Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Nora
As I walked closer to Mu’ol, my fingers itched to touch him, but I kept my hands clasped together behind my back.
Had he always been this handsome? His face was as stern and unyielding as always, but now I found that sexy.
Perhaps I’d gotten used to the alien skin color, and could now see the beautiful structure of his face, his firm lips, the crinkles at the edges of his eyes. He must have once smiled more often.
I wanted a smile, wanted him to look at me like he was happy to see me, but his face remained stony and unemotional, though his eyes were on me, studying me.
Had I imagined his concern for me when I’d seen him in my mind?
Maybe I was losing my mind and that entire exchange had been a hallucination.
As I stepped closer, he took a step back, and it physically hurt.
“Can we talk about the psychic communication?” I asked. “Was that what it was?”
He turned towards the window, slowly folding his arms over his chest. “No.”
“No, it wasn’t psychic communication, or no, we can’t talk about it?”
He stared at me for a moment, then took a slow breath and spun around, stalking towards the door. Mu’ol was going to fucking walk out on me? At a time like this.
“I’d really like to know why you were inside my brain,” I yelled after him, but he stiffly ignored me, closing the door behind him. “Dick,” I muttered.
Behind me, On’nas chuckled. “He might be a little embarrassed that you saw his. Dick, I mean.” I turned towards the young soldier.
On’nas was handsome as sin. He had the features of a magical creature, with big eyes, high cheekbones, and a heart-shaped face.
He might have looked feminine but for his build.
Like all the aliens here, he had the build of a hardened soldier. And maybe something else. Red Guard.
I’d never really given On’nas much thought.
He was a few years younger than me and a bit silly.
He was the only Aunga’ri I knew who could make everyone laugh, even humans.
But now, standing in front of me, all-powerful muscle and twinkling eyes, it was almost impossible not to look.
There was something sensual about him, and not just because he’d had his tongue deep in Mu’ol’s ass when I walked in, which I really should not have seen.
Both of their dicks had been hard, probably a little too big. I took a slow breath, and he waited.
“Tell me what the Bhesai Ker’el is.”
On’nas studied me, leaning back against Mu’ol’s desk. He was close enough that the thick muscle of his thigh brushed my hip, and I felt a strange urge to press into that touch. “It’s a bond that we form with those we have a strong emotional connection to. I suppose you would call it love.”
“But Mu’ol doesn’t love me.” I rubbed the bridge of my nose with a sigh. “That makes no sense. When Axel described it, it sounded like it was a kind of fated connection. And rare.”
On’nas shook his head. “No. It used to be common, but our culture’s recent emphasis on science over emotion has made it uncommon.
Not because people can’t do it, but because people are fighting not to bond emotionally, because they think it’s wrong.
” He smiled, tilting his head, his silvery eyes sparkling.
“I had not expected it to work with humans, though.”
“And it’s dangerous to break it?”
“That is also a myth. It hurts like a bitch, but it’s not dangerous.
Just makes the separation more emotionally and sometimes physically painful.
” He tilted his head, looking at the ceiling.
“You become accustomed to them inside your head, I think.” I nodded, remembering what Axel said about how intensely he missed his lover because of that.
And a nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me I had felt that with Mu’ol. I wondered how On’nas knew so much.
“You’ve had the link with someone before?” I asked.
He blew out a breath, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Yep. I’m sure you know intimate relationships don’t always work out. We were too young, and we went our different ways.”
“But how could you have had an intimate relationship?”
“Not all Aunga’ri follow the laws. Not all Aunga’ri gave up sex when it was outlawed..” He raised his eyebrows and smiled, and suddenly I wondered what it would be like to fuck him. This massive, purple cock that hung between his legs couldn’t possibly fit inside me, could it?
“Is that what the Red Guard is?”
“No.” He chewed on his lower lip, avoiding eye contact now. “You don’t want to go fuck Mu’ol instead of talking? That would be preferable for me.”
I blinked, startled by the abrupt subject change. “I don’t think that’s what Mu’ol wants.”
“Oh, it’s what he wants. He was so distressed that you were gone.
He often whispers your name when he comes.
” That statement sent a shiver of something hot and heart-pounding through me.
Imagining the commander’s beautiful body writhing with pleasure was enough to make a woman wet.
But I ignored that, seeking information instead.
“He was so distressed that he started a sexual relationship with someone else? Yeah, no. Tell me about the Red Guard.”
On’nas unfolded to his full height, which was impressive, and stepped forward, meeting my eyes.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” His entire demeanor had changed, from lazy and a bit silly to something far more dangerous.
His mouth was a firm line, his muscles were tensed. He thought I’d fight him on it.
“How do you play the goofy cinnamon roll so effectively?” I whispered, unsure of why I was seeing him for exactly what he was. His mouth tilted up a little.
“Cinnamon roll?”
“You know you’re sweet and warm. Fun to be around. And now, you look a little like you might kill me if I say the wrong thing.”
“Because that’s a part of me. This is a part of me, too, but I wouldn’t kill you..”
“So, you’re on our side?” I held his gaze, challenging him, not backing down despite our height difference. The hardness that had come over his face softened for a moment as he glanced through the door Mu’ol had exited through.
He lowered his voice, as if he suspected he might be overheard, stepping in close. “The Guard is not convinced that Mu’ol’s decision to back the humans in this is the right one. They do not believe we can integrate so smoothly into human society.”
“And you?”
“It’s so fucking complicated, what I’m doing here. I don’t even know where to begin,” he said, shaking his head.
“But you don’t agree with them.”
“No. I don’t agree with them. I don’t think any race should be sacrificed to the Vul, no matter their questionable value to the universe.”
“Hey, we have value,” I whispered, and he moved in closer, so close that his breath warmed my lips, tickling along my skin and sending a tremor down my spine.
“That remains to be seen. Come, let’s go get the grumpy commander.”