Command Read online

  She heard him groan, and he pressed his head to her shoulder as his cock jerked inside her. Lilli held him for a moment until he got to his feet, straightened his clothing and bowed.

  Without a word, he transported out of her room, and she was alone and lying on the bed.

  She felt naked, more than naked, she felt used. Lilli got up and went to the shower, scrubbing traces of him off her skin, which was harder to do than she thought when bruises from his mouth began to show.

  Lilli wrapped herself in a towel and returned to her room, digging out her eBook reader and scrolling through the options until the sight of her shredded clothing started to drive her nuts.

  She gathered up her clothing and stuffed it in one of her drawers. A change in atmosphere let her know she was not alone.

  She turned, and it was the guard, but he was wearing a mask. He took a step toward her, but she held up her hand. “Keep back. I don’t know who you are, but I don’t want you touching me.”

  He looked at her and cocked his head. A slight smile came to his lips, and he disappeared.

  A moment later, Orriko came back. He saw her and came toward her, but she backed away.

  “What was that about?”

  He untied his mask. “It was a test to see if you would choose your lover over any anonymous male.”

  She blinked. “That means that I would have to have known who you were before you put the mask on. I did, but that doesn’t make sense.”

  Orriko came toward her again, and she backed away, again.

  “Why are you backing away, Lillibeth?”

  “I don’t want to get caught in another whirlwind and not know when it will end.”

  He scowled and continued to stalk her. “The test is over. I will not leave you like that again.”

  “How do I know that? I don’t even know you.” She thudded into the wall and winced.

  “You will get to know me over time. I have forty-five days to convince you to stay.” He continued to advance on her.

  He pinned her to the wall and lifted her by her waist until they were nose to nose.

  She looked into his eyes, and her own filled with tears of confusion. “I now understand why it took your father a year to get your mother to hang around. If this is courtship, your technique sucks.”

  Orriko sighed and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “Allow me to make it up to you.”

  “What precisely happened?”

  “When you touched my father’s body, you identified yourself as the house of his regenerating soul. He will remain in you until he can be reborn. The moment that you were confirmed, I brought you here and claimed you. The others were treated in a similar manner, but as they are anonymous to the process, the males that took them remained unknown to them. It is tradition and increases our population in the face of one who passes. Our birth rate is low enough that any excuse to cross bloodlines is welcomed.”

  His kiss on her cheek was now moving down to her neck and sending tingles through her body.

  Lilli put her hands on his shoulders and pushed. “Whoa. Hold on. I am not agreeing to another round.”

  He blinked at her in amazement. “Did you not find it pleasurable? I tried to be careful despite my urgency.”

  “No, it was nice, better than nice, it took my breath away, but I am not sure that I am up for another round right now.” Or ever, her mind whispered, but she didn’t tell him that.

  He sighed and set her down on her bare feet. “I am sorry that you did not enjoy it enough for a repeat.”

  She blinked, and she could swear that he looked disappointed. She pushed aside the urge to comfort him. “I need some rest. You can stay here if you like or not. Since you can teleport, there is no need to tell you where you can and can’t go.”

  Lilli scooted past him and folded the sheets back, slipping out of the towel before she slid into bed. The lights dimmed automatically. She heard the distinct rustle of leather, and a few moments later, there was another body in bed beside her.

  Orriko reached out to hold her to him, and she stifled a sigh. He felt so good—hard muscle and satiny skin. It was enough to make her want to turn to him, but the hard rod of his erection against her spine told her that any overture was going to end with him deep inside her. Lilli just wished she could remember why it was a bad thing.

  “I am very glad he had you as a friend. There were few folk in his life who were not demanding something of him. He needed someone like you.”

  “He was a good friend himself. We talked about my home world and the history of the Admaryn and the Terrans. He found it fascinating, so he told me about the Admaryn and the Heshi.”

  Orriko gathered up her hair and draped it over her chest. “The Heshi bonded to us the moment that we landed. They got bodies to live in, and we received enough psychic energy to power us forever. The souls of the Ikanni are eternal now, reborn in every generation.”

  She smiled. “Perhaps your mother will be reborn as well, and she and your father can live together again, but this time, a more equal life span.”

  He pressed a kiss to her neck. “It is a pretty thought, but few souls have recurred on any kind of a schedule.”

  Lilli yawned. “So the ritual today was because he was Bael?”

  “Yes. We always need leaders, and his soul will shine in whatever body he is born into.”

  “You are sure that this is going to happen? That I will carry his soul into the next generation?”

  He stroked her hip slowly. “That is my hope. He chose you for me for a reason, and he never made mistakes when it came to matches. Rest now. I am enjoying the feel of your skin, and it is taking me to my own slumber.”

  She smiled in the darkness and relaxed with Orriko’s arm around her, holding her like a teddy bear. She was warm, her body was sated and for now, she was safe. Tomorrow would be dealt with when it arrived.

  Chapter Six

  “What the hell happened there?”

  It was a rude way to wake up, but Lilli stared up into the blazing eyes of Orriko as he stared down at her breasts, belly and hips.

  “I think I bruise easy. I have never really tested it before.” She smiled at his look of horror as he took in her torso.

  “I did that?”

  “Your mouth, your teeth, your hands.” She shrugged. “Yeah, it was pretty much all you.”

  “I am sorry. I had no idea that skin like moonlight was so sensitive.”

  She smiled. “It felt good at the time if that makes you feel better.” She stroked his cheek and then mentally kicked herself as his features went from concerned to sensual.

  “I think I need to be more careful with you then.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips, her neck, her collarbone, both breasts and her belly.

  Each soft kiss was an apology to the rough treatment of the day before. Lilli relaxed in his embrace and let the soft caresses slowly raise her arousal until a heavy throb between her thighs demanded attention.

  She whimpered and squirmed as he stroked the bruises with his tongue, moving over her torso in a cascade of black velvet skin and snow-white hair. The slick feel of his hair against her was a caress that on its own brought her to the edge of orgasm. She trembled, moaned and bit her lips as he apologised to every small injury she had suffered.

  Her body was seeping slick moisture in invitation, but he was concentrating on her torso and not even touching her inner thighs.

  “Orriko?”

  He looked up at her and licked his lips, a move that caused her to clench her thighs together. “Yes?”

  “Would you…I mean could you…I mean.” Tears formed in her eyes as she wondered how exactly to ask a man to put his cock inside you.

  “Yes?”

  “I want…” She bit her lip and turned her head aside so he couldn’t see the tears of her frustration.

  He nuzzled her neck. “What do you want?” He licked, sucked and bit at her neck with careful control.

  Lilli gasped and held her b
reath as her body hovered on the edge of release. “I want more.” That seemed a safe demand.

  “More what? Hand, tongue, cock, what?”

  “I want you inside me in whatever way you choose.” She whispered it against his distinctly pointed ear.

  He bit her neck again, careful and controlled.

  He shifted his body, and her thighs parted to allow him in. He rocked his hips against her, rubbing the outer lips of her sex and eventually entering her with small kissing sounds.

  Lilli blushed at the sounds of sex that she hadn’t realized before, but as he slid further into her, the wet noises became a bright symphony of pleasure.

  She lifted her hips against him, trying to pull him deeper, but he held back and carefully controlled the depth and speed of his thrusts. He rocked into her and kissed both sides of her neck, licking, biting and sucking strategically.

  Lilli felt her body tightening around his erection, and her orgasm was just a few thrusts away.

  Desperate for release, she reached between them, but he paused and grabbed her hand. “No cheating, Lillibeth.”

  She squirmed against him. “Harder please.”

  He rolled his hips forward and rocked into her. The hard thrusts sent her to the edge, and when he bit lightly at her neck, her channel clasped him and she moaned long and low as her mind spun apart.

  Orriko gave an answering groan, and he held himself above her before he allowed his body to slowly collapse on hers.

  She wrapped her limbs around him and held him close.

  She felt the feathering of a kiss at her temple at the same time that he began to swell inside her again. To her surprise, he withdrew and turned her so that her back was against his chest.

  He lifted her left leg and pressed it up toward her ribs. She blinked and gasped as he entered her from behind, curling around her body as he slowly began to rock.

  Orriko cupped her breasts with his hands and moved within her as if they had all the time in the world.

  Minutes stretched endlessly, and Lilli shuddered in his grip as her body surrendered to him once again. He chuckled, slowing his motion and remaining within her. He brushed her hair from her forehead and pressed a kiss against her jaw.

  His warmth made her sleepy, and she nodded off in his embrace.

  She woke alone and got to her feet, her thighs sticky with cum and her nose wrinkling with the trapped scent of sex.

  Lilli took a quick shower and wrapped herself in a fresh towel, wincing at the soreness between her thighs. Twice during the night, he had rolled her under him, and her inner thighs were hot pink from the friction.

  She dug around in her clothing and found a floral wrap that she had brought from home. A light silk tank top to ease her sore nipples, and she was ready to face whatever walked through her wall.

  The Ikanni didn’t truly walk through walls. The Heshi turned the body to energy and moved it to a place that the Admaryn body recognised.

  Lilli looked at her monitors and said, “To hell with it.”

  She turned on her screens and watched the scenes occurring all over the base. The Ikanni were moving in. Families took over the courtyard, small homes had been set up overnight and a group of six children were seated while a teacher instructed them on the use of language and spelling.

  “Wow.”

  Crew quarters had been given to couples if the number of people currently having sex were any indication. The positions she watched made her tilt her head slightly. The Ikanni sure were flexible.

  Medical had been changed into a burial shrine. Alvar was wrapped tight and appeared to be ready for burial. The burial was about to take place right under the spot the gurney had laid if the broken floor and pile of dirt was any indication.

  Lilli looked for Orriko and found him speaking to an older male dressed in long robes with Heshi symbols on them. He seemed upset by whatever the older man was saying, but she couldn’t quite understand what that was. When her training reached for the translation, it slipped away.

  She didn’t mean to move the camera, but she was so intent on reading their lips, it must have zoomed.

  Orriko turned to face the camera, and he didn’t look happy.

  He disappeared on the screen, so Lilli tried to shut down her monitor. She got to her feet and turned just as he stepped toward her.

  “I thought we disabled those systems.”

  “They are self-repairing.” She bit her lip. He walked up to her, and her silk-covered breasts were an inch from his chest.

  “You look very pretty today. I am sorry I had to leave, but since my father decided to be buried here, we must reside here until his soul has found its next home.” He brushed her hair from her face and ran his fingers through to the end.

  She didn’t have a comment on that.

  “Come with me. There is someone you must meet eventually, and he does not wish to wait.” He wrapped her in his arms, and they transported before she could do more than squeak.

  Chapter Seven

  She wanted desperately to pull her hair over her breasts to cover her, because the moment that she met the man in robes, he stared at the nipples that had erected at contact with Orriko.

  “Lillibeth Hislar, this is my uncle and priest of the Heshi, Orvar.”

  The older male licked his lips and smiled. It was not an unpleasant smile, but it did make her wish she had a lot more clothing on. The Ikanni, in general, had a way of looking right through clothing.

  Orvar reached out and took her hand, rubbing his thumb along her palm. “Strength, grace and fighting spirit. I can see why they want you.”

  She jerked her hand back and stepped back against Orriko. “I beg your pardon?”

  “The Heshi. They wish to have one of their souls join with yours. It is a great honour for an alien. They have not made this request before.” He smiled as if she should be flattered.

  “I am not sure that I am going to be here much longer. Why would they want to jump in me?”

  Orvar scowled at Orriko. “Bael Lerock, have you not told her of the honour that Alvar bestowed?”

  Orriko wrapped his hands around her waist, and for some reason, it made her feel better. “I have told her, but she is not yet a believer. She will come around when the proof is presented to her.”

  She scowled and looked up at him. “The proof would be a living infant, so no, I am not going to believe that until it is fact.”

  “The Heshi want her now.”

  “She is mine. She must fulfill one duty before the risk of involving the Heshi can be enacted.”

  Orvar scowled. “They have promised to be gentle with her until the seal is created. She will come to no harm during transition.”

  Orriko’s grip got tight. “You cannot know that. Her kind has never blended.”

  Orvar grimaced. “Her kind has not blended with ours, so how can you know that she can fulfill the life of Alvar?”

  Lilli blinked. “I believe that I can answer that. If you are talking about my species and yours, yes, they are genetically compatible. It almost caused the Admaryn to destroy my world, but yes, half-breeds are abundant and fertile.” She cleared her throat. “Not that I am promoting that in any way, shape or form.”

  Orvar raised his brows. “You are a child of Earth?”

  “Yes.”

  Orvar nodded. “That explains it. I will brook no argument, Orriko. She is coming with me.”

  Instead of touching her, Orvar raised his hand and light wrapped around her.

  One moment she was in Orriko’s arms, the next she was in a cave on the edge of a cliff with a man who creeped her out on several levels. Her skirt fluttered, and she cursed herself for not putting on her thick suit.

  Her toes wriggled against slick black volcanic rock, and she wished she had put shoes on.

  “My nephew has good taste.” Orvar cupped her chin and lifted it to force her gaze to meet his.

  Fury and frustration were the emotions she put into her gaze, but he merely smiled. �
�Spirit again. Very good. They will choose a suitable flame for you.”

  “I don’t want someone else running around in my body.”

  He stroked her neck and the slope of her breast. “It seems that my nephew did not meet with that objection.”

  Her blush was part shock, part anger and a tiny bit of embarrassment. “None of your business, and he was invited.”

  “A few minutes alone and I am sure I could coax an invitation out of you as well.” His voice became a low purr, and he didn’t seem upset by her rejection at all.

  She backed away as the threat of seduction became rather real. For some reason, she was attracted to the dark elves beyond her normal, ingrained logic.

  He scowled and gripped her arm. “Throwing yourself off the cliff will not save you. The Heshi will merely heal you and bring you back.”

  She looked down and found that her left heel was over a drop so deep, she couldn’t see the bottom. Lilli tried to push past Orvar, but he gathered her against him.

  “Don’t run, little bird. The Heshi are coming and one of them will take you as host. They merely want to live your life with you. Perhaps they will give you a priestess. I have been rather lonely with having no woman of my own.”

  He stroked her hair again, and she listened to his words but saw an endless line of female faces.

  She looked up at him and tried pushing back. “You take the wives of others to your bed.”

  “It is considered a blessing.” He quirked his lips in amusement.

  A light was coming up from the depths of the pit beneath the cliffs.

  “Some blessing. So, do you seduce them or does your Heshi give you the power to delude them into your bed.”

  “Bed, wall, hallway, kitchen. The Heshi I received is very strong. Almost as strong as Bael Alvar’s but not quite. However, now that he is untethered from his body, I am the strongest Ikanni on this continent.” He bent her back and took her mouth in a savage kiss that filled her belly with an icy dread.