Untamed Hawaiian Heat (Rift Hunters) (25 page)

Tiaki placed a hand on one shoulder and gently pushed her back down.

“I need…”

He closed his eyes and whispered some words in a language she’d never heard before.

A small pinpoint of light sprang to life in front of her and continued to grow until it was the size of a mango. It glowed with a golden light in the darkness of the clearing. “Ohh…” The single, barely audible word left her on a small puff of air.

She tried to pull her hand away when he took it in his and uncurled her fingers. “Tiaki, it’s just a scratch. I’ll get it bandaged when we go back to camp.”

He held on to her hand firmly and met her gaze in the warm glow of the orb. His eyes glittered with golden flecks against a black backdrop. “There’s no need to wait to have it tended. I can heal a minor scratch in no time, Kiana.”

Mesmerized by the intensity in his eyes and the warmth of his hand on her skin, Kiana nodded her consent.

Tiaki clasped her injured hand between his and shut his eyes.

Kiana remained completely still, transfixed by the concentration etched in every angle of Tiaki’s face. She inhaled sharply when the punctures on her hand began to sting and burn. Her gaze flew to where he cradled it.

A vivid, golden glow surrounded their hands and shimmered outward until the light faded into a swirling mist of variegated colors that spanned the entire spectrum. The burning intensified, and she instinctively tried to pull away.

He held fast.
“Relax, tōku tau. I’m almost finished.”

Tiaki’s words slipped into her mind as though she’d always been able to hear him. She forced herself to take a deep breath and returned her gaze to his face. Focusing on him helped ease her desire to pull her hand away. She knew he and Mateo had healed her when she’d been injured after the attack, but she didn’t recall any of it. She breathed a sigh of relief when the glow around their hands began to subside, and the burning shifted until it was just a gentle warmth.

Tiaki opened his eyes and met hers. “There, all better.” He released her hand and sat beside her.

Kiana glanced at the golden orb still floating in front of them, then studied her hand. The punctures were completely healed over. Not even the pale pink of new skin growth was visible. The only thing left to indicate she’d been hurt at all were a couple of smears of blood. “How…”

“…did I do that?” Tiaki finished her question.

Kiana turned her head, met his gaze, and nodded.

He smiled, showing a dimple in his left cheek. “It’s a simple healing spell. While most Rift Hunters can’t heal major injuries, we are all taught how to do basic healing in case there isn’t a more skilled healer on the team we’re assigned to.”

“So you’re a skilled healer, then, because you were able to heal mine and Mateo’s wounds, I mean.”

Tiaki averted his gaze and stared at the waterfall on the other side of the lagoon. “No. I’m not an expert healer.”

When he fell silent and wouldn’t look at her, she swallowed the lump in her throat and asked, “If you’re not an expert healer, how were you able to heal our wounds?” She watched his face closely to see his reaction. “Niki told me if you hadn’t healed Mateo, he probably wouldn’t have made it back to camp.”

Tiaki clenched his jaw so hard, she could see his muscles strain from the effort. He raked a hand through his hair and whispered, “I know.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I honestly don’t know how I was able to heal the wounds he sustained, Kiana. I was really only trying to help him enough for your men to bring him back to the Med Center so Niki and Ash could give him the care he needed.”

Kiana stared at him for a long moment, her mind working through all the possibilities. In the end, there was only one she could come up with for him to have been able to mend the wounds Mateo had received. “How did you get the poison out of my system?”

Tiaki pushed himself up before answering her. “Mateo and I combined our magic and forced the poison out. Because I was already greatly weakened, Mateo did most of the healing. I just directed his magic on what needed to be done.” He started to walk to the edge of the water.

Kiana stood and grabbed his shoulder. He stopped but didn’t turn around. “The soul bond started that night, didn’t it? That’s why you were able to heal us.” It was a statement of fact. She knew deep inside that was what had happened.

Tiaki remained silent, still refusing to face her.

“That’s also the reason the three of us have been getting flashes of each other’s emotions. Especially when we have an intimate encounter. The soul bond can’t be stopped, can it?” The muscles under her hand stiffened, and she knew she’d hit a nerve.

“It doesn’t matter, Kiana, when it started. Or if it can be stopped. Once I’ve trained your men, I’ll be moving on to find others to train. When I’ve contacted the Citadel, I’ll be leaving as soon as it’s approved for me to open a rift.”

Anger coursed through her at his refusal to say this to her face. Using her cybernetic strength, she spun him around to look at her. “So you’re just going to give up?” Her magic gathered with each word she forced out. “What would happen if just you and I completed the soul bond?”

Tiaki studied her for a moment.

She looked away when he remained silent. She didn’t want him to see the irritation she felt over his and Mateo’s stubbornness in the glow of his magical orb of light. His silence said it all.

He cupped her cheek and forced her to meet his gaze. “I honestly don’t know what would happen, Kiana. With as vast as the Phoenix Galaxy is, there are many Rift Hunters who never meet their soul mate, so there is much we don’t understand about how the soul bond works.” He rubbed her lips with his thumb. “I didn’t believe it was possible to find your soul mate in another galaxy altogether. And I’ve never known a soul bond that wasn’t completed by all involved.” He dropped his hands to his sides. “I refuse to risk finding out.”

She reached out and grabbed his hand before he could turn away. “I want to be bound to you. Even if Mateo doesn’t.”

* * * *

Tiaki’s magic trembled at the knowledge she wanted to be a part of him. But he wouldn’t allow it to happen without Mateo. It was too risky without knowing more about the soul bond. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of people who had that information.

And all of them in the Phoenix Galaxy.

He squeezed her hand, loving the feel of her skin against his. “I know this is what you believe you want, Kiana. In the end, though, you would regret it if something went wrong because Mateo wasn’t a part of it.” His soul cried out as he said the words. It felt like he’d driven a knife into his heart even saying them.

Kiana jerked her hand out of his. “Fuck you, Tiaki. Mateo will be a part of it. I know.” She looked away, a single tear slipping down her cheek unheeded.

Tiaki moved closer and tipped her chin up. He kissed the tear away. “Kiana,” he breathed against her ear, his heart squeezing tight with the hurt he felt piercing hers.

She turned and nuzzled his neck.

His magic stirred quickening with the rise in hers. She skimmed her lips up his neck, darting her wicked tongue out to trace the always glittering lines of his genesis mark.

He threw his head back at the contact.
Gods!
His magic erupted as violently as the volcanoes that had created this lush paradise. It took all his willpower to rein it in before he succumbed to the raw intensity of it. The sheer magnitude of the surge in his magic rivaled that of any planet he’d ever tapped in to.

She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “Please.”

At the sound of her soft plea, he was lost, unable to deny himself one last kiss. He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. He licked the seam of her mouth, seeking entry into paradise.

Kiana moaned and opened her mouth in silent invitation.

Grasping her face in his hands, her hair spilling over them like silk, he drank from her lips like a man dying of thirst. When his magic reached out to hers, demanding to join with hers, he pulled away. Sucking in a shuddering breath, he rested his forehead against hers. His breath came in short gasps. Gods, how he wanted to claim her for his own. He shoved the urge away and stepped back. “I can’t. I will not risk anything happening to you or Mateo.” He turned and started walking away.

Kiana stalked after him. “You’re just too fucking scared.”

Tiaki stopped. The accusation stung, even though it was the truth. He turned around to face her. “Damn right, I’m scared, Kiana. If the choices are to bond with you and risk losing you because the bonding isn’t complete without Mateo or walk away and be alone for the rest of my life… Then yes, I’d rather walk away and be called scared, because I am.”

Kiana glared at him defiantly. Her eyes glowed silver in the light of his magical orb, daring him to walk away. She had the proud stance of a warrior demanding he accept her challenge.

Tiaki spun around and forced himself to start walking. He’d noticed a path when they’d entered the clearing from the opposite side. Though the effort to leave her was killing him, he had to put some distance between them before he gave in to the one desire he couldn’t afford to indulge. Something tugged at the back of Tiaki’s mind as he glanced at his surroundings. It wasn’t until he felt Kiana take hold of his arm that he realized she’d brought him to the place he’d watched Mateo make love to her.

What the hell was she up to?

* * * *

Kiana stared at his retreating back in disbelief. He was actually going to leave. Shaking off her surprise, she scanned the camp with her sensors for Mateo, silently praying he hadn’t taken off. She sighed in relief when she found him in their room. Anger roiled through their link, and something else. What, she couldn’t name, but he was fighting it.

Mateo’s nearness was enough to spur her into action. She ran after Tiaki and spun him to face her. He lost his balance, and she kicked his feet out from under him. He landed flat on his back with a loud
thud
. She straddled his hips before he could try to rise.

A whoosh of air rushed out of Tiaki as he connected with the ground. He looked up at her. “Kiana…”

Kiana silenced him with a kiss as she opened her link with Mateo. She needed him to experience everything they did, or all was lost. She thrust her tongue inside Tiaki’s mouth, savoring the taste of the sweet pineapple juice he’d drunk with dinner.

He took both her shoulders in his hands and pushed her back. He held her gaze. “There’s nothing you can do to change my mind, Kiana. I won’t make love to you.”

Kiana pressed her pussy more firmly against his cock. “I know, Tiaki, but you don’t actually have to fuck me to make love to me.” She leaned down and pressed kisses to his throat, making sure to linger over his genesis mark. She smiled when he bucked against her. Satisfied with her newfound knowledge, she kissed her way down the length of his body.

Tiaki grasped her head and gently forced her to look at him. “I can’t even take you like that again. I wouldn’t be able to stop until I had my cock buried inside you.”

A small moan of pleasure escaped her as she licked her lips. She sensed Mateo monitoring their link even though he was reluctant to.
Good
. Niki had been right. He couldn’t ignore it. She shifted lower, licking and nipping his taut flesh as she went. “Then don’t. Just feel.” She purred the words against his nipple, then sucked it into her mouth. The edges of the tattoo depicting his home planet shimmered beneath her touch. When she inadvertently licked the inked lines, his magic tingled under her tongue and hastened toward her.

He reached for her shoulders, either to pull her close or shove her away, she couldn’t say. She didn’t wait to find out. Gathering her magic, she whispered for it to push him back against the sand, pinning his wrists to his sides. She glanced up to find him watching her. She smiled. “I’ve been practicing all afternoon.”

Tiaki groaned.

She continued moving down his stomach, pausing only to untuck the folds of his pareo. With each bit of skin she uncovered, she tortured him with her tongue, teeth, and nails. The link through their magic increased with each passing moment, strengthening the intensity of the emotions they were feeling. The pleasure she evoked spiraled through him and into her.

Tiaki gasped when she wrapped her fist around his shaft and licked the drops of precum from the tip.

She delighted in each moan and kiss she tore from his lips. She made sure he could feel her stroking Tiaki’s skin, kissing him, and the exquisite taste of his cock on her tongue blazed through the link with Mateo.

Chapter Twenty

Lust shot through Mateo. The sensations of sucking Tiaki’s cock erupted through the emotion link he shared with Kiana. His cock hardened at the thought of tasting the other man in his mouth again. God, he could almost feel the texture of Tiaki’s skin under his fingers.

Damn Kiana for opening their link. Every stroke was further heightened through the bond their magic had forged.

He tried to close off the link, but something was blocking him from doing so. He just couldn’t figure out what. All he could do was sit there while he felt his woman…his love…give pleasure to…to… He didn’t know how to think of Tiaki.

He didn’t want to think about Tiaki at all. He was the Hunter to him. That was becoming impossible, though. A part of him felt like he was betraying Remi’s memory. Tiaki had come into their lives only a few weeks ago with an outrageous tale and had literally turned everything upside down.

Ever since Tiaki had saved his life, Mateo had been able to feel the Hunter inside him. Teasing his senses from the inside out…making him yearn to experience things he’d told himself he would never indulge in again after Remi died.

Then Tiaki had kissed him. Making things worse.

He’d been able to pretend he didn’t like the guy before. Now every time he came near Tiaki, his magic went haywire. Reaching out to him, spurring the lust he tried so hard to hide and bringing it to the forefront of his mind.

Mateo stood and paced in the tight confines of the tent. The walls seemed to be closing in on him, despite the fact they were made of grass. Restless energy swirled through his body at the thought of Kiana fucking Tiaki, by the thought of joining them and doing so himself. Like he’d wanted to this afternoon.