Read Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1) Online

Authors: Ruth D. Kerce

Tags: #Erotica

Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1) (8 page)

BOOK: Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1)
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“She didn’t refuse.”

“What’s the problem then?” Erik barked from the sofa. “If she doesn’t want Braden fucking her, I’ll do her. But let’s get on with it.”

“Can’t you even
pretend
to have some compassion?” Leila shot back with a snap.

Braden shook his head. “She’s still scared. Unsure of our motives. Unsure of what to believe.” He had to look at things from Alexa’s point of view. He knew she must feel overwhelmed, rushed, and probably completely confused as to what was the right thing to do. “What can we do or say to convince her, Leila? Any ideas? A female perspective?”

“I don’t know, Braden. It’s a sensitive situation. You know it’s not the same type of Xylon pre-initiation when we’re dealing with another species. I don’t think there’s any clear-cut path that will ensure her agreement. However, I did run a test on her, and I made an interesting discovery.”

“There’s a plus,” Erik replied in a sarcastic tone. “We’re all ears, sweetheart. Spill it. Maybe it’ll invite some
compassion
.”

“What did you find?” Braden asked, ignoring Erik’s comments. The man needed a definite attitude adjustment where Leila was concerned. He always turned cranky when she was around. A story lurked there somewhere. When he had more time, he wanted to explore it. As for now, Braden really hoped Leila’s
interesting
discovery meant good news and not bad.

“She not only has the right DNA for a breeder, but she’s a super breeder.”

“Damn!” Erik surged up from the sofa. “You shittin’ us?”

Braden couldn’t find his voice. A super breeder? Unbelievable! He couldn’t stand still. Not with news like that. Nervous energy forced him to pace, while Leila’s words sank into his weary brain. “Neither of her parents were super breeders.”

“I know. This is almost unheard of.”

If Alexa was a super breeder, then that meant she’d bear twins or triplets at each birth. Super breeders were so rare that maybe only one in fifty million women attained that status. “Are you sure, Leila?” He heard the excitement in his own voice.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Leila placed a hand on his arm. “I think she does want to help us, if she’s handled correctly. The sexual aspect of the Initiation is what makes her uncomfortable, for the most part. I kind of led her astray a little and told her you’d be breeder-mates.”

“Leila, you know that’s not true. Not unless I can arrange it.”

“I know. But being from Earth, I thought she might feel better believing there was some sort of commitment in this. She…” Leila glanced over her shoulder at Erik, then looked back at Braden and lowered her voice. “She’s never had an orgasm.”

“I heard that,” Erik replied. “She wouldn’t have a problem with me. I’d give her all she could handle.”

“Shut up!” Braden and Leila shouted at the same time.

“I don’t think she has that much sexual experience, Braden. This is all alien to her, literally. You can imagine her reaction to the ceremony. Talk to her. She’s better prepared now. I think she’ll listen. Just be nice…and charming. And hopefully, she’ll respond.”

“Charming?” He sighed, then nodded. “Okay. Fine. I can do charming.” He paused and rubbed his chin. “I think.” Braden turned to stare at the closed bedroom door. His heart pounded so hard he thought it would burst from his chest. A super breeder.

Somehow, someway, he’d arrange it with Laszlo to make sure he didn’t take Alexa as a mate.
He
wanted her. Needed her. His own mother had been a super breeder, and he knew they had very special, sexual needs. He refused to let another man fulfill those needs for Alexa. He considered her to be his and his alone now. Leila was right. This ceremony
should
be a commitment. For him and Alexa, that’s exactly what it would be.

A thought struck him. And it made sense. Laszlo somehow knew. That’s the reason the man chose him to research and track Alexa. It would be too much of a coincidence otherwise, and he’d never much believed in coincidences—not of this magnitude. With his own latent super breeder genes, he and Alexa could produce more powerful Warriors than Xylon had seen in generations. Plus the odds of passing on the super breeder genes to at least one of their children were quite high.

As soon as he could, he was going to set-up a meeting with Laszlo and get things settled. Given the circumstances, The Council would surely revise their decision and officially allow Alexa to be
his
.

He started toward the bedroom. “Stick around, you two, okay? And try not to kill each other.”

Erik grunted.

Without bothering to knock, Braden opened the door and stepped inside the bedroom. He stopped short. Kam was holding Alexa in his arms. Her face rested against his friend’s chest, and her eyes were half-closed. Kam caressed her hair, and she looked totally at peace. Both blonde, both blue-eyed, both with skin tones so much alike. They looked good together. Too good. Like a perfect, freakin’ match. Jealousy shot through him, right to the core.

Kam glanced toward the door. He gently untangled Alexa from his arms. “It’s not how it looks, Braden.”

“Oh?”

Alexa’s gaze swung from him to Kam and back again. When he stalked forward, she met him halfway, a determined look on her face. She pushed her palms flat against his chest, stopping him. “You’d better not be planning to hurt him. He was helping me.”

“Of that I’m sure.” It took all his restraint not to grab her, toss her on the bed, strip her bare, and plunge deep into her pussy right there in front of Kam. Just to show the man that Alexa was his.

“I’m going to join the others,” Kam said. “I’ll get us some food. None of us have eaten today.”

“Kam?” he called.

“Yeah?”

“Alexa’s a super breeder. Leila tested her.” In case his friend had any ideas about making a play for Alexa, he wanted the man to know that he’d have a fight on his hands.

Kam’s gaze drifted to Alexa, then back to Braden. One side of his mouth quirked up into a grin. “That’s great news.” After a last look in Alexa’s direction, Kam made his exit.

Braden remained quiet until the door closed him and Alexa into the room alone. Kam’s casual response to the news confounded him. He didn’t think he’d ever understand the way that man’s mind worked.

“Why the sudden change?” he finally asked, turning toward Alexa. She’d stepped back, but still stood close enough for him to touch if he wanted. And he definitely wanted.

“Change?”

She crossed her arms under her breasts. He’d seen her do that in the cemetery. Was she chilled or was that a sign of some other source of discomfort? Not fear certainly, but something else. He saw it in her eyes. He just wasn’t sure what
it
was.

“Your fear is gone.” He had to state it, to be certain.

“Not…completely. Kam just helped me go over everything. He’s very understanding. He shared secrets with me.” She stared at the closed door.

Braden wondered at the look in her eyes. Kam had calmed her. That was obvious. But his friend had apparently also disturbed her in some way. He could see that, too, in her eyes. She wasn’t very good at hiding emotions. He didn’t like the sound of secrets though. He didn’t want her bonding with any other man through confidences he wasn’t privy to. “What secrets?”

Her gaze returned to his, and she smiled slightly. “If I told you, they wouldn’t be secrets.”

Jealousy warred with relief inside him. She was definitely more at ease, but still, he wanted details. She apparently intended to offer none. “So, you’re ready to be initiated then?” he asked in a sharper tone than intended.

Her spine stiffened. “I didn’t say that.”

“Then what are you saying?” He knew he sounded impatient. He couldn’t control it. He needed her. Now. He saw the suppressed passion in her, and wanted to set it loose. Her body, curvy in all the right places, turned him hard as steel. Her full mouth called to his baser instincts, urging him to take that mouth with his, then in return have her taste his body, his cock, drawing deep until he filled her with his essence. He practically groaned at the thought.

Above it all—even the sexual element—Alexa was a strong woman. He needed a strong woman in his life. And they all needed her to continue the species. Now more than ever.

She tilted her head and hugged her middle tighter. “What’s a super-breeder?”

She was stalling again, dragging this out, instead of addressing the issue at hand. Certainly, she wouldn’t refuse the Initiation, knowing how much her participation meant to Xylon. And if she did intend to refuse, or refuse
him
, he wished she’d just do so. Then he would know where they stood. “A super breeder means that you can get with child easily and will bear more than one with each birth.” He tried to make his explanation sound as casual as possible. He didn’t want his growing feelings of urgency, possessiveness, and lust to cause her fear to re-surface.

“A regular baby-making machine, huh?”

He raised an eyebrow at her irritated tone.

“Well, what do you expect, Braden?” She relaxed her arms to her sides. “A bunch of strangers show up and tell me I need to let some man do all sorts of sexual things to me. That I’m supposed to pop out a herd of children. And if I refuse, life on your world, and possibly mine, changes forever.”

“It’s not that simplistic. You’ll be claiming your heritage, your place in
our
society. It’s a great honor. And, yes, you’ll be saving a way of life at the same time.”

“Whether I want to or not.”

“I already told you that you wouldn’t be forced.” If their system entry point wasn’t approaching, and if they had more reserve fuel, they could remain on Earth longer and take plenty of time to acclimate her to their ways. Alexa had a more pivotal role than most breeders, which made her submission a must. Somehow, he had to convince her.

“Not physically forced maybe. But mentally I feel like I have no choice. How can I really refuse? If I do, then I find out everything I’ve been told is true, and worlds end up destroyed, I’d have to wonder whether I was at least part of the reason it happened.”

Braden shrugged. “Then agree, and you won’t have to wonder. I can’t change the situation, Alexa. It is what it is. I’ve done all I can to make it easier for you.”

Alexa didn’t respond. She simply stared at him.

He’d try another avenue. “What do you want? Kam and Leila must have calmed you enough to get you this far. What can I do to get you the rest of the way?”

“To give my body to a stranger? Allow him, you, to do things to me that I’ve never allowed another man to do. To agree to bear children I’m not even sure I want.”

“I’m sorry. That’s the way it is. If it makes you feel any better, the Initiation won’t get you pregnant. That doesn’t come until later. You’ll have time to adjust.” Agony at the possibility shot through him, but he had to ask. “Would you rather Kam initiate you?”

“No!”

Her immediate response, and wide-eyed look, took him aback. She almost seemed panicked. “Okay,” he answered, slowly drawing out the word. “Then what’s holding you back? I won’t hurt you. And I’ll make it as enjoyable for you as I can.”

Alexa laughed, but her voice held little humor. “Yeah. That’s what men always say when it comes to sex, isn’t it?”

A distracted look crossed her face, as if she was remembering something, and her skin flushed. Interesting. Maybe it really wasn’t
him
that caused her hesitation; maybe it was the sex as Leila had said.

He wondered how many men Alexa had been with. And what kind of idiots they were to have turned this beautiful woman off the idea of sex. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He just knew that this was not going well. He raised his hand, needing to caress Alexa’s cheek, only wanting one soft touch. To calm himself. And show her that he did care.

He sensed, rather than heard, the breath she sucked in when she realized his intent. Her eyes dilated, and he saw something new. Interest? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.

A knock interrupted him, before he made contact. Braden lowered his hand, and frustration surged through him. He stalked over to jerk open the door. “What?”

“Sorry.” Kam wedged a picnic basket into the crack in the door. “Leila already had this started. You and Alexa need to eat.”

Braden opened the door wider and took the basket. “Thanks,” he said, but his voice still held an edge. He lowered his tone. “Any advice? She’s not responding well.”

“Show her your feelings. She just needs to know that she can trust you, Braden.” He grinned. “She
is
sexually and emotionally attracted to you. She told me that when I spoke to her about you.”

Braden’s heart leapt in his chest. Now that was information he could use. Maybe he had seen interest in her eyes, after all. “Thanks, Kam.” Braden closed the door and turned, basket in hand. Be charming, Leila had said. Okay. A smile tugged at his lips. “Food.”

“I’m not hungry.” Alexa’s stomach growled in response, loud enough for him to hear. She crossed her arms over her middle, and a blush crept up her neck.

“You’re such a bad liar.” He set the basket on the bed and almost laughed at the wary look on her face. “Why don’t you sit down on the other side, get comfortable, and we’ll have a picnic.”

She stared at the basket as if expecting a poisonous asp to emerge. “You want to have a picnic? Now?” Her gaze snapped up to his. “Have you gone completely mad?”

* * * * *

Kam snatched up the bag of potato chips sitting next to the prepared food and made himself comfortable in one of the plush living room chairs. The bag crackled as he ripped it open and reached in for a chip.

He hoped Braden didn’t blow his chance with Alexa. If he did, someone else would need to step up and try to initiate her.
He
couldn’t do it. And he doubted she’d accept Erik. They’d have to contact Laszlo. He really didn’t want to go that route. With the limited amount of time they had, the situation could escalate into something ugly and get out of control.

“What are the chances of Alexa getting screwed anytime soon?”

BOOK: Initiation (Xylon Warriors 1)
3.69Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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