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  Samples were offered, and whenever she smiled with enjoyment, the vendor jerked his or her head slightly. She whirled to stare at Thaxis a few times, but he had an innocent expression fixed on his features.

  The clothing vendors had several options for clothing but nothing like what Kaia was currently wearing. “Thaxis, where did the design for this dress come from?”

  “Bael Hislar. She was most insistent that it would ease your discomfort to be completely covered. I drew the line at trousers.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you are my lady, and I wish you to be dressed as such. Bael Hislar and Bael Lerock had the misfortune to meet over a funeral. It was bad for them but excellent for forcing an intimate connection. You and I will have to do things the old fashioned way, minus the transporting of you down from the station.”

  She blinked. “What does the old fashioned way entail?”

  Thaxis walked with her out of the market and down a wide, sweeping set of stairs. He quirked his lips. “There are many methods. One involves stealing you away from your people.”

  “Already done.”

  “Another involves taking you by force.”

  “I know you haven’t seen what my Heshi brought, but it is not recommended.”

  “The third I can think of involves making you a part of the life of the village here. That will include you learning to go out on the fishing vessels and harvesting and planting in the fields. It will be boring and exhausting, but you will earn your place here through sweat and camaraderie in the fields.”

  “Wow. That does sound fascinating. What other options are there?”

  They were on a wide landing, and she could see the waves beating against the shore and an open expanse of water as far as the eye could see. The land was covered with a thick golden wave of grain.

  He stood behind her as she looked out over the waves of water and grain. “What would you suggest?”

  “Do I need to be part of their lives or part of yours?” She remembered the many moments in her tank where someone was with her. Those moments helped her get through her time alone.

  “Oh, I would definitely prefer that you be in my life, my house, my bed.” He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.

  She sighed and let years of abstention build up in a wave of lust that shivered through her. When he gnawed gently on her skin, she moaned and reached behind him to grip his hair.

  “That seems like the better option until I learn how to live on Ikanni and be the best one of me that I can. Whatever I have turned into.”

  He spun her in his arms and took her lips in a savage kiss that left her breathless with her blood pounding in her veins.

  When he leaned back and traced her lower lip with his thumb, she asked him, “Why me? Why not an Ikanni?”

  His red eyes warmed, “Because you were the one that I was called to. Your mind was meshed with mine. We are bound together, you and I. The Ikanni embrace destiny when it strikes us.”

  She smiled and drew a finger along the line of his jaw. “Usually, Terrans run from ours.”

  “No running, Kaia. You have nowhere else to go. I am not saying this to be cruel, but to make sure that you know, whatever happens next, I am not letting you go.”

  His arms were implacable. If she didn’t want to hurt him, she was going to have to embrace the hormonal whirlwind that he was generating.

  The wind tugged at her skirt, and she felt the coil of it wind up her thigh. The cool air had the feeling of a hand as it moved along her skin.

  Kaia shivered in his arms, and her breath caught as the caress of the icy air continued, chilling as it climbed until only her posture with her thighs close together kept it from advancing any further.

  He had a smirk on his face, and she connected the movement of the air with his intent. “So, that’s your Heshi-brought talent?”

  “Weather.” He stroked his hands down her spine and pulled her tightly to him.

  She could feel his erection against her belly through the clothing that separated them. “Weather?”

  “Yes. I am able to use my talent to control the sun and rain on the crops.”

  “So, you were really mad the other day. The lightning and storm was yours.” She bit her lip as her body warmed rapidly at the contact.

  “Yes. Bael Hislar should not have removed you from my home. How she got in is another mystery.”

  Kaia frowned. “I thought she just popped in like you do.”

  “We can only pop when we know where we are going, preferably when we have been there before.” He sighed. “We are not going to have a passionate evening, are we?”

  “Not until you tell me more about teleporting from one place to another.”

  He sighed, and his arms tightened a moment before he gave her a demonstration of how to get from one place to another. Unsurprisingly, they were in his bedroom.

  “So, what do you want to know?” He undid the fastenings of his vest, exposing a strange, twisting scar that almost seemed to move across his chest.

  “What the hell happened to you?” She reached out to trace the mark, and he pressed her palm to his skin.

  He smiled. “That is a story for another day. I am sure that your own body has tales to tell, and I look forward to hearing every one of them.”

  He took her by the hands, and there was a small pop. She was suddenly facing the other side of the room and her clothing had been left behind. “You have to show me how to do that.”

  He grinned and pulled her against him once again. “I look forward to showing you all the things your body is capable of.”

  Chapter Five

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and followed her body’s lead. She inhaled deeply, letting the scent of Thaxis seep into her memories. As she inhaled, she realized that he had always been there.

  Kaia leaned up and tasted him, making the choice to learn his taste without his being the aggressor. She tasted honey and almonds in the curve of his lips. The longer she kissed him, the more the wild scent came off his skin. It was enthralling. She leaned into him with increasing fervor as the musk acted as an intoxicant.

  She pursued contact with his skin feverishly, running her hands over his skin in endless repetitions. Kaia slid her hands around to the back of his neck and buried them in the white waterfall of his hair. He groaned when she ran her thumbs up the edges of his ears and his hands clenched around her waist.

  He broke the kiss and muttered against the side of her neck. “Those are sensitive.”

  “I guessed as much.” She chuckled and shoved his shirt off his shoulders until it slid into a heap at his feet.

  Mischievously, she ran her thumbs gently along the edges of his ears again.

  He lifted her up against him. “That did it.”

  He dropped to the bed with her on top of him, and they shifted again rapidly so that she was no longer pressed against leather, but hot and throbbing flesh.

  “That is the neatest trick.”

  He grinned and rolled her to her back, “It is a handy skill, but not one that all Ikanni can manage in case you were thinking of shopping your charms elsewhere.”

  She was irritated. Her body went from hot to cold in an instant. Her skin prickled and in a flash, she was on the other side of the room.

  “Whoa.” She swayed in place. “That feels so weird.”

  He was staring at her as if she had grown another head. “How did you learn to do that?”

  “It seemed to be the most natural thing in the world when you basically called me a whore.” She was radiating with energy, it was actually visible on her hands and limbs. Power was building in her, and the only calm place she could think of was the landing that looked out over land and sea.

  “Holy hell!” To say that it was cold was an understatement. Her nipples went as hard as diamonds and her skin twitched. Whatever power had hauled her here disappeared the moment she was where she wanted to be.

  She looked u
p the steps back toward the village and saw a few figures moving at the top of the steps. Inhaling sharply and throttling down her pride, she got moving and hiked back up the stairs.

  Several Ikanni were in the lane, and they inclined their heads with smiles on their faces. “Lady. A good night for a walk.”

  She nodded and smiled tightly. “I don’t know. A little too breezy for me.”

  That comment seemed to be the funniest thing that they had ever heard and as she stalked back to Bael Norwen’s place, she repeated it four times to four different Ikanni.

  The door wasn’t locked, so she let herself in.

  A noise to the left brought her attention to the kitchen that he had mentioned

  Thaxis called out. “I am heating some wine for you, Kaia. It is a very cool evening.”

  She walked into the kitchen, and he was standing near the stove and stirring a pot.

  He smiled at her as she came in. Still naked, he was absolutely at ease in his own skin.

  “You weren’t worried?”

  “You could and did come back on your own. The first few transports never take us far, and you really don’t know many other places on Ikanni.”

  He was right, and she was cold. She started shivering violently, and the air in the room warmed dramatically.

  Thaxis touched her shoulder and hissed at the ice of her skin. He pulled her to him and popped them into his bedroom. He lifted the covers and tucked her inside, joining her as soon as she was settled. Despite the turgid erection, he simply held her and rubbed her back, arms, anything he could reach.

  It had to be uncomfortable for him, but he slid one leg over hers, pulling her leg between his.

  He muttered soft words in a language that she couldn’t understand, but it was soothing. She relaxed against him but jerked as she felt herself falling asleep. “Falling asleep is not a good idea.”

  “I have a better way to warm you up.”

  She narrowed her eyes and looked into his red gaze. “Is this your master seduction, because it sucks.”

  He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her neck, working at her with lips and tongue. Heat definitely was surging through her body. There was no mistaking the feel of her sex preparing to welcome him. Damn, he’s good.

  When it came to sex, her neck was her Achilles heel. A few caresses on the right spot and she would be on the edge of orgasm. Thaxis was determined to find that spot.

  His hands were busy stroking her skin, warming her arms, sending an ache through her breasts and caressing her belly. He continued his downward journey, sliding two fingers through the folds of her sex and discovering the slick invitation her body was issuing.

  She felt him smile against her throat, and she groaned as he slid those digits inside her. His thumb pressed firmly on her clit in a rhythmic motion, and her senses went into overdrive as she let out a high-pitched wail and arched firmly into his touch.

  “Say my name, Kaia.”

  She whimpered as his fingers slowly retreated and plunged deep again.

  “Say it.”

  His lips were in the softest caress against her neck, and his fingers moved rapidly between her thighs. The contrast caused a riot in her senses, and she gasped out, “Thaxis.”

  He rolled her to her back and fitted his cock against her, pressing into her with a slow deliberation that had her squirming with urgency.

  Thaxis kept his gaze locked to hers as he rocked into her, going deeper, harder, faster with every movement of his hips.

  She whimpered and wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding tight as he rode her. Kaia felt the head of his cock pressing and widening her channel with each thrust, making itself at home. Her entire being was focussed on the feel of him sliding and plunging into her, the heat of friction and the noise of their bodies smacking together the only noise in the room aside from her moans and his breathing.

  Light glowed within her, and to her astonishment, he glowed with a dark light of his own. He moved faster, harder, pushing to the hilt with each thrust and grinding against her. She moaned and screamed, “Thaxis!” as her mind flew apart again and her body gripped his cock tightly, milking him.

  She felt him shift inside her, and he groaned as the ripples of her climax pulled him into his own orgasm.

  He braced his weight on his forearms and covered her from head to toe as they caught their breath.

  His white hair was around them in a silken curtain, and he lowered his head to brush soft kisses against her lips. He was just shifting his weight off her when a throat cleared next to the bed.

  Instinct took over, and before she knew it, Kaia was standing behind the intruder, her arm around her neck and the energy blade pressed to her throat.

  “Kaia, I believe that Bael Hislar would like to speak to you.” He was reclining on one hip with his head propped in his hand.

  Kaia blinked as she realized that she was holding Lillibeth in her arms. She released her and allowed the blade to retract.

  Lillibeth moved slowly and carefully to the other side of the room. “I apologize for disturbing you, but it is rather urgent.”

  “What is it, Bael?” Thaxis sat up.

  Another male appeared in the room, and Thaxis raised his hands. “Does everyone know what my bedroom looks like?”

  The new male snorted and pulled Lillibeth to his side. “I can track my mate, Thaxis, that is all.”

  “Orriko, this is Kaia Whynot. Kaia, this is Orriko, my husband.” Lillibeth wrinkled her nose.

  Kaia walked forward and was swathed in a sheet that wrapped around her from behind. She scowled at Thaxis and extended her hand to Orriko. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Orriko grinned and took her hand. “It seems that you have a charming lack of modesty, lady.”

  “The marks on my skin are my clothing. I have already had most of those awake in the village take a look tonight. One more won’t do any harm.”

  Lillibeth frowned at her husband. “It might not harm you, Kaia, but if he doesn’t reel his eyes in, it might just hurt him.”

  Kaia laughed and Orriko winced, releasing her hand. “Has Lillibeth informed you of why she is here?”

  “No, she was about to when you arrived, Orriko.” Thaxis stayed behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso.

  Orriko nodded. “Please pardon the intrusion.”

  Lillibeth sighed. “The Raiders are coming, and they are coming for you, Kaia. You have something that they want.”

  Chapter Six

  Kaia sipped at the wine that Orriko had reheated. “What the hell could they want with me?”

  They had moved the conversation to the living room, and Kaia was still wearing the sheet toga-style. Thaxis was wearing trousers again, much to her disappointment.

  Lillibeth shrugged. “Based on the transmissions that the base has intercepted, they are looking for the Terran from the orbital station. They said you had a code.”

  Kaia’s eyes widened. “I only have one code for that station, and it is not one I am going to share with the Raiders.”

  Lillibeth sat up in Orriko’s embrace. “Really? I thought they were just insane.”

  “Nope. Will you be in any danger?”

  “If they look for Terran life signs and focus on me, they will get far more than they bargained for.” Lillibeth grinned.

  Kaia smiled. “You are still enjoying being Base Command?”

  “Of course. The moment the Heshi made herself at home, I was back at full capacity. Of course, now, the base is covered with an Ikanni village around the memorial, but I can still work lights, air and weapons systems.”

  Thaxis touched Kaia’s arm. “The Ikanni are capable of defending themselves. Do not worry.”

  “I am worried. I do not want to bring trouble down on anyone, but it seems that I have no option. Do you have an ETA?”

  Lillibeth frowned. “Thirty-six hours? Maybe more. They don’t move with military precision.”

  “Right. Fine. I suppose I should get some sleep that
I can remember.” She got to her feet. “Please excuse me.”

  * * * *

  Thaxis could feel the unease of his mate as she disappeared. Noise from the bedroom confirmed that she was back in the bedroom and not on the landing.

  Orriko’s mate smiled at him. “Don’t worry. She’s tough. She is probably coming up with a plan of attack. I have read her file, and it is truly impressive. She has nineteen commendations and a medical record that shows she is not afraid of getting in the line of fire. That last is not a good thing, but if you keep an eye on her, she should be fine.”

  “That is what you recommend? Trying to keep her out of the line of fire? Have you met her?” Thaxis raised an eyebrow.

  From what he had learned of his mate so far, entering conflict was second nature to her. He had found her after she was blasted almost to death, and based on the position of her weapons she had fought until the last.

  Keeping her out of the fight was going to be an enormous task, and if he was going to be up for it, he was going to need his rest. “Please excuse me. I am sure that you can find your way home.”

  He walked to his bedroom, and when he turned, they were gone. He opened the door and looked at his mate in the tangle of the sheets. He wanted nothing more than to be inside her again, to feel the wet heat of her body enveloping his cock as he thrust into her until his balls were going to explode.

  Instead of listening to the demands of his body, he removed his trousers and crawled into bed with her, cuddling her against him. When she sighed and softened, draping an arm over his ribs and curling one leg over his, he knew he could wait. His little warrior was learning what the Heshi would help her to do, and it was a confusing time, even for an Ikanni who had grown up with the idea. She was handling it well, but the next few days were going to try her patience and her self-control.

  He stroked her blue and green hair with a smile. A streak of pink was appearing at the roots, and he had a feeling that he was responsible for it. It was a strange thing to take pride in, but he was rearranging his instincts where this woman was concerned. Self-control had always been an issue where his Heshi’s talent was involved, and with this woman near him, it was taxed to its limits.