Engulf Read online

  “So you weren’t born this way. Well, it’s new to me. Didn’t you feel a bit confused when you couldn’t hear?”

  “I suppose. You aren’t being very nice to me.” She looked so alone.

  “Did you treat your friends any different?”

  “I didn’t know any of them. Now I’m all alone again, and I can hear most of what you say—and I can see most of what you feel. You’re angry with me. But it wasn’t my fault. You never asked. Now you say we’re mated. How can I be mated to a man who hates me?”

  Raiden felt stunned. He far from hated her. He was just so surprised and confused and—images of when his parents died flooded his mind. He had called to his brother and Loy had come. Again, when he had called, Doss had come. Abri was calling to him—he heard it inside. He was so busy feeling sorry for himself, for what he couldn’t hear on the outside, he hadn’t wanted to listen to what was going on inside his body.

  “We need to get out of this water. We need to join properly.”

  Raiden lifted Abri from the water and carried her to the adjacent room. He set her on his bed and covered her with a warm blanket that molded to her. She seemed a bit surprised and he remembered humans didn’t have chipped blankets. It was strange to Raiden, why have something useful if the item wasn’t programmed on what its exact purpose was? He went to a console and waved his hand. Another blanket appeared and after wrapping himself in it, Raiden went to sit beside Abri.

  “Why can’t we un-mate?” Abri asked.

  “It’s not that simple. A Castian mates for life—literally. If you die so will I, and if I die so will you.”

  “How is that possible?”

  Raiden lifted his hand and cupped her chin. He hated her fear and her worry. This needed to end—now. She was his mate, he already loved her—he had no choice. It was an emotion he couldn’t control, it was in his blood. She was in his blood. Scent memories invaded him. A Castian only needed to catch a whiff of a scent, search his scent memories, and if ever a Castian had felt the same, smelled what he smelled, Raiden could feel those memories. Mating may be new to Raiden, but it was as old as time and his memories went back farther than he knew they could.

  “This is why it’s possible.”

  Raiden inhaled her scent. His hand grew damp to moisten her skin. She was fighting him internally with her emotions. His secretions became coaxing, cajoling, rolling on her warm skin until it breached a barrier. He was in. It had taken a moment of searching as his essence had been withheld from her for so long. Now he could feel them connect. He felt her startled response and then she settled. Raiden lowered her blanket and pulled her closer. His hands cupped her shoulder blades and pressed her upper body to his. Skin on skin with his mate was euphoric.

  “I can feel you inside me.”

  Though her words were whispered Raiden heard her very well. They were joining. He didn’t need to hear the words; he could feel them. A Castian warrior needed to be so in tune with his mate he could feel her across galaxies if need be. It was a matter of life and death. Abri was calmer now. It was easier to listen to her emotional needs. She was scared and confused. That she feared him made Raiden upset. His mate was never to fear him—it wasn’t right; the scent was wrong. His secretions kicked into overdrive.

  “What’s happening to me?” she asked.

  “This should have been our first mating. I’m sorry I mated you without your knowledge or permission, but I’m not sorry I saved your life.”

  “You lost half your hearing.”

  “And gained a mate. A Castian warrior would die to protect his mate, giving up half my hearing is nothing.”

  “But I thought if you died I would too, isn’t dying for your mate redundant?”

  “It is very hard to kill a warrior.”

  “Yet I wounded you when we mated.”

  “You humans have an expression—the glass half full or half empty.”

  Abri seemed to ponder that. “For me it became half full—for you half empty.”

  Raiden sighed. Not joining in the beginning was proving troublesome. He scented she no longer feared him. It wasn’t just his touch but his tone and his words. Raiden had never had sex before. Abri would be his first, but that didn’t mean he knew nothing. He had seen his brothers touch lips with their mates. Abri’s lips were so rosy and full he wanted to try. He wanted to taste them.

  Chapter 5

  When Raiden dipped his head to kiss Abri, she pulled back. She was sitting nude on his bed covered only in a warm white blanket. She was dry and yet the blanket wasn’t damp. Everything around her was so different. She had been told Earth as she knew it was gone. Where was home? Outside the rectangular window, Abri could see stars. The person before her was male—and yet monster. Under his soft flesh hid a hideous beast. Was she just supposed to forget that?

  Raiden had declared them mated, but Abri wasn’t certain what exactly it meant. He had given up half of his hearing for her. Sounds she never thought to hear again were now possible because of him. She felt him inside her. She wasn’t sure what that meant either. He seemed to just expect her to know—Abri didn’t.

  “Is mated the equivalent of being married?” she asked.

  “No. It’s so much more.”

  “How so?”

  “We are one. No matter where you go in this universe, I will always find you. I can scent you, sense you, feel you. I cannot lie to you, and it’s best if you don’t lie to me. I can scent deception.”

  “What did you do to me on your vessel?”

  “I marked you as mine.”

  When Abri looked at him filled with confusion he took her hand and led her to a mirror. He turned her slightly and lowered her blanket from her shoulder and she gasped. The tattoo he sported on his face when in his armor was shining brightly on her shoulder blade—an exact glowing green match. He had branded her? Abri glared at him.

  “I’m not an animal!”

  “I don’t understand.” Raiden had been standing there looking very pleased, his bubble burst right in front of her.

  “Let me see your mark,” she demanded.

  “It’s on my armor,” he stammered.

  “Tucked neatly away. While you branded me like cattle.”

  “What do humans do when they mate—marry?”

  “We exchange rings.”

  “You each wear one?”

  “Yes.”

  Raiden seemed to think about it then brightened. “Well, we both wear tattoos. The same ones.”

  “But they can’t come off,” Abri insisted.

  “If you took your ring off, didn’t that mean the marriage was over?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then the rings really mean nothing. They’re simply tokens, symbols or symbolic. My mark will protect you from a warrior. No warrior would dare harm you, they know you are mine.”

  “Because I’m branded.”

  “What is ‘branded’?”

  “Ownership—you own me.”

  “I don’t own you. I marked you to save you. Because you’re important enough for me to stay with for perhaps thousands of years.”

  Abri’s knees buckled. Raiden scooped her up and took her back to the bed. Abri’s head was spinning. Thousands of years? Was he serious? He looked serious. Once more, when Raiden touched her, she felt a calm wave wash over her. Her emotions battled. Part of her wanted to feel him inside of her, but the other part of her was afraid. His touch did such strange things to her emotions. She wanted to hold tight to him and never let go.

  “Is your sweat a drug?” she asked.

  “My secretions are geared to my mate. A Castian warrior can calm any female with a touch; it’s a necessity because we are so large and powerful. We can’t have all females afraid of us—we’d never mate. Your essence runs through my veins telling me exactly what you need. I feel and scent your fear. I know you’re confused. I also feel you seeking my touch. Why do you battle so much inside? We are mated.”

  “We only jus
t met. You saved me, mated me, and gave me partial hearing. But I can feel you want more.”

  “I want to join in the most intimate way. But I can scent you don’t want to.”

  Raiden looked so sad. Abri felt so confused. Sex wasn’t something she just did on a whim—not that she’d had the opportunity in the last year. Yes, he had mated her, but it was only to save her life.

  “I don’t want to have sex as a reward for saving my life,” Abri said.

  “A reward?”

  “A thank you.”

  Raiden looked at her in an odd way. “I wouldn’t want to join with you because you felt you owed me.”

  Strangely enough when he said this, Abri felt a bitter taste on her tongue. She made a face. “Ick, what is that?”

  “My emotion.”

  “I can taste your emotion?”

  “It’s how you know I can never lie to you, nor you me. You will be able to scent me, my emotions, feelings, everything. All of it will heighten as time passes.”

  Abri tasted something else. It was so odd. She wanted to weep. Raiden was sad. She knew it. “I hurt you.”

  Abri couldn’t stand it. Did he feel this too? He must. She had to stop his hurt. Abri cupped his face in her hands and very tenderly, she kissed him. His lips were moist and soft and warm and oh-so-welcoming. His breath slid into her mouth, down her throat. The disgusting taste disappeared. Abri nipped at his bottom lip. When she gazed up into his gray eyes, she saw wonder.

  “You look like you’ve never been kissed before,” she said and smiled.

  “I hadn’t.”

  “How old did you say you were?”

  “About four hundred years. The females on our planet died after I turned four.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yes. They were poisoned by a Tonan spy.”

  “If Tonans are so awful, why would they be allowed to stay on your planet?”

  “A number of Tonans mated with human females. I guess even the Tonans got lonely. Scent is everything to a Castian. If our leader, Cobra, thought for a second any of the mated Tonans posed a threat he would eradicate them. Human females are very emotional creatures. Tonans aren’t immune to their senses. It was a shock to us all.

  “I know it sounds odd, but once mated to a human female, a Tonan is no longer in control of what to them would seem rational. Their rationale is corruption and fear. Some still struggle occasionally with anger, but they have been rendered harmless. If they were to destroy their human females, they would destroy themselves. Tonans cannot self-destruct.”

  “All of your females are dead? No wonder you wanted a mate.”

  “No. It’s not like that. I wouldn’t want just anyone. There were six females on the planet. The first time I touched you, my essence claimed you. Your scent fills me. Will you touch your lips to mine again? I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  Abri thought he looked like a kid who had glimpsed his Christmas presents and wanted to play with them. When he touched her, she was ready for him. Secretions on his damp palms absorbed into her skin. He was right—his body did know hers. He was aroused and he was looking for a way to arouse her. Abri could feel him as he moved through her veins, searching. Her breasts throbbed, her nipples puckered, and he groaned.

  When the kiss broke, Abri moved away to once more gaze out the window. Raiden was behind her. She could see his refection. She also saw his stunning erection under his tight white blanket that clung to his hips, molding to his outline. It had been a long time since she’d had physical contact with a man.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “The planet Bagron.”

  “I can never go home again.”

  Raiden placed his hand on her shoulder as the blanket slipped lower. “Home is wherever I am, Abri.”

  Abri glanced back at him. A sound blipped in the room. Raiden went to a panel where his blanket had appeared. He waved his hand and black material emerged. To Abri it seemed like magic. Raiden slipped on his pants.

  “It would seem Cobra is anxious to hear my report. I’ll be back soon.”

  Raiden left and Abri curled up on the bed. She lay on her right side and listened to the sounds of the ship. She had never even thanked him for saving her life. Except now she was alone again. She had no idea where Sam was. Life sucked.

  * * * *

  The planet Bagron was much the same as the one Abri had been on. The foliage was lush and breathtaking. The structure she gazed at was built like a massive beaver dam without the water. Once inside, Abri was amazed. Like the ship, there were a number of levels that soared high under the dome. The walls were huge trees woven together like braids. Panels with bright lights lit the entrance to each level. Black cone-like objects were scattered about.

  Raiden scooped her up and took her high into the domicile. The room they entered was large and airy. There was an adjacent room leading to a beautiful pool surrounded in more lush vegetation. Abri stopped dead in her tracks when she saw movement. She looked at Raiden curiously when three white rabbits hopped into view.

  “Holograms,” he explained. “They never leave this room. We have a few on Bagron that are alive. These don’t poop.”

  “It’s beautiful in here. Quiet and peaceful.”

  That made him smile. His look then turned serious. “Abri, this is healing water. We tried aboard the war vessel but neither of us was healed of hearing loss. There may be another way.”

  “How?”

  “We didn’t join properly. Cobra seems to think if we join it may heal us.”

  “Raiden, we just met.”

  “We are mated. I love you.”

  Abri frowned. How could he love her? When his hand touched her face Abri could feel his secretions invade her. Were they one? People you loved died. If she let him get close would he die? He said they would die together. How was it possible for a man and woman to die at the same time?

  Mom and Dad died together.

  The idea formed so quickly Abri couldn’t shake it. But Raiden looked so hopeful. “Are you saying if we have sex, we might be able to hear properly?”

  “Yes, it’s possible. I am a warrior, Abri. I need to try. By joining with you, I can help us bond—even if we never get all of our hearing back. It is important for you to trust me. There is no other more selfless act as a female trusting a mate with her body.”

  Raiden had saved her. He had given her half her hearing. Sacrificing a night of sex wouldn’t kill her. It was also kind of sweet the way he worded his sentence. Abri tucked the blanket she wore closer to her body. Though the replicator on the ship had made him clothing it had been taken off-line to fix a problem. As far as Abri knew they could still be working on it.

  “I’ll have sex with you, Raiden, if you really think it will help. But please don’t expect a declaration of love.”

  Again the taste of sadness filled her mouth. Abri swallowed it down. She had lost too much already. They may be mated for life, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. He could try his tactics all he wanted.

  “You don’t have to love me. But you need to know it isn’t just my hearing I want. Immortality is a long time. It might take a while, but maybe one day you will love me,” Raiden said.

  Abri hoped not. To love was to lose. “Let’s just get it over with.”

  She tugged her blanket lower exposing the tops of her creamy breasts. Abri thought it was the strangest material as it clung to her and warmed her. She didn’t need to hold it to keep it from slipping lower. She had pulled it down far enough to give him a good view. He could pounce on her and hopefully once he had his hearing back, he would leave her alone. Following her lead, Raiden slipped his black pants down over his hips. Abri tried not to notice his magnificent cock.

  He didn’t pounce on her. Raiden cupped her face in his palms and leaned down to kiss her. His lips were soft and roamed over hers in a coaxing way. Oh God, he wants to make love. Abri’s heart began to pound. The tip of his tongue tasted like her favorite c
andy. The man was hot—why shouldn’t she like the kiss? That was all.

  “You are so beautiful,” Raiden whispered into her left ear.

  Many men had told her that and so she relaxed. This would just be like any sexual encounter. Raiden trailed the backs of his fingers down her throat, across her shoulders, down her arms. He brought her wrists to his lips and kissed her tender flesh. His tongue licked her skin in circles on each one before he settled her arms around his neck. Raiden lifted her with ease and took her to his bed. She was certain that now he would pounce on her. When he settled beside her she felt his long erection. She swallowed hard remembering how big he was.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he muttered.

  She wasn’t scared. Well maybe a little, but it wasn’t of him. His hands were turning her body traitor. His tanned skin against hers was beautiful. His fingernails were a solid white. Every touch was tender as he explored her body like a treasure. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.

  “Let me in, Abri,” he crooned.

  In?

  What did he want? She had given him permission to have her. He didn’t need an invitation. She was willing. Raiden lifted his hand and both he and Abri watched as a droplet of moisture slid down his skin. The single drop landed on her right breast, it moved a trail round and round until it seeped into her and Abri gasped. She felt him. He was inside of her, searching. There was so much power to the man; she could feel it as his secretions ran through her veins, invading every single inch of her. Coaxing her into wanting, needing him. Now she understood.

  Moisture formed between her thighs and Abri knew the second his essence found and mixed with her nether region. Raiden shuddered. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. This mating was so strange. She had only just met him, yet she felt she had known him a long time and the feeling only intensified the more he touched her.

  Abri lay back on the bed breaking contact. She gazed up at him as he moved closer. The sides of their hips pressed together through the material of the blanket. She couldn’t help the smile that curved her lips. Raiden was breathing fast and hard. He swallowed a few times. His eyes were locked onto hers even though the blanket had pooled at her waist from her movement; it wasn’t an accident she had used friction from the bed to slip the blanket lower. Most men would be devouring her bared breasts by now.