Rylan's Heart (18 page)

From the bottom of the steps, all he had to do was crawl through the living room, the foyer, through the stench of death and decaying body parts. Once he managed to escape off the porch, he’d worry what to do next.

Hands reached out to grab him. Pulling into himself, he reached for his reserve to find he used everything he had on the last energy burst he fired at Zuhun. He needed his mate, but he was blocking her so he didn’t drain her dry.

“Rylan,” her soft voice whispered in his ear.

“Aviana?” Feeling her at the bottom of the stairs shocked him. She had come for him.

“I’m here, so is Gabe, Vick, and Selma. Don’t fight; let us get you out of here.”

He forced his eyes open to see her face hovering over his, a weak smile playing on her lips and suspiciously bright brown eyes.

“Aviana,” he murmured one last time before he lost consciousness.

The drive home was long as she slid her hands up and down his body that continued to shiver. She took a cloth from her purse and wiped his face and his forehead trying to get some off the dirt off of him. He looked like he had gone through hell.

She gave a sigh of relief as the bed and breakfast finally came into view.

“Aviana, we’ll carry him up to the room,” Gabe said, indicating he and Victor. She nodded and moved back.

Nervous energy zinged through her body as she followed them upstairs. He had been hurt protecting them. That’s what he was, a protector but now he was hers and she would protect him. No more lone wolf antics for him, her heart couldn’t take it.

Victor walked out the room rubbing her shoulder as he went by. When she walked into the bedroom, Gabe was still in there pulling of Rylan’s boots. She hurried over to the bed and helped him. They stripped him down to his boxers.

Gabe came over to her and engulfed her in a tight hug. “He’ll be fine. He has you to take care of and to live for.”

He gave her a kiss on the cheek before he left. She would have been stunned by this but her eyes were on Rylan.

Not knowing what to do, she filled a basin with water and began to carefully wash him. His bruises were already healing. It must have something to do with his alien biology. She would stay by his side and nurse him to health for as long as it took.

With nothing else to do, she cleaned up and changed her clothes finally she slid into the bed next to him and gently held him. He was her strength and she needed to get close to him.

*~*~*~*

Rylan woke to a soft touch stroking the side of his face.

“Aviana?” He brought his hand up to capture hers before he opened his eyes to look into hers.

She leaned down and hugged him, placing soft little kisses on his face.

“Where am I?”

“In my room.”

“How long was I out?”

“You were out three days and you were gone four days. So it’s been a week.”

“Four days?” His voice came out weak and hoarse.

“Drink some of this. I’ve been forcing it down your throat trying to keep you hydrated.”

She helped him to sit up in bed and held the glass of water to his parched lips.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Rylan. You will always be welcome.”

She met his eyes but he turned away from her causing her to frown.

“We need to get you well now. I believe that is the first order of business.”

He gave her a quick smile. “There is so much we have to do. It’s hard for me to believe the fight with Zuhun took four days. That would account for why I was depleted of energy when it was over.”

“You won, Rylan. No one has spotted him since then.”

“He made a strategic retreat but he’s not defeated. He will be back gunning for me, you, and Mckayla. Then we’ll defeat him together.”

There was a knock at the door. “Aviana, I brought some food for Rylan, it will help him to recover his full strength.”

Aviana went to the door and met Selma. “He just woke up.”

“Gabe felt him wake and let us know. Have him eat this; it will help and of course reconnecting with you will charge him completely.”

She gave Selma a smile and took the tray with a thank you before she walked back into the room.

What was wrong? Why couldn’t he meet her eyes? He did it. He was victorious so why was he acting like he had something to hide?

She walked back into the room pasting a smile on her face, wondering what would happen now. She could simply look into his mind. It wasn’t like he could hide it from her, still it felt like an invasion of privacy and she wanted him to trust her enough to tell her.

“Let me help you.” She set the tray down over his legs and began feeding him spoonsful of the thick soup.

He ate in silence until he felt strong enough to swing his legs over the side of the bed.

“Aviana, I think there were somethings I neglected to tell you about the soul-bonding. Not so much the soul-bonding but about myself. I want to say I forgot or something else just as lame, but the truth was I didn’t know how you would receive me if you knew.”

She nodded and moved to the end of the bed putting her back against the footboard as she crossed her legs and focused on him.

“You know what happened on my planet and that there were two dominant species. You also know that the two became one. All that I have told you is true, but I didn’t go far enough. We’re not just one, we share this body. What you see before you is the Arbrin, but the Matra has as much right as I do to the body.”

She stared at him not saying anything.

He stood. “I should have done this before I allowed you to agree to soul-bond with me.

With a look at his naked body, he turned it over to the Matra. His body stretched and grew; the claws he used to cut the energy bands now were in sight.

“This is who I am.” The deeper voice of the Matra came out rolling through his body.

“You’re an alien.”

“Yes, but you already knew that much.”

“You’re an alien shape shifter?”

What did he expect her to do? Should she throw her arms around him and tell him it was all right?

Instead she walked into the bathroom leaving his Matra standing there. She didn’t want to punish his Matra, but she needed time.

Anger at him simmered in her blood. He should have told her, not just sprung it on her after there was no going back. Didn’t he say there was no divorce in a soul-bonded relationship?

She turned around to find his Matra standing in the same place. She walked up to him and planted her fists into his chest.

“You had no right to take my choice away! Do you know how that makes me feel? Now you will never know if I accepted you because I accept you or because I had no other choice.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough.” She pounded on his chest allowing tears of frustration to flow down her face. “Relationships are made of trust and honesty. I don’t care what you are or what you do, if you can’t be honest with me there will be no relationship. Your divorce rule won’t mean a thing to me.”

“How did you discover me?”

“What makes you think I knew you existed?”

“Your anger isn’t based in shock. You’re mad that it took me this long to show myself.”

“I’ve known since we soul-bonded. I was shown both of you before I made the final decision to enter into the bond with you. Then I waited, wondering how long it would take you to tell me. Instead, you traded your life for the girls. I wondered how I could be upset with such a gracious move and yet I was furious. It was like you were running away from your responsibilities.”

“The Arbrin and I were not in agreement on anything. I felt like I was worlds away from him. A distance that seemed insurmountable.”

“What changed?”

“In the end, I believe it was our mother who placed this bond in us that allowed us to pull ourselves together. We still have a long way to go but I am here to stay. I wish to spend time with you. Is that acceptable?”

Such a simple question. Was it acceptable? She had seen him from Rylan’s memory. His Matra was as fierce as the Arbrin. Together they made a powerful enemy. She could already see them merging, becoming one again. He would be a sight to see when the merge was completed. Did she want to miss that?

Did she want to give up on the relationship she was forming with him? Lose the laughter he brought to her lips, the feeling of being protected when he was around? Did she only want to get to know half of him? Or did she want to get to know the part of him that wasn’t for the world to see? The darker side that would love her just as much as the light side.

Her arms slipped around him and she planted a kiss on his chest. Yes, it was acceptable. She wanted to know him as much as she wanted to know the Arbrin.

“What about Mckayla?”

“I would never hurt her and wish to get to know her also, with your permission.”

She nodded. “Yes, I want to spend time with you and I want you to get to know Mckayla. This way we can be a real family.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him before he picked her up. He took her into the front room and sat on the couch holding her in his arms.

Lowering his head, he ran his cheek against her. The feel of him calmed her down. The feelings of safety and love overcame her. She allowed her hands to flow over his arms feeling the muscles that bulged there.

“What’s it like to be two different entities in the same body?”

“I don’t think it’s any different for us than for you. What if you were drawn to two different things? You enjoy playing baseball while also desiring to be a ballet dancer. Two different beings in one body.”

“Like having a face you show to the world but having one you only let those you trust see?”

“Yes. You understand?”

“I do. I spent my life presenting one side of myself to everyone. The side I thought would be accepted. The side that was different, scary, and unconventional I kept hidden until I finally came here. That’s when I realized everyone here wasn’t hiding who they were; they accepted it and kept moving.”

“Not everyone.”

“Not everyone. It took me a long time and still I am working on being ok with myself.”

“I didn’t mean you.”

“I know, but I can’t really blame you when I am going through the same thing.”

“We are meant to be together.” He ran his hand over her stomach. The muscles contracted as he petted her.

“Aviana,” his voice came out strangled. “I want you.”

“I want you too,” she whispered. “How can we?”

“It’s ok, the Arbrin and I will be with you. Together we will touch you, feel your beautiful body under our hands, and lick your beautiful dark skin.”

She gave him a brilliant smile. “Make love to me Rylan, my Matra and my Arbrin.”

The devotion she saw in his eyes was a balm to her heart. He placed her on the couch and stood to change. The anger she felt disappeared as the reality that he was truly safe finally settled in her heart. He was safe and he was hers.

He picked her up reminding her that in either form he thought she was a dainty little thing. With a laugh she wound her hands around his neck and snuggled into his chest.

“I believe we had a date with a tub before we were interrupted by the Urom fighting against the royal line, stealing little ones who don’t belong to them.”

“Hmm, I vaguely remember water running.”

“Only vaguely?” He swatted her behind, bringing more laughter to her lips as he crossed through the bedroom into the bathroom.

Setting her on her feet, he crossed to the tub and started the water running. She came in behind him holding bath beads. With a devilish smile, she poured some in as the aroma of vanilla and roses filled the room.

He sniffed and looked at her with fine wrinkles around her eyes that made her want to trace them.

“Are you trying to make me smell like a female?”

“Never!” The teasing glint in her eyes made her face light up. I thought you wouldn’t mind smelling like me though.”

“My favorite smell is you.” He sat on the side on the tub beckoning her to come closer.

She moved over to him letting him wrap her in his arms. His head was chest level on her. He drew a nipple into his mouth, biting it over the fabric she wore. A small sound of pleasure left her lips.

Backing off, he drew her shirt over her head nuzzling into her stomach. Pulling her close he held her.

“Aviana, you’re my miracle. I intended to be alone my whole life. Then you walked in and shook my equilibrium, now my world isn’t right unless you’re a part of it.”

He pulled her down, trapping her lips in a long languid kiss. Breaking the kiss, he reached over to turn off the water.

“Woman, you make me forget what I am doing.”

Aviana giggled.

Did I just giggle? She replayed the sound in her head. Yeah, she had. Moving her eyes to Rylan, she watched as he bent over the tub. His thick brown hair falling to the side of his face to caress it, his strong back flexing, and that ass, perfectly rounded. Her fingers itched to touch it. Her heart beat fast, her blood singing through her body. He was giggle worthy in her book. Love? She took it out and examined the feeling. This need to get closer to him, to build on the fragile beginnings of their relationship, and the desire to accept him, dark places and all. Was this love?

“Are you getting in this tub with your pants still on?” The love in his voice shook her core as she stripped off her pants.

Taking her time, she looked over the front of him, stopping as his thick erection caught her attention. Yeah, there was that too. His erection was enough to make her want to go down on him. Lick, suck and devour him. Her bra and panties quickly followed her pants.

She stood before him once again letting him look at her. Feeling more assured this time that he wouldn’t reject her, still there was a niggle of doubt.

“Beautiful.” He rubbed his hands over her arms warming her up then pulling her in for a kiss.

His tongue traced the seam of her mouth encouraging her to open and invite him in. The touch of his tongue ignited a spark waiting to burn bright deep within.