Shattered Soul (41 page)

Lost in the splintering sensations, she vaguely felt Fredrico move, his shoulders disappearing as supports for her thighs. Then his chest was against her breasts, his breath hot on her lips as he took her mouth and swallowed her moans.

She’d barely come back from Eros when his words were breathed hotly against her lips. “I’ve eaten you, warrior. I’ve tasted you, swallowed your juices, and now I crave to feel you around my shaft. I’m going to invade your body, take you, make you mine.” Opening her eyes, she found herself looking into eyes that burned with dark fire, the blue a merciless glitter. Carnality darkened Fredrico’s features, a [s fe you, nd yet his lips were swollen from her kisses, glistening with her juices, and so sensuous she wanted to feel those lips against her once more.

Fredrico was pure, masculine sex, his appeal tugging at her dark side, pulling forth orange heat to flicker down her spine and glow deep within her. She could feel that orange flame snap out to wind through his darkness.

His pupils dilated, his breath sucked in harshly, and his hands were gripping her waist and hauling her up with ease, spinning her around and bending her over the table before him. It would have hurt, the wood digging into her hips, but Fredrico shoved her cut clothes on the table under her right before her hips would have made contact with the hard surface.

The sensation of being bent over, the submission of the position, fired her ardour. Wanting his dominance as much as she wanted him inside her, Rani nevertheless sought to make the meeting of the flesh that much more enjoyably darker by struggling. Planting her palms on the table, she pushed upward.

Laying his hand on her back, Fredrico shoved her down, holding her in place. Naturally stronger, she pushed back against his hold, only to feel the dark power surge through him, the blackness of it soaking through his hand to fill her, covering the orange of her inner malevolence with threatening ease.

“Tsk, Rani.” Fredrico’s words were rasped out in dark, lust-filled amusement. “Do you deny me now? After I’ve given you such pleasure?”

“Making it easy for you was never on the agenda,” she panted, glancing at him over her shoulder with sultry heat, openly goading him.

“You do enjoy a bit of force, don’t you?” He moved fast, shifting his hand from her back to grip her hips.

Rani started to push upright again, only to stop on a gasp as his shaft invaded her opening, driving deep into her sheath in one hard thrust.

Engorged with sexual heat, his shaft was long, thick and hard, filling her as he thrust again, his thighs hard against the backs of hers, the material coarse against her naked skin.

Knowing that Fredrico was fully clothed while she was naked was heady.
When did I get so submissive? When did I want dominance? When did I want rough sex?
The thoughts were fleeting, driven away as the lean body shifted erotically against her as he pumped his desire into her, his shaft dragging through her shivering sheath, eliciting fire.

There was nothing gentle about their sex. Neither giving, both taking, both wanting more of the other. Fredrico rutted her like a ravenous beast, and she took it gladly, glorifying in the strength with which he took her, forcing her to take his shaft deep into her sheath, taking his body into hers.

Fingers gripping her hips tightly, he held her for his pleasure, heightening her own with every hard thrust of his hips, every hot drag of his shaft through her channel, every slight position change ruthlessly calculated to drive her wilder. His darkness tangled with her orange fire, enclosing them in a misty haze of fiery need and insatiable prurience.

Passion flared, desire burned, and she was pushed higher with every pump of his hips against her. His shaft surged and withdrew, filling and leaving her, returning to fill her again. Pushing and pushing, his rasping breath filling the air, the heat from his hands feeling as though he were branding her very flesh.

She didn’t know she was moaning his name until she heard her own pleasured scream, his name falling from her lips in a burst of passion-fuelled ago [n-foanny, pain and pleasure tearing through her as his darkness burst through her orange shield, splintering her with his intensity, his pleasure, the burning need, the craven hunger he had for her colliding with her own ardour.

In that moment Fredrico, Rani, and dark lust were one.

Seed, hot and thick, burst from him to coat her spasming sheath. He rode her harder, forcing her body to accept everything he had, spilling himself into her. His fingers bit into her hips as he stiffened, his hips straining against her as his shaft emptied itself of the last drop of seed. A last hard thrust, and with a shout of triumph, he collapsed atop her.

Limp and gasping, she rested against the table top with Fredrico’s cheek on her back, his hot gasps of breath moist against her heated skin.

Her heart pounded, and against her back she could feel Fredrico’s heart thundering. Closing her eyes, she simply waited for her breathing to return to normal, meanwhile enjoying the heat of his body over hers, and the shaft that still lay within her wet sheath, his possession of her still total.

With the cooling of their bodies Rani felt the change within Fredrico. His hold on her hips gentled, fingers moving to rub soothingly along the soreness left by his punishing hold. Firm lips brushed her spine, and he shifted his hips, his shaft sliding from her body.

“Are you okay?” His breath was warm against her back.

“Oh, God, yes.” Eyes closed, she smiled slightly. “You?”

“I may never be the same again.”

She was still laughing when Fredrico caught her around the waist with one arm and drew her upright to stand against him. Turning her around, he looked seriously up into her eyes.

“I used you hard,” he stated bluntly.

“And I liked it.” She stretched sensuously, grinning when his pupils dilated.

Stepping back, Fredrico swept his gaze over her, nothing of his thoughts revealed. “I’ve left you marked.”

“Deliciously so.” When his gaze cut back up to hers, she shrugged. “I won’t lie, Fredrico. That sex was mind-blowing. I have a few bruises but I wasn’t exactly easy for you to dominate.” She winked. “If you did, that is.”

His eyes darkened. “Oh, I did.”

“That was one battle, space pirate. There are more to come, and we’ll see who wins each of those.”

Reaching out, he grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her down so they were face level. Rani’s eyes widened at the desire still burning deep inside the ruthless blue depths of his eyes. “I’ll win every battle, warrior. Your body is mine, and I’ll take it whenever, wherever, and however I like.” Danger spiked in the air again, tantalizing and seductive, but with a sudden sigh Fredrico tucked the lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re my temptation, Rani.”

“Sorry.”

“I’m not.”

“Neither am I, really.”

Shaking his head, he gave a small laugh. “Woman, you’ll be the death of me.” Catching her waist, he drew her to him and kissed the side of her neck, making her shiver and her knees go strangely weak. Holding her close in a gentle embrace, he said softly, “I used you hard and I don’t want to hurt you further. I need time to regroup - ”

“You mean recover, don’t you?”

His hand slapped her naked buttock lightly, making her grin even wider.

“Go and get dressed.” Pressing a last kiss to her throat, he released her and left the room.

She watched him walk out, admiring the way his strong, lean body moved lithely. He had muscle, she’d seen and felt that the night before, but he had hidden strength as well. And patience. And a hell of a lot more self-control than she did. Rani sighed, stretched once more and crossed to the bathroom, feeling satiated and very content.

~ * ~

The Overlord watched Veknor walk across the room. The dark mystic moved almost silently except for a faint, dry, rustling sound. Every dark mystic had their physical problems, he’d discovered over his many centuries of rule, and it looked like Veknor was starting to experience his.

But that wasn’t The Overlord’s problem. Stroking the hair down on the head of the naked man tethered to his throne, he congratulated himself on having such a powerful threesome fall into his very lap. The power and ties between Veknor, Fredrico and Rani were among the most powerful he’d seen—and he’d seen a lot.

Veknor moved to stand silently behind his throne, and The Overlord turned his attention back to the murderer who stood before him, seeking favoured. The whiny wretch had killed once too often, and far too savagely—ah, sweet savagery—and now he sought to settle in the Inner Sanctum, far from the reaches of the law.

It could be entertaining. The Overlord studied Metron. He wouldn’t last three minutes outside without The Overlord’s approval, and even then it wasn’t always a guarantee that he wouldn’t meet some hideous fate at some time. Snivelling cowards always met their fate in the fortress, and that’s what it made it all the more entertaining. Personally, he couldn’t stand cowards. He liked the strong ones; they took longer to kill and were vastly more entertaining.

The door to the room swung open and Fredrico stepped in followed by Rani. Now they were a much more interesting pair, especially as—his nostrils flared. How interesting. Their darkness and evil was so much more intertwined, as though... ah yes. Their attraction to each other. They’ve mated, and it’s pulled them even closer. With a smile of satisfaction, The Overlord studied them. Oh yes, he could see the orange and black that surrounded them both, the way the colours streaked through each other. No one else could see it but himself, unless... He said to Veknor without looking at him, “Do you see it?”

“Yes.” The reply had a faint crackle in it.

“Good. Very good.”

“What the…” Metron’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of Rani. “A Reeka?
Here
?”

Fredrico glanced at the man and Rani frowned slightly.

Metron continued to gape at her.

“What makes you think I am Reeka?” Rani queried.

“Everyone knows what Reekas look like.” There was a suddenly decidedly lustful glint in Metron’s eyes.

“Oh?” Fredrico’s ruthless gaze cut to Metro again, danger practically crackling in the air.

Obviously Metron wasn’t quite as stupid as he appeared, because he coughed and looked away from the cold eyes of the space pirate. “Uh…the clothes. Reekas always dress like that. The band on the upper left arm...” He shrugged. “No one who sees her could mistake her for anything other [nyts l than a Reeka.”

There was a sudden tension in Rani’s body, and the Overlord was more interested in the cause of that and studying the powers the three with him presented than bother with the whiny murderer.

Gesturing to the guard at the door, he said, “Show him to the special guest room.”

The guard nodded, a cruel glint in his eyes as he stepped aside and gestured to the door. “I’ll see to it personally.”

Everyone in the room silently watched Metron leave.

Rani looked at The Overlord knowingly. “You’re not giving him sanctuary, are you?”

The Overlord stroked the head of his latest flesh toy, making the man at his feet writhe in ecstasy and rub against his robes. “Whatever makes you think that, warrior?”

“I’ve seen the special guest room.”

“Ah. Well, he bores me. Too easy to scare, too easy to rile, and a coward. He’s better off feeding my demons than being in my home.” The Overlord gestured to her. “Come close. Let me look at you.”

Rani’s lips compressed and her eyes narrowed.

The Overlord smiled mirthlessly. “Not for anything carnal, warrior. I think you’ve gotten enough of that with my space pirate.” When she didn’t flinch but kept her gaze steady on his, satisfaction filled him. This Reeka was no coward and he could count on her to be truthful with him. Two qualities that were important to him. And loyalty, yes she was loyal to him now, tied to him as she was through her ties with Fredrico and Veknor. “Come here and let me see you.”

At the reworded request, Rani strode forward, passing Fredrico who, even though he appeared emotionless, was watching closely.

Ah, Fredrico, his space pirate, deadly and a true thinker. Silent. A power source that pleased him greatly. The Overlord felt a lot of satisfaction today and it put him in an unusually expansive mood.

When Rani stopped a few feet from him, he studied her. Yes, there was something his Reeka was unhappy about, something that troubled her, and he wanted to know what it was, needed to know, in fact. “What worries you?”

“When you look at me, what do you see?”

“In what context? I see many things when I look at you.”

“One glance if you didn’t know me.”

“Reeka.”

“That man knew what I was as soon as he saw me.” Rani spoke quietly. “I’ve been taken from my people, from any chance of joining them. I don’t want word of me being here to get back to them.”

“Because they’ll come looking for you.”

“Yes. And you’ll capture or kill them.” Her green eyes darkened, orange running through them. “I said goodbye to my sister. She thinks I’m dead. She’ll take that message back to all my sister warriors. I want them to believe I’m dead.”

“Cutting ties with family? Dear me, how sad.” And how it made his wretched heart leap in joy.

She ignored his sarcasm. “You have me.”

“And I like the way you look just fine. Fredrico likes the way you look.” The Overlord glanced over his shoulder into the depths of the shadowed hood. “Veknor likes you just the way you look.”

“So look all you want,” she replied har [e rthe shshly. “But I will appear different to others.”

Leaning back in the throne, The Overlord regarded her thoughtfully. Rani had the legendary beauty the Reekas were known for, the height, the strength, and she wore her Reeka clothes with unconscious pride. The silver armband on her upper left arm was one all Reeka warriors wore.

“I like beauty,” he said bluntly. “I like beauty around me. You have what I like and need, beauty, strength and power.”

“Father,” a soft voice chided. “There are ways of having beauty without causing problems.”