Shadowed Read online

  “Well, what am I supposed to do?” Reddix sent with frustration.

  “You know what to do. You know the only way to neutralize bonding fruit—she needs your essence—your seed— inside her. She needs you to make love to her,” Saber sent back.

  “I can’t do that! I told you—she’s barely conscious. I can’t take her without permission—I won’t fucking rape her,” Reddix protested.

  “Do your best to wake her up and explain the situation,” Saber directed. “Make her understand so you can give her what she needs. Look, Brother, I have to go—Lissa needs me again.”

  “But—” Reddix began, but Saber had already broken the connection.

  Reddix turned back to the bed. Goddess damn it, what was he going to do?

  I have to wake her up, he thought, trying to push down the panic that tried to rise inside him. Have to make her understand.

  “Nina?” he murmured, stroking her cheek. “Listen, I know you hate me now, but you need to wake up. Need to let me help you.”

  “Hmm?” Her eyelids fluttered open at last, and she looked up at him, her deep blue eyes filled with confusion. “What happened?” she whispered. “I feel so strange…so empty. I ache inside.”

  He frowned. “That’s because you are, and you need to be filled.”

  “Filled?” She frowned, looking more awake. “What…what do you mean?”

  Reddix sighed in frustration. “Exactly what it sounds like. I talked to Saber, and you’re not the only one having trouble from that damn bonding fruit cake—the stuff was fucking lethal. You need the antidote.”

  Nina frowned and tried to sit up. Reddix helped her, supporting her head gently with his arm. “What are you saying?” she asked, shaking her head. “Are you saying you need to…”

  He clenched his jaw. “This is going to sound bad—really bad—but I swear to you it’s true.” He took a deep breath. “I need to make love to you, Nina. In order to neutralize the bonding fruit, I need to make love to you and fill you with my cum.”

  * * * * *

  Nina opened her mouth to refuse at once, but just then another pang of emptiness hit her. She moaned and put a hand between her thighs. Before she’d fainted, the hunger had been throughout her body—like a black hole sucking in her chest. Now it was concentrated in one spot—the place between her legs. Her pussy felt hot to touch—swollen and sensitive with need. And this time she sensed his tongue wasn’t what she needed. It wouldn’t be enough.

  “I don’t…don’t understand,” she whispered.

  “The bonding fruit was more concentrated than you thought—to fucking toxic levels,” Reddix explained roughly. “Saber says that Sylvan—one of the ship’s doctors—told him this is the only way to neutralize it.”

  “So you have to…”

  “Yeah.” He had the grace to look away. “I don’t blame you if you don’t want to hear that. It sounds like bullshit, I know.”

  Nina bit her lip. “Can’t you just…help me like you did before?”

  “I’d go down on you all night if I thought it would help,” Reddix growled softly. “But that’s not what you need. There isn’t enough of my essence in my saliva to help. It has to be seed—cum. Deep inside you where you’re feeling empty.”

  “I…” Nina could feel her cheeks getting red. “I don’t know…”

  “Here.” He pushed the Think-me at her. “Call someone. Bespeak…I don’t know, try Sylvan. He doesn’t know you, but he’s a physician—I’m sure he’ll take your call. Ask him—he’ll tell you I’m not just making excuses.”

  “No,” Nina pushed the thin silver wire away. “I…I believe you. I just…”

  “Just what?” He looked at her steadily.

  “I guess I just wonder why you care. If you’re leaving anyway…”

  “I’m not leaving because I want to.” His voice broke for a moment, and he had to clear his throat. “Goddess damn it, Nina—I care about you. Care so fucking much it’s like a fist in my gut. Of course I want to help you—to save you—if I can.”

  Nina took a deep breath. “So we’ll have sex…” She wasn’t about to say ‘make love’ not when it was obviously going to be a one-time thing purely out of necessity. “We’ll have sex,” she continued. “But just to neutralize the bonding fruit. The same way we, uh, touched each other in order to feed the Hurkon collar when you couldn’t get it off.”

  He nodded. “Exactly.”

  “And then we’ll go our separate ways, and that will be it?” Nina demanded. “Because I need to know right up front if this is going to change anything.”

  “I wish it would but no…” He looked regretful. “I can’t lie to you, Nina. I can make love to you, but I can’t bond you to me. I wish to the Goddess I could.”

  “All right.” Nina took a deep breath. “At least we know where we stand. We—ah! ” The aching emptiness stabbed at her again, attacking from the inside out as the bonding fruit she had ingested demanded she pay the price.

  “Nina?” Reddix was looking at her anxiously. “Are you all right?”

  “No.” Her whole body was trembling, and her nipples were so tight they hurt. Her pussy was dripping with her juices, begging to be filled. “No,” she said again. “I…if we’re going to do this, we need to just…just do it.”

  “All right.” He cupped her cheek and pulled her down.

  “What are you doing?” Nina asked, ducking away just before his mouth met hers.

  “Kissing you.”

  “I don’t want to kiss.” Nina looked away. “That’s not what I need, and it’s too…too personal.”

  “I see. No foreplay, no sweet talk.” His voice was flat. “You just want to get it over? Is that it?”

  “Yes. That’s about it,” she said tightly.

  “Fine.”

  Reaching between them with quick, angry motions he unfastened his black flight trousers, letting the long, hard shaft of his cock loose between them.

  At the sight of him, Nina had another spasm of emptiness. God, he was so long and hard and thick, and she needed him—her entire body was insisting that she had to have him inside her now. But no matter how her body demanded it, she wasn’t ready quite yet.

  “Come here.” Reddix was already opening her robe and pulling her into his lap. But again, Nina resisted.

  “No,” she said. “I don’t want it like this. Not face to face.”

  “Too personal again?” he growled.

  “Exactly.” She bit her lip and looked away. “Way too personal.”

  “Fine.” He threw up his hands and sat back, his broad shoulders against the headboard. “Show me then. How do you want it? How can I service you, sweetheart?”

  Nina could tell that the sarcasm in his deep voice was just there to cover the pain. She was sorry she was hurting him, but she was hurting too—not just the physical ache from the bonding fruit demanding she find satisfaction. No, she also had the emotional anguish of knowing this was the one and only time she would ever get to be with the man she loved. She knew she ought to savor this moment—to make the most of it. But it hurt too much. She just wanted to get it over with.

  “Like this,” she said, moving to the middle of the bed. She shed her robe and got on her hands and knees. Her pussy throbbed again, begging to be filled. Nina bit her lip and forced herself to go slowly, to take her time. Taking a deep breath, she spread her thighs, opening herself to him—offering herself for the one and only time.

  Behind her she heard Reddix draw in a ragged breath.

  “Gods, Nina, you’re so beautiful,” he said hoarsely. “So fucking gorgeous when you open yourself for me.”

  “Take me,” Nina whispered, bowing her head. “Please, Reddix—do it now. I…I need you to.” As she spoke she had another sharp stab of need and a low moan broke from her lips. “Please,” she gasped. “I can’t…can’t stand it much longer.”

  “It’s all right.” Reddix got into position behind her, caressing her bare back and hips in long, slow