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The sound hit him first, then the stench of sweat, perfume, and sex followed by vibrations. His first instinct was that he hated this place. The three of them stood on the top step and stared down two floors to the ground floor where bodies writhed like half-dead Gikas. Eyes, bare limbs, light glinting off unknown objects peered from the shifting shadows. Izzy ushered them to a table on the first floor that overlooked the ground floor. Padded chairs circled the table, but not on the side in front of the metal railing.
Izzy guided Garix into a chair then waved over a passing server, whose breasts might as well have been bare. Ronin gaped, scowled, then clenched his fingers around the railing. Malo was thankful he’d found his Dar Eth or he might have been as horrified and furious. With Caro here, he didn’t see the other females. They ceased to exist.
“I ordered three beers for the boys and sodas for us,” Izzy yelled.
Caro settled into a chair and tapped the one beside her. When Malo sat, she pressed against him to speak, brushing her lips across his ear. “You want to dance?”
His hearts fluttered, and he leaned to the side to focus on her mouth. He had no idea how to writhe like a half-dead anything and had no intention of trying either.
In response, he whispered, “I would prefer to observe.”
Looping an arm around her waist, he drew her closer for what he longed to do. He nibbled on her earlobe, slipping his tongue into her the shell of her ear before kissing her neck. When her heartbeat fluttered against his lips, he pulled back.
Izzy jumped up and down. Her wild hair bounced around her face.
Despite her hooded gaze on his face, Caro rose to her feet. He took up sentry at the railing to stare at the floor of twitching and jerking bodies.
“Alodon’s balls,” Garix boomed. “I would have killed that Max-male.”
Ronin scowled when another semi-clothed female sashayed past. Malo studied the bottom floor, searching for his Dar Eth. A female thrust an ice-cold glass bottle into his hand. He glanced at Garix and Ronin in query, but they watched the same female place two red canisters on the table. She winked at Ronin. Malo chuckled at his gaping males. Perhaps he should amend their training protocol to include such temptation?
He raised the bottle to his nose and sniffed. Izzy had ordered it, so it had to be good. He took a sip and rumbled his approval at the beverage’s sharp bitterness. The alcohol tingled his tongue before it’s affects fizzled. His focus shifted to the floor until he found Caro. The sight that met him had him gripping the bottle almost to breaking point.
She swirled her hips. Her splayed legs raised the dress to mid-thigh. From this height, he had a line of sight down the front, revealing soft curves meant only for his eyes. She moved like she was in the throes of fulfillment with her arms above her head. Her eyes were closed, her head thrown back, and her mouth parted as if she was breathless.
His malehood hardened to its full length, anticipating her tight sheath. With a growl, he lifted the bottle to his mouth to take a gulp, hoping to calm himself. He wanted to storm down and toss her over his shoulder, perhaps have her move like that just for him.
“Imagine if Etterians did that.” With the same skill as a six-eyed Algri, Garix darted his gaze between random females. “There would be carnage.”
“They are enjoying it, though.” Ronin drained his beer before glancing at Malo. “If you need to port Caro, we will ensure Izzy is secure.”
Malo grunted. With the way he was struggling, porting was fast becoming a viable option. The loudness changed as well as the vibrations, and both their females stopped writhing. Malo kept his gaze down, not wanting Caro to know he watched her every move. They were at the table in minutes, all laughter and excitement. The joy on her face was breathtaking.
“It’s been ages since I’ve danced,” she said, assumed a chair and opened the closest canister. She took a decent sip then smiled at Malo. “Do you want to try dancing?” she asked, eager to share this with him.
He grumbled at her. What he’d prefer to share with her was something a little more...horizontal.
“Caro, tell me, why does the female rub her backside against a male?” Garix pointed.
Izzy’s brows rose. She giggled.
Ronin frowned. “Is it an act of mating?”
“Sort of. It’s a way to show they’re interested,” Caro said.
“Interested?” Malo scowled. Interested in what? Even though he had a suspicion he knew what she meant, he needed her to verify it.
“In sex,” Izzy said before sipping from her canister.
Fury pelted Malo’s mind. He roared, “You brought me to a human mating ritual?” He clenched his fingers into fists and rose to throw her over his shoulder.
Caro’s mouth parted forming an ‘oh.’ Her eyes had formed massive circles. He sighed, realizing she hadn’t thought this experience would be offensive to him. He couldn’t remain angry with her, after all, she knew less about him than he did about her. At least he had the data annals and Princess Oriana as guides. In addition, Caro hadn’t truly wished to attend, had done so out of obligation, for Izzy. His gaze fell on the smaller female and frowned. Why did Izzy want to endure this? What is her motivation behind this need?
“Would you like to get some air?” Caro spoke into his ear to which he grunted
He followed her, giving his males a pointed look. If he didn’t return, they were to see to Izzy. They tapped fists to their chests in confirmation, but by their tortured expressions, Malo didn’t foresee them staying any longer than he planned to.
He scented the cleaner air before Caro pushed on the door, and the thumping quietened once the door closed behind them. A scan showed the narrow balcony empty. The view of the domed city and a cool breeze did little to calm him. When she gestured to a nearby bench, he ignored her. She winced and opened her mouth, no doubt to apologize, but he didn’t give her a chance. No words could ease the agony he was in. He yanked her into his arms and crashed his lips over hers, swallowing her gasp.
~*~
Malo’s tongue delved in, demanding, commanding, stripping Caro of her thoughts and inhibitions. With his arms wrapped around her, he lifted then crushed her against his chest, her feet dangling a foot off the floor. He didn’t break contact, continued to ravage her mouth and senses. She sighed, melting into his hard edges with one thought remaining.
How can an alien kiss so well?
“Caro, ensa. I do not need you to inflame my need for you when I have such fragile control of it.” His voice was guttural and smothered when he buried his face in the curve of her neck. Him rubbing his lips over her erratic pulse started a tumble and eruption of butterflies in her core.
“I...I’m sorry, Malo, this is normal...,” she stammered, a little lost at the intensity in his voice. His control is fragile? His need for me? Her heart leaped into her throat. Granny’s nipples, he was potent, yet for a man to need her so much that she rattled him...
“If a human male had touched you, he would have died this night.”
She gaped at his lethal promise. Her anger kindled and burst into a blaze at his domineering manner. Did he say he’d kill a man?
“Put me down,” she snapped, and he obeyed. Air cooled her cheeks, but it was too little too late. “You can’t just decide I’m yours, Malo.” She gripped her hip and waved a finger at him. That alone made his lips curl into a sweet smile. She shouldn’t be waving her finger in the face of an alien. All right, he had a right to laugh at her. “What am I, the first human woman you’ve met? I don’t sleep around with my kind, what makes you think I’ll sleep with you?”
“I plan to do more than sleep, Caro.” He chuckled, his arrogance breathtaking. His huge two-dimpled smile—despite usually exploding butterflies in her core—now infuriated her.
She stomped her foot. “See. There you go planning on doing things without my input.”
“You do not want to be with me?” he teased, grasping her waist to tug her closer.
She let him. Of course, I did. He’s Malo. “Not when you’re so highhanded,” she harrumphed, realizing by his smirk, he found her attitude adorable.
“Caro, my ensa, I scent your arousal.” He drew in a deep breath, flaring his nostrils. “I have never scented anything so intoxicating.”
Mortification was swift to strike. Her body had betrayed her, yet part of her was amazed at his preternatural senses. He’d said he could smell across great distances, but she hadn’t known he could identify her desire. Ice replaced heat tingling down her spine when she realized he’d been smelling her since they met.
“Damned alien,” she muttered but allowed him to pin her against him again. She raised her hands to splay over his chest despite his laughter.
“I did not know humans had mating rituals.” He stroked her bare arm, his fingers too close to the swell of her breast. She ached, throbbed, tingled, desperate for his touch.
“What?” she said a little distracted. “We don’t.”
He stiffened. “Then what were your humans doing inside?”
She groaned. Coming here had been a bad idea. When on a dance floor, her inner slut resurrected all the dance trends and turned them into sex-cyborg advertisements. Men who’d ignored her at the bar would then hit on her. All the time and without fail. Izzy teased her about her moves.
What could she tell Malo in a way he’d understand? “Most are looking for sex.” She gritted her teeth, waiting for him to lose his shit. This was so going to get her fired.
His expression darkened, and his lips clenched together. Those lingering shadows thickened, reminding her she knew nothing about him or his species. “Are you seeking meaningless...?” His voice had hardened, become guttural and a little scary.
“No, I like to dance. Just dance. To lose myself to the beat pounding through me.” She grabbed his arm, trying to convey her sincerity.
“You will not incite another male. You dance only for me,” he said.
Huh? She blinked. It took a moment for his roared words to make sense. Like he owns me? Commands my every move? What am I, his possession? “What I was doing wasn’t provocative,” she hissed then did the stupidest thing. She plastered her body to his, to grind all over him in a seductive swirl. His breath hitched. Only then did she step back despite a deep yearning to melt into him. “That’s inciting.”
He vibrated with restrained power like a predator preparing to pounce. A chill in the air coated them. A stillness settled as if the city’s vermin—animal and human—knew to remain hidden and silent against such a threat. Her acquiescence came too late. His fists clenched at his sides, his gaze intensifying with heat and shadow. He took a step toward her. She shuffled back, her feet carrying her away from his threatening scowl. Flinging out her hands as if to keep him back did nothing. Only when her backside hit the brick wall, did she realize she was in trouble.
He grabbed her wrists with one hand and lifted them above her head, forcing her to arch. He did so with little effort. Her breasts thrust at him like an offering. He glided his free hand down from her shoulder, over the side of a breast, and under it to cup it, testing its weight in his large hand. She gasped at his touch, and when he flicked a thumb over a taut nipple, a moan ripped from her. He toyed with her nipple with a gentleness that had her squirming. He pinched and tugged on it, flicked it until she writhed before him. His ragged breathing didn’t deter him, despite the lust that hardened his features. He slid his hand down her bare back to disappear into the dress.
He shuddered. His reaction vibrated against her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut at what he’d discovered. She couldn’t wear anything but a G-string with this dress dropping so low in the back.
His hands had encountered bare skin. He grabbed her backside, digging his fingers in convulsively, confirming her assumption. His coarse palms sent a fiery dart of need into the depths of her.
“Caro...your undergarments are...,” he growled into her neck.
“It’s there, just small,” she said.
His hot breath on her skin made her shiver. “Give them to me,” he said.
“What?” she rasped. Had she heard him correctly? Lust must have clouded her mind, distorted his words.
“Give me your undergarment, Caro,” he gritted out.
“Why? I’ll be naked under—”
“Fitting punishment for dressing so provocatively.” He dug his fingers into her butt cheeks, massaging until bolts of liquid desire consumed her and weakened her knees.
She struggled to think past the need bombarding her. “That makes no sense, and if you’re not understanding me, the answer’s no.”
At her defiance, he stroked across her backside, searching until he found the thinnest of bands. With a sharp yank, it tore. She struggled between disbelief and anger. How dare he? She drew in a deep breath to chastise him.
But before a reprimand could leave her mouth, he drew back and slipped his hand up the front of her dress, caressing her bare thigh, to run a finger along her seam. His touched burned her through the thin fabric of the G-string hanging on by a thread. She whimpered as a shiver of pleasure rippled outward. All thoughts of a reprimand skittered out of her mind.
~*~
Malo growled when wet heat drenched his fingertip. As if madness drove him, he dipped under the thin fabric, brushing across the silky hair to slip into her folds.
“You are ready for me, Caro.” His voice was no longer his to regulate. When he touched her hard nub, she arched, and the most exquisite sound emanated from the back of her throat—a throaty purr.
“Malo,” she moaned, beading sweat on his temple with the effort it took not to lift her garment to taste her.
“We need to leave. Now,” he growled. “If we stay, I will claim you against this wall no matter who sees. And if we go home, I will take you on your bed...” He shuddered.
“All right.” When she straightened her garment, he gave her undergarment one tug, yanking it free.
She gasped, but by then, he’d crumpled and shoved it into a pocket. He laced his fingers through hers and ushered her through the door to where Garix and Ronin waited.
“Keep Izzy secure,” he commanded in Etterian, then dragged Caro past them and out the main door. As soon as they stepped outside, he shot Max such a glare, the male didn’t say a word. “Where to, Caro?” He prayed to the Maker that she chose her bed.
She gestured to the corner where the aroma of coffee tantalized Malo’s nose. “Coffee?”
At her choice, he wanted to roar his frustration. He stilled, studied her upturned face and the rise and fall of her breasts. If she lay naked before him, his ‘eagerness’ might harm her. Trying her Earthian beverage would calm him, and perhaps, this night, he would regain his control enough to find himself between her thighs.
With a firm grip on her elbow, he escorted her there, his stride long, angry until her breathlessness penetrated his fury. He slowed his steps, having forgotten she wore the ridiculous footwear that made him think lustful thoughts. Why they did so, he didn’t know. There were many things he didn’t know—a circumstance he abhorred. When he approached the glass door, it opened. He paused to allow two human males to pass. Instead, one drew to a halt to stare at Caro. The urge to hit him ripped through Malo, calling forth a frown at his volatile emotions and marked lack of control.
“Caro?”
So, this human male knew his ensa? Malo glanced at her then smiled at her lip curling with derision. She knew the male but detested him.
“Gary.” And the way she spat his name revealed exactly how deep her opinion went. “How...how are you?”
His ensa followed human protocol even though she inched toward the coffee stall.
“I’m well but look at you. You’re gorgeous.”
When the male ogled his ensa, Malo’s anger rose, fresh, bold, and potent.
The male smirked. “Nice shoes.”
“Thank you. It was great seeing you.” She tried to move past him.
He grabbed her hand to stop her, glancing between her and Malo in the process. “Lose the soldier, babe, and come home with me.”
She froze, spun on a heel and faced the male. “Are you insane?”
She shook off his hand but tightened her hold on Malo’s. She pulled him with her, tucking his hand between her breasts and forcing him to hug her from behind. He looped an arm around her, drawing her snug against him.
“Look at him, Gary. How on God’s soil could you tempt me away from him? If I remember correctly, you overestimated your skills anyway.” With this, she turned as if to enter the stall, not taking the time to admire the angry flush that mottled the male’s face.
“She speaks for you, big boy?” he asked Malo, his sneer most unpleasant.
“I can kill you with impunity. Since my Caro is with me, I will not.” Malo called forth his skills, making himself appear taller, bigger, stronger...lethal. “However, I could break a few bones if you insist?” And the expression he chose was one of eagerness which merged into a hopeful smirk. He wanted this silly male to test him, test his words.
“She’s all yours. She isn’t worth it anyway.”
Malo punched him, relishing the snap of the male’s nose breaking with a satisfaction that was exhilarating. And for someone as puny as this human, the smallest amount of pain Malo could inflict would feel like torture.
“It is you who does not deserve her.” His voice was low, menacing when he glanced between Gary and the male with him. Said male held up his hands in what Malo assumed was a passive gesture. He nodded before following Caro, urging her stiff body into the warm and coffee-scented stall.
“Did you just...defend my honor?” she asked a few minutes later with a cup of coffee in her hands. He’d ordered it for her when she’d gaped at the waitress, her eyes glazed with her lips curling yet not breaking into a full smile.
“And it felt good.” Malo grinned—the joy easy to convey.
Her eyes widened. “It did?”
“He taught you that you are not worthy, not desirable.”
“He did?” she squeaked, but her gaze lowering proved Malo’s assessment true.
“Caro,” he whispered then captured her chin for a gentle pinch, forcing her to meet his gaze. “He is not an honorable male. Do not take his unkind and thoughtless words to heart. You are the most beautiful female I know.” Malo grinned. “Had you not been here, I would have done worse to him.”
“What?” She giggled. “I wouldn’t have stopped you. It felt good watching you punch his egotistical ass.”
“I see my ensa is a little bloodthirsty,” Malo teased then lifted his cup to his lips and admired her flushed face over the rim. “I approve.” He savored the heated beverage’s bitterness. She’d sweetened and whitened hers.
“So, why are you here? On Earth?” she asked, and her expression said she expected an honest answer. He was proud of her frankness, but not when she was using the question to divert the conversation away from Gary.
“If I told you, you would disbelieve my word and mock my belief.”
She winced as if he’d slapped her, then nodded as if she agreed with his assessment. “Would you tell me if I promise not to judge?”
He chuckled. “Caro, ensa, you cannot hide your reactions from me. I see you, the Caroline you hide.”
She gasped and sat back, her alarm clear. “You want me anyway?”
“I will always want you. Nothing you say or do will ever change that.”
“Malo.” She breathed his name, her alarm rising. Her posture tensed, and she wrapped her arms around her waist.
“What concerns you, Caro? The truth? Me? How I make you feel or talk of forever?”
“Can I say all of those?” She flashed him a cheeky grin, hitching his breath.
Yes, this is my Caro—sweet, charming, teasing.
“Do you not understand, ensa?” he whispered, the urgency no less intense. “I have found you, and nothing else matters. I have spent my life believing Etteria is everything. It is not. You are.”
She stiffened. Yet he couldn’t regret his words. He hadn’t told her that without her, he’d die a lonely death. To allow that to occur to an Etterian male was unforgivable. It need not be his fate. For regardless of her choice, he’d forever be hers. No other female existed for him. He would succumb to the dark void. Memories of her would be insufficient to save him. Added to the longing and the loneliness would be the loss of her. Without her constant presence, the scent, feel, and taste of her, the void’s influence would rapidly conquer his soul.
He'd stared at her for a while. Yet her eyes reflected a turmoil that pulled at his hearts.
“I’m scared, Malo,” she said in her sweet voice. He smiled, proud of the courage she displayed. “Humans don’t commit easily, not after only knowing each other for a day.” When she raised the cup to her lips, her fingers trembled. “Can I have time to think about it?”
He couldn’t smother the grimace, despite his legendary skills. She could have a day. Maker. A thousand, but it mattered not when he needed her. The bastard he was would kidnap her, regardless of her decision. He couldn’t leave her behind.
Her gaze traveled his face as she used that mind of hers. He could only imagine what internal debate she was having.
Then she asked the correct question “What happens if I say no?”
The grin that spread across his lips warmed like a supernova and was beyond his control. He was so pleased with her, his intelligent Caro. “Do you truly wish to know, my ensa? It is not pleasant.”
Her tempting mouth parted.
Good. She understands. He released a deep sigh of relief. There were a few more things he had to tell her, but his possible death had been one of his critical points.
She needed to know that the Ethera would cause her to become addicted to him. They hadn’t known what the Ethera would do to humans, but the few who had become Dar Eths had admitted to forming an addiction to their Eths. It was something he was looking forward to since his addiction to her was complete.
When he left Earth, she had to travel with him. Unless she remained, then he would also. Separation was impossible. He wouldn’t stand for it.
They’d been united by Etterian law the moment the Ethera burned through him. Humans called it marriage, yet it wasn’t the same thing. A union between a Dar Eth and an Eth couldn’t be abolished, not even by the king.
Caro was his wife.
“You die?” she asked, drawing him back to her, to the warmth of the coffee stall, to the cup in his hands.
Here was not the place to have this discussion. He wanted her alone, focused solely on him.
“Come, let us return to your home. I grow weary.” He rose from the table.
Her eyes widened. “But, Malo...?”
“The details are best revealed when we have both rested.” He flicked his fingers expectantly.
She pushed off the table with a sigh then hurried to pay for their coffees. When she returned to his side, he grasped her hand and led her out of the stall.
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