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She was on the verge of tears and desperately needed to be alone. Cylex tried to pull her into his arms, but she scurried off the bed and rushed into the adjoining bathroom. She was being a coward. She knew that. But she was completely overwhelmed.
She had intended to take things slow, to get to know Cylex and Kern before she allowed anything more intimate than kissing.
“Water on, warm,” she said in Altorian and thankfully the shower responded. She stepped into the stall and faced the spray, hoping it would conceal the tears flowing down her cheeks. They had fucked her, controlled her, and still her energy seethed. She was too close to activation for these half-measures to last. She didn’t need orgasms. She needed to bond with her mates, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait.
CHAPTER6
“How long are we going to allow Raina to sulk?” Kern paced the living room of Cylex’s hideaway, hands clasped behind his back. Claiming a mate had always seemed improbable. He hadn’t allowed himself to hope. His past was too dark and he was too tainted to seriously consider pursuing a female. Then Raina had been thrust into his path. He’d had no choice but to protect her from Jevara. But she’d needed more than his protection. She’d needed his body. And now that he’d joined with her, he would never let her go. She’d ignited a need, a soul-deep hunger that could no longer be ignored. “She is hoping to avoid the inevitable. There is no point in hiding from us.”
“I know, and so does she,” Cylex insisted. He sat in his favorite chair facing the fireplace, his feet propped on a padded stool. “We frightened her the other night. She needs time to—”
“It has been three days.” When Raina had showered that first night, they’d gone to prepare a snack. When they returned, the bedroom door had been locked and she’d asked that they respect her need for privacy. They’d hoped that hunger would drive her from the room, but Cylex realized that the beverage dispenser in the room also printed simple meals. And Raina had learned how to operate Altorian technology at the Citadel. “I only have two weeks to court her. That is rather hard to do while she is locked inside that room.”
Cylex arched his brow, a challenging smile lifting one corner of his mouth. “When has a locked door ever stopped you?”
“You’re right. We have been patient long enough.” Kern strode across the living room then down the hall. He’d expected Cylex to accompany him, but wasn’t deterred when he didn’t. Cylex was much closer to being accepted by Raina than Kern. Kern still needed to win her affection and that process started with trust. Kern knocked firmly on her door, offering her one last chance to be reasonable. Hoping she would follow his example, he was polite and courteous. “Raina, I would like to speak with you. Please open the door.”
“So speak,” she called back. “I can hear you just fine from there.”
He Flowed through the door, but didn’t immediately approach her. She stood at the window, staring out into the sundrenched yard. Didn’t she feel caged by this room? The woods surrounding them were glorious. “Why are you hiding from us?”
“I’m not hiding from you. At least not in the way you mean.”
She was dressed, which surprised him. He’d pictured her curled up in bed, covers drawn up to her chin. The garment, a simple short-sleeved dress, likely belonged to Cylex’s aunt or one of his sisters. Still, there were far more important questions to ask. “How did we upset you? You needed sexual energy and I know you enjoyed it. So why did you lock the door?”
Pivoting so she could see him, she studied him for a moment before explaining. “I had no intention of having sex with either of you. At least not until we’d spent some time together and gotten to know each other a whole lot better than we do now. But every time I get emotional, my body literally craves sex. I can’t control it. And I can’t talk about the future without getting emotional.”
“The only thing that is going to stabilize your energy at this point is a soul bond.”
“I know,” she cried. Tears flooded her eyes but she stubbornly blinked them back. “I don’t want to tie myself to you guys because you happen to be here. A long-term relationship starts with a solid foundation. Proximity does not qualify.”
He motioned toward the doors leading outside. “Walk with me. I promise not to touch you and I will do my best not to stir up your emotions.”
With obvious reluctance, she nodded then reached over and opened the door. She stepped out onto the patio then paused. “Let me grab a sweater. There’s a chill in the air.”
Pleased with their progress, Kern waited just outside the door while she retrieved the outerwear. When she approached, he quickly pulled the door open so she could join him on the patio.
She had donned a dark green sweater that coordinated with the calf-length dress. It gave her a prim and proper appearance that was incongruous with her spirited personality. Her long brown hair was streaked with gold and she’d pulled it back with some sort of fastener. From this distance, he couldn’t see the gold flecks in her green eyes but they were no less captivating.
They strolled along the patio, heading for the gravel path that meandered through the small backyard and into the woods beyond. He knew what she wanted to hear, and understood that offering her a glimpse into his past was the only way to start building trust. He cleared his throat and clasped his hands behind his back to ensure that he kept his promise not to touch her. “You think that knowing the events in my past will make you more comfortable with me. I am afraid the opposite is true.”
“You’re not your father,” she insisted, compassion shining in her eyes. “And you’re not responsible for the horrible things he did.”
It pleased him that she would defend him, but he knew better. “My grandmother has been trying to convince me of that for more than a decade.”
“Why hasn’t it worked?”
He sighed heavily, seeing no way around telling her the whole sordid tale. “Other than my grandmother, I have only spoken of my past with one other person.”
“Cylex?”
“Yes. It is my hope that you will take this courtship seriously. That is the only reason I am willing to share these things with you.”
She looked at him and nodded. The breeze caught a lock of her hair and blew it across her face. He reached for it, but she quickly tucked the strand behind her ear. “Thank you for trusting me, and I’m sorry this is unpleasant for you.”
It would be unpleasant for her too. He still remembered how Cylex squirmed and refused to look at him when they’d had this conversation years ago. And Cylex didn’t know the entire story.
As if summoned by the thought, Cylex stepped out of the living room and onto the patio. “Is it all right if I join you?”
