Stud (46 page)

Finding Manx had been nothing short of a miracle, and though Trag had prayed to the Great Mother of the Desert for one more, so far she hadn’t been attending to him. He tried turning away from Kyra, but her scent lingered in his head until the shallow breaths he’d been taking finally caught up with him and, inhaling deeply, he succumbed to the memory…

He and Tychar had converged on Kyra immediately. She had said yes, so there had been no point in waiting any longer. He fed her fruit while Tychar wiped the sweat from her body, and Trag tasted her sweetness in every way he could. He licked her lips after each bite until she kissed him, sucking his tongue into her mouth and driving him insane with desire. Her intoxicating kisses soon had him purring like mad as his hands caressed her body. She tasted like hot, wet love and her aroma was like nothing he’d ever imagined, igniting flames of passion that threatened to consume him. When Tychar pulled her thighs apart and urged him to taste the source of her scent, Trag licked her soft, wet lips, thrusting his tongue deep inside her, devouring her until, with a gush of creamy wetness, she came in his face. A triumphant snarl erupted from the depths of his throat, and when Ty pushed her beneath him, Trag didn’t hesitate; he buried his stiff shaft in her soft warmth and felt love for the very first time.

Trag lost control after that, fucking her harder than he’d ever fucked anyone in his life. It took a while to regain that control, and when he did, he used every move on her he could think of, purring with delight and enjoying the vision of her lovely eyes and gentle smile.

And then, at his suggestion, she’d sucked Tychar. Trag’s balls tightened at the memory of it… He’d never seen a more erotic vision before—or since—and it was a wonder he hadn’t lost it right then, but Ty got there ahead of him, spraying her face and tongue with his sweet snard. It was one race Trag didn’t mind losing though, for her orgasm seized his cock and sent him over the edge. Trag had felt that ejaculation clear down to his toenails and the double dose of Zetithian semen had Kyra babbling on about something—just what, he couldn’t recall—but his satisfaction had been complete. He had given joy to a beautiful woman—a woman he now loved, but knew he could never call his own.

It was Trag’s first, last, and only time with Kyra. After that, it became clear that she loved Tychar, not him, and when Queen Scalia’s death freed the two men from slavery, Trag had tried to make the best of it. He might have withdrawn from Kyra and never tasted her love again, but he certainly hadn’t forgotten it.

He tried to imagine what it would be like to love another woman but it was difficult. Any Terran woman would remind him too much of Kyra, if for no other reason than her scent. Telling those who urged him to find a mate that he was holding out for a Zetithian woman made it easier, first, because it gave him breathing space, and second, because he knew in his heart he’d never find one. He was certain they had all perished when Zetith exploded, and if any had been living offworld, the Nedwut bounty hunters had surely killed them all by now. He and his brother had only survived because of Queen Scalia’s protection. What chance would a lone Zetithian female have against such determined killers?

Though he visited brothels from time to time, he never recaptured that feeling, and Trag’s secret devotion to Kyra never wavered—at least in his waking moments—but his dreams were confused. Whenever he tried to recall them, the image seemed blurred, as though his own mind was uncertain of whom he should love. Was it Kyra, or was it someone else?

Trag didn’t know for sure, but with the marriage of Manx to Drusilla, he was now the last Zetithian without a mate, and he was no closer to finding love than he had been as a slave living among the reptilian Darconians. It shouldn’t have been that hard for the pilot of a starship to find the woman he was destined to meet, but, then again, it was a very big galaxy…

***

Micayla’s earliest memory was of a smothering darkness. She could sense her mother’s terror as she fled through the crowded spaceport, but wrapped in the folds of Jenall’s cloak, she was unable to see the source of it. Nevertheless, she could feel Jenall’s sweat and hear her pounding heart and gasping breaths as her mother pushed herself to the limits of her endurance and beyond. Later, Micayla would understand what it meant to be running for one’s life, but at the age of two, the concept of fear meant very little.

There were loud noises and the sound of people screaming, but her mother ran on, bumping, jostling, her feet slapping against the smooth floor. Suddenly, Jenall halted and opened her cloak, and Micayla found herself looking up into the face of an odd being—smooth-skinned and dark, with almond-shaped eyes and softly curling ringlets framing her face.

“Take her,” Jenall rasped. “Hide her and keep her safe.”

The response might have been unintelligible, but the intent was clear: the woman opened her own cloak and Micayla was thrust into her waiting arms. As they watched, Jenall turned and ran on, but though her brief pause might have saved her daughter’s life, it didn’t save her own.

Micayla heard her father’s roar as Jenall fell into a nerveless heap and saw him whirl around, his long dark hair flowing out behind him as he set his two sons on their feet and ran to his mate’s aid. Micayla didn’t see any more, for her rescuer turned and hurried away with her precious bundle—leaving the scene as quickly as any prudent bystander would do. Micayla heard three more shots and then silence.

Virgin

by Cheryl Brooks

He’s never met anyone who made him purr…

Starship pilot Dax never encountered a woman he wanted badly enough. Until he met Ava Karon…

And he’ll never give his body without giving his heart…

Dax is happy to take Ava back to her home planet, until he finds out she’s returning to an old boyfriend…

As their journey together turns into a quest neither expected, Ava would give herself to Dax in a heartbeat. Except he doesn’t know the first thing about seducing a woman…

Praise for The Cat Star Chronicles:

“You will laugh, fall in love with an alien or two, and be truly agog at the richness Ms. Brooks brings to her worlds.” —
The Long and the Short of It

“Really sexy. A sizzling kind of sexy.” —
Bitten by Books

“A world of fantasy that will stretch the reader’s imagination” —
The Romance Studio

For more Cheryl Brooks, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Rogue

by Cheryl Brooks

Tychar crawled toward me on his hands and knees like a tiger stalking his prey. “I, for one, am glad you came,” he purred. “And I promise you, Kyra, you will never want to leave Darconia.”

“Cheryl Brooks knows how to keep the heat on and the reader turning pages!” —Sydney Croft, author of
Seduced by the Storm

Praise for The Cat Star Chronicles:

“Wow. Just…wow. The romantic chemistry is as close to perfect as you’ll find.” —
BookFetish.org

“Will make you purr with delight. Cheryl Brooks has a great talent as a storyteller.” —
Cheryl’s Book Nook

For more Cheryl Brooks, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com

Warrior

by Cheryl Brooks

“He came to me in the dead of winter, his body burning with fever.”