Chapter Nineteen
Ulric stood under the shade of the trees below the room Alex was staying in. He could hear the familiar sounds of sex spilling from the window. His mind filled with the many times his hands, tongue, or cock had been the reason for her crying out that way, but she wasn’t calling out hisname this time.
As much as he wanted to charge into the room and yank the other man off her-so he could shred the prick to bits and then consume him-Ulric found he couldn’t do more than claw his fingers against the wall.
Every bit of strength he’d possessed-and ultimately exerted-since he got here was slowly fading.
He fell on his ass, not caring about the dirt, rocks, and bark scratching his naked flesh. Right now, all he could think about was rest. Without the light of the moon on his back, he didn’t seem to have any real sense of motivation or hunger.
I’m so tired. I just want to sleep.
Still, he couldn’t shake his distraught and anger toward the woman he loved. How could she have looked at him like he was an odious beast? How could she take his admission of love and spit in his face as if he didn’t matter? Was this her intention from the moment she’d left his room on Anteris, to forget about him by fucking other guys? He knew for a fact that she hadn’t been sexually involved with anyone for a while. He’d made sure his spies found out. So, what had changed?
His heart ached. He had to do something about turning this pitiful reaction around. He was Ulric Cale, the owner of the Anteris Space Station. The man who could have as many chicks as he wanted, and all he had to do was wink to get their attention.
The one time he let himself take someone seriously, she betrayed him.
Ulric rested the back of his head against the wall and closed his eyes.
Defeated, he let darkness smooth away the sunny glare of the day, but not before he heard the undeniable sounds of mutual climax filtering out of the window.
Alex, you’re going to pay for this.
Chapter Twenty
“So, tell me about this,” Damon said, dangling the leather cord of the choker above her face.
Alex stretched her arms over her head, unable to shake the memory or the sensations their sexual connection roused along her body. Even now, every time she moved, she could feel a twinge of pleasure tease between her legs and echo in her lower abdomen. The sheet slid down her front to reveal her breasts.
“Well?”
Her attempt at distraction didn’t work, but she didn’t cover herself. “Do you still feel the…uh…? I’m not sure how to ask the question.” How could she put it, without sounding like an idiot? Do you still feel an echo of your orgasm?That definitely sounded stupid.
He pulled the choker into his palm and engulfed it. “Yes, I still feel the residuals teasing me, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve never felt this before, so I don’t know how long it’ll last.”
“Do you know what it is?” She bit her bottom lip, curious to hear how he’d attempt to explain it. She might not believe in magical powers, but when they’d climaxed at the same time, something strange had definitely flowed between them. It reminded her of when she temporarily felt his heartbeat and rage in the gardens.
“It’s because our magic is finally joined.”
She raised an eyebrow.
The ghost of a grin teased the edges of his mouth. “Okay, the energy building up between us when we…ah…” His voice trailed off, and he licked his lips. “Before, we were just attracted to each other, but now, the inner vitality drawing us together has connected. We’ll probably be able to feel an echo of each other’s moods.”
“What does that mean?”
He smiled. “More explosive orgasms for both of us, I suppose.”
“Oh, I can definitely live with thattype of magic.”
Damon nodded. He’d made his way over to the other side of the bed and was now sitting beside her. He was still naked as well, so she tried to keep her gaze off his groin area, which was difficult when she still felt the buzz of what they’d done to each other at daybreak.
“Now, tell me about this key of yours.”
She took a quick breath and released it. Avoiding his eyes, she turned to look out the window. The sun was setting already, and she couldn’t help but feel a chill sweep through her. Even though the room was warm and Damon sat so close, a sense of foreboding washed through her.
As much as sex with Damon had numbed her body to everything else, her mind was still filled with things that didn’t make sense-some of which she wanted to stay in denial about.
If Ulric had managed to get into this room once already, what would stop him from doing it, again? Did he know she was with another man right now? She couldn’t help but wonder how he would react if he did. No, I know exactly how he’d react. He wouldn’t like it at all.Ulric had seemed so focused on his admission of love, to the point of obsession.
There’s nothing I can do about it.At least she’d slept for most of the day without having to deal with any of this.
“Look, Alex. I know this was found near the dead bodies for a reason. I don’t want to push you, but I need to find out what’s going on.”
She glared at Damon. He misunderstood her silence, but his sudden pushiness still irked her. “Is it because you’re starting to doubt me as well?” She toyed with the new bandage around her hand. The skin was starting to itch underneath.
“No, that’s not it. But-”
“I don’t know what to tell you, because I have no idea how it got there.” Okay, so that was a blatant lie, but it wouldn’t make it any better if she said: Oh, yeah, Damon. I think one of my former lovers stowed away on my ship to surprise me, because I left my lucky necklace behind. While he was at it, he somehow managed to turn himself into a beast thing. Why don’t we meet with your Priestess and discuss it? That would notgo over well.
“Okay, fine. You don’t know how it got there, so why don’t you start by telling me what it is?” His green eyes were shiny, curious but not angry.
“It’s a key.”
Damon shook his head, setting his dreadlocks on a frantic dance around his face. “Yes, it is, but what is it for?”
“It opens something, of course-”
He moved before she registered what he was doing. With his face inches from hers and his eyes glowing like matching jewels, he stood over her. She hadn’t seen this hard edge to him before. He sighed-in obvious frustration-and dumped the choker on her chest. It slid between her breasts and stopped at her stomach.