Alcandian Soul Read online

  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.

  “You must come in now.” Dyne’s voice was soft with apology. She winced at the sound of it because she really believed he was sorry about her current situation. Or at least her opinion of being transplanted to his home world.

  He wrapped a thick fabric of some sort around her from behind, trapping her arms against her body as he did it, once again immobilizing her. She was acutely aware of how much taller he was than her—the guy had to lean down to speak next to her ear.

  The fact that he kept his words soft only made her snarl with frustration. Dyne smoothed his hands over her pinned arms in response. “It is winter. The temperature will fall dramatically now that we have rotated away from the main star.”

  Another hand stroked her face. Cassandra jerked her head up and cracked Dyne’s chin in the process. She heard his shift intake of breath as her skull hit him. She gave a jerk against his embrace but he held firm, never granting her even a millimeter of space. They were pressed together, his hard body flush against her and her traitorous body was enjoying the heat. Soaking it up as the outline of his erection drove her clit into a soft throb.

  Cole stroked her face once again. In the dim light she still saw the way his lips rose into a pleased look that was way too smug for her taste. But where her mind was busy contemplating mass violence on both their hides, her body was shivering and her knees felt weak. But she was still thinking clearly enough to recognize that they had let her go before, simply because she demanded it. Jessica’s words about Alcandian honor rose above her temper and arousal.

  “Let me go.”

  Dyne hissed at her command. The sound sent a jolt of excitement through her already aroused body. But he released her and caught her chin as he moved around to face her. Their eyes met for a moment as his hand held her head steady fo
r his gaze. Another bolt of blue light went through his eyes. Cassandra blinked her own eyes and scuttled back away from both of them. Whatever Dyne had wrapped her in, it fell around her ankles as she moved. The chill in the air immediately made itself known as she wrapped her arms around her to hold in as much heat as possible.

  “Pick up the robe, Cassandra.” Cole’s voice was dangerous. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense to her, but for some reason she was absolutely sure that the man was fighting to keep his hands off her. It was a vain idea at best. She wasn’t exactly the sort of girl who drove men to passionate extremes.

  “Fine. Just keep your paws to yourself. Selves.” Dealing with two men at one time was going to take an adjustment. Cassandra growled as she bent and plucked the crumpled robe off the ground. She wasn’t going to be dealing with them at all. Her nipples could get used to that right now. It was probably the cold anyway. Nipples became hard when they were cold, and right now she was freezing. Wrapping the fabric back around her body, she found the sleeves and hugged the garment close. Her body still shivered as she faced the fact that she was critically low on blood sugar. Her meal this morning had been rushed as she spent more energy finding a way to slip away from the women’s hall and Jessica.

  Both men watched her as she buttoned the robe. Her nipples tingled again as she shifted in her stance under the intense scrutiny. Her senses were all on high alert for some reason and her nerves were tight with tension. “Happy?”

  Twin grunts were her response. Dyne and Cole exchanged hard looks with each other before they returned their attention to her.

  “Let’s go, Cassandra. You can walk or I can haul you back in. But you aren’t spending the night out here without shelter.” Cole sounded like he might enjoy the hauling part of his option.

  Her pride instantly flared up, but a little trace of fear invaded her desire to spit and fight all the way through her abduction. Cole could and would haul her. The thing that frightened her was the very real response coming from her body. Jessica’s words were bouncing around inside her brain, giving her a headache, but they also granted her a measure of control that she clung to. She had the right to tell them to let her go and the oversized barbarians would abide by her wishes, unless she attacked them.

  Or refused to comply with their commands. It was a frustrating dilemma. The choice tested her own control as every ounce of Army brat in her demanded an all-out brawl. She wanted to hit and bite and draw blood to satisfy her wounded spirit. It was a really childish need to scream out that she was the wronged party. But just like a child, all that was going to do was get her grounded.

  Her body instantly reminded her of just how hard both their cocks had been, pressing against her. Treating her like a child wasn’t in their plans. That just made them all the more dangerous. There were urges encoded into the flesh that all the practical thinking in the world could never stop. Procreation was just about the most basic of them. A guy might be a total jerk, but if your brain decided he was hot there was no stopping the sexual heat from hitting you. Distance was the only thing that was going to save her from making a really big mistake like getting naked with Cole and Dyne.

  Because when it came to hot, they were volcanic. Molten-lava temperature, and just as destructive to her life as an active eruption was to anyone living too close to the lava flow.

  “Fine.” She started moving and ground her teeth together as her clit responded to the motion of her thighs rubbing against each other. She couldn’t remember being so damn aroused in her entire life. If she’d been watching porno movies maybe it might make sense. It had to be some weird psychological reaction to being kidnapped. A survival instinct encoded along with that urge to procreate. The two must be twisted together, making it hard to separate the two needs.

  Not that that was any help at the moment.

  Cole forced his pace to mirror Cassandra’s. He battled against a need ripping into his head that frankly amazed him. The four feet he’d allowed her away from him tested his resolve worse than any intense training he’d ever undergone. A hard hand landed on his shoulder as Dyne kept pace with him. A half turn of his head and he looked at his new partner to see a reflection of his own frustration. Heat flashed back from Dyne’s eyes, and the link between their minds let the other male’s arousal bleed into his own thoughts. It drove the heat up another ten degrees as he tightened his fingers into fists.

  Details and good intentions vaporized in the storm of flames. It was completely consuming, and the only thing Cole ended up holding was the hard reality of just what he intended to do with Cassandra. She was going to be his, happy or not about the circumstances. All he knew was that the time between right now and when he might touch her again was way too damn long. She would be his.

  “Ours.” Dyne’s voice was harsh and low but there was no missing the edge of determination in it. Dyne slid his gaze away from Cassandra to look at Cole. “We are partners.”

  Which meant Dyne shared the same flare of need that was moving through his bloodstream. It was a side effect of bonding with a partner. Because Alcandians trained and used their psychic senses, linking with a partner made them even more effective as law enforcement personnel. Judgment Officials were the only law-keeping force on Alcandar. Their halls were built at even intervals over the populated sectors, and even on remote portions of the planet. They were the line of defense against invasion, as well as threats from dishonorable citizens. Donning his maroon coat had been the biggest honor of his life. It completed his transfer from Earth to Alcandar. He had become the warrior that he’d always hungered to be.

  “Yes, ours.” Cole moved forward with clear purpose. He closed the gap between him and Cassandra. She would not become accustomed to him unless he refused to allow her to avoid him. The slightest scent of her arousal hit his nose and he grinned. He opened his mind and felt for her. She stumbled right into Dyne as their minds connected. She glared at him as she pushed away from the steady hand Dyne used to keep her on her feet.

  “Get out of my head, Somerton.”

  Dyne made a low sound of disgruntlement. Cassandra turned on him. She’d misjudged how close he was to her and she walked right into his chest. His arms closed around her instantly. Jerking her head up, Cassandra caught a glimpse of smug male satisfaction before his mouth smothered the command she issued to release her. Dyne’s kiss was forceful and hard with demand. He moved his hands up to the back of her head to cradle her skull while he pressed her neck back. A little whimper escaped her throat as Cole stepped up to her back and his hands landed on her hips. His fingers curled around her curves as his cock pressed into her back once more. This time, her clit throbbed hard, demanding release from her clothing. Her hands landed on the wide chest in front of her, the fingers spreading wide as temptation became too much to ignore. She needed to feel him—them. Just stroke the hard flesh that her eyes had lingered on. Touch it and absorb the complete strength in both of them. Dyne thrust his tongue into her mouth as her hands indulged in stroking his sculpted pectorals.

  Someone cleared their throat. Cole and Dyne growled simultaneously. Cassandra jerked her head around to stare at another pair of warriors. They were both sporting the Alcandian Judgment Official maroon uniform. One was light-haired, while the other was dark like Dyne. He moved closer as she stared at him. Cassandra lifted her hands off Dyne and chewed on her thumbnail unconsciously, trying to decide just what it was about this warrior that she knew. Her brain was straining, trying to identify something about him.

  “Oh hell!” The memory surged forward from the trap door she’d found in her head. The hike through the mountains and the confrontation between Cole and these two warriors. Pushing her way back and away from Cole and Dyne, she watched her memory like a movie as she recalled exactly what had happened in the mountains of California. She knew the location because her dad had taken her backpacking along those trails for years. In fact she knew right where that damn wormhole was hidden.

  “I believe you reme
mber Ravid and his partner Keenan?”

  Cole’s voice was somber. Cassandra lifted enraged eyes to his, but returned her attention to Ravid as she absorbed her restored memory. She pointed a finger at Ravid as she grasped the complete reason for her current relocation. She knew too much. That was the kind of information she could see these men wanting to control. The knowledge was like hearing a gavel hit a judge’s desk. The sharp sound piercing her heart with just how critical keeping her might be to them.

  “I do now.” She didn’t care for how defeated her voice sounded. “Well, you can just move that damn thing you use to planet hop.” Sweeping the four warriors with her eyes, she straightened her shoulders. “Since honor is such a fundamental thing around here, you can just take care of this problem without imprisoning me here.”

  “That would be pointless now.” Ravid crossed his arms across his chest as he spoke. Cassandra moved closer to him and refused to be intimidated by his height or brawn.

  “Now? What does that mean? Make it happen so I can go home. You’re supposed to enforce the law. Didn’t you show up on Earth ready to kick some ass over Zeva being held against her will?”

  A little twist of something that felt like regret went through her heart as she fought the urge to turn and look at Cole and Dyne. It almost felt like there was a string pulling on her belt, placing pressure on her to move back towards them.

  “You are correct, darmasha, but you will remain due to more than the memory that resulted in your presence here. You will understand in time, yet I regret the details of your arrival.” Ravid raised his gaze towards Dyne and Cole. “It is time to return to the hall for the night.”

  There was some sort of firm authority in his voice aimed at the two warriors who had just been pressing her between them. The kind of reprimand you might expect from your older brother if he caught you kissing out behind the barn. Ravid actually stepped aside and extended one large arm towards the stone courtyard she had crossed that morning. His partner Keenan was the mirror image as Cassandra fought the urge to turn her head to see what Cole and Dyne looked like. She pushed her feet forward instead. She wanted to turn around and move closer to them, an impulse that made absolutely no sense at all. So she moved across the polished stone courtyard without turning her head in spite of the regret moving through her. Separation anxiety was completely misplaced in a captive.