His Carnal Need (Xylon Warriors 2) (8 page)

Torque smiled from ear to ear. Erik punched him in the shoulder as he passed. “Ow.” Torque cringed, but didn’t retaliate. He just chuckled.

Leila’s mouth went dry. She hadn’t time to question what Erik meant by his words. Maybe he simply meant he’d take care of her sexually, but her soul felt his words emotionally. The blood rushed through her body so swiftly that she broke out in a sweat. She looked to Kam, her friend, for additional support.

She’d never heard of an Alliance of four. Though Braden would probably only watch.

“It’ll be all right,” Kam told her. “Get into bed.”

Unable to control herself, her body began to tremble, in excitement or fear, she wasn’t quite certain. She stumbled over to the bed.

Normally, Initiations took place in the Ceremony Room. The fact that they wanted to perform the rite in her quarters did make her less jittery. No video of the event would exist, and in her own surroundings, she felt more in control. Though she suspected, with these four, the control would really be all theirs.

Chapter Three

Leila leaned back against the headboard of her large, iron-framed bed. An orchid-colored sheet covered her body. Her private quarters. She never engaged in sex here, always preferring a neutral location with whoever ended up as her partner of choice. Not that she’d slept with a parade of men these past few years, barely any since her original Initiation. She could count the number on one hand. Still, her bedchamber had always remained solely hers, up to now.

Tonight would mark a change for many things in her life.

A while ago, Braden had dematerialized out. He hadn’t yet returned. He needed to get a special anal dildo for the second step of the Initiation. And Erik had requested some other specific items, but she wasn’t near enough to him when he’d asked to hear exactly what.

Her only Initiation experience was with her original ceremony. She’d never participated as part of an Alliance, so other than the sexual transfer of protective elements, she wasn’t certain what to expect from this group of men.

Across the room, Torque sat in a purple, overstuffed chair. His gaze roamed up and down her form, making her feel naked. She held the sheet tighter, as if that provided her with greater protection from him.

He looked at her in a way that sent sexual thrills, and at the same time, a good amount of sexual trepidation deep into her very core.

Earlier, Erik had left for the bath or living area. She hadn’t seen which door he went through. He’d looked troubled before he left, but hadn’t said anything. That worried her.

Kam, still here and hovering close, sat beside her. He’d temporarily put his pants back on, for which she was grateful, simply because she felt less vulnerable, given the situation. Xylon’s men, especially the Warriors, felt so comfortable with their bodies, they’d probably walk around unclothed all the time if allowed. Not that she would necessarily object, since most of them were quite handsome and solidly built.

She shifted under the sheet, trying to get more comfortable. Her nerves, still a bit on edge, prevented her from relaxing completely. But she’d be all right. She trusted these men, even Torque, regardless of his arrogance and intimidating presence, more than any others in The Lair. If she decided to give over control, these were the men to do it with.

“Everything’s transmitted to the records, including the images of your scars. Are you going to be all right with this, Leila?”

“Ask me after the Initiation is over.” She attempted a smile, but didn’t quite succeed. “Where’s Erik?”

“In the bathing room. I don’t think he’s handling your scars well. He feels responsible.”

“Responsible?” That made no sense. What could Erik be thinking? The man was a total enigma to her these days. Sometimes, he acted so cold. Other times, he burned hotter than a lava pit. And so often, he said things that made no sense to her. Now this. She never knew what to expect from him.

Somehow though, the unpredictability fueled her attraction to him—to this one Warrior she admired more than any other. He’d fought unselfishly for Xylon on many dangerous missions over the years, all without complaint or desire for reward. He was a true planetary hero to their people. To this day she wondered about the source of the internal struggle of emotions she often saw in his eyes, and it tugged at her heart. “It’s not like he was present when the abuse happened.”

“Well, actually, there’s news about that period of time that you’re not aware of. Braden and Erik might bust me for telling you, but we found out something after returning to Xylon with Alexa, and Braden took over control. The information appeared in Laszlo’s records.”

“What?” From the look on Kam’s face, she knew whatever they’d found wasn’t good.

“The Council chose Erik to lead your Alliance back when it originally took place.”

The blood rushed through her body like a tidal wave. She felt unsteady and unsure that she had even heard him correctly. If she were standing, she probably would have toppled over. “Erik?” Her voice broke. When Kam nodded, she turned nauseous. She forced herself to swallow several times just to keep her stomach from heaving.

Oh, how things could have differed if he’d participated in her Initiation. All the years of pain would never have occurred. One thing she did know about Erik, he’d never have beaten her, like those other three.

Nor would he have allowed her to be beaten by anyone in his presence. The news, like a stab to the heart, crushed her, and she fought hard to hold back tears. “What happened? Why didn’t he do it?” she whispered, wondering what had lured him away that dreadful night.

Recently, Erik had made it quite clear that he wanted her sexually. She wasn’t so sure about emotionally.

Back then his feelings must have been ambivalent, or even uninterested, on both points. Their entire history consisted of a love-hate relationship she’d always found strangely stimulating. Up until now.

“Leila, he didn’t know you were the initiate. I swear.”

She closed her eyes. So, at the time, he didn’t know. And now he did. Were his thoughts and feelings as troubled as hers? Most likely, if he now felt responsible, as Kam said. Her eyes opened, and she glanced toward the bathing room. Seemed she might not be the only one who needed some heartfelt healing from this painful ordeal.

* * * * *

Erik smashed his fist against the bathing wall, cracking one of the stones.
My fault. All my fucking,
damn fault.
He already felt guilty about Leila’s Initiation, and now she was scarred, probably for life, because of him.

She deserved better.

The marks on her back and ass, obviously caused by some strap applied excessively hard, made him sick. The horror she must have endured, he couldn’t imagine. He opened his fist and shook out his throbbing hand.

Nobody had realized that Rave, Shear, and Dare were going too far during Initiations. Video existed, but the new initiates had apparently been too intimidated by the trio to say anything. So the disks had never been reviewed. Until Laszlo, for reasons unknown to him, had watched Leila’s ceremony. Maybe the man was simply looking for a cheap thrill one night. Who knew? But afterward, he’d informed the Council, and those three monsters had been immediately banished.

Erik had tried to stay calm in the bedchamber for Leila’s sake, but the knowledge about what had happened to her tore him up inside. She was so beautiful, inside and out, despite her ravaged flesh. All the pain she’d gone through, and was still going through, could have been avoided. He felt like the biggest bastard ever. Maybe all the times she’d called him that in the past, she’d been correct. What he’d condemned her to hadn’t been on purpose, but it didn’t matter. The result ended the same.

He should have insisted on completing the Initiation, instead of going on that mission to Tamara. He’d been itching for an off-planet assignment and jumped when the opportunity had arisen.

The Council hadn’t informed him who the female initiate was, so he hadn’t thought twice about passing on the lead position in the rite to another Warrior. Even if he had known, he wasn’t sure what decision he’d have made.

Back then, he was more than a bit wild. Young and stupid, too, if he admitted the truth. And he’d thought any woman he wanted would fall at his feet, whenever he wanted. Even today, he rarely met with a refusal when he went on the prowl. Except with Leila—she was one special lady and didn’t fall for his lines. He was determined to capture her heart. He’d have to resort to the truth with her, and lay his emotions on the table. She wouldn’t accept anything less, and she deserved so much more.

When Laszlo had found out that the Initiation hadn’t gone as planned, he’d been angrier than Erik had ever seen him, even before he’d found out about the abuse, according to the date and notation in the file.

Maybe Braden was right, after all. Maybe Laszlo really was manipulating them, and even back then the man had wanted him and Leila involved for some reason. Whatever the truth, everything had turned into one big, fucking mess.

Braden had come across all the information in Laszlo’s records shortly after he’d taken control of The Lair. He, Braden, and Kam had always shared data whenever possible, and Braden had thought it important for him to know what he’d found.

None of them had known about her scars though. Braden wouldn’t permit viewing of the video and never watched it himself. Leila deserved that privacy, he’d said. Laszlo hadn’t noted her specific injuries in the files, only that he’d watched the rite, had seen physical abuse, and reported it.

Laszlo kept many secrets, it seemed.

Hearing a familiar voice from the bedchamber, his thoughts switched to another who kept secrets—Kam. No wonder Laszlo and Kam worked so well together. They were two of a kind.

Kam had always been a good friend, but each year he changed more and more, withdrawing into himself so much that Erik barely felt like he knew the man any longer. Kam’s actions tonight proved that once again.

Hewas the one who was supposed to initiate Leila with the dildo. Kam purposely arrived early to do it himself. His excuse of her needing a more tender touch didn’t fly with him. He knew how to show and give tenderness when needed. The man simply wanted a chance to fuck her. The discovery of Leila’s scars was the only thing that had stopped Kam. He should have ripped the guy’s head off, like he’d threatened, for overstepping the bounds already set down on how they were going to deal with her.

These last few years, so many changes and tragedies had plagued Xylon and its people. Sometimes he felt like taking off and never returning. Then he wouldn’t have to deal with the shit anymore. Though he looked at Braden like a brother, he had no real family here, no personal ties. Except his feelings for Leila.

He needed to decide one way or the other what he wanted to do with his life, and not look back.

Continuing to argue with himself in his head, he paced and grumbled.
Who are you kidding, Rhodes?

He had responsibilities. And he could never leave Leila, no matter what. He knew that above everything else. No further decision or thought was necessary.

He vowed right then to do anything and everything to protect her, to give her all the pleasure she’d missed out on, and see to it she felt secure and cared for. The idea of other men touching her didn’t sit well, but he’d be in control, directing the action, and if their combined efforts brought her more pleasure, all the better.

Braden’s argument about the necessity of the lot of them staying tonight seemed valid, he supposed.

Time would tell. Braden had signaled his wishes, and he’d finally, though reluctantly, agreed. She did need to be put through the entire ceremony again. He understood that. More so, she needed to break through this fear and mistrust during sex that she still harbored, or her life would be overshadowed by that fear from now on. For Xylons, sex was a major part of life. He wanted her to feel free to enjoy that sexuality. But he would be the one to decide how the others participated tonight. He’d do this for Leila.

Only for you.
He’d do anything.

* * * * *

Leila watched Kam walk past Torque on his way to the bathing room. She hoped he and Erik didn’t end up in another confrontation. She hated when they argued. Noticing that Torque seemed suddenly distracted, her gaze settled on the man. He was up to something.

She felt it, and that made her nervous.

Torque glanced over his shoulder and scooted toward the end of the chair. When Kam disappeared into the bathing room, he stood up and swung his gaze over to her. Their eyes locked, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

As he approached, she shrank back a little.
I knew it.
He wanted something all right, and she feared asking him aloud what, like she didn’t already know. The hungry look in his eyes gave him away.

“You’re frightened of me.”

His low, deep voice rumbled through her. “I’m wary.” With reason. As a trained Warrior, she could normally protect herself if necessary. But Torque was a Class 1, and a renegade, which made him more dangerous than simply any Xylon inhabitant. At least she knew Kam and Erik remained near, as long as they hadn’t dematerialized out. She wished they were still in view, so she could be certain.

“Why wary?”

“I’ve heard rumors.” To say the least. Some female Warriors gossiped endlessly after Joining Parties. Or maybe bragged was a better word. Torque almost always made it into the conversation. She couldn’t help but overhear the talk, from time to time.

“Sexual rumors?”

She nodded.

A huge smile crossed his face. “All true.”

Her pulse jumped. She’d expected a don’t-believe-everything-you-hear response. But Torque never responded as expected, from what little she did know about the man. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

“It wasn’t meant to.” His eyes darkened and grew more intense, turning almost black as he looked at her. “What you heard about me makes you hot. I see it in your eyes.”