Star Kissed (30 page)

The sense of loss hit him again, this time much harder. It was cold inside him. It felt like fear. How did he spend every night in this bed without her? Her warm, vibrant body would never lie beneath him as she was now. He’d never taste her honey, smell her arousal or slide his tongue into her velvety mouth or slick core. She made him feel alive and in the morning, this part of him he was just discovering would die.

“Don’t be sorry,” he said softly, wiping away the tears. Touched by the depth of her emotion, he was unable to remember why he ever chose another woman over this one in the first place. “This is my fault, not yours.”

“Make love to me again,” she said.

Mandy touched the human side of him. He’d wanted to deny it existed, but gazing into her eyes and knowing both how much she cared for him and how hurt she was, he thought of nothing more than claiming her as his own.

“Please, Akkadi.”

The heartache in her voice made him mad with the urge to take away any pain she felt. His lust was not likely to be sated by a single night. He was already hard again, still buried in her hot depths. He lowered his head and kissed her hard until she was squirming beneath him. Withdrawing from her, he rolled her onto her stomach and settled over her again, kissing her neck and breathing in her scent. He hungrily devoured her with his hands and tongue, determined to remove her sorrow.

He wanted her too much for this to be the last night, and yet it, it was.

Chapter Seventeen

Mandy eased out of the bed, her whole body trembling and sore from lovemaking unlike anything she’d ever imagined. Akkadi had always been passionate, but this night was surreal. His skill and touch were inhuman, his lust like a fire that didn’t die. Their connection had been beyond physical. She’d been susceptible to him before. Now, she’d never turn him away again. She wanted to crawl back into bed with him and let him make love to her until they were too tired to move. She wanted to surrender to him every night, even if it meant she didn’t go home.

His hands and mouth hadn’t just branded her, they’d claimed her. She was his, even as he turned her away to marry another woman.

She was weak. Her throat tightened as she reminded herself of the truth. He had
chosen
someone else. The reasons why didn’t matter.

He had no right to make her feel like he had this night. Her tears rose again, not out of anger but out of frustration. She’d meant to betray him and walk away, leave him the same way he left her. He was supposed to be on the battle deck when she came to steal the marbles. This was supposed to be easy.

Instead, he’d reminded her that she’d fallen for him almost as soon as she met him. And tonight, she’d given him everything she held back. He gave her no choice, wringing cries out of her, pushing her to new heights of pleasure, suspending her pleasure until he was satisfied with her lustful frenzy. The way he gazed into her eyes when he watched her orgasm …

Her hands shook. She pulled on her clothes. The connection she felt to this world was like a dream – except when she was with him. She had never belonged with anyone else the way she did him, even in her life in the past.

Her eyes went to him. He lay on his stomach, a sheet over his lower body. His sleep was deep, like hers had been after all they’d done.

Walk away.

No part of her wanted to leave. She stepped into the antechamber and fixed her hair, took a deep breath and left his quarters.

Mandy broke into a run. She sprinted through the halls, desperate to escape him and her own emotions. Down the lift, she then raced towards her destination.

Cesar was waiting for her. They had a plan, one that didn’t change just because Akkadi gave her the best night of her life.

Breathless, she reached the slave dorms and entered.

Cesar looked up from his spot seated on the trunk at the foot of his bed. He hurried towards her.

“Jesus, I thought something else bad might’ve happened!” he exclaimed, scouring her features. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I got the cells.” She held up the sash, where she’d dumped the energy marbles before Akkadi stumbled upon her in his room. She grabbed all she could before his interruption, but she suspected there was one or two left in the box. Hopefully, she didn’t need those two. If she’d gotten there a few minutes earlier, she could’ve made sure she grabbed everything and completely avoided Akkadi.

She realized Cesar was talking to her.

“Urik sent me instructions. There’s a cargo ship waiting to take off from here. We have to go now.”

Mandy glanced towards her bed then realized she had no belongings here to collect. She had nothing but Akkadi, and he wasn’t coming with her.

Cesar started up the ramp.

Heart heavy, Mandy followed.

He led her through the hallways and down two elevators until they reached a floor with markings she recognized. The corridor was lined with massive bays into space, the same floor where she’d caught a ride with Helen and Hichele to Earth. Cesar’s pace slowed as he took in the markings on the floor.

He entered one bay, and Mandy trailed. They made their way through strange machines and robots loading equipment into crafts. Dressed as a Naki slaves, they were universally ignored by those at the station’s spaceport. She followed Cesar to an elevator that lifted them into a ship filled with giant storage cubes.

“How about there?” Cesar pointed to a spot in a corner.

“This is safe, right?” she asked.

“Urik says so.” He clambered on top of the cubes then stopped to hold out his hand.

Mandy let him pull her up. They crawled on hands and knees to the corner and sat with their backs to the wall.

“How much do we trust Urik?” Mandy asked. She watched machines loading the cargo bay.

“He wants something from us. He’ll get us back to the planet, if nothing else,” Cesar said.

“I think everyone wants something from us.”

“Now that everyone knows you’re purebred, we’re probably safer on the planet anyway.”

“What do you mean everyone knows?” she asked, glancing at him.

“I guess they figured it out when you were in the hospital. It’s all the slaves were talking about last night.”

She made a sound of disgust. “So everyone will want to take me home and drain my blood or use me to breed or something.”

“Pretty much.” Cesar laughed.

“Yeah, you’re right. I’m better off on the planet. But with these, we’ll be home soon.” She patted the sash.

“God, I hope so.”

Darkness descended over them, followed by the clang of metal doors closing.

“This is creepy,” she whispered, inching close enough to Cesar for their thighs to touch.

“Yeah.”

Mandy silently prayed Urik wasn’t trying to kill them. She pulled her knees to her chest, at once ensnared by Akkadi’s scent. It covered her body. Breathing in his musk made her shiver. There was no part of her that hadn’t experienced the heat of his hands and mouth. The intensity of his blue eyes, his velvety tongue exploring her body, the way his erection filled her, stretched her, claimed her.

Only to reject her. He’d betrayed her then treated her to a night of mind-blowing sex.

Was that his way of apologizing? Did he make love to Hichele the same way?

Unable to sort through her emotions, Mandy wrung the storage sash. If nothing else, she’d never have to deal with him again. No matter what he felt tonight, Akkadi would hate her once he saw she’d stolen from him. He’d choose his duty again and send her to prison or shoot her out into space. She’d destroyed whatever they had, which wasn’t much, considering he’d taken a bride that wasn’t her.

Her breathing was quick and uneven. Fearing another episode, she forced herself to focus on what mattered at the moment. She had the energy marbles. With them, Urik could open the star gate.

Unaware of how long she spent lost in her thoughts, she was surprised when the craft docked.

The cargo doors cracked open, a line of light forming on the opposite wall.

“His directions from here are a little weird. I think we can get to the place where he’ll meet us,” Cesar said with less confidence than before. “He says not to talk to anyone and to pretend like we’re supposed to be here.”

“Does it bother you we just flew through space like we were driving to Starbucks?” she asked. “I can’t get over it.”

“I try not to think about it. Coffee sounds damn good right now.”

Mandy silently agreed. Cesar crawled to the end of the storage boxes and hopped down. She followed. They hurried out of the cargo ship before the robots began unloading and strode through the Naki port.

It was a dump compared to the clean, organized space station, consisting of piles of storage cubes, servants and robots jamming every inch of space. They maneuvered through the overcrowded port, their pace slow. It was hard to go unnoticed in the cat suit, and Mandy wished she’d thought to grab a robe.  

She followed Cesar, who left the packed main halls for the side of the port overlooking the Lego-like city. The crowd thinned, and the signs that the port had recently been attacked were evident. Chunks of wall were missing or discolored, and splashes of dried blood were on the floor.

“I’m not getting a warm fuzzy about this,” she said to Cesar.

“Yeah, me neither. Grader attack. Looks recent.” He glanced behind them to ensure no one followed then ducked into a short hallway that dead-ended after ten feet.

Mandy sucked in a deep breath, recalling how much she despised the thick, metallic air. It was like breathing a thousand years of smog.

“He was vague about this part. Basically, one of these walls is hollow. We have to knock until we find it,” Cesar said. “You want to try that side?”

Mandy went to the wall opposite him and began knocking. They knocked their way to the end of the hallway before she heard the hollow ring behind her.

“Got it!” Cesar said. He beat on the wall then stepped back.

Nothing happened for a full two minutes. Abruptly, a door tucked into the corner swung open. It was dark beyond, and she was unable to see who opened it.

They exchanged a look.

“Um, I’ll go first,” Cesar said.

Heart pounding, Mandy trailed him into the tunnel. The door closed behind her. She heard the sound of someone’s shoes against cement ahead of them. Cesar stopped, and Mandy gripped his uniform.

“You safe?” Urik’s gravelly voice was quiet.

She almost sighed.

“Yeah,” Cesar said, relieved.

“Anyone following you?”

“No.”

“Stay close. Mandy, take my hand.”

She moved past Cesar and stretched out blindly. Urik’s gloved had took hers. She reached back to Cesar and gripped his as well.

Urik led them through the darkness, turning corners and opening doors she was unable to see. At last, they reach a small, lighted room with a gaping manhole in the center. Pinal waited for them with a toothless smile. Urik snatched the bag at the half-lizard’s feet and pulled out black clothing marking his resistance movement. He tossed a set to each of them.

“Change. Quickly,” he said.

Accustomed to rapid clothing changes in front of strangers from her modeling career, Mandy stripped down without a second thought. When she was dressed, she found the eyes of all three on her.

“I know you’ve seen a naked chic before, Cesar. No excuse for you staring,” she snapped.

He shook his head and finished pulling on his shirt.

“I want a whole plane full of women like you,” Urik said. “You got the cells?”

“Of course.”

He appeared impressed. “You slept with him.”

“What makes you think he was there?” she asked, fixing her hair.

Urik caught her arm and hauled her in front of him. She met his gaze. His dark eyes were both amused and angry.

“I smell him on you. He didn’t force you, did he?” he asked, his gruff voice gentle.

“No. He wouldn’t.”

“He’ll come after you.”

“He’s mating with some Naki princess,” she said. “And, I’m going home, right?” She reached down to grab the sash and held it out to him.

Urik accepted it without answering. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment before he turned away. He strode to the open manhole and motioned for Pinal to go first.

“Right, Urik?” she pursued.

“I have a slight change of plans.”

Mandy searched his face, dismayed.

“What does that mean?” Cesar asked.

“It means, you’re not going home,” Urik replied. “Or rather, your home is here now.”

“Urik, you told me you’d open the star gate if I got you the energy cells!” Mandy said.

“I lied.” He cupped her face with one hand and kissed her forehead. He patted her cheek with a wink and turned away. “The Ishta-gods and Naki-gods both know you’re a purebred. I have no idea who else does, but you are now more hunted than I am. You can come with me or you can take your chances on your own on my planet.”

Mandy hesitated. Cesar was bristling while the bear-like man standing before them waited for their decision. He took Pinal’s hands and lowered him into the sewer, biceps bulging with the effort.

“How does everyone know?” she ventured.

Urik straightened and beckoned her to him. Furious but sensing she had no real choice, she crossed to him. He rested his hands on her hips to position her in front of him, near the hole.

“Someone at the station leaked the information, before the Naki royals could stop it,” Urik replied. He took her wrists. “There are spies everywhere.”

“What are you doing with my space marbles?” she demanded.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said and leaned forward. “Pinal! Coming down!”

Before she could object, Urik lifted her off her feet and lowered her into the dark hole. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting as she floated downward. Pinal gripped her waist, and Urik released her.

The half-lizard man set her down carefully. Urik jumped down next, followed by Cesar. Mandy took Urik’s arm.

“Look, I’m tired of being manipulated. What is going on? Why can’t you send us home?” she asked.

“There may be enough energy to do both, but I’m not counting on it.”