PrimalHunger (8 page)

“Yes, and thankfully short-lived. It cut too much into the
corporate bottom line.”

She nodded. Destiny’s arrival to the surface had been from
the border war fallout. “So we understand each other then.”

“No pressure for a permanent arrangement. Just a week of
intense sex. You can handle that, right?”

“I’m not interested in anything else.” He was grinning at
her in a way that set her senses on hyperawareness.

“That’s good.” There was a dangerous glint to his eye.

Sex was as close to safe as she could get with this man. It
would be all she could have. His thigh muscles bunched as though ready to spring.
If she ran, he’d give chase. Why did that make her spine tingle in excitement?
She edged around him to the door.

“How much longer until we move out?”

Her gaze was drawn to the lengthening bulge under his pants.
Answering warmth tingled between her thighs. “Three hours until nightfall.
We’ll move out then.” Her hand touched the door.

His gleaming fangs ratcheted her heart rate up a notch.
“Whatever will we do with our time?” His hands lowered to his sides and
clenched in anticipation. Muscles rippled across his chest.

She was definitely crazy. “There are some amazing hot
springs deeper in the facility.”

“Think you’ll make it there before I catch you?” Sexual
awareness crackled between them like lightning.

“I have the advantage of knowing this place like the back of
my hand.”

“Oh?” He prowled closer. “Are you able to run?” His
concerned expression touched a part of her she’d thought long dead.

“Easily.” She rolled up to the balls of her feet and made
sure. No discomfort or tightening of the tendons and muscles. “The shots are
always effective enough. I’ll be good for quite some time.”

“You should know I’m a very good hunter.”

“I’m no easy prey. You may find the tables turned.”

He laughed and gave her a knowing look. A shiver slid down
her spine at the possessive way he watched her. Her lust was going to burn her
alive.

Her mouth grew dry. “This is just sex.”

His smile was shy of dangerous, and a feral gleam shone in
his eyes. “Just sex.” He braced his hands behind him on the exam table, and
Kendra was distracted by the play of muscles across his chest. “Kendra. You
should run.”

He didn’t have to tell her twice. She slammed the door out
of her way and sprinted down the hall to the lounge. She spun around. Azros’
anticipatory smile was the last thing she saw before she palmed the door shut.
She engaged the lock and laughed, turning on her heel and racing across the
room. Excitement and anticipation added an edge of danger that sent her senses
spiraling higher. The Valorian would be interesting to spar with.

There were several ways to the springs. She had no doubt
he’d find his way there. The only thing she had to worry about was being
caught. She hit the stairwell and raced down. Humidity blanketed the air as she
continued to the lower caverns.

This was the second time she was letting the Valorian give
chase. “You’re completely insane, St. Thomas.” She blew out a breath and palmed
open the sub-floor door. It gave way with a puff of air pressure. The strong
scents of combined minerals pressed against her in a humid wash. Sweat
slickened her skin.

“Are you a strong hunter, Kendra?” His voice shocked her.

How did he get down here so fast?
She dropped to a
knee and scanned the hewn rock tunnel paths for signs of movement. Nothing. The
hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She could feel it, the itch behind
the eyes that told her she was being hunted.
Really
hunted. Kendra moved
quickly from tunnel to tunnel, staying to the shadows.

“You have to use all of your senses
Desh’ra
.” He’d
called her that once before. What did it mean? “The mating makes all of us more
aware of our surroundings. Inhale deeply. Draw the scents in and let them roll
around on your tongue.”

Kendra caught herself doing just that. She inhaled slowly,
dragging the scents across her tongue.

“Think about each individual taste.” His voice was moving
away and her heart beat a tad easier. “You will be able to track your prey by
the strength of his scent alone.”

The spicy scent and taste of Azros wove lightly through the
mineral flavor heavy in the air. Damn. He was right. She could pick the scents
apart, but how close was he?

She moved again, using all her senses. Her hearing picked up
the gurgle of the spring and the light splash of water lapping against stone,
but no Azros. Her skin prickled. He was tracking her, and she knew it. Down to
her soul.

Dammit. Where was he?

She reached the hot springs cavern and paused. There were
four entrances. Two were easy to see and one was shadowed. Two of the closest
pools were too shallow to jump into without damage. The one at the back,
however, was deeper than them all. She grinned. All she had to do was make a
run for it. The water was deep enough to take a full dive.

She kept her breathing even and braced against the wall. Her
heart raced. She took another long inhalation. His scent was stronger here, but
not powerful enough to make her think he was in the room. Yet. She exhaled and
pushed off, running toward the water at a full run.

Water exploded from the pool in a force so great it splashed
into her path. With a cry, she tried to stop, but her feet slipped on the wet
stone. Her stomach lurched in anticipatory fear. Before she hit the ground, he
was there, cushioning her fall, and rolling their bodies across the stone. With
elbows bracing him above her, she could see the devilry glinting in his catlike
eyes. Dark lashes lowered until his eyes gleamed. Wet hair curled enticingly
close, and she could taste his
lambyre
like a rush of liquid sex. Her
body arched against him. It took no time to realize he was naked, and even less
for her body to respond.

He nuzzled her cheek. “I caught you. Now I get to keep you.”

He was burning alive to touch her again. His cock ached with
the need to bury in her tight flesh.

“You caught me.” Her voice was husky, breathless. Damn if she
didn’t look sexy when irritated. “No one moves that fast.” Her hair was a
curtain of fire beneath them. He brushed a wet strand away from her cheek, and
Azros inhaled her rich scent. The
lambyre
was becoming a part of her,
changing her. His mouth watered for another taste. She would be richer, more
addicting. He wondered if she knew it yet.

“I have always moved this fast.” He trapped her wrists above
her head with one hand. Her eyes flared with lust. “So expressive. I love the
way your eyes change when you’re irritated with wanting me.”

“My eyes are boring. Hazel. Nothing special.”

Surprise had him arching an eyebrow. “Nothing special?
They’re like liquid silver when you’re on fire for me. Smoky-gray when you’re
furious.” He nipped at her lips.

“And right now?”

“Right now you want me so bad you’ll beg me to come.”

Her cry of outrage triggered a laugh. She struggled, arching
against him. He groaned. “Be easy on a man, Kendra. You’re already tempting me
beyond sanity.” The curves of her breasts and hips against his body were
killing him. He pressed his lips to her forehead and trailed kisses down her
cheek to her jaw. Small, whispering moans came from her lips. “I can smell the
sweet scent of your pussy. Your taste is addictive, decadent.”

She gasped and tugged against his hold. He could see
confusion in her gaze. “No time to think, sweetheart.” His hand ran down her
side to caress the underside of her breast. A calloused thumb brushed against
the tip. Her nipple hardened against his skin and her breathing grew shallow.

He nuzzled her neck and scraped his teeth lightly down the
skin. She shivered delicately. Oh how he loved her sweet spots.

“Your taste reminds me of summer rain.” He ground his cock
against the vee of her thighs, and soothed the sweet spot at the base of her
throat with his tongue.

“Imagine my mouth on your pussy, sucking on that sweet,
little clit.” He bit the sensitive slope where neck met shoulder.

That did it. She became a little wildcat, jerking her legs
from beneath him to wrap around his waist. Her mating change was an
aphrodisiac, dragging him under her spell. He rocked his hips against hers.
Fuck.
His cock ached to bury in her wet heat, and the soft fabric of her pants only
added to the building friction. She wrapped her legs tightly around him. The
heat of her pussy soaked through the cloth to his dick. Her broken moan nearly
undid him. Sweat formed on his already soaked skin.

“Use all your senses,
Desh’ra
. Tell me what you hear,
what you feel. Taste how much I want you.”

She dragged in a shaky breath. Her gaze grew unfocused, and
her pupils further dilated. “You taste of desert spice and heat.” She paused.
“All this is new to me.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “There’s too much to take
in. Everything is just…”

Emotion tightened in his chest. The extrasensory perception
of his race had been a part of his heritage from birth. It never occurred to
him that it would frighten anyone, much less someone like Kendra. Her strength
was unparalleled if her records are anything to go by. Hell, he’d seen the
steel core of her determination. Not many would have risked so much for a
stranger. He hushed her and gently released her wrists. “It doesn’t have to
overwhelm.”

He rolled over, pulling her against his chest. She
surrounded him, tucking her face against his bare chest. “Please don’t hide
your expressions from me.” He trailed his fingers down her cheek.

“I can smell everything around me. My skin is so alive that
every touch sends pulses of intensity across my nerve endings.” She shivered
against him.

He pulled her up until her head pillowed against his
shoulder, cursing in his head. If he had just taken the time to really take in
her scent, he would have noticed the strain of her emotions, the pungent aroma
of her fear. It was there, just barely noticeable beneath the rich, feminine
honey of her lust.

“It’s terrifying the first time you fall into a mating
cycle.”

“First! How many am I going to go through?” She sounded
panicked…and pissed. “I thought you said this wasn’t permanent.”

He laughed and hugged her to him, choosing to ignore her
second statement. “Our people have a saying, ‘we mate as many as it takes to
get it right’.” Her light laugh loosened that knot of emotion threatening to
choke him. “The truth is, I don’t know.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her
head. “I’ve never heard of a non-Valorian female being affected by the hormone.
Are there some ties to the Valorian people in your bloodline?”

Her scent changed slightly, and he noticed a bit more fear
coming through. “Not that I know of.” Her breath drifted across his chest. He
set aside her reaction to puzzle over later.

“A Valorian doesn’t come into this change until the first
mating. The elders call it extrasensory perception. Whatever it’s called, I
remember it overwhelming me.” It chafed his pride to admit it, but he needed to
let her know. Hell, he wished someone had explained it more thoroughly to him.
Then things might not have turned out the way they had. His hands swept her
hair to the side. He stroked her back in gentle caresses, wishing for bare skin
instead of the cloth he was touching.

“Will this last?”

“For me, it did. But just imagine…” He touched her cheek and
she tilted her head to gaze at him. The depth of emotion in her eyes touched
his heart. She was such a treasure. “Think about all the advantages. No one
would ever be able to sneak up on you again.”

Her eyes closed to slits, and he could see an edge that just
might make this easier for her. For them both.

“How so?”

“I move quietly.”

She gave an unladylike snort. “More like sneak.”

He gave her a mock glare. “A Valorian Prime doesn’t sneak,
he is a fierce hunter.”

“So you admit to stalking.” Her impish smile transformed her
to a mischievous minx.

He arched an eyebrow. “As I was saying…when adrenaline is
pumping, I move quietly because a soft scuff of my boot is like a ricochet in
my ears. My sense of smell is so keen, I can tell where someone stands, any
injuries they have, and what their base thoughts are.”

“What does smell have to do with thoughts?” She put her hand
beneath her chin and watched him with avid attention. His cock twitched, and
her smile grew wicked. She wriggled enticingly against him.

He grabbed her ass to keep her still. “Quit that, you minx.”

Her smile, if anything, grew wider. “Please do continue.” He
wasn’t buying the innocent expression she sported.

“Inhale deeply.”

She slowly drew in a breath and closed her eyes.

“By using taste and scent, you can determine my emotions, my
body’s responses. Lust. Fear. Anger. Hatred. Love. Joy. Open your eyes for me.”
He pulled her up until their eyes locked in a gaze. “What do I taste like?” He
gripped his fingers in her hair. Pure pleasure echoed in her expression.

“Your scent gets stronger when you’re hard. You taste like
liquid sex to me.”

He groaned, taking her lips in a kiss that shattered his
thoughts. It was sweet and decadent. She nipped his bottom lip and tugged
gently. Her tongue soothed and teased.

They broke the kiss and dragged in shaky breaths. He pressed
his forehead to hers. “I love the way you taste.”

She nuzzled his cheek. “Same here.”

“Imagine, Kendra. Imagine the edge you would have over an
enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Their anger, their fear, their lust for power
would give them away before they could touch you.” It was that edge alone that
had kept him alive this long.

Her hands clenched in fists against his chest. She cleared
her throat. “Keep talking.”