything else, were actually just that—those rare visions. If so, it meant she and Erik would eventually join and mate for life, no matter her wishes. She chewed on her thumbnail.

The Council had been patient and understanding with her up to now, but their patience wouldn’t last forever. She needed to heal her damaged psyche, so she could move on with her life, minus this overwhelming, psychological weight she carried. Maybe then she could even indulge her true sexual desires without fear.

“I’m not what you need, Leila. Believe me. Erik cares about you. Give him a chance. He’d never hurt you. Not intentionally anyway. We both know what you’ve been through. Getting involved with a dominant male and having a good experience would help you get past things.”

She spun back around, not believing how simply he presented the solution. “Get past things! I can’t just get past things. And don’t tell me what I need.” The vehemence in her voice made her cringe. He’d hit too close to the truth, for her own thoughts had drifted in much the same direction lately. “Sorry.” She lowered her tone. “What’s done is done. I don’t intend to cower in the corner and whine about it the rest of my life. But I have to deal with it in a way that doesn’t make me crazy.” She would decide when and how to move on, nobody else. “That’s just the way it is, Kam.”

He strode forward and wrapped her in his arms. “If I could change what happened to you, I would. Erik would, too. Your Initiation Rite should have been an erotic, satisfying experience. Not a time of torture and degradation.”

Though a strong, caring, and probably a sexually safe man, Leila still stood stiffly against him, unable to totally accept his tender gesture. She couldn’t give in to her emotions, any more than she could give in to her darkest desires. If she did, she feared she’d crumble completely.

The ceremony to prepare her body for breeding had scarred her for life, literally and figuratively.

Nobody knew about her physical scars, except the trio who had caused them, along with Xylon’s former leader. And only a handful knew about her emotional scars. Her team had found out about her atypical experience when a video recording of the rite had surfaced during a mission.

She’d learned to live with what had happened to her as best as she could. Consequently, she avoided sex, except when her need grew so great that she couldn’t ignore the cravings. In those times, she chose a male who she could control and who would give her a mild release, just enough to quell the desire for more. Easy. Clean. And taken care of. Not overly satisfying, but better than nothing. She glanced up at Kam. He would fill that need perfectly. If only he were willing.

His eyes locked with hers. “I see your thoughts, Leila. I don’t need my sensor to tell me what you’re feeling right now. You don’t conceal your emotions well. Just because I’m a nice guy most of the time, doesn’t mean I will let a woman control me. I know that’s what you look for sexually.”

Disbelief filled her, and she gaped at his words. “How did you know what I—”

“Warriors talk. At least some of them who’ve indulged you have.”

Damn males. None of them could keep their mouths shut. A Warrior who took a submissive position during sex shouldn’t brag about it. If she could satisfy herself, something she’d never been able to manage very well, she’d turn her back on the whole lot of them. “Certainly, you could submit with the right woman.”

His hand drifted down to her ass, and he squeezed one fleshy mound through the barely there material.

“Not a chance. Don’t for a moment underestimate what I might demand from a woman. My needs might surprise and even shock you.”

When Kam again squeezed her ass, and then glided his fingers down her crack while murmuring something in her ear about “a good ass fuck”, she pushed his hand away and stepped back. Better not chance getting involved in something she wasn’t yet ready to handle.

His vid-cell beeped, breaking the tension between them. Even so, he continued staring at her, his gaze raking her body, through the next three beeps, before he took the transmission. He disconnected after only a moment. “Braden wants me in the Council Chamber. You need to come, too.”

“The mission to Marid?”

“Yes. He’s ready to put together the team.”

A mission. And an important one. She knew she rated as an automatic member this time. She looked forward to it. Anything was better than dwelling on personal matters that others couldn’t even begin to understand, no matter how hard they tried. “Let’s go.”

* * * * *

Halah stared at the accommodations prepared for her soon-to-be prisoners. A communal bed, good enough for slaves, sat in the corner. Pillows and extra blankets covered the hard floor. A private area to bathe, more than most slaves enjoyed, was located conveniently through a side door. They’d be captured within a few days, and become her responsibility. The place and time were set.

She’d finally managed to attain enough credits to qualify for slave ownership, if she so wished for a personal stable. Still, she knew the Egesa Slave Masters watched her closely, not trusting her loyalty—the lowly creatures.

She hated what she’d gotten herself into, but changing the past wasn’t possible. She had to live with her choices.

At least one woman would be among the captured. The Healer. Then, she suspected anywhere from one to three additional slaves. She wondered if the Class 2 Warrior she’d battled on Earth would be one of them. Since their encounter, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind. She’d suggested his presence for this mission, knowing he and the Healer often worked together. She’d read the information in The Dome files. The massive amount of data Marid possessed about Xylon’s personnel astounded her.

The blond-haired Warrior occupying her thoughts helped tie her to a bed, but hadn’t taken advantage.

So noble. Tying him up, stripping him bare, and fucking him mercilessly held appeal, and she intended to indulge. She had the right to get a little fun out of this deal. If he wasn’t among the selected Warriors sent, perhaps she’d choose to play with another.

Getting to keep them as her slaves would be the challenge. They were considered enemies of Marid, more so than most Xylon Warriors.
If discovered, the Commanders will try to take them from me.
As their captor, keeping them was her right though. Even Marid’s leader couldn’t argue with his own law.

She hoped.

Regardless, whoever ended up as her prisoners, she’d treat them as she wished, not as ordered. Her treatment of them would be better than the poor enslaved who toiled in the mines or those who served as experimental patients for research. They should consider themselves lucky. By agreeing to help, she was doing them a favor.

She’d need to see to their safety and eventual escape, too, whether she liked the prearranged plan or not. The Warrior Leader held too much control over her to defy him. Her hand curled into a fist, a nervous reaction. If Marid’s Leader found out that she had betrayed The Dome, her life would be over.

She planned to be extra careful.

After completing this assignment, she would, in turn, finally get what she’d searched for over the past few years. Then she’d disappear to another star system and leave this entire life behind her. Maybe she’d even return to Earth. The planet, still primitive in comparison to Xylon and its moons, involved a simpler lifestyle. And Earth was free.

For now…

* * * * *

Leila settled in at the Council Chamber’s official table. Thirteen heavy chairs surrounded the large, wooden structure. Warriors occupied half the seats. During the last uprising from the banishment zones, many Council members had vanished, including their former leader, Laszlo, who’d led the Warriors for as long as she could remember. After his disappearance, Braden had taken charge. And he didn’t always do things as laid out by Council Law.

At the head of the table, he sat tall, looking strong and capable. His dark hair and violet eyes commanded attention. Alexa Sandor, his mate, now pregnant with twins, sat to his left. Erik sat to Braden’s right. Torque Koll, Braden’s brother, sat next to Erik.

Torque made her uncomfortable. His shoulder-length black hair, deep brown eyes that looked nearly black, and muscles that went on forever intimidated her to say the least. From the stories she’d heard, his badass looks went right along with a rebellious nature. They’d only worked together once, briefly, so she didn’t really know him, or know what to expect from him.

Kam sat beside Alexa. Their blond hair and blue eyes weren’t an identical match, but close enough. The half-Earth, half-Xylon woman was his half-sister, and the only super breeder remaining on Xylon. Leila sat next to Kam.

Tonight’s meeting consisted of a mixture of select Warriors and friends. Braden called these types of meetings for sensitive issues or missions that had already received Council approval, if a problem or special circumstance arose.

Braden cleared his throat, as he always did to start a meeting. “You all know from Kam and Leila’s research that a serious problem exists. The substance used in the first step of our Initiation Rite, to protect our people from poisons and diseases, is no longer effective. The Egesa somehow found a formula to combat the protective elements. Through sexual penetration, Marid Assassins, along with Commanders, can now sterilize our unbranded female breeders, which puts us in a vulnerable position.”