Heart of the Hunted Read online

  He snorted. “No. The men on Imrahl are still on active duty. When we get the signal that one of our worlds is under attack, we go immediately. The colonists are taking women from our supply worlds and trying to make a new population and new society using the old ways.”

  “The old ways?”

  “Keeping the women separate. It was considered honourable to earn a single mate, but most shared access to a queen in an effort to carry on our genes.”

  “That sounds weird.”

  “The Voboth have been hunting us for centuries. They targeted our women, and our society has had to change.”

  “So, that is what places like Imrahl are all about?”

  “Yes. We train to match your culture as closely as possible before we bring the workers here.”

  “You all are quick studies.”

  He chuckled and continued running his fingers through her hair. “As are you. Few of your people have bothered to learn Rrassic.”

  She smiled. “Here education is free, so like most of the women I know, I took advantage of it.”

  “You make excellent choices.”

  “I am not a hero, but I am a survivor. Learning the language was an easy step to take.”

  “All of the women here are survivors of one kind or another; it is what has made Imrahl one of the most hopeful outposts we have.”

  “Hopeful?”

  “To be productive members of the war effort. This world is blooming and producing a riot of supplies. The humans are a very industrious people.”

  She smiled and patted his chest carefully. “We like to think so. The humans that your people picked seem to be inclined to that very thing. Coincidence, I am sure.”

  He chuckled. “We do the selection carefully.”

  “Were you there?”

  “I was. The Luthin could go on their own while the other assessors had to undergo cosmetic alteration. I got the better end of the deal.”

  She snickered. “Sounds like it. Where did you go?”

  “I was sent to a few places. I watched the sun set over glaciers, I watched sunrise in the desert. It was a strange contrast to the industrial nature of the large cities, but I enjoyed my time there.”

  “How many humans did you choose?”

  “I didn’t choose. I observed, looked for behaviours that we needed in our working population and made notes and files. When I was done, I returned home via the step-down worlds.”

  “What does that mean, step down?”

  He paused. “I am guessing I should not be telling you this, but Imrahl is a world outside of time. Time here moves differently than it does on your world. Do not worry. Your people will never even notice your absence.”

  She sighed. “Of course not. I have already figured out that the Rrassic threats against our families and friends only worked because we were shocked at seeing actual aliens. You guys might be savage at times, but there is a thick layer of civilisation under it.” She grinned. “And you like leather pants.”

  He chuckled and groaned. “Funny. Animal hide is easier to hide and more comfortable on fur. It also hides blood and comes in a variety of finishes.”

  She laughed. “I was teasing. I like the look.”

  He sighed. “Funny lady.”

  “Get used to it.”

  She relaxed and his breathing evened. Their first time in bed together and they napped.

  Arix muttered, “This is embarrassing.”

  She grinned. “What? Walking into the Breeder compound with an escort? Now you know how I felt. It is damned conspicuous.”

  The two other Luthin with them grinned.

  Her rooms were overlooking the atrium, and the two thousand square foot apartment was definitely nicer than the one she had had back on Earth.

  She nodded to her escort and waved for Arix to precede her into the room. He stalked into her room with the aura of a man who was sulking.

  She turned to her escort. “Thank you for the door-to-door service. He is just feeling a little delicate.”

  One of the Luthin grinned. “He might be battered, broken and bruised, but we still envy him your company. Good evening, lady.”

  She closed the door and turned around. Arix was standing in the living room and turning slowly. “This is a large set of rooms.”

  “It is. My boss made the arrangements for me, so this was what I ended up with.” She grinned.

  “Where do you want me?” Arix raised his eyebrows and smiled.

  “I want you in bed. You are looking a little grey.”

  He grimaced. “They accelerated my healing. I am nearly mobile.”

  “I know. You go and lie down, and I will get something to eat from the dispenser. The sooner you are back on your feet, the sooner we can get to the fun stuff.”

  He smiled and inclined his head. “As my hostess insists.”

  She watched him go and sighed. Her parcels were packed and on a side table. She walked to the dispenser and called up a few meals. While she waited, she unwrapped the items that she remembered selecting from the shops, and she set them on the shelves and tables around the room. She turned the space from sterile to warm with just the few well-placed items.

  She went to the dispenser and was about to lift the tray out when a hand slid around her waist and pulled her against a hard and invisible body.

  Bree squeaked.

  “We definitely could eat first.”

  She sighed as he kissed the side of her neck. “Well, your mouth seems to be busy, so I am just going to leave it in the warmer.”

  He chuckled. “See? You are part of a very practical species.”

  He moved his hand over her hip and slowly lifted her tunic. He slid his fingers against her skin, and she shivered as the invisible grip moved up to cup her breast.

  “Why are you doing this invisible?”

  He chuckled. “It is my natural state.” With his free hand, he took her right arm and guided her palm to his thigh.

  Oh, dear. He was in a very natural state.

  His hand moved from one breast to the other.

  Her nipples pressed against the inside of her shirt. What had been perfectly comfortable before he touched her was now an irritation that she couldn’t ignore.

  “I think I need to take my clothing off. It seems to be getting in the way.”

  She heard Arix’s chuckle and felt it against her skin. Bree tried to pull her tunic off and away, but he slid his hand down her belly and she fell back against him when he crossed the drawstring and slowly cupped her sex.

  The squeak of surprise was her second of the day and a damned undignified way to announce arousal.

  He laughed again, moving his fingers against her slowly, moving his lips across her skin and licking at her earlobe. “I like your clothing. I like the layers and slowly taking them off at my discretion.”

  She exhaled as he circled her clit. She closed her eyes against the sight of her clothing moving around at his whim. “I thought you were going to lie down.”

  “I am. Eventually.”

  He withdrew his fingers, and she could smell the cream on them, Bree blushed at the slow sucking sound that he made. A growl sounded and his hands gripped her waist as he lifted her and set her on her kitchen island.

  He tugged at her drawstring, and her pants relaxed. With one hand, he lifted her up,, and with the other, he stripped her trousers off. She was wearing her tunic and the imprints of his hands and nothing else.

  It was time to act on her impulses and find out if having sex with the invisible man was going to be as weird as she had imagined.

  Chapter Eight

  It was easier to close her eyes and imagine him in front of her as he parted her knees and stepped in between them.

  She felt the nap of his skin on her inner thighs. It was rigid velvet, and she moved her knees up and down to take in the sensation. Since sight had been taken from her, she was going to have to compensate with t
ouch.

  Bree reached out and touched him, stroking his shoulders and triangulating his face’s location. A light brush of her fingers confirmed where his lips were as she leaned in and kissed him.

  She closed her eyes and kept them closed as she held his head to hers.

  The kiss was hot, wet and it was endless. At one point, he lifted her hips and fitted the head of his erection to her.

  She gasped when he started to slide into her and clutched at his shoulders for balance. Keeping her eyes shut went against everything she wanted to do. She wanted to see him, wanted to know if he clenched his jaw when he thrust into her. She could feel his hands flexing on her hips as he worked into her. Based on what she was feeling, his cock had a conical start that turned into a thick column.

  She leaned her head back and gasped when he continued to slide into her. When he couldn’t go in any further, he withdrew and then surged forward again.

  Bree was so wet she was almost embarrassed. Almost. She moved her legs slowly and locked them around him.

  His thrusts took on a slow rhythm that rocked her to her core.

  “Open your eyes, Bree.”

  She squinted and slowly opened her eyes. He was rocking into her, and his skin was a radiating pattern of blues and purples with hot-pink flashing throughout. His eyes had a light in them that she hadn’t seen before. A pinpoint of flaring violet was deep inside his gaze, and she was getting lost in that sea of darkness with the one way out.

  Her body was coated in sweat. She held onto his shoulders as he moved with her, and release crept up on her.

  His dark hair was still tied back and up, but the vivid colours took up the expanse of her vision. He was tense; his jaw flexed as he tried to gain her release before his.

  Just as she was whimpering on the edge, her butt held in his hands as he pulled himself into her, she felt a spike of pain.

  She shrieked, but he stroked her clit with a hard and fast rhythm. Pleasure overrode the pain, and he grunted as he joined her.

  She shivered as the deep ache flared and faded in waves. “So, that was the spike?”

  “You know about that?”

  “Yeah. I was briefed. It still stings.”

  He crooned, and his colouring began to take on the normal green tints. He rubbed her belly, and the pain eased.

  She exhaled. “Well, that was a bit more painful than I was braced for. I am glad it is only this once.”

  He sighed and pressed a kiss to her temple. “And each time you begin a new cycle.”

  “You are not making this better.” She could still feel him inside her, thick and waiting.

  Arix grinned. “I think it is wonderful. We both got what we wanted, and now, the awkwardness of the first time is behind us.”

  She sighed. “If that was awkward, you must have been a dancer in your former life.”

  He rubbed his cheek against hers. “You tolerated it very well.”

  “Thanks. That is what I like to hear.” She leaned her cheek against his and stroked his neck.

  “Now we can have that meal. I have worked up a bit of an appetite.” He leaned down and nipped her neck.

  She sighed and shifted her hips. “You are going to have to let me go to manage that.”

  “Can’t I have both?”

  “No. Those meals require utensils.”

  He surrendered and backed up, withdrawing from her.

  Getting her legs together took effort, but when she had her limbs under control, she hopped to the floor. “Hey, did you hurt your arm when you picked me up?”

  He smiled. “No, the fracture is healed. I am just on light duty for a few days.”

  “If you are healed, why are you on light duty?”

  “Ah, it is because of the change in the worlds. Moving between them is taxing on the mind. You will be unable to make critical decisions, so a few days to recalibrate to your situation is best.”

  “Does that mean that what we just did was a lack of judgment?”

  He cocked his head. “Do you think that it felt like a lack of judgment?”

  Bree analyzed it and shook her head. “No. It felt like the best choice I could have made.”

  He seemed very pleased at that. “Really? May I ask why?”

  She walked over to him, stroked her hands over his chest and the healing marks on his hide. “Because despite your injuries, despite your option to run and give me up, you came for me. If I have to choose a mate from the Rrassic, I want it to be one that didn’t abandon me when he could have saved himself.”

  Colour rippled through him. She got it now, he was blushing.

  “Well, that aside, you have a great ass.” She patted the asset as she headed for the warmer.

  Bree pulled her hair back and opened the warmer, pulling out the tray. She walked to the table and set the tray down, walking back into the kitchen to get some cutlery.

  “Have a seat, Arix.”

  He was still standing, bemused. “Did you just pat my ass?”

  “I did.”

  “You think you can get away with that?”

  She grinned as she set the cutlery down. “Being a Breeder class gives me special status. I think I can probably pat a bunch of Rrassic on the ass and get away with it.”

  He grabbed her and held her tight. “You touch one other Rrassic and I am going to have to remove him from the gene pool.”

  She blinked in surprise. “So, the Imrahl Rrassic don’t share?”

  “No. One male to one female. It is the common practice on your world, and we agreed to hold to your social mores.”

  “This spike isn’t in our social mores.”

  “No, it is a biological necessity.”

  “Not for us.”

  He grinned. “It wasn’t covered in the contract.”

  “There wasn’t any contract.”

  “Precisely.”

  She sighed and squirmed. “Our food is getting cold.”

  He chuckled and let her go. She took a seat and made a face at the damp discomfort between her thighs. The ache in her abdomen had subsided, and the weird energy that always flooded her after she came was starting to course through her system.

  A meal would calm her right down.

  She put the dishes in the recycler and washed the utensils. Despite claiming to be well, Arix still looked exhausted.

  She bullied him into bed and crawled in next to him. As a Breeder, she didn’t have a schedule. If she already found a mate, she didn’t need to attend the mixers, and given the grip he had on her now, she wasn’t going to be going out dancing anytime soon.

  She smiled. Oddly enough, she didn’t mind at all.

  After a few hours of rest, Arix was ready to go out.

  “Are you nuts? You are recovering.”

  “I think a few hours in the marketplace would do me good. I want to show you my favourite noodle house.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure?”

  “Pretty sure. I will have to send for some clothing for myself, but I believe that you will enjoy it.” He stroked her cheek.

  She nodded. “Sure. Go ahead and get what you need.”

  “It is already on the way.”

  “When did you do that?”

  “While you were in the shower.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him, and he caught it.

  Glaring at him was all she was going to do. Trying to negotiate for possession of her tongue wasn’t going to work.

  Bree waited, and after a minute, he released her.

  A knock at the door sent her scurrying to the bedroom. Greeting strangers naked was beyond her courage.

  She slipped on a robe that wasn’t peekaboo and crept out to watch the Hunters who were bringing in the crates and boxes containing Arix’s possessions.

  The men commented in Rrassic on the expansive space, complimenting Arix on his choice of a mate with some social standing.

  When one of t
he men asked Arix if Bree was pregnant, she stalked out. “Hey. Stop being so damned rude!”

  The men froze and looked sheepish. The two Zjin and the Luthin were looking like she had caught them masturbating.

  The three men bowed low. The Luthin smiled. “Lady. We were not expecting you to be here.”

  “I am a Breeder with a mate. Where else would I be?” Her Rrassic was slow, but she knew she got the words right.

  Arix stood to one side and grinned. “Lebth, Niiro, Denyk, this is my mate, Bree.”

  She inclined her head. “Gentlemen. Stand up before you get stuck that way.”

  They snapped upright.

  She wandered over to Arix and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Do you need anything else before we go out?”

  He shook his head. “No. Everything I need is right here.”

  He was looking down at her when he said it, and she felt a blush firing up. “Right. Well, in that case, I had better get dressed. It was nice meeting you, gentlemen. Please, excuse me.”

  She walked into the bedroom and headed for her wardrobe. She needed something she could walk in but something that was pretty. She settled on a long dress with a sash that would do duty as an under-bust corset.

  She slipped it on and wrapped the sash in place. A set of flats replaced the ones she had lost on Skekt, and she was ready to go.

  Bree walked into the living area and found an Arix that she barely recognized. “Wow. You look... amazing.”

  Loose, wide-legged trousers were held in place with a wide belt. An open robe covered his arms and fell to his knees. It was his hair that was the showstopper. A cascade of midnight was held off his face with the forward section in a ponytail. Wisps of dark bangs covered one black eye, and he looked a lot younger than he did with his hair scraped back.

  He smiled slowly. “You think so? Luthin rarely go out socially. Regiz and Zjin are much more attractive to most species.”

  She walked up to him and ran her hand down his chest. “I have always admired the colour green.”

  He threaded his hand in her hair. “I have to admit, I am exceedingly glad that I was on duty when you went missing.”

  “Stop sweet talking me and take me for noodles.”