PrimalHunger (15 page)

He pressed his wrist against her forehead. She was on fire.
Worry ate at him. He untied her boots. His change hadn’t been nearly as
violent. First one, then the other boot fell to the floor. He prayed to the
fates that he was doing the right thing.

“Kendra.” He soothed her with his touch, running his hands
down her back. Fingers slid under her shirt to stroke up her spine and down
again. Her shivers lessened. “Tell me what you need. You have to guide this.
Trust your instincts.”

“I need…” The words choked on a sob. “I need you inside me,
Azros. Please.”

He helped her pull off her uniform, brushing aside her
fingers when they fumbled over buttons. When she was naked, he tugged her hair
loose and fanned it against the dark coverlet. It looked like spun fire. He
kissed up her stomach.

Her fingers gripped his hair, dragging his head up. Feral
light, and a flash of Kendra’s personality glared down at him. “Fuck me. Now.”

It was the challenge that did it. The snarl on her lips. The
desperate need in her gaze. It opened the door to his own feral nature,
bringing the beast to the forefront.

He flipped her over and pulled her ass up. His cock brushed
the slick entrance to her cunt, sliding just inside. Liquid heat surrounded the
head. He groaned. She was going to burn him alive.

“Are you ready for me, mate?”

“Fate, yes. Don’t make me wait!”

Hands gripped her hips and he slammed deep. Her cunt
clenched him like a fist, and her cry was one he recognized as relief and
pleasure. Kendra spread her legs wider, curving her back to arch higher against
his cock.

His fingers dug into her hips. The unique scent of her
change surrounded them, making his heart pound in a primal rhythm. He fucked
her with a pace that left them both gasping. This was so much more than sex.
The walls of her pussy rippled around his dick and all thoughts shattered.

His voice was lost in the maelstrom of their wild abandon.
Only the sounds of her desperate cries and their flesh slamming together filled
the room. He wouldn’t last long at this pace, in this position. With iron will
he dragged together the last shreds of his control.

“Please. More. I need…” She choked on a sob. He pulled out
and flipped her to her side. He lifted her leg to press against his shoulder
while the other wrapped loosely around his waist. His dick slid against her
soaked entrance and stroked deep, and agonizingly slow. She was the sweetest
form of torture.

“No, don’t slow down!” She struggled against him,
fingernails digging deep into his forearms. A growl rose from his chest. She
arched, needing to move, and he pushed harder, trapping her.

He grinned. Control wavered. Sweat ran in rivulets all over
his body. “Not so fast, princess.” He used the title on purpose, following his
instinct.

A flash of sanity returned to her gaze. His thumb slipped
between them to flick her clit. She bucked against him. He did it again and her
cheeks flushed. Her mouth opened with a sweet sigh. “You’re so beautiful,
Desh’ra
.”
He ran his fingertips along her thighs. “Your body fits me perfectly.”

Her nails raked his arm. Pain and pleasure mixed in a potent
combination. He teased her clit without mercy. Her sweet cunt tightened and
rippled around him. He gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain control of his
body. “Fate, your pussy is so tight.” Her cries of pleasure grew louder, desperate.
The slow pace was killing him, killing them both.

He eased her leg off his shoulder to fall naturally around
his hips. She locked her legs around him and dragged his head down for a kiss
full of frantic lust.

Her fingertips caressed along his jawline. “Fuck me. Show me
how much you want me.” The words were whispered against his kiss. She nipped at
his lips and soothed with her tongue. Her gaze never wavered from his. There
was a dangerous glint to her eye, a challenging smile on her incredible lips.
“Make me come again.”

He slipped his arms beneath hers to grip her shoulders. The
new angle put pressure against her clit with every stroke. Her tight pussy
clenched him like a glove.

He fucked her with abandon. She arched against him with
every thrust, driving him deeper. Her nails raked down his back and her teeth
nipped at his shoulder. It was the most natural thing in the world for him to
open his mouth and bite the tender flesh where neck met shoulder.

Fangs pierced just inside the skin. She cried out, a mix of
pain and pleasure, gripping her fingers tightly in his hair to keep his mouth
against her flesh. His teeth felt strange, full of pressure. Her hands slid to
his shoulders, and another orgasm rolled through her body. The pressure in his
teeth released in a flood of liquid.

He pulled away to suck on the wounds. Warm blood mixed with
spicy essence unique to both him and Kendra. Fate. He’d released part of his
lambyre
.
He swiped his tongue against the wounds. She tasted even sweeter than he could
have imagined. Ambrosia. Heaven. His balls tightened, and the beast within
roared its success. His world tilted and their bond strengthened, locking them
together, baring his soul.

“Yes!” she cried out against his shoulder, biting him. “Bite
me again.” Unknowingly she opened her soul to him.

She was his. All his. He bit her again. They both lost
control. Her teeth nipped at his shoulder and he growled, pounding into her,
driving them both over the edge. He drew on the wound, the wash of her orgasm
making the blood richer, delicious. Perfect. A part of him wondered if it would
stay that way. Once the beast was unleashed, it could never be caged…or so they
say.

Chapter Eight

Kendra strode across the lab floor, icy awareness making
every shadow jump, every sound echo. The small room held a hodgepodge of
equipment. Some were pieced together with scraps and others were the best
money, and blood, could buy. Either way, the lab was the last place Kendra
wanted to be. Her fingers stung from the latest batch of lab work. She reached
the office of Doctor Kate Monroe, Destiny’s newest acquisition. Kendra ducked
her head in the doorway. Long brown hair fell around the young doctor’s
shoulders in soft waves. The woman was nose-deep in a microscope.

Kendra cleared her throat. “I was summoned, Dr. Monroe.”

She jerked away from the lenses and her pixie-like face
reflected confusion.

Kendra leaned forward. “You called for me? I’m Kendra St.
Thomas.”

“Yes! Kendra. Sorry. Go ahead and relax.” She shook her
head. “Destiny should be here soon, as well. Until then, why don’t you tell me
how this mating thing is going?”

Kendra clenched her teeth and leaned back against the wall.
She gave the room a cursory inspection. It was sparse, completely barren of
anything personal. The office consisted of one utilitarian desk, a viewing
screen across from it, and a super-something-or-other microscope that had cost
more credits than Kendra would see in a lifetime. Luckily the microscope had
come with the doc. “There’s not much to say. Did you find something?”

Dr. Monroe tilted her head. “You could say that.” She
gestured to the microscope. “This is a revolutionary discovery. Do you know
what the medical community would do to get their hands on this?”

“For your sake, let’s hope they never find out.” Destiny
spoke from the doorway of the office. “Good to see you out and about for a
change.” Her smile was warm and full of mischief. Her boss had often teased her
about lack of sex…now she was a regular addict. The hormone was taking over her
life. Azros had been…different after he bit her. Distant.

Kendra’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. “Yeah, well…we’re
lucky to go three hours without touching. I assume that’s why I’m here.” She
settled in a chair. “Did you figure out what’s going on with me?”

Dr. Monroe smiled. “I’ve found the catalyst for your
change.” She gestured to the microscope.

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense.” Destiny shut the office
door.

“It’s in his saliva.” Dr. Monroe looked in the lenses again.
“This is amazing!”

Kendra reminded herself that the doc wasn’t trying to drive
her insane. Doctor Kate Monroe was the best at what she did…molecular
biogenetic manipulation. She had three intergalactic bounties on her head to
prove it. The good doctor was moonlighting at the Palace until the heat
simmered down a bit. “What, exactly, is in his saliva?” Kendra wasn’t excited
that the doctor was thrilled.

“The hormone. An actual
mating
hormone.” She pulled
away from the microscope and put her glasses on.

“How do we stop it from affecting me?”

Doc Kate raised a finely arched eyebrow. “It’s too late for
that. The hormone has infiltrated your organ systems.”

“Which ones?” Destiny was quiet. Thoughtful.

“Every organ in her body.” Doc slid the glasses down her
nose and looked at Destiny. “I’ve compared the current scan to the one from the
day of onset. There is a staggering amount of the hormone in her body. It has
spread exponentially in a very short time.”

Dr. Monroe took off her glasses, leveling a sympathetic gaze
at Kendra. “I’ve compared three of your body scans. One from your last wellness
check, the one you took at the lab, and the one we took here. Every one of them
tells a story.”

With a remote, she brought images up on the viewing screen.
“I want you to pay attention to the progression of color among these scans. The
hormone is the light green you see.”

Kendra’s mouth grew dry as the desert. She cleared her
throat. The last scan looked like a bright map of green light. Every organ had
a green ring along the edge. Every part of her body. “What does this mean? Is
it fatal? Am I going to grow a second head or something?”

“I don’t think fatal is the word, but you will have it in
your system for the rest of your life. I’m not sure how far the changes could
go, but I’m sure a second head isn’t an issue.”

The joke fell flat. “The rest of my life? Is it going to
kill me?”

“No. It likely won’t kill you. As a matter of fact, it seems
to be strengthening your immune system. It’s the same hormone that flows
throughout the Valorian’s body. His scans show only a slight variation between
the lab scan and the one here. It’s a natural part of their mating cycle, I’ve
been told.”

“Is it transmitted by saliva only?” Destiny had remained
quiet for most of the earlier exam.

“Well, saliva is the only body fluid sample I have. My
assumption would be no, but without further samples all I have is speculation.”

“Is it contagious?” Destiny looked as worried as Kendra
felt.

“No.” The doctor shook her head and stared at the screen in
fascination. “It’s truly unique to the exposed individual. I’ve heard rumors of
them, but have never seen…” Her voice trailed off and her expression took on
the same wandering gaze her mother and father had once fallen prey to.

A painful knot of emotion lodged in her throat. “Doc. What
else is it doing to my body?”

Dr. Monroe blinked and shook her head. Excitement radiated
from the doctor. “Races keep this process a secret. For the Valorians, survival
of the species actually relies on this process.”

Destiny’s expression hardened. “You were right.”

Being right never tasted so much like dirt. Kendra clenched
her teeth until she got her temper under control. “Is it changing me?”

“We can’t be sure.” She put on her glasses and pointed to
the screen. “It’s settling in heavy doses around your reproductive system, and
infiltrating every part of your brain. You can see concentrated levels in the
parts of your brain that deal with healing, growth and ultrasensory
perception.” Her gaze zeroed in on Kendra. “Have you noticed changes in your
senses? Smelling keener, hearing improved, strength increasing?”

Kendra swallowed. The damn hormone was changing
her,
altering her body. It took two tries to speak. “I have moments of increased
sensory awareness. Smell, touch, hearing, even taste is affected.”

“We’re going to need to track the mutations all the way
through. What other changes have you noticed?”

Mutations.
That sounded ominous. Kendra huffed out a
breath. “My sex drive seems to go into overkill the moment I catch his scent.”

“What scent is that?”

“That spicy, intriguing…” They were both looking at her as
if she’d lost her mind. “You can’t miss it, guys. It’s very hard to ignore.
Wait a minute, does it affect others?”

“I didn’t notice a scent when I did his scan. Did you,
Destiny?”

“No.”

“This is interesting. Did you always notice his scent, or
was it gradual?”

“I don’t know. It’s just a certain scent I noticed. I can’t
tell you when.”

“What triggers it?”

“Every time we get hot for each other, it surrounds me, but
he always has it.”

Kendra looked from the doctor to Destiny. “I notice it all
the time. You guys haven’t?” Destiny shook her head. “It was intense on the
skiff before we hit port. You had to notice it.”

Destiny tilted her head. “Jackson also mentioned an odor,
but that it came from you. Kind of spicy. It affected him the same way Azros
affects Kendra, but I didn’t notice anything. He said it faded.”

“Great. So what, is this some kind of animal mating scent or
something?” Kendra rubbed at her gritty eyes. She needed sleep in the worst
way. Too much crap had happened in the past forty-something hours. Not to
mention the rough week she’d dealt with before that.

“Kendra?”

A snap of the doc’s fingers jerked her out of her thoughts.
She shook her head. “What?”

The doctor sat on the edge of her chair and gazed at Kendra
the way a bio student assessed a toad before dissection. It did nothing to
relieve her tension. “It’s possible that it’s designed to draw a mate. The
question is which came first, the hormone change or the ability to sense it? If
exposure causes the mating cycle, this should be easy enough to control. If
it’s the other…” She let the sentence trail off.