Devoured Read online

  He sighed. The only problem was, her calming influence only seemed to work when she was touching him—when they were making skin-to-skin contact. During the ride up from Tampa, he had felt the pressure building, felt the dr’gin getting more and more restless. Healing her—kissing her back and shoulders, the sweet rounded globes of her ass, and the tender flesh of her thighs—had quieted it considerably. Sucking her nipple to heal it had had an even greater effect—he could practically hear the dr’gin purring with lazy contentment after he finished healing her there.

  But having such intimate contact with her was breaking his vow—the promise he had made to himself to be true to Nella.

  I need to stop. Need to make this the first and last time such intimacy happens between us, he told himself firmly. But…what of his dr’gin? Letting the beast within him out was not an option. If it came completely to the surface and overtook him, causing him to change forms, it would devour the closest person around which would probably be Tess.

  He couldn’t let that happen—he wouldn’t let that happen. He would just go on controlling it and keeping it buried within him as he had been for years. He had never needed to touch Nella to keep it calm…and he wasn’t going to touch Tess either. Not like he had tonight. He would leave her alone and everything was going to be fine. Once they got back up to the Mother Ship, he was certain he would find a solution to his problem. So he just had to hold on until then.

  Everything is all right, he told himself. We’ll be back to the Mother Ship soon…

  * * * * *

  “I am sorry but my answer is no.”

  “What?” Truth stared at Chancellor Terex in surprise and disbelief. “I am sorry, Chancellor—I don’t understand.”

  “I don’t see how I can be any clearer, Warrior. The Earth female is not welcome back aboard the Mother Ship.”

  “But…” Truth shook his head, unable to believe it. He had come to this early session of the Council, certain he would have his request granted in no time. “But she is dream sharing with my brother, Garron. She is most probably his mate which means they belong together.”

  “Let him stay on Earth with her then.”

  “Excuse me, Chancellor.” Sylvan, who had been silent while Truth presented his cast to the Council, cleared his throat. “I believe the female may be in some kind of danger or trouble which is why Garron wishes to bring her back up—that he may better protect her.”

  “That is not our problem.” Chancellor Terex frowned and adjusted the flowing, ceremonial robes that were traditionally worn by the head of the High Council. “The female was banned for a reason—she came aboard the Mother Ship illegally and remained here hiding in the Pairing House for over one solar week for who knows what nefarious purposes. She is not welcome back.”

  “But—” Truth tried once more.

  “The ban stays!” Terex banged the Speaking Rock—the traditional instrument of the Chancellor—down against the steelwood table, making a final cracking sound. For just an instant Truth thought his pale blue eyes seemed to glint a wicked red but it must have been a trick of the light. The next moment his face was back to its stern, stoic expression.

  Truth cast a glance at Sylvan who looked back unhappily and shrugged. Clearly there was nothing more he could do. As head of the High Council, Terex had the final say in every decision and obviously he was not going to change his mind.

  “Thank you, Chancellor,” Truth said stiffly, backing away

  Terex acknowledged him with only the barest nod.

  “And now,” he said, addressing the other Council members. “I understand we have some very pressing business to attend to. What have the governments of Earth been saying about our rights to call brides…?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tess woke to the sound of muted voices in the bathroom. Or, no—when she listened more closely, she realized it was just one voice—Garron’s. But he sounded like he was talking to someone. Was he on phone call? Maybe, from the sound of it.

  She normally wouldn’t have listened to anyone else’s call but she had to pee—really badly as a matter of fact. And the longer she laid there in the cheap motel bed, the worse the impulse got until she felt like her bladder was just about to burst.

  Well, maybe she could just knock on the door and ask if she could get in. He didn’t sound like he was doing anything else in there like showering or shaving. Probably he had just taken the call in the bathroom to avoid waking her. That sounded like the kind of considerate thing he would do.

  You know what else is considerate? The way he licked you all over last night to heal you. The way he sucked your nipple into his mouth until you were moaning and squirming all over the bed. That was damn considerate, whispered a naughty little voice in her brain. Not to mention sexy and hot and incredibly arousing…

  Tess tried to push the voice away as she got out of bed, but not too hard. It was one she hadn’t heard for a long time but it was familiar. She remembered having those happy, sexy thoughts during college, before she’d met her ex. Maybe she should name the little voice Tess BP—Before Pierce.

  She’d felt like a liberated woman in those days—living on campus, making her own way, dating whoever she wanted… Although she’d only had two serious relationships before Pierce, she had loved going out and getting to know new people.

  Tess thought wistfully of how happy she was then—of the different person that girl working her way through the LPN program had been. Where had that girl gone to? Had she disappeared the first time Pierce had roughed her up because the waiter was too flirty and he’d thought she was flirting back? Had she gone into hiding the first time he blacked her eye for staying ten minutes longer than she’d promised at the grocery store? Or had Tess BP run away completely after Pierce had dragged her away from her mother’s funeral and broken her wrist for daring to leave town without letting him know?

  She shivered. I don’t want to think about that—about all the bad times, whispered the little voice in her head. How about thinking of Garron instead? What about remembering the gentle way he touched you? The feel of his hot tongue tracing your nipple…?

  Shut up! Tess felt a tingle of desire mixed with fear. I shouldn’t be thinking about that…remembering it…wanting it…But it was hard to push the steamy memory away all the same.

  She finally managed by concentrating on her intense need to pee. God, she didn’t remember drinking that much water last night but she felt like she was about to burst! She tiptoed a little closer to the bathroom door and raised her hand to knock.

  “What do you mean, she’s not welcome back aboard the Mother Ship?” Garron demanded from inside the closed door.

  Tess froze. Was he talking about her? Well who else do you know that was banned from the Mother Ship recently? snapped a sarcastic little voice that sounded a lot more like her normal internal monologue. Garron had to be talking about her. But if she wasn’t welcome aboard the Mother Ship then what was he going to do? Probably go back up without you, whispered the voice. After all, you can’t expect him to hang around here forever.

  “No…no, that’s not an option,” she heard him growl, continuing his conversation. “No, absolutely not!”

  What isn’t an option? Going back? Staying here? What? Hardly knowing what she was doing, Tess leaned closer to the door, listening hard.

  “No, I don’t blame you, Brother. You tried for which I am grateful.” Garron sighed and she could almost see him running a hand through his thick black hair. “Yes, she is well although I did not get to her in as timely a fashion as I could have wished. He…marked her.” His deep voice sounded strangled. “I can say no more about it for now but I have her with me and she is safe.”

  He paused a moment as though listening to remarks made by the person on the other end. Probably the Kindred called Truth since he had called him “Brother,” Tess thought.

  “Yes, I know that giving in to emotion brings the dr’gin closer to the surface. Though you are my older brothe