Alcandian Soul (6 page)

“I believe we are well suited to each other. It is time you took a partner and wore the coat of a Judgment Official. For that duty, you will need a partner.”

Dyne drew himself into a formal stance before he extended his arm out in traditional Alcandian trust. It was a deep honor to receive the gesture from any Alcandian, but having it come from Dyne enhanced the moment to epic proportions. The warrior had his choice of partners among the training warriors.

Cole clasped his forearm and felt Dyne’s grip tighten around his wrist and forearm. Dyne nodded stiffly before he spoke.

“You understand honor. Blood does not make you a warrior, honor does.”

It was a creed that kept an entire race going even in the face of extinction. Their embracing of a code that was considered primitive by many humans. That unwavering devotion to live your life by principles. It was the driving force behind his own quest to become a member of the Earth military elite. A burning need to know that he lived his life trying to become the best person he could be.

On Alcandar, Cole was going to live that dream as a Judgment Official.

As a warrior.

Chapter Five

“You should have changed into some Alcandian clothing if you intended to go unnoticed.”

Cassandra spun around, and her drill sergeant would have been proud to see the fighting stance she landed in out of pure instinct. The woman she faced flinched and her arms came up out of reflex too. A hint of appreciation crossed Zeva’s face as she looked at Cassandra.

Cassandra stared at Zeva, taking in the details that confirmed that the alien was much happier now than the last time she’d seen her. The word “alien” got stuck in her thoughts as she tried to face the fact that on Alcandar, she was the alien.

And the captive.

Cassandra shook off the despair that tried to flood her mind. Breaking down wasn’t going to help her. The last year of self-pity parties had certainly proved that. It was the honest truth that she really had no place to call home. But embracing the idea of never seeing her parents again tore at her to continue her battle to return to Earth. Just how to get her life back on track was the main issue. She was currently completely baffled as to where to begin. You needed to decide what you wanted before you could go after it.

Zeva was wearing a three-quarter-length coat, similar to the one that Cole and Dyne had been wearing. The female version was tailored to her breasts and buttoned at mid-chest to just below her waist. The sides were slit up to her hips and a baggy pair of pants covered her legs. The outfit looked really comfortable but it was attractive too. The coat was made out of a purple and blue fabric that set off Zeva’s dark hair very well.

“Sorry, I guess my abductors forgot to give me the nickel tour. Besides, I like my uniform.” She had earned her uniform. Sucking it up and dressing in Alcandian wear felt so much like surrender, Cassandra shook her head at the mere idea of it. Her fatigues were staying right where they were at. Zeva moved and the jacket she wore shifted, giving Cassandra a peek at the woman’s rounded tummy.

“Is everyone pregnant on this planet?” Her voice was surly, but she suddenly felt trapped in a science-fiction movie complete with a plot to overrun her mind with the local culture. Mate and produce babies.

Zeva only rolled her eyes in the face of her grumpy companion. “I guess that comment means Cole sent his sister to talk to you already.”

Cassandra shrugged. Zeva closed the gap between them some more, but she didn’t get too close. There was a respect shimmering in her eyes for the training she knew Cassandra had undertaken. Cassandra latched on to that little bit of acknowledgment.

“Returning to Alcandar dumped me into the presence of a couple of warriors I had been avoiding.” Zeva flashed her a grin as she shrugged. “In the end, I’m happy, and no, Alcandian females do not spend their lives pregnant. By avoiding my mates, I believe I bred an insecurity in them that prompted them to want a baby immediately.”

All the better to chain her
…

Cassandra bit back her sarcasm. “Well, I hope life is better for you now that you’re home.”

Zeva sighed as her face lost all traces of amusement. “It is. But now you are here.”

Cassandra lifted her hand towards Zeva. “Easy enough to fix. Why don’t you just direct me towards that wormhole gate thing and then everybody will be happy.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Won’t is more like it.” Cassandra shrugged as she turned to survey the landscape. “Not that I’m surprised. You never struck me as the turncoat type.” Turning her gaze back to Zeva, Cassandra flashed her a grin. “Still, had to ask. I figured if there’s anyone who might have a soft spot for my plight, it’d be you.”

Zeva looked uncomfortable, but the Alcandian female didn’t break their eye contact. Cassandra had to admire the pure confidence in her. Not many people shouldered their decisions so completely. “Don’t worry about it. We all have our loyalties.”

“And yours are to Earth?” Zeva’s voice revealed a great deal of scorn still clinging to it.

“This is a uniform, Zeva. I’m not just a human, I’m a woman who took an oath to support my government. That means a great deal to me.”

“That government held me hostage.”

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the venom in Zeva’s tone. Spreading her arms wide, she watched the Alcandian woman hiss with frustration. “I have the same problem today. Only with your government.”

“A good point.” Zeva took a deep breath as she considered her with a glimmer of pity in her dark eyes.

“Oh, save it. I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me.”

Cassandra picked one foot up and fell into a march. Army brats learned one thing fast, self-pity was a concrete block just dragging you down. Frustration was tearing at her control, making the idea of getting away from the current conversation a pleasant idea. She’d deal with her emotions all by herself. Just like Zeva had done when their roles were reversed. At least she might center her attention on the fact that Zeva had managed to make it home.

“Being angry will not help you adjust.”

Zeva wasn’t following her, maybe because at least one Alcandian did understand exactly how she felt. That made it important to make sure Zeva had a clear picture of her resolve.

“Adjusting is just another word for surrender. I don’t recall you ever adjusting to Earth.”

* * * * *

Alcandar got cold once the sun began to set. Cassandra considered the field below her as the shadows grew long and the light began to fade. Her eyes were focused on a training class. It was filled with maroon-clad warriors, their long overcoats draped over a stone half wall as neat as any Ranger training course. Their chests were bare and absolutely incredible. Mother Nature was a collaborating saboteur because the female in her had her eyes tracing those hard muscles with appreciation. The men below her were extreme. Each chest was corded and cut with defined muscle. It was almost like opening a medical book and being able to clearly see each muscle as it worked. These men worked hard enough to burn off the body fat that often hid a man’s strength. They were lean and moved with a deadly form that would have impressed Master Lee.

Actually, warriors. She could see the connection. There had to be two hundred of them, all flowing in a harsh, yet somewhat graceful, deadly form of combat exercise. A sort of a morbid fascination held her there. Watching them practice what was clearly proof of their superior strength when she was currently being held by that power.

But her eyes still followed them as they moved. Hell, it was a single girl’s dream. No flab to hide the brawn. There was a buffet of beefcake down there that any woman who wasn’t dead would want to feast her eyes on.

The face that filled her mind made her snarl. Cole’s face sprang up in vivid color as she cussed at her own memory. A little tingle twisted through her nipples, making her temper boil as she turned her back on the warriors below her and all she saw in her mind was Cole. Heat teased her passage as she recalled just how hard Cole was beneath that maroon coat. His pectorals must be cut like granite…

Cassandra cussed low and hot enough that even her dad would have lifted an eyebrow at her command of profanity. For her mother, on the other hand, the words would have blistered her ears. A touch of heat bled across her face as she considered that. Dissolving into behavior that would shame her parents wasn’t acceptable.

The light was fading fast and that left her with a new dilemma. This one was very real. Being caught outside in unknown territory was ill-advised. But that left her with the only option of returning to the room that she had woken up in, and Cole.

And Dyne…

The second warrior moved through her memory as another blush heated her face. She frowned and lifted a hand to stroke the side of her face. The skin was actually hot, astounding her. Blushing over a memory was really extreme, especially since this recollection was nothing passionate. So what if Cole had kissed her? It wasn’t mindshattering.

A little chuckle left her lips as she considered the fact that a really good kiss should be disruptive. At least in fantasies, the right man could knock your socks off with the right press of lips. It was really too bad that reality shattered fiction when the two collided.

“Was that an actual laugh?”

Cassandra gasped and jumped back. Cole emerged from a shadow like a demon, complete with the radiation of power that went along with nightmare tales. She clamped her jaw shut as she tried to gain a handle on her racing emotions. Her heart was suddenly pounding away as though she’d been running instead of practically standing still.

“Ironic satirical enjoyment of the moment.” Cassandra offered him a sarcastic shrug of her shoulders with her comment. One of his eyebrows rose as Cole crossed his arms over his chest. Something new caught her eye as his uniform coat pulled back from his right wrist to display a two-inch-wide wristband that looked vastly different from the one he’d been wearing that morning. Her gaze tried to linger on the slight view of corded strength along his forearm before she forced her attention to his jacket. It was deep maroon now with a black edging.

“
The black edging means they have the authority to kill
…”

Her memory yielded that detail instantly as she looked at the way the uniform coat suited Cole. The next word that flashed through her brain was “warrior” and it stuck like tar.

“Get pinned today?”

Cole couldn’t help but enjoy the military term for newly applied rank. The first time you got to wear a new rank insignia, it was pinned on you, usually by a family member. Today had been a bittersweet moment as he donned a Judgment Official uniform without his dad there to hand him the new rank. The way Cassandra’s eyes lingered on his chest chased any melancholy away as heat rose in his cock. It was an immediate reaction to her and somewhat startling.

“Pinned?”

Cassandra jumped and cussed under her breath as she swung around to find Dyne considering her. The second warrior offered her a small pleased expression for having approached her without her notice. Forgetting that these Alcandians worked in teams was a really big detail to overlook.

As in really stupid.

“It’s an Earth military term for promotion.” Cole returned his attention to Cassandra. “Yes, I did take a promotion today.”

His voice was deep and rich with pride. She could see it shimmering in his eyes and a smile lifted her lips before she clamped her sense down on the friendly expression. He looked good, damn fine, and that was a fact. She’d never seen a Ranger in dress uniform who looked more at home.

“Thank you, Cassandra.”

Cole’s voice was low and she looked at him suspiciously. “I didn’t congratulate you, Somerton.” He frowned as she tagged his surname onto her comment. Keeping it formal between them felt more secure than letting his name slip over her lips.

“On Alcandar, we do not use family names. They are a means for record-keeping and portray a distance when used in conversation.”

Dyne’s voice was too authoritative for her taste. Cassandra eyed the large male and smiled brightly at him. “Sounds good to me. What’s your family name?”

“You will address me as Dyne.”

“In your dreams.”

The words barely passed her mouth before Dyne was inside her mind. He just appeared there like another sense had suddenly flipped on, flooding her with bright awareness. Her mind stung like your eyes did when you turned on the light in a pitchblack room. Cassandra yelped before she tried to back away from the invasion. She stumbled and landed on her butt instead. The impact was just traveling up her spine to explode against her skull when her body became weightless. Dyne was suddenly surrounding her. His body was rock-solid behind her as she caught the first trace of what he smelled like. Alcandians must produce musk, because the scent of his skin went through her senses and straight into her bloodstream. The little tingle in her nipples became a full tightening that drew both points into hard tips that rasped against her top. He had hooked her under her arms and lifted her off the ground, but the moment her feet touched soil again his arms slid all the way down the length of her arms in a smooth caress that shocked her with just how good his hands felt against her body. Warm breath hit her ear as he reached her hands.

“Dyne.” His voice was low but as firm as his body. Her eyes were wide with disbelief at the amount of pleasure surging through her from his touch. “Dyne” felt just right on her tongue but she bit the word back, refusing to be overwhelmed.

A warm hand cupped her chin and the skin on her face instantly transmitted how much better skin-on-skin contact was. Cole lifted her head until their eyes meet.

That weird blue electricity shot through his eyes as Dyne leaned down next to her ear and actually sniffed her.

“Holy hell!”

Cassandra erupted like a ball of fury. She thrust her hands out towards Cole with her fingers curled back for a palm strike to his solar plexus. Her knees bent slightly as she lowered her stance to give her the balance to twist back around and jab her elbow into Dyne.

Not a single blow landed. Dyne’s smooth touch tightened instantly around her wrists. He pulled her arms around her own body by her wrists to contain her as he stepped up until they were molded to one another. Pressed against her back, there was absolutely no way to ignore the hard presence of his cock. Cole stepped right up against her front and she faced another hard erection pressing against her crossed forearms.

“Let me go!”

Her body went into full meltdown mode. A surge of sexual heat burned its way down from her aching nipples to her clit. She actually felt fluid moving down the inside of her passage in the most carnal sensation she had ever experienced. The desire for sex was so thick she could taste it, because it was filling her mind as both males invaded even her thoughts.

Two grunts were her response, right before she was free. Her body shuddered violently as it lost the support of the two stronger ones. Cole gripped her arm and kept her on her feet as her boots slipped on the loose soil. She flung off the touch the moment the world stopped spinning. But she shivered as the cool night air bit into her. She was suddenly so damn cold she ached with it.