Close Obsession (36 page)

Her chest rapidly rising and falling with every breath, Mia swallowed to get rid of the obstruction in her throat. She’d never seen him in this kind of mood before, and she was almost frightened. Almost – because she now knew that he would never hurt her. Not physically, at least.

“Why didn’t you leave when I gave you a chance, Mia?” he whispered harshly, jerking her toward him until she was pressed against his body, feeling the heat radiating from him and the hard bulge growing in his jeans. “Don’t you know how much it cost me to let you go?”

He wasn’t trying to get rid of her. He was giving her freedom because he thought that’s what she wanted.

The truth dawned on her, and Mia almost burst into tears again. Korum loved her; he loved her enough to let her walk away, to overcome his own need to keep her with him.

For the first time, he was giving her a choice.

Her heart filling with incandescent joy, Mia stared up at him, seeing the signs of strain on his beautiful face. He loved her, and he was letting her walk away. The magnitude of his gesture didn’t escape her. This gorgeous, powerful man had never been denied anything he truly wanted before – and she now knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he wanted her. His intellect and ambition had propelled Korum to the top of Krinar society, and he was used to having an extraordinary amount of influence and control. Here on Earth, his power was even greater; as a member of the race that conquered her planet, he could do almost anything without consequences. Among humans, he was like a god.

What would it be like, to wield that kind of power? Would she have been able to restrain herself if she knew that she could take anything she wanted? Have anyone she wanted? Mia had never asked herself that question before, and she wondered if she would like her own answer.

The fact that he was giving her a choice now . . . She knew how difficult it was for him, how much it went against his nature. He considered her his, and by Krinar law, she belonged to him. For Korum to relinquish that power, to let her leave him – that, more than anything, showed her how much she now meant to him.

So instead of flinching away in fear of his temper, she slid her hands up his chest, gripping his face between her palms. Holding his gaze with her own, she whispered, “I don’t want to go. I don’t ever want to go . . .”

His eyes flared brighter, and she could see his pupils expanding even as his mouth descended on hers, his lips hard and almost bruising. His tongue invaded her mouth, his kiss all-consuming, and she met him eagerly, reveling in the frantic hunger she could taste in his kiss. His hands migrated to her back, tightened until she could barely breathe, and she could feel his large body trembling with the intensity of his emotions.

Pulling back for a second, he growled, “You’re staying,” and Mia nodded, even though it wasn’t a question. Standing up on tiptoes, she kissed him again, and felt the room tilt as he swung her up into his arms, carrying her to the couch.

The control he exerted over himself earlier was completely gone, and she could feel the primitive need driving him now. He wasn’t gentle, and she didn’t want him to be, not right now, not when she so desperately craved his passion. His hands ripped off her dress, her underwear, and then he was plunging into her, wild with the urge to get inside, to claim her in the most basic way possible.

At the force of his entry, Mia cried out and arched toward him, her fingers curving into claws, digging into the back of his neck. He felt impossibly hard and thick, stretching her, filling her until she forgot all about the agony of nearly losing him, lost in the driving power of his thrusts.

His right hand fisted in her hair, pulled her head to the side, exposing her neck, and then he bit her, the sharp edges of his teeth slicing across her skin. Mia gasped at the sudden pain, and then his mouth latched onto the wound and the world around her dissolved as ecstasy rushed through her veins.

For the next several hours, all she knew was the dark rapture of his embrace.

Chapter 25

“So tell me more about this immortality thing,” Mia said lazily, watching as he lifted one long curl and traced a circle with it on his own shoulder.

They were lying in bed side by side, having sated themselves yet again this morning.

Mia could hardly remember the rest of the day yesterday. After he’d bitten her, she didn’t regain her senses until late in the evening, when he’d woken her up from exhausted sleep in order to feed her dinner. Then he brought her back to bed, and she passed out again, opening her eyes this morning only to find him watching her with a hungry look on his face. “Finally,” he’d muttered before stripping away the blanket and crawling down her body, his skilled mouth bringing her to orgasm before she was even fully awake. Afterwards, he’d taken her again, as though he couldn’t bear to be physically separated from her for even a few hours.

Now he turned his head to look at her, a warm glow in his eyes. “What do you want to know?” he asked, smiling.

“Everything,” Mia told him. “Have you always known how to do that – to make humans immortal? And how does it work, exactly? Am I still human, or am I some weird hybrid? Do I also have enhanced speed and strength? And will I ever change physically, or is this how I’m going to look for the rest of my life?”

He laughed, rising up on his elbow. “That’s quite a few questions. Let me start with the easy ones. Yes, you’re still human. No, you’re not really that much stronger or quicker than you were, although you’re in somewhat better shape. However, you do heal very fast. If you wanted to get stronger, it would be easy for you; all you’d need to do is start lifting weights and doing exercise. Your body regenerates so rapidly now that you won’t need any downtime, and you could become as fit as any of your top athletes in a matter of weeks.

“You have more endurance now too, again because of your body’s rapid healing properties. And no, you’re definitely not a hybrid of any kind. The nanocytes mimic the natural functions of your body and repair all damage; that’s really all they do. They restore your body to its optimal state, so yes, you won’t really change physically going forward. You’re going to remain young and beautiful for years and centuries to come.”

Mia listened to his explanation, her pulse beginning to pound with excitement. “Wow,” she whispered in amazement. “I don’t even know what to say. Just . . . wow.”

Korum grinned at her, and then his expression became more serious. “As to the first part of your question, this is a relatively new technology for us. We’ve only had it for the last few thousand years.”

“A few thousand years? That’s a really long time . . .” They could’ve given humans immortality at any point in the last few thousand years?

He sighed. “If you say so.”

“Korum,” Mia said tentatively, “what exactly is this non-interference mandate? Is that the reason why you haven’t shared any of your technology with us?”

He nodded. “Yes. The non-interference mandate was set by the Elders, and it supersedes any laws that the Council can pass –”

“The Elders?”

“The oldest Krinar in existence. There are nine who are known as the Elders; they’re the ones who have been around for millions of years. Lahur is the oldest among them, and it’s said that he’s been alive for over ten million years.”

Stupefied, Mia stared at him. “Ten million years?” Ten million years ago, humans didn’t even exist as a species. And there were Krinar around who were that old?

“It’s unimaginable for me as well,” Korum said, understanding her awe. “They had to have seen so much, learned so much throughout their lives. There’s nothing that can compare to the wisdom of the Elders.”

“Where are they?” Mia asked, goosebumps springing up all over her body as she tried to picture someone that ancient. “Did any of them come to Earth?”

“No, they’re on Krina. For the most part, they’re very reclusive; few Krinar have ever met them, and that’s how they like it. I’ve seen Lahur from a distance, but I’m one of the few who has.”

Mia frowned, perplexed. “So how did they set the mandate? How do they enforce it?”

“They don’t have to enforce it, Mia. The Elders are revered in our society; to go against them is an offense punishable by death.”

“But why did they do it? Why set that mandate in the first place?”

“I don’t know their exact motivations,” Korum admitted. “But I do know that two of them were part of the team of scientists that guided human evolution. They were the original creators of your species. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that they are still overseeing that project.”

Mia’s frown deepened. “So why did they let you come to Earth in the first place?”

“Because the Council – specifically, myself, Saret, and a few others – was able to convince them that it was necessary for the ultimate survival of the Krinar. Your weapons, your technology were evolving so rapidly and in such a destructive direction that you were endangering your planet. And since we will ultimately need to call Earth home – when our star dies in a hundred million years or so – we couldn’t allow you to make this planet uninhabitable.”

Mia digested that quietly. She still didn’t fully understand this Elder situation. “So how is it that you were able to make me immortal despite this mandate?”

“By claiming you as my charl.” His eyes glittered at her. “We’re allowed to make exceptions for our charl.”

“I see.” Mia looked at him, remembering his assertion that being a charl was an honor. Now she could understand why he thought so. Yes, the charl may have few rights in the K society, but they had something no other humans could achieve – perfect health and an incredibly long lifespan. Even in modern-day United States, there were probably many who would gladly trade whatever rights and freedoms they enjoyed for a chance to live even a few extra decades, much less hundreds or even thousands of years.

“What about my parents and my sister?” Mia asked, holding her breath. “Does the mandate make exceptions for them?”

A look of genuine regret appeared on Korum’s handsome face. “No, Mia, I’m sorry. It doesn’t. I’ll do everything I can to keep them healthy and maximize their natural lifespan, but I can’t give them what I gave you.”

Painfully biting her lip, Mia looked away. She’d suspected that might be the case, but it still hurt to hear him confirm it. She would remain young and healthy, while everyone around her would age and pass away. The thought was unbearably depressing.

“My darling, come here,” he murmured, pulling her into his arms. “I’m sorry, I really am. For what it’s worth, I will petition the Elders on your behalf. I just don’t know if it will do anything.”

“Thank you,” Mia whispered, staring him in the eyes. “Thank you for that, for everything.”

“I love you,” he said softly, his hand stroking her back. “And I’ll do anything for you. You know that, right?”

Mia smiled, her heart overflowing with emotion. “I love you more . . .”

“That would be impossible,” he told her, and the intensity in his voice startled her. “I love you so much it hurts. If you had left me yesterday . . .”

Swallowing against a sudden surge of tears, Mia hugged him tighter. “I wouldn’t have,” she said thickly. “I don’t ever want to leave you. I thought you didn’t want me anymore . . .”

“I’ll always want you.” He sounded utterly convinced of that fact.

“How do you know that?” Mia asked curiously. “We’ve known each other less than two months. How do you know how you’ll feel in a few years?”

His lips curved into a tender smile. “That’s where experience comes in handy, my sweet. I know how I feel – I’ve known almost from the very beginning. The first time I held you in my arms, the first time we made love, I knew this was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I couldn’t think of anything but you – the way you tasted, the way you smelled, the stubborn tilt to your chin . . . I thought I was losing my mind because I was becoming so obsessed with a human girl – a girl who didn’t want to be with me, no less. I wanted to fuck you, yes, but I also wanted to keep you safe, to take you with me and never let you go . . .”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Mia asked, her heart skipping a beat at his words. “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt earlier?”

The smile left his face, his expression turning serious. “Because I was frightened,” he admitted darkly. “Because I had never felt like that before, and I didn’t know how to cope with it. For the first time in centuries, I was driven by emotion, instead of reason, and I didn’t always make the wisest choices when it came to you. I wanted to have you, and I couldn’t think of anything beyond that need, that craving. I wasn’t sufficiently patient, and I ended up scaring you . . . and then you got involved with the Resistance as a result. I loved you, and all you seemed to want is to have me permanently out of your life. Even later, when you told me you loved me, I wasn’t sure if you truly felt that way, or if you were just playing along, giving me what I wanted –”

Mia shook her head, unable to believe her ears. He’d always seemed so invulnerable, and the realization that she’d had the power to hurt him all along was truly humbling. “No, Korum,” she murmured, raising her hand to stroke his face. “I fell in love with you back in New York. Even though I thought you wanted to harm my kind, even though I was afraid of ending up as your sex slave, I still fell for you . . . And I can’t live without you now –”