Kinn by Mina Carter

4

Run…she should run.

Serena balanced on the edge of the bed, watching the big alien as he watched her. Her breath was shortened, her heart pounding in her throat, but it wasn’t the fight or flight instinct her brain insisted it was. That it should be when faced with an alien alpha. One who only minutes ago was fully shifted into his beast form, where he was most dangerous to women like her… omegas like her.

She didn’t look at the patch on the trolley. It wouldn’t help her now, and with any luck, the blocker it had contained was burned out so he wouldn’t be able to glean any information from it.

A soft growl made her flinch and her gaze darted up to his again. His eyes were black, but he wasn’t feral. He was watching her, waiting for her to run. She shouldn’t. That’s what he wanted. He would chase her and become the beast. She would die. But he’d already done that, and he hadn’t hurt her.

She bit her lower lip, her eyes locked with his. She shouldn’t run, but she wanted to. Not to escape, not to hide, but to… make him chase her? With a startled cry, she shoved off the bed and ran—to escape him and her own traitorous thoughts.

Where to go? Her mind raced even faster than her feet as she flew toward the door. This time she didn’t bother trying to throw things into his path or to dodge and weave. She’d seen how little good that did. It would only slow her down. If she could reach the doors…

Part of her mind laughed. She wasn’t going to get that far. Not unless she sprouted wings and took flight. She ran anyway, excitement replacing fear. She wanted to laugh but saved her breath.

Two steps. Three. Four. She thought maybe he wasn’t going to chase her after all. Was he letting her go?

Why did that idea fill her with disappointment instead of exaltation?

Her bare foot hit the carpet. Five steps.

Then the floor shook and a roar filled the air. He was coming after her.

She squeaked, the sound somewhere between fear and excitement. Fear because he was an alpha. Years of fearing them, hiding from them, didn’t disappear overnight. And excitement because this was Kinn. He wouldn’t hurt her. He’d promised that. He was a healer. And his touch…

She didn’t get to the doors, ducking sideways instead and into one of the storage rooms. The back door led out onto a small terrace. She could loop back and—

He ripped the door off its hinges rather than open it, and the metal screamed in protest. Then he was in there with her, his massive frame making the tiny room seem even smaller. She bit out a cry, almost at the back door. Fingers wrapped around the handle, she managed to open it a couple of inches when a huge hand slammed it shut so hard, the frame cracked.

Closing her eyes, she rested her forehead against the cool metal, aware of him behind her. She felt him… the heat of his body against her back, the whisper of his cool breath against the back and side of her neck.

He nuzzled her hair, dragging her scent into his lungs. “You are an omega.”

“That’s just my perfume.” She couldn’t keep the breathlessness out of her voice anymore.

“Do not lie to me, Serena. You will never lie to me again.” His lips grazed the nape of her neck. Need coursed through her, that simple touch making her body ache and her blood roar. She wanted to step backward, to press herself against his hard body.

“We all have secrets. You don’t get to know mine. You don’t have the right to know.”

He kissed his way along the back of her neck to the bare skin at the top of her shoulder. He crowded her, doing what she’d wanted to do by putting them in full body contact.

Kinn growled, and something sharp grazed the side of her throat.

Fangs.

Heat swirled in her belly, making her ache and throb.

He nipped her lightly. “I have every right. You’re mine, Serena. My omega.”

She shook her head, but he nipped her again, his teeth holding her in place as he growled. She froze instinctively as heat pooled in her lower body. But his fangs didn’t pierce her skin. He just held her in place as he swept a huge, clawed hand down her arm and side. Touching. Almost a caress. The sudden dampness between her thighs as his claws scraped her skin made her bite her lip.

The growl deepened as he lifted his head, letting go with his fangs to wrap one huge hand around both her wrists and pinning them above her head as he touched her.

“I am your alpha,” his voice was deeper, more bestial, as he hooked a claw into the side of her top. “I will know all your secrets.”

He pulled on the fabric, tearing it down the seam. She whimpered, a soft sound, as the cooler air of the room washed over her exposed skin.

“No.” She didn’t know where she found the strength for that last denial, but the moment it left her lips she knew it was her last one. She couldn’t stop him. And part of her didn’t want to.

“So stubborn. So beautiful.” He continued to shred her shirt one seam at a time, never cutting her and never rushing. “Will your parth for me one day? The way Var and Rath’s females do?” He rocked his hips against her ass, letting her feel the hard line of his cock. “Will you crave my knot the way they do?”

She stiffened. Knotting. Oh shit. She’d seen what that could do to a woman. The damage. The pain. But in one of their few whispered conversations, Leia had told her it wasn’t terrible at all.

She couldn’t see how that was possible.

“Shhh, little star. There’s nothing to fear. I have never hurt you. Not even when I thought you were a puzzle to be solved. Now?” He growled, the sound rolling through her like the rumble of thunder. “My omega will know nothing but pleasure.”

A shiver stole down her spine, but she couldn’t help the waver in her voice. “But… the knot. They can’t… want that? Surely?”

Her mouth was operating on pure instinct, babbling as he turned her. She didn’t look at him, squeezing her eyes shut. The last line of defense. If she couldn’t see him, he wasn’t there. Not really.

“Oh, they want it. Crave it,” he murmured, his deep voice a whispered temptation. “As you will crave mine when you scream my name in your pleasure.”

She shook her head, her breath catching as he swept away what had remained of her top, leaving her naked to the waist before him.

“So tiny and delicate,” he murmured, his free hand sweeping up her side to cup her breast. Weighing her in his hand. She bit her lip. She wasn’t a small woman, but his hand was huge, easily swallowing her up. “So soft.”

His claws scraped her skin, the rough pad of his thumb rubbing over her nipple until it beaded and ached for him.

“Look at me, Serena.”

She shook her head, her eyes squeezed closed, and he snarled. The vicious sound made her jump.

“Xarth!” The word was so close to another snarl she had to fight back the urge to flinch.

“Serena. I want you to look at me. I want you to see who you belong to.” His words were softer this time, the growl still there but… less.

“If you’re going to fuck me, then fuck me. I don’t want to see you. If I don’t, I can pretend this is something else.”

A finger touched her cheek. No claw. Just a normal finger. “I am T’kinn of the H’thor clan. I am lead healer, a warrior, and one of my lord’s most trusted men. Who would you pretend I was? I need to know his name so I can kill him.”

Her eyes flew open. “No! Don’t kill anyone!”

The mood he was in, and the stories she’d heard, he was likely to go on a jealous rampage, killing any human male in the vicinity. She wouldn’t… couldn’t have those deaths on her conscience.

He lifted his chin, looking down at her. His lip curled back dangerously, the snarl in his voice vicious as he gripped her jaw with his free hand, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Who? Who is this male you pretend I am?”

“No one!” she gasped, pulling on her hands. He didn’t let her go, his grip tightening as he surged forward, pressing against her and shoving a hard, bare thigh between her legs.

Bare? Shit. When had that happened?

The pressure forced her up onto tiptoe, and she was pinned between his hard oh-so-naked body and the wall. “I promise. No one. Don’t kill anyone. Please?”

He stilled, watching her. Then he breathed in, scenting her.

“You would beg me for this male’s life? This male you fear for?”

She shook her head. “There is no male, for fuck’s sake! I’m an omega. I’ve never let a man near me in my life!” Until him. But now Kinn was pressed against her, all muscle and bare skin and… something she tried not to think about. Something like a steel rod pressed against her belly.

“Good.” His face held only a hint of the beast now, though his eyes were still as black as a starless night.

He leaned in close, his mouth a breath away from hers. “You will know no male’s touch but mine. Ever.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, so she said nothing.

“Do you understand, little star?”

“Yes. You think you own me.”

He snarled. “I do not think. I know. And soon, you will know it, too.”

He caught the waist of her pants, tugging them down over her hips as he pushed in close and kissed her. Fangs grazed her lower lip as his mouth claimed hers, his tongue sliding into hers as his big body pressed against her from breast to thigh.

She heard a tearing sound as her pants fell to her feet in a tattered pile.

This time, she kept her eyes open, and she saw the flash of primal satisfaction in his black-on-black eyes as she met his gaze.

“I know nothing,” she told him defiantly.

He growled in response and leaned in to kiss her again. This kiss made the other seem like the touch of a butterfly’s wing—deeper, darker and more dominant. He didn’t wait for her response. He demanded it.

Letting go of her hands, he pulled her closer, turning them both to boost her up onto a nearby counter. Heat rolled through her, and all thoughts of defiance faded under the heat and the onslaught of his mouth. She whimpered, parting her lips as she surrendered. Her hands slid up his arms and over his shoulders as he growled in satisfaction and pulled her closer, grinding himself against her.

Needs she barely recognized tore through her and she gave in to them at last. She wasn’t strong enough to fight anymore. Hell, she was having trouble remembering why she’d resisted this long.

Powerful muscles moved under her fingers. She let herself explore him for the first time, drinking in her fill of his hard body and bare skin.

His growls softened to something less terrifying. His touch was hungry and hard as he used her body like his own personal playground.

When his hand covered her mound, it was all she could do not to arch herself against it like a cat in heat. Something cracked deep inside her at the first, intimate touch, and she tore her lips from his with a gasp, her nails biting into his upper arms.

Their gazes clashed and then caught. He held her spellbound, pinned with that dark, glittering look that before would have terrified her. Now, she snarled at him, frustrated by his lack of action. He was touching her but it wasn’t enough. Reaching down, she grabbed his wrist, hardly able to get her fingers around it, and rocked against his touch.

An arrogant smile touched the corners of his mouth. “My omega wants my touch. Does she?”

She glared at him even as her mouth betrayed her. “Yes.”

A raw, rumbling purring sound tore from his chest as he gave her what she craved. Long, thick fingers stroked through her folds, spreading the slick proof of her arousal over her sensitive flesh. She rode his fingers, trying to get him to touch her where she needed it most.

When he touched her clit, she shuddered, a moan rising from her throat as pleasure washed through her. This was so much better than anything she’d been able to do to herself. Even mindless with need during the heats she hadn’t felt this good.

“Oh… oh!” she managed, clinging to him again and rocking her hips against his hand. But he wasn’t touching her enough, instead teasing her with the pleasure she wanted… needed… craved. So she snarled up at him again, a vicious little warning sound as she snapped her teeth.

“My omega is a demanding one when she doesn’t get what she wants.” He chuckled, that deep purring sound that made her shiver to her toes rumbling from him again.

“Please,” she gasped, feeling the familiar tension fill her body. “It hurts…”

That had always been the way with her. Pleasure was a two-edged sword. The more she tried to soothe it, to ease it, the worse it became.

His next breath came out as a hissed curse and his touch gentled. “No pain, little star. Tell me what you need and I will give it to you.”

“I don’t know. But before. This. The heats. They hurt. I’ve never…” She trailed off frustrated by her lack of knowledge.

“You need release.” It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. Maybe he knew a way to… instead of stopping to give her something for the pain, he eased a finger into her channel, stretching her slowly and filling her in ways that felt so right she lost the ability to think. All she could do was react and chase this new feeling wherever it took her.

His thumb pressed down on her clit as he added another finger, moving faster now and driving her toward the brink of something she didn’t understand.

Tension increased with the speed of his fingers, and something deep inside her started to coil like a spring, building toward…

Pleasure hit her like the first front of an oncoming storm. She clung to him, wordless cries filling the air as she tumbled into a place she’d never imagined existed—a world of pure pleasure, entirely free of pain.

He growled again—that strange purr-like sound that both eased something inside her and tied her up in knots all at the same time—and gathered her closer. His strong arm around her back held her securely against him even as his huge hand kept her legs parted widely for him. She panted, her breath coming in short, hard gasps as he thrust inside her, adding another finger as he teased her clit with his thumb. Then he curled his fingers and pressed something deep inside her, and she broke.

“That’s right, little star. Come for me.” He didn’t stop moving his fingers, drawing out the exquisite moment until she was lightheaded and shaking in his arms.

Still gasping for breath, she barely had time to protest the removal of his hand before his mouth was on hers, blocking out the sight of what he did next.

She felt it, though. Bare thighs pressing between her legs, as powerful as tree trunks. Then the broad head of his cock was sliding through her folds, sending another shockwave through her body and making her moan into his mouth.

He growled and then tensed, holding himself still for several seconds. The purring sound he made helped her relax, and she melted into his arms, her lips parting to let him into her mouth.

“Mine.” She heard the word buried beneath his next growl as he pressed himself inside her.

She tried to stay relaxed and not stiffen up as he parted her. The horror stories she’d heard all her life tried to get purchase in her mind, and she whimpered. He pulled her closer, kissing her to distraction as he rocked his hips back. The small respite eased her, the pressure letting up, but a sense of disappointment filled her at his withdrawal.

Almost before she could register the crushing feeling, he was back. The relief as he pushed in, stretching her widely around him, was so complete she cried out, the sound lost under his kiss. His large hands smoothed over her skin, touching and caressing as he worked himself inside her with hard rocks of his hips.

The lack of pain confused her. The pleasure made her mind foggy and her thoughts as distant and fluffy as clouds. This wasn’t right… but at the same time, it was so right she wanted to scream and beg him to keep going.

Need crashed through her defenses and left her quivering. Her hands clamped down on his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his hips to pull him in closer.

She needed this. Needed him.

“Please…” she whispered. “I want…”

“Tell me,” he breathed, his lips whispering against hers. Teasing her with the kiss he was withholding. “Now.”

The harsh order made her melt against him, needs and desires she wasn’t familiar with filling her.

“Harder,” she growled, her nails digging into his shoulders. “More.”

Kinn threw back his head and roared as he powered into her, his hands gripping her hips hard as he gave her exactly what she’d asked for. She was past fear now, so lost in pleasure that not even his primal howl could distract her. She tightened her legs around him, heels pressed into the small of his back, feeling the muscles tense as he claimed her.

Betrayed by her body, all she could do was hold on as he took her to the heights of pleasure. With his mouth on hers, his huge body filled her again and again.

When she was on the brink, he tore his mouth from hers to stare down at her, his all-black eyes gleaming. “Who do you belong to?”

She knew what he wanted to hear, and in a moment of weakness, she gave it to him. “You.”

He growled in triumph, kissing her hard and fast. His clawed hand cupped the back of her head, some of his primal nature emerging as he sped up. She yielded to him, moving with him as each hard thrust took her closer to the edge. Then, between one stroke and the next, she was there. Tearing her lips away from his, she placed her hand in the middle of his chest over his heart as time stretched out. He looked down at her, their gazes connecting.

He thrust. Hard. And threw her over the edge.

Her senses scattered as her voice rose in a wild cry that echoed off the walls. Then he dropped his head to the side of her throat and bit her, sending her body into another orgasm, this one so intense she forgot how to breathe.

Pleasure danced with pain for a moment and then the pain receded, leaving her floating and stunned.

He came, roaring her name as he emptied himself inside her, his cock swelling, stretching her, filling her. Heat washed over her womb and then they were locked together, every movement taking her almost to the brink again.

He’d bitten her.

It took a moment for that to sink in. Alphas did that when they claimed an omega. It marked them as their property. She was his. Not just in words but in deed. She caught her breath, panic filling her as realization crashed over her. He’d taken her, bitten her and… a small moan escaped her. Oh god, he’d knotted her. Swelled inside her, stretching her. If he did it anymore, he’d tear her up from the inside.

“No!” he snarled as she started to struggle. He wrapped arms like steel around her to hold her still. “Stay still, female! You need to stay still!”

She froze, something in his tone making her obey him. Before she could say anything, he started to make that strange rumbling noise again. This time, she responded with something just like it. The sounds combined into something that calmed and relaxed them both.

He smiled, pressing his lips against her temple in a soft kiss she would never have believed him capable of.

“That’s better. You’re safe, little star. I have you. Always.”