The Alien’s Obsession by Zoey Draven
Chapter Fifteen
Kirov was Vixron’s relief for the night. When he showed up at the human females’ dwelling, apparently shortly after Kate had left, he informed the guard that he had the night off.
Vixron looked at him carefully, but simply jerked his head in a nod and departed, probably too eager for a full night of sleep to directly question Kirov about his interest in one of the human females.
Then, Kirov’s gaze found Lani.
His whole body relaxed, the buzzing in his mind quieting as he drank the sight of her in.
She was sitting in the fire pit area with the blonde female, who was too busy drawing on the tablet he’d left for her to notice that he’d walked in.
But Lani knew. She’d noticed him even before he’d stepped through the door.
Her eyes flickered over his body and Kirov found himself straightening at her blatant perusal of her male. Lainey’s tongue darted out to wet her lips, her eyes lingering in certain places, before she met his gaze.
A moment later, he scented the signs of her arousal and his jaw ticked in longing and frustration, knowing he could do nothing about it, not when he was acting as their guard for the night.
The sweetest misery, being this close to his female and not being able to touch her, to kiss her.
“Have you had your evening meal?” he asked them. The blonde, Crystal, looked up from the tablet, startled. When she saw it was him, her eyes narrowed slightly, before darting a quick look over at Lani.
“Yes,” Lani said and her voice floated over him, soothing the beast inside. “We ate with Kate.”
He stood by the door, hardly daring to draw near though his Instinct demanded he be close to his mate. He wouldn’t be able to stop touching her, if he started.
Crystal went back to her tablet, drawing something that resembled a landscape. An Earth landscape, perhaps?
Lani was watching him and her arousal was growing to be more than he could handle. He growled and turned, saying, “I will be stationed outside if you need me.”
His fists clenched tightly and he stormed through the front door again, closing it behind him. Once outside, he felt like he could breathe and some of the fog that swarmed his mind lifted.
He drew in a shuddering breath, feeling the cool air soothe his lungs, before he released it. His gaze went to the moon and his jaw tightened. Tomorrow would be his last full day in the Golden City. He would need to depart for Troxva before the suns rose in two spans.
And he was no closer to winning his female, to convincing her to depart with him.
Doubt had plagued him all span. She’d pulled away from him last night, the memory of which drove him out of his mind. She’d been so open, so receptive to him before and while they’d pleasured one another…but afterwards, she’d changed.
She’d closed herself off, bit by bit, making him question whether he’d done anything wrong, whether he’d displeased her in any way.
If Kirov was being honest, he didn’t know if she could be won. He could court her and pleasure her for as many spans as it would take to capture her heart, but if she didn’t want to meet him halfway…
Kirov cursed softly, looking at the moon again, like it was a weapon about to detonate.
He didn’t have much time left.
Stop, he told himself, drawing in a deep, calming breath.
Nix, he wouldn’t doubt his female, he wouldn’t doubt himself. He would never give up.
Determination coursed through him, making him restless. He had made little progress on his work that span in the armory, so distracted with thoughts and memories of last night. How beautiful she’d looked, how she’d kissed him, how she’d tasted…the way she’d thrashed on his tongue as she orgasmed.
Kirov growled.
It wasn’t long before he heard movement inside the dwelling and a moment later, the door opened behind him. His female emerged, her blue eyes finding his. Carefully, she closed the door, leaving them alone.
“Crystal went to go take a bath,” Lani informed him, coming to stand just next to him, her shoulder brushing his arm. He reached out to touch her, but she moved quickly, stepping past, wrapping her arms around her body. She walked to the balcony and Kirov braced himself for another spar. He had never battled so much since warrior training, since war with the Jetutians.
“What is wrong?” he asked. A thought occurred to him, making dread pool in his stomach. “Do you…regret last night?”
Lani looked down at the stone balcony, to the moonlit view, and then back to him. “No, I…I just…” she sighed. “I’m so confused. I don’t know what to think or how to feel.”
“Why do you do this to yourself?” he asked quietly. “Why not just accept it? It is easier.”
“Easier? Maybe for you. Not for me.”
Kirov’s brow furrowed.
“I talked to Kate today,” Lani confessed after a brief moment of silence. “She told me what it was first like with her and Vaxa’an. She told me about the Fates, about the mating ceremony, about a blood bond.”
Kirov tensed. So she did know about these things. He had hoped to explain these matters to her himself, to ease her into that overwhelming knowledge. She was already so skittish about their bond.
Swallowing, he placed his hands on the balcony and squeezed so hard he was surprised the stone didn’t crumble underneath his grip.
“You would expect these things of me,” she observed, eyeing him with what he recognized as wariness.
“Tev, I would,” he said.
There was no use in denying it. As fated mates, they would bind their lives together, their minds. It was only natural. It was what the Fates demanded. His Instinct would only be at peace once the ravraxia, the mating ceremony, was performed.
“You would expect me to give up my home, my planet for you,” she continued. “And frankly, at this point, I’m not ready to do that. I don’t know if I’ll ever be, Kirov. We’ve only known each other a few days. Can’t you see how crazy this is?”
“What does time have to do with it?” he rasped, Lani’s words cutting him like a blade. “Time does not matter. It is what we feel that does.”
“I told you last night,” Lani whispered, “that I didn’t want you to think us fooling around meant more than it did.”
“Fooling around,” Kirov repeated slowly, another blow landing. The words were strange but he understood her meaning well enough. A spark of anger lit up his chest and he asked, “Was it that meaningless to you, female?”
“Not meaningless,” she said, looking at him with a frown. “I’m just trying to be honest with you, Kirov. You know I’m attracted to you. I liked what we did, I’m not denying that. I just don’t want to sign on to be your mate just because we got each other off one time.”
Stunned, hurt, Kirov said quietly, “Tev, you are making that quite clear to me.”
“Kirov…”
“Tell me the truth for once,” he said. “Do you believe you are my mate? Do you believe that you awakened my Instinct? Do you believe me at all?”
Lani’s gaze slid away but he reached out to turn her face to him, so that she couldn’t hide her truth.
Cupping her cheek, he demanded, “Tell me.”
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t.”
Kirov’s hand fell away and he clenched his jaw so hard he heard a crack.
He looked away from her. It hurt to look at her.
She whispered, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to hurt you. I just—”
“You should go inside,” he said, his voice soft, but stern.
“Kirov…”
“Go.”
Lani blew out a small breath.
“Okay,” she whispered.
She waited another moment and then slowly turned and walked back to the dwelling. Kirov kept his eyes glued to the facev range in the distance, specifically where he’d taken Lani just the night before.
He heard the door shut behind her, until he was alone with his own thoughts. But they were such a jumbled mess in his head, he couldn’t think properly. He needed his work to calm his mind, to focus him.
But he couldn’t leave. He would just have to endure it, this consuming pain, this relentless doubt.
His fists clenched on the stone, his Instinct’s unease made him want to jump out of his skin.
Vrax!
Her words replayed in his mind, over and over again, on an endless loop, cutting deep. Deeper than he thought words could.
She didn’t believe in them. She didn’t believe in their bond.
At least he’d been right about one thing.
Lani didn’t want to be won.
